After being reborn, I’m going to make sure my brother becomes an internet celebrity. My brother, Mike, would prank me daily on his live streams, all to become famous. If I dared to resist, Mom and Dad would scream at me for being ungrateful, for hindering their precious son from becoming a big-time streamer. For a mere $300 viewer challenge, Mike locked me out on the back patio. I cried, telling them my heart condition was flaring up, begging them to let me in. But hearing about my heart condition, Mike even insisted Mom and Dad keep me outside, claiming men were tougher and less susceptible to the cold. That night, the temperature plummeted from over ninety degrees Fahrenheit to fourteen below zero. A terrifying, apocalyptic deep freeze descended. I was frozen to death on that patio. Within a month, the temperature dropped to -139 degrees Fahrenheit, and the entire world was encased in ice. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Mike started his insane live streaming. This time, it was my turn to sit in a warm, safe bunker, enjoying hot food, watching them struggle in a frozen hell!
“Mom, check this out! My prank video with Alex got tons of views. I need to shoot more. Once I blow up and become a huge streamer, I’ll make a ton of money and take you guys on vacation to Florida!” In the living room, my brother Mike held up his phone, proudly showing off to Mom and Dad. Hearing that familiar voice, an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. Even standing in the scorching summer sun, I was trembling. The cold, seeping from the deepest parts of my bones, was uncontrollable—because in my past life, I was frozen alive! I pinched my arm hard until the pain hit, only then truly realizing: I had been reborn. At this moment, Mom and Dad were showering Mike with praise, calling him smart and destined for great things. Then, Mom, Linda, shot me a venomous glare. “Did you hear that, you useless piece of trash? Cooperate with Mike for the videos! If you dare to mess with my son’s chance to get rich, you’ll see how I’ll deal with you!” She’d said those exact words in my previous life. Back then, unwilling to be humiliated like that, I’d privately talked to Mike, hoping he’d switch his live stream content. But he immediately ran to Mom and Dad, teary-eyed, complaining that I was just jealous and couldn’t stand to see him succeed. Dad, Robert, instantly exploded, cursing me as a jinx, saying I was just envious that good fortune was finally coming to our family. Mom pointed a finger right in my face, calling me a good-for-nothing and trying to stop her son from becoming a huge internet celebrity. Later, for a $300 “challenge” donation on Mike’s live stream, they locked me out on the back patio. Even when I cried, saying my heart condition was acting up, begging them to let me in, they all remained indifferent. Mike even yelled excitedly, “A heart condition? Even better! Viewers love that! Dad, hurry and lock him out! My stream’s popularity is skyrocketing!” In the end, they locked me outside. I had planned to leave that house immediately after this incident blew over. But that very night, the temperature plunged from over ninety degrees to fourteen below zero, and a terrifying, apocalyptic deep freeze instantly descended. I pounded frantically on the glass door, begging them to open it. My hands were red and swollen, skin raw, but they wouldn’t budge. Desperate to survive, I threw my body against the glass door, causing cracks to appear. Mike saw it and immediately screamed at Dad to block the door with a heavy dining cabinet. Inside, where it was warm as spring, Mike, wearing a T-shirt, licked a popsicle and smiled at me through the glass. “Alex, you’re a grown man, what’s there to be afraid of in the cold?” I clawed at the door frame with my bleeding, mangled fingers, my voice hoarse. “Mike, please… my medication is inside… I’ll die if this continues…” But Mike just turned his phone camera on me and told his live stream audience, “See, guys? They say men are tough and can handle the cold. My brother here is still kicking, isn’t he?” His malice completely froze my heart. Eventually, I ran out of strength and died miserably on the patio, my tears freezing on my face. Thank goodness for this second chance. Now, outside, it was still a scorching summer day, cicadas chirping piercingly, with no sign of the apocalypse. But I knew that in exactly one week, the temperature would plummet to fourteen below zero, getting colder day by day, until it reached -139 degrees Fahrenheit, freezing the entire world solid. The fire of revenge burned fiercely in my chest. This time, I would make them pay.
I swallowed my hatred, feigning obedience, and replied, “Mom, I’ll cooperate with Mike for the videos.” My mother, Linda, seemed a bit surprised by my docility, but her harsh expression didn’t soften one bit. She still barked at me, “Useless good-for-nothing! Can’t you see it’s almost dinner time? Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Go make dinner!” I clenched my fists, my nails almost digging into my palms, constantly reminding myself: It’s not time yet, I have to be patient. I turned and quietly walked into the kitchen. As soon as dinner was ready, Dad, Robert, came home. I had just washed my hands and was about to sit down to eat when he kicked my leg. “Eat what?! The convenience store shelves are empty! Get down there and restock!” I suppressed the pain and muttered, “Okay,” grabbed the keys from the shoe rack, and headed straight downstairs without looking back. That convenience store was the fruit of my labor for many years. Since I opened it, not one of the three of them had held a proper job; they all lived off the store. The heaviest work, like stocking and organizing, was dumped entirely on me. To cover expenses, I worked another job during the day and came back at night to arrange the shelves. No one knew better than I where every single item in that store was. After quickly restocking, I grabbed an energy bar and a bottle of water and went into the back storage room. After a quick bite, I immediately pulled out my phone and called my wife, Lisa, who was away on a business trip. When Lisa’s familiar voice came through the receiver, my eyes immediately welled up. In my previous life, after my horrific death, Lisa called me countless times, but no one ever answered. She then called Dad, Robert, asking about my whereabouts. Afraid of exposure, Robert used my phone to reply to Lisa, making her believe I was still alive. Later, as temperatures plummeted and the deep freeze apocalypse arrived, Lisa anxiously texted me, asking if I could find a way to send some supplies. The weather had become terrifying, and she couldn’t buy anything where she was. At that time, Mike happened to see Lisa’s messages and immediately instigated Dad to swindle money from her. The father and son quickly agreed, fabricating a lie about me being critically injured in the hospital and needing urgent surgery funds. They even had Mike wear a wig and my clothes, pretending to be me, weakly lying in a hospital bed in a video call. Lisa believed them, frantic with worry, and immediately transferred all her savings. Once they had the money, they completely dropped their pretense. Robert called Lisa on FaceTime directly, and on camera, he and Mike openly mocked her stupidity, calling her an easily duped fool. “Your man froze to death long ago! His body’s right in the backyard!” Mike shrieked, even turning the camera to my frost-covered corpse in the backyard. Finally, Lisa was so enraged that she suffered a fatal heart attack. Recalling this, I almost crushed my phone. In this life, I would never let that tragedy repeat.
