"John?"

I remained motionless, unresponding to the voice behind my back. I was laying in a bed and facing away from the door to the room, resting above the covers in the same jumpsuit I'd been given before I entered stasis.

"Jonathan, the higher ups called for you, I know you're awake," the voice said, their footsteps approaching my still form. I didn't want to get up, the bed wasn't the same as the one I had back home but it was good enough. I hugged myself, shaking my head no.

"Johnny?"

"Don't call me that," I replied, taking a deep breath and a slow exhale. I stretched my entire body, sighing in satisfaction as my joints popped in some places. I've laid in this bed for quite some time, probably over the recommended eight hours.

As much as I wanted to stay here, he was right. I had to get up, I couldn't stay in the comfort of this bed all day long, it wasn't good for my health. I swung myself over the bed, my legs dangling just above the cold floor. I rubbed the gross yellow stuff out of my eyes, sighing once again. As my eyes were adjusting to the light above, I cracked one open at the figure in front of me.

"Hey Doc, what time is it?"

"Nine in the morning… how are you feeling?" the moose asked me, folding his arms behind his back. He was wearing the classic white lab coat and a pair of round glasses, the embodiment of a nerd.

"Like always Doc, like always..." I fully opened my eyes, staring right at my psychologist. Despite our poor first impressions, he was alright in my books albeit a little insecure.

The moose was wary of new things and new people, always being cautious with everything I'd witnessed him do. When we first began my mental evaluation he was quiet and had no clue how to converse with me. However, after a few minutes he loosened up and I spilled my heart out to him. I didn't care if I seemed weak or vulnerable back then, I'd lost everything in my life. My friends, my family, my world, all gone. One day everything was fine, the next, poof.

He sat down next to me, rubbing my back with a furry hand. His antlers were magnificent, if I didn't know any better I'd think they were able to pierce tanks.

"John... I know the past week's been... difficult," I chuckled, shaking my head from side to side.

"That's an understatement. Hey, at least they didn't try touching my no-no zone," it was the moose's turn to laugh, patting my back as he enjoyed the joke.

"I suppose. Are you ready?"

"Yeah,'' I got up from the bed, the cool floor sending shivers up my legs. I slipped on the pair of crocs I'd requested. I liked those, some might say they lacked style but they served their purpose. And you could switch them into sport mode by moving up the rubber thing behind them. They weren't meant for running though, that mode just made sure your feet wouldn't slip out.

"Follow me," the moose said, getting up as well before leaving the room.

The room I was given was no five star hotel. But don't get me wrong, it was no prison either. As I mentioned, there was a bed, obviously. There was also a desk with a stack of books on it and a chair. They were both made of metal and weren't very friendly to my back and butt. In contrast, there was a television on the wall opposite to the desk and a recliner in front of it. I tried reading some of the books, but I found out that I couldn't read.

No, I wasn't illiterate. Somehow, I understood the animals' language but not their writing. Definitely not the author being lazy, mhm, definitely.

As you would've guessed, the television was far more entertaining. There were the usual channels you'd expect; drama, cartoons, action, comedy, and ads, lots and lots of ads. Even though Humanity went kaput, the world stayed the same at its core. Only difference was that animals replaced us, and here I was; still living. Was it luck that saved me? Could it be called luck? Or un-luck?

Moving to brighter thoughts, I left the room right after the moose. He took a right and I followed him like a loyal soldier. The halls of the facility were as bland and soul-sucking as the ones at the base, the one that didn't exist anymore. They were gray and reflective, though they weren't as smooth as they looked. I touched one out of curiosity on my second day here.

I caught up with the moose, walking alongside him down the long corridors. We kept silent for some time before I couldn't take it anymore.

"So... where are we going?"

"You'll see. First, we have to get breakfast," the moose stated, turning another left.

"Right, right. Sorry, I'm just... spaced out."

"Hmm? Why so?"

I didn't respond at first, massaging my nose in disappointment, "Dude, are you for real?"

"W-what? Did I offend you? I-I'm sorry!"

"Relax, just... for fuck's sake. Never mind." We continued our walk to the cafeteria, passing the odd animal here and there. After a week of adjusting to... this, I was still receiving plentiful stares of wonder. I'd met a wide range of animals and I was fascinated with them too, so I guess fair was fair.

How the hell did animals go from walking on four and being stupid, okay, not exactly stupid, less intelligent? You know what I mean, to people?

