《Ourania Falls》


 0. The last man on Earth

    London, 21 March 2025.


    Asteroid 2001 FO32 hit Earth four years ago.


    Today I can say, with absolute certainty, that I am the last man on Earth.


    Everything around me would be calm and silent, if it weren''t for that creature.


    I just turned into the street when I heard a deafening noise. Even from half a kilometer away I was able to see the blanket of smoke rising upwards. I look towards the building on my right and read the name of the street. To be sure, I repeat it in my mind.


    I try to imagine the sound my voice would make to pronounce it: "Frith Street".


    As I walk briskly forward, I adjust my mask. It is a device now common to people like me, or at least was common to people like me. Since the fall of the asteroid, many have died due to poisoning by strange toxic substances unknown to us. The Architect therefore took charge of designing devices to keep the survivors safe, namely the masks. If I''m honest, I don''t even need it. These substances are dangerous only for those who have not evolved and assimilated them naturally. However, the habit of concealing my nature leads me to wear it again.


    I have now reached about halfway, but a bus has been thrown in my direction. Now it blocks both my view and the passage, so all I have to do is climb over it. The bus has the left side in contact with the asphalt and the rear wheels are missing. I deduce that it was thrown to block the road. Using strength on my legs, I leap forward and manage to get to the car. For just a moment I decide to look below me, just to make sure the glass doesn''t shatter after being weighed down.


    Here, however, my gaze is captured by the creature located at the end of the road.


    A "Horror", as we called them, of the sentient machines that have infested the cities since that fateful day. There are different ranks and types, all classified meticulously and at great cost. Many of my precious companions have fallen through their own fault. The Horror in front of me must necessarily be one of the latest generation. I don''t see any alternatives. It presents characteristics that cannot be traced back to a type of animal.


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    The machine''s eyes suddenly shine with a red light and it turns in my direction. This gives me the opportunity to see it fully, despite the smoke it is giving off. It has an ovoid-shaped trunk made of metallic fabrics. From that area, five protuberances emerge and stick violently onto the road. I trace those limbs back to legs. In the center of the trunk there is a rise from which a metal tube stands out, it is certainly the neck. Finally, there is the head, a white demonic mask with slits for the eyes and mouth. Crimson red horns and a thick mane of black hair covering everything.


    I don''t have time to put my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt before the creature opens its jaws, ready to attack with a photon beam. I quickly take the recording device that was given to me a couple of years ago and throw it into the air. The thing starts up and freezes in mid-air, while a small blue light signals that the ignition is complete. For safety, with a finger of my left hand, I give the object a light blow: my "Cube". I try to talk to him ironically.


    ?Are you turned on??


    I get nothing but a sound like abeep as answer. At this point I instinctively dodge to the side, anticipating the enemy''s attack. The Horror fires its beam, narrowly missing me and pulverizing the second floor of a building to my left. Attention cannot be set aside in this situation, my brain tells me to be cautious.


    "But really... what does it matter anymore?" I think, already detached from the events before my eyes.


    This thought has been wandering around my mind for a while now. Now I''m alone, whether I live or die makes no difference.


    From the back of the back I extract a finely shaped cylinder with some grooves. The weapon has been my property for a long time and within it hides an extraordinary power, the same strength that has allowed me to get to this point. The moment my right hand tightens on the hilt, a single-edged metal blade materializes with disarming simplicity. As soon as I unsheathed my pseudo-katana, the air was filled with strange glitches, as if reality was coming into contact with an artificial phenomenon. The laws of this world vibrate in resonance with the existence of the weapon and manifest themselves in that way.


    In front of me I see the Horror charging a second energy beam. I drop towards the ground and land in a puddle, some splashes landing on a fallen street lamp causing a light sparkle. I don''t let myself be deceived, unfortunately I know very well that electricity ran out a long time ago.


    This moment of distraction seems to cost me dearly. The light reaches me and hits me. The Horror has erupted its blast, I feel hot, my skin becomes incandescent.


    Yet I run unconsciously towards my death, just like I did that day.

 1. Disaster

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 2. Crash

    ?Please take me to my destination? I asked urgently.


