Ashes of Tomorrow
Awakening in Ruins
When Tae opened his eyes, the sky was burning.
Dark smoke bled into the clouds, swallowing what was left of the sun. The air shimmered with heat, thick with the scent of ash and rust. Buildings leaned like dying giants, their bones creaking with every gust of wind.
He lay there on the cracked road for a while, staring at the flames. His ears rang faintly. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since the world went quiet. Or when he’d last cared.
When he finally sat up, dust fell from his hair in slow motion. His body ached in places he didn’t know could ache — but it wasn’t the pain that bothered him. It was the silence
Taehyung
…So this is still here (muttered, voice dry). Guess I’m harder to kill than expected
His tone carried no pride, no fear. Just tired amusement.
Single gust of wind rolled through the street, carrying faint groans — low, uneven, human but not quite. Tae turned his head lazily. In the distance, shapes stumbled through the smoke.
Taehyung
Zombies, (said flatly). Of course
He dusted himself off and stood. The world was empty, burned, and somehow boring
A flicker of light caught his eye — a broken glass panel from a fallen shop window. Tae walked over and peered into it.
His reflection stared back: pale skin smudged with soot, dark hair falling over dull eyes that didn’t look alive or dead. Just… tired.
He touched his chest. No heartbeat. No breath. But warmth still lingered under his skin. A contradiction. He shrugged.
Taehyung
Fine. I’ll call that an upgrade
The ground shifted behind him — a dragging sound. Tae turned as a zombie crawled from beneath a collapsed sign. Its jaw hung crooked, its skin gray and split. It hissed and lurched toward him.
Tae didn’t move until the last second. Then he sidestepped casually.
The creature stumbled past him, snarling. Tae kicked once — almost lazy — and the zombie flew into a wall, sliding down in silence
Taehyung
…Right. Definitely an upgrade
He began to walk. The city stretched endlessly, a maze of fire and echoes. Burned cars lined the streets like tombstones. No survivors. No voices. Just him.
He passed a half-burned poster on the wall — a smiling family advertising “A Better Future.” The faces had melted away. Tae’s gaze lingered for a moment before he moved on.
At some point, he noticed something strange. The heat, the smell, the chaos — all seemed to fade when he wasn’t paying attention. The world would blink, and he’d be standing somewhere quieter, cleaner.
It first happened when he sat beside a dead fountain to rest. He blinked — and the fountain was whole again. The air was cool. The ground unbroken. The same space, but untouched.
He blinked again. The ruins returned.
No voice explained it. No sign told him what it was.
Just two worlds, overlapping — one silent, one dying
Taehyung
(Exhaled slowly). Okay. Either I’m hallucinating or the world’s trying to give me a discount version of peace
He sat down in the empty version of the city — the quiet one — and leaned back against the fountain.
No wind. No sound. Just the rhythm of nothing.
For the first time since he woke up, his shoulders eased. His expression didn’t change, but the stillness felt… tolerable
He stared up at the faint blue sky above that fake, unbroken world and murmured
Taehyung
Maybe this isn’t hell after all
Then he closed his eyes.
And the world outside kept burning
Testing Power
When Tae woke again, the fire had died down
The world smelled like rust and rain — the kind that never really fell. Clouds rolled above, heavy and unmoving. He sat up slowly, stretching his arms with a faint pop in his shoulder.
He looked around. The same broken street. The same silence
Only one thing had changed: he wasn’t tired.
No hunger. No thirst. Not even the stiffness that came from sleeping on concrete.
Taehyung
Guess my body skipped human mode (murmured, rubbing his neck)
He stood and walked toward the nearest car — half-crushed, flipped sideways. His reflection in the window was dull and pale.
He frowned slightly, then placed a hand under the car’s frame and pushed.
Not with strain, but smoothly, like lifting a pillow. The vehicle rose off the ground until he stood holding it effortlessly.
Taehyung
(Stared at it, expression flat).
Okay. Definitely not human
He let go. The car slammed down with a heavy thud, the sound echoing down the street. Several groans answered — faint, distant.
Tae turned lazily as four figures stumbled out from behind a wrecked bus, dragging their limbs, moaning through broken throats.
Taehyung
Great, (sighed). Fans
He picked up a loose metal pipe and waited. The first zombie rushed at him, mouth wide. Tae swung once — the impact sent its head spinning off into the distance.
The rest hesitated, their slow brains catching up. Tae tilted his head, waiting
Taehyung
Come on, (muttered). Don’t make me chase you
They didn’t run. They never did. One grabbed his shoulder — he twisted, arm snapping the creature’s spine like a twig. Another lunged and managed to sink its teeth into his forearm
There was a wet sound. Tae looked down
The teeth had broken. His skin hadn’t even bruised.
