Chapter 3

Scarlett pulled her car into the driveway of her parents' massive estate and parked. Walking up the front steps, she opened the front door, the heavy click echoing through the high ceilings.

Immediately, her mother's sharp voice came yelling from the living room. "Who is opening that door in all this heat? Huh?"

Scarlett stood by the foyer, completely silent, until her mother walked into view. Her mom appeared and stopped, her face twisting into a scowl. "Oh, it is just you." She said coldly and Scarlett tried not to frown,

"Thank goodness you are here. Where the hell did you go yesterday? You were supposed to be at your father's company, but you just ran off to some bar and embarrassed us!"

Without waiting for an answer, her mother scoffed. "Go downstairs and bring up my green tea. And wipe down the hall table while you are at it."

Scarlett stared at her. In her past life, she would have bowed her head and hurried to obey. Now, she just tilted her head. "We have a maid for that, several actually. Send them to do it."

Her mother blinked, completely stunned. "What did you just say to me?"

"I am going upstairs," Scarlett said flatly. She turned toward a young maid standing nearby. "You there. Get me pancakes, no maple syrup, some bacon, and scrambled eggs. Send them up to my room. Thanks."

Scarlett turned and walked straight up the grand staircase. Behind her, her mother stood frozen, her mouth open in total confusion. Even the maid looked like she had just seen a ghost. Scarlett used to sneak around quietly and cook her own meals just to avoid bothering anyone. Seeing her give orders was surreal.

Reaching her room, Scarlett went inside and locked the door behind her.

She looked around the space. The room was large, but mostly empty. She had never really decorated it growing up because she was always walking on eggshells, terrified of annoying her parents. Moving over to a chair by the window, she grabbed a notebook and a pen, she needed to start planning.

Scarlett cleared her throat and looked around the empty air. "Okay... how do I start this? System? Where are you? Do I tap my head?"

She started randomly tapping her forehead, then her shoulder, then her stomach. "System? Hello?"

Nothing happened.

"Do I have to say a word...magic word or...hello?"

A bright blue screen popped up in front of her, practically vibrating as a cheerful, giggling voice echoed inside her head.

[Hahaha! Oh my gosh, stop tapping yourself! Hahah! And maybe try, Abracadabra, haha!]

Scarlett glared at the screen. "Very funny."

[I am so sorry!] the System chimed, text bouncing playfully.

[It is just super funny! You can literally talk to me just by thinking about me, but I really wanted to see how long you would keep tapping your body!]

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. What do I do now? How do I even start planning for this?"

[Well, you got sent back in time,] the System said in a matter-of-fact tone.

[So, isn't the smartest thing literally just... not doing what you did last time?]

"You are not helping," Scarlett grumbled.

[Okay, okay!] the System replied. [Think about it! What went wrong?]

Scarlett tapped her pen against the paper. In her last life, her baby died because she was weak and defenseless. Her parents betrayed her. Once the apocalypse hit, everyone was broke, starving, and scavenging for scraps. Nobody had a single clue how to end the zombie virus. But now, she had thirty days, an unlimited spatial room, and a clear goal.

"I need a team," Scarlett muttered to herself. "In every zombie movie I ever saw, surviving alone is impossible. I need people I can trust."

She tapped her foot against the floor, her mind racing. "But who? Where do I find a team?"

Suddenly, her eyes went wide. "Whoa. I got it."

Right at that second, a soft knock sounded at her door.

Scarlett opened it to find the young maid holding a tray with her hot breakfast. Right behind the maid stood her mother, holding her arms crossed over her chest, looking deeply annoyed.

"You are acting very weird today, Scarlett," her mother said, stepping forward. "Dinner is in a couple of hours, and I hope this ridiculous attitude changes before your father gets home, because on Sunday-"

Scarlett took the heavy breakfast tray from the maid, stepped back, and closed the door right in her mother's face.

"Sorry, Mom! A little busy!" Scarlett called out through the wood.

Outside, her mother gasped in disbelief before her angry footsteps faded down the hall.

Scarlett sat at her small desk and dug into her food. The warm pancakes and crispy bacon tasted incredible. "Damn. That felt so good. I do not know why I ever sucked up to them in the first place."

[Right?!] the System chimed happily.

[But hey, don't overdo it just yet! Remember, you are the only one who knows the future. Keep your cool so they don't lock you up before you get your stuff done!]

"True," Scarlett murmured, chewing on her bacon.

She went back to her notebook. In her past life, as the apocalypse dragged on, some survivors developed wild, special powers. It was caused by molecular evolution from constant exposure to the zombie virus. Those power-users were the ones who built safe zones, fought off high-tier monsters, and actually survived. Back then, Scarlett did not know any of them personally.

Wait, Scarlett thought, her hand freezing over the paper. I DO know one.

A memory flashed in her mind. That quiet girl working in the lower filing department at her father's company,the exact same girl who shot her in her past life. In the post-apocalyptic world, that girl became a famous power-user who had a particular power but she couldn't remember yet...Right now, she was just a nobody intern working for her father.

Scarlett smiled, writing down a single word in her notebook: Tomorrow.

She finished her breakfast, rested on her bed, and spent the afternoon chatting with the System while mentally double-checking her sanity. Looking out at the peaceful, sunlit streets, she knew she was not crazy. The quiet before the storm was real.

When dinner time arrived, Scarlett went downstairs to the dining room. Her father was already seated at the head of the table, his face red with anger.

"Where were you yesterday?!" her father barked the second she sat down. "You just disappeared from the office! You are twenty-four years old and completely irresponsible!"

Scarlett calmly picked up her fork. "Dad, I am twenty-four. I am old enough to go out if I want to. I don't understand why you are shouting."

Her father stared at her, his fork hovering mid-air. Her mother sat beside him, completely speechless.

"What is wrong with you today?" her father snapped, slamming his hand on the table. "You have been completely disrespectful! In fact, I don't even want to look at your face right now. Get out of here!"

"Whatever," Scarlett said, standing up without missing a beat.

The maid quickly scooped her dinner onto a clean plate and handed it to her.

Scarlett took the plate and smiled sweetly at her parents. "Oh yeah, I am coming to the office tomorrow morning. I think it is my turn to handle the filing department."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah but don't worry, I won't stress you guys out. Love you! Good night!"

She turned on her heel and walked back upstairs, leaving her parents sitting in baffled, angry silence.

Closing her bedroom door, Scarlett shuddered, setting her dinner on her desk. "Gross. Saying 'love you' almost made me throw up."

[Hahaha!] the System giggled in her ear.

[Tomorrow is the big day! Time to go shopping for your very first teammate!]