Evolution? God? Radiation? I had a solid theory on what happened, and every time I thought about it tears burst through my eyes and I became a sad sight to see. It hurt, it hurt so much to carry on. But there was so much to life, the New World was so familiar yet so different. I had mixed feelings about it, and I didn't know if I liked that.

"Here we are," the moose pulled me out of the deep end, gesturing with his head to follow him to the herbivore line.

The cafeteria was massive, tall enough to fit two giraffes on top of each other and wide enough to fit dozens of elephants. It was made for all species, and now there was a new one in there.

The moment I entered the eating-space all attention was drawn towards me, animals pointed and whispered, some taking pictures or waving at me. Those who waved I waved back to and ignored the rest.

This will sound very racist, specie-ist? Please forgive me, but they all look kind of the same. Wait, let me explain. What I mean to say is that I had a difficulty spotting the small differences between animals of the same species. I could tell between other humans because facial recognition was engraved in my psychic, but not for animals. It didn't matter though since guess what? I was probably the only one left, I hoped not.

I got in line, waiting behind the moose. Animal after animal they got what they asked for; a salad, a sandwich, a bowl of fruits, I even saw a koala straight up take a bundle of leaves and stick it in its mouth.

After a while it was Doc's turn, he asked the lunch-lady, haha, old habits die hard. He asked the animal serving food, a cow, for a broccoli based dish along with carrot juice. He thanked the lady before he went to sit at an empty table further from the others, a decision I fully supported.

However, when I came up to the lady her eyes went wide. She dropped her spoon and drew everyone's attention as if I didn't have enough already. While I waited for her to return to planet Earth, I tried to figure out what I wanted. The menu behind her was rich with options, but before I could pick an order an idea popped into my mind. Time for some trolling.

"Lady? You good? Hellooo?"

"Eh? A-ah! H-hello, I-I heard-"

"It's all good, I get it. Can I get a salad, please?"

"S-sure, just a salad?"

"Yup," I suppressed a smirk, coming up with a devious yet harmless plan to fuck with everyone in the room.

Once she noticed she'd dropped the ladle, she picked it up and threw it in the sink before getting another one and scooping some classic salad into a bowl; cucumber, tomato, lettuce, spices, and more.

"Actually, can I get some olives with that? Without the seed."

"O-okay," I could tell she was afraid of me, even though I'd done nothing bad to her or anyone. I had more than enough reasons to be angry, especially with the fun experiments I'd been put through.

I was first given a mental evaluation, Doc told me I was in shock and would be fine, sure. Then, began the physical tests; imagine P.E. class, but everyday for hours. Spain without the S is strong with this one, I can tell. And of course they took samples from me; blood, saliva, muscle tissue, skin tissue, clipped nails, hair and thankfully nothing too private. For that I forgive them, kind of. There were also many x-ray screenings, and for some reason they had a great interest in my hands and feet.

I sighed, leaning on the counter as I waited for her to add olives to the delicious salad waiting for me to consume it. After a few moments she returned with the olives, slid them off the cutting board into the bowl, mixed it with two smaller spoons and placed it on a tray.

"Thank you," I told her, picking up said tray.

"N-no problem, um..."

"John," I answered, nodding to the animal that was waiting behind me to take my place. I looked around the cafeteria until I spotted the moose sitting at the back, already half done with his meal.

However, I wasn't settling down just yet. Instead, I went all the way around, minding my own step so I didn't crush any small animals, until I reached the end of the other line; the carnivore line.

Now that ignited the fire. Every animal, carnivore and herbivore, was stunned to see me go to the other line with a salad. When I woke up, my body was preserved but malnourished. I had to get back in shape, and what better way than exercise and a balanced diet? They served some artificial foods with protein, but what I needed was the real shit; egg yolk.

"Wait, is he-?"

"What the fuck?!"

"Record it, record it!"

"That's the human, right?"

I paid no heed to the hushed voices and the louder ones, fantasizing over the taste of some good ol' scrambled egg. On some mornings my mother made me an omelet, a salad, freshly squeezed orange juice and a couple slices of salami on the side. I wanted to recreate that meal, even if it was only fifty percent there.

I... I miss them so much. Here it is again, no matter how hard I try to ignore it, it always comes back like a sucker punch to the face.

Once again, it was my turn to order something from the menu. There weren't many enticing options. Oh, ew, bugs. Hell no, let's just stick to the unfertilized eggs.

"Hey, can I get an omelet?" I asked the alligator working as the cook of this line.

"Y-you're the human-"

"Yeah yeah, can I please get an omelet?"

