No Tomorrow, Part 2

12:00am – continued

12:30 a.m.

“Careful,” a voice said through the pilot’s headset. “We don’t want it to explode now, airman.”

Hundreds of air force planes hovered over the land, a weapon of mass destruction dangling from it. And this was only in this small piece of Canadian wildlife. All across the world, planes just like these were carefully planting weapons in the more remote locations in every country. 

The airman and his co-pilot looked out through the clear windows above their heads and to their sides. At this distance they could see American and Canadian planes and pilots maneuvering their way around to carefully set each weapon in a precise location without detonating any of them. Some of them were heading back to the nearest military base to pick up the next weapon. This was dangerous work, but, even if they did set one off, they would still be dead in less than twenty-four hours.

At the same time, piano music wafted through a piano bar filled to overflowing. But no one cared about the crowd and no one complained. All they wanted to do was enjoy the music and one last night on the town. Grant’s piano playing also wasn’t all that bad, if he did say so himself. It was still early and he was still lively. He had hundreds of pieces stored up in his head and he was aiming to play all of them over and over until his fingers couldn’t move anymore.

12:35 a.m.

With tears in her eyes and streaking down her cheeks, Abigail picked up her crystal rosebud vase. It was the first thing she had bought with her first paycheck. It had never held a single flower.

She had promised herself she would start dating after she had gotten a full-time job. She hadn’t dated much in college, instead choosing to pour all of her time and energy into her studies. Then her internship during her senior year had led to a job offer, her dream job, with the city’s biggest and most read newspaper. She had even less time for dating as a journalist traveling all over the county for a story.

Now the world was ending and she could count on one hand how many dates she’d had since she had started college. And none of the guys had ever given her a flower. She had been hopeful and romantic when she’d bought this vase. Now it only reminded her of her failure in the relationship department.

Sighing, she gently replaced the vase on her mantle and turned away to get a couple of hours of sleep. In just a few hours, she would be on her way home for the first time since her college graduation. She figured the last day of life would be a good day to spend with her family.

12:40 a.m.

They had been together for years, found happiness with each other, but hadn’t yet married. It had been prohibited by the state. But, for tomorrow only, their marriage would be allowed. It would be recognized by the state and the law. No one could deny them anymore. 

Daniel and Alex had waited patiently for more years than they had cared to count. They had met in high school, but hadn’t started dating until college. They had been blissfully happy for years, just waiting for the right to legally marry. The time had finally come. The governor was allowing them and couples like them to legally marry on the last day of life. And, despite their bubbling excitement for their long awaited wedding day, they slept peacefully for the last time.

It was the night before their wedding. They had always talked about spending the night before their wedding apart. But the world was ending in less than twenty-four hours. They would never go to sleep again. They needed this night.

So, the young couple, who had waited years to marry, had clasped hands and laid down together. They snuggled close to each other, their waiting suits draped over two chairs, waiting for the men to awake and don them so they could be married in them.