Elara Kane opened her eyes.
The room was too quiet.
"Sarah?" she called.
No answer from her roommate's bed.
She sat up and looked around. Sarah's things were still there, but Sarah was gone. The power was off. Her phone was dead.
Elara put on a hoodie and walked to the window. She pulled the curtain open.
Her heart almost stopped.
The university campus was empty. No students. No cars moving. No voices. Only smoke rising from the city in the distance. Some buildings were on fire.
"What is happening?" she whispered.
She stepped into the hallway. All the doors were open. She checked every room. Empty beds. Open books. Phones left behind. No people.
Elara ran down the stairs and pushed open the main door. The outside air smelled of smoke. There were no birds. No traffic sounds. Just silence.
She walked toward the big square in front of the library. Her legs felt weak.
Then she saw him.
A man in a security uniform was sitting on a bench. He was crying.
"Excuse me!" Elara called out. "What is going on? Where is everyone?"
The man looked up. His eyes opened wide when he saw her.
He stood up slowly.
"You... you're a girl," he said in a broken voice. "A real girl. How is this possible?"
Elara took one step back.
The man took one step forward.
"They're all gone," he said. "My wife. My daughters. Every woman in the world disappeared this morning. But you... you are still here."
Elara's mind went blank.
The man looked at her like she was the most important thing in the world.
"You are the only one left," he whispered. "The last woman on Earth."
Far away, sirens were still crying. More fires burned.
Elara finally understood the terrible truth.
All the women had vanished.
And she was the only one who remained.