text: Nick Venom Survival Instincts: Season One 
   
   
   Episode One "Prologue" 
    Eight years ago, the world broke apart. Zombies rose from the ground and invaded humanity, purging almost every human in existence from the Earth. My family was able to survive the first wave of zombies, but the second wave devastated us. The zombies tore through the remaining humans, dwindling the population even lower. We were lucky enough to escape the house we stayed at, but the zombies continued to chase after us. They pushed us away until our stamina was drained, leaving us with few choices. My parents decided to allow me to live by throwing me forward while remaining behind. They forced me to run as far away as I can from them while they led the zombies away. Tears ran down my cheek as I fled away from them. The tears blinded me as I ran away from the sounds of growling and moaning before running into a soft cushion. I wiped my tears from my eyes and looked up. A man wearing camouflage gear, wielding an assault rifle, looked down at me. “Are you okay?” he asked. I shook my head before turning around and pointing towards my parents.   
   “Help them,” I muttered. The man nodded and motioned for two men to go towards my parents. The man then led me away from the scene and towards a military base. He never mentioned my parents after that, leading to many questions about them. Eventually, he told me that my parents were killed shortly after I ran and weren’t able to be saved by any medicine. They left nothing behind, only their rotting bodies and empty minds. The man, whom I never learned his name, passed away the next day during another scavenger mission. Fortunately, the people of the base were kind enough to take me in and raise me. I then learned the basics of a normal life as well as undergoing military training to form me as a soldier with the ability to fight against the zombies. My new life began shortly as a private in the army. 
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
     
   
   
