As the World Caves In

Chapter 1

   Thelle puts on her final suit. She looks stunning in gray. Her hair is nicely combed, with a fresh shave on the sides.
   I paint my fingernails a soft pink, my bob clipped away from my face.
   I decide on a pink skirt and heels, with a white blouse.
   I take the rose from the kitchen counter. Our house has been flooded with plants since everything started going on sale in the panic.
   "Oh, we're going out in style, babe." Thelle tears up at the sight of me. "You are so beautiful."
   I smile, placing a ring made from a quarter on her finger. "Thelle, do you take me as your lawfully wedded wife, as long as we both shall live?"
   "I do." She places my engagement ring back on my ring finger. "Aevyn, do you take me as your lawfully wedded wife, as long as we both shall live?"
   "I do."
   "You may kiss the bride." She smiles.
   I pull her towards me, throwing the rose onto the couch. Thelle puts her hand on my cheek and kisses me.
   I pull Thelle's arms around me, dragging her onto the couch and holding her tight. She squeezes back, knowing we're creeping on extinction.
   I weep and say "goodnight, love." It's her I welcome death with.
   The air is so thick and burns my throat. The feeling of my organs being squeezed, not by Thelle but