Blue eyes met brown. They could barely make one another out in the small light escaping through the floorboards. Not a sound was made, even their breaths were shallow and short.

 

The floor gave a long creak under the weight of footsteps. Both sets of eyes looked up to see shadows pass overhead. They had been under the floor for hours, not making a sound, not daring to move until they knew the group had done their search.

 

AJ and Brian had escaped from the group known as The New-Elitists the day before. They had been captured a month ago and forced to join their ranks or face death. Most of these militias believed that if you weren’t with them you were against them. They also did not like people leaving, knowing that the escaped person could lead an opposing army right to them.

 

AJ and Brian were now on the run. The group had caught up to them and forced them into hiding. Hiding had become a major part of their game since everything started and the pair was quite good at it. They could hide beneath the floorboards for a day or more without moving.

 

Brian caught AJ’s eyes once more, a silent prayer passing between them. AJ flinched briefly but it was enough that Brian caught it. Son of a Bitch, he knew AJ had been hurt in their last run. He just prayed it wasn’t a bullet and AJ wasn’t lying next to him bleeding to death. They both startled at the sound of the front door opening and footsteps heading that direction. They both gave a quiet sigh of relief, knowing the hunters would soon be gone.

 

They waited a couple more hours until they were sure there wasn’t another soul in the house. As Brian took the safety off his gun he gestured with his head for AJ to push the trap door open. AJ crawled a few feet and pushed up allowing light to slowly spill into the crawl space. Before going up he took the gun from Brian as a precaution. 

 

Brian crawled to the entrance carefully but did not dare go up until AJ gave the go ahead. “Okay B, we’re good,” AJ whispered, more out of habit than need to be quiet. He reached his hand down and helped Brian out of the floor. Brian did not miss the slight wince AJ made.

 

“Where did you get hurt?” He asked immediately, while dusting himself off.

 

“I’m fine,” AJ replied without looking at Brian.

 

“Bullshit, you keep wincing and looking like you’re in pain so just tell me so I can fix it.”

 

AJ couldn’t help but smirk at his companion’s mothering. “Well Mommy I think I cut myself and it really, really hurts,” he replied with a fake pout.

 

Brian smirked and got up close deciding to play along. “Well tell me where it hurts so I can kiss it and make it feel better,” he said in a low teasing way that AJ had not heard in a long time and made him shiver a little.

 

AJ pointed to a spot on his forehead where a bruise was forming. Brian put his hands on either side of AJ’s head and bent forward to kiss the bruised spot. When Brian looked at him again he pulled off his shirt and pointed to a tender spot on his shoulder, which Brian proceeded to kiss gently as well. That was when AJ smirked and took a moment from Indiana Jones and pointed to his lips. Brian rolled his eyes but smirked right back and dove in for a gentle kiss on the lips, which lasted about ten seconds longer than the mini kisses before. It was amazing that even during this dark time they could still play around with one another.

 

It was not public knowledge, they had never felt it necessary to talk about, but AJ and Brian had been on and off since a little after the group started. They had been through failed relationship after failed relationship with various women but seemed to keep coming back to one another. The other boys knew and even though it was never talked about both of them suspected their families knew.

 

It had started out as a casual relationship, just two bisexual friends keeping each other company during the long tours. It was not until the last tour when both boys’ relationships had finally failed that they decided to give up the good fight and acknowledge what they had always tried to deny; They were in love with one another.

 

After everything that had happened their relationship only grew stronger and they both thanked God everyday that they still had each other. Despite what Brian had been taught growing up he knew that God had brought the two of them together, to lift one another up and keep going. They would survive.

 

When Brian pulled back and looked down at AJ’s naked torso he frowned and pushed the younger man into the chair behind him. “Asshole I knew you were hurt worse than you were admitting. That’s a bullet graze!” Brian shouted pointing to the blood dripping down his companion’s side.

