aliassmithjones | Fanfiction:

A pre-series drabble.

No Looking Back

"One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us." - Michael Cibenko

No Looking Back

He isn't sure exactly why the idea of robbing the bank occurred to them, or even why they found themselves standing inside it after closing hours.

The Kid is standing, face inches from the front window, curtain pulled aside just enough to stare out into the dim light, his breath frosting the glass. One hand is clutched around his pistol, fingers as white as the line of his mouth.

Heyes presses his ear to the safe door for the fifth time, heartbeat pounding over the clicking of the tumblers. He turns the dial one more time, sliding the number into the four.

He has it this time, a final turn, a press on the handle and the door creaks open, echoing in the room.

He sits back on his heels, staring into the safe.

They're lying there like an early Christmas present..a crisp stack of green bills inches from his fingertips. All he has to do is reach out and take them.

There's so much money there, more than either of them has ever seen in their whole lives. Money that would mean the difference between going hungry and having a good meal in their stomachs, the difference between sleeping out on the cold ground, backs to each other for warmth, and a couple of good rooms with soft beds.

He can take it and they won't be cold and hungry anymore. But they'll be wanted, chased from town to town, looking over their shoulders. His hand trembles, wavering in the open door of the safe, balanced between their past and their future.

He tosses a look at the Kid but his eyes are still fixed outside, hand clenched around his gun. The decision is up to Heyes.

But today he can't think about prison, and getting caught, only the cold and the pain in their stomachs.

His hand comes down on the stack of bills. And he doesn't look back.