The bright sunlight illuminated the afternoon, fresh air flowed through the open window, and falling leaves gently brushed against Karina's face as she slept at the desk.
The warm breeze blew steadily, and this warmth reminded Karina of her past, fifteen years ago, when the world still felt peaceful.
Suddenly, someone approached and a gentle tap landed on her shoulder. With her sharp survival instincts, Karina spun around and choked the person.
"Sorry, I just wanted to tell you class is over," stuttered a guy around her age, his breath growing weaker from the chokehold.
She examined him carefully, and after confirming that he was indeed human, Karina released her grip. Feeling something was off, she looked at her hands and checked her body.
She was puzzled because she vividly remembered being infected by a mutant zombie the day before while collecting samples from a specimen. Why did she seem perfectly fine?
Moments later, she looked around, noticing the bright sun, the sound of birds chirping loudly, and the fresh air surrounding her. There was no sign of the disgusting mutants anywhere.
Ignoring the guy who was still gasping for breath, she quickly turned toward the window and scanned her surroundings—no zombies in sight.
The area was still clean, with plenty of green trees, something she considered incredibly rare.
Seeing plants standing tall and people chatting and laughing under the trees, the current situation felt strange to her.
Believing this was just a dream, Karina began slapping her cheeks with both hands.
"Ouch," she muttered, feeling the pain in her cheeks. Yet, her face remained expressionless.
"Karina, are you okay?" the guy asked, astonished by her self-slapping.
Karina turned around and frowned in confusion as she looked at the person she had just choked, trying to recall who he was.
"I'm fine. Sorry for choking you earlier."
"It's okay, no worries. I was just trying to wake you up; class is over."
"Oh, thanks for waking me, um, Devan," she said, glancing at the name tag on the left side of his black uniform.
"Well, I'll be heading home now. Bye," Karina said as she walked out of the classroom, the confusion on her face slowly fading.
Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she widened her eyes in disbelief as she looked at the date on the screen—August 18, 2019. Wasn't this five months before the outbreak that devastated the world?
The horrifying virus had been known to infect humans through contact with blood, turning them into zombies within minutes.
Those infected would become mindless creatures, devoid of reasoning or thought, recklessly hunting human blood.
With the collapse of all government and legal institutions during the pandemic, the world descended into chaos, rampant with crime, including theft, assault, looting, and other criminal acts.
Walking calmly, Karina made her way through the biology department of the university. Now, she was back at 20 years old, in her third year at one of Indonesia's most renowned universities, located in the capital.
Her only goal at the moment was to find food. After walking for a while, she eventually chose a restaurant shaped like a traditional "Gadang" house.
She ordered a large variety of dishes as if she hadn't eaten in ages—meat, vegetables, and of course, rice, the staple of Asian cuisine. Seeing this food, she smiled emotionally, knowing that in the post-apocalyptic world, food would be more valuable than gold.
After satisfying her hunger, she returned to a modern-style home that now felt unfamiliar. She hadn't set foot in this house for ten years.
Feeling tired, she sat down on the edge of the sofa to relax her body.
"Huff," she sighed softly, then stared at her phone screen, still puzzled by the displayed date and time.
Could it be that she had truly gone back in time? Or was this all an illusion caused by the mutant zombie bite? Karina sighed in frustration.
She racked her brain, searching for solutions on what to do next to survive and crush the people responsible for her death.
Karina kept thinking, realizing she couldn't afford to relax now. She only had five months, and that wasn't nearly enough time to prepare for what was coming.
She stood up, searching for a map and trying to recall from her past life the best location to build a safe place, far from the cities and with minimal wildlife, as animals could also be infected by the virus.
After marking a suitable location, she checked her bank account, feeling frustrated upon seeing the balance. It was nowhere near enough to build a safe haven or purchase the necessary supplies and weapons.
"Aghh, I'm so broke!" she shouted in frustration.
Not long after, Karina felt drowsy. With her brows still furrowed, she drifted off to sleep.
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