Luke bolted upright with a gasp—pain exploded through his ribs, his vision swam, and he nearly collapsed again.


    Luke took in their surroundings. The air was still, heavy with the scent of rust and decay. The land stretched out, cracked and barren, littered with remnants of a world long lost. Skeletons of buildings loomed in the distance, their steel frames jutting into the sky like broken ribs. Some had crumbled entirely, swallowed by time and neglect.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The silence pressed down on them. There was no life here. No birds, no insects, not even the distant hum of wind turbines that once dotted the horizon. The world had been hollowed out, leaving only remnants of what used to be.