Talent Lord of the Geeks

Untitled work-- (just a thought still)

By Lord of the Geeks | 2008

The sky alternated between a muddy sick brown by day, and an eerie neon green by night. Her features were highlighted by the green now,painting her olive skin an alien hue. Her dark hair was pulled into a pony tail, which lightly brushed the nape of her neck as her head swung from side to side. She licked her full lips before looking behind her. Her voice was cautious, but not concerned. "Are you about done yet?"
"Almost." a male voice returned from the darkness behind her.
She slipped off the statue of the lion she had been perched on, her black longcoat falling heavily into place behind her. Her rifle hung comfortably on its sling under her left arm. As she stalked toward him. "Should we have let me do it?"
"No..." The voice was strained as it responded. "This one is just..." There was a popping bang as the door came open. "Locked a little tighter than most."
"All the better a place to sleep if no one has disturbed it yet." She said, shouldering the pack they had been passing back and forth since their other had a battery split open inside it, dissolving half their clothes and ruining a week's worth of food.
"Well," he said. His bulky frame holding the door for her. "I still don't want to be in town any longer than we have to. We need food, a new pack and ammo if we happen across it."
"And clothes." She said. "I know its not as important to you, but I like to change my underwear. And I need a new bra."
"Good luck on that." His voice echoed hollowly in the large stone room. He grunted as he resealed the door from the inside with an almost too short length of chain he carried. "We had to order those from Europe before all this shit came down anyway."
"Yeah, well we're going to have to look for a maternity or specialty store or something cause my back is killing me. It's not my fault that 28 GG's are nearly impossible to find."
"You know, secretly I'm glad that its difficult to find."
"I know, you love my fabulous breasts. Now lets find a dark place to hole up in." She looked across the open atrium, dead stone eyes of ancient champions gazed back at her from the sickly spookhouse gloom. "I love museums."
"I know. Its one of the reasons we got along so well. Maybe tomorrow we can look around. Take in some culture. Appreciate all of the fallen societies."
"That might be nice." She said, turning to a wall sized Babylonian bias relief of something that reminded her of a unicorn horn, or a twisted tissue, surrounded by seven winged figures. She bent to the sign and squinted at the letters in the glow. She read aloud,"’Temple of the seven speakers.’ I really like stuff with this feel to it."
"You think whoever carved it would have believed their work would have ever lasted this long?" He hoisted the pack she had abandoned and followed her.
"Whoever carved it, carved it for their God. I think they hoped it would last forever. Now if you had told them that in thousands of years two of the few survivors of a Gamma burst would be contemplating their handy work in a deserted museum half a world away. That might be a hard one for them to swallow."
"Yea." He was already contemplating a mostly incomplete Egyptian guardian statue.

They idly wandered the dusty halls, finally settling on the floor before a monet. Falling asleep as the muddy morning sun fought its way through the swirling clouds.

Nothing living moved in the daylight. Dirt sifted past deeply scarred and brightly polished bones strewn across the street. Empty eyes watched the storm clouds build above them, as the gust front stirred the thin blanched remains of their clothes. Everything in the city was faded and dirty. Red pigments had fared the worst, only earmarked by a scratched pink shadow where they had once been garishly splashed.
The rain had begun to fall. Bile yellow spatters formed randomly on the pitted bones and concrete before it came in ernest. A few figures scurried from their hiding places to find dryer shelter for the day. Arms lifted, and heads bowed against the stinging acid rain.
The world spun on, indifferent to the petty sufferings of man.

They awoke to the steady drumbeat of the rain outside the museum, several hours before sunset. So they explored, viewing the museum by windup powered led flashlights.
"Oh my God. Look at that!" She squealed, rounding a corner just past the modern art exhibit. She broke out into a run, her boots stomping loudly against the tile. "A Starbucks!"
"Is anything still good?" He moved slower, preffering to run only when nesisary. He was heavy; short. about five foot six, and barrel chested. His combat boots were black scarred leather, nearly walked smooth. Camoflage BDU pants, faded but sturdy, and a dark t-shirt peeked out from under a denim overshirt and his leather longcoat.
She rummaged through the racks, tearing open a chocolate bar. "Its a little white, and the bugs have already hatched out of it. But its chocolate."
He lifted a bag and kissed it. "Vaccuum packed coffee. Do any of those teapots have steeping baskets?"
"Yes, but here's a french press coffee maker."
He crooned, "Gimmie gimmie gimmie."
"uh-uh. You start a fire for the water, I'll read how to use this thing."