In these short stories the planet has suffered a major disaster or that threat is impending. Humanity is hurting or trying to avoid their imminent doom.

In the post-apocalyptic worlds, society has broken down in some way.

The stories that run a bit on the long side are identified as novellas.

See also Dystopian

Several selections on this page are in the anthology Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (Amazon), as well as stories by Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Carol Emshwiller, and many others. There are also two more anthologies in this series.

Stories About an Apocalypse, the End of the World, or a Post-Apocalyptic Society

There Will Come Soft Rains | Ray Bradbury

At 7 AM an automated house rings the alarm clock and prepares breakfast. It gives some practical reminders and says it’s time to go to school and work. Otherwise, the house is strangely silent.

Read “There Will Come Soft Rains”

Second Variety | Philip K. Dick

During a nuclear war between the Soviets and the United Nations, the U.N. authorities are forced to relocate to a moon base, leaving the troops behind. U.N. developers build “claws”, a basic robot with churning blades that seeks out warm bodies. U.N. troops are protected by a special radiation-emitting wrist device. After the robots turn the tide of the conflict, the Soviets want to talk to a high ranking officer to discuss a new threat.

Read “Second Variety” (Novella)

To Serve the Master | Philip K. Dick

Applequist is making deliveries when he comes across a damaged robot in a ravine. When he returns to the Company defense ring, he asks the director about the war and why the robots were destroyed. He is told that information is off-limits. He decides to sneak away to look for the robot and get some answers.

Read “To Serve the Master” (scroll down slightly)

Finis | Frank Lillie Pollock

Scientists have predicted the appearance of a new star. Four people are waiting for it at an observatory. Many other people are staying up to see it as well. It is winter, but as midnight approaches everyone realizes it is getting warmer.

Read “Finis”

The Machine Stops | E. M. Forster

Most humans live below the surface of the Earth, communicating with each other through video screens and rarely going anywhere. A machine takes care of everything for them. Vashti and Kuno, mother and son, live apart and have different views of their society – she is content while he is dissatisfied. He once visited the surface without permission. Soon, some new rules are instituted.

Read “The Machine Stops” (Novelette)

Not with a Bang | Damon Knight

After a war has decimated earth, Rolf and Louise are the only two people left alive. There are having a meal at a cafe talking about their future. Despite their situation, Louise maintains her moral view and is concerned about the propriety of their union. There are no ministers to marry them. Rolf tries to convince her that they need to hurry up and start repopulating the earth.

Read “Not with a Bang”

The Answer | H. Beam Piper

Years after a nuclear war devastated half the earth, two nuclear scientists work together to create an antimatter bomb and test it.

Read “The Answer”

Dear Devil | Eric Frank Russell

A Martian vessel lands on earth. The Martian crew has tentacles and communicates with signs and telepathic touch. Earth has been devastated by some kind of disaster. One of the crew, a poet, finds a statue of a woman. The captain is preparing to leave when the poet says he wants to stay. The captain allows it.

Read “Dear Devil” (Novella)

By the Waters of Babylon | Stephen Vincent Benet

The narrator, a young man, is the son of a priest, and will one day be a priest himself. The people are forbidden to go east to the Dead Places, or to cross the river to the Place of the Gods, except for a priest. There is another more primitive group called the Forest People. He sets out to the east on a journey.

Read “By the Waters of Babylon”

Embroidery | Ray Bradbury

Three women sit embroidering on a porch. The women are waiting for five o’clock, when the result of an experiment will become obvious.

Read “Embroidery”

The City | Ray Bradbury

A ship from earth lands on an unknown planet. The crew explores the surface. The city has sensors that gather information about the men. One of the men, Smith, gets nervous and wants to turn back.

Read “The City” (PDF Pg 156)

The Last Night: A Story | Norman Mailer

Earth is contaminated with radiation. Humanity has less than twenty years left, with three quarters of the population only lasting five years. A plan is developed to send up to a million people to Mars.

Soft | F. Paul Wilson

A man is watching the news and exercising what is left of his legs when the newscaster’s jaw goes soft. He has contracted the disease—the softness—that has devastated the population. The man and his daughter are holed up in their apartment, trying to survive.

Read “Soft”

Third from the Sun | Richard Matheson

With the impending threat of a major war, a family and their neighbors decide to sneak away to safety on a spaceship. The father will use his position as chief test pilot to gain access to the vessel.

