Apocalypse Rebirth: I Win by Hoarding Supplies

The pain of having her throat torn open was like a red-hot brand searing through flesh and skin.

Lin Wan could feel warm blood gurgling out of the huge wound in her neck, carrying away the last of her body's heat. Her vision had grown blurry. She could make out only a few monsters with gray-black exoskeletons and sharp claws surrounding her, greedily ripping flesh from her thighs and arms. The crunch of bones being bitten apart rang out with terrible clarity in the deathly silent ruins.

It hurts so much.

Even clearer than the pain were the blurry figures gathered in the distance. They were the neighbors she'd once shared her rations with, Old Chen's family, who had wept and begged her to open the door because their child was starving, and Xiao Ling, who had held her hand just days ago and said, “Sister Wanwan, let's survive together.”

They huddled behind a broken wall, staring fixedly in her direction. There was no grief or fear on their faces, only a numb expression of relief.

“Wanwan, I'm sorry... If we hadn't pushed you out, we'd all have died.” Old Chen's voice drifted over, dry and flat, as if he were offering an explanation, or maybe just trying to convince himself.