"Can I have a picture?" Oh for fu- not even half an hour out of bed and I'm being treated like a celebrity.

"Sure," I replied, grinding my teeth while putting my tray on the counter. The alligator proceeded to take out his phone, open the camera in selfie mode and take a picture with me in the background. Before he snapped the picture I raised my right hand in a peace sign, a small smile on my face.

"Thanks! Omelet comin right up!" he said with a cheerful tone, ordering another animal in the kitchen to prepare the dish.

I glanced behind me at the other animals, most were either glancing at me from time to time or talking about me. I rolled my eyes, tapping my foot as I waited for the second part of my breakfast. I could smell the sweet aroma of the cracked egg sizzling on the pan, licking my lips in anticipation. A couple minutes later the alligator came back with the cooked eggs on a ceramic plate.

"Can I also get a glass of water? And some bread too," I added, and the alligator obliged. He took a clean glass from one of the drawers hidden out of sight, filled it with water from a cooler and placed it on the tray accompanied by two slices of white bread. Perfection.

I thanked him before actually going to sit at the table. I backtracked around the edge of the cafeteria in order to avoid the majority of the animals while, again, minding where I walked. Small animals had it hard, always having to worry about being stepped on and not in the kinky way.

Once I made it to the lonely table, which now wasn't so lonely now that I was there, I placed the metallic tray parallel to Doc's, sitting down with a groan. I scratched my side, covering my mouth as I yawned.

"Excellent, I see you're learning," Doc said, taking a bite from a broccoli.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I guess," I didn't pay much attention, opting to focus on the steaming eggs. I grabbed the fork I'd gotten on the herbivore line, testing out the eggs' scrambleness.

"Incredible..." Doc added, becoming a little too invested in my meal.

"What?"

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I told you humans are omnivores."

"True, but even omnivores fall into one of two categories. But you..." he pulled out a notepad and a pen, clicking it open. I deadpanned at him, raising an eyebrow. "Go ahead, I'm just watching."

"That's the problem- you know what? Whatever," I began digging in, taking a small chunk of egg followed by bread and some salad, the multiple flavors exploding in my mouth like fireworks. I moaned in pleasure, and if you took that out of context, it would look very sus. Every food was decent on its own, but together they were magnificent. They complemented each other, teamwork does make the best work.

"Well? How is it?"

"Bruh, let me eat in peace," I said while munching, swallowing the food in my mouth. "It's good, ten out of ten would eat again," I took another bite, savoring every second of the meal. Doc scribbled down my answer, adding his own opinion on the matter. This was completely casual, imagine how they reacted when I told them about our "quirks".

Once I finished my meal I chugged the water, finishing with a satisfied sigh which was followed by a quiet burp. I muttered an excuse me, blushing in embarrassment. Luckily, no one else besides Doc had noticed.

"Well, now that you're done we-" a ringtone interrupted the moose, the catchy tune originating from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and answered it with a swipe to the right.

"Hello? We're in the cafeteria... just now... of course... alright, see you," he ended the call, standing up from the bench. "We need to go, they're getting impatient."

"I don't care, that shit was fire," I replied, taking my tray to the cart full of other dirty trays. I separated the utensils from the plate and bowl, placing each in their intended compartments. Doc did the same, though he was far quicker since he was used to doing it.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yup," I followed close behind, thinking of what they were going to do with me today. Another test? More questions about human history? Or better yet, a probe up my ass. Imagine if those films about aliens were true, only I'm the alien and I'm the one who's getting the anal treatment. Ha.

Anyway, I followed the moose out of the cafeteria into a different exit. For the thousandth time in the past week we passed corridors, corridors and more corridors. This place was like a maze, correction, it was a maze. A clever defensive measurement for any possible invaders, although the possibility of that was miniscule, non-existent. How would you- why would you try to break into a military base and mess with the government? Worse than walking into the lion's den, it was suicidal to even consider it.

After what seemed like forever of turning corners and intersections, we arrived at our destination; an interrogation room. The moose slid a card inside a port beside the door, a small dot turned from red to green with a beep signifying it was unlocked. However, Doc didn't go in.

"I apologize, you're on your own for this one," he averted his gaze, inspecting the floor as if it held the secrets of the past.

"Don't be dramatic, I'll be fine," but I appreciate your concern, it warms my heart. I liked the man, moose, man-moose. Is it a bird? A cloud? A plane? No! It's Mooseman! Tada da da dada, Mooseman!