    The driver looked at me in disbelief. ?Boy, have you perhaps gone mad? We have to escape!?


    I swallowed. The asteroid continued to move as the air acted as friction; there wasn''t much time left. Just like us, the other cars stuck in the traffic - which never stopped increasing - began to ring in the hope of being able to move, but the reality was that deciding to stay inside the cars would have been our grave.


    ?Thanks for the ride!?, I exclaimed quickly, before grabbing the door handle.


    ?Where are you going? Did you hit your head?! You haven''t paid me yet!?


    Without listening to the taxi driver''s complaints, I opened the door and jumped out of the car. The sky had slowly started to change color and strange ash began to fall as if it was drizzling. I hurriedly headed home, as it would have been useless to linger any longer. I darted as fast as I could into the middle of the street and passed about twenty cars before my breathing hitched, forcing me to slow down. I stopped completely, catching my breath with eyes closed and holding my hands on my knees. I couldn''t say how far I had traveled but, for sure, I wasn''t even remotely close to my home. I took a deep breath, ready to set off again towards London Bridge, but the gigantic explosion coming from the sky brought me back to reality. The shop windows shattered and I tripped, falling to the ground disoriented.


    From the side, I heard a high-pitched voice, ?Mom! Mom! Is it the fireworks??


    The words came from a child who was in his mother''s arms a few meters away. The woman''s son was pointing at the sky in front of him with his fingers, so I was forced to look up. I saw the vault of heaven split in half, almost as if someone had cut it cleanly. The asteroid split and from it rose a strange gigantic boulder that almost blinded my vision. The blue flames thinned out as that strange object shattered the meteor into multiple pieces. The back of the asteroid split apart and, due to the explosion, masses of rock began raining down in all directions. I watched as buildings were hit and knocked down, cars and their drivers crushed, but these were but small misfortunes compared to what was passing through the sky. Unlike the mass of reflective rock that rose higher and higher until it froze in the celestial vault like an immobile star, the front part of the asteroid began its descent with an even steeper inclination than the initial one.


    I focused my attention only on the descending meteor. It was a mistake, as the back rock would soon become transparent. I got to my feet only to discover that I had scraped my right knee and had a bloody scratch on my left wrist. The asteroid was now lower and lower, I assumed a few meters from the River Thames. The idea that the asteroid could sink into the river without causing too much damage cheered me up for a moment, but then life reminded me to never have too much hope.


    Reality is cruel and unfair; in this story it is the only certainty that could be admitted.


    I waited, immobilized by terror, with bated breath. Subconsciously, my body tensed in anticipation of the impact that¡­ didn''t come.


    I didn''t dare relax but, for some strange reason, the meteor was still moving. I saw the people still alive pass me to cross the street and escape. I was pushed and ended up hitting my hip against a car. I grunted from the blow but a gust of wind brought my attention back. Asteroid 2001 FO32 crashed with a deafening noise. I didn''t see it directly, but the shock wave pierced my eardrums. I ended up being thrown to the ground hard and struggled to look up. The river water reached such a height that it momentarily exceeded that of the buildings. I felt the muscles in my face tighten in fear. The water began to move downward, ready to crash down on me, as a flock of birds swirled nearby. Some nearby citizens closed their eyes, but I saw the scene clearly. The animals suddenly stopped as if they had entered a state of stasis, a crystalline barrier seemed to have risen in front of us. The water descended rapidly, but the transparent wall blocked it, forcing it to fall perpendicularly into the river.


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    Another crash, then once more. The earth shook violently under my feet, but death did not come. I breathed heavily, in total panic.


    The cars'' radio stopped again to transmit a second signal. I approached a bright red Bentley to listen, the man still gripping the wheel not even caring that I was clinging to the door.


    ?Asteroid 2001 FO32 has crashed. London Bridge collapsed. The death count is still a matter of speculation. Citizens are asked not to go to the surrounding areas and to remain calm.?


    I let myself fall, resting my back against the front wheel of the car. I wanted to pretend that I hadn''t heard that message or that I didn''t know that my house was right in the neighborhood before the bridge. Maybe the crash hadn''t swallowed up my building too; the meteor could only have stuck nearby. I hugged my knees to my body, running my hands through my hair in doubt.


