“Human nature is weak and fragile. The unwillingness to prepare for the future is the downfall of every nation; yet this time, it was the downfall of Earth.”

- General Sarah Aluri

The sharp, white light in the corner of my screen blinked at me as if edging me on to start. I stared at myself on the monitor, the camera unapologetically showing my true self. I was hideous. Dirty and unkept, my clothes resembled little more than rags, and my skin matched the pale color of the stone outside.

“May as well,” I muttered with a shrug.

I took a small sip from the dwindling remainder of my recycled water. It wasn’t enough to quench my thirst or even provide a small reprieve from the stinging of my cracked, dirt-crusted lips. Yet, I had no alternative. Luckily, so much broken technology was left behind from both the Founders and the Nameless, that I became quite good at rebuilding things. If I hadn’t, I couldn’t have ever repaired the Hydro Recycler I found in one of the ruins. It took two days to haul it back to my small, broken-down military vehicle that I called home. Then, it took two weeks to decipher its mechanics, and another two weeks to fix it. When it finally worked, I hadn’t had a drink in two days. I barely produced enough urine to recycle into water, but I made it work. If the ocean wasn’t so toxic, I would’ve had a boundless supply of water to recycle. That’s possibly why the Nameless ruined it. We must have relied on it.

“All is fair in war,” I whispered to myself.

I heard someone say that once, but I never knew what it meant. I didn’t think anything about war was fair. Everything and everyone was destroyed. Nobody had won. How is that fair?

A small storm began to blow through the holes in the walls, upsetting the makeshift blinds I made from thin metal sheets. They clattered and banged against the side of the metal wall. Though I managed to patch most of the holes, there was hardly enough salvageable metal to cover every inch. Standing up, I stacked a few rocks and stones against the metal sheets to keep the wind from pushing them open. It worked well enough, but the wind still howled angrily outside. I sat back down and looked at the monitor, the camera was still recording. Clearing my throat, I rested my elbows on my knees and sighed before meeting the camera with a steady gaze.

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“The year is 2171.”

I glanced back at the scratches etched into the wall that I had made to track the passing years. I began counting to make sure I was right.

“Seventy-one,” I finished out loud.

I turned back to the camera and stopped. I desperately wanted to say the day, the month, or even the season, but clocks no longer existed as almost all technology was destroyed, and there were no such things as seasons anymore. The weather always remained the same. Undoubtedly, something else to blame the Nameless for.

I sighed and continued. “It’s been two weeks since my last recording. I’m almost out of water unless I find something soon. I urinate less each day, slowly depleting my reserves. I estimate that I may have one year before I’m completely out.”

Outside, the wind howled even harder and the vehicle shook as debris struck against the metal doors. The single light that I had, flickered above my head, the electricity fizzing in and out, as if contemplating whether to succumb and leave me in darkness or persist a little longer.

“Food might last another two years, though I wouldn’t count on it. Speaking of which, I think it’s time for dinner.”

Reaching into a metal box nestled in the left corner of the vehicle, I pulled out a small, palm-sized gray package. I gently ripped it open, careful to not let anything drip onto the ground. Opening my mouth, I squeezed a fingernail-sized amount of the thick, colorless liquid into my mouth. Savoring the taste for a few moments, I swallowed.

“Look,” I said, moving closer to the camera. I poured another small dollop onto my tongue and stuck it out of my mouth for the camera to see. The heat from my breath fogged up the screen. “I found a hoard of it in the tanks along the beach and in one of the cities just a few miles south. It’s military rations. Everything you need in one bag. Without this, I would’ve died years ago. I stretch each bag to last me a week. Found thousands of them.”

Pouring one last drop into my mouth, I tucked the package away in its place.

“Here, look what I made.” I held up a small, metal statue that I had carved from a laser. “It’s a friend,” I said with a laugh.

I examined the object for a moment, admitting its crude features. The head was square and barely recognizable, and the body was elongated and imperfect, but it looked real enough. The legs were fashioned from coils I had found at the dump, and I managed to solder two small, triangular pieces of metal onto the body for arms.

I looked at my creation and grinned at the camera. “I’m calling him toaster. I heard one of the Elders use that word when I was a child and I always liked the name. No idea what it means, but I think it fits.”

The walls began to shake harder and the image on the monitor flickered.

“Well, I think that’s enough for today. I hope someone is out there and will see this one day. I pray I’m not the last one. Until next time.”