The Black Snow Circus

The Place For Those Forgotten

We wandered the lands, from the first light to the last, for days on end. We didn't know if we would even go back, but we just kept traveling, blowing up a few abandoned towns along the way when we had to fight the ones who followed us. That was just another few murders to add to the list of ours. I wonder what our kill count is, individually. I shook my head, snapping back into reality, and spoke to Eric
"Really random question, but how high do you think our kill count is?"
He stopped and froze for a second, putting his hand on his chin. I waved my hand in front of his face. Great, I broke him.
"For you Circe, your kill count is exactly 555, and mine is 444. Weird, we both have triple digits with the same number"
"Dang I've killed that many- I've only been a professional assassin for two years. And hey, yours is only 100 below mine. Makes sense since you're my lookout and have saved me who knows how many times"
We laughed. You wouldn't think two fifteen year olds would be talking about their kill count, but then again, he and I weren't normal kids. I let out a breath, looking around. Wait, I recognized this terrain. Ah, so we had ended up here. Ifrhe thing called fate is real, then it had lead us here.
"Hey, Eric. There's a place not too far from here that I would like you to see."
He didn't even hesitate before cheerfully saying
"Ok!"

We had walked another long distance, and finally arrived at a small, iron gate that had a fence that seemed to stretch on for eternity. There was a sign that read "Low Cloud Graveyard." A odd name, but that didn't matter. I opened the gate, and it made a pretty loud, screechy sound, but there wasn't a living person besides us around. I could tell, no one had followed us here. There is a hard, long stone path leading off into the distance. I took Eric's hand and ran, dragging him along. We ran, and I stopped abruptly at a certain section of graves, and due to the sudden stop, Eric fell. I laughed, and he grinned to as he slowly got up. This specific section of graves was called "Graves Of Clear Water." Eric stopped grinning, and I did too. He knew where we were. What else could "Clear Water" mean if not the Clear Water Mafia? I led him down, and we looked at each and every grave. So many names, so many memories. I had forgotten...how many of the top five members would be here. The ones I had been forced to kill because they broke one, single rule. I sigh, and stop at a certain grave, the most cleaned and well kept one, probably a recent one. The grave read
"Mary L Freya, beloved sister and mother."
I couldn't feel regret now, even after reading mother. I had killed so many, both mothers and fathers. I have never killed a child, thankfully, and I never will. I have refused that order so many times. I remember the times I actually saved some of them. I guess I was never truly hollow. Eric crouched beside me, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and leaned his head in. What was this for, I wondered? I think he was maybe trying to comfort me...I lay my head on his as well, and we just sat on the ground for a bit, like that.
"Eric, this is a really weird question but...do you believe in the concept of a god?"
I heard him shuffle a bit, and I knew he was thinking about it
"Honestly, I don't know. The thought of some higher power is scary. I don't know about a god, but how about the grim reaper? I believe there is an afterlife, otherwise what would be the point of memories and consciousness? Just a thought"
He was right. I agreed on the grim reaper theory. I kinda felt bad for him, probably had to guide at least ten souls on one of our assassination missions, or a group wipeout.
"He's gotta be tired of us, eh Eric?"
I heard Eric gasp, and then start laughing really hard. I didn't think it was that funny, but if it came from me, I see why. It felt nice to hear him laugh so joyfully. I wonder how long it would be before we faced Fin. I knew very well that soon...our graves may be here, but I would make sure Fin got one too, and I would return the soul to the reaper. I slowly rose up, and so did Eric.
We said nothing. We walked out of the section of graves, and soon enough, the entire graveyard itself.

The moon lit our path and journey. We hadn't slept in probably two days, we needed rest, but I'm pretty sure Fin would have put missing posters, or wanted ones in every town, so we couldn't stop at an inn. We were used to sleeping in trees or on the ground, but it still wasn't exactly comfortable. Maybe, ive we somehow survived our next encounter with Fin, we could finally rest somewhere with a bed for once. An actual bed, not a cot like we had in the circus.
"Eric, I think I have an idea for the circus and everything since we ran."
He looked at me as we walked
"What is it?"
"How about we simply don't go back. We'll stay in the mafia, of course. We would never be able to ditch it, but we could be together as a lone duo for missions. We'd get payed by the money getting sent to the place nearest to us, and we can just live freely, away from being in the top five, and from that fake act, aka the circus."
He seemed to question it a bit, but then said
"I love it. I would prefer to be away from the circus honestly, and Tara and all of them. You'd also be free of killing top five members"
He wasn't wrong. I imagined it in my head. Me and Eric, in a mission, and no one would actually be waiting for us to finish. No disappointment with my methods of killing. Me and Eric, The Pair Of Hell, roaming freely from the mafia while still doing our job. Now that's a life I would want.
"Then let us do it, we'll send a letter to "him" after we face Fin, as long as we manage to survive."
He nodded, and we smiled. We knew that it was possible we'd return to that place, the place...for those forgotten.

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