 

AJ looked down in surprise, “Oh shit! I didn’t know that happened, I swear. I thought I just hit something and when we started running I kind of forgot about it. It really doesn’t hurt that bad, just stings.”

 

Brian sighed and went about looking for a first aid kit in the house. He had an emergency kit himself but liked to use it only when there was nothing else available. Most homes were already looted but he hoped that the group looking for them was too distracted to think about taking supplies. Luckily Brian found a fully stocked first aid kit hidden behind the toilette. Clearly these people had not been expecting to abandon their home. They could be coming back too, which meant they would need to move on quickly.

 

Brian quickly filled a bowl with warm water and brought out the kit to clean the wound. AJ watched him put the supplies on the table and immediately put the warm, damp cloth on his side. “Hey! Hey, ow! A little warning next time, geeze,” AJ complained.

 

“Sorry but I have to do this quickly. I think someone still lives here,” Brian explained while continuing to clean the area. He sighed in frustration.

 

“What? How do you know? And what are you sighing about?”

 

Brian sighed again in response, “I’m going to have to stitch it, it’s kind of deep.”

 

“Fuck! Not again, why does this keep fucking happening!” AJ whined through clenched teeth, already feeling the pain in anticipation. This was not the first time that Brian had to stitch a wound on his partner and while he was getting much better at it AJ hated needles with a passion and without a numbing agent it hurt like a bitch.

 

“I know I’ll make it quick. Just don’t look and hold tight to the chair. Not my fault you’re so accident prone.”

 

AJ turned his head away mumbling “shit, shit, shit.”

 

While Brian got to work he tried to distract AJ by discussing their next move. “You were asking how I know someone lives here still.”

 

“Yeah?” AJ asked in a strained voice, eyes shut tight.

 

“The place hasn’t been ransacked and there’s stuff set out places like someone’s going to be coming back. We need to decide what our plan is. We keep getting caught up in these stupid little militias that we’ve never really discussed where we want to try and go.”

 

Effectively distracted now, AJ thought through the options. “Where exactly are we? I mean I know we’re somewhere in the mid-west but all these damn states look the same to me.”

 

“Pretty sure we’re in Southern Indiana, just outside of Evansville.”

 

“Really how do you know?”

 

“Saw some highway signs on our way here that mentioned Louisville and Evansville. Part of me wants to go to Lexington and see if my family is still alive but I don’t think we can afford to keep heading east.” Brian felt an ache in his chest at being so close to home and not being able to do anything about it. He had his doubts they were still alive or if they were that they were still in Kentucky. For all he knew they were wandering around much like AJ and him.

 

“Why not head east. We’re closer to the east coast. We may be able to catch a ship or something out of here to Europe.”

 

Brian shook his head, “I’ve thought of that but we’d never make it. One, it’s late fall. It’s been getting cooler quickly. We could have a full on snow by the time we hit the Appalachians and that’s one situation we are not prepared for. Winter is the same reason I’ve decided we can’t try for Canada, along with border patrols. Second, I know this part of the country AJ, if we want to avoid fanatical groups we are going to want to head the opposite direction.”

 

“Wow, you’ve really thought this through. But where are we going to go once we head west? Things could be just as bad out there.”

 

“I’m hoping that California will be a little safer for us. That once we get there we will at least be able to find some way out and that maybe the groups out there are not as extreme. It’s a long shot but south west seems to be the best route to take and California seems the best state to end up in. There all done.” Brian taped a bandage to the wound and started to clean up.

 

“Wow, thanks Rok. You know you’re getting way better at that.”

 

Brian laughed, “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

 

“Me either. Well I guess it’s decided then. We’re headed southwest.”

 

“Yup. Would you mind looking through the house for a map and compass while I clean up? Then we’ll be on our way.”

 

AJ went to get up but paused. “Hey Brian? I’m really glad we’re together.” There were several meanings to that statement.

 

“Me too, Alex.” And Brian knew every one of them.