Chapter 2 Damn how was I this foolish??

Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Damn how was I this foolish??

Gasp!!!

Luna’s eyes snapped open.

Her entire body jerked violently as she sucked in a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly while her heart pounded so hard that it felt ready to burst out of her ribcage.

For several seconds she simply sat there frozen.

Confused.

Breathing heavily.

Then she realized something.

She wasn’t lying in a pool of blood.

There were no zombies.

Also screams.

No collapsing buildings.

No burning sky.

Instead, she was seated at a table inside a café as though she had been waiting for someone.

"Wait..."

Her voice came out hoarse and cracked.

Something wasn’t right.

Hadn’t she died?

The memory hit her instantly.

Rotting teeth.

Sharp claws.

The unbearable pain of flesh being ripped apart.

Luna felt her stomach churn.

She clearly remembered the zombies tearing chunks of meat from her body while she screamed helplessly.

She remembered dying.

So why was she here?

"I am sure I got torn apart..."

The horrifying memory made her grimace.

A shiver crawled down her spine.

"Disgusting!"

Luna clenched her fists.

"Damn it, Luna. You were really stupid."

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to slap her past self.

The signs had been everywhere.

Everywhere.

Simon and Ava constantly exchanged glances.

They laughed together.

Shared secrets.

Disappeared at suspicious times.

Whenever she asked questions they always brushed her off.

And what did she do?

Nothing.

The idiot actually believed they were just friends.

Friends?

With her fiancé?

Looking back now, it was so obvious she wanted to cry.

"No. Forget crying."

She shook her head.

If she cried every time she remembered how stupid she had been, she would probably flood an entire city.

"Maybe it was all just a bad dream..."

The words left her mouth weakly.

Even she didn’t believe them.

This café.

This exact seat.

This was where she first met Simon.

The place where her nightmare had begun.

Luna slowly lowered her gaze toward herself.

Then her face twitched.

A plain sweater.

Joggers.

Sneakers.

The outfit looked so basic that she almost groaned.

She remembered wearing clothes like these all the time.

Comfortable.

Simple.

Safe.

And boring.

"No wonder Simon preferred my sister."

Luna sighed.

"Look at this fashion sense. It’s terrible."

Then she paused.

"Wait. Why am I insulting myself?"

The answer was simple.

Because she deserved it.

Her grandmother had warned her.

Again.

And again.

And again.

But Luna had been desperate.

Desperate to be loved.

Desperate to have someone choose her.

So desperate that she ignored common sense.

Ignored warnings.

Ignored red flags.

Ignored everything.

She even signed away her inheritance without reading a single page.

Thinking about it now made her want to bang her head against a wall.

What kind of person signs important documents without reading them?

Apparently her.

As Luna sat there questioning every life choice she had ever made, someone suddenly approached the table.

The familiar figure immediately made her expression darken.

Simon.

The bastard himself.

The man who betrayed her.

The man who threw her to the zombies.

The man who ruined her life.

"Sorry for coming late."

Simon flashed his usual charming smile.

"I stopped by McDonald’s to get something."

Luna stared at him.

Silently.

Back then she would have smiled brightly.

Told him everything was okay.

Apologized despite being the victim.

Because apparently she enjoyed acting like a clown.

Now?

Now she just wanted to throw a chair at him.

Hours.

She had waited for hours.

And his excuse was McDonald’s.

The funny part was that Luna already knew he wasn’t there.

He was probably spending time with Ava.

Just like always.

Her idiot self simply never noticed.

"You made me wait here for hours."

Simon’s smile froze slightly.

Luna continued.

"Do you think I don’t have things to do too?"

For the first time since meeting her, Simon looked genuinely surprised.

This wasn’t the Luna he knew.

The old Luna accepted everything.

She never questioned him.

Never argued.

Never pushed back.

But this Luna?

This Luna looked annoyed.

And those emerald eyes no longer carried admiration.

Only irritation.

"Come on, Luna."

Simon laughed awkwardly.

"I already apologized."

"No."

Luna immediately interrupted.

"You didn’t."

His smile became strained.

"What?"

"You never apologized."

She folded her arms.

"Unless you’re saying I suddenly developed hearing problems."

Simon blinked.

For once he didn’t know what to say.

Luna stood up.

"Save your apology for yourself."

Then she smiled.

A very fake smile.

"And maybe eat it too because it definitely can’t feed me."

Without waiting for a response, she moved her chair aside and walked away.

Not once did she look back.

Behind her, Simon remained rooted to the spot.

His jaw practically touched the floor.

Luna would’ve loved to watch his reaction longer.

Unfortunately, she had more important things to do.

