The last two flowers on Earth bloomed through a crack in the rubble.
Em swayed, ailing in her stem, malaise in her sole leaf. Her petals, uneven but vibrant, glowed in the straining sunlight. But Em was no match for her sister, An, whose thick petals and lush leaves lent luminescence that lit up even in night.
Em loved her sister. An loved her back. What would Em be without her?
She reveled in her sister's radiance, her greatness. It allowed Em to stretch taller, grow stronger, sprout a new leaf. Every exhale was a refreshing oxygenated breath into the hazy, viscous atmosphere.
One day, the haze suffocated the last of the sunlight. Day dressed in night's clothes. Em survived only by the light of her beloved sister. But Em couldn't reflect enough light for An.
As Em watched An wither away, she begged An to hold on for a breath longer. Surely the sun would come back. They only had each other. What would Em be without her?
An's final flicker of light fell along with her last petal. And Em was plunged into darkness. It weighed on her like black iron, like every word left unsaid.
The last flower on Earth waited for her time to come. Because she could have lived in the darkness forever. But not alone.