Aluminum

The entire Earth had flooded, a few years back. Climate change in 2052 melted the ice caps. Human's carelessness wiped away the continents, multiple populations, and miles upon miles of land.

All that could be seen now were the depths of the oceans, englufing the forgotten cities and towns beneath.

But standing as a lighthouse in the vast sea was one tiny piece of land.

A lush island survived, on a planet filled with nothing but water. Lightning cracked into stark shapes across the sky, and distant storms rattled the land's inhabitants. Having no other place above sea level was a danger, whenever storms would come close. These storms were wild, ruthless, and destructive with winds that shook the palm trees of the island's shores.

All of the remaining numbers of birds stayed close, to flock around the safe canopies of the lonely island. Animals feared to depart the thick jungles. It was a fortified circle, and it would stay that way.

Nothing was left anymore, of human life.

Caris was the only one that remained. With the rest of the world gone, she only held the necessary tools for survival and stories of time periods before her. The house she created was wedged deep into the jungle, to protect herself from the ocean's wrath. It was made out of wood and aluminum, with pieces of the boat she used to escape the Earth's watery demise.

Every day, when the sun was at its highest, Caris would venture out to fish and lay on the sand. There was nothing left to do other than wait for a sign of any human life. Maybe there was a chance another piece of land or island was above water...somewhere.

Crackled sounds of the radio left her hopeless, as it sputtered into gear with no answer to her questions.

"If anyone is left...if anyone is out there my name is Caris Loe. Please...I have shelter and food. I can provide safety from the storms. Just answer me."

The buzzing grew louder, taunting her attempts to find a sign of humanity. Anything to just prove that the human race would cease to exist when she died.

I just have to try again. I have to keep going.

The birds watched Caris, as she fumbled around doing the same thing every day. It was a pattern. A mundane routine for the last known human around. Yelling into some box to find answers and companionship was all she had left, or else the loneliness would truly make her go insane.

Caris ventured onto the rocky shore of the island's north side, watching the waves crash and staring into an endless horizon.

There really is nothing...

Salty tears fell in streaks down her face, as her blonde locks blew around in the wind. Even her tears made Caris afraid of the water surrounding her. Everything was gone, and she still hadn't found signs of life. It had been years at that point, and she was already 19 years old. She couldn't even remember when this all started, or how it even did. All the trauma let her reflect on was the rising sea levels and the hard crash into the island's embrace from rough white waves.

That is, until she looked up and saw something strange.

A triangle like shape appeared in the distance, and it seemed to be...some sort of a creature.

Not a creature... oh...god.. is that a ship...?

The triangle like shape moved closer into view, and Caris could now make out exactly what it was. In the faraway distance, a sailboat was headed in the direction of her island.

Caris stood in silence and utter shock. Running to grab her binoculars, she returned to the shoreline and climbed the trees to get a better view. A year ago, she had crafted a few decent ladders that sprawled up the sides of her lookout spots. In complete disbelief, she could see the distant sailboat finally come into full view.

It was a metal boat with red markings on the side, all faded and scratched. The white sail was desperately steering amidst the approaching cluster of storms, as it veered towards the island as its only possible destination.

Using her binoculars to get a better look inside the boat, Caris lost her breath for a moment. She could spot a small moving figure...it was a person.

Caris darted to the sand, and began yelling. She moved her arms frantically, trying to get their attention.

"HEY! HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME? DO YOU NEED HELP! HELLO!"

She yelled even louder, as she saw the boat turn slowly towards her direction to dock on the island. It took a little bit to reach the shore, but soon enough, it crashed onto the soft white sand.

Caris waited a few feet away, nervously waiting for a human to walk out. She didn't know yet if it was a man or a woman, but she didn't care. Having anyone come off of this boat would mean that life existed somewhere on this desolate Earth.

Slowly, something began to rise from within the boat. It indeed, was a person. At least...it looked like one?

The figure that emerged was around as tall as Caris, with light skin like hers and blonde hair. It was a man, maybe close to her age. But there was a stark difference in their facial features. He wasn't ordinary, to say the least. This man had a strange glow to him, with purple irises that added to his stoic stare.

What the hell is going on....

