Once in a blue moon as the moonlight reflects off the rippling waves, glittering like stars in a silk sky, I feel the thread between worlds loosen. Gaps in the seams. I wade in, slowly at first, unsure, then, I press onward. I let the waves overcome me and visions fly before my deep eyes of moonlit hue. When I wake, I know neither if I am a man or a god, dead or alive, or if the world before me is even real. All I see are Remnants of worlds fallen, so that is what they call me, Remnant, Chronicler of Lives Lost. 

I could scarcely see through my thick mask. Five inches of plastic sat between my eyes and the world before me. I couldn't breathe either. Rubber and metal extended from my nose down over my mouth and a little past my chin. The lenses fogged as I exhaled my warm breath. I had started sweating and the mask suctioned to my cheeks.

 

It was dangerously hot out. I was wrapped in a long brown cloak. It had innumerable tears and holes in it. The cloak covered my whole body and a small hood sat over my head. The only portion of my body visible was my eyes through the thick goggles. Even my hands were in solid, black rubber gloves and my feet in black rubber boots. The wind howled and my trailing cloak whipped about behind me, slashing at the dust beneath my feet. 

 

Yes, dust. Not sand or dirt, although it might have been considered sand. A dead sand. A long dead sand. I looked around at my world. The thought of what once was saddened me. For the present, the world has changed. 

In the distance, something poked up out of the "sand". I rushed over to it, lightly jumping off of the last remains of a car. As I approached, I saw what it was and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a human skull. I immediately picked it up and examined it.

 

I was right. Some organic matter had survived the blast. Well...organic matter outside of the Oasis. The skull turned to "sand" and fell to the ground. In the "sand" beneath me, I noticed a mask, similar to mine, but the lenses were shattered. The cause of death had been determined. How had the skull survived this long? It should have disintegrated along with its owner. 

 

Then, I heard a crash behind me. Something had just moved through the rubble. I unsheathed my makeshift pike from under the deep folds of my tattered cloak. I heard another metallic rustle and turned in the direction. A grotesque, grayish white creature pounced at me.

 

I thrust my pike into its stomach. It went limp and slid down the rest of the shaft. Its underbelly pressed against my hand. I turned my pike towards the ground and the creature slid down to the ground. 

 

Alas, this was the only animal I knew. No birds chirped, no dogs barked, these things, which I have dubbed Captillians, are all that walk...apart from myself. I looked at the heap of thin flesh on the ground before me. It was the same grayish white color all over. It ran on all four scrawny limbs with jagged claws at each foot. Its head was a bubble positioned directly against its shoulders. There was no neck. This bubble of a head had no eyes, only a gaping mouth that stretched across the entire front. Its skin was incredibly thin. From its forehead, I could see the top of its skull and bones protruded from the rest of the body. There was no visible muscle. The skin seemed to attach directly to the bone and cling there. Perhaps it was from malnutrition.

 

The attack did not frighten me. I had become accustomed to them. What did startle me was the figure I noticed in the distance as I was peeling the flesh off of my kill. Yes, this creature was the very reason why I left the Oasis each day. It was the only organic, edible material left. Unless, I wanted to chew off my own flesh, which had often been a thought...among other gruesome ones.

 

I dropped my kill and placed my dagger back in my satchel, made from layers and layers of Captillian hide. I picked up my pike from beside me, stood up, and walked in the direction of this figure. It was human...oid...at least. Everything around me had recently begun to look a little hazy. It saw me and darted off.

 

By now, you might be wondering where I really am. I guess I should probably say...or maybe not. If you were to find this journal, I'd say everything here will have decomposed and joined the "sand". But, I will anyway.

 

I live in the Oasis. A little, tiny, walled-in area on the outskirts of Unity City. The walls were made of metal, but have slowly been replaced with scraps and there is a plastic dome that covers the entire top of the area. The dome is by far the most important part. It has, built within the plastic layers, chlorophyll. You could say it's like a transparent leaf. Anyway, it absorbs sunlight and sends oxygen into the Oasis and carbon dioxide out into the atmosphere.

 

This is the only place in which I can remove my "exploration suit" and mask. This is also where I eat. If I were to have any skin whatsoever exposed outside of the Oasis, the radiation would immediately destroy me and I would be nothing more than "sand". 

 

Now, Unity City is the remains of the largest city on earth. Many centuries ago, a brilliant scientist figured out a way to reverse continental drift and recreate Pangea, which she renamed Pangium. Thus, Unity Tower was built at the exact center of what would be Pangium. The tower was essentially a magnet that pulled at the metals from all the continents and brought them towards it. This process was much faster than natural continental drift and only took about a century. Alas, the brilliant scientist, whose name has been lost to time, was no longer alive to see her creation take shape. 

 

After a few years, however, the Tower started overheating. This gave the government of Unity City only a few decades to relocate ninety-five percent of the population. Therefore, they excavated a massive cavern that covered the same area as Unity City. Then, they recreated all of Unity City down below in the cavern. Most of the people had been evacuated underground, but the tower blew before all could be moved. 

The entire city was left in ruin and all life across the surface of Pangium, which is the only surface on earth, was destroyed. 

 

You may be wondering how I managed to survive. You see, I also knew of the Tower's faults and decided to create the Oasis. I managed to gather a small community of people and relocate them to the Oasis. Knowing of how dangerous the world would be after, I designed suits, like my own, to protect us. This was many years ago. Sadly, all residents either decided to "explore" or simply starved to death. I had taken in too many and our rations depleted faster than expected. I was the last survivor of the world above...until today.

 

I saw someone in the distance, I know I did. And I will find them. I shall leave my journal here, in the Oasis, for I fear I may not return. If you find this, never let any of this happen again...farewell.

Over time, the Oasis fell, and one by one, buildings fell too. The Journal of the Last fell to the ground, where it was buried in the "sand"...

 

When I wake, I trace my finger through the stars, recording what I have seen, so man never forgets what has been and what might be.