We’re made of burning bridges: destructive, horrifying, ghastly. We stand aside and cackle as things combust around us, cling to each other as sparks fly off of us and we smile when we see painful scorch marks on our skin, the festering burns and angry scars.

We are a disaster, yet neither one of us could bother to care.

We destroy in our nihilistic relations and yet we will eventually realize that our salvation lies in the end of our cataclysmic ways. From grinning ghouls we turn to desperate demons, beastly things clawing and railing at the gates of heaven for a second chance, on our knees praying for a savior that will never glance our way. We cling to each other for hope, count our lucky pennies for wishes and scurry around to find a fountain we haven’t yet evaporated to toss them in by the handful.

We are going up in the flames we made, yet neither one of us could bother to think twice.

Perhaps the reason as to why we are not absolved is because we are not repentant. Atonement hasn’t once crossed our minds because to us, we have done nothing wrong; our eyes are merely set upon survival. The oxygen is being cut off to our flame and we are blowing carbon dioxide on it instead, hoping that will suffice as we watch the fire sputter.

In the blink of an eye, the flame was out. We turned on each other in our rage.

We screamed at each other and clawed our frustrations. Words gave way to snarls, whatever little human civility we had crumbled to animalistic instinct and we aimed for the jugular with every move we made. You narrowed your eyes at me and I spat in your face, you lunged with a right hook and I tried a jab, neither of the blows landing because, honestly, I don’t think we have enough fight left in us.

Not if we want to survive, anyway.

Eventually we realized it was futile and stopped; we are alike, it was impossible for one of us to destroy the other. Reconciliation still out of the question we skulked away and sat in separate corners. Somewhere between the dawn and dusk and rising of the stars, we realized that there was no salvation for us. We were doomed to wander this wasteland with only each other for company, for enemies.

And somewhere in our heart of hearts, I knew and you knew that we’d rather a fate stuck with each other than a salvation spent apart, the single bridge we could not and would not burn.