No Second Chances Apocalypse

| September 22, 2023 - 9:47 PM

Lin sat at the edge of her bed, duffel bag full of weapons resting by her feet.

The apartment was silent. Her parents had already gone to bed. The only sound was the faint hum of the city outside, the occasional honk of a distant car.

She wasn't tired.

She was wired.

Two years of memories, of pain, of betrayal, burned fresh in her mind. Every second wasted was a second closer to December 25th—the day the world would end.

Her eyes flicked to her phone.

Nathan Liu.

Her boyfriend, technically. The man who left her to die in another life.

She tapped his name. Her fingers hovered over the screen for half a second.

Then, with zero hesitation, she started typing.

[9:49 PM]

Lin: Nathan, I've been thinking. This isn't working. I don't see a future with us anymore.

[9:50 PM]

Nathan: ???

Nathan: What? Where is this coming from?

Lin stared at the screen, lips pressing together.

She could tell him the truth. Could tell him she remembered everything. That she knew exactly what kind of coward he really was.

But he didn't deserve an explanation.

She typed.

[9:52 PM]

Lin: I don't love you anymore.

She hit send.

The moment the message delivered, she blocked his number.

Nathan Liu was officially erased from her life.

| September 22, 2023 - 9:55 PM

Lin tossed her phone onto the bed and exhaled, shaking out her fingers.

That was step one.

Now—step two.

She unlocked her screen and pulled up her social media.

Last time, she had never posted much. Kept her profile quiet, uncontroversial. But now? She had a very specific message to send.

She tapped on her status box and started typing.

[Status Update – Public]

"Starting a new chapter. Prioritizing myself. Cutting out dead weight."

Lin stared at the words.

She smirked.

Then she hit post.

| September 22, 2023 - 9:56 PM

She turned off her phone and lay back on her bed.

Her new life had officially begun.

| September 22, 2023 - 10:02 PM

Lin's phone buzzed.

She ignored it.

Her body felt heavy, but her mind wouldn't shut off. The weight of her decisions—the break-up, the post, the guns sitting in the duffel at her feet—pressed down on her, but it was a good kind of pressure.

Then her phone buzzed again.

And again.

She sighed, reaching for it.

Olivia Chen.

Lin stared at the name for half a second before unlocking her screen.

[10:02 PM] Olivia: Babe. Just saw your post. WTF??

[10:03 PM] Olivia: You broke up with Nathan OVER TEXT???

[10:03 PM] Olivia: Call me. Now.

Lin's lips curled slightly. Of course Olivia would react first.

In her past life, Olivia had pretended to be the perfect best friend—supportive, charming, always on Lin's side. But in the end, she had been the one pulling the strings.

She had whispered in Nathan's ear. She had convinced him to steal Lin's supplies, to throw her out, to leave her bleeding on the street while zombies closed in.

Lin hadn't understood then.

She understood now.

She tapped out a response.

[10:04 PM] Lin: Yeah. I broke up with him. What's the problem?

The read receipt popped up immediately.

Olivia was waiting.

[10:04 PM] Olivia: Uhhh, maybe the fact that you're being a total btch?*

[10:05 PM] Olivia: Nathan is freaking out. He said you just BLOCKED him? Lin, that's cruel.

[10:05 PM] Olivia: At least talk to him.

Lin let out a quiet breath.

Talk to him?

Why? So he could feed her the same weak, manipulative excuses? So he could tell her how much he "cared" while plotting behind her back?

She had no time for this.

[10:06 PM] Lin: I don't owe him anything. Tell him to move on.

A long pause.

Then—

[10:07 PM] Olivia: Wow. You're actually serious.

[10:07 PM] Olivia: What's going on with you? You're acting weird.

Lin tilted her head.

Weird?

No, Olivia. I'm just not blind anymore.

She stared at the screen for a moment, then closed the chat without replying.

Let Olivia wonder. Let her squirm.

The game had changed.

And this time?

Lin was the one in control.