The Apocalypse Hoarder
It lasted barely a second, but its impact was catastrophic.
Cyrus had sealed every gap in his apartment hours earlier, and the fireplace burned with a steady flame. After all, once the grid failed and fuel ran dry, central heating and air conditioning would turn into lifeless boxes. From then on, warmth meant fire, wood, coal—the old ways.
At 2:00 sharp, Cyrus sat on the sofa before the massive floor-to-ceiling window with a beer in hand and stared at the sky.
And then it came. A sudden white flare streaked across the sky. Midnight turned to false dusk, the earth glowing as though bathed in ghostly twilight.