“H-hey!” a nearby port worker shouted, “Is that you Smith?!”

“Y-yeah,” I said with a shiver, “Who else?”

“We haven’t seen you in a month or so though! We thought you’d cancelled”

“Is that so, eh?” I said in annoyance, “And… And where’s Kenneth?”

“He’s in hospital,” the worker said with a headshake, “His arthritis got the better of him… That and hyperthermia”

“You loaded my ship? I asked.

“Yeah?”

“Great, then I’m off, I can’t stand this blasted place”

Pressing down on the wooden plank that used to be an accelerator, I set sail into the darkness all around. The ship still performed its duty though; carving a line through what was now ice.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Here we go. Maybe one more time after this? It’s getting too much.

With a loud sigh, I turned off the last switch on my dashboard. Now there’s no more radio. But I need to keep this engine alive, even if it’s just to get back.

But, through the silence of the frozen sea, I hear a noise. A terrible, terrible noise. A hiss. A terrible, terrible hiss.

Looking out from my cabin, I look around the silent ice sheets to see an endless white stretching before me. Well, more like stretching until the darkness I mean.

However, looking above I see it. A glowing light travelling at some speed like a comet.

Quickly running into my cabin, I grab my binoculars while fumbling to get the caps off. Then, I aim them toward the bright light.

It was no comet. A comet brings a sort of strange hope to people. This object on the other hand, destroys hope. Indeed, it was a large missile of sorts.

On it, it appeared to have the words “The Last Flower” written on it along with an orange rose.

And, as I sat in my chair in a frozen waste land, I watched a large orange glow envelope the horizon as a toxic mushroom rose into the atmosphere.

This will be the coldest winter of all.