I went into the room, the automatic door closing behind me without a sound. The room had a round table at the center, four cameras in each corner of the ceiling. There were two chairs opposing each other, one for me and the other for whoever requested my presence. At this point, who didn't want to? Isn't it funny how in one day I went from a nobody to being under the microscope twenty-four-seven? All because I survived the, the...

I shook my head to rid that, swallowing a lump that had formed in my throat. I took the opposite seat so I was facing the door. Although the chair was made from metal, it was padded with a soft fabric. Much better than the ones we had in school from plastic. And not the flexible kind, the hard kind, the one that makes your back itch and backbone burn after prolonged hours of usage.

I looked around the room some more, becoming bored after a few moments. I leaned back into the chair, humming the tune of a song that was permanently lost to time.

Time... time. Time is the true god. Time is cruel yet far. Time gives and takes. Time heals and kills. Time is time. Damn, I'm a poet now. To be or not to be? A random thought occurred to me; what am I going to do? All this time I've been going along with the flow, but what after? They can't keep me locked up for the rest of my life, right? And speaking of life-

Suddenly, I heard that same beep, the door unlocked to reveal someone I've never seen before; a dobermann. He was tall and slim, wearing a neat suit with a white tie. The moment he noticed me his expression softened, though it didn't take away any of the intimidation factor.

"John Price, age seventeen, species... human," the dobermann stated, approaching the opposite chair to me. He pulled the chair back and sat down, crossing his legs.

"Uh, who are you?"

"Oh, excuse me, I got carried away. My name is Tadeon Takade, I am the president of Yamoto. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he smiled, staring right into my eyes.

"Oh, wow. Uh, I- uh..." I didn't know how to respond to that. The president of this country was sitting right in front of me, smiling as if we were childhood friends or something. I broke into a cold sweat, grabbing the smooth fabric of my lower jumpsuit. "S-sorry, it's just a little..."

"Nerve Wracking? Impressing? Striking?"

"Weird..."

"Oh," he seemed disappointed for some reason. He cleared his throat before speaking again, "Do you find my appearance displeasing?"

"What? No! I mean- when do you ever get the chance to speak with the fucking president? Even if..."

"Yes?"

I didn't reply at first, sinking into my mind. But I pulled myself out in time, returning to the conversation. "You are aware of my... situation?"

"More or less."

"Do you realize how weird this is to me? I-I mean, talking animals! That's some fantasy type shit man, like, how?"

"Evolution, after thousands of years-"

"Dude, cut the bullshit. That's not what I meant, it's just… fuck, I don't even know anymore," I threw my hands in the air, leaning further into the chair. I didn't have the words to describe how I felt, or the courage.

"It's okay, I understand."

"No you don't," I quickly replied, my words blunt as a blunt.

"Excuse me?"

I didn't waste another second to retaliate, "How would you feel if everything was ripped away from you?"

"John-"

"How would you feel if your whole world was destroyed by a shit ton of radiation and you ended up in the future, where animals can talk and you're LOCKED UP IN A FUCKING LAB!" I finished, my breath heavy and unstable.

"..." the president didn't respond, his eyes locked on mine.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to scream pleasedon'thurtme-"

"It's alright, but don't raise your voice again, it's impolite."

"O-okay," I complied, authority carried in his voice. I didn't mean to lash out at him, it's just that... well, I think you understand by now. "So, what... what did you want with me?"

"Before you rudely interrupted me, I was about to offer you a way out of here."

"...what?" I didn't register what he said, it took a moment or two for my brain to process the information before spitting out a blind response.

"YES! PLEASE!" I begged, holding my hands together with my head on the table, whispering please over and over again.

"I can get you out of here on two condition," he added, a smirk creeping onto his face and a glint in his eyes.

"What is it?" I didn't care what it was, I wanted out and I wanted it now. I couldn't take anymore of this repetitive torture, I wanted to see the world, the real world. Screw this facility and everyone working here besides Doc. My heart leapt just imagining how much the world has changed, the president had me hooked on the deal in an instant.

Perhaps I should've considered my options before rushing head first.

I was currently hiding behind a curtain on a small stage. In front of me was the dobermann president giving a speech to the press; animals of varying species, colors and outfits. There were sceintists, military people and other animals from first-class society. There was a lion general with a glorious mane, an owl chatting with his collgeaues, a black panther sem-shouting into his phone.

