After the end

Here is the start of the background fluff for my new modern post apoc setting. 

I found a pack of exercise books and pens when I was working through some ruins. I thought I would record what happened so those that follow know. That is assuming that those follow can actually read this. Hopefully these books wont end up as fire fuel or with some wastelander wiping his backside on them. 

Everyone thought that the end of the world would come from one of the many wars between . However it was just a ordinary day when they noticed a whole field of space rocks right in the Earth's path only a couple of days away. Earlier in the year two asteroids out in space collided destroying each other. Apparently the debris had drifted right into our path. 

Hundreds of thousands of space rocks sat in a dense field right in front of us. They told us not to worry as they where all small enough to be burnt up in the atmosphere. It would just give us a couple of spectacular light shows. They got it wrong. Very wrong. It caught us unawares. 

The giant flaming rocks smashed into the planet. Some exploded in the upper atmosphere not causing much damage. The majority exploded below the altitude airlines fly at. The air pressure from the exploding rocks wiped out anything below them. Each explosion emitted a thermal radiation burst causing fires and third degree burns. Firestorms raged across the surface of our world. Huge rocks from the  fragmented asteroids and fell to earth causing craters, destroying buildings and starting yet more fires. 

The rocks also smashed many satellites and the space station out of the sky adding further destruction on the world below. 

Some of the space rocks made it to the world's surface intact causing massive damage. Craters hundreds of meters wide and buildings for many miles flattened. The thermal radiation caused fires for many more. Thankfully only one of those hit the UK but other parts of the world where not so lucky. 

There was a few asteroids that fell in a glancing blow to the earth. The tails burning everything under them. When they finally hit the earth they cut a path into the earth cutting new gorges. Deep horrible scars in the earth. New hills were formed and places got buried by the displaced earth.

During the three days of bombardment some rocks hit the seas causing tsunamis, flooding many areas and causing yet more destruction. Here in the UK places like Liverpool and Glasgow got smashed by massive waves. I dread to think how many folks died in their hidey holes by water flooding. At least the flooding put some of the fires out. Well you have to find the positive in these things right?

For weeks many earth quakes and tremors rocked the world shaking some of the surviving ruins down. Landslides crushed yet more places. A few volcanoes also kick started into action spewing lava and ash. Some Professor I once met said that Iceland is now nearly twice its original size. He also told me that he estimated that three thousand asteroid strikes hit the UK alone. 

Here in the UK survivors started to emerge after a week or two, usually when their supplies ran out. We staggered  into the remains of our shattered world. We saw things in those ruins that we should have never seen. Things that haunt our nightmares still. 

The clever ones headed out of the towns and cities for fear of diseases spread from the rotting dead bodies. Some surviving villages, settlements and farms accepted the refugees with some resentment. In other places all out battle started over the buildings. 

The remains of the UK government started weak radio transmissions telling survivors that the UK will be evacuated from the South East. Many made the dangerous journey south back then. I guess less than half of them made it there. 

They where not the only radio transmissions. A radio beacon was transmitted from a army base in Edinburgh hoping to attract more survivors and evacuation by the surviving government. The beacon went silent after nine months. A wanderer from the area told me that a war had started with local gangs surviving in the ruins of Edinburgh. It seems the commander made a few bad decisions and the gangs overran the base. Only a few from the base escaped the city. 

Winter hit and it was harsh. Much harsher than we had even seen before. It lasted for over eighteen months. Eighteen months of ice and snow. Except the snow was dirty grey with ash. Many froze or starved to death. Things where not much better in the government evacuation camps although they got limited food and supplies from the government. Those holed up beyond the city ruins where forced to return to salvage supplies. 

Eventually the long winter ended and the light returned. The skies became blue again. As the temperature increased the corpses thawed too and began to rot. The dead came to claim the living with the spread of diseases. Folks in the ruins got sick and many died. It was a rough time for the human race. But it was not all not bad.  Here in the UK a new radio transmission started. It transmitted after dark and gave information to survivors on how to survive. Useful stuff and I know many would have not survived without this information. No one knows where the transmissions come from but many of us regard  them as our savours. To this day the transmissions continue.  

During this time the remains of the UK government formed a new government under a surviving member of the Royal Family. It was renamed New Albion although many know it by the nickname of “the State”. New Albion kept all those who had hoped for safe evacuation as prisoners. Those fit enough where pressed into military service. The rest were forced into farming and rebuilding. Their radio transmissions became a invite to a better life by joining New Albion. Food, water, medicine and work awaited. Word spread that this was a lie as a few prisoners had escaped and even today people escape the state. 

New Albion took control of the London ruins as far as the M25 corridor and as far as the south coast. They also control as far east as the ruins of Reading. Windsor is now the seat of the “King” and the remaining social elite live in “luxury” in Eaton. Everyone else in New Albion is little better than a slave. The State has limited access to tanks and even helicopters. That is how they protect the parasitic elite of New Albion. Personally I think it is sad that we have a chance to rebuild society from new and we go ahead and repeat the mistakes of the past.

Now you would think we had suffered enough but no. There was more to come. The sea levels started to rise after the long winter ended. They have risen by nearly 9 meters causing much flooding. In  many places many survivors had to flee inland. The center of New London flooded and these districts are now known as “New Venice”. 

Here we are, five years after the end. Life is still tough but it is getting a little easier. The only animals left are rats (which are getting very large), crows, ravens and packs of wild dogs. There is claims of big cats and monkeys out in the wastes too. A few settlements have also managed to keep animals for work purposes. All the easy salvage is gone and many of us are now having to dig for loot. Good stuff still turns up in the ruins. We are turning a corner, mankind may just pull through this. 

Doc Cosmic
Box Fort
Liverpool Ruins