Morgan Kalka

""There were no birds, no planes, no cars. It was, in short, very much as though every living thing within thirty blocks had disappeared.""

Not only have they disappeared. Almost everything has disappeared, period. And in a few more paragraphs, that "almost" will be no longer applicable.

Hang on. That's odd.

There's no given reason for this or even for the protagonist - ohhh. Very clever, Morgan.

Morgan Kalka is a short story science fiction writer responsible for the cheery Journeying Across, about what happens after the apocalypse - kind of. He's known for his dark worldview and brief, fragmented style.

Tropes common in his work:

 * Kill'Em All
 * Mind Screw: HOW DID? WHY DID? WHAT?
 * Riddle for the Ages: See mind screw.
 * Shoot the Shaggy Dog Story: We might not know much about what's happening, but we know it's going to die.