The Last Day

The sun blazed vehemently over the horizon, the heat radiating off of it altogether too warm. It seemed intense, angry; waiting for something, but for what? The time was not right yet, but it was growing nearer with each breath on the earth.

The people had gone, withdrawn deep into their shelters in fear of what was to come, where they had remained for some time- much too long. It was likely that they had ceased to live altogether, so they had no reason to worry about the imminent future anymore. The shimmering inferno of the air drove away nearly all creatures; the sulfury smell burned into the nostrils of the few remaining animals. The trees had become husks, their leaves withered; curled fingers of a corpse that died clinging to life. All was quiet; all was still.

Except it wasn’t. In one small town, cut off from the outside world, two hearts remained beating. Two pairs of eyes were trained on the sun as it drew nearer to the earth they stood on, waiting for the inevitable end. Waiting for death.

Something drew them together that last day. As the blazing ball of fury in the sky raged and burned, the two emerged from their shelters and stared into its glory. Some invisible string wrapped around their hearts pulled them together, growing shorter as they wandered through the long-forgotten streets, both ending up in the remains of what used to be a park. Their eyes met from across the wasteland, shocked at the sight of another person. As if looking in a mirror, they approached.

Each one raised a hand in unison, as if confirming that the other was indeed real. At the contact of their skin, they let out a little sigh, and wordlessly made their way over to a small bench that perched in the middle of a ring of dead trees.

As the inevitable death of their planet grew nearer by the minute, they exchanged stories. Lives were shared; wishes spoken aloud, dreams that would never be achieved.

The heat became unbearable as they gazed into each others’ eyes. Green met brown as they laced their fingers together, nodding slowly.

The first boy sighed. “I wish we had more time.”

The other smiled sadly. “I know we don’t know each other, but I... I love you.”

They leaned forward and kissed longingly as the sun exploded.