The Quiet Earth

On July 5, a normal winter morning in the Hamilton region is interrupted when the Sun briefly dims and a red light appears. Across the world, people vanish as Project Flashlight activates, leaving Zac Hobson alone in a suddenly empty reality. The event marks what Zac later calls The Effect, the start of mankind’s mass disappearance.

Zac drives into the city, only to find it deserted and unnervingly quiet. He investigates a fire and discovers the wreckage of a passenger jet with no bodies among the seats. Unable to contact any other labs or the outside world, he realizes he may be completely alone.

In an underground lab outside Auckland, Zac discovers Perrin dead at the primary Flashlight Grid control panel; a monitor reads Operation Flashlight Complete. The mass disappearance seems to coincide with the Grid’s activation. The lab seals automatically due to radiation, forcing Zac to improvise a gas bomb to escape.

Back among the lab ruins, he finds a tape recorder where his own voice warns of phenomenal destructive potential and a dangerous malfunction. He reads the inscription Zac Hobson, July 5th and notes that there has been a catastrophe that seems to have left him as the last person on Earth.

A week later, Zac moves into a derelict mansion and begins to unravel mentally. He dons a woman's nightgown, parades around with cardboard cutouts of famous figures, and delivers a loud address from a balcony. In this darker persona, he proclaims himself President of this Quiet Earth.

Power cuts plunge his world into darkness, and his behavior grows increasingly erratic. He bursts into a church, shatters a statue of Jesus, and proclaims himself God. In a tense moment, he places a shotgun in his mouth but stops short of self-destruction.

Gradually Zac settles into a fragile routine, and a new survivor arrives: a young woman named Joanne. He is drawn to her, and after a few days they become lovers.

Another survivor appears: Api, a Māori man. The three survivors—Zac, Joanne, and Api—recognize they all survived The Effect and learn why.

Zac notes that universal physical constants are shifting and the Sun’s output becomes unstable. He fears The Effect may recur and that the Sun could obliterate Earth, pushing the trio to consider drastic action. They contemplate destroying the Delenco facility to end the Grid’s destabilizing influence.

Api offers a possible solution: if the still-active Flashlight Grid can be balanced, it may cause the Grid to fail and stop the danger. They load a truck with explosives and prepare to drive it into the facility to trigger the Grid’s collapse. Zac goes to town to fetch a remote device to trigger the detonation.

While Zac is away, Joanne and Api share a moment; Api commits to driving the truck and sacrificing himself. The plan hinges on the timing and ability to remotely trigger the detonation.

The execution begins as Zac drives the truck onto the gas-bomb-weakened roof of the laboratory; the explosion detonates, triggering the Second Effect. A bright red light returns as the scene collapses around him.

Zac awakens on a beach at twilight, confused but alive. Strange clouds rise from the ocean, forming waterspouts as a massive ringed planet climbs over the horizon. He stares in awe and doubt, clutching his tape recorder as the new world unfolds before him.