Inheritance

Inheritance by Edward W. Ludwig is a quiet, haunting story about survival, loneliness, and the strange way hope can return when everything else has vanished. Martin survives a mysterious catastrophe only because he was trapped in a cave with his dog. When he finally reaches daylight, he finds highways full of empty cars, silent farms, and still cities. Step by step, he pieces together what happened, and what the rest of his life must now become.
As he explores deserted streets, abandoned stores, and fading dreams of civilization, Martin wrestles with the fear that isolation will drive him mad. Yet something unexpected follows the grief. He begins to see the world differently. He finds food, music, luxury, and the chance to roam every place he once thought unreachable. What begins as terror slowly becomes a strange new inheritance - a world left behind.
Edward W. Ludwig was a prolific American writer who worked across magazines and anthologies from the 1940s through the 1960s. His stories often focused on ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances, mixing adventure, emotion, and thoughtful speculation.
Ludwig's fiction appeared in some of the best-known science-fiction and mystery publications of the era. He wrote for both adults and younger readers, developing a reputation for clean storytelling, human themes, and sincere emotional depth. Inheritance is an excellent example - grounded, personal, and unforgettable.