When the world ended, my entire family woke up with miracles in their veins. Everyone except me. To them, I was just dead weight, the only powerless one in a squad of elite survivors. But they didn't know the truth. I wasn't useless. I was the anchor—their living hotspot. Only within a five-hundred-yard radius of me could they wield their magnificent, terrifying gifts. Without me, they were as vulnerable as anyone else. So, I stayed glued to their side, never letting them out of my sight. And in return, believing I was a fragile, ordinary girl who needed constant protection, they held me close, keeping me safe like a precious secret. Until the day my brother pulled a girl out of a screaming horde of the infected. A girl who looked so much like my mother it made my breath hitch. That was the day I found out I was the imposter. The fake daughter switched at birth. Once she was brought back into the fold, she unlocked a rare space-manipulation ability, a pocket-dimension storage system that allowed her to stockpile endless supplies for the camp. But during our next scavenging run, she grabbed my arm, yanked me out of our defense circle, and threw me straight toward a grocery store crawling with the infected. "You've been playing princess in my house for twenty years, you useless leech!" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "Everyone else is out here bleeding, and you think you can just hide in the back and ride our coattails?" I broke free from her grip, desperate to make her understand. "I can't go in there! If I die, your powers, all of them, they'll—" I didn't get to finish. I couldn't even get the word vanish out of my mouth before the cold, heavy metal of a gun barrel pressed hard against my forehead. … "Go in, or I’ll blow your useless brains out right here." Cassie’s voice was ice. Cold, calculated, and malicious. My scalp prickled. The terror of facing her gun was far worse than the mindless groans of the monsters lurking nearby. Go in empty-handed? She wasn't just asking me to scavenge. She was executing me. And the people who had spent my entire life promising to protect me? They stood by, completely silent. Cassie had deliberately sent our parents and my brother to scout another block. Right now, there was no one to speak for me. Suddenly, a rusted piece of rebar, slick with dark, coagulated blood, was thrust into my line of vision. It was Jared Caldwell. He was the quiet one in our group. Silent, stoic, and completely powerless—just like me. "Take it," Jared said, his voice low but steady. "Stay right behind me." He didn't have any powers either. He was just a normal guy, yet he was the only one brave enough to stand between me and a bullet. I managed a small, grateful smile, my fingers wrapping tightly around the cold iron. Seeing this, Cassie let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Look at that. The useless helping the useless. What is this, a tragic romance movie in the middle of the apocalypse?" She tapped the side of my face with the gun barrel, her lip curling. "You two trash bags really do belong together." I grit my teeth, giving her one long, silent look. I couldn't die. Not because I was afraid, but because the lives of everyone in this camp—including hers—were tethered to my heartbeat. The supermarket entrance loomed before us like the open maw of some sleeping beast. Clutching my makeshift weapon, I followed Jared into the shadows. The stench of rot was thick enough to taste. Between the towering metal shelves, dark silhouettes drifted, emitting low, guttural clicks. We moved cautiously toward the canned goods. Suddenly, a tiny metallic clink echoed through the aisle. A single brass bullet casing rolled across the floor, stopping right at my feet. Cassie had thrown it. Groooaaarrr— The sound broke the silence, and a snarling shape lunged from the darkness directly at my throat! My heart hammered against my ribs. Adrenaline taking over, I swung the rebar with everything I had, driving the jagged tip straight into the creature's milky eye. As I yanked it free, three more emerged from the shadows, snapping their jaws. Jared didn't hesitate. He stepped in, his back pressed against mine. Together, we swung, stabbed, and fought, our movements falling into a desperate, rhythmic dance of survival. Meanwhile, Cassie walked behind us like she was on a Sunday stroll, shielded by a ring of our family’s elite guards. With a casual wave of her hand, she swept canned soup, boxed rice, and dry goods into her pocket dimension. Holding a lavender-scented handkerchief