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Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.

Posted in Science Fiction on Jul 10, 2021

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✍️ 133 stories

Mourning the Wrong Man

Submitted to Contest #90

“... and then you push the shovel down with your foot nicely into the snow, lift and throw,” said Dmitry, illustrating the steps involved in digging a grave in the snow.Aisha shuddered as she glanced at the motionless body fifty feet away. She wondered whether it belonged to a man or a woman, old or young. It was hard to tell with the many layers of winter clothing, the gloves and the cap.“Let me dig for a little while,” she said to avoid thinking about the task she was involved in.“Okay, here you go.”Dmitry handed the shovel to Aisha and sa...

157 likes 101 comments 101
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Dandelion Wishes

Submitted to Contest #90

Nothing survives the air,Nothing except the tin metallic bones threaded through our heartsto help us breathe in tune with the skyWe’ve become machines, the blood parts of us belonging only to the airSometimes, I wonder if the air is already inside,clogging our minds with hopeless dreams of a shambled future. I don’t know how she laughs with the oxygen mask,tubes and wires and a cart attached to her tiny frameEach time she smiles, the fog shields her from her breath,but Ru always smiles and laughs,an emotion the rest of the world has for...

88 likes 43 comments 43
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Clark and Lake

Submitted to Contest #90

“What now Agostania? What could possibly…” I stopped in horror as the lower half of her jaw exploded into my face and splattered on the wall behind us. The contents of this morning’s ten year old canned ravioli poured out of my mouth and onto the ground. The wall behind me exploded with gunfire as I dove to the ground. The front of my shirt was now coated with blood and vomit. The smell threatened to remove more of the contents of my empty stomach, if it could. I pushed myself to my feet as quickly as I could and dove behind the dumpster Ago...

71 likes 7 comments 7
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The Perfect World Pt.1 (The Spark)

Submitted to Contest #90

 PART ONE:The fire leaps and dances, reaching for the clouded splash of stars that glitter above us. Mamma combs through my short hair with her gentle fingers, her soft breathing the only sound that reaches me in the dark. One of my sisters sleeping faces is illuminated by a spurt of flame, and I notice how peaceful she looks, her worn face smoothed by pleasant dreams, or by the fragrance of the nearby water lilies. It happened only months ago, but it seems like years… It wasn’t gradual, not something for our great-great-grandchild...

66 likes 33 comments 33
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On The Surface

Submitted to Contest #90

All I remember from April 7th, 2008, was the loud crash followed by the sounds of my mother screaming. All I remember was my dad getting my sister and I to a small jet that took us to who knows where. All I remember was running into the small bunker, being frightened and worried.In the year of 2008, we were already having climate change really bad. Terrorists had released a bad chemical into the air, causing the climate to change significantly. Places that were usually super hot, now had icebergs and snow that appeared overnight. Places that...

56 likes 10 comments 10
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New Horizons

Submitted to Contest #90

Galaxy: Idurne 134,  Star: Ignatius,  Space-Station 3459,  Nearest Planet: Certiorari. E-14 entered the station, her shoulders drooped and sweat covering her temple. She slugged to the bar. Her eyebrows were slightly creased, and her face contorted in a frown. She was tired of this. The star was going to explode any time now.  E-14 walked towards the counter. "Can I get Cranella Juice, please? No crest." The server nodded and started making her order.  "You seem tired. " E-14 smiled. "What gives?" The server pointe...

40 likes 5 comments 5
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The last Strawberries on earth

Shortlisted for Contest #90 ⭐️

I first see him stumbling through the junk, tripping over jutting pieces, barely remaining upright as a Collector pushes him forward. He’s clearly not used to walking in the gear, his heavy boots catching on scattered debris, his shoulders hunched with the weight of it. His gloved hands keep reaching for the face mask, but he doesn’t have the dexterity to undo it as he goes. Luckily. Right before he reaches my sector, the inevitable happens. I watch in slow motion as he miscalculates a step and lifts his thick-soled foot too little, lurching...

