Instinct Survival

The year I hit rock bottom, I got sucked into a game. The rule was to survive a week on 50 dollars, and the winner would walk away with one million dollars. Everyone else was desperate to win, but I was the only one trying to escape. What they did not know was that I was the previous round's winner, and killing me meant they could steal my 500 million dollars.

When the heat wave hit, I was working at the National Weather Service and was the first to spot the climate irregularities. I warned my family to get ready ahead of time. My parents trusted me without question. They even proposed starting a "family survival fund." They told me to use the savings I'd built up since graduating to stock up on supplies, promising that they and my little sister would chip in every dollar they had too. If we were going to make it, we had to stick together as a family. I smiled. "Sure. I'll take care of the plans." That same night, I converted every penny into gold and locked it in a safe. I also went all out into building an apocalypse-proof bunker. When doomsday finally came, they showed up demanding the money we'd pooled together. "Hand over all the gold," they said coldly. "A deadweight like you is just wasting resources by staying alive." Smiling, I tossed them the safe with the gold inside, then sealed the bunker, locking them out completely. Laughing triumphantly, they opened the safe… and stared in shock at what they saw inside.

Esme Wynter’s marriage to Lennox Mercer was written like a business plan. He gave her protection and power; she gave him peace and a convenient alliance. She told herself she didn’t need love. He made it clear he didn’t believe in it. But when the test site collapsed, Lennox threw himself over her without hesitation— and Esme’s last memory was his heartbeat against hers before everything went dark. When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by blinding white light, unable to move forward, and unable to return. Then a guide told her she and him were not fated, and their connection had become a curse, one that doomed them both whenever they tried to love. And then came the rules: You must not fall in love with him. You must ensure he finds his destined partner in each lifetime. You must not intervene beyond your designated role. Break them, and one—or both—will die. Fail all five lifetimes, and your souls would be erased forever. Each time Esme awakens, she forgets the last. Each time, she meets him again— as a king, a freedom fighter, a general, a mercenary. And each time, her heart betrays her before her mind can remember. And in his own distant eyes, there is the hidden craving for her love, like a man trying to recall a dream he’s not supposed to have. She was never meant to fall for him again. But perhaps… he never stopped loving her.

Our entire class gets dragged into The Tyrant's Atonement game. The only way to escape alive is to reach a 100% atonement score. The system lets us choose our roles. The class belle, Isolde Adler, picks the tyrant's first love. Her atonement score shoots straight to 99% on the first day. The class president, Asher Brooks, chooses to be a loyal chancellor. His atonement score jumps to 80%. Spectators watching the game flood the screen with comments. "This new batch is smart and way better at picking roles than the last. They might just clear the game in three days." "Even if just one person hits 100%, the whole class goes free. I'm looking forward to seeing who finishes first." "My money's on the first love. She's already at 99%." Just as everyone starts celebrating, the next morning hits us with bad news. All 20 classmates who picked their roles are dead, and Isolde suffers the cruelest fate of all.

During a long holiday, my husband booked flights for a family vacation. On the way to the airport, I suddenly saw numbers appearing on everyone’s head. The numbers on my husband’s head indicated sixty years, but my parents and I had only six hours indicated on our heads. While I was puzzled over the meaning of those numbers, I noticed that the driver next to us only had six seconds indicated over his head through the car window. Five… Four… Three… Two… One. When the number turned zero, a massive truck immediately rammed into the car next to us. I saw flickers of fire, flesh and blood exploding before my eyes. People were screaming for help, but I could not hear anything. I trembled as cold sweat drenched my entire body. It was because my flight would be taking off in six hours.

Malcolm “I hate anything and anyone who goes against the nature order of the world.” Sawyer “I hate anyone who thinks that there is only one way of doing thing.” One is a is a fiery badger while the other is a coldblooded serpent. What happens when two strong-willed Alphas collide in the most compelling way. Will they repel? Will they attract? Or will they explode and take the rest of the world with them?

"This realm is your only chance of coming back to life in the mortal world, and if you attract those consequences, take note that you will die.” “Death?” I ask, mostly to myself. And to the voice, “What do you mean by 'I’m on my way to death'?” ~~~ Nova was having a bad day, and all she wanted was for the day to end already. But the universe seemed to have misunderstood her wish, because not only did her day not end, but she met with an accident that left her in a coma. As if that wasn't bad enough, she became trapped in a dimension between life and death, where she had to face a series of trials that would determine if she wakes... or fades from existence. Enter Zephyr, the spirit assigned to guide her to the light – her recovery. The spirit who never tried to disguise his want for her failure. The spirit she should've never fallen in love with. But in a world where survival is determined by the number of challenges a soul can conquer, the heart still found its way around love. With her complicated feelings in an already complicated world, Nova must decide what she's truly fighting for – her life, or the one being who's capable of ending it. *** In a short time, the remaining one hundred and twelve souls are pushed out. When we’re complete and standing, a voice – different from on the bus – greets us. “Welcome, Souls, to the survival games.”

Jayde Clinton’s life has been a series of uphill battles since her father’s death. Struggling to support her mother and fend off ruthless loan sharks, she’s grown used to the feeling of desperation. But when her mother is taken as collateral for unpaid debts, Jayde makes a shocking deal: to impersonate Hattie Everett, a billionaire heiress who vanished days before her arranged marriage. Thrust into a world of deceit, betrayal, and power struggles, Jayde finds herself pretending to live the life she’s always dreamed of, only to realize wealth comes with its darkness. As lies unravel and secrets come to light, Jayde must decide if survival is worth losing herself—and her heart. Can Jayde hold onto her dignity in a world determined to strip it away, or will the weight of manipulation and betrayal be too much to bear?

When Kaya dies — not from heartbreak itself, but from the storm of betrayal and danger it unleashed after being rejected by the man she loves, the ruthless Mafia boss Damon Moretti — the spirits give her an impossible offer:> Go back in time with every memory you have now, make him love you within five months, and uncover the truth behind your death… or vanish forever.But Damon isn’t heartless by chance. Centuries ago, he sold his heart to build his empire — a pact that made him untouchable, feared, and incapable of love. If he ever loves again, both he and his empire will crumble.Now, as Kaya fights to awaken emotion in a man cursed by power, the dead rise in rebellion. Furious that she was granted a second chance, they demand theirs too, crossing into the living world with vengeance.Torn between love and survival, Kaya must solve her own murder before time runs out.To keep her, Damon must defy the curse that built his empire.But loving her means destroying everything he’s ever fought to protect — including himself.

‎I died on Christmas Eve. ‎Betrayed by the man I gave everything to, poisoned by my own sister, and mocked for loving too deeply, death should have been my end. Instead, it became my beginning. ‎ ‎When I wake up in a blood-soaked alley, a cold voice welcomes me to the “Demon Games" —a brutal survival arena where one hundred humans fight monstrous trials for a chance at rebirth. The prize? Ten years of life restored… and one impossible wish. ‎ ‎I am weak. Near-blind. Unwanted. ‎But someone keeps saving me. ‎He wears a mask, smells of danger, and commands fear without speaking. They call him a demon. A king. A monster. ‎And worst of all—he claims I belong to him. ‎ ‎As the games grow deadlier and the audience thirsts for blood, I uncover a terrifying truth: the man protecting me is the “Lycan King" , an overlord bound by rules that demand my death. ‎ ‎In a world where love is forbidden and survival demands sacrifice, I must choose— escape hell alone… or drag the king down with me. ‎