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The fact that they’re so gentle with me just adds more e drinking

I blow out a lad they’re here

23

BANKS MORETTI

With a hard thrust, I push the flirave digging, sweat builds on s between , blowing s

Across frorave, and near her, Akara rests on the ground Forear He’s on “break” since we’ve only got two shovels

Night air is thick with death Araves, and two cougars lie lifeless, bleeding into the dirt and grass beside us I’m more used to death than I’d like to admit

But it still knocksAkara, then Sulli, that sucker-punchedabout how close I was to the brutal loss now is like an invisible hand around host of a hand clench tighter

Christ, I’ll take a hundred raines Just don’t take them

You hearonce more

Only thing that keepsthe smoke run down the back of my throat Alive

Alive

Alive

Each word pumps into my head as I suck in the nicotine

“I thought you quit” Sulli’s voice sounds loud in the night Ever since we began digging hours ago, we’ve been quiet

“I did” Plucking the cigarette froers and skillfully dig the shovel into the dirt again

Akara and Sulli share some sort of look

I don’t stare too long to decode it

While Akara fits on a baseball cap backwards, he tells arettes on this trip”

“For nights like this” I heave the shovel back into the ground Loose dirt co that sounds like heaven-on-Earth is a good smoke”

“You passed that point like five cigarettes ago,” Akara says with the wave of his hand to ”