Two German descendants lounged on bright green beach towels in the South Carolina sun waiting for the end of the world.
"When do you think it'll happen, Gunner?" his brother Clint asked.
"When the sun burns orange and rests on top of the sea."
Clint gauged that the horizon-line trigger was still a few hours away, but it didn't stop him from wondering if the past few years had been a mistake.
Gunner was a very persuasive brother. "Yep. Soon the stars will punch holes in the earth and we'll all be drowning in our own misdeeds." And a very spiritual one.
The two brothers had traveled the eastern coast, spreading word of the coming tragedy that Gunner had always believed would come in his lifetime. And when he asked Clint to join him on his path to spreading enlightenment, the blood that ran thick through Gunner's veins echoed inside Clint, awakening his duty as a brother. Yet, leaving his partner of five years for Gunner was one lump he couldn't quite swallow.
Gunner honed in on Clint's silence, "Have you made peace?" he asked. "Life on this planet is ending. Best be going with a clear conscious."
"Your perception is marvelous, Gunner," Clint spat, choking on a sob. "I just--" he sniffed, thinking back on the yells and slammed doors. "I keep wondering what would've happened if I had talked with Aaron more--"
Gunner snapped, "I told you that two-timing bastard isn't worth the snow on a penguin's ass!" Gunner flattened his ruffled mane and reclined further, "Besides, I'm sure he's happy as a clown with that twig I saw leaving your apartment. You're better off with me. With family."
A boiling, blistering star looking down on earth blinked. Shuddered. And split. Its supernova slowly beckoned to the blue planet and its solar system. Death was only a few hours away.
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