Six years earlier...

     "Are you okay?" a concerned voice asks. I'm hiding behind a small abandoned house, and I'm curled up, my knees pressed against my chest, crying my heart out. I lift up my tear streaked face to see my best friend, Hercules watching, a worried look on his face. "John, what's wrong?" he kneels down and grabs my hand, holding it in both of his. "Is it your dad again?" I nod without saying anything. He puts an arm around my shoulders, one hand still holding mine. "You can tell me."
     "I don't want to talk about it."
     "Are you sure? Talking about it always help me out. I feel better afterwards." he presses.
     "I'm just... I'm just so sick of it," I say, wrapping my arms around Herc, and hug him tighter. "I was sick of my dad hurting my mom, and I'm sick of him hurting me. I just want to feel safe... for once in my life."
     "Why don't you stay at my house tonight? I think you need some time away from your dad." Herc offers.
     "Really? Your mom won't mind?" I question. At this point, the population in the mines had been decreasing rapidly and they were forced to send more males from the town into the mines. Herc's dad was picked and he hasn't heard from him since. We're able to talk about losing parents together.
     "Nah, we have empty space to fill. And you know you're always welcome." Herc answers. I smile, and wipe my tear stained face.
     "Yeah okay. I'd like that."

Five years earlier...

     "You did it, didn't you? God John, why? I thought you were getting better. Here let me help. Crap this might leave a scar." Hercules wraps a bandage around my bloody wrist after I he forced me to show him what I had done.
     "Sorry." I say, but I'm not really sorry. I don't know what to feel. While I was doing it. It felt good at the time but now it just adds to all the hurt.
     "Why'd you do it?" he asks, putting pressure on the bandage to stop the bleeding.
     "Today was the day my mother died." I say in an emotionless voice.
     "And?" he presses.
     "And my father knew. I guess he was really mad or something. He was worse today. So much worse." I start to cry and I throw my arms around Herc's neck and sob into his shoulder. He hugs me back.
     "It's okay. It's okay John. Just- please don't do it again. You had me worried." Herc whispers.
     "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." I say frantically between my cries.
     "You don't have to apologize." he says firmly, and we stay, wrapped in each other's arms and crying.

     Three years earlier...

     "John? What are you doing here?" Herc asks as he opens the door, responding to my knock. I fling my arms around him, and he stumbles back, surprised.
     "My dad kicked me out," I say, my voice muffled since I had buried my head in his shirt. "I don't have anywhere else to go."
     "John, you're always welcome here, but, can I ask, why'd he kick you out?" Herc questions. I pause for a moment before answering. Hercules is my best friend. We've been together for as long as I can remember and... he's always helped me when times for tough, he'd... he'd understand. Right?
     "He- I told him- I told him I'm gay," I respond, and then there's silence. Oh no, what if- what if Herc's homophobic, but he never told me. What if he hates me now? I can't bare to live in a life without him. I release my grip and back away. "Should I- should I go?" But he pulls me back into the hug.
     "Never. I can't believe you thought I'd care about something like that. I mean- I do care but only because I care about you. You're still you John."

     Two years earlier...

     "Hey man. You good?" Herc's concerned voice asks me. I look up from my lunch tray of slop and meet his worried eyes. I smile, hopefully somewhat convincing.
     "Of course. Why'd you ask?" I reply.
     "You just seem... I dunno. Sadder than usual. I just wanted to check to make sure everything's okay. I- I don't want you to hurt yourself again." he answers. I shake my head, still smiling.
     "I'm fine, really, I am." But what he doesn't know and what I do is going to make all the difference. I'm leaving today, I'm going into the desert, and I'm going to die. Maybe of dehydration, or a heatstroke. But either way, I'm leaving this world. I wrote a note, just to Herc. I'm going to have someone deliver tomorrow to him. I want him to know that- that's it's not his fault I want to die. He's been here for me through everything, but I just don't want to burden him anymore.

     The hot desert sun almost wants to make me turn back. But I don't, because all that's waiting for me at that stupid town, is my sad excuse for a father, people who whisper about me at school and in the streets. And the curse, of when I turn eighteen, I'm whisked away to those mines forever. I'm seventeen now, so I have only one more year to live my best life, but that ends today. I see this as a perfect solution to all of my problems. I also chose to wear a long with long selves, instead of a t-shirt. And I wore pants also. While passing the small grocery store, the lady who owns the business asked if I wanted to buy some water before heading into the desert, and I turned her down. Because I don't have any money, and I don't want it. I don't need it. I collapse onto the sand, my body shaking from lake of liquid. Perfect. This is it then. I close my eyes and wait for death to come.

     I feel water on my splash on my face and I immediately open my eyes, gasping and choking for air. A hand flies against my face and leaves a red mark.
     "Ow! What the-" I shout, but then, my heart stopping, I hear Herc's voice.
     "And that's for scaring me half to death, you fucking idiot!" he yells at me. "Open your mouth."
     "Why-" but then he pours water into down my throat. "Hey! Stop! I don't want-"
     "Yeah but you need it! Did you think your little parade into the desert would go unnoticed? First that stupid note, you think I wouldn't run after you? And then, Mrs. Patterson told me you had gone running off into the desert. And I told I was going after you, and she offered me water, free of charge. So, idiot your attempted suicide didn't go unnoticed." he spits at me. And I wince, because there's so much anger and hurt in his voice.
     "I'm sorry... but I don't want to be here anymore, there's no good in this world." I answer.
     "But there is! You just need to see. I want to help you John, I really do," he grabs my wrist and pulls me up onto my feet. "Okay so, we only have a quarter of the water left, and we've been walking for about four hours so, let's wait until night, then we won't drink as much."
     "I'm not going. I'm staying right here." I say, shaking my head stubbornly.
     "Then I'll carry you, and I'll drink more water because of it, and then we'll both die of dehydration." he says, but I shake my head again.
     "No, I won't let you."
     "Like hell you'll stop me." he growls. BANG. A gunshot fries into the air, we both jump and turn around to see a British solider sneering at us.
     "Thought you'd go hide in the desert, did you?" he snarls. "I suppose both of you thought you could be run away seventeen year olds, and hide from the mines. Well I got news for you, you're going early!"