Tadeon wore the same clean suit when we'd first met earlier in the day and I was donning one too. Black pants, white shirt, black lounge jacket, synthetic leather shoes and a red tie. I pushed my glasses up my nose with a middle finger finger, the sweat made them constantly slip down my face. I had a new pair made for me the day following my reawakening from high quality materials, anything to satisfy their little subject. Did I mention I hate P.E.? I still held a grudge for those experiments, not very cash money of them.

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, straightening my tie to keep my busy from what was to come. The president's deal was a simple one; I get relative freedom in exchange for a social experiment. What's that? More experiments? Oh boy, sign me up!

In all seriousness, I didn't mind going back to school. Education is important, but what I didn't agree with was starting from tenth grade or as he called it First Year. I was seventeen! Heck, I was supposed to be in twelfth grade, though I was supposed to be doing many other things. Not this.

Okay, you can do this. So what if there are- one, two, three, oh that's a lot of cameras- fuck. I was having second thoughts, maybe I should've stayed with Doc. Wait- Doc! You traitor! He was sitting in the second row eating peanuts with caramel, interesting choice- stay focused. Everything will be fine, everything-

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to call my personal friend to the stage; John Price!" The animals clapped, curious as to who the president was referring.

From his angle you could see me tightly grip the curtain, biting my lip in regret. He saw my hesitation and gave a single nod, mouthing the words "It's okay". I took a deep breath, there was no going back now. I took a shy step towards the light, a millimeter separating me from the view of the others.

I pushed the curtain aside, revealing myself to the cameras. As I made my way to the president's lectern all eyes were instantly glued on me, silence suffocating the mood. I tried my best to ignore them, but all it took was a glance to assess the damage; mouths were dropped, many whispered to each other in confusion and wonder, every camera followed me like the sights of a sniper.

I stopped behind the lectern, a dozen microphones of unknown companies and news stations on it. The president patted my back, but it did little to ease the rising pressure on my being.

"You can do this, you have nothing to fear," he whispered, leaving the stage. Easier said than done, dober-prick. I was in front of the whole world! I turned back to reply but he was a fair distance away. Before he disappeared behind the curtains he gave me a thumbs up, a toothy grin with white, sharp teeth and a wink.

I turned back to the press, none have said a single word yet. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I pulled at the collar of my suit, was it getting hotter or something? My breath hitched, my right leg was shaking with adrenaline.

In, and out. In, and out. Just… breathe. I repeated the action a couple times, though it did nothing to calm my mind. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to say something. I tapped one of the microphones, the sound echoed around the room.

"...Hello..." my voice came out somewhere between a casual tone to a whisper, my anxiety spiking to the max. "Um... I'm... I..." I had no idea what to say, my brain left on a vacation with a surfboard and a cracked coconut, sipping the juice with a straw while giving me the middle finger.

My thoughts were running wild, where to even start? I... I... I...

From the start.

"My name is Jonathan Price, but you can call me John. By the way the president is not my friend, I don't know what that was all about," I broke the ice, but the animals still kept gawking at me albeit more collected.

"I-"

"WHAT ARE YOU? ARE YOU A NEW SPECIE?!" A seagull shouted from the first row, a pen in one feathered hand and a note in the other. See? How did animals become like this? His arms also functioned as wings, how?! A matter for later, duly noted.

"I was getting to that, and no, I'm not a "new" specie, technically. Fuck, this...

...Do you want the truth? Upfront and dry? No bullshit?"

Every single animal nodded in unison, eager for the knowledge I held. Well, they asked for it.

"Somewhere- somewhen after the dinosaurs went extinct, but before your prehistory, we existed. Some of us speculated that we evolved from chimpanzees, or that God created us, or other crazy shit I don't remember. Uh... right, we're related to chimpanzees genetically, like ninety nine percent, the scientific name of our species is Homospaiens, or simply humans."

"HUMANS?!"

"What?! No way..."

"I thought they were fake!"

"Oh my god..."

The party just got a lot livelier. With a single word all the tension was replaced with chaos, non-stop questions thrown at me like baseballs, but I wasn't done. No, they wanted the truth? I'll give them the fucking truth.

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, and the quiet returned as quickly as it left.

"I wasn't done. Yes, I'm a human. But you're wrong, we existed."

"P-pardon?" A shy voice asked from the last rows, sparking something within me.

"The past tense of exist is existed, meaning we no longer exist," that's it, now you're getting it. "We existed for thousands of years, possibly as long as one hundred thousand. But... at the beginning of the twenty-first century, coincidentally the same as your calendar, something funny happened. Wanna know what it is?"

