Change My Fate in the Apocalypse

My ex-boyfriend and my former best friend hooked up, and both turned into zombies.

They wanted to bite me. Thankfully, I had the Zombie King protecting me.

Hiding behind the Zombie King, I said to my ex-best friend, "I've been with your man before. He's nothing but a loser."

1.

I thought I would be reborn to the time before the zombie outbreak, but staring at the ruins, I was at a loss for words.

All those revenge stories I had read? Completely useless at this moment.

I wandered aimlessly until I arrived at a familiar place.

Through the window, I saw Jeffrey Hall and Sean Hopkins arguing over a piece of beef.

"I haven't had fresh blood in two days," Jeffrey said, blinking pitifully without shedding a single tear.

"Jeffrey, I need to eat my fill first before I can catch more people for you." Sean replied, stroking Jeffrey with his scarred hand.

He used the same tactics on everyone.

Sean had once looked at me with the same deep affection and said, "Kaiden, when I make enough money, I'll buy you a big house."

I spat at the glass, and the ground around me shook.

Then more zombies began to gather around me.

Their grotesque faces made me shiver.

In my previous life, I had never seen so many zombies at once.

But they didn't bite me.

"Boss, why don't you just bite her?" a low-level zombie in the zombie group asked.

"We can't bite her," said the zombie at the center.

I was attracted to him.

After being hurt by, Sean, that scumbag, even a zombie seemed handsome to me.

His face, though cracked, only had one scar on his cheek, like it had been there even before he turned into a zombie.

Sean and Jeffrey inside the house heard the commotion and came out.

When Jeffrey saw me, she lunged at me immediately.

As always, Sean didn't stop her.

But this time, the lead zombie stepped in front of me.

"What do you think you're doing?" He spoke to Jeffrey in a cold and fierce tone.

"Sean, look at him! He's being mean to me!" Jeffrey whimpered, clinging to Sean.

"What do you want to do?" Sean asked, acting like a clown to deflect the tension.

Sean's macho attitude matched Jeffrey's shameless persona perfectly.

But his bravado only lasted a moment.

The surrounding zombies all turned to glare at him.

Sensing the shift, Sean backed down, shooting me a venomous look before dragging Jeffrey back inside.

I laughed, mocking them. "Jeffrey, not every pout gets you what you want. Your man is still useless."

With backup on my side, I became more brave.

Though I had no idea why the lead zombie was helping me, seeing Jeffrey and Sean humiliated made me happy.

The lead zombie stared at me, smiling slightly.

Was he... smiling?

"Thank you. Not biting me is the right choice." I patted the lead zombie's shoulder.

After all, I was someone with a cheat code in life.

I turned to leave, only to realize I had nowhere to go.

I didn't even have a home anymore.

An idea struck me, and I walked back to the zombie leader. "Hey, can I stay with you?"

He was stunned for a moment before replying, "Alright."

2.

I had my reasons for choosing to follow him.

In this world of ruins, zombies fought each other for food and shelter.

But he was different, he could make all the zombies submit to him.

Even today, when Sean defied him, other zombies stepped up to support him.

He had to be someone extraordinary.

"Hello, what's your name?" I nudged his elbow, trying to get closer to him.

Even though I had my cheat code, I didn't know what surprises it held. Having someone to protect me couldn't hurt.

"Isaac Flynn."

"What a good name!" I extended my hand for a handshake.

He glanced at my hand briefly before looking away.

I assumed he wasn't used to physical contact with strangers.

But then he said, "My hands are dirty. They're covered in blood."

I was stunned for a second before I grabbed his hand. "So what? Aren't all zombies like this in this world?"

I had also been a zombie, bitten people, and drank blood.

Isaac motioned for me to sit on a stool and wait for food.

Soon, he placed a large bowl of raw beef in front of me. "Have it."

I froze.

He seemed to think I wasn't satisfied with the meal and turned back toward the kitchen.

"Drink this." He returned with a large glass of fresh cow's blood and gestured for me to take it.

