The sky is falling

It's night and yet the darkness shies away. The fires burn slowly, casting shadows of uncertainty all around me. I stand a bit confused among the flames, not willing to admit that I'm seeing it. Every house on the street is in shambles, each and every one consumed by heat. I take a couple of steps through the wreckage and realize I'm barefooted. I look down at my feet and raise my eyebrows. I can't feel anything and yet they're covered with blood. My blood. I can still see it gushing from the wounds.
I stumble to the ground when a huge piece of burning rock lands a couple of metres away, causing tiny chips of wood and pieces of unknown material to spread all around in the air, like shrapnel from an explosion. I look up and see the sky dotted with such burning meteors, racing towards the surface of the earth, ready to set fire to whatever place that's still intact. Trying to find the moon, my eyes stumble on what seems to be a cloud of dust. And I realize I am looking at the moon.
My ears are soon hit by the noise surrounding me. Dozens of people screaming, crying, moaning in pain. Next to me, a man torn in half is crawling towards his lower half scratching at the pavement. Farther away, a scared little girl keeps screaming for her mommy, whose remains can hardly resemble what used to be a human.
Before panic envelops me, I see her. Distressed and yet still radiating beauty as she walks towards me. And I let myself go. I forget about pain,fear, panic, horror, reason. And I walk towards her.
The sky is falling, but I'm alright, because she's here...

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Archive note: first published August 30, 2007, lightly copyedited for spacing and two obvious typos (‘shyes’ → ‘shies’, ‘their’ → ‘they’re’). Contains graphic disaster and violence imagery.

Related reading: The Listening Planet — speculative fiction from the 2026 revival.