His skin wasn't even exactly like hers, as she had once thought. It seemed more yellowish. A very bizarre hue that didnt compliment his eyes at all. Other than these two features, the man looked relatively "normal" with a skinny build and sharp features. He wasn't friendly, and didn't go out of his way to greet her as he hopped off the boat.

"Uh....? Hello? Who are you? Did you need help? Where did you come from? What's your name?"

Caris was asking every question she could think of, amazed by this discovery and relieved that she wasn't alone anymore. However, his appearance had those slight differences that separated him from any human she had seen. This was a little off-putting, but she figured she would get over it at some point.

As Caris asked questions, the man didn't answer. He stayed quiet, looking around at the nature of the island. His somber glare took over his serious facial expression, and he appeared more sad than anything. Almost like he lost something too.

"Are you alright?"

Finally, the man spoke.

"I'm not sure. I think they will be disappointed."

"Who? Who is? I never got your name or where you even came from!"

"The Orin."

"What...."

Caris could not believe this nonsense. Being out at sea, this man probably lost all his senses. He has gone mad at this point.

Without saying another word, the man continued to grab his knapsack from inside the boat and move past Caris without any further interactions. Angrily, she watched as he headed towards the opening to the jungle.

Running toward him, Caris began to interrogate him.

"Hey! I know I just met you but you have to explain more than you did back there. I have a right to know just what the hell is going on exactly. I don't even know you and here you are on MY island, invading my space. You could be a threat to me for all I know. I just-"

"Please, I don't mean any harm. But I must go."

Caris could not take this game anymore, and withdrew her knife. She pointed it directly at him.

"Either you tell me what you're doing here or you die. Up to you."

Suddenly, her knife flew out of her hand, traveled through the dense air, and jabbed itself into a nearby tree. It was securely wedged into a palm, and she would never get it back.

"How did...."

Sweat rolled down by her temples, as she was now very scared of his abilities. The man began to speak again, giving her a deadly stare that silenced her constant rebellion to his presence.

"The Orin warned the United States, all of the major powers of the world, about the change in your planet's weather. The leaders of the human world did not listen, because they cared for their own means of wealth and power. We have been working closely with your kind for centuries. But they kept us hidden. Now, your Earth is uninhabitable and I am left behind to look for any remaining species. I was told not to use our technology, and to do the mission in the most approachable way to not scare the humans we come across. But, I guess it is too late for that. Luckily, it seems I have found one. I just expected there to be...more."

Caris pondered this information for a few minutes as they walked, feeling so many emotions at once. She began commenting on his features once again.

"No wonder you look different. I can't...I don't know how to think about this right now. What, so you're an alien? I mean, I am not surprised you exist... but I just never thought I'd ever see one in my life."

"Of course."

"But if you knew about the Earth, why didn't you stop it? Or help us?"

"We can't control everything. You have your own free will. If you make a mistake, it is yours to fix. Unfortunately, the humans never asked for help."

Caris felt so empty and defeated. She didn't know where to place her anger at next, and began feeling the immense grief of losing the entire earth to some pointless paper bills and power struggles.

"Since I have found you, I am ordered to take you to the next best surviving planet for your kind. But first, I must check the rest of the Earth's vital life zones."

"Have you found any signs of life in the northern parts of the planet?"

"No. Everything is gone."

Caris let the tears that had been welling up fall down her cheeks.

"There is no need for tears, as I have yet to check the remaining zones."

"So, I have to come with?"

"Yes. That would be ideal."

"What about the creatures here? The lives of the animals?"

"I will return for them. They will be happy on wider territory on your new planet."

"But...what if you never find another human?"

"Then you will be the last of your kind, Caris."

"I never told you my name."

"No need. I can read it in your memories. Im sorry about your family."

Caris hadn't thought of them for years. She didn't want to break down again, and decided to hold it in this time. It would be a long journey ahead for her, she figured. She didn't know much yet about this mysterious Orin, but she didn't care about the details anymore. She just wanted life to begin again.

Without further hesitation, he asked: "Should we depart by morning?"

"I...I suppose?"

"I am picking something up on my radar. Nevermind that."

"What? What does that mean? Hello?"

"Another human has been detected within 20 miles. We must go now."

Traveling back to the sandy shores, the Orin's boat was packed quickly. Caris was helped into the boat and they took off into the sea. In the distancce, around 17 miles out, they could see another faraway sailboat. It was a complete anomaly.