I stared at the blood, frozen in place.

He was absolutely sincere. After all, many zombies couldn't even dream of such a meal.

But... I was human.

Pointing at myself, I stammered, "I... I'm human."

I was terrified he'd lunge at me. Zombies were notoriously unpredictable.

But he scratched his head, looking awkward. "I have been a zombie for a long time and have rarely eaten cooked food."

We stared at each other in silence.

Then Isaac turned around, picked up a wooden stick, and started drilling it into another piece of wood.

He was trying to make fire.

I didn't know how to respond.

By the time he had done, I would probably be starving to death.

Suddenly I remembered that I still had a secret bag.

Untying the string, I watched as it expanded instantly.

This had to be the work of a magical pouch gifted by a spirit.

I reached inside and pulled out... a lighter.

Isaac looked at me in surprise, his usual aloofness melting away.

The "Survival" pouch was something the spirit had secretly given me to make sure I wouldn't starve.

"Isaac, how old are you?" I asked, shaking a bottle of wine I'd also pulled from the pouch.

"Twenty-three." He tore into the meat, but there was nothing crude about the way he ate.

"I'm twenty-five. I'm older than you." I was drunk and making jokes about the zombie leader.

"Kaiden," he called softly.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Why do you have so many zombie followers?" I quickly changed the subject. He was unintentionally charming.

"I run fast and catch a lot of people. At first, I couldn't eat them all, so I shared with the others," he explained matter-of-factly.

"Well, it's always the one with the resources who gets the loyalty, isn't it?" I said, spreading my arms and lying back on his bed.

Honestly, I was talking about myself too.

Back then, Jeffrey had framed me, costing me my chance at graduate school.

When I was depressed and on the verge of jumping off a building, Sean had used my money to shower her with gifts.

Sean had no real skills, except that he was good at speaking.

And at that time, I'd fallen for it completely.

Sean didn't lose anything and even hooked up with my wealthy roommate, Jeffrey.

What was worse, they had sex in my newlywed bed.

He was such a scumbag.

3.

The next day, Jeffrey and Sean showed up at my door, drawn by the smell of meat.

"Kaiden, give me some meat." Jeffrey crossed her arms, not showing any attitude of begging for help.

"Sure, come on in," I replied, raising an eyebrow as I stepped aside.

They thought they'd intimidated me. As soon as they entered, they plopped down on Isaac's bed like they were lords of the manor.

"Who allowed you two to come in?" Isaac emerged from the kitchen, his voice cold.

"She... she did," Jeffrey stammered, pointing at me with a defiant yet guilty look.

"Get out." Isaac's eyes visibly reddened, a telltale sign of a zombie's anger.

"We're here to talk to Kaiden. What does this have to do with you?" Sean stood up, unwilling to back down and lose dignity.

I wasn't about to let him get away with it. Mimicking Jeffrey's usual antics, "Isaac, they just said if I didn't give them meat, they'd slap me." I clutched my face and ducked behind Isaac, feigning fear.

I felt the veins bulging on Isaac's hand as I clung to him. His reaction seemed unusually intense, and I couldn't figure out why.

He took a step forward, grabbed Sean by the collar, and dragged him toward the door.

With a loud "bang," Sean was tossed into the pit outside.

It must be hurt.

Isaac turned back and gently took my hand.

"Slap her back."

"What?" I was stunned.

"However she hit you, hit her back the same way," Isaac said, assuming I didn't know how to fight and offering me a quick lesson.

"You're going too far!" Jeffrey finally spoke up, no longer content to be ignored. "Kaiden, you must've impressed him in sex to have him completely won over by you."

Before she could finish, I stepped forward and slapped her hard across her face.

In the past, I'd held back because Sean always shielded her.

"You're begging me for food, and you still have the nerve to mouth off." I grabbed her by the collar. "The first slap is for falsely accusing me of stealing, costing me my chance at graduate school. The second slap is for framing me for breaking lab equipment, forcing me to work three jobs to pay it off.

