This here is my entry for theinkwell fiction challenge this week. You can find the prompt here and be a part of it.
I started working with the second prompt but I think I managed to combine the two in the end. I hope it fimd you well.
The sound of the alarm jolted him out of his sleep. For a moment, he couldn't place where it was coming from or what the noise was all about. Sixteen hours of work everyday and they wouldn't let him get some rest. There was always something to worry about. He groaned and covered his eyes with his right arm, sinking deeper into the pillow, willing all of it away. He was determined to ignore it this time.
Below him, in front of the building, there was chaos. People were running and screaming their lungs out. Men and women could be seen, dragging children and things out of the building. By the far east stood a woman, sobbing quietly, her four month old baby clutched tightly to her breast, her eyes glued to the forth floor.
Holding his head with both hands, he got up and staggered to the window. The sight that greeted him made him wince. Why was everyone outside, and why wouldn't the damn piercing sound stop already? His frown deepened. A woman was shouting and pointing in his direction. It took a while to register. Two tankers stood few kilometers away from the building, their red lights flashing. He could see men in gears and helmets, holding long hoses.
Fire.
At that moment, he smelled the smoke.
--
She awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She had spied one before it flew away, like it knew someone was staring. Last night, she has slept to the sound of crickets. She loved it here. The connection with nature was beautiful. Who would have believed, that she an uptown girl, would find peace in a place like this. Maybe that was exactly why she came here. She was tired of the city and the noise. She wanted something quiet and she found it.
Today would be a good day. She couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. She never believed she could find happiness again. Orphaned at ten and raised by relatives who treated her worse than a slave, nothing surprised her anymore. She actually believed that till she met him. While she wasn't keen on the dating game, she never thought she could find someone who would understand her completely. Someone who would look at her and see her, not a twelve year old raped by the one she called father, nor the twenty-two year old afraid of the dark.
She reached for the tiny box on her dresser. The simplicity of it made her smile. She opened it slowly. It was right there, just the way she left it. They had chosen the rings together. They argued a little about who would keep them but decided that each should hold one. This was his. Hers was in his possession. A few more hours and he would get here. He promised. He never went back on his words. They would figure out the living arrangements later. For now, all they wanted was to be happy, to belong to each other. She smiled again. The priest must be waiting.
--
His first instinct was to run towards the door. He paused and looked around. His phone and some cash were still on the bed where he had managed to dump them before he slept off. He picked them up and pocketed them. Something was missing. Yes, the ring. He dashed to the closet and began to feel the pockets of his trousers. Where was it? The jeans he wore the day before. It had to be there. He ran to the to the tiny kitchen which doubled as the laundry room. There it was, on top of the machine. He grabbed it. Smiling, he brought out the box. Still intact. He dropped it inside his pocket and made for the door.
The noise was a different kind now. He could hear the crackle of the fire as it ate up the walls. He needed to call her. He might be late. But first, he needed to get outside. The smoke had grown thicker. He could barely see through it. He made his way to the elevator. Not working. The stairs, yes. He found it. First step, second step – he couldn't breathe. He had totally forgotten his inhaler. He must have fallen, for the last thing he remembered was voices and white lights.
--
“My ring,” he croaked.
His head hurt. He couldn't get his body to function. He could feel a hand on his face, prying his eyes open, then some kind of metal on his chest.
“He's stable,” a voice said.
He didn't know how long he had been there. He must have drifted in and out of sleep. He was awake now and he could feel a presence. His lungs were on fire. A hand was touching his chest this time. He could sense the anxiousness. His chest was getting tight. There was a different kind of chaos – busy feet, loud voices. He was drifting again. This time, he remembered nothing.
--
She couldn't stop giggling. She was almost like a school girl. Today, all her dreams had finally come true. He had come, right on time, like she knew he would. There had been this worry and pain in his eyes but it quickly disappeared. She would ask him later. Now, she intended to live in the moment. Everything had been the way she wanted. She couldn't be happier.
They walked hand in hand inside the house. It was quiet, like always. The serenity was disturbed by the ringing telephone. Laughing, she headed to the bedroom to see who it was.
The first word hit her like a tornado. She didn't believe any of it. Surely, there had to be a mistake somewhere. She would prove all of them wrong. She dropped the phone and ran to him. But he wasn't there. In his place was the ring, placed neatly on the sofa. He could hear him whisper I love you in her ears.
--
She placed a single green rose in his coffin. They said it signified eternal love. There were no tears in her eyes. How could she cry when even on his last day, he still managed to make hers special. He gave her everything she ever wanted. He taught her to live and to love herself. This might be the last time she would see him, but he would remain her star, forever.