Taehyung
(Raised an eyebrow). Huh
Then, without emotion, he drove the pipe through its skull and pushed the body aside
When the street finally went silent again, he leaned on the pipe, looking at his arm. The teeth marks faded almost instantly. No blood. No pain. Just smooth skin
Taehyung
Super strength. Regeneration. Bulletproof skin. (clicked his tongue softly). How cliché
He dropped the pipe and walked until he reached an empty intersection. A toppled traffic light lay across the road. Beyond it, the world seemed to shimmer faintly — like heat haze.
Tae blinked, and the ruins vanished
He was standing in the quiet place again — the “clean” version of the world. No fire. No blood. The air was clear, and the ground beneath his shoes felt real, almost comforting
He didn’t question how he got there. He just knew he could.
The first time had been an accident. Now it felt like choice. A thought — and he was here. Another — and he’d return
Tae crouched, scooped a handful of soil, and let it slip through his fingers.
Real. Solid. Not illusion
He glanced at the horizon. Endless green. No sound.
A place untouched by death.
Taehyung
…Convenient, (muttered). A world with no people and no noise. My kind of place
He lay down on the soft grass again, folding his arms behind his head. The air smelled faintly of rain, clean and light. His eyelids fluttered.
But something inside him stirred — not fear, not loneliness. Just… awareness.
He could live here forever. But even that thought felt heavy.
Taehyung
(Sat up, sighed softly, and looked at the empty sky).
Let’s not get sentimental
In an instant, the quiet world faded. The ruins returned — smoke, ash, firelight.
Tae stood exactly where he’d been, pipe still on the ground, bodies around him still cooling.
Taehyung
(Brushed dirt off his hands and said quietly),
Alright. Back to boredom.
Then he began walking again — no destination, no plan — just a silent figure moving through a world that refused to stay dead.
Boredom in the End
Days passed — or maybe weeks. Time didn’t really mean much anymore.
The world outside stayed the same: gray sky, broken streets, the sound of wind scraping through ruins. Nothing new. Nothing living.
Tae had stopped counting sunsets after the tenth one that looked identical
He sat on the edge of a collapsed bridge, kicking a piece of metal off the edge and watching it fall.
It clanged twice before the sound faded completely.
Taehyung
That’s entertainment number fifty-three (said blandly). Riveting
When the silence pressed too heavily on his chest, he slipped into that other place — the quiet space that obeyed no rule but his will.
The first time, it had been accidental. The second, curious.
Now, it was just habit.
Inside, the air was always fresh.
The sky was an endless soft blue.
And the world, though empty, didn’t rot.
It was strange — things stayed as they were. A tree he’d found once still stood tall, unmoving. Grass didn’t die. The soil never turned sour.
Tae had tested it one day — he planted a few seeds he’d scavenged from a ruined store: tomatoes, rice, something unrecognizable from a faded packet.
They all grew.
No water. No sunlight. Just… grew
It was unsettling.
And useful
Now, several rows of crops stood neatly in the grass — bright green against the emptiness. Tae sat nearby with a makeshift hoe and a bored expression.
Taehyung
You’d think surviving the apocalypse would be harder (muttered, brushing dirt from his gloves). But here I am, playing farmer in limbo
He stood, looked at his work, then crossed his arms. The plants swayed gently in the wind.
Taehyung
Not bad, (said to no one). Could open a market. Sell imaginary vegetables. Five apocalypse coins each
He huffed a small laugh — almost soundless
Sometimes, he’d return to the real world just to collect supplies — canned food, tools, batteries — anything that still worked. He’d bring them into the quiet space, building little piles around the field.
A metal pot. A lantern. Several boxes of instant noodles.
It looked ridiculous — a cozy apocalypse bunker in the middle of paradise.
When he was done, he sat beside his small stash and stared at nothing.
No voices. No footsteps. Just the steady hum of air.
He leaned back, resting his head against a crate of beans.
Taehyung
Peace and quiet, (murmured). Every introvert’s dream
Taehyung
...except maybe too quiet
A faint breeze rustled the grass — his only answer.
Taehyung
(Exhaled slowly). Even zombies have better social skills
The corner of his mouth twitched — not quite a smile, but close
He closed his eyes and listened to the stillness, letting it swallow him whole
Outside, the real world burned on — but inside his quiet haven, Tae lay still, surrounded by growing life in a world long dead.
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