Read “Third from the Sun” (Simplified)

Salvage | Orson Scott Card

Deaver Teague drives a truck, collecting salvageable materials left over from the war. He’s heard rumors of gold hidden in a Mormon temple. He makes plans with two friends to go look for it.

Read “Salvage”

The Last Night of the World | Ray Bradbury

A family is relaxing at home in the evening. The man and woman have reason to believe the world will end tonight. They talk about what they should do.

Read “The Last Night of the World”

We Can Get Them For You Wholesale | Neil Gaiman

Peter Pinter is a moderate man who loves a bargain. When he finds out his fiance Gwendolyn is seeing another man, he takes out a “contract” on her life. He arranges a meeting in a seamy pub to discuss the details.

Read “We Can Get Them For You Wholesale”

The Wheel | John Wyndham

An old man is outside sitting on a stool doing a little work and getting sleepy. He is roused by a sound. When he locates the source he is shocked and panicked. It’s a young boy pulling a wooden box on wheels.

The Hum | Rick Hautala

Beth is distracted at night by a sound, a low steady vibration. Her husband, Dave, can’t hear anything. The next morning Dave hears it too. They try to locate the source.

Read “The Hum” (Pg. 30)

After the Plague | T. C. Boyle

A virulent disease has wiped out the population. The narrator was on his own in the mountains during the outbreak. A radio announcer said people were collapsing en masse, but the authorities were dealing with it and not to panic. He tried to get information about survivors.

Jody After the War | Edward Bryant

Paul and Jody are on a mountain. They are relaxing but are distracted with thoughts of survivors and their future. Jody has recurring nightmares of the disaster.

Read “Jody After the War”

The Portable Phonograph | Walter Van Tilburg Clark

The earth is battle-scarred and the buildings are gone. Four men are gathered in a cave enjoying a fire. The host managed to save a few books and a phonograph. He agrees to take it out and play a song.

Read “The Portable Phonograph”

Speech Sounds | Octavia E. Butler

Rye is on a bus heading for Pasadena. She might have a brother there who’s still alive. Two passengers, young men, start getting hostile. When one inadvertently falls into the other, a fight breaks out. This leads to further hostilities. The driver stops the bus. There is lots of grunting and other sounds and many gestures, but no one talks.

Read “Speech Sounds”

You, Disappearing | Alexandra Kleeman

The narrator’s cat, Cookie, is missing. She doesn’t report it, but instead calls her ex boyfriend. She likes knowing he’s still there, even though he won’t always be. The apocalypse has begun. It’s not violent, though. Things are just vanishing.

Read “You, Disappearing”

Dog Days | Judy Budnitz

A man in a dog suit hangs around in front of the narrator’s house. Her mother accepts him as a dog, giving him scraps and letting him stay with them. America is in a state of national emergency because of a war. In February, her father lost his job. In March, the stores closed and shortages set in. Things keep getting worse.

Read “Dog Days”

The Quest for Saint Aquin | Anthony Boucher

Earth is a technocracy and religion is banned. The Pope has a special mission for a priest, Thomas. He must find Saint Aquin, a revered evangelist known for some kind of miracle. This will win new converts to the faith. To assist on his quest, Thomas is given a robass, a robotic steed for transportation and conversation.

Read “The Quest for Saint Aquin” (Ctrl + F the title)

The Last Day | Richard Matheson

Richard wakes up in a house with his friends after a bacchanal. Others are still sleeping. The last night is over. He and Norman talk about what they’re going to do. Norman says they should see their parents. Richard doesn’t want to spend his last moments hearing his mom talk about religion.

The Man Who Lived | Raymond F. O’Kelley

Edward Penderby is driven by hunger and heat to his London lodging house. He opens his window. He’s tired, unkempt and foot-sore from his job hunt. He sleeps for a while. Waking up, he feels impelled to leave his room. He cleans himself up and steps back out into the street. On the corner, a newspaper-seller is dead on the sidewalk. He hurries past it but the scene doesn’t improve.

Read “The Man Who Lived”

The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion | Edgar Allan Poe

Charmion welcomes Eiros to the afterlife. The world has ended. Eiros tells the story of Earth’s demise. It started with the discovery of a comet. Scientists believed them to be harmless to Earth, so no steps were taken.

Read “The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion”