Perhaps predictably, the ten kilometer wide asteroid impacted in the Pacific Ocean, entering the atmosphere at thirty-two kilometers per second.
The ring of annihilation rippled from the impact zone at several times the speed of sound. Half of Australia and 99% of New Zealand perished in an hour. Chile was particularly unlucky a few hours later. The Pacific shoreline of Latin America, the US West Coast, Japan, eastern China, and Indonesia were blasted by surface and air waves and then submerged. Mountains of water rolled hundreds of kilometers inland. The land and sea rippled like a taut canvas.
Every window on the planet shattered, and half the buildings collapsed.
As the shockwaves reconverged at the impact point's antipode, there were two immense bangs minutes apart. Most North Africans only heard the first one.
Trillions of secondary meteors soared through the skies, creating millions of new craters in hours. Everywhere the temperature rose by many degrees.
As the world burned, the suspended dust cloud spread from the impact zone like a cap being pulled over the earth. Long tentacles spread into the northern hemisphere, casting black shadows as they merged.
For a while, the earth looked like the moon, a solid concrete ball. Increased volcanic and earthquake activity would last for centuries.
There were surprisingly many survivors. It took weeks for billions of Third Worlders to die from starvation and exposure. In the richer countries it took a bit longer. There were death lotteries and mass suicides in the endless night. Existing religions and countries became obsolete.
It would be three years before any plants would grow again. Lightly damaged nuclear power plants allowed a few isolated biospheres to survive. Repurposed greenhouses saved many lives. There was enough water, fertilizer, and power, but most outposts failed in the endless winter dark.
Five years later, only three million humans remained to repopulate the planet.
The survivors began salvaging the debris as the skies cleared. Everything was covered with a layer of soot, with rotting organic matter underneath.
The experience had changed them, yet they understood each other. Only ultra-focused personalities could have squeezed through this genetic bottleneck. Human history was defined by massive die-offs, but never on this scale.
Since time immemorial, famines and manmade disasters had this in common: Everyone struggled to survive as long as possible, hanging on to the bitter end while using up all resources.
The total death toll was always much larger than necessary. By managing their resources more efficiently, and sacrificing most survivors at the outset, ten times as many people could have survived the Impact. Those who perished would also have suffered less.
This insight became the Original Sin of Earth's remaining religion.
Infinite Thunder by Jack Arcalon.
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