   
   Episode Two "Only Friend" 
   Eight years have passed since my parent’s death. Since then, I’ve been living in the fort along with the other families and orphans. These eight years have sparked many fights between bullies and myself, but one person has always stood in front of me, protecting me. His name is Garfield Alvarez and he is the only friend that I’ve made. Garfield is a strange person due to his behavior. He was extremely nice to me---mean to others---but, somehow, he’s also the harshest person I’ve met. He’s strict on my training, but nice to me once training’s over. He acts like an older brother, a relationship that I’ve never had before.  
   Garfield was tight-lipped about anything concerning his past. The scars on his back were a tale that has never been told. Instead, Garfield acts as if they never existed and ignored any questions about it. He could’ve been abused at a young age, which makes sense why he doesn’t talk about his life before arriving at the fort---parentless and near-naked. The only things that he has told me about have been the good events in his life. Good memories were the only tales that he’s told. 
   The government of the fort, being high-rank military officers, forced every individual over eighteen into training. This forced any normal citizen to grow stronger, to the point that a zombie couldn’t defeat them during a one on one. This strong army allowed the high-rank officers to devise plans to expand the fort, including a new plan that will gather most of the fort’s force and converge on a nearby town for supplies and land. Three squads have been given the green light to invade the town on a “reclaiming” mission. As a private, I was sent along under one of the teams known as the Warriors with Garfield. I’m fortunate that my best friend and protector is in the same squad as myself. The plan is set to be in motion soon.  
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Three "The Warriors" 
   The day arrived when a captain of the base informed me that the team I was joining, which would be the Warriors, will be leaving and executing a plan they nicknamed Iron Hold.  
   Iron Hold needed the efforts of three teams to execute, pushing the Warriors, Silver Dagger, and Red Scorpion to the nearby town of Stalinhold. Captain Grant who oversaw five squads, one of which was the Warriors, briefed everybody on the plan. Project Iron Hold’s objective was to secure the nearby town and plunder it. Once all supplies were transferred to the Headquarters, all three teams would begin to barricade the town to use as an outpost of sorts.  
   Once the briefing ended, the Warriors met each other and introduced one another. “I’m the leader of the Warriors, Holly Luna.” A woman said, starting the introductions. She had blonde hair with pale skin and sharp features. She wore a tattered tee-shirt and ripped jeans with black sneakers. She then motioned to the man who stood next to her. “This is Charlie Lee,” The man had purple hair that stood out, unlike his face and attitude. He was a timid man. He wore the average military outfit of green camouflage clothing. “That…” She said, motioning to the woman to my left. “... is Christine Mccormick.” The woman on my left looked to be ten years older than me with aging features like scattered wrinkles and fading, almost graying, hair. She wore the same outfit as Charlie.  
   “The other members are Frances Salinas, Melanie and Will Cruz, Amie Nelson, Garfield Alvarez, and Lindsay Harper.” She said, motioning to everybody else in the squad. Frances looked younger than me with dark brown hair and sharper features. Amie had light brown hair and looked around the same age as Frances with a very timid atmosphere surrounding her. Melaine and Will, who are twins, had black hair and puffier features that restricted their movements. Everybody except for Holly wore the green camouflage outfit.  
   We were employed with horses to travel to the south side of the town. While preparing the squad to move on horseback, we received envious glares from the Silver Daggers. The same envy-filled glares were directed towards the Red Scorpions who were permitted to travel with a convoy of humvees to the northside. Silver Daggers couldn’t do anything as they didn’t hold much experience with the outside. They were forced to travel on foot to the westside. The Warriors and Red Scorpions held more experience than Silver Daggers, allowing them a different type of transportation than walking.  
   Once we rode out to the south side of the town, we were filled with the sight of the undead making their rounds through the town, tearing it apart. The sight scared me as it was my first encounter with the undead, the same beings that tore my family away from me. The same beings that I’ve held anger towards. They will all die…  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Four "Phase One" 
   The Warriors group split into their separate groups once we made contact with the town. Garfield and I were positioned in the first squad along with Second Private Lee and Private Parker. The four of us were in charge of evicting the undead residents from their childhood homes. Meanwhile, the second squad was tasked with barricading and securing their part of the large-sized town. The second squad leader was the highest-ranking officer in our group---Specialist Luna---and was the leader of the entire group.  
   The Red Scorpion group were gunning down the undead citizens on the heavily populated Northside while the Silver Daggers did the same to the Eastside.  
   “As exterminators of our friendly undead brethren, we ask everybody to leave their building and kill themselves.” I joked out loud. My attempt at a joke got small chuckles but very little ones. The joke, however, wasn’t joyous to squad one’s leader---Garfield. He instructed us to be thorough with our building cleansings. Unlike my comrades, I wasn’t surprised by his cold attitude---directed at the others and not myself. Even with his attitude, the cleansings went through effortlessly, burning every tenet with relative ease.  
   The second squad radioed in their efforts. They were nearing completion. The Southside was close to being sectioned off and ready for retaking. Fortunately, we were able to radio in our efforts. The less-dense Southside wasn’t as cramped as the Northside, allowing us to run through the entire side with less resistance.  
   Garfield radioed in our completion and to begin phase two of the plan. The second squad agreed---as well as the Red Scorpions and Silver Daggers---and it was soon finalized. Phase two was set in motion. 
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Five "Phase Two & Three" 
   Phase two began quickly. Group two’s job was to secure our part of the town. Fortunately, we were given the easiest mission, unlike the other teams that received the difficult parts of town.  
   I was busy completing my task on a rooftop, leaving the rest to my teammates on the ground floor as Garfield approached me. He waved me towards him, leading me away. He took me to the side before replaying a message he’d received.  
   “Lindsay, Silver Daggers evacuated, returning to HQ. They got scared off by the hordes scattered in their part of town. They’ve fled and the hordes they were supposed to control, are swarming towards us.” 
   “What happened to the Red Scorpions? Did they leave us as well?” I asked him. 
   He shook his head. “They’re still standing.” 
   “Okay, has group two return?”  
   He shook his head. “Not yet. Their mission failed as well.” 
   “What do you mean?” 
   “The hordes busted the gates down; they’re flooding the place. They already lost one of their members.” He then pointed behind me as two of group two’s members raced towards us, diving into the building under our feet.  
   “Inside the buildings now, large hordes are arriving.” I heard Luna shout from somewhere around us, her voice echoing off the empty town. Garfield then grabbed my arm and dragged me down, slowly crawling away from the edge. 
   The sounds of the horses’ cries were apparent, screams being cut off by the growling of the undead. They flooded the place and began breaking down doors. Luna shouted again, ordering everybody on the roof. Garfield glanced at me before standing up, sprinting to the ladder that allowed people rooftop access. Surrounding the ladder were a few stragglers as the majority of the undead hordes had already passed. He pulled his sidearm out and executed the undead, allowing our teammates to grasp onto safety, even if it was temporary.  
   I stood up and helped my teammates onto the roof, soon having almost everybody alive with us. One person was killed during the initial undead push while another was MIA.  
   In total, our group had dwindled to eight people; Cruz, Lee, Luna, Salinas, Garfield, Parker, and myself. Luna’s leadership skills jumped into action, directing everybody away from the edges and towards the middle. The plan was to wait the horde out, letting it pass us and onto a different target, perhaps the Red Scorpions. God bless them.  
   Somebody started a fire, lighting a few embers that crackled in the soon starry night. Another person began telling memories of theirs, being followed up by Luna and Parker. 
   “When I was younger I used to follow my brother anywhere. Until the day he passed away, to normal circumstances, of course, I followed him. It’s weird isn’t it, I loved my brother dearly.” Luna said aloud.  
   “It’s not,” Parker said.  “I never was on good terms with my sisters, but I always did love them even when the apocalypse hit and they left me behind. I still continue to love them.” Parker said. 
    The rest continued on to tell their stories, but not once did Garfield speak up.  
   
