Echoes : The End & The Beginning

Chapter 1- The New World

He slowly opened his eyes. The bright yellow rays made him blind for few seconds. A small delay to see what the world become. When he could see, he looked around. There was no trees, no wind, no birds in the sky. Ashes and dust everywhere. The world he knew, it's long gone.

The world has been reduced to a lifeless wasteland. Dust and ash covered the land. Even if something stood right in front of you, it would remain unseen. And then the spaceship crashed, making everything even worse.

There he was, a man in his thirties, of average height but solid build. His round face, framed by perfectly cut hair, and his long beard was covered with dust and blood. Wore a battered spacesuit, its fabric torn in several places, exposing glimpses of his worn and bruised skin underneath. As he struggled to regain his footing, his eyes conveyed a deep sense of confusion and disorientation, as if he had no recollection of what had happened. His ears were still ringing from the explosion. He sat on a chunk of concrete, leaning against a crumbling wall, his breath heavy with exhaustion. When he tried to stand, pain shot through his leg, forcing him back down. He examined the wound and made sure the leg wasn't broken. He wondered what would happen next, but for the first time in a long while, he had no answers. Exhausted and wounded, his body felt heavier with each passing second. And then, slowly, his eyes closed.

" Boooooom..............................................."

The noise made him open his eyes, it's almost dark. What's that sound ? Where does it come from ? He looked around, and saw a fire to his right,not far. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. It had two vials. He injected one in his wounded leg. The pain is significantly decreased, but he knew he couldn't stay there. His hand began looking for something to help him get up, he found a long steel pipe. With the help of the pipe, he slowly began to walk in the direction opposite the fire. Because he knew that if he walked toward it, he would be a moth seeking its end in a flame.

He knew he couldn’t keep walking—he had to find shelter. But first, he needed medicine, antibiotics, anything to treat his wound. Darkness was closing in, and the only light came from a distant flame. Hunger, thirst, and exhaustion were wearing him down. His ultimate goal was to find the crashed spacecraft, but searching for it in his condition, with night falling, was nearly impossible. First, he needed rest. And for that, shelter was his top priority.

There were two options:

Option One – Find higher ground. Staying elevated would make it easier to spot the ship if it was nearby and allow for a quick scan of the area.

Option Two – Find a subway station. It would provide better shelter, and making a fire there would be safer than anywhere else.

However, there was not a lot of time for a clear decision. It was about which of those two he sees first. If he sees a subway, go downstairs, see a skyscraper and go upstairs. And maybe pick up some supplies along the way.

The world around him was lifeless. Shattered walls, wrecked vehicles, and crumbling buildings stretched as far as he could see. Almost everything man had built had collapsed.

Suddenly, his eyes locked onto something, something that could change his situation for the better. With a mix of curiosity and rising hope, he moved toward it.

It was an ambulance, wrecked and wedged between two other crashed vehicles. Likely abandoned in a moment of chaos. The back doors were flung open, whoever had been inside must have left in a hurry. He saw an ECG monitor, an oxygen tank, a stretcher.

Then he saw it. Sitting atop the stretcher. A first aid kit.

His hands moved fast, unzipping the bag. As he rummaged through its contents, a relieved smile spread across his face. Antiseptics, alcohol pads, antibiotics, bandages—almost everything he needed.

He found two more useful items from the vehicle, a flashlight and a city map. He unfolded the map, his eyes darting over the layout. A subway station was nearby.

He didn’t waste time. With a bag full of supplies and a clear destination, he set off toward the underground station.

He walked for 10 minutes or so. When he arrived in the subway staircase, he looked around. There was nobody else but him. He slowly came downstairs and lit the flashlight. There was less damage on the inside than on the outside. The rails were empty, no trace of a train. With the flashlight, he went down into the tunnel. While walking he found the door of a service room. He broke in and shut the door. He went through every inch of the room to make sure it was completely sealed. Then made a fire using the wood he collected from the outside, demolishing a wooden bench and tables outside a restaurant, and fuel collected from cars. Then he started stitching up the wound. Cleaned it and injected the last vial from the box. Then he started dressing up, and for an amateur, he did a good job. The eyes are getting heavier, he find it difficult to open them. But before he went to sleep, he used bandages to cover his wound. A few moments later, with his eyes shut, he fell asleep gently.

Sleep lasted longer than expected, when he opened his eyes it was almost noon. The watch is displayed 01.04 but, it was not accurate. Because it's a different time zone and correct time probably earlier than his watch shows. He got up and went outside. He checked the wound again, it's getting better. the pain is reduced,he removed the bandages to check the stitches, it's looking good, no sign of infection.

He scanned the whole area, no sign of any life. Shops are abandoned, vehicles are smashed against each other, everything is broken or completely destroyed. Shards of glass scattered on floors and roads, it is everywhere and shines in the sunlight like small twinkling stars. He began to walk, he has to find something to eat. He knew he could find something to eat at abandoned malls. And the search lasted about 15 minutes and he found a shop, there was a lot of food and beverages. He could not wait, he opened some boxes and began to eat. When his stomach was full, he started stuffing his bags. There was no time to lose, locating the ship became the first priority. He had an idea where to look, it should be someplace where he was yesterday. He ejected from the vessel approximately 200 meters off the ground. So it's time to return to where he landed yesterday.

It took less than an hour to get to the location and start searching. He looked as far as he could, but the ship was nowhere to be found.
He checked the map, marked some areas where the ship might crash. Then went to the first zone marked in the map, sadly the ship was not there.

He saw a building there with seven floors. He walked to the building and went inside. It was completely abandoned, he started walking up the steps to the roof. it took some time to reach the top because of his injury and concrete objects and pieces that blocked the stairway. But he managed to reach the rooftop. He scanned the entire are. He saw the destruction that was surrounding him, it was really terrifying.

Suddenly, his eyes locked on to something, there it was, the ship. It crashed beside a fountain near a place that looks like a park. It was a relief. But he had to wait, he needed to cross a lake but it's almost dark, getting out now is a risk. He knew what would happen at night, and how dangerous they might be. He therefore decided to wait until the next day and remain in the building.

He found a room with less wreckage. He made up his mind to stay in there. There was still work to do. He covered the windows with clothes and cardboard which he collected from the building. It took a while, it's nearly night. He checked all those windows. He made it impossible for anyone to see him from the outside. Then he ate some of his food and went to sleep

He woke up early in the morning. He took a few things out of the bag and went into the bathroom. There was water in the building. Even though it didn't look great, he took a shower. Then he replaced the bandages. He seemed freshened up after the shower. There was still food in the bag, he ate it, and began packing everything..

He couldn't go straight to the ship because he was on the other side of a lake, so he had to go around it to reach there. He picked up the map to find the easiest route to the ship.

He got to the ship by noon, at 12.46. He felt so happy. There it was, the ship is right in front of him. It looked like a white whale from the outside, and it was almost as big as a football stadium. He went towards the entrance and opened a hatch which scanned his face. Once the door opened, he walked in.

As soon as he entered the ship, he heard a voice. " Welcome back Captain ".