The music is loud, the girls are pretty, the guys are hot and the booze is flowing freely. The party is in full swing; no one expects anything to go horribly, terribly, apocalyptically wrong.

Not tonight. Not ten years after the original 'Y2K' scare.

When the bells have struck midnight and the party is over, it all ends.

Every story in the Dead Bells anthology will have one protagonist who wakes up the morning of January 1st, 2010 to find everyone dead. Just – dead. Animals and plant life survive. The bodies don't rot, but just dry up, mummify, if you will.

No explanation will be given, although each writer is free to speculate as to how this may have happened.

Within days, there will be no running water, no electricity, no phones, no internet. The protag will be completely, utterly alone.

Or is s/he?

Please Note: There are clarifications on the main website.

Common sense is a must in writing these stories - people will have been working the night shift, some may have insomnia, some may be partying right on through the night and day. Characters won't magically die at midnight, and they won't all fall asleep at the same time.

I prefer to see stories that have followed the theme, obviously, but I may accept a story I feel has merit and if the author is willing to work on re-writes. Short listing is not necessarily an acceptance, it's holding for further consideration.