Post-apocalyptic Novels & Stories

After returning to Camp Arthor, I settled all of Sasha's paperwork and placed her at the hospital while Leo stayed by my side and followed me around. "You know that you don't have to keep following me around, don't you? I'm just a regular researcher now," I said with a sigh. After arriving at this base camp, the water crisis had been temporarily resolved for now. But there was an even greater challenge on the way, and it required more attention. Every researcher was desperately trying to find a way to end the apocalypse.

The transition from "Gods of the Code" to "Leaders of the Ash" was a brutal education in logistics. Within forty-eight hours of the Apex takeover, the Needle City had transformed. The upper tiers remained a lush, high-tech garden, but the lower tiers—the "Mechanical Gut" of the spire—were now a teeming, chaotic metropolis of millions. The refugees from the Stack were waking up to the three horsemen of the Real: Cold, Hunger, and Scarcity.

Summer arrived in full force. The temperature climbed into the seventies. The mountains turned green. Wildlife thrived. The world, for the first time since the freeze, felt alive. And with life came the children. Week twenty-five: Three pregnancies confirmed in the alliance. All planned, all wanted, all celebrated. "First post-apocalypse generation," Sarah announced at council meeting. "These children will be born into the world we're building, not the world we lost. That's significant."

As much as his mom tried to teach him, Meph gets into all kinds of trouble because he doesn’t know when to back off. Run when the hair on your arm stand up. That’s one of the many survival lessons she taught Meph. But she is no longer in the picture. She left him alone in this merciless, post apocalypse world. At least he won’t suffer the trembling fear when death knocks. Standing calmly in front of the door, Meph waits, an arm’s length away from the malicious voice. Rule number one of the Soul Trial: Everything can be a trial. A question. A conversation. Anything. And just like any trial, there is reward in passing, and punishment in failing.

Jane was the first to react, cursing at me, “You bitch, what nonsense are you spouting—an ability? Go die!” David immediately turned to Victor with forced respect. “Mr. Kane, my nephew has a fever. He’s probably about to awaken an ability too. Please kill Apple and avenge my son! Our whole family will follow you to the death and do whatever you command!” “I can die right now.” I looked Victor straight in the eye. “No one knows how many years this apocalypse will last. But I can promise you this—you won’t find anyone else who can give you clean water as quickly as I can.”

I didn’t expect the patch to come so soon. In the second month after the battle, the rooftop radio suddenly crackled to life with a crisp broadcast voice. "The Atlas Geothermal Initiative is now active. Surface temperatures will gradually recover. Rescue is on the way." Rhys and I just stared at each other. So this wasn’t a solo survival game after all. It was online, and the admins had finally logged in. A week later, a military helicopter landed in the open lot. Registration and verification went quickly. The officer in charge clapped me on the shoulder. "Turning the apocalypse into a warehouse operation! You’re one of a kind."

This was one time she wished she could become invisible. The rain had stopped by the time she made it outside to a blackened sky. Most of those that were outside were the “freaks.” Even in the post-apocalyptic world, where it was more advanced, slurs were still a thing but now aimed at those preternatural. Vampires, lycanthropes, elves, nymphs, Aziza, Yumboes, and seemingly normal people.

He looked at the carnage around him, his face a blank slate of shock. And that’s when it hit me. The final, fragile illusion of society, of order, of help, shattered into a million pieces. This wasn’t a riot. This wasn’t a temporary crisis. The men in biohazard suits, the chained gurneys, the bloody cough, the biting… the gunshot executing the infected. This was the end. The world wasn’t going crazy. The world was gone. This island, this hospital, this room—this was the new world. Shit. This is the apocalypse.

Merely minutes in the open, my skin felt like it was scorching. I stayed about a week in the ruins of New York City, finding no one. My artificial intelligence spheres had expanded to 5000, continuously self-replicating. I managed to connect to the old satellites and summoned 200 spheres to venture into outer space, repairing and repurposing the old satellites into new ones. With all communications restored, I learned the grim truth: the world was facing a real apocalypse. World War 3, rampant diseases, and severe climate changes were just the tip of the iceberg.

"Unit twelve to base. Patient is on board. Requesting update. Base, do you copy?" Chloe pressed both hands over her mouth. "He thinks he's still on shift," she whispered. "That's what I'm saying." Amelia kept her grip on the axe. A blue panel flashed across her vision. INFECTED OBSERVED. STAGE: EARLY. RESIDUAL BEHAVIOUR PRESENT. NEW MISSION: IDENTIFY STAGES OF INFECTION (1/3). "Blake, he isn't charging. He's running a routine in his head. They don't all turn the same way. If I can just look at him for ten seconds…"