Chapter 3 - World of Ruin

With a crack of digital thunder, the airship split in half, the stern falling from the black sky. Bodies fell with it, lost to the night. Square wave scales and driving organ tones quickened Marnie’s pulse.

“Oh damn, that’s our ride! Setzer said to hang on, yo, what happened!” She put the controller down and finished her beer, a red-labeled Molson bottle that she added to the other empties on the table.

On the other side of the booth, Mark just scoffed and nursed his beer. “Couple’a them’s still hanging on. Captain’s gotta go down with his ship, right? Oops, too late, there they go.”

Across the globe, glowing pale spheres took bloom, growing until they covered land and sea. From orbit, you could see huge explosions pepper the surface of the planet as slowly and inevitably the landmass began to fracture and split.

Marnie spoke with whispered reverence, “On that day, the world was changed forever…” They both stared at the small screen, silent, listening to the high call of an artificial wind in the darkness. They flew over a blood red sea, just the two of them, together. Marnie put her hand out on the table and Mark took it. “Damn. That’s all there is to say. I think I need to stop now, how long until I can save?”

“Can’t you just pause it? We can smoke a bowl.” Mark let go of Marnie’s sweaty hand and pulled a black film canister out of the breast pocket of his denim jacket.

The wind was their only companion as they revisited their shattered former lives, their former world. The dead surf lapping the shore, a cottage in ruins. And inside, a head of blonde hair in a bed.

“Okay, so who is that? Celes?” Marnie took the little glass pipe and took a small hit, blowing out smoke with surprise when she recognized a character on screen. “Oh shit, it’s Cid! Oh, Celes… Aww, he’s so cute.” The old mechanic walked back and forth, finally embracing the beautiful young warrior. “Oh damn, she’s been asleep for a year? Fuuuuck. Cid took care of his woman for a whole year, you’ve got some catching up to do.” Marnie nodded at Mark and passed him back the bowl.

“So you think that’s his woman, huh? You think she’s into old men like that?”

“Well…I think she likes old-ER men. I wouldn’t say OLD. But yeah, I bet she likes being treated right, taken care of. All that shit.” Marnie turned in the booth with a grunt, her belly brushing against the tabletop. She helped herself to chips and dip as she popped the top on the last Molson.

“What year do you think I was born?” Mark stretched out, resting one boot on the booth next to Marnie. “Just take a guess.”

“Um…nineteen…” She squinted and shrugged. “Nineteen fifty?”

Mark stared at her, unamused. “You think I’m fifty-one years old?”

“I don’t know! You have gray hair!” Marnie laughed into her bottle.

“I’ve had gray hair since I was twenty. I’m forty-two. Does that surprise you?”

“Nah, not really. And the gray hair is cute. It’s distinguished.” She said, mockingly. “How old do you think I am?” She swirled two chips in the onion dip, slow and slinky-like, trying to work off some nervous energy.

He answered without hesitation, “Twenty-two.”

“Oh damn. I’ll be twenty-three at the end of July. You’re good.”

Mark’s brow creased. “What day’s your birthday?”

“Twentieth, why?”

Mark grimaced. “Your birthday was last week, then.”

“Oh. Oh…” Marnie let her eyes unfocus and wander back towards the TV. She put a hand on her belly and took it away just as quickly. “Don’t mind me, I’m just faded,” she said, before Mark could even ask if she was okay.

“Hey, I’ll throw a party tomorrow. I’ll make cake.”

“Mark,” Marnie said, turning back to face him. “You make me cake every day. Remember?”

“Yeah. And you eat it every day. Remember?”

“I know. You make fucking good cake. I like it.”

“So what do you want, then?” He put the empties back in the six pack, pushed the chips closer to her. She noticed and ate some.

“Hmm…buy me something that fits. That’s not sweats. And take me out to dinner. I don’t care if it’s the Ground Round.”

“You have to pay what you weigh at the Ground Round. Careful.” He wrapped up the controller and hit Power on the Super Nintendo.

“Oh, you definitely want to take me somewhere else, then.”

“Yeah? I heard you use the scale when you showered in my bathroom last week. Little bit of a surprise?” Mark took a chip from the bag and held it near Marnie’s mouth, making her crane her neck to bite it.

“You could say that.”

“Bridget Jones gained thirty pounds. How do you stack up against her?” Marnie scoffed with a mouthful of chips and pumped a thumbs up sign. “More than that?” She held her thumb and finger together, eensy bit.

She was a big smile, shifting her weight back and forth. She knew he loved it. She had felt his eyes on her every minute they were together lately, especially when she was wearing anything remotely curve hugging. She knew how to work it, too, pulling out old tops and shorts when she wanted a little extra freedom, or just a little extra food. She loved it maybe as much as he did, the pure sensuality of never being hungry, never, not ever. Never.

Her bare foot ran over his boot, up his leg, and their hands locked. She leaned in a little, her belly pressed against the table. He made up the difference, kissing her with ruin on his mouth.

It was almost as good as being free.