2026-08-28 06:48:40Chapter 2 — The First 24 Hours
The city went dark.
For three seconds, Ethan Carter didn't move.
He stood in front of the window, staring at the black sky above the buildings.
Then the first scream came.
A woman's scream.
It rose from the street below, sharp and terrified, before being swallowed by dozens of others.
Car horns began blaring.
People shouted.
Glass shattered.
Somewhere nearby, an explosion shook the building.
Ethan's mind went completely clear.
The apocalypse had begun.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He grabbed his phone.
12:03 AM.
According to his memories, the Awakening wouldn't begin until tomorrow night.
He had remembered the date incorrectly.
No.
That wasn't possible.
He had lived through the apocalypse for three years.
He had watched the first day happen.
He had memorized the timeline because knowing what came next had been the only advantage a survivor possessed.
The first black rain.
The first mutations.
The collapse of the electrical grid.
The appearance of the energy zones.
The first wave of infected creatures.
Everything should have happened tomorrow.
Not tonight.
Ethan opened his bedroom drawer and pulled out a small notebook.
The cover was worn.
He had used it during his first life to record everything he learned.
He flipped through the pages.
Day One — 11:40 PM: Power failure.
Day One — 11:52 PM: Black rain.
Day One — 12:17 AM: First Awakening.
Day One — 1:05 AM: First mutation.
His eyes stopped.
The time was different.
He looked at the clock.
12:04 AM.
Four minutes after midnight.
A drop of black liquid struck his window.
Ethan's expression changed.
"No."
Another drop.
Then another.
Within seconds, thousands of black droplets began falling from the sky.
Black rain.
It was early.
Twenty-four hours early.
Ethan immediately stepped away from the window.
He knew what the rain did.
Touching it wasn't automatically fatal.
That was the terrifying part.
Some people developed abilities after exposure.
Others became sick.
And some...
Some began changing.
Ethan grabbed his backpack from the closet.
He had less than twenty-four hours.
If the timeline had shifted, everything he knew could become useless.
But the first rule remained the same.
Survive the first night.
He opened his safe.
Inside were his passport, some cash, a flashlight, two knives, and a small emergency radio.
In his previous life, those things had meant nothing.
This time, they could save him.
He took everything.
Then he stopped.
The message.
Don't trust the woman you love.
Maya.
Ethan looked at the photograph sitting on his desk.
He and Maya were smiling.
It had been taken six months before the apocalypse.
Back then, Ethan believed he had married the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
He had been wrong.
Maya had left him during the second month.
She hadn't simply abandoned him.
She had taken his supplies.
She had revealed the location of his shelter to another survivor group.
And she had watched from a distance while those people killed him.
Ethan had spent three years hating her.
Now he had another chance.
He could prevent it.
Or he could simply walk away.
His phone vibrated.
Another unknown message.
UNKNOWN:
If you want to live, leave your apartment.
Ethan stared at it.
Then another message appeared.
UNKNOWN:
Do not go to the hospital.
He frowned.
That was strange.
The hospital was where Ethan had found his first group in his previous life.
It had become one of the safest buildings in the city.
He had expected to go there immediately.
But someone knew that.
Someone knew what he remembered.
Someone was guiding him.
Ethan typed:
Who are you?
The message showed:
Typing...
Then stopped.
No reply.
Ethan cursed.
He put the phone away.
There was no time.
He opened the front door.
The hallway was chaos.
Neighbors were running toward the stairs.
Someone was crying.
A man was pounding on an apartment door.
"Open up!"
Another resident shouted from the stairwell.
"Don't touch the rain!"
Ethan moved quickly.
He knew what would happen next.
The elevators would stop.
The emergency lights would fail.
And the first mutation would appear inside the building.
He reached the stairs.
A loud crash came from the fifth floor.
Everyone froze.
Then came a strange sound.
A wet clicking noise.
Ethan knew it immediately.
"Run."
Nobody moved.
"RUN!"
He sprinted down the stairs.
A second later, something exploded through the apartment door above them.
People screamed.
Ethan didn't look back.
He reached the third floor.
Then the second.
Then—
A man fell from above.
His body slammed into the stairs.
Blood spread across the concrete.
The survivors screamed.
Ethan jumped over him.
The thing followed.
It moved too quickly.
A woman behind Ethan was grabbed.
She screamed as something pulled her upward.
"Ethan!"
He turned.
The creature was attached to the ceiling.
Its body was twisted.
Its arms were unnaturally long.
Its mouth opened sideways.
A newly mutated human.
Ethan knew how to kill it.
He pulled one of his knives.
Waited.
The creature lunged.
Ethan stepped aside.
It crashed into the wall.
He drove the knife into the soft area beneath its jaw.
Black blood sprayed across the stairs.
The creature convulsed.
Then collapsed.
Everyone stared at Ethan.
The young man standing beside him whispered:
"How did you know where to stab it?"
Ethan wiped the blade against his jacket.
"I got lucky."
He didn't wait for another question.
He ran outside.
The city looked like hell.
