Chapter 1

I died in endless hunger and cold.

In the final moment before my consciousness faded, I saw my ex-boyfriend, Zachary Cole, holding my so-called best friend, Vanessa Horton, and ruthlessly shoving me into the surging horde of zombies.

Vanessa flashed a smug grin. "Anya, don't blame us. It's your own fault for being so useless, you can't even scrounge up a scrap of food."

Zachary's voice was icy and full of contempt. "Keep your bleeding heart for the zombies."

Claws ripped through my skin, teeth crunched down on my bones, and agony shot through me. My last thought was, 'If I ever get another chance, I'll make them suffer real despair.'

Then, I jolted awake.

Warm blankets, a soft mattress, and the familiar noise of the city drifting in from outside.

I turned my head stiffly. The phone on my nightstand was glowing, the date clear as day, three days before the apocalypse hit.

I was back.

My heart was pounding in my chest, not from fear, but from a rush of intense exhilaration.

I didn't scream, didn't cry, not even a flicker of panic crossed my mind.

Five years of hellish struggle had utterly scorched away any trace of weakness or tears.

I rolled out of bed and rummaged through the deepest part of my drawer, pulling out all my bank cards.

There was 30 grand I'd scraped together from two years of work, plus another 80 grand from my parents' inheritance, 110 grand, all in.

It wasn't enough. Not by a long shot.

I opened my phone and, with icy calm, cashed out every online loan and credit card limit I could find.

I didn't mind if I was in debt.

After the apocalypse, money would be nothing but worthless paper. Survival was the only thing that mattered.

After finishing everything, I grabbed my car keys, with a clear goal in mind, the biggest wholesale supermarket in town.

On the way, I called someone.

"Hello, is this Mr. Wagner? It's Anya Grant. I'd like to rent Warehouse 3 behind your supermarket. Yes, today. I'll pay double the rent."

This was a secret I'd stumbled on during my struggle to survive in my last life.

The supermarket's warehouse management was a total mess, and Warehouse 3, stuck way out back, was pretty much always overlooked.

After the apocalypse, while people were literally tearing each other apart for a pack of instant noodles, nobody touched the stash in Warehouse 3 until a squad finally stumbled on it a whole year later.

This time, it would be my first big score.

An hour later, I was in the supermarket, pushing not just one, but ten giant shopping carts lined up in a row.

The customers and staff were all staring at me like I was some lunatic.

I couldn't care less.

"Every brand of survival biscuits on the shelves, I'll take them all."

"All the water you have, bottled or in barrels. Load it up."

"Canned goods, luncheon meat, canned fish in black bean sauce, fruit, sweep the shelves. I want every last can."

"Chocolate, candy, energy bars, don't leave a single one behind."

I moved like an emotionless shopping machine, coolly pointing at shelf after shelf and issuing crisp commands to the supermarket staff, who could only stare in shock as they followed me.

After raiding the food section, I headed straight for household supplies.

"Toilet paper, sanitary pads, wet wipes, the biggest packs you've got. Ten boxes of each brand."

"Batteries, every size you've got. I'll take them all."

"Lighters, matches, candles, clear them out. I want every last one."

"Cold medicine, anti-inflammatories, painkillers, gauze, iodine, antibiotics... Clear out the medicine cabinet."

Finally, I made my way to the knife section and my eyes landed on a set of Bavara-made survival knives.

In my previous life, I kept getting into trouble at the start because I never had a decent weapon.

"That one, the fire axe next to it, and the survival shovel, wrap them all up for me."

My spatial power had awakened at the very last moment before I died, a massive storage space, big enough to hold thousands of cubic meters, like having a super warehouse on me at all times.

Right now, it was my ace in the hole.

As cart after cart of supplies was wheeled into Warehouse 3, which I'd rented ahead of time, I just waved my hand, and the mountain of goods vanished, reappearing perfectly organized in my space.

When it came time to pay, the cashier's POS machine nearly fried from the total.

With a bill topping four hundred grand, I didn't even blink, just tapped my card.

The cashier girl's hands were trembling as she stammered, "M-Miss, are you... opening a shelter or something?"

I looked up and flashed her the first smile I'd shown since my rebirth, replying with ease,

"Moving."

After I cleared out the first supermarket, I didn't pause for a moment.

Right now, time was the most precious treasure I had.

I slipped through the city like a ghost, haunting the streets of a place about to become hell on earth.

My next stop was the city's largest hardware and building materials market.

"Generators, diesel-powered, the quietest ones you have. I need five."

"Diesel, give me a hundred barrels."

"Solar panels, the highest wattage available. However many you have, I'll take them all."

"Rebar, wire mesh, welding machines, cutting tools... Give me a full set of your sturdiest supplies."

The shop owner stared at me, a slender girl, placing orders like I was outfitting a whole military base, his mouth hanging open so wide you could've fit an egg in it.

"Miss, are you... are you building a bunker or something?"

I grinned. "Pretty much. Just fixing up my new place, I like that industrial vibe."

After paying, once they'd delivered everything to the temporary warehouse I'd set up, I waved my hand, and the whole mountain of steel beasts disappeared into my space.

My third stop was the wholesale drug market.

After clearing out the supermarket pharmacy, this time I knew exactly what I needed.

"Penicillin, cephalosporins, amoxicillin, every kind of broad-spectrum antibiotic. Ten thousand boxes of each."

"Ibuprofen, morphine, pethidine, every strong painkiller you have. Give me everything."

"Insulin, blood pressure meds, heart attack meds... Empty out all your meds for chronic conditions."

I even grabbed tons of antibiotics meant for animals.