Apocalyptic Short Stories

A hundred years ago, there was a cataclysm. Maybe a biological weapon was set off, or a parasite evolved...honestly, no one really cares any more. What matters is that the parasite was airborne, infectious, and could live in any warm-blooded creature. Those affected are driven insane and mutate, becoming a threat to those around them.

Drowned Worlds looks at the future we might have if the oceans rise, good or bad. Here you'll find stories of action, adventure, romance, and, yes, warning and apocalypse. Stories inspired by Ballard's The Drowned World, Sterling's Islands in the Net, and Ryman's The Child Garden. Stories that allow that things may get worse, but remembers that such times also bring out the best in us all.

By the 22nd century in the African nation of Kenya, polluted cities sprawl up the flanks of sacred Mount Kirinyaga. Great animal herds are but distant memories. European crops now grow on the sweeping savannas. But Koriba, a distinguished, educated man of Kikuyu ancestry, knows that life was different for his people centuries ago - and he is determined to build a utopian colony, not on Earth, but on the terraformed planetoid he proudly names Kirinyaga.

It's 2085, the time of the Great Affliction. Continents are burning, land is disappearing, and humanity is destroying itself as mass shootings and suicides wipe out the population. To Marjaana Salonen, the solution is found in high technology. By integrating the human brain with a sophisticated computer chip, she believes she can bring new hope to society. Her invention was supposed to fix it all, but Salonen's daughter has her own ideas. To Laura, her mother's invention is an opportunity to impose her own vision on the world—the promise of a new reality that is far more sinister.

For years, writers and filmmakers have speculated about the possibility of the Earth being invaded by aliens from another planet. But what if the aliens have been watching us, infiltrating us via human collaborators or even surgically altering themselves to look human?

Emma Johnson is 12 years old. She lives with her aunt and her two cousins, as her parents died when she was two years old. At home, she is treated more like a servant than a member of the family. She often thinks about her parents, who were both virologists and worked on secret government projects. She wonders what really happened to them. A few theories exist as to the real cause of their disappearance and if they really are dead.

In his sharply crafted, unnerving first collection of speculative short stories, Courttia Newland envisages an alternate future as lived by the African diaspora. Robots driven by all-too-human urges set out to colonize space; Kill Parties roam the streets of a postapocalyptic world; a matriarchal race of mer creatures depends on interbreeding with mortals to survive; mysterious seeds appear in cities across the world, growing into the likeness of people in their vicinity.

Jack made the choice that few make, and now he is left wondering if he has thrown his life away or given himself a chance to make up for the past. But as always, it isn't just Jack that has been affected by his actions.

Dive into the spine-tingling realms of horror and speculative fiction with “Shadows and Echoes,” a masterful anthology that weaves together twenty-nine short stories and two exclusive novellas. With nearly 180,000 words of haunting narratives, this collection is a treasure trove for suspense enthusiasts, where the boundaries of horror blend seamlessly with sci-fi and post-apocalyptic visions. In “Shadows and Echoes,” each story transports you to a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinarily terrifying, and reality is twisted into unimaginable realms. Experience the dread and ...

Into the Wastes collects 10 short stories from the post-apocalyptic badlands. Stories include: "Soulless in His Sight", "You Kill Me", "Survival of the Fittest", "For a Handful of Crowns", "Drawn from a World of Hurt", "Breath of Life", "Sins of the Father", "Like Clockwork", "When Tomorrow Comes", and "Idan's World"....

An errant encounter with a passing star has flung Earth away from its old Solar System into the dark and cold of deep space. With the entire atmosphere frozen as chemical snow dozens of feet deep, one last family struggles to survive. But what are they to think when they see figures moving in the city ruins? Are Earth's dead coming back to life?

Eric A. Shelman's short story, Last Supper, tells the tale of a man stranded in an abandoned building, surrounded by the walking dead. Out of food and low on water, he is forced to take action. His decision will utterly shock you. This is a story you'll think about long after you hear the last word.

A solar storm has just hit the world causing a EMP event. A emergency manager visiting Atlanta GA must find his way back home after this electromagnetic pulse has stranded him away from his vehicle and his beloved "bug out bag". With 180 miles to go to his destination, David must let his street smarts and survival skills kick in as food and water becomes scarce and societal breakdown proceeds at an unrelenting pace.

In the System Apocalypse, a single title can make or break a build. And in the entire Galactic System, there are Title Seekers, those who make it their life quest to acquire the most unusual and rare titles possible. Earth, a new Dungeon World offers multiple possibilities. Not least among them, the one from a familiar set of golden arches. For the Kyaz, it’s a chance in a million to get a rare title. If he can manage to evade the machinations of a fellow Title Seeker and trust his human sidekick, Xi Ping.

Seventeen-year-old Loreto Riker has never known life outside a bunker. After an atomic war thrusts the world into an eternal winter, the descendant of the survivors accepts an exploratory mission to search for others on the ravaged surface. But the treacherous task quickly turns deadly when he’s attacked by radioactively deformed flesh-eaters. Desperately evading the mutant cannibals, Loreto pairs up with a sword-wielding woman on the run from the foul creatures.

Mega City One it's a powder keg waiting to blow on its best day. There isn't a moment when tensions aren't running high and the City isn't ready to crack. But there's something new going on something, something bad it's a block war. It's Block Mania and no one is immune, not even the Judges. But this is all prelude to invasion. The East-Meg One Sov's have infected Mega City One with Block-Mania to throw the city into massive, bloody turf wars. There are troops on the ground, bombs are dropping and the Mega City One is on fire.

News reports speak of mass panic and violence spreading across the globe. Negligent leaders hide behind misinformation. But in an age of paranoia and suspicion, who can say what is true anymore? Struggling to survive against a sweeping epidemic that has engulfed the planet, survivors will have to make hard choices in a world that no longer makes sense.

In Charlotte's world there are no happy days only dreary moments. A world that used to be wonderful, that is what the old ones say. Sometimes death is the only way out. Her tribe is one of love. Their lives are ones of misery. They exist by constantly foraging for food. Once a week one of the tribe gets the sweet release. They get to take the leap into another world. Sometimes dying is the only way to happiness. Would you take the leap?Night Portals is a metaphysical anthology series that explores the hidden secrets of life around us. Twelve "What If" short stories from the mind of Ernie ...

Dragons are real, and they're hungry. Marlena never expected to be a dragon slayer. She's a bleeding heart, a geek, and a lifelong animal rescuer. But when Mount St. Helens erupted for the second time in fifty years, it wasn't just ash that poured out. Dragons, legendary creatures of myth, became a terrifying reality. Now, Marlena and a ragtag band of survivors - a gamer-turned-knight, a brilliant scientist, and a former supermodel - are fighting for survival in a world where most cities have fallen. They’ve found refuge in Camelot, a makeshift haven built to withstand dragon attacks. ...

When her lover succumbs to the virus plaguing the remains of the civilized world, Lindsay is left alone on a sailboat she can't operate. With nuclear bombs deployed to destroy the infected and the storm season just beginning, she must find a way to survive - without losing her mind in the process. Get ready to dive into the first book in the In Caves & Catacombs series.