An endless beam of light arrives and splits the sky. In the turmoil following the resulting global EMP, aging immigrant Demetri's family collapses and he must grapple for a place in a shattered world.

Content warnings: References to the death of a child

Copyright khōréō magazine 2024. Story by Andrew Najberg, edited by Kanika Agrawal. Audio edition read by Patrick Langner, and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta.

Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @KhoreoMag.

Music: This Too Shall Pass by Scott Buckley https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported CC BY 3.0