[Aria's POV]
I couldn't sleep.
How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that look on Marcus's face. Cold. Empty. Like five years of love had never existed.
I sat in the corner of the warehouse, hugging my knees, watching everyone else sleep. Vivian had taken the office—my father's office—with Marcus. They'd closed the door an hour ago.
I tried not to think about what that meant.
The warehouse door suddenly banged open.
Everyone jumped awake, powers flaring. Marcus's hands crackled with lightning. Vivian's eyes glowed as boxes lifted into the air, ready to be thrown.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" A familiar voice screamed. "It's me! Sophie!"
My best friend stumbled inside, covered in blood. Three other people ran in behind her, slamming the door shut. Zombies crashed against it from outside, shrieking and clawing.
"Sophie!" I ran to her, my heart in my throat. "Are you hurt? Let me—"
"I'm fine!" She pushed past me, heading straight for Marcus. "The blood isn't mine. We were at the mall when it happened. Lost twelve people getting here." Her hands sparked, and flames danced between her fingers. "But I got B-Rank Fire Manipulation. Not bad, right?"
B-Rank. Stronger than me. Everyone was stronger than me.
"Good power," Marcus said, looking impressed. "We need fighters. Welcome to the group."
Sophie finally looked at me. Her eyes widened. "Aria? You're alive! I texted you but—" She stopped. Stared at me. "Wait. What rank did you get?"
The warehouse went quiet again.
"F-Rank," Vivian said before I could answer. She walked out of the office, her hair messy in a way that made my stomach hurt. "Healing. Minor wounds only."
Sophie's face fell. "Oh, Aria. That's... that's really bad."
"I can still help—"
"Sure you can, sweetie." Sophie patted my shoulder like I was a child. Then she turned back to Marcus, her whole face lighting up. "So what's the plan? How do we survive this?"
Just like that, I was forgotten.
Over the next hour, more survivors trickled in. A man with C-Rank super speed. A woman with B-Rank ice powers. Two brothers with D-Rank enhanced senses—weak, but still better than me.
By dawn, we had thirty-five people.
Thirty-four with useful powers.
And me.
Marcus stood on a crate, looking every bit like a leader. Lightning danced around him, making him look powerful and dangerous and nothing like the gentle man who used to bring me coffee in bed.
"Listen up!" His voice carried across the warehouse. "The system gave us powers to survive. To fight. Every zombie we kill makes us stronger—our systems level up, our abilities grow. The strong will survive. The weak will die."
Everyone nodded, hanging on his every word.
"We'll form hunting teams," Marcus continued. "A-Rank and above lead teams. B-Rank and C-Rank follow. D-Rank scouts ahead." He paused. "F-Rank... will stay here and manage supplies."
My cheeks burned. He didn't even say my name. Just dismissed me as useless.
"Wait." Sophie raised her hand, flames flickering around her fingers. "Aria's F-Rank, yeah, but she's also the owner of this warehouse. Shouldn't she have some say in—"
"Was the owner," Vivian interrupted smoothly. "Her father's dead. She has no claim here except what we allow her."
"That's not fair!" The words burst out of me. "My father built this place! These supplies—the food, the medicine, everything—this is my family's—"
"Your family's gone," Marcus said flatly. "We're your family now. And families share everything, right?"
The way he said it made my blood run cold. It wasn't a question. It was a threat.
"Marcus, please." My voice cracked. "We're engaged. You love me. Why are you—"
"Love?" Vivian laughed, sharp and cruel. "Oh, Aria. Sweet, stupid Aria. You really think he loved you?"
"Of course he did! We've been together for five years!"
"You've been a convenience for five years," Vivian said. "Your father owned a pharmaceutical company. Marcus needed those connections for his business deals. That's all you ever were."
"That's not true." But my voice shook. "Marcus, tell her that's not true."
Marcus looked at me for a long, painful moment.
Then he looked away.
"Vivian, organize the hunting teams," he said, like I hadn't spoken at all. "Sophie, you're on my team. We leave in one hour."
Sophie glanced at me, something like pity in her eyes. Then she nodded and walked away.
I stood there, alone in a warehouse full of people.
"Hey." A soft voice beside me. The woman with ice powers—young, maybe nineteen. "I'm Jade. That was rough. You okay?"
"I'm fine," I lied.
"No, you're not." Jade sat down next to me. "But for what it's worth, healing is useful. When people get hurt out there, they'll need you."
"They don't think they need me now."
"They will." Jade squeezed my hand. "Trust me."
But I didn't trust anyone anymore.
The hunting teams left an hour later. Marcus, Vivian, Sophie, and ten others. They took the best weapons from my family's supply room. Took the food and water. Took everything like it belonged to them.
Marcus didn't even say goodbye to me.
I watched them go, something breaking inside my chest.
Jade stayed behind with me and five others—the weakest survivors. The ones not good enough to fight.
"We should organize supplies," Jade said gently. "Make ourselves useful."
I nodded numbly and followed her to the storage area.
That's when I saw it.
Hidden behind some boxes, tucked away where no one would look—a stack of papers. Official-looking documents with my father's company letterhead.
My hands shook as I picked up the top page.
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT - CONFIDENTIAL
Between: Chen Pharmaceutical Industries & Zhao Trading Company
Date: Five years ago
My vision blurred as I read. This was a business contract between my father and Marcus's company. Signed the exact same week Marcus first asked me out.
The same week he "accidentally" bumped into me at the coffee shop and spilled my drink.
The same week he smiled at me like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
It was all a lie.
Every date. Every kiss. Every whispered "I love you."
Marcus had been using me from the very beginning. Five years of pretending to love me just to get close to my father's business connections.
"Aria?" Jade's concerned voice seemed far away. "You okay? You look really pale."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
The proposal six months ago—that was right after my father died. Right after Marcus didn't need the business connection anymore.
So why did he propose?
I flipped through more papers, my hands shaking harder.
And found my answer.
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT - ROBERT CHEN
All assets, properties, and company shares transfer to: Aria Chen upon her marriage.
My father had left everything to me. But only if I got married.
Marcus proposed because he wanted my inheritance.
The apocalypse happened before the wedding.
Before he could legally take everything.
So now he was just... taking it anyway.
"Aria?" Jade touched my arm. "Seriously, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
I looked up at her with tears in my eyes.
"I just realized," I whispered, "that the man I loved never existed."
The warehouse door suddenly crashed open.
Marcus ran inside, his arm torn and bleeding. His face was white with fear.
"ZOMBIES!" he shouted. "Hundreds of them! Heading straight here! We have to—"
He stopped. Stared at me. At the papers in my hands.
His face went blank. Then cold. Colder than I'd ever seen.
"What are you doing with those?"
"Learning the truth," I said quietly. "Was anything real, Marcus? Did you ever love me at all?"
He didn't answer.
Behind him, Vivian stumbled inside with Sophie. Both were bleeding. The rest of the hunting team was screaming, running, dying outside.
And the zombie horde was right behind them.
But all I could see was Marcus's face.
The face of a stranger who'd stolen five years of my life.
"We'll talk about this later," Marcus said coldly. "Right now, we survive."
He raised his hands, lightning crackling.
That's when I noticed something that made my blood freeze.
His hands were shaking.
His lightning was flickering. Weak.
And the zombie horde outside wasn't just big.
It was massive.
Big enough to kill us all.