Chapter 1

"Open the door. The zombies are coming!" Bryan Hogan pounded on the door like crazy.

I sat on the sofa, watching the security feed.

Out in the hallway, Bryan was shielding his junior, Claudia Barton.

On this exact day in my previous life, an hour before the outbreak, Bryan said he had an emergency at the hospital. In truth, he went to pick Claudia up.

They ended up leading the zombies straight back home and I died getting torn apart trying to save them. Meanwhile, they lived off the supplies I'd stocked, surviving for three more years.

"Eden, did you change the passcode?" Bryan asked anxiously, drenched in sweat.

Claudia shrank into his arms, screaming, "Is Eden not home? I'm so scared, Bryan."

I picked up the intercom and pressed the talk button. "I'm home."

The two of them lit up. They shouted, "Open the door! Claudia twisted her ankle. She can't run. How can you be so cold?"

I slurped a mouthful of freshly cooked seafood pasta, chewing loudly into the mic. "Not opening."

"Why not?" they demanded.

I replied, "Well, three people is too crowded. Besides, I think you two are filthy."

*****

"Eden, are you out of your mind? How can you be joking at a time like this?" Bryan yelled, hammering on the door even harder.

I slurped up the pasta loudly.

"'Who's joking?" I said. "Bryan, didn't you claim you had an emergency at the hospital? Funny how your 'emergency' ended up with Claudia clinging to you instead."

On the monitor, Bryan looked furious and embarrassed.

"Is this really the time to argue? People are getting bitten out there. Claudia almost got clawed. I'm a guy. If I don't look out for her, who will? Come on, don't be difficult. Open the door," Bryan shouted.

Claudia leaned in, her voice shaky. "Eden, I know you don't like me, but this is life or death. Let us in. I'll keep to myself and won't get in your way, I swear."

I set down my fork and grabbed a chilled Coke from the table, popping the tab.

The click and fizz sounded extra sharp.

"I just mopped the floor, and your shoes are covered in blood and mud. I don't need you dragging all that mess inside. Besides, you said the other day my place had bad vibes and felt suffocating, that you'd rather stay at a hotel.

"Well, I thought about it, and you were right. So I went ahead and welded the door shut. Maybe that'll change the energy around here," I said.

"Bullshit! There's no way you welded the front door shut," Bryan yelled.

Bryan kicked the door as hard as he could.

A dull thud followed.

The door didn't move at all. Bryan jumped around, holding his foot in pain.

The door was a bank vault-level security door I had custom-made for a ridiculous price. Forget kicking, it'd take a person three days and nights with a power saw just to make a dent.

"Bryan, save your energy. Sounds like those screams from downstairs are getting closer," I said.

I stared at the bottom left corner of the security monitor.

The handle on the emergency exit was being twisted frantically.

Bryan clearly heard it too, his face going ghostly pale.

"Eden, open the damn door. I'm your fiancé. I have a right to live here," Bryan shouted.

"Oh? Is your name on the deed? Did you pay a single cent for the renovations? I even sold my stocks to pay for this door. Rights? You have no damn rights here," I shot back.

"You..." Bryan was so angry he was practically speechless. He spun around, scanning the hallway, and spotted the fire hose cabinet on the wall.

He charged over, smashed the glass, and snatched up the fire extinguisher inside.

"Since you won't open up, don't blame me for breaking in. Claudia, stand back!" Bryan shouted.

Claudia sobbed, "Bryan, hurry up. There's noises in the stairs."

Bryan grabbed the fire extinguisher and started smashing it against the keypad lock with all his strength.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The banging was so loud it made one's ears ring.

I turned down the volume on the monitor and pulled out a bag of beef jerky from under the coffee table.

This imported beef jerky was really chewy, and the flavor got better with every bite.

Outside, Bryan smashed the keypad lock over a dozen times, his hands going numb and aching from the impact. All he managed was to crack the plastic casing. The steel core inside didn't even have a mark.

"No way. What the hell is this door made of?" Bryan panted, chucking the fire extinguisher to the floor.

Claudia screamed, "Bryan, the door. The fire door's about to burst open!"

The fire door in the stairwell was being battered, and it was obvious there were hordes of zombies behind it.

"Eden, are you seriously going to let us die? Those are zombies. They'll eat us alive," Bryan yelled through the gap in the door, his eyes wide with terror.

I picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Yeah, I saw the news alert too. If you knew zombies were out there eating people, why didn't you just book a room for Claudia when you picked her up? Why come running to my place?

"Oh, right, you're flat broke. Didn't you blow your whole paycheck last month buying Claudia that designer bag?" I said.

Bryan's face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's all a misunderstanding. It was Claudia's birthday, that's all. I know you're jealous, Eden. Please, just open the door.

"I swear, I'll cut Claudia off for good. Seriously, I'll throw her out right now if you want, just let me in," Bryan begged.

Claudia suddenly snapped her head up, staring at Bryan in utter disbelief. "Bryan? What did you just say?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Hear that, Claudia? That's your so-called hero. He was acting all protective a minute ago, but now he's ready to toss you aside to save his own skin. Seriously, you still want a guy like that? What are you, running a charity for losers?"

Claudia bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't dare lash out. All she could do was grip Bryan's sleeve tightly, trembling all over.