Chapter 1

I stumbled forward, limbs weak and heavy. I glanced back. A pale, rotting corpse lunged, its bloodstained maw sinking into my shoulder!

Gah!

The phantom pain of that tearing bite made me gasp. My heart still hammered against my ribs.

It was a dream.

In the dream, an unknown zombie virus had swept the globe. Social order collapsed instantly. Mountains of corpses, seas of fire—a true hell on earth.

But anxiety immediately surged within me. Because I have prophetic dreams.

I dreamed my college entrance exam score, and it matched exactly.

I dreamed a classmate broke her leg, and sure enough, she came back after the weekend in a cast.

Dreaming of this terrifying apocalypse… I tapped open my phone calendar.

Less than six days until that disaster!

I patted my cheeks. Birds were already chirping outside my window.

Steady. This time, you can do it too.

The most urgent thing now was to get Mom and Dad here. I was genuinely terrified something might go wrong.

When the call connected, I heard Dad’s muffled voice: “Xixi?”

Without waiting for my reply, he habitually passed the phone to Mom. I could easily picture him standing there, rubbing his nose, listening in.

“Mom, I got hurt riding my bike. Can you guys come take care of me for a while?” I feigned a pitiful tone.

“How many times have I told you to watch the road?! Where did you hurt yourself? Did you break anything?” Mom’s loud voice fired off questions like a machine gun. I quickly cut off her barrage.

“The high-speed train at nine! Remember, Mom, Dad!”

Electronics wouldn’t be reliable in the apocalypse. I pulled out a thick notebook. After a moment’s thought, I listed everything I needed to do in the coming days.

First item: a reliable, sturdy shelter.