Miss Rose - #PlanetOrPlastic entry

Miss Rose

"Plastic?"

I taste the unfamiliar word, rolling it on my tongue.

"In a sentence, please."

"The creature lay, shuddering on the floor, gasping frantically, as the plastic stole it's air."

I swallow, reaching towards the bottle beside me.

"Miss Rose? "

"Excuse me a moment, please." My throat is dry, My voice, croaky.

"Of course, Miss Rose."

He nods jerkily, opening his mouth to say more before thinking better of it, drawing back into himself.

Unscrew the bottle, Rose. Take a sip, Rose.

"Miss Rose, are you quite alright?"

"Miss Rose? "

"Plastic."

"Pardon?"

"P-L-A-S-T-I-C"

"Well, yes, splendid job, Miss Rose."

Humming to myself, I turn to face him, observing the youthful contours of his face.

"What is this 'plastic'?"

Flinching away, he clears his throat, uncomfortably adjusting his tie, before glancing up at me.

"I -" He ducks his head. "– I am afraid I do not know, Miss Rose."

Lies. He's lying, Rose. He's lying.

Tutting under my breath, I angle my stare over his shoulder, scanning the concrete wasteland.

"Are you quite certain?"

A twitch from him. I can see the heat he emits.

"Sir?"

"It is confidential."

"Why tell me at all if it was confidential?"

"I cannot hide anything from you, Miss Rose."

I sigh.

He is weak, Rose. He will tell you.

Tilting my head to the side, I fix a coquettish half-smile into place, angling my neck toward him.

"Please, tell me, my love."

"I cannot, my flower, I cannot."

He will relent, Rose. He is weak.

My shoulders dip as I turn my back to him, folding under the weight of my 'sadness'.

"You do not trust me."

Simple. Effective. To the point.

"My flower-"

"No."

"I will tell you."

My lips crease upwards, I throw myself into his arms.

"At first, it was glorious."

I pull away from him slightly, letting a mask of confusion slip over my features.

"What, my love?"

Good, let him believe you know nothing.

"Plastic, my flower. At its peak, it was an untouchable industry."

Nodding, I bury my face back into his chest.

Just a little while longer, Rose.

"Whoever controlled it, ruled the world. People were easily manipulated, they had no care for animals that helplessly succumbed to it. No empathy for the seas that became choked and polluted. They only cared for the plastic. It became too much. The Earth purged itself and began anew, leaving only few, cursed with the memory of the plastics. My love, it is dangerous, you must not tell a soul. A man – he intends to restart the cycle, to rebuild the plastic world we escaped from but, I have the key, a flash-drive, it can stop him -"

Perfect. Do it, Rose. Do it now.

Chuckling I draw back, fingering the small knife I had tucked into my back pocket, before burying it deep into his heart.

Shock. Betrayal. Sadness. He is gone, staring unseeingly upward.

"Micah," I mutter into the headset, "I have the drive."