Chapter 1
In the year 2015, a solar flare melted the Earth, killing all humans in the open who were in North & South America along with melting away at tall buildings and setting small flames to the foliage. Other countries tried to help them recover, only to be met with another solar flare. The next one hit Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, melting most humans to death. Humanity had to adapt, so they built an underground system connecting every household, allowing food and water to be transported without needing to step out, just in case another solar flare hit the Earth. During this time, seventeen meteors crashed into the earth, crashing into every continent. Each meteor carried genetic coding that mutated any living materials too close for too long. From these meteors, new species would emerge under one tree. The meteors’ radiation along with the solar radiation from the flares also mutated a species of fungi, causing its spores to control living animals like zombies. The crashing of the meteors also awakened two other species that used human suits to blend into society and slaughter humanity from the inside. Humanity struggled to survive the harsh conditions and endless solar flares emerging once every year consistently. Humans were forced to use their remaining resources to barricade every household while the governments of the world lived in underground bunkers growing food in the masses for civilians to eat. That was over a hundred years ago…
“Come on!” a little boy yelled, chased by a younger boy. “Slow down! I can’t keep up!” the younger boy said. “You wish!” the older one said before tripping on his foot and falling over, slamming his head into the ground. He screamed out in pain, rolling over as he started crying. “You okay?!” the other boy yelled as he stopped in front of him. “No I’m not okay, my mouth burns!!!” the older boy screamed while holding his mouth. “Uh… I’ll go get your mom!” the younger boy yelled before running away. “Mrs. Shepherd! Mrs. Shepherd!” the boy yelled as he approached a house and knocked on it. “Who is it?” came from the other side of the door. “Oscar! Alex fell and hit his face!” the little boy yelled.
Alexander’s mother then opened the door. “Where is he?” she said. “Over there, I think he’s bleeding,” Oscar said, pointing toward Alex in the distance. “Okay,” the lady said before moving him to the side and running to Alex’s side. “What’d he do now?” Mrs. Shepherd said drunkenly from the couch. “Nothing, he just fell,” Oscar said as he stepped inside. “Really? Thought he’d be at least a little more careful… Especially with you around,” Mrs. Shepherd said, burping loudly.
At the entrance of the gate surrounding the small village, a figure took seven bundles of dynamite out of their coat, placing them at the doors’ entrance before using a lighter to set off their fuses before running away. The dynamite exploded, bursting the doors off their hinges and swinging them open. On the other side, a horde of fungi zombies rushed into the village. Mrs. Shepherd and Alex turned to look at the gate. The zombies rushed in, breaking through walls to reach the people inside. Mrs. Shepherd ran out of their house, looking at the zombies as Mrs. Shepherd picked Alex up, running in the opposite direction.
Mrs. Shepherd picked up Oscar, running in the opposite direction of the horde. “Wait! Alex!” Oscar yelled, reaching out toward Alex and Mrs. Shepherd as the zombies soon caught up to them, grabbing Alex’s pant leg. Alex screamed, crying as he desperately kicked at the zombie’s hand before another one leaped over them, biting directly into Mrs. Shepherd’s head. Alex didn’t realize what happened, pulling himself away from her and running into a home. Oscar didn’t see what happened next as Mr. Shepherd pulled him into an alleyway, covering his mouth as he hid behind a dumpster. Oscar struggled, trying to pull away while Mr. Shepherd held him in place. He cried, praying that the zombies would run past them, which they did.
Sirens blared, alerting the rest of the village. They ran out into the streets, rushing toward the tunnels for protection. The zombies easily overpowered the survivors, ripping through them like paper. Mr. Shepherd waited for the sound to increase before slowly standing up and lowering a ladder. He then slowly climbed up, holding Oscar in one arm before throwing him onto the roof and climbing up. “T-They’re dead! You left them! Y-you left Alex!” Oscar yelled before being shushed by Shepherd. “I know… I- I fucking know… Please, please just be quiet,” he cried before picking him back up. Oscar closed his mouth as Shepherd waited for the crowd to be mostly eaten before taking a revolver out of his pocket and firing it into the sky. He quickly turned back around and jumped off the roof into the dumpster, closing it and closing Oscar’s mouth.
The zombies immediately turned to the building, breaking into it and rushing up its stairs, practically demolishing it from within. Shepherd then quickly jumped out of the dumpster and ran to the tunnels, pushing the survivors out of his way before falling inside and dropping Oscar just as the doors shut behind them. "Names?" said a guard standing in front of them. "John Shepherd," said Shepherd. "And the kid?" said the guard. Oscar was too traumatized to speak, staring blankly at the ground. "Oscar Barret, did his parents make it through?" Shepherd said. "...Do we have any Barrets? Over," the guard said into a walkie-talkie.
A few moments later, he got a response. "No sir, there aren't any Barrets inside. But we did a facial scan of the people who didn't make it through the door. One 'Jones Barrent' died before reaching the door, we can only assume his wife died sooner, over," the soldier responded on the other end. "Thank you, over," the guard said. "So? Tell me! Are his parents inside?!" Shepherd said. "Negative, now stand up and raise your arms, straighten them like a T while we search for any bites," the guard said. "O... Okay," Shepherd said softly before raising his arms. The guard then carefully unclothed him, searching for any obvious bites on his torso and legs before reclothing him.
"Now the kid," the guard said before grabbing Oscar by his arm, pulling him up before patting him down and letting him go. "Alright, you can enter," the guard said as he backed away, using a keycard around his neck to unlock the gate behind him. "Thank you, sir," Shepherd said before pulling Oscar inside.