A kangaroo holding a camera over his shoulder nodded, a choice he would soon come to regret.

"The... the..." water began forming in my eyes, my legs felt weak as I recalled the EAS message. My theory wasn't just a theory, it was the truth. A pill that was difficult to swallow, but not impossible.

I swallowed hard, wiping away the tears before they had a chance to leave, "A sun flare hit Earth, it shut down all electronics around the world. And... it was too powerful. A third of the ozone layer dissipated and... we didn't go out in a bang, but a quiet whimper. If any of you watching at home still haven't figured it out; EVERYONE GOT CANCER AND FUCKING DIED!" I gripped the sides of the lectern until my knuckles turned white, locking my knees in place so I wouldn't fall.

"O-oh god..."

"N-no... no..."

I saw some of them began to tear up, the realization penetrating like a armor-piercing bullet.

"A-and you know what else? EIGHT BILLION! EIGHT FUCKING BILLION, GONE! And, and, and...

...I didn't even get a proper goodbye." The one I had with my parents before the agent took me was a light-hearted one, expecting to return a year later. Who would've known it'd be the last one.

"B-but wait, there's MORE! Before Earth turned into a fucking wasteland, the government pulled a two hundred IQ play by sending some of us who were frozen into space! A bazillion years passed and here I am! Oh... wow, that's pretty dark. Haha, I'm supposed to be dead, you know? But hey, I still haven't kicked the bucket, eh?" I chuckled, which devolved into sobbing and back to chuckling. That exchange went back and forth until I got tired of it, heaving a pained sigh. That felt good, letting everything out.

"And that's the story of my life-" Once again, the room became a mess, though it was far more depressing this time.

Most animals were either crying, hugging their friends for comfort or leaving the room. Perhaps I went a little overboard, but damn that felt great. At last, the crushing weight was lifted off my shoulders. I glanced back to see the president still behind the curtains, holding his hand over his mouth. The second he noticed me looking at him he turned away, escaping into the shadows.

I can't even begin to picture how the rest of this world reacted. But you know what really freaks me out? Besides the obvious, I mean.

The New World was so similar to the Old World, the New World being this one and the Old World being mine. Their technology resembled ours; phones, televisions, furniture, clothes. And what's even wilder is how their culture reminded me of Japan's. And even crazier was how I could speak their language but not read it. Once I made the scientists aware of that little problem they began teaching the basics every day, but my comprehension of their entire lexicon was rustier than an abandoned amusement park.

The world was so familiar yet so different, almost the same but not quite there. God, if you really exist, why? Just why? I don't get it man, is this some kind of joke to you? Don't answer that, not that you can or will.

Well, you know the saying; that's life.

I tapped a microphone to get everyone's attention again, almost everybody were over the emotional roller-coaster I'd put them through. They had so much sympathy towards me, I could tell. And it hurt, it indeed did. However, I didn't want nor need their pity. I had to live, just live. For my parents, that's the least I can do for them.

"Sooo... any questions?"

Author's Note:

Here's the fifth chapter, I tried a different style of writing with this one. I focused more on expressing emotions through the characters' actions and speech as well as painting the world from John's view point. I find it easier to use first person so I'll stick to that.

Notafurry69: Just a suggestion and questions, if there was a solar flare wouldn't it make sense that other space objects like the ISS or Earth orbiting satellites got thrown in as well?

Anyways lovely story so far hope to see more! Stay healthy!

Quoted from Wikipedia: "A solar flare is an intense localized eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere."

It means that strong enough waves are indeed capable of moving objects in the vacuum of space. In reality, Earth is too far from the Sun to be affected by them. But since this is fiction I decided to play around with the idea of total annihilation via Sun bitch-slapping Earth. For the sake of the plot, the solar flare was strong enough to kick the ozone layer's ass while not totally destabilizing Earth's orbit or the Moon's.

I could come up with many reasons and excuses to fill those "plot-holes", but I prefer to leave them for the reader. As I mentioned earlier, while writing I focused mainly on actions and dialogue. Tell me what you think about that, I'd really appreciate your feedback. I'm always looking for ways to improve and produce better chapters.

However, if by "thrown in" you meant mentioned, then I didn't think they were worth mentioning. If the government was collapsing, would they really mention in an EAS a bunch of astronauts in space? The situation on the ground would be a higher priority, unless the moon was somehow split into two. That's an interesting idea I'll keep in mind.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

Stay safe and hydrated.

-FacelessUser