Zombie Apocalypse, My Darling!

The zombie apocalypse erupted.

I'd gone to great lengths to find a ship, determined to take some relatives and friends to safety in the middle of the ocean.

But my husband Diego's childhood sweetheart, Estela, refused to board at the dock.

Pouting, she tugged at Diego's sleeve, her voice dripping with fake innocence: "You know I can't sleep without Abby! And if I don't sleep, I'll get ugly."

"I don't care about zombies. I have to go back and get Abby first!"

Abby was just a tattered old blanket of hers.

Diego couldn't bear to contradict her, yet he also refused to risk his life for that useless thing.

He just looked at me, pleading for help.

In my past life, I'd slapped her hard, knocked her out, and dragged her onto the ship.

Everyone escaped safely.

But even though she slept like a log, she'd wailed that life without Abby was unbearable.

Finally, she pretended to be crazy and pushed me into the deep sea.

I'd screamed for help, but everyone I'd saved turned a blind eye.

Diego even rolled his eyes and said, "Zombies aren't that dangerous. You're just jealous of Estela's beauty, so you deliberately didn't get her Abby."

"You're so vicious-you deserve to drown and repent!"

I didn't get to "repent" for long before sharks tore me apart.

When I was reborn, I looked at the crying, tantrum-throwing Estela and nodded.

"Here's the plan: you all board first and wait for me. I'll go get your Abby."

*****

Zombies wandered nearby, and screams echoed all around.

But Estela blocked the boarding ladder, refusing to let us on.

"It's only a thirty-minute drive from the dock to my house; we'll definitely make it back for my blanket!"

"It's not just any blanket! I can't sleep without it, and lack of sleep won't just make me ugly; it'll shorten my life!"

She clung to Diego's arm, her tone pitiful yet demanding.

"These zombies are so slow. How could they possibly bite us?"

"If worst comes to worst, we'll wear more clothes! Zombies can't bite through multiple layers, right?"

Diego looked awkward but said nothing.

Estela took his silence as approval, declaring triumphantly to everyone, "Anyway, I'm not leaving without my blanket! If I don't go, Diego won't either. None of you can drive the ship, so no one gets to leave!"

My mother-in-law, Martha, pulled me aside and whispered, "Sienna, you've always hated Estela. Just kick her off. This is your ship, you call the shots!"

"If push comes to shove, slap her around a bit. Teach that spoiled princess a lesson!"

Everyone stared at me eagerly, and even Diego shot me desperate glances.

This was exactly how it had been in my past life.

But this time, I didn't fly into a rage.

I just glanced at the approaching horde of zombies and smiled faintly.

Diego was losing patience, his voice growing urgent.

"Estela, this isn't a game! Going back for that blanket is a death sentence! You're just not tired; you'll fall asleep when you are!"

Estela's face twisted, ready to explode.

I hurried over, shielding Estela behind me, and frowned at Diego.

"Diego, how could you say that?"

"It's normal for a young girl like her to have some special attachments."

"If you ask me, this is your fault! A month ago, I told you I suspected a zombie outbreak, but you didn't believe me. I endured your eye-rolling and prepared supplies and the ship. You saw everything, but you never told me about Estela's 'comfort blanket'!"

Estela gave me a rare smile, as if we were allies.

"Exactly, Sienna! It's all your fault; all of yours! So you have to go back and get my blanket!"

Diego's relatives and friends respected Estela a hundred times more than they did me, thanks to Diego's favoritism.

But even though Estela usually got her way, no one moved.

Everyone had seen how dangerous the zombies were.

A single bite-or even a scratch-would turn you into a zombie within thirty minutes.

Those thirty minutes weren't for saying goodbye.

They were for feeling yourself being torn apart by other zombies while you were still conscious.

In one word, it was the cruelest way to die.

Seeing no one act, Estela started searching for her car keys on her own.

The more she searched, the more terrified everyone became, because Estela couldn't drive.

Diego couldn't stop her, so he hissed at me angrily, "Are you out of your mind? Do you want Estela to get us all killed with her spoiled nonsense?"

I almost laughed out loud.

So he did know Estela's actions were deadly.

Then why, in my past life, had he led everyone to blame me?

I stepped back and shouted, "Spoiled nonsense?"

"Sleep is important to a young girl like her! You're her closest friend, Diego. How could you say that about her?"

"Was all that talk about loving her just a lie?"

The angrier I got, the more I defended Estela's "innocence."

Estela was already feeling wronged.

My words pushed her over the edge, and she burst into tears.

"Diego, if you don't care about me that much, I won't board! You all go; just pretend we never met!"

"I'd rather die than leave without my blanket!"

With that, she put on a show, pretending to leave.

How could Diego bear to let her go?

He grabbed her immediately, shouting at me, "Sienna, do you have to stir up trouble to breathe?"

"Is this really the time for catfights? How many times do I have to say it? Estela's just my little sister! There's nothing inappropriate between us!"

I pointed to myself in feigned shock.

"You're blaming me? I was just defending Estela. How is that targeting her?"

Diego snorted, "Don't think I don't see what you're up to!"

"You've been preparing for the apocalypse for over a month. You told everyone about the ship, but you deliberately didn't remind Estela to bring her blanket. This is all your fault!"

With Diego leading the charge, the other relatives and friends joined in.

"Yeah! You're an orphan, so you're jealous that Estela has someone who loves her."

"I bet you think Estela's stealing Diego, so you're torturing her on purpose."

Estela feigned sudden realization, pointing her finger at me and screaming, "I thought you were being nice-turns out you're disgusting!"

"Since you caused this mess, you go get my blanket! If you don't bring it back, don't bother coming at all!"

She threw the car keys at me, looking triumphant.

The so-called blanket was just an excuse.

In my past life, she'd slept better than anyone on the ship, dragging Diego into her bed every chance she got.

Her real goal was to get rid of me.

I held the keys, pretending to be wronged, and looked at Diego and the others for help.

Diego just frowned: "Hurry up! The outbreak just started, but zombies spread fast. If you drag your feet, it'll be too late."

I took a deep breath, faking a trembling voice.

"I'm the one who found this ship, but you're kicking me out? If it weren't for me, none of you would have a chance to survive!"