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"The Silent Witness: Echoes of a Lost Civilization"
#WritcoStoryPrompt56
A mysterious disease killed 95% of all humans. You survived by keeping to yourself and being alone. One day, you found a woman stuck under some rubble. She calls for your help and promptly does so.
In the desolate aftermath of the mysterious pandemic that wiped out 95% of humanity, I roamed the barren landscapes, a silent survivor consumed by the solitude that shielded me from the remnants of a broken world. My days were filled with the echoes of my own footsteps, and my nights were haunted by the memories of those who had succumbed to the merciless disease.
One day, as I explored a crumbling cityscape, the eerie silence was shattered by a faint cry for help. Intrigued yet reluctant, I followed the desperate plea until I discovered a woman trapped under the rubble of what was once a bustling metropolis. Her eyes pleaded for salvation, a silent request that clashed with the tranquility I had grown accustomed to.
She called out, her voice echoing through the empty streets, and I hesitated, torn between the instinct to help and the comfort of my self-imposed isolation. The woman, weakened but not defeated, locked eyes with me, and in that moment, a silent understanding passed between us. It was a choice, a crossroads that would define the course of our destinies.
In the end, I chose to ignore her cries, turning away from the agony etched on her face. My heart remained hardened, shrouded in the armor of solitude that had shielded me from the pains of a world now lost. I convinced myself that my love for loneliness surpassed any obligation to humanity.
Days turned into weeks, and the memory of that encounter lingered like a shadow. Yet, in the depths of my solitude, a subtle change began to stir within me. The quiet echoes of her plea haunted my dreams, and the vast emptiness that once brought solace now seemed suffocating.
As I wandered through the desolate landscapes, the loneliness I had clung to became a heavy burden. It was then that I stumbled upon an old journal, forgotten in the ruins of a forgotten civilization. Its pages revealed the stories of those who had once lived and loved, a testament to the humanity that once thrived in these now desolate lands.
The realization hit me like a wave – the last man on Earth was merely a spectator to the ghosts of a bygone era. With newfound purpose, I retraced my steps, haunted by the specter of the woman I had abandoned. The ruins echoed with the emptiness of my solitude, and the weight of my decision bore down on me.
It was a quest for redemption, a journey to defy the destiny I had chosen. As I approached the site where she had been trapped, the rubble was silent, and the echoes of her cries were lost to the winds. The realization hit me – I had become the last man on Earth, not out of triumph but as a witness to the demise of humanity.
In the solitude I once cherished, I found only emptiness. The world, once vibrant with life, lay in ruins, and I stood alone amid the echoes of a forgotten existence. The woman's plea, a distant memory, became a haunting reminder of the choices we make in the face of isolation and the consequences that echo through the remnants of a lost civilization.
© Itesh
A mysterious disease killed 95% of all humans. You survived by keeping to yourself and being alone. One day, you found a woman stuck under some rubble. She calls for your help and promptly does so.
In the desolate aftermath of the mysterious pandemic that wiped out 95% of humanity, I roamed the barren landscapes, a silent survivor consumed by the solitude that shielded me from the remnants of a broken world. My days were filled with the echoes of my own footsteps, and my nights were haunted by the memories of those who had succumbed to the merciless disease.
One day, as I explored a crumbling cityscape, the eerie silence was shattered by a faint cry for help. Intrigued yet reluctant, I followed the desperate plea until I discovered a woman trapped under the rubble of what was once a bustling metropolis. Her eyes pleaded for salvation, a silent request that clashed with the tranquility I had grown accustomed to.
She called out, her voice echoing through the empty streets, and I hesitated, torn between the instinct to help and the comfort of my self-imposed isolation. The woman, weakened but not defeated, locked eyes with me, and in that moment, a silent understanding passed between us. It was a choice, a crossroads that would define the course of our destinies.
In the end, I chose to ignore her cries, turning away from the agony etched on her face. My heart remained hardened, shrouded in the armor of solitude that had shielded me from the pains of a world now lost. I convinced myself that my love for loneliness surpassed any obligation to humanity.
Days turned into weeks, and the memory of that encounter lingered like a shadow. Yet, in the depths of my solitude, a subtle change began to stir within me. The quiet echoes of her plea haunted my dreams, and the vast emptiness that once brought solace now seemed suffocating.
As I wandered through the desolate landscapes, the loneliness I had clung to became a heavy burden. It was then that I stumbled upon an old journal, forgotten in the ruins of a forgotten civilization. Its pages revealed the stories of those who had once lived and loved, a testament to the humanity that once thrived in these now desolate lands.
The realization hit me like a wave – the last man on Earth was merely a spectator to the ghosts of a bygone era. With newfound purpose, I retraced my steps, haunted by the specter of the woman I had abandoned. The ruins echoed with the emptiness of my solitude, and the weight of my decision bore down on me.
It was a quest for redemption, a journey to defy the destiny I had chosen. As I approached the site where she had been trapped, the rubble was silent, and the echoes of her cries were lost to the winds. The realization hit me – I had become the last man on Earth, not out of triumph but as a witness to the demise of humanity.
In the solitude I once cherished, I found only emptiness. The world, once vibrant with life, lay in ruins, and I stood alone amid the echoes of a forgotten existence. The woman's plea, a distant memory, became a haunting reminder of the choices we make in the face of isolation and the consequences that echo through the remnants of a lost civilization.
© Itesh
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