A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed behind Alan's temples.
He groaned, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead as he tried to piece together his scattered thoughts. The last concrete memory he had was an argument in a dim back alley behind a convenience store—some drunk guy shouting, a sudden flash of knuckles, and then total darkness.
Did that jerk really knock me out cold on the pavement?
Alan blinked against the harsh sunlight, waiting for the blur in his vision to clear. When his eyes finally adjusted, he realized he wasn't lying in a grimy, trash-strewn alleyway.
The ground beneath him was smooth, polished quartz-like paving stones, completely spotless.
More importantly, the air was filled with a chorus of high-pitched whispers.
Alan shook his head and pushed himself up onto his elbows. The street around him was bustling with foot traffic—vibrant storefronts, pastel-colored trams gliding silently on magnetic rails, and dozens of pedestrians going about their daily routines.
Yet, the moment Alan looked past the architecture, a cold shiver crept down his spine.
There were hundreds of people walking the sidewalks, sipping drinks at outdoor cafes, and browsing open-air fruit stalls.
Every single one of them was a woman. Young girls, teenagers, working professionals in tailored suits, elderly women with canes. Not a single man in sight. No deep voices. No heavy strides.
"What kind of prank is this?" Alan muttered aloud.
Before he could stand, the crowd nearest to him parted. A young woman stepped forward, freezing three paces away.
She had bright blonde hair swept up in a slightly messy bun, expressive cerulean eyes, and was dressed in a casual pink t-shirt and fitted blue jeans. Her jaw was practically touching the cobblestones.
Behind her, four or five other women gathered, their expressions a mixture of unbridled curiosity, profound reverence, and pure disbelief.
"Are you... actually real?" the blonde girl whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Alan furrowed his brow, pushing himself to his feet and brushing dust off his jacket. "Last time I checked. Look, where am I? Did someone call an ambulance or something?"
The moment his deep, baritone voice echoed across the courtyard, a sharp intake of breath rippled through the onlookers.
A young woman with rich, dark brown skin and a crown of curly black hair gasped, instantly clapping both hands over her mouth.
"He talks!" the curly-haired girl stammered, stepping out from behind the blonde. Her dark eyes darted frantically across his broad shoulders, his chest, and his jawline with clinical intensity. "Lily, did you hear that vocal resonance? That's not a recording. He's breathing, his pulse is visible in his carotid artery... we have never seen a living man before!"
"A man?" Alan laughed, half-expecting hidden cameras to pop out from behind the streetlamps. "Yeah, I'm a guy. What's the big deal?"
Another girl nearby giggled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and shifting on her feet. "This changes everything... we need to notify the sector magistrate! We need to tell the whole city!"
"No! Are you crazy?" The blonde girl, Lily, stepped directly between Alan and the gathering crowd. She turned to the curly-haired girl with urgent wide eyes.
"Maya, if the city peacekeepers see him out in the open, they'll quarantine him in a research facility before he even knows what's going on. We have to take him back to our apartment. It's safe there."
Alan held up both hands, stepping back cautiously. "Hold on a second. Quarantine? Research facility? Who are you people, and what the hell is going on here?"
Lily turned back toward him. Her initial shock melted into a look of genuine warmth and concern, though her gaze remained intensely fixed on his face.
She ran a nervous hand through her blonde hair. "It's... complicated. More complicated than you can imagine."
She took another small step forward, lowering her voice so only Alan and her immediate companions could hear.
"You're in what we call The Girls' World," Lily explained softly. "For generations, only females have been born here. Men disappeared decades ago—wiped out by an ancient genetic anomaly. We thought the male lineage was entirely extinct. We only know what you look like from pre-collapse textbooks and archived films."
Maya chimed in, practically vibrating with excitement. "Exactly! We've studied male physiology in theoretical biology classes, but seeing one in real life? With actual testosterone production, distinct bone density, and real muscle development?" She gestured wildly around the bustling square. "You are literally the only one on this entire continent."
