Page 305

--donation bonus (day #14, post 4/5)--
“This car is stolen by the way,” said Colt, eyes on the road. “We’ll have to get a replacement soon. Maybe we can find you a new bike, too.”

Hector frowned. “I’d, uh... I’d rather not steal anything...”

“Most thieves would probably say the same thing, y’know. And besides--you telling me that bike wasn’t stolen?”

“It was a gift.”

“Right.”

They passed through Reese, Norca, and stopped in Rizo for a day, briefly debating crossing the Atreya-Rendon border. Hector and Garovel demonstrated their resolve to stay in Atreya, and Colt and Bohwanox soon acquiesced. They headed toward Klein next, taking their time in Battonburg and Tulma. Colt was adamant about maintaining a full stock of supplies.

All the while, Hector and Colt held thrice daily training sessions--two for sparring, one for meditation, the latter of which Colt absolutely despised. Though in all honestly, Hector wasn’t enjoying them as much as before, either. Any long period of silence left him unsettled. Whenever he tried to relax his mind, it became all too easy to remember everything that had happened. Nathan. Micah. Dad. It varied from day to day, which of those three hurt the most. Sometimes, it was difficult to remember if he had even been able to protect anyone at all.

Sleep became difficult, as well. Hector often stayed up with the reapers to watch the kids sleep, catch up on news, or just practice creating metal.

They found a vacant warehouse on the outskirts of Klein and, after exploring the place thoroughly, decided to squat in it for a while. Apart from being a steady drain on funds, motels were always a bit chancy with all the people around.

“Maybe we should get the cops to kill us,” said Colt.

Everyone gave him a look.

“No, listen. We go down in a hail of bullets, let them confirm everything and bury us, and then you two resurrect us. If we do it right, then all this heat will completely die down, yeah?”