The apocalypse descended, and my brother and I gained superpowers. Winston, my younger brother, defiantly chose the flashy, powerful lightning ability. But he couldn’t endure the grueling training required to upgrade it. He wasted his talent, ending up a pathetic failure in the shelter. I, on the other hand, relied on a seemingly useless healing ability, accumulating vast resources and becoming a highly sought-after asset by various faction leaders. Until my jealous brother shoved me into a zombie horde, sending me to my death. Reborn. This time, Winston was quicker. He snatched the healing ability first. “This time, it’s my turn to live the easy life. Matthew, you go do the dirty work.” Watching the shimmering green light he’d claimed, I just smiled. He clearly had no idea that a true healing ability didn’t even exist in this world. I woke up from a haze of darkness and searing heat. Winston’s eyes gleamed with a predatory glint, and a smirk stretched across his lips. “Matthew,” he drawled, “this time, it’s my turn to live the easy life.” The faint green glow in his hand snapped me back to reality. I looked down at my own hand, where a faint spark of electricity flickered. My brother and I had both been reborn. In our last life, Winston had claimed he was too weak, that he needed a powerful ability to protect himself. I’d given in, letting him choose the lightning power first. But who would’ve thought he’d refuse to fight zombies, unable to handle the hardship? He wasted that powerful ability, eventually relegated to simple chores in the shelter, barely surviving. I, choosing the seemingly useless healing ability, had become highly valued by every shelter leader. During one encounter, I’d saved him from the jaws of a zombie. Back then, he was a miserable wreck, forced to look up at me, the one protected by everyone. Blinded by his own petty jealousy, he shoved me into a zombie horde, dragging me down with him. Now, we were back. And Winston had been quick to grab the healing ability. Before I could even react, a sudden commotion erupted around us. When the apocalypse first hit, Winston and I were lucky enough to escape to a large supermarket. It was here that we successfully awakened our powers. Supplies were plentiful, but everyone was on edge. “Starting today, everyone must go out and kill zombies. Otherwise, you leave this place for good.” The woman speaking was in her early thirties with a nasty scar across her face and eyes that could cut glass. Her name was Bianca Reynolds. She had taken control of the supermarket through sheer force and established strict rules. “On what grounds?! This isn’t your place! You can’t just kick us out!” Bianca raised her shotgun. “On these grounds.” The gunshot echoed, silencing everyone. They froze, stunned into absolute quiet. Under the oppressive weight of absolute force, everyone slowly started moving towards the supermarket exit. Winston immediately pushed his way to the front, his voice trembling. “I’ve awakened a healing ability! I can help treat injuries!” Bianca gave him a scrutinizing look. “Prove it.” “I… I need a little time…” “Then go tend to the wounded first.” She finished, her gaze shifting towards me, standing silently nearby. Winston, seeing this, immediately pointed at me. “That’s Matthew! He’s a really strong fighter, you should put him right on the front lines!” He looked at me, his eyes full of malicious glee. But a brilliant smile bloomed on my face. What Winston didn’t know was that in the last life, I was the one who envied him. I dreamed of having lightning powers. Not being a caged bird, kept for someone else’s amusement, all because of my ‘healing’ ability.
Maybe my smile had just completely pissed Winston off. I was assigned to the absolute front line of zombie extermination. In our last life, Winston had been just as confident when he chose the lightning ability. The only reason he wasted his talent was because the power needed to be enhanced gradually. At first, lightning could only produce faint sparks, enough to stun a zombie for maybe a second. He fully expected to dominate, to cut down hordes of zombies like they were nothing. But his first real combat experience left him a complete mess. He frantically zapped everything around him, causing massive casualties among Bianca’s people and earning her eternal wrath. Now, countless zombies began to shamble towards us, like beasts drawn by the scent of blood. My hand, clutching my blade, trembled slightly. In the last life, I had been heavily protected. It had been a long time since I’d faced zombies head-on. My gaze locked onto the nearest zombie, and I held my breath. I precisely unleashed my ability. The weak electrical jolt made the zombie pause for a split second. I seized that precious moment. I plunged my blade deep into the zombie’s skull! Blood splattered, and I yanked the blade free, then again, and again. Before another zombie could reach me, I finally dispatched it. I quickly unleashed another jolt, using the same method on the next one. Eventually, my hands were too stiff to lift. My entire body was coated in gore, my power was drained, and I lay there, numb, completely spent. “You… you did well.” Bianca’s cool voice broke the silence. “You killed ten zombies by yourself,” she stated blandly. I opened my exhausted eyes and saw Winston’s face, twisted with jealousy. A stiff, fake smile stretched across his lips. “Matthew, you were amazing,” he drawled, feigning concern. “But with all that blood… you didn’t get bitten, did you?” A cold glint flashed in my eyes. Bianca’s smile vanished, and she shot Winston a sharp look, then turned back to me. “He’s right. We need to check you. We can’t have any hidden dangers here.” I just lay there, unbothered. As long as Bianca knew I had value, she wouldn’t easily give up on me. But once she labeled someone as useless, it was truly over. Thinking this, I looked playfully at Winston. “Shouldn’t you be tending to the wounded? You have time to chat?” Anger flashed in his eyes, but with Bianca standing there, he grudgingly turned and headed towards the infirmary. As he walked away, my gaze grew colder. After Winston and I awakened our powers in the last life, he immediately abandoned me. So he never knew. Though the lightning ability took time to grow, in its later stages, it became an invaluable weapon against zombies. But the healing ability… it had a fatal flaw.