40 likes 18 comments 18
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The Ice Days

Submitted to Contest #90

      When the sun disappeared, so did we. I wish I could have told my mother goodbye. I wish I could have seen this coming in some sort of spiritual prophecy. But truth be told, no one saw it coming. Not even god.            Sometime last June the cold set in. I don’t exactly remember what day, because all days became non-essential. I’m not even sure if calling it a day, is proper terminology anymore. The sun left us to the cold bitterling of the moon. I us...

38 likes 20 comments 20
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Shaanxi Earthquake

Submitted to Contest #90

Violent winds and roaring thunder would slice down any trees in its path. Cars would be crushed, homes would be destroyed, and some weren’t able to evacuate in time. Lucy was one of those unfortunate families. They were forced to watch the news, which warned them that the most dangerous earthquake in history would be appearing in China. Although China was one of the wealthiest nations, 60% of the population was expected to be wiped out. It was only a matter of time before the storm would come, in fact, they only had a day to prepare. Lucy’s ...

36 likes 6 comments 6
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Dinner

Submitted to Contest #90

“I’ll be back as quickly as possible”“Just find something to eat.”“I will.”“Please.”“I will.”“I can’t continue like this.”“I know.”“We are starving to death.”, these days Aiya’s words were persistently muted by tears. She was too dehydrated for real tears, but they were still there, nonetheless, choking her thoughts and squeezing her heart.The baby was quiet, suckling on her tiny languid breast. Kai looked at them one last time before leaving and wondered how there could be anything left for the baby to drink in this depleted skin.Things had...

35 likes 8 comments 8
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We Are the Revolution

Submitted to Contest #90

Books have always spoken about zombie apocalypses, alien invasions and a million other fantastical threats. But the climate apocalypse? Did people even know it was actually much closer than they thought? I didn't think so. In 2080, you didn’t pass a minute without hearing something about the climate crisis, about the way things were going for a toss, and how in less than twenty years, earth was going to become uninhabitable. We tried our best with the latest technology, but technology could only do so much. We should have prepared for it ear...

32 likes 20 comments 20
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The Weather Station

Submitted to Contest #90

George Mosse acknowledged it was time to leave when he discovered his back garden fence had vanished. Today he’d sail back to the mainland and afterwards they’d demolish his home of thirty years. He wasn’t the first person to work on Muskeget Island, however he’d be its last human inhabitant.  # George’s last morning started as normal. His radio-alarm woke him at six-thirty. A placid voice greeted him with the shipping forecast for the eastern seaboard.  The reassuring tone never altered, regardless of the incoming weather. The pre...

29 likes 0 comments 0
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Everything We Do Not Know aka Wild and Lawless

Submitted to Contest #90

I haven't seen one of those in a long time, thought the ant as it jetted back to its layer on the burning desert sand. It watched as a bonny boy with pale dark skin bent over a small puddle of water. It’s alone, thought the ant. Its journey back to its nest consisted of constantly looking for a broken dried-up branch to take shelter under for a few seconds. The ants had developed a special mucus which they excreted to cool themselves down whenever they went hunting for food. Under a makeshift shade, they would blow at their miniscule legs to...

27 likes 3 comments 3
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I Warned Them

Submitted to Contest #90

"Death is the solution to all problems. No man – no problems…" –––––––––––––––––––– The wind howls as the storm only grows, expressing its rage and anger for what we did to it. My windows and doors are boarded, of course. I’m no stranger to category seven storms. They’re as frequent now, normal as the rising of the tides. I pace around the living room, in a fit of nervousness. I tried to warn them… I said it over and over and over again. I pleaded dozens of times. But did they listen? Of course, not. Why would they listen to the only ...

26 likes 7 comments 7
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SEEDING

Submitted to Contest #90

Someone is unplugging the trees. I got the call this morning. The voice was smeared over the phone, ice black and crawling with static, someone is unplugging the trees, it’s serious, really serious, we need you out there, now. I am standing in a sea of dark metal. The trees go on for miles, following the arch and pull of the mountains, softly humming. Or they’re supposed to be humming. They’re supposed to be flickering light and turning their engines, drinking through their cords, giving us oxygen. But the trees surrounding me are dark. S...

26 likes 1 comment 1
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