Chapter 4

I ducked under a zombie's lunge, then, with a quick reverse grip, stabbed my dagger straight through its eye socket and scrambled its brains.

Without missing a beat, I slid in behind another zombie, clamped my left hand over its mouth to keep it quiet, and with my right, swiftly sliced its carotid artery before twisting hard and breaking its neck.

After finishing off the last zombie, I headed over to the truck and knocked on the window.

The window rolled down slowly, and my parents' faces appeared, still shaken and scared.

"Dad, Mom, it's me," I said.

They were completely stunned when they saw me decked out in full gear.

"Anya, what... what's happening? What are those things out there?" Mom's voice was trembling as she spoke.

"Let's head up the mountain first. I'll explain everything once we're home," I said.

I hurriedly led my parents back to the bunker.

As the heavy steel door slowly closed behind us, sealing off the chaos and bloodshed outside, Mom's legs buckled and she sank to the ground.

Dad was utterly speechless as he took in the bright lights, the abundance of supplies, and the cozy atmosphere inside the base.

"Anya, did you... did you prepare all this? Did you... know something was coming?" Dad asked, his voice full of disbelief.

I nodded and briefly explained to them about my rebirth and the coming apocalypse.

It took them a long time to wrap their heads around such a mind-blowing truth.

Finally, Dad walked over and pulled me into a tight hug, his voice hoarse. "Anya, you've been through so much. From now on, we'll stick together and survive as a family."

My eyes finally grew misty.

Once my parents were settled, I made my way back to the surveillance room.

The chaos in the city was getting worse by the minute.

The number of zombies was multiplying exponentially, and the survivors were already turning on each other for food and water.

I knew this was just the beginning.

The real test would come in three days, when the first wave of the zombie horde would hit.

In my previous life, that wave of zombies wiped out most of the survivor bases in the city and crippled the military's rescue teams.

And I remembered every detail, the size, the path, and the exact time of that wave.

That was my trump card.

The next day, a group of uninvited guests showed up outside the base.

They were survivors from a small factory nearby, about a dozen in all. Out of food and desperate, they'd risked it all to scavenge for supplies, and ended up stumbling right onto my base.

Leading them was a hulking brute with a face full of muscle and menace, gripping a steel pipe and swaggering like he owned the world.

"Hey! Listen up, you inside! We know you're in there! Open the door and hand over your food and water, or else, if we have to bust it down, you're gonna be sorry!" the brute yelled.

I hit the intercom, my voice cold as ice.

"You're not breaking down this door. Leave now, and I'll act like nothing ever happened," I replied, my tone calm and unyielding.

The brute just spat on the ground, clearly not taking my warning seriously. "Guys, quit wasting time with her! Bash it down!"

The whole crew started hammering at the door with steel pipes and rocks, going at it like maniacs.

But my steel door didn't budge; all you could hear was a series of dull thuds echoing with every hit.

After a long while, they were all out of breath, but the door didn't even have a scratch on it.

His expression soured.

Just then, a skinny guy with glasses leaned in and murmured something to him.

The brute's eyes lit up. He swaggered back to the door, putting on a new act. "Hey, friend inside, no offense! We're not here to cause trouble, we're just starving! If you could spare us some food, we'll leave right away! We've got women here, you can have some fun with them!"

As he spoke, he pushed a shivering young girl to the front.

Any trace of warmth in my eyes disappeared, replaced by icy resolve.

I triggered the high-voltage electric grid I'd set up at the entrance.

With a faint click, the brute who'd been hammering the door jerked and spasmed, letting out a guttural, inhuman scream before collapsing, his body left charred and smoking on the ground.

The rest of them freaked out and bolted in every direction, screaming in terror.

I watched the girl left behind on the monitor, looking completely lost. After a brief pause, I opened the small supply window in the door.

I handed her a bottle of water and two ration bars.

"Eat, then leave. Don't come back," I said.

The girl took the food, stared at me blankly, then suddenly dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground in a deep bow, before turning and running off into the darkness.

Mom sighed behind me. "You did the right thing. In times like this, we can't save everyone."

I nodded.

Being nice wouldn't get us alive until the next day.

Two days later, the first wave of the zombie horde arrived right on schedule.