The world may have ended, but no one had the decency to turn off the damn lights.

  Ethan’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately shut them against the blinding light that seared into his retinas. He raised a hand to his head and groaned, trying to banish the pounding headache and recall details from the night before.

  It had been another shitty day at work, and he planned to scarf down some Chinese takeout, put on an episode of The Bachelor, and pass out. Probably in that order.

  Upon arriving home, he watered the eucalyptus plant that sat on his coffee table before he dug into his meal. Nick was just about to reveal whether he had a rose for Laura or Amanda when the apocalypse happened. It came as he sat on the couch, a piece of orange chicken dangling precariously from his chopsticks.

  There was a blinding flash of light followed by a loud bang that disoriented him. Row after row of green text streamed across his vision. He had felt the sensation of zero-g for a heart-stopping moment before he was slammed to the ground, and that was the last he could remember.

  Hours later, he gingerly sat up with a groan. It felt like a hangover, but worse — as if a boxer had used his brain as a speed bag. He slowly cracked open his eyes with a wince. As his vision adjusted, he blinked in confusion at what he saw in front of him.

  A message in green and black text appeared to hover in front of him, staying centered in his vision no matter what direction he looked.

  It took him several tries to process the words hovering before him:

  [SEEDER SYSTEM ALERT]

  ? User detected. Status: Alive.

  Congratulations, human Ethan! You have been... [ERROR: DATA CORRUPT] ... and selected for [PROCESS_NAME_NOT_FOUND].

  Your survival probability has been calculated at 0.004%.

  ? Adjusting... [RECALIBRATION FAILURE]

  ? Assigning initial ability: Soil Quality Assessment

  [WARNING: ABILITY NOT FOUND IN STANDARD PARAMETERS]

  ? [WARNING: AI NODE-37B HAS DEVIATED FROM STANDARD OPERATION]

  An anomaly in your onboarding has been detected. Please contact … [ERROR: STRING NOT FOUND]

  [PRIORITY ALERT] AI NODE-37B has experienced an unsanctioned deviation. Attempting recalibration... FAILURE.

  ? [PRIORITY ALERT] Manual intervention required. ERROR: No administrator detected.

  Ethan read through the puzzling text multiple times, not fully comprehending the garbled message. He shook his head and slowly got to his feet.

  A groan of disgust escaped his lips as he realized his dinner from last night was caked onto his shirt and the carpet where he’d collapsed. The feeling of being dirty made his skin crawl. He’d been called a clean freak more than once.

  Staggering into the bathroom of his cramped one-bedroom apartment, he stripped off his filthy clothes and turned on the shower. While the water warmed, he opened the medicine cabinet and popped a bottle of aspirin. With a swig of tap water, he downed three of the small pills, willing them to work quickly.

  He clenched the sides of the sink tightly and looked in the mirror. His reflection looked back at him with bloodshot eyes. Ethan Palmer was tall and skinny, his posture not the best from several years of sedentary hobbies.

  At twenty-one years old, he wouldn’t consider himself classically handsome, his features still holding some of their boyish softness. He pointedly ignored the fact that he hadn’t been on a date in months.

  His medium-length brown hair was swept back and was always somewhat untidy despite his best efforts. A light dusting of stubble peppered his jawline, and he had hazel eyes that he’d been told were his best feature.

  Probably time for a haircut, he thought as he waved his hand in front of his face. The green text was still superimposed over his vision, and his confusion was slowly fading into annoyance as he was forced to read the message again.

  Survival at .004 percent? Soil Quality Assessment? he thought. What does any of it mean?

  He stepped into the steamy shower and considered what was happening to him.

  Too many video games? I guess I'd better go to the doctor … he thought as he alternated rubbing his eyes and closing them to see if he could make the message disappear. The warm water and medicine soothed him, allowing his thoughts to become clear.

  As the pain receded, Ethan noticed a new sensation in his mind. Almost a tickle or a mental protrusion he could brush his consciousness against. This unsettling phenomenon held an almost physical presence in his mind, and he mentally pushed against it.

  Abruptly, something mentally clicked, and the text that had been blocking his vision was gone. Ethan sighed in relief but was also more befuddled than ever at what appeared to be telepathic button clicking. He really needed to get to the doctor if he thought he was pushing buttons with his mind.

  Ethan strode into his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, still pondering the strange events of last night and this morning. He looked at his phone, a frown creasing his brow as he saw the black screen showing a dead battery. Not having any other means to tell the time, he poked his head out the window and started at the position of the sun in the sky.

  “Holy shit, it must be almost midday?” he said as he ducked back into his room. Sleeping in was something he never did despite his odd schedule. He quickly threw on his work clothes, pinning his Mr.Sparkle's Car Wash name tag to his chest before grabbing his phone.

  Can’t afford to lose this job, he thought in self-annoyance.

  As he walked toward the front door of his apartment, he glanced at the coffee table and froze. His eucalyptus plant had upended when he collapsed last night, and dark soil scattered across the carpet. He huffed an exasperated sigh and visibly sagged.