Alan rubbed his neck, feeling a dizzying sensation of unreality wash over him. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I assure you, young man, it is no jest," an older, composed voice cut through the rising chatter.
An older woman with elegant streaks of silver running through her dark hair stepped through the ring of onlookers.
She wore half-rimmed spectacles and a tailored gray cardigan, a name tag pinned to her lapel that read Eleanor. Her presence immediately brought a calming order to the frantic younger women.
Eleanor offered Alan a gentle, reassuring smile, though her sharp eyes carefully cataloged his physical state. "Your sudden arrival is a historic event, but standing on a public thoroughfare will only cause a riot. My residence is less than two blocks away. It is private, quiet, and secure. If you wish to understand your circumstances without a hundred curious citizens interrogating you, I strongly suggest you accompany us."
Alan looked over his shoulder. The crowd on the street was swelling rapidly. Women on bicycles were stopping in the middle of the road, pointing at him in shock. Several girls sitting outside a nearby cafe were already pulling out small, translucent handheld devices, frantically snapping photos of him.
He was a walking anomaly, and if he stayed out here alone, he'd be swarmed in minutes.
"Alright," Alan said, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Lead the way."
Eleanor's face softened with visible relief. "Sensible boy. Follow closely."
She turned and began walking down a tree-lined cobblestone avenue with crisp, steady strides. Lily moved directly to Alan's right, while Maya practically bounced along his left side.
"I can't believe this is happening," Maya muttered under her breath, tilting her head to observe the way Alan's arms moved as he walked. "Look at your shoulders! The upper-body skeletal frame is so much broader than the standard female blueprint.
In the books, they said male muscle fibers had denser cross-sectional areas, but seeing it contract under your jacket is incredible!"
Alan gave an awkward half-smirk. "That's just how guys are built."
"Don't mind Maya," Lily said, offering a warm, soothing chuckle. She lightly placed a soft hand on Alan's forearm, her fingers lingering slightly against his sleeve. "She's the head researcher at our district archive, so she treats everything like a rare science project. I'm Lily. I manage the historical wing at the central library."
She glanced up at him through long eyelashes, a faint pink blush dusting her cheeks. "We promise we won't bite. Unless, of course, you'd like us to." She gave him a fleeting, playful wink before her tone softened into earnest sincerity.
"In all honesty... we've spent our entire lives wondering if we would ever meet a man. Thank you for trusting us."
Alan felt the warmth of her touch, grounding him against the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"Guess I didn't have much of a choice, but thanks."
As the four of them turned a corner into a quiet residential lane, a group of three younger women walking the other direction stopped dead in their tracks. Their shopping bags nearly slipped from their hands as they stared openly at Alan's face, their mouths agape.
"Is that...?"
"It can't be."
"A real man... here in Sector 4?"
"Ignore them and keep moving," Eleanor instructed quietly, picking up the pace.
They swiftly crossed a manicured courtyard and entered a sleek, limestone apartment building.
Eleanor swiped a brass-colored keycard across an electronic sensor, and the heavy double doors glided open silently, shutting behind them with a reassuring, airtight thud.
The noise of the street vanished instantly.
Eleanor led them up a flight of stairs and unlocked the door to a spacious, sunlit top-floor apartment.
The living room was warm and inviting, lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, plush velvet couches, and large bay windows overlooking the city skyline.
"Please, sit down," Eleanor said, gesturing toward a deep emerald sofa. "I will prepare some herbal tea. I imagine you have a thousand questions, Alan."
Alan sank into the cushions, letting out a breath he felt like he'd been holding since he woke up. Maya immediately sat on the coffee table directly opposite him, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin resting in her hands, completely mesmerized.
Lily sat beside him on the sofa, keeping a respectful distance but close enough that he could catch the subtle scent of sweet vanilla from her perfume.
"First question," Alan said, leaning back and looking between them. "How did every single man just vanish?"
Eleanor set a steaming porcelain kettle on the dining counter and turned around, removing her glasses.