Certainly! Here's an extended version of Chapter 1, incorporating Natalia's feelings upon discovering the betrayal and add
The streets were pure chaos. Cars were left abandoned, horns blaring endlessly, and people were running in every direction, screaming like it was the end of the world. Maybe it was. Natalia's hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps.
She needed to get home. That's all that mattered. Mark was waiting for her—or at least she hoped he was. They'd made promises to each other, didn't they? Through thick and thin. Even if the world crumbled, they'd stick together.
The drive felt endless as she weaved through the wreckage of the city, narrowly avoiding people and debris. Her mind raced with every worst-case scenario. Was he okay? Was he safe?
When she finally pulled into the driveway of their small suburban house, a strange sense of relief washed over her. The place looked untouched. No broken windows, no signs of destruction. But something still felt off.
The house was quiet. Too quiet.
She turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, gripping the keys in her hand. The air outside was heavy, filled with distant screams and the occasional snarl of something... unnatural. Shaking her head, Natalia forced herself out of the car and hurried to the front door.
"Mark?" she called as she unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The living room was a mess. The coffee table was overturned, a half-empty bottle of wine sat on the floor, and clothes were scattered everywhere. Natalia's chest tightened.
"Mark?" she called again, louder this time.
She froze when she heard muffled laughter coming from the bedroom. Her heart sank, a cold dread settling in her stomach.
She knew that laugh.
Her feet moved on their own, carrying her toward the bedroom. Her hand hovered over the doorknob, trembling.
"Don't jump to conclusions," she whispered to herself, even though her gut told her otherwise. She couldn't breathe. A part of her didn't want to open the door, but she had to.
Pushing it open, the sight before her shattered her world.
Mark was in bed. And he wasn't alone.
Lisa. Her best friend since college.
The two of them scrambled, yanking at sheets and clothes as if covering themselves could erase what Natalia had just seen.
For a moment, she couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Her brain refused to process the scene in front of her. The man she'd spent the last three years building a life with. The woman who had been her confidante, her sister in everything but blood. Together.
"Nat, wait, I can explain!" Mark stammered, his voice shaky and desperate.
"Explain?" Natalia's voice cracked, barely above a whisper. Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall. "Explain what? That you're sleeping with my best friend while the world is literally ending?"
Lisa's face flushed red, guilt flickering in her eyes. "Nat, it's not—"
"Shut up!" Natalia snapped, her voice rising. "I don't want to hear it from you!"
Her chest heaved as emotions flooded her—anger, betrayal, humiliation. Memories of Mark came rushing back, each one twisting the knife in her heart deeper.
They'd met at a bookstore, both reaching for the same novel. He'd flashed her that charming smile, the one that made her feel like she was the only person in the room. They'd spent hours talking that day, and by the end of the week, they were inseparable.
Mark had been her rock when her mother passed away last year. He'd held her as she cried herself to sleep, promising to be her family. They'd made plans, dreamed of a future together—a house, kids, a dog.
And Lisa? She was the sister Natalia never had. They'd survived countless late-night study sessions, celebrated each other's wins, and mourned each other's losses.
"How long?" Natalia demanded, her voice trembling. "How long has this been going on?"
Mark couldn't meet her eyes.
Lisa looked down, her voice barely audible. "A few months."
Natalia felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her. "Months? And you didn't think to tell me? You just... kept lying to my face?"
Before she could say more, a loud crash echoed from the living room.
"What was that?" Mark asked, his voice trembling.
Natalia turned toward the noise, her heart racing. A figure staggered into the house through the broken window, its movements jerky and unnatural. The stench hit her first—a sickening mix of decay and blood.
The creature turned its head, empty eyes locking onto them. Its skin was pale and rotting, patches of flesh hanging loosely.
"Oh my God," Lisa whispered, clutching the sheets tighter.
"Is that… a zombie?" Mark's voice shook, his face pale.
The creature let out a guttural snarl and lunged toward them.
"Do something!" Lisa screamed, grabbing Mark's arm.
Before Natalia could react, Mark shoved her forward.
"Take her, not us!" he shouted, dragging Lisa toward the back door.
Time seemed to slow as Natalia stumbled toward the creature.
"Mark, what are you doing?!" she screamed, terror and disbelief mingling in her voice.
He didn't look back. The sound of the back door slamming shut echoed in her ears.
They left her.
A surge of anger overwhelmed her fear. She wasn't going to die here—not for them.
Grabbing a lamp from the nearby table, she swung it with all her strength. The base connected with the zombie's head, knocking it back a step. But it kept coming.
"Stay down!" she yelled, swinging again.
The lamp shattered, leaving her with nothing but the broken base. The creature lunged again, its rotting hands reaching for her. Desperate, Natalia grabbed a chair leg from the floor and drove it into the zombie's head.
The creature let out a final groan before collapsing to the ground, still.
Natalia stood there, breathing heavily, staring at the lifeless body. Her hands were trembling. That's when she noticed it—a sharp sting on her arm.
"No," she whispered, her heart sinking. She'd seen the reports. A scratch was enough to turn someone.
Panic set in. She backed away from the zombie, her mind racing. What was she supposed to do now?
Then, something strange happened. Her vision blurred, and her body felt like it was on fire. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her arm.
Images flashed in her mind—darkness, swirling and endless. It wasn't scary, though. It felt… powerful.
When she opened her eyes, the room felt different. She felt different. She looked at her hands, which were no longer trembling. Something had changed.
She glanced at the chair leg still on the ground. Without thinking, she reached out, and it disappeared—vanished into thin air.
Her breath caught. She stared at her empty hand, then at the spot where the chair leg had been. Tentatively, she thought about it reappearing, and it did, dropping to the floor with a soft thud.
"What… what just happened?" she murmured.
The scratch on her arm no longer stung. Instead, a strange sense of energy flowed through her.