to her nose, she scoffed. "Hurry up! This is why normal people are such a drag. An evolved human could clear this room with a flick of their wrist, and you two are taking all day." By the time we finally cleared the aisle, the shelves were completely bare. Our own backpacks held nothing but a few pitiful sleeves of hardtack crackers. Then, Cassie's eyes locked onto a heavy, bolted metal door at the back of the store. "The main warehouse," she whispered, her eyes lighting up with greed. Without a second thought, she reached for the handle. "Don't open it!" I screamed, a cold dread seizing my chest. But it was too late. She yanked the heavy door open. A foul, humid wind rushed out, and with it, a massive, mutated hound—shaggy, blood-matted, and twice the size of a wolf. Cassie shrieked. But instead of running, she reached out, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me violently in front of her to block the attack. My pupils dilated. Time slowed down. I could see the yellowed, serrated teeth of the beast inches from my neck. Then, a brilliant flash of purple lightning cut through the gloom, striking the beast directly on its skull. The hound collapsed, instantly charred to ash. It was my brother, Brody. I turned around, gasping for air, only to see Cassie throwing herself into Brody’s arms, sobbing hysterically. "It’s her fault! The useless thing... she was running around like a headless chicken, she almost got me killed!" Brody stroked her hair, his eyes softening as he murmured, "I'm here, Cassie. You're safe now. Don't cry." But when his eyes shifted to me, the warmth vanished, replaced by a gaze as cold as winter stone. "If I had been a second later, Cassie would have been torn apart." "Gwen, I don't ever want to see you pull a stunt like this again." By then, our parents had rushed in, panic written all over their faces. My mother grabbed Cassie’s hands, checking her for scratches, before immediately casting a shimmering, iridescent kinetic shield around her. My father, without saying a word, channeled his healing light over Cassie’s body, even though she didn't have a single scratch on her skin. Only when they were absolutely certain their precious biological daughter was unharmed did they turn their attention to me. Not with worry. With disgust. My mother looked at my blood-spattered, disheveled clothes and sighed, her voice tight with anger. "If you don't have powers, Gwen, you need to stay locked up in the safe zone. Stop coming out here and making a mess of things!" "Cassie spent twenty years suffering in the slums because of a hospital mistake. I will not let her get hurt. Not even a little." My father frowned, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "Gwen... to make sure you learn your lesson this time, I won't be healing your cuts. Maybe a little pain will teach you some respect." I opened my mouth, the truth burning at the back of my throat. I wanted to scream it at them. But I knew it wouldn't matter. From the moment Cassie stepped through our door, their hearts had completely shifted. Whenever Cassie shed a single tear, they would look at me with silent guilt, asking me to give her my bedroom, my favorite sweaters, my share of the fresh milk. I had been relegated to a damp, drafty apartment on the outermost edge of our compound, while Cassie took three-hour hot baths in a world where water was more precious than gold. Even this dangerous scavenging run was put together just because Cassie wanted to find some high-end designer makeup. They called it compensation. My fingers tightened around my palm, where the hard brass bullet casing Cassie had thrown was biting into my skin. I had loved them. I had considered them my flesh and blood. But Cassie wanted me dead, and they were letting her do it. Seeing the family rally around her, Cassie’s face twisted into a smug, triumphant grin. She tilted her head, pointing a manicured finger at my dusty backpack. "Hand over everything you scavenged. It belongs in my space." I froze, my face pale. "I fought for these... Jared and I nearly died for these crackers..." "And?" Cassie sneered, laughing as if I'd said something hilarious. "You lived high on the hog under the Galloway name for twenty years. You stole my life. You stole my parents. What's a few packets of crackers compared to that?" "This isn't a tax, Gwen. This is back-payment." "You're a parasite who took over my nest. It's time you paid me back." Her words were sharp, her hatred raw and suffocating. Brody pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at me