Everything slows. heartbeats stutter. Lights dim. The entirety of Glasgow darkens significantly, each wandering citizen’s pace slowed to a hesitant lurch. The hypnotic hiss of cars zipping by seems distant, almost of another world, and the scantily clad figures in front of me are no longer speaking, too weighed down by the emptiness of the air around them.

Stillness swells and consumes the street before us.

The date is the 21st of December, 2012.

We are going to die.












-

First there are news broadcasts, frantically screaming politicians on every channel, encouraging the public to stay calm though even their own eyes are mad with terror. Advertisements are postponed as televisions broadcast more important things. Facebook newsfeeds explode; half of them crammed with sarcastic “it won’t happens” and the other half with prayers of good will. Twitter lies dormant, forgotten.

In the end, people care more about saying goodbye to people they actually know.

My mother sits on the black leather couch clutching a cup of coffee and holding the hands of my two sisters. I am on the opposite couch, isolated, alone. I am not shocked by their lack of care.

In the end, there is no need for playing pretend anymore.

I call him up because I don’t know how long we have, padding across the floor in my socks with my phone pressed to my ear. I want to tell him I love him, that I have always loved him, that I need him to know that before it all ends.

He picks up on the fifth ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey. How’re you holding up?”

“Not too bad. I…” I can practically hear him shake his head in disbelief. He clears his throat. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

“Yeah.” I speak around the lump in my throat. “Me either. How’s the family?”

“Scared. Real f*in’ scared.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

“Why aren’t you with them now?”

Because I know you care more about me than they do. “They’re in the other room. I just… I wanted to say goodbye, I guess.”

“Yeah.” He gulps. “Yeah, I guess that’d be a good idea.”

“You’ve been the best friend I could have ever hoped for.”

“You were better.”

“I’ve cherished every moment with you. Really. Those days burn with such a vibrant light in my mind that I think they’re impossible to forget at all.”

There is a long silence on his end before he speaks. “Yeah, I… I don’t know what to say, really. I can’t put things into words. Not like you do.”

“I’ve had a lot of practise. I have a blog, remember?”

“Yeah.” A choked laugh.

“Hey, can I tell you something? Since we don’t have much time.”

“You can tell me anything. You know that.”

“I just… I think I should tell you that I... Look, I lo—”

There is a crash and then the line goes dead.

The end has come.