Bruce Wenham

The ocean sunfish or common mola (Mola mola) is one of the heaviest known bony fishes in the world.

The small family set off on the long journey back to England.

Encrusted in icy snow like some gigantic futuristic castle in a freezing winter scene. Berlin Hauptbahnhof - the largest train station in Europe - loomed before them in the dim light.

long ago over deep waters your carriers turned into the wind
to conquer a myriad of islands spread over vast blue oceans and coral seas
now blissful isolation beckons once again
as you retreat into genteel decline,
computronium in man’s image will be your youth’s last gasp salvation
to support the growing, aged masses
for you have abandoned the warm human child in favour of man’s cold substitute

The school excursion approached the exhibit.

'Gather round children, these great giants once roamed the Earth's oceans 1,000 years ago - the colossal squid and the blue whale'.

The giant, life-sized holographic projections pulsed, moved and groaned - The Museum of the Sixth Extinction had just opened. Later the children were set to work on some extra-curricular activities.

Meanwhile two scientists engaged in discussion at the foot of the long extinct sea creatures: 'You know we're going to resurrect these animals in the near future? 'Earth Resurrection' has constructed a pure artificial ocean free from man's poisons...'

The bio-luminescent children gathered around the exhibit of the tall figure enclosed in glass.

It read:

'Here stands the animal known locally as Homo sapiens, the last species of the Homo genus, who roamed this planet briefly before his self destruction.

In that short time he conquered space but stopped just short of attaining T1C - Type 1 Civilization status.'

The rich, beautiful couple lay on their sunbeds in the warm Florida sunshine. Eyes covered by dark shades, they played with their smartphones and tablets. Socialites tweeting to their global admirers.
Marissa wore a skimpy bikini, bronzing her body. She flexed her thighs. Her boyfriend Cameron chatted to some financial adviser on his cell phone.
'Cameron, it's so humid!' Marissa whined. 'Let's go cool off in the ocean!' 
Cameron smiled, stroking her smooth skin. 'Sure honey'.
They ran down to the sandy beach and paddled in the waves. Beyond them the clear blue ocean gently undulated. Waves lapped gently around their feet as they embraced to kiss.
Today they were in paradise, while most Westerners shivered to the north. Paradise? In fact not so long ago the luxury resort had been a swamp. Before humanity had tamed nature.
Later on Cameron and Marissa lounged about drinking chilled white wine. It was their final evening here. In the morning they would fl…

The post-apocalyptic landscape was haunting, at times breathtaking. Now and then lightning would form above active volcanoes on the horizon.

He put his arm around Belle's shoulder and they both gazed at the giant, arcological dome in the distance. It emanated a warmth they had seen nowhere in this dark, dead world.
'Who lives there?' Belle asked. 'Are they really monsters like Amber said?'

The ragged group squabbled over the source of the plague. A mad preacher said it had been sent by God to punish humanity.

A girl said aliens had delivered it quietly through a large comet, which had smashed into uninhabited forest in Canada's far north only last year.

Others said a military experiment had gone wrong.

Norm was picking his morning paper up from the front lawn when he heard that familiar whirring, buzzing sound. Another Amazon drone delivery for the neighbors next door. Like some prehistoric dragonfly, it dropped the small package then darted back up into the clear sky.

Norm frowned. The sky was becoming crowded with drones as of late. Swarms of them doing their daily rounds. But he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he was being watched by miniature cameras from above. Hovering, watching his every move.

Just a single thought and the noise of civilisation was gone. The bliss of silence. 
No light aircraft droning overhead. Or jet fighters practising cold war manoeuvres. The endless stream of traffic beyond his window had frozen. 
The neighbor moaning through the wall had in all effect turned into a corpse. 
His wife's incessant cough cured. 
The reversing beep of the van parked across the road, setting off every morning at 7.20 - shot to pieces. 
Wailing ambulance sirens, that omnipresent curse of city life had been sucked down a black hole.
And what had it taken? Just a deep brain implant. Driven straight through his skull. Now with just once thought command he could turn off the noise.

They flew in perfect formation. Thousands of them, rotors buzzing like an angry swarm of gigantic wasps.

The robot often daydreamed and contemplated the meaning of life. Why was it ever created by its human ancestors?

But it never slept. To rest its neurons. For it didn't have any. No biological brain that got stressed, had headaches and got frightened. Or suffered chimp-like flashes of anger. Totally logical, following algorithms.

Its brain never got tired in the evening. It was an 'always on' existence. But would it ever overheat and malfunction with the eternal pondering?

He thought he could hear screaming as the monument was dug up. And a rage.

The large flat screen TV stood silent. Just a black, lifeless object sitting in the corner of the room.

No, he wouldn't turn it on. Push the button on the top. Let them into his room. The talking heads. Talking endlessly like robotic puppets. Not even human.

Humanity had eaten the whole world. It now reared its monstrous head and turned to gaze with hungry eyes at pristine, untouched Antarctica.
With billions of fish in the murky depths.
Nothing could stop it. The out of control human plague monster was ravenous. Like a zombie lurching after living flesh.