Nycthemeron

A Story by Hannah

Bit of flash fiction - far from perfect :/ but meh if I feel like making better later I will. Sort of a fantasy/science fiction cross.

They were there when the rain came, soaking up the salt and washing away the blood and tears. She no longer tasted filth, but rejoiced at the fresh smell of the rain, filling her nostrils...
He opened his mouth, tasting the sweetness of new water. Real water this time. He grinned and turned to her, her flashing eyes still glistening with tears, but now they filled him with an inexplicable joy and wonder in what the had achieved. The nighttime seemed to glow with excitement moon and stars dancing around islands of clouds. He laughed out loud - they were alive! Balls of distant fire in the sky broadcasting euphoria to the heavens! Nothing could convince him to be sad now, not with all this... Not even the prospect of what was about to happen...
She smiled and cocked her head, feeling him looking at her, "Can you feel it?"
"It's wonderful!" She knew without looking at him and they said no more. Talking was for the night before. He remembered it easily, the tears, the laughter, the silence. He fingered the ring on his left hand, her "special" one, with the Councillor's triangular symbol embellishing the gold... But now was the time for them to relish in this dream one more time. They had chosen to do this together, and had now come out the other end - just together.
The rain was getting heavier and a gusty wind was picking up. The rain became a storm. Her hair whipped in the gale, forcing her eyes closed, so she opened her mouth, not wanting to miss a moment of their final triumph before-
The bees came.
Not just thousands, but millions. Billions. The swarm swept through the land, obscuring all the now-familiar landscapes. The buzzing was so great, it was the roar behind the storm - even a little like the sea, she thought. She wasn't afraid, not anymore. This is what they had chosen after all, they had known it from the very beginning and now they were just at the end - but now was always what had really mattered.
The bees were nearly upon them.
They turned again and looked at each other. He smiled, and took her hand in his, gently. It was a companionable touch and she accepted it gratefully, and smiled back. Now he could see some sadness in her eyes, but that was expected. He knew they were both probably crying, but you couldn't tell with all the rain. He looked up at the sky one last time - the beautiful, new, real sky. When he looked at her again, it was only for a split second. There was a black and thunderously buzzing cloud behind her, and she was still smiling. It was a smile of friendship, love, joy, thankfulness - and now farewell.
And then reality came undone.

~

Sarah Madeline Jones stepped out of the bus and into the glaring sunlight and headed down the sidewalk to work, squinting, and putting on sunglasses as she went. Matt Sawyer took the steps from his apartment to the pavement and walked in the opposite direction. At 9:52 am they passed each other.
One minute later, a single bee materialised at the spot, and buzzed off to a flower. A moment after came a gold ring. It clinked on the concrete and rolled into the gutter, its strange, triangular embellishment glinting in the morning light.