Humanity

Read The Room
20,000 units. He squinted at the number, rubbed his temple, and re-read the directions. This Challenge is simple: write a short creative fiction piece, no longer than 2,000 words, about a post-apocalyptic dystopia.
By Aazim Jafarey5 years ago in Earth
THE CONNECTION
The Connection. “Hopper!... Hopper! “ Mike yelled. Mike is handsome and slender with his beautiful brown eyes and short black hair. He has brains too, which was not typical for boys from the Bronx. Which is exactly why Harper married him. She Loves everything about him, Except how he says her name, it drives her nuts! It’s HARPER, not Hopper. She would always correct him and wished his name was something like “ Vinnie “ or “Tony”. At least then she could have something to work with, but Michale is all she gets.
By Angela Stuhmer5 years ago in Earth
I speak for the plants
I wasn’t new when it came to the world of houseplants but my green thumb was extremely weak. I’d look at a succulent and it would die - a SUCCULENT! How does that even happen? Something that thrives on neglect managed to die on someone who thrives on neglecting things; it didn’t make sense. A bad case of depression hit somewhere around the same time as the pandemic hit; it’s funny how 2020 managed to pull that off for me. I guess I should be somewhat thankful it did because it opened up my mind to the idea of getting more houseplants; there was a bunch of trial and error along the way. I am not here to talk about lost plant pals though; I’m here to talk about Merlin.
By Megan McCullough5 years ago in Earth
The Meteor Conspiracy
I was fourteen when the meteors hit Earth. We didn't have much warning, mere days to figure out a way to preserve the survival of humanity. Unfortunately, most people didn't make it, lost to the fires and the ash that culminated in the atmosphere. My dad, a military man, gained our family access to an underground shelter made for cataclysmic events. He brought my mom, my younger brother, and me with him. My mom died shortly after, the lethal fumes having settled in her lungs beyond hope of recovery. I am now seventeen, still living in the shelter with a mixture of politicians and military members.
By Rory Milligan5 years ago in Earth
The Big Show
The Big Show June 28th, 2021 As we neared the end of the world, it seemed that nobody noticed or even cared. It was business as usual, and the sound of endless beeping became a familiar sound as the final hour approached.
By David Katz5 years ago in Earth
Blackberry Summer
She kicked the gravel under her feet, turned her head towards the sky and took a deep breath in. The sun was making its way behind the rubble, before disappearing for the evening. She pulled an old magazine clipping out of her pocket and tried to imagine life then. An ad for The Smoky Mountains National Park from 2019 that showed the sun setting over the mountains which made the sky look like it was on fire. Her grandmother had always told her stories of what life was like before. She would always talk about her mother’s garden and the way the blackberries tasted right off the vine. Yarrow was distracted when she heard her name over the loudspeaker, and it made her jump. She looked up the side of her tower and saw her lieutenant leaning out the window of the 10th floor, waving for her to hurry. Yarrow quickly ran inside to make her way to her post. “What even is a blackberry?” She said to herself as she started to climb the ten flights of stairs.
By Ashley Fairbanks5 years ago in Earth
Enchanted Land
My name is Seryna Laurenz. I’m fourteen years old and traveling with my uncle, James Sutter. We are traveling in an old gas engine car because the world has gone to hell according to my uncle.
By Robyn Fleming5 years ago in Earth
The Heart that Wasn't a Heart
Thump-thump, thump-thump… Such a heavy weight around her neck, she could always feel it like a brand against her skin. She kept it hidden away, for if anyone knew what it was she possessed in this tragedy of a world. She’d end up like the rest of them. Once, years ago, beyond thought and most memory it had been different. What she had that now felt like some sort of albatross around her neck was mere commonplace. Before humanity forgot that it was humane. Before they fell into such despair. She knew there were others like her. But they were few and far between. Difficult to find. And even if you did stumble across one, they were even more difficult to communicate with. Such was their burden. Shared but infinitely alone. She, that is to say, the heroine as only some would come to call her was so very Other, nothing could have prepared this new world for her. Elenor was a bright flame that had been hidden for far too long in the shadows. Her time had come and with it a time for all to either be reborn or pass into the afterlife. She hoped they chose wisely and that whatever choice brought them the peace lacking in life.
By Sarah B5 years ago in Earth
Clean Earth
Clean Earth This morning Sophie, half asleep, roused as usual by the yowling of Keith the cat, enters the kitchen of her apartment. It’s just another morning until she startles, feeling stings, little pinpricks, on her feet and up her ankles. She looks down.
By Martha Allen5 years ago in Earth
Disaster and Redemption
Commander Jared Prescott was flying the orbiter at hovering velocity and very low altitude. This mission was envisioned for years and was now a reality. Its role was to assess if earth could be restored. The global catastrophe had been a life-extinction event. It was not caused by a rogue asteroid or external attack but by human folly and ignorance. Its mind-bending scope was to restore human, animal, marine and plant life. It could take thousands of years. Considering earth’s life base was gone, this was an optimistic project.
By Leonard Hay5 years ago in Earth
The Shift into Darkness
The Shift into Darkness Later coined “The Shift,” the strange set of events that would characterize the moments when humanity “turned,” happened quite abruptly and suddenly. The majority of the people on earth were affected, leaving only a small remnant that could be recognized as the former human race. The shocking incidents began on a hot Summer evening in August 2021 with a loud, blaring buzzing noise, the location or source of which could not be pinpointed. The buzzing was simultaneously experienced throughout cities all around the world. Then news broadcasting stations announced that many, many people were dropping dead suddenly from unknown causes. There were no populated areas left untouched. And soon reports of additional sinister phenomena were widespread. Many described incidents where groups of people had begun to act strangely. They would appear confused, aimlessly stumbling around, sometimes emitting growls or other unintelligible sounds...some even attacking and biting others. Still others became unresponsive to passersby, appearing to be engaged in their own internal world where they were receiving thoughts and impulses perhaps through radio frequency waves. And finally, there was the inexplicable disappearance of a myriad number of people, and resulting chaos as planes and cars crashed.
By Roxann Drake5 years ago in Earth
The key
Captains log: Star date… I can’t remember I can’t remember the date? %^*# “We’re in trouble.” I think to myself. I maintain my composure around the crew. Smiling and greeting them as I would normally. “Pull it together Hayden, girl-wash your face!” My thoughts continue. I take long deep breathes as I walk. Centering myself.
By Dani Davis5 years ago in Earth