When We Fall, Part Two by K.G. Reuss

Some loves last a lifetime; sometimes, those lifetimes are far too short.
We’re trapped in a world we can’t escape: drugs, money, and violence. This is what my life has turned into since we left Black Falls. Nothing I say or do can change my guys’ minds; they’re in it for the long haul.
When tragedy strikes, we are left crying out for mercy.
Only mercy has a peculiar way of revealing itself.
Sometimes, mercy is betrayal. It’s pain. It’s lies.
And when I agree to this act of mercy, I’m doing it solo.
War doesn’t care about love; it doesn’t care about peace. It only cares about violence.
And when it finds you, you break. You suffer. And… you fall.