The third slap is for stealing my boyfriend and ruining my newlywed home..." I listed each of her offenses one by one. "Oh, and as for that trash man? He's nothing to me. But you should know that even if I throw something away, it's not yours to pick up unless I say so."

I stopped, my hand was red from hitting her.

Jeffrey didn't dare fight back because Isaac was standing right behind me.

"Remember, those three slaps are just the beginning. I'll settle the rest of the score later," I warned her.

"Are you done?" Isaac asked, as if encouraging me to vent more.

But how could three slaps ever make up for everything they'd done to me?

"Isaac, my hand hurts," I said softly, showing him my swollen, reddened hand.

I'd only meant to play the victim, hoping he'd continue to back me up.

But to my surprise, he took my hand and gently blew on it. "There, there."

"Kaiden, you're shameless." Jeffrey fumed, her anger boiling over.

"Get out." Isaac's grip on my hand was careful, as if afraid the roughness of his cracked skin might hurt me.

"Next time you come, you will be the one thrown into the pit." Isaac showed no mercy, but I found his words satisfying.

Jeffrey glanced at Isaac, then at me, her face twisted with resentment.

She stomped her foot in frustration before storming off to retrieve the unconscious Sean from the pit.

4.

I found that I like Isaac more and more.

With him around, I never had to worry about food.

"Mr. Flynn, we're running low on supplies," someone said, entering the room.

I recognized him. He was the zombie who'd once tried to get Isaac to bite me.

I quickly hid behind Isaac.

Isaac wouldn't harm me, but other zombies might hurt me.

"What about the cattle and sheep in the nearby towns?" Isaac asked, frowning.

"They're nearly all gone."

If food ran out, it would lead to another violent outbreak.

In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, there was no room for courtesy. Everyone was focused on survival.

Weighing the pros and cons, I knew food was the most pressing issue. Without it, chaos was guaranteed.

"I have an idea," I said, thinking of the second pouch I had.

The "Turn Whatever You Want" pouch.

I held it up in front of the zombie. "This can transform objects into whatever we need."

The zombie looked skeptical. "Don't joke around. We're discussing something serious."

"Then come outside and see for yourself," I said, clasping my hands behind my back as I stepped out.

"Isaac, what do you want?" I asked, pointing to the pile of junk outside.

"Cows, horses, sheep... any of those will do," he stared at my hands like a curious child.

I rubbed the pouch, silently chanting in my mind.

Five seconds later, the abandoned building across from us transformed into a barn and stable, complete with two cows and two horses inside.

"Wow, that's incredible!" The zombie, clearly unaccustomed to such miracles, rushed forward to inspect the scene.

I smiled proudly. "Isaac, this is my surprise for you."

He chuckled, as if something had just occurred to him. "Too much of anything leads to its own undoing, no matter the world. The pouch probably has limited uses, and we can't always rely on it for food."

His words reminded me. I'd only skimmed the pouch's instructions that night.

Panicking, I pulled it out and read the fine print.

"This pouch can be used three times. Use it wisely," I read, despair creeping in.

Isaac remained calm, reassuring me. "It's fine. We still have two uses left."

While I fretted over how to use the pouch sparingly, an idea struck me. "I remember reading in the news about agricultural experts developing a vegetable that tastes like meat."

Isaac nodded thoughtfully, catching on immediately. "We could grow something like that ourselves. We should learn this technology and survive on our own."

"Exactly. I could use the pouch to create nutrient solutions and seeds for cultivation."

"But we don't have any land," Isaac pointed out, dousing my enthusiasm once again.

How could vegetables grow without land and sunlight?

"Then we'll dig for land. And if there's no sunlight, we'll use artificial lights," I said.

My college major was agriculture. Back then, my parents had mocked me, saying they'd sent me to university only for me to end up farming.

Now, it seemed all that knowledge was finally coming in handy.

I planned it with great enthusiasm, but there were so many things needed that two chances were not enough.

Isaac noticed my frustration. "Don't worry. I'll find people to help."