   
     
   
   
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Six "Half" 
   We laid on the rooftop, waiting for the horde to disperse but they wouldn’t budge. Instead, we were trapped on the rooftop, yearning for an escape. For the time being, we slept, if you could call it that, for most of the night and woke up early. Nearly all of us got a few winks of sleep, at the most.  
   I looked over the edge and noticed that the horde was diminishing at a slow rate. However, the diminishing horde was scattering around, some slowly climbing onto the roof. I called out the horde’s actions; Luna jumped into action again. She ordered everybody off the roof and to escape. The only escape route was to jump off the roof, hopefully landing on the grass below.  
   Everybody scrambled to pack their gear, preparing to jump off the roof. I followed their steps, lingering on the edge. I mentally prepared myself to jump when I heard a loud shout. I glanced over my shoulder as the heavy-sleeper Parker was still sleeping. The dead had already climbed to the roof, reaching Parker within a few moments. He was asleep as they tore through him. He, thankfully, never had to witness his death at the hands of the undead. A blissful death.  
   I jumped off the roof, landing on the grass below with a heavy thud. However, I quickly got to my feet and began sprinting away from the building and the following horde. I glanced to my sides and noticed my comrades following me.  
   “Cruz!” I heard somebody should. Behind me, Will Cruz was struggling to keep up with the others. He was the slowest of the group, something made apparent by the distance between him and the rest of the team. I looked away from Will, shielding my ears with my hands before the sounds of tearing flesh and blood-curdling screams could penetrate them. 
   We didn’t slow our pace, instead, fleeing to the outskirts of the town. Once on the outskirts and with a large gap between the horde and us, we slowed down. Luna gave us a short break to regain our stamina while she contacted HQ and pry more intel out of them. 
   Our group dwindled to five, cutting it in nearly half. We were the only survivors. Death lingered on us as the horde slowly limped towards us. It followed us out of the town and hovered over our shoulders, waiting for the time to reap our souls. Death was awaiting us. 
   Luna finished talking with HQ, turning to face us. Her eyes had a hint of regret and sadness. It was in contrast with her earlier happy vibe. She was no longer the same person as before. She was scarred.  
   “Red Scorpions managed to complete their mission. Aside from our ravaged team, Silver Daggers had fallen. HQ wants us to go back. We’re going home, but…” Her voice trailed off. 
   Salinas rested on a nearby boulder, looking up at Luna. He shook his head, anticipating her answer. “What do they want us to do?” 
   Luna took a deep breath in before exhaling. “They want us to complete the mission. They’re gonna send us back out.”  
   “They want us to go back? They’re crazy!” I shouted, not realizing the anger that was building up within me.  
   “She’s right, it’s impossible. What can five people do against a town of the undead? It’s a suicide mission.” Salinas shouted. 
   Luna shook her head. “What can we do? They saved and fed us. We have to resolve the debt that we owe them. Otherwise, we’re as good as dead.” Luna told us. “We can’t do anything, so suck it up and let’s get back.” 
   “Fine,” Salinas muttered as he stood up, eyeing the nearby horde. “They’re going to catch up soon, let’s go.”  
   “Yeah, they’ll be here soon,” Garfield remarked. “Let’s get going.” 
   “Life isn’t getting any better, that’s for sure,” I remarked.  
   “We’re in the apocalypse, we’re dead anyway.” Charlie Lee muttered.  
   “Warriors, let’s get moving.” Luna directed us. We continued the walk of shame towards HQ, missing half of our members. Nobody’s spirits were at a peak, instead, at a valley. Nothing was going our way.  
     