    I wanted to fool myself. Of course, my mother had managed to get home on time. She had taken my father and just got stuck in traffic, it was possible, right? She must have done it, she always managed to do anything. I thought that maybe she might have been blocked at the entrance to the neighborhood, perhaps she had never quite reached home. That meant that my father, however, would not have been able to escape. Negative thoughts began to take hold of me and I couldn''t help but imagine my mother still stranded on London Bridge, helpless as the asteroid swept the entire structure to the ground and everything around her began to give way. It was the vibration of the cell phone I still had in my pocket that shook me. Back in reality, I replied.


    ?Adam! Mom doesn''t answer, where are you?? my sister asked desperately.


    I remained silent for a second, trying to maintain a reassuring tone. ?I''m on my way.?


    ?You have to come back here immediately! They ordered us to stay in the courtyard, but there¡¯s a lot of chaos. Iry and I are in the girls'' locker room, they say we can''t leave school!?


    "They don''t know about the asteroid. How come they didn''t see it?" I wondered.


    The news sent to the radio probably hadn''t yet been put on the internet, but they couldn''t have failed to notice it. I breathed as I convinced myself that Sarah was still in the dark about everything.


    ?Are you still there? Adam? Adam!? called my sister. I heard the enormous tension in her voice.


    ?Yes?, I said, before adding, ?Sarah, don''t move, I''m coming back.?


    ?Okay but-... you? the signal seemed to skip for an instant.


    ?Sarah? What did you say??


    ?Adam no... be... pro... ce... fa... et... pa... Ad...?


    The call ended because the line had stopped working. I thought that it was an event that was all too unlikely, especially when compared to the fall of the meteorite. I stood up again and accelerated in the same direction I had come.


    "I have to hurry."


    I looked at the phone screen one more time just to confirm my suspicion. It was off. I had left it charging all night, so it was impossible that it had already run out of charge all of a sudden.


    The asteroid appeared to be interfering with cell phones. This wasn''t a normal thing. I darted between the cars, my breathing becoming increasingly labored, unable to get rid of a strange and uncomfortable sensation, as if a bloodhound were on my tail. I felt the need to hurry up and go back to school immediately.


    There was something not right about the whole story, starting with the asteroid crash. Central London hadn''t been wiped out thanks to that mysterious barrier, I was still alive. Perhaps it was intuition, a sixth sense maybe, but my instincts would soon prove correct.


    They were coming.

 3. Just a bunch of guys

    I ran into Professor Wine as soon as I crossed the secondary gate of the high school; the man reached me, tightening his hands around my arms. I was on the verge of answering superficially when I noticed the professor''s worried face and came to my senses as much as possible.


    ?Adam! Thank goodness you''re okay. I won''t let you go anywhere alone after this.?


    ?Professor, I have to reach my sister, please.?


    ?No, Adam, I''m sorry, but it''s for your safety. We all have to stay close together, so you need to get to your classmates immediately?, he replied, pointing to an area outside where several faces I recognized were grouped together, ?Apparently something serious has happened.?


    ?I''ll stay in the yard, I just have to see how she is. She''s with the other students in her class?, I lied.


    ?Oh, if it''s here in the yard, that''s fine. But you can''t leave school at the moment. Or-?


    ?Government orders?? I asked.


    The professor looked at me with an almost shocked face. ?Yes¡­?


    ?I thought so... thanks?, I replied, already starting to turn around, but the professor held my arm.


    ?Adam, I''ll have to stay here at the entrance. I know you''re a mature boy, so don''t make me regret the liberties I gave you.?


    ?All right.?


    Helius Wine let go of me, and I darted toward the courtyard, taking stock of the information still unknown to the people there. The students stared at me in fear, but I didn''t have time to stop to explain the situation.


    "The professor only knew that something serious had happened, but he didn''t seem to be aware of anything else, it was probably the shock of the shake caused by the crash that worried him. The phones aren''t working yet, otherwise Leon would have already called me by now. What''s the matter? Is this about not leaving school? They stopped us students from going out to avoid going to the streets? This means that the workers are also stuck in their offices. And why the professor didn''t mention the asteroid?"


