Welcome to Destiny, where only the fittest survive. Population: 1

The hand carved sign on the outskirts of town was the first indication that others had survived in the post apocalyptic world that had become the new reality. After trudging across the deserted wasteland for days, I had begun to believe no one else survived. It felt like the world’s population had been eliminated.

Sand stretched out towards the horizon in every direction with a few stone hovels placed sporadically across the landscape. The homes served as a reminder that others once resided in the now abandoned area. Maybe they were the smart ones who knew something about the inhospitable region and vacated to search for a better life elsewhere. Maybe they weren’t fit enough to survive and died just trying to live.

Whatever generational knowledge existed prior to my arrival was lost, aside from the hieroglyphics drawn inside one of the stone structures. There were stick figures with four legged companions, and a horned animal that might have been a goat. Translation was impossible so I couldn’t be certain whether the drawings told a story or if they were incomprehensible doodles of a mind devoid of sanity.

Aside from the havoc to my sinuses, the arid desert air was a welcome change from the acrid fumes and perpetually disgruntled people that once lived in the crowded, overpopulated cities. It was a lifestyle I was glad to leave behind. After technology dictated happiness, it was time to unplug and start over. The desolate environment that now existed may have been an extreme correction but at least it provided the opportunity to do things different. The reset button had been pushed. It was up to mankind to do better this time around. If, that is, anyone else survived the restart.

I searched through the surrounding buildings and inventoried the supplies. Ransacked shipping containers with second hand remnants littered each dwelling. Most of the items seemed worthless in the desert, such as gardening tools and vegetable seeds. What others considered trash, I knew to be treasure. Farming was difficult in this climate but not impossible. The items found provided a glimmer of hope.

No other signs of life were found but there also was no evidence of death. Neither animal nor human remains, or any grave markers were anywhere at the compound. Even if everyone had relocated to another area, there should have been some indication that someone died at some point in the town’s history. Instead, it appeared that every living creature had vaporized. For better or for worse, I was alone, the only citizen in a population of one.

It was as if civilization was starting anew and the challenge of building a new world was left up to me. I was Adam living far removed from Eve in my own dystopian garden.