It is the Apocalypse and these are the last surviving people in the world.... |
The sky was darkened by the clouds of smoke from the burning city below them. He watched her as she looked upon the destroyed city, her gray eyes showing no emotion. The air was thick with smoke and the faint smell of rotting flesh. They stayed on the top of a crumbling building as the apocalypse took over the world. “So, this is it huh,” he asked sitting down by her. “I guess so,” she said as they watched a woman fall to the ground in agony. “You know it hasn’t been so bad,” he said nudging her a bit. “Please…it wasn’t so bad because you dealt with me. But I had to put up with you,” she said with a straight face. They both then broke out in laughter. She pushed her violet hair from face, looking at him briefly. “I still hate you,” she said with a small smile. “Wow, that is a gorgeous sunset,” he said. They both looked at the rich, warm orange and red hues that resembled the burning mass of destruction. The sun itself looked a deep blood red, surrounded by just a brush of pink as it began to take its last bow for all of eternity. It was the sun’s last good-bye as it slipped below what was once Providence, Rhode Island. He sat thinking of the deep purples and blues that originally would take over the suns performance every night, bringing with them the moon which had more than once been his closest companion. He tried with all of his might to keep her at arm’s length, but here he was spending his last moments with her. In his heart he knew day after day, year after year she would be there. She would be the only person who would never grow old and die in his arms. But he could not allow himself to feel any real emotion for her. If he did…in that moment he would lose her. There would be some way for that being that everyone…even himself at one point in time…called God. The being they laid their hopes and desires on. If he was so great, how could this God let this destruction begin on this city; this city he had for many years called home. How could he allow the pain of loss seep so deeply into his heart by taking everyone he loved away from him? “Isn’t it weird how many times you can watch it fall and rise, but you never have the same feeling about it. I used to feel emotionless after the millionth sunrise or sun fall. But now…now I feel anxious,” she said almost as a whisper. “I don’t know if it’s anxious for the end…or just anxious because I don’t know what waits for me on the other side.” He grabbed her hand lightly, “It doesn’t feel like the end to me. But do you honestly believe there is another side for people like you and me? I mean, if there was ….how the hell do we exist?” “It keeps me going, thinking that this hasn’t all been in vain. If I felt my existence in all of this time was for no reason and with no real end….it would just be… too much,” she said, her hands shaking. “Not to say that God or Heaven or any of it is like in the Bible. Or that it will all be worth it and great, but something is better than nothingness.” “That sun is moving so slow,” he said with a heavy sigh. She looked quietly at his hand as a solitary tear slipped down her cheek, “Are you that ready for the end?” “It is inevitable,” he said pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She pulled her hand away, wiping her face off and sighing as she looked out to the city. A piece of a larger building crashed behind them, making her hold on to him. He shielded her with his own body. As they slowly sat back up, she couldn’t stop looking at him. “Do you remember that first year…I thought we would have killed each other,” he laughed as he rubbed his hands together nervously. “I cannot lie. I wanted to kill you that first year,” she said looking at him. “Well thanks a lot, jerk,” he laughed. “I have to say, you were originally the biggest pain in my ass,” she said. “But honestly, there is no one I would rather spend the end of the world with.” He leaned in toward her when suddenly an explosion behind them in one of the apartment buildings scared them, making her lose her balance and slip of the roof. She held on, screaming. “Save me! Pull me back up,” she cried, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Please! Pull me UP!” “I’m trying,” he said, his body shaking as he pulled with all of his might. She dug her nails into his hand; his hands began to feel weak. He started to slip toward her. They both realized they had no other choice. He had to let her go or he was going to die with her. “Let go of me,” she finally said in a calm voice. “What the hell are you thinking,” he asked panicked. “Do you want to die with me? Let me go,” she said doing her best to hold her weight on the building. “It’s the end of the world. I am gonna die anyway,” he said trying to laugh. “Look at me. You don’t wanna do this. Let me go,” she said evenly as tears spilled down her cheeks. He leaned closer to her, “I can’t. Please…let me save you.” “You can’t,” she whispered, kissing him lightly. “Like I said there was no one I would rather spend the end of the world with. I love…” She suddenly lost her hold before she could finish what she was trying to say. She screamed his name as she fell into the abyss that was once a city street. He leaned over the ledge of the building, screaming her name, his arms shaking as tears filled his eyes. Suddenly the flames that had engulfed parts of the city were spreading around him. He stood up on the ledge, looking down. He looked up at the sky taking one final breath. He then closed his eyes, tears slipping down his cheeks as he threw himself off of the building. |