When the World Ends, She Begins novel Chapter 1

"Ahh!"

A sharp, searing pain shot through Natalie Ashford's wrists, and she collapsed to the ground.

Her most trusted friends had just hacked off both her hands.

The emerald bracelet on her wrist clattered heavily to the floor, yet not a scratch marred its surface.

Braxton White snatched it up with a greedy and triumphant grin.

"Nat, since you still refuse to be mine, then you don't get to live."

Tiffany Quinn, the woman clinging to his arm, snorted. "Braxton, she brought this on herself. She deserves to die!

"If we'd known her father was so heartless that he wouldn't even spare her a slice of bread, we would've acted sooner. We wouldn't have starved this long."

Natalie lay sprawled on the cold ground, staring at her two companions in disbelief—companions who had survived four long years of apocalyptic disaster by her side.

They had fought together and endured hardship to stay alive.

"What are you looking at?" Tiffany let go of Braxton's arm, gripped a boning knife, and stalked toward Natalie with malice.

"The first time I saw your pretty little face, I wanted to carve it to pieces!"

The blade came down next.

Natalie had already lost too much blood to fight back. Pain consumed her, swallowing her consciousness bit by bit. She could feel her life slipping away into the dark.

In her fading awareness, she heard Tiffany's sickly sweet voice.

"Braxton, we've got meat for tonight!"

At that moment, regret hit her like a tidal wave.

How could she have been so blind? How had she not seen these beasts for what they were?

Four years of battling through an apocalypse, only to be betrayed by the very people she trusted most.

It was too bitter to accept.

If she could live again, she would never spare them.

...

"Ahh!"

Another sharp cry tore from her lips as Natalie jolted awake, sitting bolt upright in bed.

She blinked, taking in her surroundings—and froze.

This is the place I had lived in before the apocalypse.

But ... hadn't Braxton and Tiffany killed me?

Warmth surrounded her.

She hadn't felt something like this in the past four years since the disaster struck.

She quickly grabbed the phone on her nightstand. The date flashed on the screen—July 8th, 2039.

It's three days before the apocalypse!

What? No way! I died in 2043!

On July 11th, 2039, a torrential rainstorm swept across the globe.

Within days, cities were swallowed by floodwaters, and countless lives were lost.

At first, everyone thought it was just another natural disaster. They were wrong. It was the prologue to the apocalypse.

The storms were followed by more horrors—floods, blistering heat, acid rain, choking fog, earthquakes, and freezing winters. One after another, the extremes tore the world into a living hell.

For four years, Natalie had fought tooth and nail to survive. Even at her death, the disasters had not ended.

And now ... she was reborn. She was back to three days before it all began.

Natalie's heart surged with wild joy. Her gaze dropped instantly to her wrist. The emerald bracelet was still there.

If not for this bracelet, she would never have survived her first year in the apocalypse.

Without hesitation, she bit the tip of her right finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the cool green stone.

A flash of white light flared, and an 8,600-square-foot storage space took shape in her mind.

One side was a vast, empty expanse. The other held a bungalow of about 650 square feet.

Relief washed through her. The storage space had been reborn with her.

Jacob's villa sat on high ground, and the wealthy residents there had stockpiled massive stores of supplies during the first storms. They lived far better than the starving millions outside.

After struggling for a long time, with her food and ammunition completely gone, Natalie led Braxton and Tiffany through countless dangers to reach the hillside villa, hoping her scumbag father would save her.

However, Jacob was as cruel as ever. He hoarded his food and guarded his new wife and daughter, refusing to give her even a single slice of bread.

He didn't care in the slightest whether she lived or died.

The moment Braxton and Tiffany realized she was no longer of use, they dropped their masks and tried to take the storage space bound to her bracelet.

In the end, they even dismembered her.

What they didn't know was that once the bracelet recognized its master through blood, it became permanently bound to Natalie.

Even if they stole it, the storage space would remain out of their reach.

This time, I will see just how long they can last without my storage space, Natalie thought with bitter resolve.

As much as she wanted to hunt the two of them down and take her revenge, stocking up on survival supplies was more important right now.

There were only three days left before disaster struck, and there was a lot to prepare.

Braxton and Tiffany could rot in the ruins. That would be a better punishment than a quick death.

As for Jacob, Natalie had died a miserable death in her previous life, and she no longer owed him anything.

Natalie's heart was as cold as ice.

I will let him face the apocalypse blind and unprepared. Let's see how long his precious supplies keep him alive.

This time, she would only look out for herself. She would cherish this second chance and live freely, even in the apocalypse.

Then, she picked up her phone and checked her bank account.

She had exactly one million dollars.

Fortunately, Jacob hadn't seized all her allowance when he kicked her out.

In her previous life, that money had turned into meaningless numbers on a dead screen.

This time, she would turn every cent into supplies. She would make sure every dollar counted.