“What the hell happened?!” “Damn it, heal him already!” Winston stood amidst a pile of bloody, mangled survivors, his face ashen. He mumbled to himself, “How is this happening? Why isn’t it working? I don’t know… I just don’t know…” The injured survivors’ companions shouted and cursed at him, pushing him relentlessly. Finally, someone lost it, landing a solid punch on his face. “Useless!” Winston suddenly snapped, letting out a wild scream as he frantically searched the crowd for me. He screamed, like a man possessed, “It’s you! You did this, didn’t you?!” He pushed past the people surrounding him. “What is going on?! Didn’t I awaken a healing ability?!” Winston grabbed my shoulders, shaking me with frantic desperation. “My dear brother, this is what you chose.” His eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief. He seemed utterly bewildered as to why his stolen prize would taste so bitter. Because when he was a child and always sick, our parents always told me, “You must always give Winston what he wants.” So every single time, he naturally took the best things for himself. Bianca walked over to assess the situation, her faint smile still in place. “What’s happening?” Winston flinched, a shiver running through him, and quickly adjusted his expression. He smoothed down his hair, his eyes red-rimmed, putting on a pitiful act. “Maybe because the ability just awakened, I haven’t mastered it yet. I can’t heal them right now.” Bianca frowned slightly. “Is that so? Well, nothing we can do.” She gave Winston a reassuring pat on the shoulder, her voice gentle but laced with a chilling warning. “Injured people tend to get emotional, and their friends and family are bound to be upset too.” “But if this happens again, I won’t be able to protect you.” Bianca’s smile was still in place, but an icy shiver ran down my spine. I couldn’t help but take a deep breath, remembering the coldness in her eyes in the last life. That feeling was still unforgettable. Winston’s face contorted in fear. After Bianca left, I leaned close to Winston, whispering in his ear: “You’ll never be able to heal anyone else.” “This worthless ability… it can only heal yourself.” I watched him with keen interest, my voice dripping with scorn. “Not only that, but it’ll make you a target for everyone. If they can’t get you… they’ll destroy you.” His face contorted in disbelief, the light in his eyes dying out instantly.
“No! That’s impossible!” Winston pushed me away like a madman, muttering, “You’re lying to me.” “You’re scared I’ll be like you in the last life, gaining the attention of all the powerful people, scared I’ll get my revenge on you later!” Winston’s eyes were filled with madness and desire. “If it can only heal myself, how could you have been so valued by so many people in the last life?” He pointed a finger at me. “Matthew, do you really think I’m as stupid as I was in our last life?” “This time, you’re destined to be beneath my feet.” The madness on Winston’s face vanished, replaced by a confident, determined smile. He turned and walked away decisively, though his steps weren’t as steady as he pretended. He was probably half-believing, half-doubting. But it didn’t matter. No matter how much he talked tough, facts were facts. In the last life, after multiple attempts, when I discovered my ability could only heal myself, it hit me like a bolt from the blue. The people who had been friendly to me suddenly changed their tune. Bianca herself pointed a gun at my head, still smiling gently. “How will you compensate us for the price we’ve paid?” “It looks like you’ll just have to repay us with your body.” That chilling gaze and tone, I could never forget. No one came to save me then. I had to endure it, all alone. This life, Winston made his own choice. He only saw my superficial glory, ignoring the dirty scars hidden behind power. Those who wish to wear the crown, must bear its weight. This time, I was never going down that path again. My eyes hardened with determination, and I stepped forward. Over the next few days, I continued fighting on the front lines. Every time I fought tooth and nail, bathed in blood, I could feel the power within me growing stronger. Winston’s gaze grew darker, more twisted, with each passing day. After one zombie-killing spree, I returned to the supermarket. What greeted me was everyone’s suspicious, disgusted stares. Winston’s triumphant expression was mixed in among them. Bianca spoke calmly. “Someone said they saw you get bitten.” “You have two choices: either leave now, or let everyone check you for bite marks.” In that instant, the black maw of a gun barrel seemed to point straight at me again. Someone in the crowd jeered, “He needs to be checked in front of everyone! Otherwise, I won’t trust it!” Disgusting jeers erupted, quickly followed by a chorus of agreement. “Don’t let him leave! What if he gets revenge later? Hold him down and strip him naked for inspection!” I lowered my eyes. This was the true nature of humanity in the apocalypse, easily swayed by the slightest provocation. Winston’s eyes welled up with fake tears, and his voice quavered. “This is for everyone’s safety, Matthew! Look at what’s happening! Don’t let your stupid pride get us all killed!” The atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch. The crowd screamed, a frenzied roar, treating me like a prize they were destined to claim. I quietly took a few steps back, only to find myself completely surrounded. I frowned. This was bad. My brain raced, searching for an escape: rush the fuel stash and threaten them with my remaining power; or make a desperate break for it, stunning the guards at the guards at the door and trying to sprint out… No matter what, I wasn’t going to let them walk all over me this time. Making up my mind, I lifted my eyes. Just then, a gunshot cracked. Followed by the dull thud of someone hitting the ground. “Murder! Someone got killed!”
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