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The end began inauspiciously with a chance collision that foreshadowed a larger collision to
come. The asteroid as yet had no name; one of a million pieces of space debris that lived out
among the Oort Clouds at the edge of the Solar System. Its peaceful existence was shattered by a
small rock, the size and composition of a snowball travelling at tremendous speeds. In a classic
example of Newtonian physics, the energy of the smaller rock was transferred and incorporated
into the orbit of the larger asteroid. Mankind’s fate was thus sealed.
I. An Ill Omen
Dex began his journey with a bad attitude. The village was beset with rumours that a choice
parcel of land lay fallow at the northern edge of the settlement, the previous occupants reportedly
having succumbed to the plague or fled in its wake. Dex responded to the rumours by providing
his son with three days rations and instructions to lay claim to the land should it indeed prove to
be vacant. If the boy returned with positive news, Dex would organize a quick wedding before
sending the lucky groom and his unfortunate bride to occupy their claim. But three Sundays had
come and gone and there was still no sign of the boy. Dex was not a man to take his
responsibilities lightly and it fell upon him to travel in search of the boy, if only to determine if
the land remained unoccupied. Duty however did not include undertaking his mission with a
tender heart. Dex thus chose to burden himself with a great deal of resentment. He begrudged
the time and effort he was obliged to expend in the name of mercy and incompetence. He
begrudged the danger to his life, limb and property. But most of all he begrudged his son for it
was not the first time Dex had been forced to come to the boy’s aid. In all fairness, the lad was
stricken with pinheadedness. Nonetheless, the boy’s misfortune was Dex’s own misfortune.
Dex had left his own lands in the care of his remaining children who, though not yet of age,
remained slightly more capable than their eldest brother. Owing to the season, there was little
mischief Dex’s children could inflict upon his crops. The same however could not be said for
the livestock that were perpetually at risk from pestilence and predators. The loss of a single
animal could mean the difference between survival and starvation for the entire family. To
protect his livestock, Dex vowed to beat his children in retribution for any such loss. The
beatings would not compensation Dex for the loss but would instil in his children a healthy
respect for his property and would likely leave his children with little permanent damage.
In reality, the rigours of the road put Dex was at greater risk than his cattle. He remained,
however, undisturbed by the prospect. He did not think of death in the same manner as you or I;
death being too common an occurrence in his world.
The human species was trapped in a holding pattern of misery. Childbirth took the greatest share
of death, killing mother and child in large numbers. Disease, infection and famine took the rest.
The high mortality rate left the primitive economy with a chronic shortage of labour so severe as
to hamper the efficient production of food. The average diet left survivors stunted in both height
and intelligence. The absence of even the most rudimentary scientific knowledge left the
population further susceptible to the twin curses of disease and superstition. The dull inhabitants
of these times gave no more thought to death than the cattle in their fields.
It would take the better part of the day for Dex to reach his intended destination, his only mode
of travel being by foot. He intended to make use of whatever daylight remained to search for the
boy. If fortune chose to smile on his endeavor, he would find his son and return the same day.