Like confirming whether she had actually gone back in time.

Rushing onto the street, she immediately spotted a newspaper vendor.

Without hesitation she bought a copy.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she searched for the date.

Then she found it.

February 25th, 2025.

Luna froze.

This was one month after meeting Simon.

Their first official date.

"Oh shit..."

The newspaper almost slipped from her fingers.

"I really came back."

A second chance.

An actual second chance.

The realization made emotions rush through her all at once.

Relief.

Excitement.

Fear.

Anger.

Confusion.

Everything hit her at once.

Her grandmother was still alive.

The inheritance hadn’t happened yet.

The apocalypse hadn’t begun.

She could change things.

This time she could survive.

Then another thought appeared.

A terrifying one.

The apocalypse.

Luna immediately stiffened.

How much time did she have left?

Months?

Weeks?

Days?

She couldn’t even remember the exact date it began.

That was the problem.

"Dang it..."

She grabbed her hair.

How was she supposed to prepare for the end of the world without knowing when it would happen?

As she spiraled into panic, someone suddenly shouted from nearby.

"Luna!"

She looked up.

"Luna! Over here!"

A girl waved excitedly from across the crowd.

Luna frowned.

The face looked familiar.

Very familiar.

Yet she couldn’t remember the name.

The girl quickly ran over.

"Oh Luna! I’ve been looking everywhere for you."

The cheerful brunette smiled brightly.

Her hazel eyes practically sparkled.

Luna blinked.

Okay.

She was pretty.

Very pretty.

Even Luna had to admit that.

"How did the date go?"

The girl immediately grabbed her arm.

"You’ve been talking about it all day. Tell me everything."

Luna forced a smile.

Internally she was panicking.

Who was this?

Why couldn’t she remember her name?

Did she know her?

Had the timeline changed?

What was happening?

"Hmm..."

Luna scratched her cheek.

"What was your name again?"

The girl paused.

Then burst into laughter.

"You forgot?"

She waved dismissively.

"You really aren’t good at remembering things."

Luna almost choked.

What?

That made no sense.

In her previous life she was known for having an excellent memory.

So where did this reputation come from?

"Bonnie."

The girl giggled.

"My name is Bonnie."

Right.

Bonnie.

The name clicked immediately.

Before Luna could think further, Bonnie linked arms with her.

"Come on."

The two girls started walking.

As they moved through the street, Bonnie continued chatting.

"This is so unfair."

"What is?"

Bonnie groaned dramatically.

"The ranking system."

Luna blinked.

"What ranking system?"

Bonnie looked at her strangely.

"The power rankings obviously."

Luna stopped walking.

Power rankings?

Bonnie continued.

"Some people are F Class."

"Okay."

"Some are D Class."

Luna’s eyes widened.

"And some are SS Class."

Luna completely froze.

Power system?

Since when?

There hadn’t been a power system in her previous life.

At least not before the apocalypse.

Had something changed?

Or was this world different from the one she remembered?

"We don’t have ranks?"

Luna asked carefully.

Bonnie laughed.

"Why are you acting so weird today?"

That wasn’t an answer.

And Luna hated it.

Her thoughts became chaotic.

If powers already existed, then the future she knew might not happen the same way.

Which meant her advantage could disappear.

And that was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Suddenly a ringtone echoed from her pocket.

Luna jumped.

Bonnie stared.

"Answer your phone."

Luna awkwardly pulled out the device.

An iPhone.

The caller ID immediately made her expression darken.

Ava.

Of course it was Ava.

The devil herself.

Luna answered.

"What?"

Ava’s cold voice instantly came through.

"Luna. You’re needed at the hospital immediately."

No greeting.

No explanation.

Just an order.

Then the line disconnected.

Luna stared at the phone.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

The pieces began falling into place.

Hospital.

Grandmother.

The inheritance.

Everything was starting.

Far earlier than she expected.

A chill ran down her spine.

This second life wasn’t going to be easy.

Not at all.

Especially with strange changes already appearing everywhere.

Power rankings.

Missing memories.

Different people.

Different events.

The future was no longer certain.

"What happened?"

Bonnie asked worriedly.

Luna didn’t answer.

Instead she shoved the phone back into her pocket and started running.

Fast.

Very fast.

She needed to get to the hospital.

Needed to see her grandmother.

Needed answers.

Behind her, Bonnie blinked in confusion.

Then immediately chased after her.

"Luna!"

Bonnie shouted.

"Wait for me!"

But Luna didn’t slow down.

Not even for a second.

Because deep down she had a feeling.

A very bad feeling.

Her second life had already begun changing in ways she couldn’t understand.