    Before I knew it, I slammed into the door of the women''s locker room. The pain in my teeth brought me back to reality, putting all those thoughts out of my head. The door opened when I was already on the ground, Sarah''s head carefully popped out and looked around before noticing that I was lying down.


    ?What happened??


    ?I¡­ bumped into the door?, I replied, touching my lips gently.


    ?What an idiot, come in.?


    I followed my sister into the changing room, I noticed how she had changed, preferring a dark gray crop top covered by an oversized white jacket to the classic ¡°shirt and jacket¡± of the school uniform. Sarah pulled up her black stockings and turned towards me for a moment; her index finger ran through her black hair, twisting it, a sign that she was showing off a false tranquility. I touched my teeth with one hand; unexpectedly my canine tooth had chipped, but I realized it too late. With a nod of pain, I removed my finger from my mouth and saw a cut on the pad of my finger.


    ?Are you bleeding?? my sister asked leaning towards me.


    ?Yes, I cut myself?, I replied, showing her my hand.


    ?You¡¯re stupid! Wait here!?


    Sarah reached her locker to get a handkerchief and took the opportunity to gather her short hair into a small pigtail, leaving only her brunette bangs to cover that spacious forehead that she had hated since birth.


    ?You really had to be my brother, huh??


    I took a quick look around for my sister''s friend, ?Didn''t you say that Iri-? but my voice was drowned out in an instant.


    ?Sarah, where''s the shirt??


    I felt the temperature suddenly increase the moment I met Irina''s gaze, my sister''s friend had undressed and was holding the school uniform in her hands, covering her only: black stockings; the classic red and black checked skirt typical of the women''s uniform; a pink bra. For a single second, the idea of the asteroid and the crash seemed nothing more than vague, illusory memories. That sight had distracted me and that was a good thing, otherwise I would have ended up needlessly despairing about that situation. I stood paralyzed watching her as she quickly covered herself with her shirt; the few strands dyed blonde ended up in front of the girl''s eyes, but I still saw her red cheeks.


    ?Adam...!?


    I slowly turned my torso until my back was to her, remaining in solemn silence. Sarah turned and was about to laugh but refrained so as not to increase the embarrassment; she went into friendly-protective mode instead.


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    ?Stupid brother! Here''s your handkerchief, now go away!?


    I saw her reach me and start pushing towards the exit, ?I need to talk-?


    ?Well, you have to go out!?


    At that point, my sister''s friend decided to give me the final blow, ?Sick.?


    ?Irina, I didn''t mean to see-? I tried to apologize but it seemed useless.


    ?Goodbye, pervert!?


    I was suddenly thrown out and, before I knew it, the door was closed in my face. I sat on the steps sighing, and the negative thoughts came back to haunt my mind. In the end, I hadn''t said a word to my sister or Professor Helius Wine; they didn''t even have any idea about the meteorite, they didn''t know about the crash or the mysterious barrier. My knee had started to throb, a sign that the adrenaline in my body had now run out. I was struggling to breathe even though I was trying to stay calm. In that moment of difficulty, it was my angel of light-heartedness who offered help. Leon appeared a few centimeters from my face with his usual smile on his face; I instinctively pulled back, ending up hitting the wall.


    ?I see I scared you. This is what you earn when you ignore my messages!?


    I stifled the urge to retreat further, ?Leon!?


    ?Adam, is everything okay??


    ?I¡­? the crash scene appeared before my eyes again, ?Yes¡­ yes, I''m fine.?


    My friend didn''t seem to be very convinced, but he didn''t say anything.


    ?Anyway, the phones aren''t working, have you noticed?? I replied to distract him, put my hand in my pocket and showed the turned off screen.


    ?Ah!? he snapped his fingers, ?Now that makes sense!?


    ?What do you mean??


    ?About ten minutes ago, I was going up the stairs and I accidentally dropped my phone, because obviously there was an earthquake. I thought something was broken because it wouldn''t turn on, at least now I know why!?


    ?And isn''t that more of a concern in this case?? I sighed and shook my head, ?Forget it, are you still on the roof??


    He had mentioned the earthquake so they must have felt something, even though they hadn''t seen the asteroid crash. How such a thing was possible was still a mystery to me.


