I left the artilleryman (a soldier who uses big guns). I walked down the hill and across the bridge. The red weed (a red plant from Mars) was everywhere. It almost blocked the road on the bridge. But the plants were turning white. A disease was killing the red weed very quickly.
I found a man near the train station. He was black with dirt. He was very drunk and could not speak. He tried to hit me when I came near him. I did not stay to help him. His face looked mean and cruel.
There was black dust on the road. The streets were very quiet. I found a bakery and went inside. I found some bread. It was old and hard, but I could eat it. I saw some houses on fire. The noise of the fire made me feel better. The silence of the city was too scary.
I went toward the center of London. I saw the black powder again. I also saw dead bodies. I saw twelve bodies on one road. They were dead for many days. I walked past them quickly. The black powder covered the bodies like a blanket. Some dogs had disturbed the bodies.
In some places, the streets looked like a quiet Sunday. The shops were closed and the houses were locked. In one place, a thief broke a window. There were gold chains and watches on the ground. I did not touch them. I saw a dead woman on a doorstep. She looked like she was sleeping.
London was very silent. I felt like something was going to happen. The Martians already destroyed the towns near London. Now, this great city was empty and broken. I felt that the houses might become ruins at any moment.
I went to South Kensington. There were no dead bodies or black powder there. Then I heard a sound. It was a loud, sad cry. It sounded like "Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla." The sound did not stop. It was very loud on one street. Then the houses blocked the sound again.
"Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla," the voice cried. It was a strange, powerful sound. I walked north toward the gates of a large park. I saw an overturned bus. There was a horse skeleton (the bones of a dead animal). The bones were very clean. I walked over a bridge. The voice grew louder and louder.
"Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla," cried the voice. The sound came from the park. I felt very tired. I was also very hungry and thirsty. I felt very lonely in the empty city. I thought about my old friends. I thought about the two drunk people I saw. I felt like the only person alive in London.
I reached Oxford Street. There was an evil smell coming from the houses. I was very thirsty from my long walk. I broke into a bar to find food and drink. I ate a meal. Then I went into a back room. I slept on a sofa for a few hours.
I woke up and heard the howling again. "Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla." It was now evening. I found some biscuits and cheese in the bar. I walked toward Regent’s Park. I saw a giant Martian standing above the trees. It made the loud howling sound. It did not move. I was not afraid. I wanted to know why it was crying.
The "Ulla" sound made me feel confused. I was more curious than afraid. I walked around the park to see the Martian from a different side. I saw a group of hungry dogs. One dog had a piece of red meat in its mouth. The other dogs chased it. Then the "Ulla" sound started again.
I found a broken Martian machine in the road. It was a handling-machine (a machine with many arms used for building). It hit a house and was destroyed. I could not see inside the machine. It was too dark. But I saw blood on the seat of the machine.
I walked toward a hill called Primrose Hill. I saw a second Martian far away. It was also very still. It did not make any sound. I saw the red weed again in a canal. The canal was full of the red plants.
Suddenly, the "Ulla" sound stopped. Everything was silent. The silence was very shocking. The houses looked dark and tall. The trees looked black. The red weed grew over the ruins. Night was coming. When the voice was crying, London felt alive. Now, the city felt dead.
I became very afraid. The windows of the houses looked like empty eyes. I imagined enemies moving in the dark. I saw a strange shape on the ground and I was too afraid to go near it. I ran away from the silence. I hid in a small building for many hours.
Before the morning, I felt brave again. The stars were still in the sky. I walked back toward Primrose Hill. I saw a third Martian on top of the hill. It was very still. I decided to die. I did not want to live anymore. I walked toward the giant monster.
I saw many black birds. The birds were flying around the Martian’s head. My heart beat fast. I began to run. I saw smoke behind the hill. A dog ran past me. I was not afraid now. I felt very excited. I ran up the hill toward the Martian.
I climbed a wall and looked down. I saw the Martian camp. There were many big machines. I saw the Martians on the ground. They were all dead! They were killed by bacteria (very small living things that can cause disease). These are the same tiny things that killed the red weed.
Humans have lived with these diseases for a long time. Our bodies learned how to fight them. But there are no bacteria on Mars. The Martians did not know about these diseases. When they arrived on Earth, they began to die. Earth belongs to humans. We have lived here for a long time.
There were nearly fifty dead Martians in the pit. Their death was very strange to them. They did not understand what was happening. I looked into the pit and felt very happy. The sun rose and the world was bright. The war was over.
I stood on the hill and looked at the city. The machines were silent now. The huge flying-machine was on the ground. It would never fly. I saw the other two Martians I found earlier. They were also dead. Their metal bodies shone in the morning sun.
I looked at the great city of London. The sun was bright in the sky. The city was silent, but it was safe. I saw the houses and the churches. The danger was gone. People would return to the streets. I saw the hills far away. The world was beautiful again.
I felt very emotional. I wanted to cry. The war was finished. Soon, people would come back from the sea and the country. They would fix the broken houses. The city would be alive again. I looked at the sky and thanked God. Then I thought about my wife. I wondered if she was still alive.