[JEFF]

I don't care to admit things like this, but it's kind of necessary, which is why I've done it more than once. Natalie didn't go down easy. I felt some old gash in my chest open back up after that fight, and it hurt like hell. Of course I wasn't going to show it around Max. From the look on his face, he had a lot more to worry about. So I left him alone about it for a little while. I found myself wondering how no authorities had thought to look in this forest for us—not just for Max and I, but Clockwork and her little friend, too. She got away once, sure. But would the police really stop after one attempt to contain her?

The days went on as usual again. I collected some bandages and medicine from the now-empty houses we'd visited (a perk of the job) and healed myself. Discreetly, mind you. The time I didn't spend in bed was either for coffee or helping Max with his "research." From then on he used the computer pretty sparingly, though, since it was low enough on battery to last us maybe a couple more days. If it weren't for another person staying here with me, I probably would have felt useless since I could only perform less physically taxing chores. I simply hoped he couldn't tell that I wasn't doing so great.

Some day, on a god-knows-what-month afternoon I walked into what could have been called the main hall of our little home and saw that at the computer, Max was completely out. His head hung, his arm was leaning on five or so keys without so much as an attempt to lift it, and he almost looked dead. My hand started twitching. I made my way over and crouched down next to him, lightly tapping his head with the hilt of my knife.

"You okay there, buddy...?"

No response.

I leaned closer to see if his eyes were still open when I heard a tiny whisper. It didn't sound like his voice; it was way too quiet and distant, and seemed almost distorted from something. I pursed my lips and rested my head in a hand, waiting to see if I could hear it again or if I was just finally losing it.

Sure enough, nearly five minutes later the same voice coming from inside his head said,

"Oh, you could make it seem like an accident. Such fun! And it'll get you to where..."

My blood ran cold at that pause. Not only that, I swore I'd recognize that voice anywhere. Before I could even stand up, I heard a slightly louder,

"Don't you think it's rude to listen in on other people's conversations, boy?"

"Get out of his head. Now," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not in the mood for your shit, especially when—"

"Yes, yes, especially when things are going so well between you two! Don't worry, Jeffrey, I don't believe I could be putting any of that in jeopardy. Not by simply helping a friend out. What do you think, Maximus?"

With that, Max jolted awake and fell back, breathing heavily. His face remained blank, and he only paused to take in where he was when I folded my hand over his. I was a careful distance away besides that, and his gaze fixed onto me and shifted into focus like a camera.

"...oh. Hodek. There you are. Did something happen while I was asleep?"
He seemed to notice my expression and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"What did he tell you this time," I asked, exasperated. Whatever kind of look he was trying to give me, it wasn't working.

"He—" he cut himself off with a curl of his fist, and I gave an attempt at narrowing my eyes. Max shook his head, slowly, almost like he was trying to reassure himself of something.

"No. 'He' didn't tell me anything. Who are you even talking about?"

"I think you know exactly who. I know you're lying, by the way. I'll ask you again: what did he tell you to do?"

"Hodek, just...drop it. I'm fine, I don't know what you're saying, nobody told me to do anything. Are you worried about me? Again?"

I'm not sure how that did it, but somehow, he managed to shut me up with that. He pinched the bridge of his nose underneath his mask, seeming almost relieved. Did he say that just so I would stop asking? If he didn't know me well enough already...

"Whatever you think you heard was probably nothing. I'm going to get back to work."

"Won't the battery run out on that thing soon?"

He froze, his hands hovering over the keyboard. His eyes widened like he'd been caught in a lie.

"...I'll find a way to recharge it," he settled on, busying himself once more. I felt something crawling under my skin, though I knew nothing was there. I was fine about all the hesitance to open up before. But keeping such an obvious secret from me now just didn't sit right. I reluctantly left him alone with the computer, not too eager to take my eyes off of him.

—

One of the last nights I went out in those woods was one I wanted to forget more than anything. Nothing awful happened; nobody even died. But it was a strange, different kind of awful.

I'd been fighting Natalie again. She seemed just a little more unhinged than usual, just a little more willing to kill me than in all of our other...well, disputes. All I did was try to kill that prisoner of hers. Hell, she'd just been wandering around the forest, alone, like she was some lost girl trying to find her way back home. Definitely far from defenseless; she hit me in the eye with a rock. But it didn't look like Natalie even wanted her around anymore. So I decided I'd do her a little favor, her and me.

Then the infamous Clockwork swooped in, changed her mind about the girl, and "killed" her right in front of me. When I tried making sure she'd done it properly, she cut me off like I had been at this business for only a couple of days.

"It's done. Now move. Scram. Kindly piss off."

Of course I knew she was lying. Didn't seem like I had a choice about leaving, though. The look on her face might have burned me if I stood there for much longer. I groaned and walked back into the forest, trying to remember the path back home. But when I didn't hear Natalie start to move as well, I felt like something even more was up. She was waiting for the other girl to get back on her feet.

I ducked behind a nearby tree and watched it all play out, with a swollen eye to boot. The redhead—Alex, I remembered—stayed silent for a few minutes. Natalie said gruffly, "You can get up now if you want, you little shit."

Jesus. So much for a sweetheart.

Alex immediately lifted herself off the ground and dug forest soil out of her eyes. She winced a couple of times in what I assumed to be pain, and once more at Natalie's demeanor. She was facing the other way and looking towards the sky, teeth clenched and hands balled up into fists.

"You lied!" She yelled into the air. Alex shuffled back, and so did I a bit.

"You knew this would happen. You fucking knew! I should have skinned you alive!" Her voice was hoarse and tears seem to bead in her eyes. Alex slowly held out a hand and took one small step closer. "Nata—"

"It's Clockwork to you, dipshit." Natalie turned around and made her way back to where Alex was standing. Alex blinked several times before weakly stuttering, "I-I was going to go straight—He just c-came at—I mean, I cou—"

"Please, go. I'll walk you home if you're that stupid. Just...please. You're not safe." Natalie's voice was cracked and filled with thinly-veiled rage. Alex looked down out of guilt, though I couldn't guess as to why. "I'm sorry," she said, so quietly I could barely hear it. Her shoulders started silently heaving.

Before long Natalie seemed to break her façade and crushed her in a hug. Something in me shifted. I hated them both so much, but for a different reason now. I sat down, hugging my knees, and forced myself to watch.

Natalie started sobbing and Alex mumbled, "I'm so sorry," over and over into her shoulder. Eventually, Natalie whispered, "Don't be sorry. I—" she ran out of words for a moment. "...god, I'm so fucking awful. I'm messed up. I broke you. I left you. I almost killed you. I let you break. I—"

"I love you. So much. God knows why, but..."

And suddenly they were happy.

It was so strange to see this. I wanted to leave right this second and forget those two idiots ever existed. But somehow, as I was about to get up I was jerked back to sit. Based on the brief look of panic in Natalie's eye, I guessed that at least she heard me, but it faded as quickly as it came. They embraced and laughed and cried, and I finally left after entire minutes of convincing myself to snap out of it. I grumbled at nothing and tugged at the bottom of my sweater as if that was going to help anything.

It took way too much to rid myself of the idea that I wanted what they had.