Thinking of this, my voice choked slightly as I called out, “Lisa.” Lisa, thinking I was upset about something, quickly comforted me and even said she’d come to me immediately. I shook my head, saying I wasn’t upset. In the last life, Lisa was horribly wronged by Mike and Dad; in this life, I would definitely not let that father-son duo get away with it! But I wouldn’t let Lisa get involved just yet. She just needed to be in a safe place while I arranged everything. Still, Lisa didn’t believe I wasn’t upset, so I changed the subject. “Lisa, can you rent that vacant house in the Lakeside community?” The previous owner of that house was a prepper. He’d built a reinforced bunker beneath it specifically for extreme situations. That house was in the suburbs and had been on the market for a long time. In the future, the extreme weather would reach -139 to -148 degrees Fahrenheit. By then, having food and water wouldn’t be enough; a safe shelter would be crucial. Although Lisa didn’t quite believe extreme weather would hit, especially with the sun blazing outside, she still did as I asked. After hanging up with Lisa, I contacted U-Haul. Under the guise of restocking the convenience store, I secretly transported some items from the warehouse to Lisa’s place. There was about a week until the deep freeze apocalypse. Using this time, I could move a portion each day, secretly emptying the entire warehouse. In this life, it was my turn to be in the safety of a bunker, watching their miserable end!
By the time I finished all that, it was already dark outside. I had just gone upstairs, and before I even entered the door, I heard Mike’s fake laughter. “Alex, look, this guy is just as stupid as you!” Pushing the door open, I saw the “happy family” scene. Everyone revolved around Mike, doting on him like a prince. Mike was Mom and Dad’s youngest, doted on excessively. Mom especially adored Mike, treating him like the apple of her eye. Dad also spoiled Mike, saying he was Mike’s eternal support, and with him around, Mike would never have to work a day in his life. Hearing the door open, the family turned to look at me. As soon as Mom saw me, her face hardened, and she immediately snapped, “Why are you standing there like a useless doorstop? You scared me!” Mike held his phone in one hand and a bowl of fruit salad in the other, walking towards me. “Alex, I forgot to save you any dinner. Here, have some fruit to tie you over.” I looked at Mike, who was smiling with malicious intent. In my previous life, I had unsuspectingly eaten it, only to find the fruit salad contained mango, to which I was severely allergic. My whole body broke out in hives. Mike, meanwhile, held up his phone and laughed hysterically, telling his live stream audience, “Guys, my dumb brother ate it! Look, he’s having an allergic reaction!” Mom chimed in with a laugh, “Our Mike is so smart, making this good-for-nothing look ridiculous.” Dad pointed at me, saying I looked disgusting. At that moment, my heart turned completely cold, and I realized I couldn’t stay in this family, stirring thoughts of leaving. But soon after, the deep freeze apocalypse hit. This time, if they could prank me for a $300 donation, they could certainly prank someone else for the same amount. I decided to test them. I pretended to have a stomachache, bending over and saying, “My stomach feels off, I need to use the restroom first.” But Mike insisted I eat before I went. I pushed Mike away and hurried to the restroom. Mom cursed from behind, “Always making excuses when there’s trouble! Useless!” I ignored Mom’s words, because soon she would taste the bitter fruit. In the restroom, I pulled out my phone and entered Mike’s live stream. I directly spent $300 to post a challenge task in Mike’s live stream—prank your own mom. At the same time, I commented: Getting tired of watching you prank your brother. Let’s see something fresh, prank your own mom for kicks. I wanted to see just how strong their so-called family bond truly was. Sure enough, the next second I heard Mike excitedly tell everyone, “Dad, Mom, look! Someone just donated to my stream! I’m going to be a big streamer soon!” In my previous life, Mike had been equally excited and thrilled when he received a donation notification. The whole family had also showered him with praise. Mom even clapped her hands for Mike, saying how amazing he was, how her son was different, much more useful than me. In the family’s happy and harmonious atmosphere, Mike handed the bowl of fruit salad, laced with mango, to Mom. “Mom, you should eat this bowl of fruit salad. The challenge task is to prank my own mom.” I saw Mom’s face instantly go pale.
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