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Everything in this world is here today and gone tomorrow.

Searchlights tore through the sky. The night blurred into a hazy mixture of reds and blues and greens as the world dissolved before my eyes. The bus yard lay in chaos as people stumbled through the maze of ambulances and stretchers, towards their last chance to escape this town.

The urgency " the police sirens, yelling, screaming, crying " the anxiety " the fright; it was all drowned out by the pounding of my heart. My face turned to frost in the winter cold and I looked towards the sea. I kicked off my shoes as I walked along the shoreline, with the icy shards of sand and gravel digging into the bottoms of my feet. The pain was relief, to let me know that I was still alive and breathing, and that this " this was real.

Moonlight shone down and silhouetted the bodies against the horizon line. I climbed onto a cold slab of rock and watched the orb of light dance across the surface of the water. It was the calm before the storm and in the distance I could already hear the rising tide crashing up against the rocky cliffs. Nothing could last " everything in this world was here today and gone tomorrow.

I could almost make out the far shore, where spiraling towers of twisted metal stood out against the purple sky. The dark was overwhelming and shards of lost hope dug in; my heart, my heart, my heart. Rocket bombs in the distance left beautiful streaks of color in their dusty trails. I closed my eyes and willed the moment to last forever.

I stood back in the midst of the confusion. The last few passengers were boarding the bus and the engine rumbled. Tears tumbled down my cheeks; I wanted to run, to scream, to lock my heart away forever. But the cold concrete underneath my feet was a reminder that this " this was real.

And before I could catch my breath, they were gone - like the summer had come and passed. There was nothing left in the parking lot and the last echo of the bus engine faded away.

I lay on the ground and looked up at the sky. The moon was fading as the thick black dust ate away every sign of life. I would be the last to go, and I knew better than to fight it; nothing could last " everything in this world was here today and gone tomorrow.

There would be no exceptions.

Reviews

[Through the Gateway]

An interesting look into how all things must end eventually. There are times when everything seems to be falling in around us and those we hoped would help us through the fallout suddenly disappear, never to be seen again. How do we cope? How can we go on in the ruins of life around us, alone and despairing?

The imagery was vivid and very well done. A well written piece.

[Lauren Marie]

There was a certain sadness and looming fear in this story, and I liked it.

However, I was not sure of what was going on around the two characters.
First, I thought that a wreck had occured ... "The bus yard lay in chaos as people stumbled through the maze of ambulances and stretchers ..."
Then I thought that maybe an end-of-the-world type of thing was about to happen ... " ... towards their last chance to escape this town.
But then I assumed that there was a natural disaster approaching, and the two characters were simply going to face it ... "It was the calm before the storm and in the distance I could already hear the rising tide crashing up against the rocky cliffs."
After that, I thought that the girl was just experiencing emotion ... "'Things were good between us once� a long time ago. But it's over now. It's over.'"
Ahh, but then, I thought that perhaps it was all a dream for her (because we suddenly see her laying on the ground ... "I lay on the ground and looked up at the sky."
But, then I pictured another end-of-the-world, where she had to let her love escape and she stayed behind ... "The moon was fading as the thick black dust ate away every sign of life. I would be the last to go, and I knew better than to fight it."

I am thinking that maybe you had wanted us to picture many different scenes in which nothing lasts forever. I would suggest either making the scene clear, or have many different scenes with different characters. Right now it's kind of like flash-fiction, except we as readers are left slightly confused.

But, I still liked it, don't get me wrong; I loved the way you described everything, and the repetition.

You have a great story started, and with some adjustments, it could become even better!
~Lauren