It is the end of it all and she is trying to keep from going insane. She walks through what is left of the city, stopping at odd pile of rubble here and there, imagining the places they used to be, imagining the people that had once filled them. She cries when ever she does this and she does this often. The lids around her eyes have begun to swell; they are always sore, always tender. She doesnt know whether it is the radiation or just the constant tears. She doesnt care. The winds pick up and when they do they make an eerie whining sound wherever it whisk through gaps and funnels in the wreckage. It sounds as if everything around her is screaming. Whenever the wailing of this dead city becomes too much for her, she opens her mouth and screams along with it. She thinks, maybe, it would help her fit in. She is utterly, completely, hopelessly alone. She had long ago stopped talking to herself; she had stopped looking for other survivors. She used to spend part of her daylight hours sitting and staring at the cover of a Gotham magazine she had found in the clutter. Now she never looks at it, just carries the thing constantly, rolled up into a small tube, cover facing inwards, locked in a grip of her swelling fist. She never never lets go of it, even when she sleeps. Underground, in the demolished subway station where she lives, she lies in the darkness and lets the bloated, slow-moving bugs crawl over her at night. She does this, unmoving on the cracked tile floor, with eyes shut and mouth wide open. Whenever a bug scuttles into her mouth, she bites down on it, chews, swallows. This is how she eats. This is what keeps her alive. After she has eaten her fill, she gets up and lights a candle. Her movement always send the bugs scurrying away. The dim , constant glow keeps them at a distance. It is only then, in the small, flickering cup of wavering light, that she can fall asleep. Thats the way it is: she eats in the dark, she sleep in the light. This system works for her. There are plenty of bugs; she has found many matches and many candles. She snaps awake automatically when her candle burns out. She hears things moving around in the darkness. Close to her, Something large, larger than the bugs, larger than anything she had seen or heard in a long, long time. She isnt afraid or even surprised. There is not enough left in her for her to do anything but tighten her grip on the rolled magazine and listen. A quick scratching sound, then something flares. A small spot of light glides like a firefly towards her. Another flare , then a dull yellow glow. Someone had struck a match, and lit one of her candles. I havent seen anyone since the end of it all. she says. Her voice is raw and flat, and she find her throat hurts when she speaks. A man steps into the light. He wears a dark purple blazer. He has a pale face, almost looks chapped. A reddish grin spreads across his face. His hair is wildly messy, and dirty. In one dangling hand he carries a stained shopping bag. Found some others…from time to time…out there, is all he says. He walked closer to her. He lifts his free hand and lets his fingers skim the side of her cheek. The edge of his fingers are ragged. Her cheeks are sore, but the gesture is intended to be gentle, so she doesnt pull away. His fingers feel better on her face then the tiny legs of the bugs. She starts to sob. Not from anguish, not from loneliness, not from impotent anger, hunger, or madness; she cries from happiness. Long-dormant, long forgotten emotional twitches to life inside her. Someone is standing next to her. She isnt the only one left. She wont have to be alone anymore. Not alone. Youre the most beautiful woman in the world, he says to her. His voice is softer than his touch. She hasnt heard that description in a long time; the sound of those words make her weep even more. I…used to be…she trembles. She can barely speak. She removes the magazine from her fist, unrolls it for the first time in too long. She points to the cover. A bikini-clad model frolics in the blue ocean surf. Tha… thats me … It is. Really. That… used to be … me. The man squints at the picture. He smiles and reaches into his shopping bag. He pulls out the frayed remains of a Gotham newspaper. He pokes at the front page, pointing with pride. Thats me, He beams and taps the headlines, Thats me, Next to his dirty-nailed finger are the words THE JOKER KILLS AGAIN!. He pulls something sharp out of his shopping bag and takes another step forward. The candle tips over just then, and everything again is absolute darkness. Outside, the wind kicks up; it screams across the night. Well, maybe its the wind.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 11:22:54 +0000
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