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In Debt: Part 2

Phil nodded and caught up with him.

They walked in silence through the forest, simply noting everything around them and listening for a sign of any other life. But there was none, there was just them in a vast expanse of trees. “Who were they?” Phil asked, breaking the reticence to talk.

“Some people I stole some stuff from,” Dan answered vaguely.

“Why’d you target them if they had weapons?”  Dan shrugged. “I’m trying to make conversation here,” Phil told him. Dan looked sideways at him, uncertain of what they were meant to talk about. All he owed him was…well probably his life now he thought about it.

“I…I don’t know how to make conversation,” he admitted hesitantly.

“What?”

“I don’t have people to talk to. I work alone and therefore have no need to make conversation. So I don’t know how to.”

“Don’t look now, but you’re currently doing just that,” Phil teased. Dan turned his head away so Phil wouldn’t see him smile. When he regained control of his face, he reminded himself to keep this encounter as short and unemotional as possible. Emotion led to attachment, and that always led to loss.

They soon reached the oak tree, and Dan crossed the line back to his home turf with a sigh of relief. Phil however, was hesitant to cross. “What are you waiting for?”

“I was told to never speak to you. If I saw you, I was to tell someone more experienced than me. And I was to never cross this line; we had to wait for you to do it.”

“Run along then,” Dan said bitterly, already hurt by the small betrayal even though he’d known the man all of an hour. “Tell them what happened; tell them I came back here. Or follow me back to where I live and then do it, I don’t care.” He turned and began walking back to his home, which was little more than a cave next to the base of a hollowed out tree. Phil took one last look behind him before crossing, feeling like he had somehow changed everything despite the fact that little more than some leaves stirred.

“I never said that was what I was going to do, only that it’s what I was told to do,” he said, standing still. Dan paused.

“Come on then,” he replied monotonously, angry at himself for being hurt and angry at Phil for hurting him. This is what people did to him, gave him emotions he didn’t have a need for.

“You sound annoyed at me,” Phil observed.

“You practically black mailed me and now I owe you my life, of course I’m annoyed at you. And I’ll also have to find somewhere new to sleep if you’re coming with me.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t trust you not to tell someone who wants to kill me.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Phil told him, hoping Dan could see how honest he was being.

“Hmm,” was all Dan replied. From then, they returned to not communicating, just listening to the empty forest as they walked to Dan’s hideout.

Out of the blue, Dan turned around and looked at Phil expectantly. “What?” Phil asked.

“This is where I live,” Dan shrugged, “I’m looking at you because you’re the one I owe something to, so take your pick. Or run back past the oak and tell everyone where I stay so they can come and murder me in my sleep. Your choice.”

“I’ve told you I’m not going to do that- I’m not betraying you to anyone for anything.”

“Plenty of people want my head on a platter; you’d get some pretty big rewards.”

“For anything,” Phil reassured him. Dan shook his head with a smile, before walking to the entrance of the cave and taking off his bag. He sat down and started messing with some wood to create a fire, but paused when he realised Phil was unsure if he was allowed to sit. Dan nodded, indicating the space opposite him and returned to the fire, overly-aware of how this was the first time he’d had someone in his ‘home’. “How long will you be here?” he asked. Phil shrugged,

“Depends how long it take me to decide what I want.”

“I don’t get it; most people would just take what I stole but you...” Dan trailed off, unsure how to end that description.

“Maybe I just want some company for a bit?” Phil suggested with a smile. Dan raised his eyebrows; he couldn’t tell if Phil was being serious of joking. Finally he got the fire lit and sat back, warming himself up as the flames began to lick at the wood.

                As the night went on, they didn’t speak much more than sharing observations of the noises around them and dividing the small amount of food Dan had. Eventually Dan lay back on the hard ground, staring up at the newly emerging stars as the fire died down. “I used to think the stars were the dead, those we had lost watching over us,” Dan said quietly, questioning why he had said it the instant it was out. Phil moved to lie down next to him silently. “I guess it made me think I was protected. Or that someone still cared for me, they just couldn’t be next to me, you know?”

“Hmm,” Phil agreed, although he wasn’t sure he did.

“But then I realised that when someone dies, they die. They’re no big mystery, they just fade from us and all we’re left with is memories, not people watching over us,” he said sadly. He was opening up to a stranger really, but sometimes, he felt this overwhelming need to speak about his loss. Only there wasn’t normally someone to speak to about it.

“You speak from experience,” Phil stated more than asked. Dan let out a slight laugh,

“Experience? Everyone I ever loved, I lost. Why do you think I’m alone?” he asked rather bitterly. “I would work with people if there wasn’t a danger of them being killed.” Phil turned away from the stars to look at Dan. His eyes had tears he refused to cry in them and his jaw was shut tight to avoid making any more noise. “There’s always a danger of them being killed Dan, but isn’t it worth it for the time you can spend with them? You said yourself you’re left with memories- wouldn’t you rather have those happy memories with people you love?” Phil asked gently.

“What’s the point when they end with watching her die over and over again?” Dan said as a tear escaped and slid down his cheek.

“Her?”

“…my little sister…I failed to protect her…and then I watched her die…and that’s why I don’t work with people, why I don’t talk to people. The closer you are to someone, the worse the pain when you let them down.” Phil turned back to the sky without another word, unsure of how to comfort Dan. Moments passed in silence as Dan allowed his tears to flow; it had been so long since he’d allowed himself to feel the pain, let alone tell someone else about his sister. “I know what you owe me,” Phil told him quietly.

“What?” Dan asked, feeling it was a rather inappropriate time to ask for something from him.

“Let me help you.”

“I don’t need mothering,” Dan replied angrily.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant I’d help you steal stuff; we can teach each other.” Dan thought about it for a moment. It went against everything he’d come to expect from himself, but he wanted to accept. For once, he wanted to have someone else there to count on- it would certainly take some weight off his shoulders, and Phil was nice, confident and reassuring.

“Alright,” Dan said before turning over so he was facing away from Phil. There was a slight smile pulling at his features and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had a friend, despite not knowing this guy properly.

Second Part! Hope you enjoyed it ^-^  Again, still not happy with name so suggestions welcome! Also, (and please will someone reply to this!) do you want more? Cuz I might do a third part if you do.