As for the destruction of the world, I think it just...got sick...
Kind of like pollution, global warming, over population. The world just got sick and died. Like every other living thing.
Apples are the only other living thing that I remember, and even those trees were warped and sickened. I don't think the apples were ripe either if I remember correctly. They were just okay. They were a pop of color in a world of gray and brown. It's almost like maybe it was the blood of the earth they were eating.
Hell, even the ocean was dead. It was like everyone and everything just gave up.
That or the sun exploded
