A sixteen-year-old man observed the night from the top of a tall building. The wind blowing, the lights down there, the cars like ants. Twenty-third century, an overcrowded city. The world plunged into chaos.
Loneliness, desolation, abandonment.
He could see multiple advertisements promoting trivial and, according to his way of thinking, even immoral things. A place where everyone contradicted each other, where humanity had already brought out its demons in plain sight without fear of being targeted. A place where everyone would get offended.
Lose weight, eat this and that, polygamous marriage, smoke this hallucinogenic cigar, new horns to insert into your forehead, change your eyes color.
He had gotten to the point of becoming familiar with advertisements for all kinds of cults. Another illuminated advertisement in a distant building was trying, in vain, to tell him about the faith.
Still, not that day. That day nothing was working, not since the fateful moment when God forgot about him.
People ran through the city—the police with their alarms on. Many said, 'Global warming and diseases,' 'end of the world,' but nothing mattered to him anymore. He could no longer feel. The world lost its purpose.
He climbed over the edge, clenching his fists so tightly that they were shaking, or maybe his own fear was causing it. No one would help his devastated soul. Gritting his teeth and stifling sobs, he closed his eyes tightly as his tears flowed and put the gun barrel against his temple.
'You are not brave enough to throw yourself to the void,' his conscience accused him. Just one shot, just that, and he would fly away. No pain, or maybe a little. One more death in the endless statistics.
"How beautiful are the stars...!" A sweet voice returned to his mind.
A beautiful memory.
He opened his eyes, gasping with fear at the hasty decision he was about to make. He looked up slowly, thus contemplating how beautiful the night sky was while humanity was lost below.
The wind blew cool and strong. He took a deep breath; the sadness would not go away.
"I can take care of you from there," she had said.
"No. I'll be the one to take care of you," echoed his own voice in his memory.
"Yeah, but if I go first, I'll take care of you."
"Don't think about that. If it happens, I'll go with you."
"Dumb. If you come with me, I will get mad and not talk to you in heaven."
He laughed...
"I would chase you..."
"Don't let yourself die. No one should be allowed to die."
'Adrian, you must live... Promise it; that way, I will always be happy wherever I am.'
Without thinking, his arm had lowered. He looked down as well, and his gaze found another ad.
'Project Survival continues to accept new volunteers for its New Future program. Interested approach. Absolute discretion.'
An intense sensation washed over him, numbing the pain. He would do it. He would go to that place. He had nothing to lose.
He ran to his apartment in that same building, grabbed a suitcase, and put away a few things. He saw the gun on the table, thought for a few seconds, held it for another two, and finally put it away.
He would try to live as he promised her.
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Adam: The last man
Science FictionIf you had the very last man, would you share him? The world is populated only by women, and Teresa has realized that she is less willing to share the man she found under a cryogenic state. The only man on the face of the earth. @NA featured in sci...
