They had first met on the rooftop. On a high rooftop, closer to the sky’s grace than either of them liked; and, hands nearly touching on the chain link fence, they had eyed each other. Neither of them were used to being prey.

They were shackled together. They had not realized it yet.

---

His hands are shaking.
Both of them are bathed in
blood
which is dripping from their fingers to their nails to the floor, where it would join salt & cold water, where it would bleed into pools of sweat
there are sirens outside
neither of them are quite there

The ceiling is reflective
and the light from the bulb is blinding
them and they think that they are
outside at dusk
because what else could be so bright
if not the sun,
what else could be so red
if not the horizon at six PM,
and what else could smell so much of death
if not the passing of Helios each night?

---

“When did we forget that we were human too?”

His hands are shaking. The sun is

“I don’t know.”

setting.