Zombie Apocalypse: I Have Safe Zone Superpower

Annie gritted her teeth. Her mother's words cut deep. She vividly remembered everything.

Once, her mother had lived a life of wealth. She was the mistress of a rich man, and with him she had Annie and her younger brother.

They had a fine house, fine clothes, and food without limit.

Her mother had servants to wait on her. She had always said she would give Annie and her brother the best.

But one mistake changed everything.

Annie could still see that day in her mind. She had gotten into a fight at school. Other children had called her a bastard without a father.

Desperate and furious she commited a mistake.

She had shouted that she was the daughter of a rich man. At that time, she thought it was nothing.

But word had reached the man's real family. His true daughter went crying to him, saying an outsider child was claiming to be his blood.

The man's face had gone red with rage. He had not even listened. In his eyes, Annie's mother became nothing but a stain on his reputation.

Just like that, he cut ties. The gifts stopped, the money stopped, and the guards threw them out.

Annie's mother had yelled at her for days. Then, when anger cooled, she had taken Annie and her brother far away, hiding in a poor and quiet place.

Since then, Annie had carried the burden. She worked hard, trained harder, and supported her mother. But her mother never forgave her.

'It's true… I made a mistake,' Annie thought bitterly.

'But that man would have left someday anyway. He never planned to keep us. Even something small like Mother breaking a cup could have been his excuse. My mistake just gave him the chance to throw us away.'

Her mother never believed that. To her, everything was Annie's fault.

Taking a deep breath, Annie looked straight at her mother. Her voice was calm.

"It's true. I caused you to lose your place. But even if I hadn't, you wouldn't have kept it for long. That man was already waiting to leave you."

Her mother's face turned red with fury. She pointed her finger at Annie.

"How dare you! Do you think you can rebel against me? Have you forgotten who is in my hands? Your brother!"

Annie's heart tightened. She opened her mouth, ready to answer, but another voice suddenly cut through the air.

"If that's the case," a weak but sharp voice said, "then she should just abandon me!"

Both Annie and her mother turned in shock.

It was her younger brother. He was thin, pale, and sickly, only twelve years old, but his eyes were burning with defiance.

He stared at their mother, his fists clenched.

"If I'm nothing but a tool… if you're planning to use me against Annie… then I'd rather die right now than let you keep controlling her!"

Before anyone could stop him, he turned toward the wall, ready to smash his head.

"Stop!" Annie cried.

She teleported forward in a flash and grabbed him just in time. She pulled him into her arms, holding him tightly. Her heart was racing.

Her mother's face went white for a second, fear flashing in her eyes.

She might be greedy, she might love food and money more than anything after the apocalypse, but deep down she still cared for her children.

She had never wished for their deaths.

When she saw Annie had stopped the boy, she let out a sigh of relief. But then her anger quickly returned.

She glared at her son. "Why are you acting like this? Do you think I don't care for you? Everything I do is for your own good!"

The boy struggled in Annie's arms. His small body twisted as he tried to break free.

"Lies! If it was for my good, why do you keep using me to hurt Annie? Why do you threaten her again and again?"

He tried once more to slam his head against the wall, but Annie held him firmly.

"Enough," Annie whispered, hugging him tightly. She patted his back softly, her voice steady.

"Don't say things like that. Don't do this. I'm fine. You don't have to carry this burden. You don't have to feel guilty for me."

Her brother's body shook. Tears of humiliation welled up in his eyes.

He looked at Annie, seeing the faint wrinkles under her eyes, even though she was only twenty-three or twenty-four.

She was young, yet her back carried the weight of the whole family.

'My sister is strong, but she's too tired,' he thought, his nails digging into his palm.

'She sacrificed everything for me. She never complained. And all I do is watch her get blackmailed over and over. I hate this. I hate being weak.'

Annie held her brother close. His small body was still trembling in her arms.

She whispered in his ear, her voice steady even though her heart felt like it was breaking.

"Don't be scared. I'll find a way. I promise… one day, I'll take you away from here. We won't have to live like this anymore."

Her brother looked at her with watery eyes. He wanted to believe her, and deep down he did.

But his fists were still clenched tight, his nails pressing into his palms.

Annie brushed his hair back and gave him a gentle smile. "Just wait for me. I'll figure it out."

Inside, she thought quietly,

'As long as I can sneak him out when the time is right, we won't have to bear Mother anymore. I will protect him, even if it means standing against everything.'

......................

Far away, in the military office, the atmosphere was tense. A long table stretched in the middle of the room, and several generals sat around it.

Papers were spread out, numbers scribbled, but none of it could hide the truth. Their food was running out.

General Janet adjusted her glasses and spoke in a calm but heavy tone.

"With our food dwindling and no way to grow more, we'll soon be in real danger. At this pace, we cannot last."