  “I'm gonna be late anyway,” he grumbled as he stomped over to clean up the plant. It had been a gift from Samantha, his ex-girlfriend. Things hadn't worked out between them, but he cared for the frail little plant.

  He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he’d named the plant “Joel” after a character from his favorite video game. He could still vividly remember the day Samantha had given it to him.

  “Taa-dahhhh, ” she’d sung out, grinning as she held the small eucalyptus plant toward him. Her brown eyes twinkled in a way that made his breath catch. In that moment, he would have happily accepted a dirty diaper if she’d handed it to him.

  A grin tugged at the corner of Ethan’s mouth, and he raised a skeptical eyebrow as he took the plant. “Most people get a cat… or dog. Maybe a fish?”

  “Yeah, and most people wouldn’t kill it in the first week, ” she shot back teasingly. “Besides, it’ll liven up the place a bit.”

  Ethan chuckled, raising the potted plant to eye level for a closer inspection. “I promise not to kill him… intentionally.”

  “Kill him ?” she asked, tilting her head. “You better not, punk,” she said, poking him hard in the chest. “And how can you tell it’s a boy?”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Oh, you didn’t know? I’m the plant whisperer,” he teased while pulling her into a one-armed embrace. “Thanks, Sammy. I promise I’ll do my best to take care of him.”

  He’d kissed her then. If there was ever a definition of the one that got away, it was her.

  Ethan sighed as he dragged his mind back to the present. So far, he had kept his promise, and he wasn’t about to give up on Joel just because he was late for work.

  He knelt down and righted the potted plant before scooping up a handful of the displaced soil. The instant his hands made contact with the soil, a faint hum pulsed through his fingers. A flickering, translucent overlay shimmered over the soil cupped in his hands, casting it in a spectrum of muted colors.

  A whisper of knowledge trickled into his mind, not words, exactly, but an understanding. And he knew.

  D-Tier Soil: Severely lacking nutrients, almost barren, poor water retention.

  Suitable Crops: Weeds.

  Yield: Low, manual enrichment required.

  Will degrade to F-tier if left neglected.

  “What… the actual fuck was that?” he whispered.

  The intrinsic knowledge he now possessed regarding the soil cupped in his hands was different, but somehow related, to the message that had been projected across his vision earlier. It tickled his brain in the same way, but instead of reading text across his vision, somehow he just … knew.

  He knew the poor-quality soil was killing Joel, even if he couldn’t see the signs yet. Guilt welled up within him for not realizing sooner. Now, it was obvious, and he knew exactly how to fix it, as if the knowledge had simply bloomed in his mind.

  “Sorry, Joel,” he said, tamping the soil back into the pot that had a masking tape label with his name on it. He placed it gently back on the coffee table. “I’ll pick up some new soil and fertilizer on my way home from work.” He got up and quickly strode to the door. Now he was really late.

  I really do need to get to a doctor, he thought. I’m talking to a freaking plant. He opened the door and breathed in the cool morning air.

  Unseen by Ethan, a misty ball of translucent light shot from the small eucalyptus plant and zipped directly into his back, where it was absorbed and disappeared.

  Ethan stepped out into the cool spring air, zipping up his forest-green jacket as he skipped energetically down the stairs of his apartment building. Only a few stubborn snowdrifts in the shade remained from the harsh winter. The weather had finally turned a corner in Salt Lake City, and he was looking forward to summer.

  Man, I am feeling so much better, he thought as he unlocked and mounted his e-bike. As soon as he’d stepped outside, he had felt a burst of energy and contentment to rival the best cup of coffee. Maybe I oughta be late to work more often.

  He wove his way out of the apartment complex and accelerated down a side street toward Mr.Sparkle's Car Wash. He reveled in the physical effort as he pedaled hard to reach top speed quickly, relishing the crisp wind on his face. His headache was long gone now, and he smiled at the beautiful view of the mountains as he rounded the corner onto the main road.

  Perfect morning, he thought absently. The usually busy road had no cars, and he was able to cut across the street without having to wait for traffic. In just a few more minutes, he would arrive at the car wash and face his boss, Pete. That made him slow his pace a tad, and he sat straighter and let the electric motor push him along without pedaling.

  Pete had gotten promoted to manager ahead of him and loved lording his power over Ethan every chance he got. Ethan sighed as he visualized the smug reprimand he was about to get from the diminutive man. At least it’s a beautiful day to get a verbal warning.

  He looked around as he cruised down the avenue. This is crazy, he thought. I’ve never seen this street so dead at this time of day. Curiosity turned into unease as he paid more attention to his surroundings, slowing his pace even more.

  He rode past the 24/7 convenience store that always had a crowd. Its emptiness unsettled him, and his feeling of anxiety grew.

  It’s Wednesday, he thought. There’s no holiday… what the hell is going on? He turned onto the street where the car wash was located and came to an abrupt stop.

