The Last Flower on Earth

Connor Martivich, The Last Human on Earth

I wrap a scarf across my face with hesitation, the wind, blowing extremely hard outside, but the solar panels are covered with the ash and dust hovering above.

I haven't been keeping track of how long it's been since... well... the world ended.

There was a war, a war on a scale unseen before. Humanity didn't stand a chance against our adversaries, since we fought back, they decided to launch the Super Collider Satellite System at us. This super-powered blast was so powerful it wiped India off of the planet, it melted every piece of ice and filled the sky with an impenetrable layer of dust.

On occasion light does pass through, I celebrate these moments as I know they'll be short-lived.

On top of the wasteland, endless plains coated in grey next to a ruined city which is also grey under a sky which for 99% of the year is also grey. I live completely alone, I've been in this isolation for years now, or at least I assume years since the S.C.S.S stopped every single clock I can find.

I have been alone for about, maybe six or eight years. I know that I've been living in this bunker for about ten years in total. The other people who lived here, I've given them their own gravestones.

But for the sake of this, let's say I'm somewhere between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.

I pull the scarf down and make my way to the power supply room, I believe I've done a very good job at keeping the bunker pristine in condition. I could let it fester, become dirty and rotten, but that would contradict the only reason I live.

The primary battery is almost empty, while the secondary backup is almost full. I could procrastinate, but why exactly would I do in that time, fight myself in chess? Watch the same movies for the tenth time? You can only do the same thing so many times before the novelty wears off.

The exit sign glows a dim green, I press the 'Lower Platform' button. The gears begin turning as I slip on my goggles and raise my scarf over my mouth and nose.

The large doors slide to the side and reveal the large metal plate for me to stand on, the faded danger markings are almost invisible now. It's so weathered.

The large platform meant for ten people slowly ascends to the surface, I check myself one final time. Knife? Check. Main and secondary bag? Also check. I should probably get a rifle, actually, why would I need a rifle if I'm the only thing left breathing on this god-forsaken rock.

Plants can't survive since there isn't any sunlight, herbivores can't survive since there aren't any plants, and carnivores can't survive since there aren't herbivores.

The only reason I've survived is through a flourishing greenhouse with a variety of edible flora and canned goods. It sustains me.

Then again, I have access to a garden, quite a large one which had the goal of a permanent food source for all of us. But I converted half of it to flowers, I've taken a liking to gardening as all the flowers are so colourful and lively. Unlike the outside. And sometimes I just sit in the room and admire my fantastic house husbandry. I pat myself on the back for my commendable efforts.

The shaft roof opens, revealing the colourless fields of despair.

Ash and dust which coats the ground blow through the air, the wind decided to not let me see even two feet in from of me. The foot of colourless powder makes walking difficult. Every venture out is a slog, but for survival it is necessary.

I reach the solar panels, I have numerous of them. The wind and dust guards got desynced. I have to change them to handle higher winds, it's only going to get worse.

At least the remaining wind turbines are really happy with all this storming. If it's strong enough to knock me off balance on the ground, I can't imagine how strong it is up there.

I should probably check on those to see if they're still working properly.

I adjust the guards and make sure they won't fall off again. Since I have all the time in the world, I can wait until the storm dies down and it's safer out.

The lift lowers itself down, the roof closes in, separating me from the cold world above.

I throw my trench coat into the laundry chute for later. In the power room I look over to the Source Board, Wind Turbines one, three, and four are all online, which is okay since number two has fallen.

All the Solar Panels which are functional are fully functional. This is awesome since little light is getting through and I'm able to harvest that little light.

Next to the Source Board is the Directory Board, which allows me to pick and choose which systems I want to prioritize. Like Oxygen, Flora, Lights, Recreation. I have them all set to the middle except for Storage which is as much a priority as priority as it gets.

Winter leads to, as I call, Black Sky. It is always dark out, and since the temperatures get as cold as negative seventy Celsius, I can't safely go out.

Since the Black Sky ended about thirty sleeps ago it's starting to warm.

I documented temperatures over the course of years because what else should I do. I determined that the 'Summer Solstice' as the books call it can get as warm as nine Celsius.

Navigating around the table and singular chair I find myself in the kitchen, since I don't know if it's eleven or thirteen, I assume it's time for lunch.

I don't exactly have an idea of the time, I only have estimates of 'light' or dark. I could use the temperature outside to determine the middle of the day but that's inconsistent.

My resources are higher than I anticipated, I'm in no danger of starvation. Then again this was intended for many more than just me.

I decided to spoil myself after this newfound revelation. Since food isn't that scarce, I could follow the cookbooks I have.

Looking at the pictures and obscure words I've never heard before, "Galangal? Hoisin?" I've never heard of those, much less have them? better check a different one.

Maybe I should look for a more local one if I live near I should have some of the ingredients.

I speak English and live near a big city. But that doesn't help much since I can name six English countries off the top of my mind.

And I can't research it since the internet no longer exists as the servers have been destroyed, severing communications a long time ago. I could check the library, but that's so far away.

I turn to my customized book.

"Where on Earth am I?"

I take a step back from the kitchen to check the massive map on the corkboard.

"So, we can remove all Non-English countries and all the lesser-known ones in Africa since I'm not black. I have no way of confidently saying that my accent is one way or the other, so that's a flop." I think deeper.

"I could use the inside of book covers and find publication dates and locations. Then again what if the original owners travelled here and decided to bring books with them."

"What if I find a still-functioning device and check the language settings since different English's are spelt differently. Like how American English doesn't have a 'u' in 'colour'. That's a very niche thing that people wouldn't think about!"

Turns out I was running into a dead end. "What's the chance of finding an unbroken phone. My TV only has 'English' as a setting."

I drop that chase and decide to eat, the wind should die down and allow me to scavenge more. Hopefully, I can find out where on Earth I am.