Black rain covered the streets.
Cars had crashed into each other.
People were running in every direction.
The power grid was completely dead.
Ethan pulled up his hood.
He had one destination.
The supermarket three blocks away.
In his first life, it had been emptied within two hours.
This time, he would get there first.
He ran.
The rain hit his jacket.
Even through the fabric, he felt a strange warmth.
His heartbeat accelerated.
Something was happening inside him.
Ethan ignored it.
He reached the supermarket.
The automatic doors were open.
Inside, dozens of people were fighting over food.
Someone had already started stealing bottled water.
Ethan grabbed a shopping cart.
He didn't hesitate.
Water.
Canned food.
Batteries.
Medicine.
Lighters.
Protein bars.
Salt.
Matches.
Everything he could carry.
A man shoved him.
"Get your own food!"
Ethan looked at him.
"You're wasting your time."
"What?"
"The power will be out for weeks."
The man laughed.
"You're crazy."
Ethan walked away.
He didn't have time to convince anyone.
He had another destination.
The sporting goods store next door.
He entered through the back.
There were no customers.
Perfect.
He grabbed backpacks, camping equipment, climbing ropes, thermal blankets, portable stoves, water filters and flashlights.
Then he saw something that made him stop.
A metal case.
The label read:
EMERGENCY RADIOACTIVE HAZARD PROTECTION — RESTRICTED USE
Ethan remembered this product.
In his previous life, it had saved a group of survivors during the third month.
He grabbed it.
Then he heard footsteps.
Someone was behind him.
Ethan turned.
A young woman stood at the entrance.
Dark hair.
Black jacket.
Blood on her cheek.
She was holding a metal pipe.
Ethan recognized her.
His heart stopped.
Mia.
She was supposed to be dead.
Not just dead.
She had died on the first day.
Ethan remembered carrying her body.
He remembered her final words.
Don't leave me.
But now she was standing in front of him.
Alive.
Watching him.
Her eyes widened.
"Ethan?"
He couldn't answer.
Mia slowly lowered the pipe.
"I've been looking for you."
Ethan took a step backward.
"Why?"
She stared at him.
"Because I had a dream."
His expression hardened.
"What kind of dream?"
Mia swallowed.
"I saw this city three years from now."
Silence.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
"What did you see?"
"You."
She took another step.
"You were standing in front of a huge black tower."
Ethan felt his chest tighten.
Mia continued.
"You were older."
"You were covered in blood."
"And there was a woman beside you."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Mia shook her head.
"I couldn't see her face."
Then she whispered:
"But I heard her say something."
Ethan waited.
Mia's voice trembled.
"She said..."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"You promised you'd find me when we came back."
Ethan froze.
The exact words from his vision.
Before he could speak, his phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
UNKNOWN:
Do not trust Mia.
Ethan stared at the screen.
Mia noticed his expression.
"What happened?"
Ethan slowly locked his phone.
"Nothing."
Outside, thunder shook the building.
Then every surviving phone in the city received the same emergency alert.
Ethan's phone lit up.
NATIONAL EMERGENCY WARNING
DO NOT TRAVEL TO MEDICAL FACILITIES.
DO NOT APPROACH GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
DO NOT TRUST INDIVIDUALS CLAIMING TO HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE.
Ethan's face changed.
The warning was impossible.
In his first life, the government had remained silent for the first twelve hours.
This time, someone was already broadcasting instructions.
Then the final line appeared.
IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE, REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE NEAREST AWAKENING CENTER.
Ethan stared at the screen.
Awakening center?
He had never heard those words before.
Mia looked at him.
"Ethan..."
"What?"
"Do you know what an Awakening Center is?"
He slowly shook his head.
"No."
Another message appeared on his phone.
This time, it contained only four words.
UNKNOWN:
They found you already.
Ethan looked toward the store entrance.
Outside, through the black rain, three vehicles stopped in the street.
Their doors opened simultaneously.
Men in black uniforms stepped out.
Each one carried the same symbol on their chest.
72.
Ethan's hand tightened around his knife.
He had spent three years believing he knew how the apocalypse worked.
Now he understood the truth.
He hadn't been given a second chance in the same world.
