For Nothing

A quick drabble, based on the idea of the eclipse that was rumored to be the cause of the end of the world.

It had all been for nothing. 

We sat around the tiny fire, huddled together against the cold. Huddling didn’t do much though.The cold slipped relentlessly through the broken window, biting into our backs and cheeks, gripping our fingers tightly until they were numb, forcing itself through our lips and chilling the insides of our mouths, wrapping itself with precision around each and every tooth. I shivered and shuddered,  my mouth occasionally juddering and making that irritating juddering noise. I glanced around the room. the neighbors were there, huddled together, a few inches between them and us on either side. They still felt awkward here.

It had all been for nothing.

My mum was opposite me, clinging to my brother and sister on either side. Both had cried themselves to sleep as they had done each night since it started. They were afraid. They wouldn’t say what of, but you could see it in their wide innocent eyes, the worry festering itself in the shadows under their eyes and the grumbling in their tummies. 

My mum’s face had sunken along with the temperature, her eyes deep set in her eye sockets and her cheek bones prominent. She appeared to be asleep, but I could tell she was as wide awake as I was. 

It had all been for nothing. 

My dad was next to me, a protective arm over my shoulder. He was asleep, leaning back against the chair we were slumped against. He still clung to the mobile phone in his hand, as if hoping it would somehow wake back up and scream for our attention, with a phone call telling us the power would be back on in a few hours. 

He could still hope. I had given up. I knew the truth. The power had been off for months, the phones off for a few weeks once their battery had gone, the candles had run out a few days ago and the food was dwindling. All liquid had long since frozen. 

I stared around again at the tiny group of people around our mediocre attempt at a fire. I knew, somehow, that we weren’t leaving this room. No one was coming. No one would answer at 999 and no one was going to. No one knew we were here but ourselves. This was it. This was the end of the line. My great acting career, my planned autobiography and newspaper articles, my television interviews, they all were going to die here in the ice with me. It had all been for nothing. 

Everything had been for nothing. I could feel the icey hands of God wrappping themselvews around my insides, making me shudder more violently than before. The hands clenched around the coils in my stomach and the beating in my chest and made them slow.

It had all been for nothing. 

I shut my eyes and let the feeling of cold eating away at my face fade.

It had all been for nothing.

Author's Note

This was a spur of the moment thing that I had to get down a while ago so there may be mistakes I haven't spotted- I'd love any feedback!