Kieran watched as Aura rose, unsure of what came next. 

[i]What would come next?[/i]

The question bounced around in his mind without much of an end. There was little they could bring—as the more they carried on their backs, the more they brought undue attention upon themselves. They would need to travel quick and light—moving in the hopes that the old retrograde homes that sprawled between here and the mountains would provide some brief respite. 

Then there was the issue of the massive lake that lie between them and the mountains. The only way he knew how to cross were the tunnels that he and Aura had used to meet up. But accessing those tunnels meant traversing back towards the Maw, and talking with the Apex guards who may or may not be willing to hear him out.

How long did he have again? Kieran considered how Honeyman had phrased it. He figured by midday, it would be common knowledge that both he and Aura were fugitives.

His goal would be to make it out of the city before that word got passed to the guards that blocked his path.

“I think—” Kieran managed to croak out, until he felt Aura press against him.

Immediately, his cheeks flushed a bright red—and he found himself thankful Aura had pressed her face into his chest so that she wouldn’t be able to nice.

[i]’She’s so small,’[/i] He thought to himself. He didn’t mean to think it—but the thought crossed his mind the moment he wrapped an arm around the small of her waist. Whether it be from malnourishment or statue, he suddenly recognized the size difference between them both. 

His mind raced to the first night they had spent together—with her towering over him as he lay prone on the ground, a boot digging into his side—and now, as he embraced her in her home. 

Two souls eastward bound, to god knows where.

Perhaps it was the isolation of his life, or perhaps it was just how he was raised, but he found himself more and more unsure the closer he became to Aura. And he was close to her—make no mistake. He had chosen to leave the only home he knew with her.

But as Kieran fumbled through his feelings, and as he held Aura close to him, he began to act more instinctually. The last of his racing mind faded out into the air around them. He leaned into the gray, the unknown—both of what was to come of the future, and what was to come of them.

And without a second thought, his right arm raised. His palm found its way to the nape of Aura’s neck, and his fingers brushed their way into her freshly cut hair. He held her head softly and lowered his chin to rest upon Aura.

She pulled away soon after, and Kieran found himself briefly holding on, before letting her slip from him. As he released, he felt something odd and fresh between her shoulder blades. He thought briefly to ask further, but thought perhaps now wasn’t the time.

[i]“I, um, I’m gonna get ready, I –“[/i]

“Of course,” Kieran said in response. An automatic reply. He turned from her as she from him, moving towards a smaller bag that could slip comfortably under his long black coat. 

He had luckily spent many nights away from his home on mission, and was able to quickly assemble a bugout bag. Rations, rope, twine, fresh socks, knives—there was a lot packed into a very small space. He make sure to snag a few water filtration tablets, as well as a small fuel canister, a lighter, and handheld gas stove. Looking over his shoulder to see Aura prepping, he opened the bag and continued loading as much as he could inside for two.

It was hard to know what should be taken—particularly when considering he would likely never see this place again. He wasn’t a man of much sentimentality, but there was one thing he wanted to take. 

He reached below his bed and pulled out a box. Brushing aside papers and objects he had collected, at the very bottom, he found what he had been looking for.

A small vile, corked at the top and filled to the brim with white-gray sand. Sand from the beaches of his childhood. From the last and only place he knew much peace.

He slipped it into his bag in a smaller compartment he knew wouldn’t take a hit.

Once he had prepared, he waited on the bed—deliberately sitting in a spot where much of his home wasn’t visible, as to give Aura space to change. Once she had finished and returned, he rose before she could even close the gap between them.

“I know why you did it,” Kieran said. “Returning the laptop, I mean. I get it. Gregor and the rest…they didn’t sound like easy people to have an out from.”

He couldn’t say he wasn’t entirely over the issue of the laptop, but what did it really matter now?

“My thinking is if we can get to the tunnels and cross the river by midday, no one should be after us and I can still use my Runner credentials to get us access. A friend—” Kieran stopped himself suddenly. The thought of Honeyman and the crane last night flashed into his mind. He brushed it aside. Now wasn’t the time. “My old boss told me last night we’d have hours at best if he went missing before all of Apex would know to find us. So…we have hours.”

He stood and moved to the door. “I’d love to hear more on the way,” he said, bringing out a smile. He felt a little better now; knowing he had an objective he wanted to go towards.

Or rather, a reason to live.

“I like the haircut, by the way,” he said, half-teasingly. “For a midnight rush job, you did a pretty damn good job.”

He cracked the door open. From here on out, they would be on the run.