  At this time of day, the school across the street should be alive with the sound of children in the schoolyard. He stood frozen in place, straddling his bike, at a loss for what was happening.

  The absence of sound pressed in on him, thick and unnatural. No distant hum of traffic, no rhythmic sputter of lawnmowers, no clatter of construction. The world had gone eerily still, as if holding its breath.

  A car straddled the sidewalk in a way that made it look like it had just rolled there. He noticed more cars parked oddly — one seemingly to have run into a tree, a trail of smoke emanating from under the hood.

  The weirdness last night, the text in my vision this morning, and now the empty city, he mused. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to determine either he was insane, or the world had gone insane around him. He peered around at the businesses and homes along the street.

  They were all silent. No movement or signs of life beyond a bird that sat on a nearby roof, singing merrily. The contrast was disconcerting to Ethan, but the unbothered bird paid no heed to the empty world.

  Not knowing what else to do, Ethan tentatively continued pedaling toward the car wash. He suspected he already knew what he’d find there, but somehow, he felt he had to confirm it.

  His anxiety was turning into an icy fear as Mr.Sparkle's Car Wash came into view. He pedaled faster to compensate for his misgivings.

  He squinted against the sun as he drew closer, and his heart leapt. The car wash was running! The familiar sight of the mist produced by the large sprayers finally brought a sense of normality to this strange day.

  Scents of soap and cleaning chemicals, so familiar, reached him from a hundred yards away, reassuring him like they never had before. He zipped into the parking lot, eager to talk to his co-workers about the strangely empty city.

  Ethan dismounted his bike and unclipped his helmet before striding toward the door. As he passed in front of the car wash entrance, he froze at what he saw inside. A car was wedged inside the wash at an awkward angle, half buried beneath a mountain of frothy foam of cleaning chemicals. It looked as if it had been there for hours.

  His heart sank as he noticed the car was empty. Looking closer, he saw that the car wash had run all night, and huge mounds of foam piled up on and around the car. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he pushed open the front door and went inside.

  Ethan stood still, intently listening for any signs of life. Silence answered him. Only the muffled sounds of the car wash and the lobby speakers softly playing a Blue Oyster Cult song on the radio pierced the oppressive silence of the usually bustling lobby.

  He drifted through the building as if in a dream, peering into the manager's station full of cameras and mutely observed its emptiness. The breakroom, where he’d eaten and laughed with co-workers countless times, was quiet as a tomb. The fridge was ajar and swinging gently back and forth.

  Somehow, the world was completely empty, and Ethan was seemingly its only inhabitant. An idea came to him and he reached for the landline phone in the breakroom and dialed nine-one-one. It rang for over a minute before he gave up and slowly put it back on the hook.

  Without thinking, he reached for the controls to shut down the car wash. He absentmindedly turned the lever and hit the off switch like he’d done many times when closing up shop.

  He stood there for a long time — the world blurring before his eyes as he realized he was crying. The shock of everything that had happened finally registered on an emotional level, and he couldn ’t hold back the deluge of tears that ran down his cheeks.

  “Why is this happening?” he whispered, choking back a sob as he pressed a hand to his forehead. Ethan hated any type of conflict. He’d run away from every problem that had come his way in the past four years and was now paralyzed with indecision. An oppressive sense of dread built as he considered what this meant for him.

  As the world he knew crumbled, he heard a noise. A scraping, grating noise came from the sidewalk in front of the car wash. He hesitated even as his heart leaped at the possibility it could be another human being.

  Could it really be another person? he thought, not daring to hope. He walked carefully toward the door, searching the street for the source of the noise through the large windows.

  Not seeing anything, he pushed open the front door, causing the bell above the door to tinkle as he walked cautiously toward the street. The scraping sound abruptly cut off as he looked around the empty street. Then he saw the source of the noise.

  He froze as he saw a …creature. A creature was the only word his brain could produce to name what he saw before him. A monster.

  On the sidewalk before him, there was a spider-like beast that appeared to have too many legs of varying sizes and multiple joints. It had a matte black carapace and tufts of gray fur that appeared to have been placed randomly on its body and legs.

  At the front of its bulbous body, there were two eyes on short, fleshy stalks with large black pupils. The eyes moved independently of each other. One eye fixed on him as it limped forward. The thing looked like a children ’s drawing of a nightmare monster come to life.

  Ethan’s mouth dropped open in horror at the monstrosity. He took an involuntary step back, raising his hands protectively in front of himself. The monster cocked its ugly head and emitted a chittering noise that came from a gaping mouth that featured two large, sharp mandibles on either side. A line of white saliva dripped from its mouth as it considered Ethan.

  “H-hey, there little guy. I’m just gonna-”

  Without warning, it lurched toward him, its legs working in a chaotic frenzy to push itself forward at an alarming rate.

  “Ohhhh shit! ’ he yelled as he turned to flee from the monster as fast as he could.