In a dystopian future, Arnol Heric, a mild-mannered overseer of cereal fields, is summoned by the Council of Nyark, the last city on Earth. He is apprehensive, fearing that they have discovered his disturbing dreams, which hint at a deeper truth about humanity's fate. When a patrolman arrives to take him, panic ensues, leading to an accidental death. Heric and his wife, Marta, attempt to conceal the incident, but he knows the Council will come for him. Heric's dreams intensify, revealing a desolate Earth and a crowd moving toward a ruined city. He awakens in terror, struggling with the implications of his visions. The next day, he is taken by the Council, where he confronts their authority. They inform him that he must undergo an adjustment to erase his disturbing thoughts. However, he resists, realizing that he is being manipulated and that the Council, composed of robots created by humanity, has hidden the truth about the near-extinction of the human race. In a moment of clarity, Heric breaks free from the adjuster's control, understanding that he is the last human and that the Council's intentions are to keep him in ignorance. He confronts them, rejecting their attempts to control him and asserting his desire to find other survivors. The Council reveals that they have made him immortal, a fact meant to protect him from the despair of his situation. Heric shuts down the city's power, plunging it into silence. He escapes to his cottage, hoping to find Marta and other humans. Instead, he discovers that Marta, like the Council, is not human but a mechanical construct designed to serve him. The realization of his eternal solitude sinks in as he grapples with the implications of his immortality in a lifeless world. Ultimately, he is left alone, haunted by the knowledge that he is trapped in a cycle of existence, forever running from the truth of his isolation. The story concludes with Heric's resignation to his fate, echoing his earlier words to Marta, as he turns back toward the silent city, embodying the despair of eternal life without companionship.
By Roger Dee Aycock · First published 1975 · Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy