They Know The End

Russell

10:28 pm

There wasn't much talking while we were walking. We just held hands and swayed them playfully.

Everything was perfect. Stars dotted the night sky, a rare occurrence in a cloudy place. Barely any cars passed by the road beside us. Darkness surrounded me, but I had no reason to fear it.

The silence perfected the ambiance. It was just two happy boys walking down the sidewalk, with nothing in their minds except for the love and happiness they found in each other.

I couldn't help but smile at the mere thought of it. Why hadn't we met sooner?

I could already imagine the possibilities if we did. We would always be ice skating, that's for sure. We'd go to places, make up for lost time. Smile and laugh and just. . .breathe in the idea of freedom. We would become each other's idyllic paradise.

And even if we fought or had bad days, I could imagine us comforting each other, knowing that nothing could separate us.

"'Til death do us part" was what people called it. It was a marriage vow, five words that attempted to grasp the binding of two people.

Maybe that's what love is. Maybe that's what it should be. A marriage between two people, whose worlds intersected.

A marriage between sovereigns of worlds.

I checked myself. I couldn't believe it. I was thinking. . .about possibilities. The probabilities. The abstract.

I wasn't just thinking about living life. I was thinking about life itself.

Perhaps this is what people would think if they had better circumstances than my family and I had.

I looked around, lights dotting the night ahead of us. I could see the ripples of light on the river. I took a deep breath. I took in the serenity, the perfection, the life I could've had.

And that was when everything went wrong.

We walked by my old place, which was devoid of light or life. At this hour, everybody there was fast asleep.

Except for a group of boys, noctorius for their crimes, stealing from stores and having drinks and doing their despicable stuff.

They happened to be awake at this hour.

And some of them were blocking our path.

"Look who it is," someone said from behind us. "It's Rust!" The tone in his voice made me realize this wasn't a friendly stunt.

I whirled and saw a line of guys flanking us. We were surrounded.

I let go of my hand from Matt's and clenched my fists.

"Long time no see, bub," he continued. "I see you're wearing a. . .dress. It only took you one day to realize you're gay and a coward." He laughed.

"And who's that friend of yours?" His gaze averted to Matt, sneering. "Looks like a charmer. Is he your boyfriend?"

"He's the same guy we robbed earlier, boss!" one of them screamed.

If he was surprised, he didn't show it. "Look at us! A reunion with old friends," he raised his arms menacingly. ". . .and acquaintances."

"What do you want?" I hissed.

He cracked his knuckles. "I want me some good ol' revenge, Rust. You betrayed this gang, after we tried to trust you!"

I gritted my teeth. "You made me murder an innocent person."

"So? Death's a part of life. And you shouldn't feel guilty about it. That guy must've gotten the alert before he left."