Chapter 2

The moment I saw the basement, I realized Mark had been preparing all along.

I needed to create a real safehouse—for myself and for my family. This house Mark chose, despite being surrounded by open space, was still located in an upscale community. Too many neighbors. Once society collapsed, this place would be a target. It wasn't secure enough.

Then it hit me—my father owned a massive piece of industrial land, lying unused miles outside the city.

I remembered questioning him when he bought it. I thought it was a terrible investment with no future value.

But he'd told me that doing business wasn't always about chasing profit. Sometimes, helping others came first. Buying that land had helped the original factory owners out of a desperate situation.

Never would I have imagined that land would one day be the key to saving our entire family.

It was far from the city, sprawling, and perfect for storing supplies. The ideal site for a doomsday fortress.

With a rough plan forming in my mind, I jumped in the car and drove straight to the industrial site.

But when I got there, I realized things wouldn't be as easy as I'd hoped.

The entire area was desolate. Weeds ran wild. The massive warehouses were falling apart, their roofs leaking and full of holes. Completely unfit to withstand a disaster.

I stood there, staring at the mess. A wave of nausea rolled through me—part stress, part early pregnancy symptoms. My stomach turned violently.

This wasn't something I could fix alone.

I drove straight home to my parents' place.

Sure, the site was rundown. Sure, I had no idea how to renovate it. But I had a secret weapon—my father.

Back at the house, I didn't hold anything back. I laid everything out for them—from my rebirth to the coming zombie apocalypse.

They were stunned at first. But when they saw how serious I was, how there wasn't even a trace of a joke on my face, they grew thoughtful.

"Dad, Mom, you have to believe me," I pleaded.

I remembered all too well how, in my previous life, Mark betrayed me. He maxed out the credit cards my father gave me, funneling our family's wealth into his own secret stash. My parents had been trapped in their city home, unable to escape.

They starved to death.

I would not let that happen again.

"Oh, Jess… my poor girl. You've been through hell," my mother said softly, instantly recognizing the truth in my eyes. "Bob, did you hear that?"

My father slammed his fist on the table, his voice thundering with rage. "I told you that bastard was no good! After everything he did to you, why didn't you say anything sooner?!"

I stayed silent. I knew how foolish I'd been in that last life.

"Enough, Bob. Don't blame her," my mom said firmly. "We need to start preparing. Survival is all that matters."

My eyes burned. The memory of being torn apart still haunted me. But I didn't have time to wallow.

I quickly laid out my vision to turn the industrial park into an underground Noah's Ark.

My father's anger vanished. He took the sketches from my hands, studied them, and without hesitation, picked up his phone.

"Dave? It's Bob. I need your help. I've got an industrial site under my name that needs urgent renovation. Remember that 'off-grid survival' design you once told me about? This job lines up perfectly with that. Can you send someone over for a site inspection today?"

"Money's not an issue. What I care about is your quality and speed."

"Understood, Mr. Harlan. I'll be there in an hour."

My dad, seasoned by years in the business world, had the connections and the power to make things happen fast.