   TBC… 
   
   
   
   Episode Seven "Goodbye" 
   We headed back towards HQ with our tails in between our legs. We couldn’t do anything but obediently return to the people that fed and clothed us. None of us were happy about it, but there wasn’t anything to do aside from following orders. 
   As we walked back towards HQ with our heads facing the ground, ashamed of our failure; we stopped at a cabin on the side of our path. Our legs grew tired and our eyes became heavy. We were halfway in our adventure back to HQ, but we were still worn out. The adrenaline had died during their walk of shame, leaving sore joints and hungry stomachs. 
   “We’ll stop here. The horde isn’t too far away, so we’ll have 5 - 10 minutes to rest.” Luna told us.  
   “What if we sit here and wait for our deaths?” Lee asked, catching a lot of confused stares. None of us ever thought of peacefully accepting our deaths and allowing the zombies to tear us apart. The visions of Will Cruz’s death were enough to deter me from dying. Cruz, Mccormick, and others lost their lives for the mission. I didn’t want to disrespect them by killing myself - throwing myself into the zombie horde. 
   “Shut up, Lee. We don’t need negative thoughts, right now. Let’s focus on surviving this and move towards our next goal.” Garfield remarked.  
   “I agree with Alvarez-” Salinas pointed at Garfield. “-right now, we should focus on getting out of here. Many have already lost their lives, let’s not lose ours.” 
   The team nodded simultaneously. We then rested by the cabin’s, somehow, sturdy walls. I glanced up at the zombie horde periodically before turning off my mind for a second. Garfield would then prevent me from entering a deep slumber by shaking me.  
   This pattern continued for six minutes before Luna ordered everybody up. “We’re leaving, get packed up.” 
   “Yes, squad leader.” We said simultaneously.  
   Luna nodded, turning to face the horde as it neared us. Afraid of being surrounded, we continued to move towards HQ. When we arrived at HQ, we were safe. Or that’s what we believed. 
     
     
   
   *** 
   
     
     