with a tired, dismissive expression. "Gwen, please. The mix-up at the hospital is a sore spot for Cassie. Just let her have the backpack." Without waiting for my answer, he reached over, unclipped my pack, and tossed it at Cassie’s feet. Cassie looked inside, wrinkling her nose at the cheap crackers. "Is this it? Gosh, normal people really are pathetic." Brody ruffled her hair, his voice dripping with affection. "Don't let it ruin your day, kiddo. Come on, let's go find that perfume you wanted." As their backs retreated down the aisle, I stood frozen in the dark, my chest feeling as though it were filling with lead. During our afternoon break, neither Jared nor I were given any rations. Exhausted, bruised, and lightheaded from hunger, I could feel my vision swimming. Since all our food was locked away in Cassie’s pocket dimension, I forced myself to stand up and walk toward the trucks to find her. But as I approached Brody's armored SUV, I stopped. Cassie was sitting in the passenger seat, taking a bite out of a crisp, red apple, her fingers playfully tugging at Brody's sleeve. "Brody, you're just too soft on her," she pouted. "Gwen has no power, and she’s a magnet for trouble. Keeping a parasite like her around is just a waste of good food. When the real hordes hit us, she’s going to get us all killed." Brody chuckled, flicking her forehead affectionately. "She might be useless, Cassie, but she hasn't done anything unforgivable yet. I can't just dump her on the side of the road." Useless. The word felt like a physical weight, pressing down on my lungs. A wave of nausea washed over me. Not from hunger, but from pure, unadulterated disgust. On the very first day of the outbreak, we were all just terrified human beings. My parents and Brody had been cornered in our driveway by a dozen snarling, flesh-eating monsters. They had been paralyzed, screaming, unable to even run. I was the one who grabbed a shovel, screamed at the top of my lungs, and drew the pack away from them. I ran until my lungs burned, dodging teeth and claws by mere inches. It was in that terrifying moment of life and death that a strange, humming warmth had bloomed deep inside my chest. I had unlocked my gift. And at that exact second, my parents and Brody felt their own powers ignite. My mother raised her hands and conjured a shimmering, impenetrable shield, stopping a lunging zombie inches from my face. My brother summoned a web of crackling purple electricity, frying the monsters in an instant. My father ran to me, his hands glowing with a warm, soothing light that closed my scrapes. That night, they had clung to me, weeping, asking me what magnificent power I had received. When I told them my power didn't let me throw fire or lightning—that I was just a living generator, a "hotspot" that allowed their powers to exist—they had laughed, hugging me tightly. "It doesn't matter if you can't fight, Gwen," they had whispered. "We will protect you forever." Their love back then had been real. Their disgust now was just as real. Suddenly, a dark, wrapped square appeared in front of my face. "Eat it," Jared whispered. "It’s still sealed." My heart swelled. A chocolate bar in this barren wasteland was worth its weight in gold. I shook my head, pushing his hand away. "I can't take your food, Jared." But Jared was stubborn. He pressed it firmly into my hand, his dark eyes fierce with sincerity. "It was always yours." "A year ago, when I was starving in the outer sector, you gave me half your sandwich. All I had left was this chocolate bar. I saved it for you." I stared at him, my throat tightening. Then, a soft, genuine smile broke through my exhaustion. I tore the wrapper, snapped the bar perfectly in half, and handed one piece back to him. "We share." But before our fingers could touch, a sharp hand smacked the chocolate out of my grip. Cassie's shrill voice cut through the air like a siren. "Gwen! How dare you steal from our supply cache!" The chocolate landed in the dirt, covered in gray dust. I slowly stood up, looking straight into her eyes. "I didn't steal anything. If anything, you're the one who withheld our lunch." Cassie sneered, her voice rising to make sure the entire camp could hear. "You contribute absolutely nothing to this squad, Gwen. Why on earth should you get fed?" Her shouting quickly drew a crowd. The other combatants and scavengers began to gather around us. Cassie picked up the dirty chocolate wrapper and held it high above her head. "Look at this, everyone! She thinks because she was raised a Galloway, she can just leech