He had been sent into a different one.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 200 — The Last 72 Hours
Chapter 200 — The Last 72 HoursThe sunrise arrived without permission.No mechanism announced it.No principle interpreted it.No countdown measured it.Light simply crossed the lake.Ethan stood on the dock and watched morning become real.Above After, the number remained:200No warning appeared beneath it.No 00:00:00.No prophecy.Just two hundred.Eva approached quietly.“So this is it.”Ethan looked at her.“The final chapter.”She sat beside him.“Are you scared?”“Yes.”“Of what?”He considered the question.“Nothing happening after the last sentence.”Eva smiled.“You still want guarantees.”“Apparently.”“You'll survive.”Ethan raised an eyebrow.“That's a dangerous sentence.”She laughed.“Fine. You might survive.”“Much better.”They sat together while the sun climbed.Across After, people were writing what they wanted to leave in the final chapter.Not their private thoughts.Only what they chose to share.Mara wrote:I was Finality. Now I am Mara. Tomorrow I intend to p
Chapter 199 — The Last Decision
Chapter 199 — The Last DecisionTwo paths waited beyond the END door.STAYGOEva looked at Ethan.“This one's yours.”For once, nobody offered advice.Nox remained silent.Maybe did not calculate probabilities.Mara did not interpret the meaning of Finality.Choice did not glow above him.Even the book stayed closed.Ethan stared at the two roads.Stay in After.The world that had grown from seventy-two impossible hours into something independent.A world filled with people he loved.A world that no longer needed him to hold it together.Or go.Into somewhere unknown.No promise.No destination.No guarantee he would remain Ethan Carter when he reached the other side.He smiled faintly.“I hate this.”Nox immediately answered.“Good. I was becoming concerned.”Everyone laughed.The tension broke.But the decision remained.Ethan walked toward STAY.The road showed him possibilities.Not predictions.Possibilities.A house near the lake.Eva visiting whenever she wanted.Leo growing o
Chapter 198 — The Choice That Started Everything
Chapter 198 — The Choice That Started EverythingThe clock continued counting.71:58:3271:58:3171:58:30Nobody moved.Eva stared at the black surface of the lake.“You chose me.”Ethan's face was pale.“I don't remember doing it.”“But you did.”“Yes.”Her voice trembled.“And everyone else was supposed to die?”Ethan looked toward the frozen image of the device.SELECT CONSCIOUSNESS TO PRESERVEEVA CARTERHe could not deny it.“Yes.”Eva stepped backward.“Why?”“I don't know.”“I'm your daughter.”“Yes.”“So that's why.”“Probably.”She shook her head.“No. Don't hide behind probably.”Ethan closed his eyes.When he opened them, he looked directly at her.“If I had seventy-two hours and could save only one person, I believe I would have chosen you.”Eva's eyes filled with tears.“That doesn't make it right.”“No.”Silence.That answer seemed to hurt them both.Maybe approached the lake.“Existing recording contains more information.”Ethan nodded.“Show only what is already record
Chapter 197 — The Child Who Was Never a Child
Chapter 197 — The Child Who Was Never a ChildLeo stood at the end of the dock.The red ball lay between him and Ethan.Across its surface, one word remained visible.RETURNEva moved first.“Leo, come here.”He shook his head.“I can't.”“Yes, you can.”“No.”His voice no longer sounded entirely like a child's.Something older trembled beneath it.Ethan approached slowly.“Leo, nobody is going to force you through that door.”Leo looked at him.“You don't understand.”“Then tell me what you remember.”Maybe stepped closer but did not scan him again.Silva remained nearby.No intrusion.Leo looked toward the lake.“I remember being here before After existed.”Silence.Nox frowned.“That's impossible.”Never looked at him.“We should probably retire that word.”Leo continued.“There was no lake.”“No tree.”“No people.”“Just a place waiting for something to finish.”Mara went pale.“A terminal space.”Leo nodded.“I think so.”Ethan stared.“And you?”“I wasn't Leo.”“Who were you?”T
Chapter 196 — The People Who Stayed
Chapter 196 — The People Who StayedMorning came quietly.No alarms.No collapsing realities.No impossible voices from beyond the sky.Ethan woke near the lake and spent several seconds simply listening.Water against the shore.Birds.Someone laughing in the distance.Life without emergency.He found Eva sitting on the dock.“You're awake early.”“So are you.”She looked at him.“Are you going to ask it?”Ethan sat beside her.“The question?”“Yes.”“Maybe.”Eva smiled.“You really have changed.”Ethan looked across the lake.Yesterday, the book had predicted he would ask everyone a question.He had changed would to might.But the question had stayed with him.Not because the book demanded it.Because he genuinely needed the answer.“What happens when I'm gone?”Eva's smile disappeared.“Is that the question?”“Part of it.”“You're planning to leave?”“I don't know.”“Then why talk like that?”Ethan looked toward the distant END door.“Because staying forever just to avoid leaving i
Chapter 195 — The Day Nothing Needed Saving
Chapter 195 — The Day Nothing Needed SavingThe lake was smaller than Ethan expected.After everything they had seen—worlds folding into themselves, impossible cities, oceans of possibility, universes hidden behind questions—this lake was almost disappointingly ordinary.Blue water.Tall grass.A wooden dock.A few birds.Leo ran ahead with his red ball.“Last one there loses!”Nox stopped walking.“I refuse to participate in a competition whose rules were announced after it began.”Maybe smiled.“You're afraid of losing to a child.”“I am afraid of legitimizing procedural injustice.”Leo laughed and ran faster.Eva looked at Ethan.“You coming?”He stared at the water.For one second, another lake existed in his memory.Anna.The yellow boat.A promise never fulfilled.Then he looked at Eva.Not the child from that memory.The person standing beside him now.“Yeah.”They walked toward the dock.Nobody discussed the END door.Nobody mentioned Chapter 200.Nobody asked what came next.
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