    ?Yeah, I came to get you!? Leon replied, offering a hand to lift me up, ?You sure had a good run around the yard.?


    ?I was looking for my sister, but they kicked me out.?


    ?Girls, they will always remain a mystery to us.?


    I nodded with a grimace, ?Let''s go to the others.?


    So we walked towards the external stairs of the building to join my other classmates on the roof. Lying on the ground were my friends; the only one up was the last one to join the group, who we thought was slightly strange but nice. It was he who noticed us first: ?It took you some time.?


    ?Yes, our dear A. was busy with his future girlfriend? Leon replied, nudging me lightly.


    Upon hearing those words, chaos erupted. My friends smirked and looked at me curiously. The first to start the conversation again was the boy on my left: D. The credit for these nicknames went to Leon who, one day, had had this idea of calling us using only our initials; since then it had become a fundamental rule of our group.


    ?Obviously Irina. Did I guess right??


    D. looked at me with his blue eyes, as if asking for a sign of certainty, but was interrupted by M, the boy sitting with his back against the wall, too busy finishing his giant sandwich to look up.


    ?I think he should have asked her out.?


    ?You should stop eating, M, otherwise you''ll never lose weight?, Leon retorted ironically.?I lost a pound last week, L!?


    ?Will you ever stop?? I asked rhetorically.


    For a moment, I managed to stem the argument between Leon and M, those two were always the ones who ended up insulting each other for no apparent logical reason, just for the fun of being able to say the wrong things without fear of any repercussions; after all we were friends, so we always ended up forgiving each other. Meanwhile, T, who had just gotten up, smiled at me as his brown curls blew in the wind, and answered my question.


    ?Get together with her and we''ll stop.?


    ?Look, instead of talking about this, there''s something more important we need to talk about.?


    Leon looked at me confused, ?That is??


    I weighed how to answer the question when attention was drawn away from me.


    ?Hey, the sky is different today, it''s quiet.? commented the boy still standing.


    Everyone, including me, set our gaze on the last member of our group, the boy with black hair and marine eyes did not take his eyes off the sky. His name was Axel Hawk, a model student and from a rather wealthy family. Contrary to a common prejudice, Axel was a very reserved and not at all arrogant person; he preferred to use his money when it was really necessary.


    After that statement, obviously, my companions burst out laughing. M. dropped the chips he was holding, rolling his eyes:


    ?Oh no, here he goes acting weird again.?


    ?Seriously M, it''s important-?


    Leon immediately rushed to our friend''s aid, opening his arms wide as if he were hugging a giant being. When I looked at his smiling face, I saw a hint of something, a negative emotion.


    ?But he''s right! Take A, he never sees the sky because he says he hates it, but look at this!? he positioned himself exactly in front of all of us, pointing upwards, ?The sky is like a large canvas that unites us all, we share it with each other and it makes us feel less alone. Think about it! We are all under the same sky.?


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    That fateful day I noticed the sadness in Leon''s eyes. I would have loved to know what that look meant then and I curse myself for having been such a useless friend. I should have recognized what those words meant; I, of all people, had known Leon since we were children.


    I had to realize how he really was.


    "My last thoughts are with you, my friend. We will meet again soon. I feel like my skin is on fire. What if you don''t want this? Would you prefer me to continue fighting now that it''s all over? You know well that there''s no ''It''s no one else here."


    I close my eyes so as not to see the light and make me disappear, but everything goes black; the pain disappears and now I feel slightly cold. I get up with difficulty and with blurred vision. After a while I notice that my enemy is still there, still like a statue. His attack probably missed me.


    "You don''t want to see me die, do you?"


    Those are the words that go through my mind.


    "How cruel. You really don''t want to let me rest. What of you, you''re always the same."


    I grip my weapon again, sure that I would be able to keep alive that promise made years ago now. I start running towards the Horror again with clarity. As I do so, I notice a strange figure on the building behind the being. The appearance is that of a man, but he wears a Horror mask. Yet I am certain that I am the last human being on the face of the earth. So a question arises and I repeat it in my mind, losing attention on the sentient machine.


    "What are you?"