   “Alvarez, any news on Red Scorpions? Are they in a better place than us?” Luna asked, glancing over her shoulder at Garfield. 
   Garfield looked down at the walkie-talkie before grabbing it and bringing it up to his mouth. “This is Alvarez from the Warriors reporting in. What is your sitrep?” 
   “Alvarez, this is Red Scorpions leader, Hugh Hackman, reporting in. Do not return to HQ!” He shouted. 
   “Hackman, what is happening? Why shouldn’t we return?” 
   “HQ has abandoned us. My scouts were sent ahead to ensure our path, arriving at HQ, and were viciously gunned down by the 101st.” 
   “101st?” Salinas questioned. 
   “That’s the elite force, right?” Luna asked. “Why are they gunning us down?” 
   “Confirm, HQ is gunning us down?” Garfield asked. 
   “Correct, do not return to HQ. They have betrayed us.” 
   Garfield glanced up at me, raising an eyebrow. He then looked back at the walkie-talkie. “Understand, we’re rerouting ourselves.” 
   “Good, now keep radio silence. Discard your walkie-talkie and flee. We’re no longer wanted by our superiors.” 
   “Discard them?” Salinas questioned. “We’re throwing our lives at Alpha Fox away?” He asked. Alpha Fox was the name of our base, but people rarely use the name. Instead, many called it Headquarters or HQ, for short. 
   “Discarding walkie-talkie. I wish you and your men the best of luck.” Garfield responded. 
   Hackson didn’t immediately respond, hesitating. “Good luck, Warriors. I’ll see you again on the other side.” A bullet could be heard being chambered.  
   Luna placed her hand over her mouth while the others looked away or tried to cover their ears.  
   “Goodbye, my brethren,” Hackson remarked before the sound of gunfire echoed through the walkie-talkie. Hackson was dead. 
   Luna turned away and hurled. Salinas teared up, looking away to wipe away the tears. The rest of the unit, including myself, looked away from the walkie-talkie.  
   “Let’s go,” Garfield remarked, throwing the walkie-talkie to the side. “The horde is catching up.” 
   “Where are we going? We’ll be gunned down at HQ!” Salinas shouted.  
   “Then…” my voice trailed off. “... how about we leave HQ and live our own lives?” 
   “We’ll be discarding everything, but I agree with that plan,” Lee remarked, glancing towards the direction of HQ. “However, I still have family there. I can’t leave without them.” 
   “I-” Luna wiped the puke from her mouth with her sleeve. “-have family there as well. I’m not leaving without them.” 
   “Then, shall we split here? Luna and Lee go to HQ to pick up their families while the rest of us go to the nearest city? The city of Celina.” Salinas asked. 
   “That makes sense,” Luna said.  
   “I’m good with that.” Lee chimed in. 
   “Then we’re going with that plan. Luna and Lee will get their families and meet with us at Celina. From there, we’ll move forward and create as much distance from HQ as we can.” Garfield thought out our entire plan going forward.  
   “That sounds good, let’s get going before the horde collapses on us,” I added. The rest of the team nodded their heads.  
   We packed our stuff and continued forward. We stopped before we reached HQ, sending Luna and Lee off with tearful hugs. I was scared of them being caught and killed by our superiors. However, family was more important than their own safety.  
   “Goodbye, Luna and Lee. We’ll meet in Celina and begin our new lives. Just make sure to be alive to make the trip.” Garfield said. 
   “Same can be said to you. We’ll return in one piece, I’m sure of it.” Luna said. Lee stood by her side, nodding her head. “Goodbye,” 
     
     
   
   *** 
   
     
     
   Luna and Lee reached HQ and attempted to bribe a guard to get inside. However, his partner wasn’t corrupted, instead, grabbing both of them and sending them to a detention room. There, Luna and Lee were confronted by their superior, General Floyd. He wasn’t ecstatic to see them, angered by the lack of Warriors. Two of five members had arrived.  
   Luna tried to lie that Garfield Alvarez, Lindsay Harper, and Frances Salinas were killed during their trip to HQ. However,  Floyd called her out on her lie. He had his men monitor the radios, learning of Hackson’s death and final message to the Warriors.  
   Knowing that most of the surviving Warriors fled, he punished Luna and Lee. He had Lee and his family beaten to death. As for Luna, he spared her out of pity. However, her family suffered the same fate as Lee. She was crushed, mentally drained by the time she was thrown into a decaying prison. She stayed in her cell, undetermined to escape. Her mind was dead. 
   General Floyd wanted every Warrior dead, sending out his elite group---the 101st---to track down them. Using the 101st as his right hand, he established a Kill List and got his rivals assassinated. Captain Grant, who was in charge of the Iron Hold mission, was one of many that were assassinated. Even so, Floyd wasn’t satisfied. He wanted the remaining three Warriors dead, determined to watch it happen.  
     
     
   Hello All! 
     
   After 2 years, Survival Instincts will be getting a sequel. Plot details are scarce, but a sequel is confirmed. This second installment, revealed as ‘Survival Instincts: Chapter II’, will be released on Two Page Shorts as a short story. This installment’s success will dictate the third installment. 
   Thank you for reading my short update about this series. Until next time, I bid you all a good day! 
   
   
   Publication Date: March 9th 2021 https://www.bookrix.com/-na50a1c958baf75