“The surpassing greatness in a people is unity and tenacity. As the High Elders fought and argued amongst themselves, the world around them burned in anguish and fear; fire and destruction.”

- General Sarah Aluri

“Fifteen years. I’ve been alone for fifteen years now. The date is 2173 and I haven’t seen another human being or even an animal or a bug. There’s no life anywhere in the area, except for me. I don’t know if there are any survivors on the whole continent. A while back I found an old, military long-range radio. Every night for three years I tried each and every station in an attempt to reach someone who might be listening on the other side. It was good practice to maintain coherent speech since I don’t enjoy talking to myself, but hope can only last for so long.

The storms prevent me from being gone long enough to search other cities on the rim. I can’t travel for more than a few hours in any direction before I’m forced to turn back. Nights are the worst. There’s nothing more dangerous than being lost in a storm during the night. With no moon or stars, the world is pitch black and the winds can reach up to one hundred and thirty miles an hour. The debris alone could be enough to kill you. One brick to your head and it’s all over. There’s no medicine here.

Once, the Nameless were the biggest and only threat. Before them, war was extinguished and unheard of for anyone under the age of sixty, thanks to the efforts of the Global Vanguard Army. For those who chose peace, and to be under the rule and subjection of the Global Apex Federation, everyone had plenty of food and clothing. I don’t know why anyone would have chosen differently, but they did.

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I wish I could say that something has happened in the past several years, that something has changed, but it hasn’t. The world continues to crumble around me, the ocean, more threatening than before and the grays and tans of the dirt and rocks only become more dull. It happens so slowly that I hardly notice. But I feel it. Yet, something is keeping the world from completely falling apart. It’s as if the Earth has an unknown reason for dredging on, for struggling to stay alive, knowing that if I am gone, that if it loses me, then its memory, its heart, and soul, will be lost forever. Am I holding the remainder of humanity?”

My eyes trailed off from the screen along with my thoughts. I pondered silently for several minutes before I remembered that I was recording.

“Well, anyway. I found these, look.”

I held up a few patched wires that were frayed and damaged almost beyond repair. “They aren’t much, but my light source is fading again and I think I can fix it with these. The generator is still working, but I’ve had to repair it three times in the past five years. I’ve scoured every inch within five miles. There’s nothing left to salvage in the cities or vehicles. Everything is decayed or used up. Even now, I only turn the generator on every few days to a week. I need more resources and supplies, but I can’t risk traveling aimlessly. I’m forced to start looking further for potential water. Sadly, every map has been destroyed along with every computer and network. A few once attempted to create physical maps from memory, but those were soon lost or forgotten along with their makers who wandered off alone in search of other survivors and food.”

“Ah, well I have to go,” I said disappointedly. "The generator is blinking angrily at me. Until next time.”