SecondWorld by Jeremy Robinson

through a large cloud of naturally occurring iron particles. The massive iron cloud struck Earth’s atmosphere at eight thirty, eastern standard time, on Wednesday morning.”
    The reporter inhaled deeply, and then did so again. She appeared overcome with emotion, and short of breath, but pulled herself together and continued.
    “The reddish flakes falling from the sky are created when the iron particles strike our atmosphere and oxidize—”
    “Rust!” Miller said with his teeth clenched around the regulator mouthpiece.
    “—forming flakes of rust. There are two inherent dangers to watch out for during this phenomenon. The first, iron poisoning is…” The woman sniffled hard, let out a faint sob, then wiped her nose and continued. “… is caused by ingesting or breathing large amounts of iron. The symptoms of iron poisoning are…” She sighed. “Severe stomachache, nausea, and vomiting, followed by a day of apparent health as the iron penetrates deeper into the body and destroys internal organs, specifically the brain and liver, as metabolic acidosis sets in. Shock comes next, severe vomiting, followed by death from liver failure.”
    She took another deep breath, put the paper down, and continued.
    “The second danger facing us is asphyxiation. That’s like drowning in the open air.”
    “Becky, you better read what they sent,” came a whispered man’s voice from off-camera.
    “I’ve read it. They need to hear the truth, not a bunch of technobabble!” Rebecca snapped. “When iron oxidizes, the chemical change removes oxygen from the atmosphere. We are being told that if this storm keeps up then it’s possible that the atmosphere will become…” Her lower lip trembled and she looked close to breaking into tears. “Well, we won’t be able to breathe.”
    Her upper teeth clamped down on the quivering lip, and after taking another deep breath, she began again. “The president will be addressing the nation within the hour, but I suggest you get in contact with your loved ones. Spend your time with them, and if you believe in God, start praying. If you’re one of the millions who have suffered from the ailments I listed off, don’t bother trying to escape the area … you’re already dead.”
    An angry voice cut in, shouting, “Rebecca!”
    The video stopped and once again showed two thumbnail images. Most of what the woman said seemed accurate. The effects of the storm had clearly been predicted correctly. It had taken some time, but right now there was no air in the atmosphere, though it seemed most everyone had died from iron poisoning before the oxygen ran out. There was no escape, unless you happened to be in a sealed canister with its own air supply.
    Like he had been …
    What didn’t make sense was that an atmospheric event of this magnitude could strike two highly populated areas on different sides of the planet and leave the rest of the world unscathed. Nature doesn’t choose targets. People do. And that chilled him more than the rest. To think that this might be a new weapon of mass destruction made his insides roil. The government had carefully worded their press release to avoid all-out chaos—which was almost certainly taking place anyway.
    He turned his attention back to the computer screen. The battery indicator was flashing now. The screen showed two video thumbnails. The first video he’d watched and the second he hadn’t. The thumbnail of the second video was dated the same as NASA’s press release video, but the time was ten hours later. The still image looked poorly lit, and the reporter, Rebecca, looked like hell.
    He clicked on the final video, wondering what Rebecca would have to say, knowing now that the end of the world was near.
    She was in tears when the clip started. Her on-screen persona had completely vanished. She was now a terrified and angry woman, facing certain death. “You fuckers!”
    Miller jerked back as though she had shouted at him.
    “You won’t