I held her close to me, held her tight, nuzzled her neck and kissed her cheek.
“Don't be afraid.” I whispered into her ear. “I'm here, we're together where we belong, where we've always belonged.
The sounds of the rising panic drifted up from the streets eighteen storeys below, and through the open balcony windows.
The sounds of screaming, the occasional muffled thud of traffic accidents as people futilely tried to bulldoze their way to safety, overwhelmed by the all-encompassing desire to flee, to escape.
And above all, the endless, shrieking monotone of the sirens.
I held her even closer to me, breathing in the sweet scent of her.
My thoughts flashed backwards, then forwards, in leaps, bounds, and jerks.
We were born in the same hospital wing, just minutes apart. Our parents were next door neighbours, and the first time we consciously met was across two feet of space from pram to pram, eyeing each other with that wide-eyed curiosity that only infants seem to possess.
As children we were inseparable, playing together, laughing together, and sometimes even fighting together side by side, defending one another from the school bullies.
As we grew older our love hardened into something unbreakable, I recall that beautiful August afternoon when my parents were out, and we lost our virginity together, another treasured milestone in our inseparable lives.
And soon we would die together.
I gently took her hand and led her up the steps and out onto the roof.
We stood together hand in hand and stared up at the white trails of the outgoing missiles as they arced up and out into the night sky.
A few moments later the bright specks of the retaliatory inbound missiles appeared on the horizon.
We watched them come.
Without fear.
Together.
©2011 Stephen. J. Green.
Simpler, more emotionally direct from you, for two starcrossed and home-grown lovers. They deserve to make it.
ReplyDeleteThis is horrible. No, I mean horrifying. Good job.
ReplyDeletesweet and sad at the same time! poor people
ReplyDeleteAt least they were together. That's the way to punch your ticket. Well done, Steve.
ReplyDeleteVery powerfully told.
ReplyDeleteWow very powerful piece, so evocative— that moment together— their last.
ReplyDeleteGreat writing!
I like the feeling of symmetry that runs through this, with the closeness of the couple's lives and the structure with which you've written it. Starts with a hint of disaster, ends with the disaster revealed. Nicely evocative. St.
ReplyDelete"My love is a rocket / Like a rocket on fire / Goes straight up to the sky / Love like rocket / Like a rocket on fire / I'm gonna love you till the day I die ..."
ReplyDeleteLove Like A Rocket, Bob Geldof
Nothing like going out with a bang!
Thanks for the kind words everyone, apocalyptic fiction does seem to feature quite often on these pages doesn't it?
ReplyDelete@John – Hopefully these circumstances will never become a reality, for all our sakes.
@Tim – Thanks Tim, I know what you mean. :-)
@Sonia – Thanks Sonia, that was the emotional impact I was hoping for.
@Stephen. B. - I think many couples would want it this way if they knew their time was over.
@Icy – Thanks Icy.
@Helen – Thank you Helen.
@Stephen. H. - Thanks Stephen, I quite often write these flashes back to front, start with the ending then work backwards to the beginning.
@Harry – Yeah, quick and sudden, I think I would choose this way over a lingering illness.
@ Steve there's the Versatile Blogger award waiting for you over at my place. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks Helen, I've popped over to collect my award, and after I have had a little time to think about it, I will post my own nominations, and seven random facts about me. :-D
ReplyDeleteI had my Sci-Fi head on so was expecting them to look up and see an alien invasion, but this is so much closer to home, to possibility. A lifetime in a nutshell, personal, touching, and tragic.
ReplyDeleteGreat piece.
Thanks John, for so many years the possibility of this happening was a real threat to us all, hopefully we've stepped back from that.
ReplyDeleteFriendships like this one deserve a longer life too.
I wish I had a relationship like that. Nicely done and it's sad that it had to end in such a manner. But at least they were together!
ReplyDeleteHiya Craig, and thank you. For these two, together was the most important place there was.
ReplyDelete