The Last Shift

[Spoken Word] The world ended during the last shift. Not with fire. Not with trumpets. Not with anyone I loved calling my name. It ended under fluorescent lights, between the vending machine and the wet floor sign. You were holding a mop. I was counting coins for coffee. The emergency alert said, remain calm. So we did. We wiped the glass. We stacked the chairs. We checked the staff room fridge for anything worth stealing. There was half a cake. Two plastic forks. No future. You said, “I thought it would feel bigger.” I said, “Yeah.” Then we finished the floor.