“Is God supposed to punish people like us?” “What do you mean? We’re people, aren’t we?” He took a deep breath as he attempted to gather the thought process surrounding his statement. His eyes closed and his head tilted farther back into his partner's lap. Moments passed of complete silence. He wasn’t the quiet type, nor really the one that thought about what he said. When it came to serious situations, it built up this weird feeling in him that couldn’t help but keep his lips tucked tightly together. Finally his eyes fluttered open. “People that are wronged? That wasn't given the right opportunities, he doesn’t punish those?” “I know you don’t know much about God, but does that make sense to you?” He rolled his eyes, getting the answer to his question. He then rolled out of his partner's lap to gaze about their view. It was quite mysterious then. The sun was setting on the horizon, pinks and oranges flourish all that they could see. It was going to be a full moon out tonight. She laid high on the horizon, but had yet to share her beautiful borrowed light, which was odd for her. It wasn’t dark out, but her presence should have been known. Stars were beginning to make their presence known, but they hadn’t spotted the brightest one yet. They often spent their evenings in this exact position, placing bets on their wishing star. It was nights like this when they forgot that they were a part of this wronged group of people. They weren’t special, millions of others had been dealt the same cards. It’s what they chose to do with the cards that landed them stuck on this mountain, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. “Do you want to dance with me?” “Dance, Forest? What happened to God punishing us?” He smiled, pushing himself off the ground to take part in their dance. These two boys, yes boys. Children. Were banished to some mountains in the middle of nowhere because they felt wronged by society. In the end, they did deserve the life that they had been forced into, after their great actions. “Do you think that things will ever be okay?” It was hard for him to hear. Forest’s mouth, nuzzled in the crook of his neck. He wasn’t sure if it was even meant for his ears to hear, but he couldn’t help but wanting to say something, even if it wasn’t the right thing. “Things will never be okay. We’re going to spend the rest of our life, rotting right here on this cliff's edge, if the locals don’t figure us out by then,” his sentence cracked there. They both knew that their was more to come, but it was hard to think about. “Cash?” “We’ve done bad. We’ve escaped the best that we can. All we have is that God you spoke of earlier, we can hope he doesn’t want to punish us.” It went silent as they finished their dance. Evenings like this, their music was that of the crickets chirping and branches bending in the wind. There was something odd about this evening. The birds didn’t chirp like they did every night, and the crickets played sad vibrations, instead of their upbeat wisdoms. And their brightest star never showed itself. Neither one of them would win the bet that night. Something in the air was off, and they knew it. For what, they didn’t. Their earlier conversation felt like it was meant to foreshadow unfortunate events. “You promise me something, Cash?” “I promise you, that even on the day I whisper my last breath, I won’t quit loving you. We’ve done wrong, and we’ve been wronged together.” It was easier for them to settle into their night after that. Their little home, a tent that had been made to appeal to their every comfort living the life they were, was quieter than usual. The distaste in the air still made things complicated. Falling asleep was no easy adventure, the both of them would soon realize. It wasn’t soon after finally losing their eyes in the great sleep battle, that they realized why this night had seemed to be so off. It wasn’t like others. The density in the air had just been too much, especially since laying down to rest. It was so much hotter inside, compared to their freezing nights. Especially as fall approached faster and faster, it wasn’t meant to be like this. “They’re coming. They’ve found us.” In the distance, the screeching sounds of the hounds and hollers of officials warned them of their fleeting time together. Their wrongdoings had finally caught up with them. They stared into each other’s eyes and they looked into their future, where they knew the other would not be present. “Come out with your hands in the air, the area has been surrounded. Don’t try anything funny, bullets are locked on your brains right now.” Cash put his hands up, showing that he was leaving first. Quickly, he laid a single kiss on Forest’s cheek. “Don’t forget what I said. No matter what happens out there.” With the blink of an eye, he was gone. Forest was only able to stare on as the hounds got louder. He finally mustered up the courage to get out. Cash was already being held on the ground. Bloody, like he attempted to put up some type of fight. Forest hadn’t realized how long it had actually been since Cash turned himself over. “Are you going to put up the same restraints as your partner? You’re wanted, dead or alive. Why don’t you try it?” He kept his hands up, paying no attention to anyone except Cash, who laid a bloody mess. The man who seemed to be leading the operation spoke into his phone, never breaking his eyes from Forest, who he just awaited a sudden movement from. “We’ve secured the queen’s killers. We’ll head down just as soon as possible.”