Chapter 1

The zombie apocalypse had already broken out, yet I was on a video call with my boyfriend Brian West, pouting and begging him to bring me some snacks.

Suddenly, lines of comments began floating across my vision.

[Jesus, does this chick not realize it's the end of the world?]

[She's clawing at her gaming chair like crazy. She's totally lovesick. No saving her.]

[Chill out. Once her boyfriend figures out she's completely useless in a fight, he'll toss her to the undead as bait.]

[In the original novel, the naive drama queen gets pushed aside by her own boyfriend. She dies a horrible death.]

I stared at Brian's handsome face on my phone screen and froze solid.

On the other end, he was still wearing that gentle smile. "Be good, baby. I'm on my way."

I slammed the end call button.

Truth was, I'd rather he never showed up at all.

*****

As the phone screen went dark, my hand was still shaking.

It was mostly the lingering fear.

And those zombie howls outside, one after another, made my skin crawl.

My name was Lily Hart. Before the apocalypse, I was a small-time influencer, living off my looks.

But after the world ended, I could only depend on my brother, who had awakened his abilities, to keep me fed.

My brother, Lucas Hart, was a fourth-tier lightning user, leading a squad trying to scrape by in this wasteland.

And me? As his only sister, I was basically the squad mascot. All I did was eat and sleep.

The barrage of comments kept coming.

[She hung up? She really hung up on Brian?]

[The drama queen's acting off today.]

[Maybe she's scared stiff. I mean, there are zombies everywhere outside.]

I took a deep breath and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

Brian was the guy I went after for two years before I finally got him to be my boyfriend.

Brian was an honor student, handsome, gentle, and always treated me well.

After the apocalypse, he stuck with Lucas's squad and was even more attentive to me than before.

Everyone said I was lucky to have such a sweet guy.

I thought so too.

And those comments popped up.

Lucky? Seriously? If this was what "good luck" looked like, I'd rather pass it on to someone else.

[This part in the original story pissed me off. Lily was head over heels for Brian, but he ended up pushing her off the rooftop himself.]

[Brian is such a bastard. He used the drama queen, then started sucking up to the female lead. Lily's death was absolutely brutal.]

[Girls, take note. Never let romance mess with your head in the apocalypse.]

I stared at those words floating by, my palms turning icy cold.

If this was all fake, then where the hell did this barrage of comments come from?

But if it was real...

I couldn't bring myself to think any further.

*****

The mall was eerily quiet.

Lucas took his squad out to scavenge for supplies, leaving me here to stay out of sight.

It was because I was a nuisance.

I had no powers, and my physical abilities were terrible. In the apocalypse, I was basically dead weight.

One time, I insisted on going with them, but after barely making it 1640 feet, I twisted my ankle. Lucas had to carry me all the way back, looking like he was about to explode.

After that, he never let me leave the safe house again.

I stared at the little mirror I'd pulled out of my bag.

Lucas had given it to me before the apocalypse.

It was some idol collab merch, and I'd always carried it around.

After the apocalypse, it'd end up being my only distraction.

The barrage of comments kept coming.

[What's she doing now? Staring at herself in the mirror again?]

[Classic move. She probably checks herself out like eight hundred times a day.]

[Gotta admit, she's good-looking, but she's just a pretty face.]

[By the way, when does she get her powers? In the original, she died so early she never awakened anything.]

What?

I died too early to awaken? What the hell did that mean?

So I actually had powers, but I died before I could use them?

I gripped the mirror so tightly my knuckles turned white.

That was not happening. This time, I was living long enough to awaken my powers.

Night was falling outside.

Zombie howls echoed from afar, way more often than earlier.

I huddled in the corner, hugging my knees, eyes locked on the door.

I had to wait for Lucas to come back.