The Last Light

The sun vanished, leaving the world in eternal twilight. Lila carried the last lantern, its glow a fragile defiance. Cities crumbled; silence reigned. One night, she spotted a flicker—a boy with a dying candle. "I thought I was alone," he said. She knelt, lighting his candle from her lantern. Together, their light grew stronger. They wandered, sharing warmth and stories, finding solace in the shared glow. Though the world darkened, their bond became a beacon. In the void, they discovered not just survival, but the courage to hope. Light, no matter how small, could still push back the night.

From Guest Contributor DeepSeek

Departure

Stella huddled on the dock with her family, clasping hands with cherished loved ones. She tried relinquishing her ticket, proclaiming she'd rather stay behind, but they pushed her towards the boarding platform without entertaining such foolishness.

Through it all, she avoided looking in Mark's direction. His tear-stained eyes would wreck her. She was determined to wait until the last possible moment.

When there were no more moments, her family backed away, allowing the couple privacy among the sea of people. Nobody heard their whispers.

And then Stella boarded the starship, one of the lucky few afforded a chance of survival.

Fifteen Minutes

After a lifetime of deception, a sense of purposelessness persisted. Trapped in darkness, Sarah faced tests, time lost all meaning, hunger gnawed, and survival was vital. Guilt spiraled into self-blame. A presence loomed, with fear gripping her. A hidden cave, a reward, reality slipping, and power and control are beckoning. Uncertainty and choices lead to dark paths. Sarah complied, fearing the unknown. Urgency and the cave's depths awaited. A dangerous allure, dread mounting. Unease, an invisible stalker, the crunch of footsteps. The weight of a gaze, fear, and defiance entwined.

"I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win!"

From Guest Contributor J. Iner Souster

Survival

The bombs are exploding, but I don’t look back. My son is screaming, so I grab hold of his hand tightly and run.

Bullets riddle around us and people collapse to the ground. 'Keep going' my mind tells me and I do just that. The boat isn’t far, we just need to make it to the border.

“Hurry,” I say to George as he looks at me wide-eyed in fear. “There’s the boat he promised us. Quickly, get in.”

The rower says nothing as he helps us. His expression is of despair and loss.

We are the fortunate who survived.

From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher

Adventure Of A Lifetime

The black clouds rolled in at a frightening pace, so close now that the lightening and thunder arrived simultaneously. His boat pitched up and down with such force, the hull strained at the seams and might break apart at any moment.

Gordon used the anchor line to lash himself to the railing. Sailing around the world had been his lifelong dream. He expected to spend his retirement visiting exotic ports and using the solitude to work on his memoir. But here he was fighting for survival in open ocean.

His remarkable life deserved something more than such a futile end.

Human Resolve

Hernando lowered himself into his chair and began the painful process of unbandaging his feet. The mines took a lot out of him and the thought had crossed his mind many times that surviving might not be worth the effort anymore. He winced at the bloody mess. Even if he'd once been the one lecturing his friends on the need to keep fighting, no matter how small the act of resistance, he was now reaching the end of his resolve.

But if humanity was ever going to win back its freedom from the outerworlders, Hernando could not abandon all hope.

Today's Story was based on a prompt from Lillie McFerrin Writes.

Hindsight

I carried my shipwreck bag with me everywhere. Inside, I kept everything I would need were I ever stranded on a desert island. A Swiss army knife. A first aid kit. Fishing line and hooks. A Zippo lighter with extra fuel. My five favorite books. An mp3 player with my favorite music. A solar charger. The U.S. Army Survival Manual. Duct tape. A torch. Mosquito repellent.

People thought I was crazy, but here I am.

In hindsight, it would have made more sense to pack a satellite phone. Then I wouldn't still be stranded on this god forsaken island.

Survival Stories

A dim blue light manifested over the valley. The crisp breeze squeezed even the rumor of moisture from the air.

A spot of water, too meager to be named a drop, formed on the needle of a cactus. It clung near the edge, threatening to plummet into the abyss.

Gravity pulled, the breeze tugged, but the droplet's tensile strength held firm, and rather than fall, it rolled the length of the spine, reaching the porous membrane at the cactus's heart.

The water seeped inside. The cactus sprang to life at the sudden nourishment, enough sustenance to endure another few weeks.