off us forever. And now, she’s stealing premium rations from our vault to feed her little stray dog!" The crowd erupted. "Seriously? Stealing from the vault? That is so cheap!" "I've been sick of Gwen for months. She’s the only one who gets a free ride while the rest of us risk our necks!" "Cassie is the real Galloway, and her pocket dimension keeps this entire camp alive!" "Gwen is just a charity case. An ungrateful parasite. We should kick her out!" "Yeah! Exile her!" The sea of angry faces parted as three familiar figures pushed their way to the front. My mother’s eyes were red, looking at me with a mixture of shame and fury. "You’re fighting with Cassie over some useless boy? You are dragging our family name through the dirt, Gwen!" My father stepped in front of Cassie, his face hard with disappointment. "Ever since Cassie came back, you’ve turned into a bitter, jealous stranger, Gwen. You hate that she’s our flesh and blood, and you hate that she has a real gift." Brody’s face was like granite, his tone icy. "We never held your lack of power against you, Gwen. But stealing from the camp’s survival reserve is where I draw the line." "The people want you gone, and honestly, I can't blame them." My heart didn't just break; it froze over. So this was my "unforgivable crime"? I let out a soft, dry laugh. "Exile me?" I raised my head, letting my gaze sweep over the angry crowd, finally resting on the cold, indifferent faces of the family I had loved for twenty years. "If I leave, you will regret it. Every single one of you." "The moment I walk away, those magnificent powers you’re so proud of? They will vanish. Completely." For a second, there was silence. Then, the Galloways burst out laughing. My mother’s face was filled with mockery. "Vanish? Gwen, listen to yourself. You have officially lost your mind. You are a powerless, ordinary girl." My father shook his head in disgust. "You would make up a pathetic lie like that just to keep your warm bed?" Brody’s eyes held no warmth, his voice dropping to a freezing whisper. "Get out." "Don't make me drag you out myself." To emphasize his point, he drew his sidearm, pointing the dark, hollow barrel of his pistol straight at my head. At that exact moment, a blood-curdling roar ripped through the trees. The ground began to vibrate. "Oh god! It's a Goliath class!" someone screamed. "An alpha zombie! It's leading a horde right to us!" Brody’s face paled. He immediately turned to the squad. "Fall back! Defensive positions, now!" A sea of gray, rotting bodies began to pour over the ridge. In the ensuing chaos, Cassie’s face twisted with pure malice. She subtly stuck her foot out, trying to trip me into the path of the oncoming stampede. But she was too eager. Her foot caught my ankle at an awkward angle, causing her to lose her balance and face-plant hard into the dirt. To my parents and Brody, who had only seen the sudden movement, it looked like I had shoved her. "Gwen! How dare you hurt Cassie!" Brody roared, his face contorted with rage. He lunged forward and kicked me hard in the ribs, sending me sprawling. Screeech— The alpha zombie was almost upon us, its towering, mutated frame shadowing the clearing. With a ruthless glint in his eyes, Brody drew a hunting knife from his belt and sliced it clean across my left wrist. "Since you're so eager to kill, you can be useful for once. Distract the alpha. Bleed for us." The thick, metallic scent of fresh blood immediately filled the air. Brody gave me a violent shove, throwing me directly into the path of the towering monster. The roaring horde closed in around me, swallowing me whole. My parents didn't even look back. Only Jared went wild, trying to break through the line of guards to reach me. "Gwen!" he screamed, his voice cracking with desperation. As the monsters closed in, I screamed back, "Jared, run! Don't look back!" Surrounded by teeth, claws, and the stench of death, a sudden, violent surge of heat exploded from the depths of my soul. My hidden gift—the dormant, quiet anchor inside me—didn't just activate. It evolved. I looked through the gaps in the rotting bodies, my eyes locking onto the retreating figures of the three Galloways, who were desperately shielding Cassie as they ran. A parasite? A useless normal? No. Without me, you are the powerless ones. "Since you no longer choose to be my family," I whispered, the words tasting like iron, "I am taking back everything I ever gave you."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "518497", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel