Watching Midnight

Heyes looked at his watch – 10:51 – and sighed. He shivered and wrapped the blanket closely, trying to gain some warmth. His cup of coffee was cold, beginning to frost over. There was no moon tonight, and the brittle stars made sharp incisions in the sky, piercing the darkness, but shedding no light on the landscape. He looked down but could spy no movement, no sign of life. He looked at his watch again – 10:52.

He heard a slight noise behind him. He glanced back, but nothing was there. Must have been the Kid shifting in his sleep back deep in the cave where they could have a fire without it showing. The fire was too far back to bring any warmth where he was though. He looked back down. Was there movement? Was the posse still out there? He saw no sign but couldn't relax. How often had they done this – taken turns keeping watch while the other slept, avoiding posses? It was supposed to be better now. They had gone straight, had kept their word, nearly three years. Yet they were still dodging posses, still wanted, only now they didn't have the gang to back them, didn't have the Hole to call home. Lord, how bad was that? Calling that God-forsaken piece of real estate home? He looked at his watch – 10:59.

He took a sip of the icy coffee and grimaced. He liked his coffee strong, and, though others might grumble, he thought he made a fine cup, but he had to admit when it was cold it was awful. You could probably use it to clean guns. This time he definitely heard the Kid grunting and moving. Get your sleep, Kid; it's been a hard few days.

They had been several hours out of Porterville, after one of their regular visits to see if there was word. No word, just another Governor making promises he had no intention of keeping, Heyes guessed. Anyway, Lom had given them his usual pep talk and sent them on their way. It was just their poor luck that as they passed by Harrow's Glen someone recognized them and sent a posse after them. It had taken nearly three days of hard riding, four changes of horses, to outrun them. He thought they had finally gotten safe but wasn't sure. Good thing he and the Kid knew this part of Wyoming as well as they did. They had taken refuge in this cave that they had used frequently with the gang. It was about a fifteen hour ride from here to the Hole, but you could go through the cave and come out on the other side of the ridge and no posse would be the wiser. The cave was well hidden too and on rocky terrain so they didn't leave any tracks getting to it either.

He looked down, still clear. Maybe they had finally gotten a break and lost the posse. Maybe. He looked at his watch – 11:04. He looked up. The stars mocked him - clear and beautiful, and cruel. It was clear like this that night, he remembered. After they'd found them and buried them, they had hidden down by the banks of the stream, up in a tree. He remembered holding the Kid, who was shivering as if he'd never be warm again, even though it was August and the sweat was pouring from the two of them. He had looked up then and these same stars had laughed at him, taunting him, telling him, "you two shouldn't be there. You were supposed to have died too." He looked at his watch – 11:06.

He stood up and stretched his legs, then rewrapped the blanket and sat back down. He listened for the Kid and heard soft snuffles behind him. He drew a deep breath and remembered. Remembered the years on their own, the struggles to survive. They had tried hard, back-breaking work, but somehow it never suited them. Then the gangs. Boy had that suited them. That, they excelled at. So why did they quit? What was he thinking? Oh, he knew the Kid raised it first. But really, he could have talked the Kid out of it if he'd wanted to. Why hadn't he? What had he been thinking? These last three years had been impossible. Something had to give.

He reached into his pocket to pull out the watch again. "Don't Heyes." The Kid spoke quietly behind him.

"You're supposed to be sleeping. What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep. You're thinkin' too loud."

"That's ridiculous. I'm not making any noise. Thinking don't make a sound."

"Heyes, I've known you my whole life. I know when you're thinkin' too hard. Trust me on this, you're thinkin' too loud. It's keepin' me awake." The Kid reached over, took Heyes' cup and tossed out the cold coffee, then poured in some warm from the pot he was holding. He handed it back to Heyes, who swallowed it and sighed, before putting the cup back down.

"I'm sorry, Kid. Guess I dragged you into one more of my schemes. Maybe this amnesty is wrong. The Governor's never going to give it to us. Found himself a great way to make us stop and not cost him anything. Bet the railroads and bankers love him."

"It was my idea, Heyes, remember? I convinced you to try for it. And you never dragged me into anything. I've got a mind of my own, you know. I liked the easy money and the excitement of the jobs, just as much as you did."

"Kid, I wanted you by my side. You gotta know that I can talk you into anything if I really want to."

"Ya think that, do you?"

"Well, yeah."

"I've got news for you. You have never talked me into anythin' I didn't already want to do. Remember? We split up because of that. You manipulate folks, Heyes; you're good at it. It's saved our skins, I can't count how many times. But you have never been able to manipulate me. I know you. I know all your tricks. I can read you better'n you read yourself. Your ma once told me that you liked me because I was the only one you couldn't trick. I go where I go because I want to be there. I have no regrets about this life we've lived; don't you go feelin' bad about me. I am alive because I know that you have my back; and I have yours."

They both sat quietly, gazing up at the velvet sky, immersed in the silence.

A train whistle sounded far off. Heyes looked at his watch again – 11:32.

Heyes thought back to that first train they hopped. Two young boys running from the Home and the life they had been handed. What had happened to all their dreams? They were going to be rich. Well they'd had lots of money, but it all seemed to pass right through their hands. Maybe there was one more big score out there. Maybe.

"Why are we doing this, Kid? Why did we decide to go straight? Why did you want the amnesty?"

"It wasn't the same anymore. You n' me both, we had fun, liked the challenge. But it wasn't as much fun anymore. We grew up. We couldn't ignore what we were doin'; couldn't say it was just the railroads and the banks' faults anymore. That they were askin' for it. Wheat was gettin' restless; the posses were gettin' bigger; the sheriff's gettin' smarter. With the spread of the telegraph, it was only a matter of time - either someone would get shot, or we'd get caught, or both."

"Yeah." Heyes sighed. "Bank and train robbing is a young man's game. Not many live to be as old as we have. I guess you're right. Have you thought about what we'll do when we get the amnesty, or what we'll do if we don't get it?"

"No, Heyes, I'll leave the thinkin' to you. I just take it one day at a time. As tirin' and frustratin' as our current situation is. I still like it better; like us better too."

As they looked out at the silent landscape their attention was caught by a flash in the sky. They looked up and saw first one, then two, then a cascade of shooting stars lighting the sky and the surrounding countryside. They watched in awe until it ended.

Heyes looked at his watch again. It was midnight. They sat together, each caught up in his own thoughts.

Finally, the Kid turned to Heyes. "Go get some sleep. It's my turn to keep watch. I'll be here at your back, so sleep, Heyes."

"Kid."

"Just get some sleep. I'll wake you in four hours. Then you can watch till daylight – but I'll make the coffee then."

Heyes laughed. "Alright. Wake me in four hours. Then I'll figure out where we go next."