Underneath the waning moon, the boy raised his head, lowering his sweatshirt's hood behind the dilapidated bricks. Although it had been days since he began to travel, he still turned to look over his right shoulder to make sure no one had picked up his trail. But he was alone, for no one in their right mind would follow a stranger for so long. They would not follow him out of the northeastern woods and down to the highway, would not follow him for the following three day trek where cover was little to none. On a typical day he would never dare to use the abandoned road, but would rather take the longer, uphill route under the protection of the thousand green trees. But they weren't green now, not green at all. Winter was upon them, and he was grateful for whatever sparing sun he could find. And besides, the Knightmares would not dare follow him should he be in the open.

"Did she get it done?" a girl's voice asked from behind him. She was shrouded by the night, but he knew her all the same. The sound of her voice alone sent chills down his back, for no matter how long they'd known each other, she still left him completely terrified.

"I wouldn't have come back otherwise," he said. "Clevis is dead, and I got out before anyone could have seen me. They'll all be looking for her, and we have one less Knight to worry about."

"You were right about her," the girl noted. "I was worried she'd be too weak, wouldn't carry out her word. It's too bad she's honorable. She's the one who'll have to pay for it."

The boy simply shrugged, looking up at the thin sliver of moonlight that failed to reach the forest floor, for all he could see was the girl's dimly lit silhouette. "She got her end of the bargain. I can't feel bad."

"You should never feel bad," she said. "If we don't take out the Knightmares first, it's only a matter of time before they come for us. And now we've made someone else their target. It's just self-preservation."

"Oh, I know," the boy nodded, looking up as a gust of wind blew blew through his hair. "It's just as you said, she's honorable. It's a shame it has to be her."

The girl simply laughed. "It's a shame you won't get to sleep with her anymore. That honor only makes her stupid. Should never have trusted us to begin with."

"She never trusted you."

"She didn't need to. She had you. Now come inside, we don't want anyone staring."

Upon her word, the boy nodded, following his leader into the dingy truck stop where their small crowd had claimed residency. The others were all asleep in the thin cots in the back room, and the girl nodded for him to join them, as she was the one standing guard that evening. The boy complied, leaving the front room empty save for the namesake of their home: Jupiter.