Together In This

The world was on fire; it came upon them suddenly. They had never met, but they were together in this. There were no other people who survived the blast. They ran toward each other. Stopped. Hugged. Walked hand in hand toward the other burning things. Devastation was everywhere. They both held on tightly. Their hands were the last piece of humanity they had. Don’t let go, she told him. He shook his head, agreeing. In the hills they could see other trees burning. The skyscrapers were gone. There had been no warning. No screaming. Just silence except for one loud whoosh. They kept walking, in this together, the last people on earth.