Major Minus | t.c au

chapter III

      A loud crash echoed through the open alleyway, followed by two loud laughs. "We're gonna fuck all the shit up!" Bryce lifted one of his pistols, pointing it to a window and shattering it with one click of his gun.

     With Bryce following him down the damp alleyway, Andrew leaped up, grabbing hold of the low part of a fire escape, pulling himself to the vantage point. "You're gonna get fucked up if you don't stop drawing attention at us," Andrew hissed down to his reckless friend, though he had to admit it was quite amusing. He admired Bryce's recklessness and courage. He was fearless and he wished he could be as carefree as he was during fearful times like this. The only thing he had was the facade of being fearless which would only last him until they actually came face to face with danger.

     "Oh shut up pussy, and what the hell are you doing up there? How the hell did you get up there, feller?" Standing beneath him, even underneath all his gear Andrew could still detect the confused glare Bryce was sending up his way and he grinned. He guessed he had one skill Bryce didn't have and that was stealth and ninja skills perhaps.

     "Just jump!" He called down in a mocking voice. "What? Too scared?" He added in, enjoying the light joking between the two. He hadn't been able to do this with him for weeks now, it was always this tense time for him and Bryce before the Purge, but now that they were in their element, Andrew felt better letting go. Maybe it was the fact that at any moment they could be torn apart from each other with no justice to be served afterwards, but Andrew reckons he'd rather not think about the very likely possibilities.

     "Fuck you!" Bryce growled. Retrieving a trash can, he tried his best to balance on top before jumping up to catch the bars. "Dude," Bryce grunted to Andrew who just kneeled there, watching. "Help a brother out," he huffed before Andrew made his way over, grabbing his arms and dragging him onto the fire escape.

      Bryce crouched there, breathing heavily from the effort, Andrew silently laughing at him. "Come on. We gotta keep moving Bryce," Andrew offered him a helping hand before they began to climb higher.

     "Think this leads to the roof?" Andrew asked as he climbed to the second floor.

     "I hope so. If not I hope the top floor has a good spot to camp," Bryce muttered below him.

     Climbing higher and higher, Andrew got a notion of sickness. Just don't look down, right? He tried to keep his sight upwards and he ascended the ladders, feeling a little weak, trembly and slow. Now the fear was coming back, the realization, everything he tried to shut down so he looked like a tough bad ass frayed inside him.

     "Woah man." Bryce was right under him, not realizing he had frozen in place. Andrew pulled himself onto the next floor before sitting down, holding his head in his hands. "Yo just...I need a moment," he murmured as Bryce sat beside him understandably. Bryce knew this was coming. They were tough dudes, no one could deny that, but sometimes everyone has their moments. Bryce knew Andrew had more than Andrew himself did so he quietly sat beside him on the Fire Escape, gently patting his thigh for a little bit of comfort.

     Collecting himself, Andrew got to his feet again, acting as though nothing had happened. "We got 3 floors to go, looks like no roof access from here but we can check inside," Andrew devised as he moved the weight around from the backpack on his back. Bryce nodded in return and they climbed up again.

    Once they got to the top floor, they smashed open the window (even though they could've just slid it open) and entered the apartment room. Andrew quickly slipped his Barrett M98B from his back, slowly making his way into the room and searching around. "It's clear in here," he sighed, standing up straight.

     Bryce turned on the light, which flickered a bit. "I'll check for roof access."

     As he left the room, Andrew sat by the window, cracking it open so he could place his Barrett on the sill. Peering into the streets, alleyways and roof tops, he realized that the vantage point wasn't as cut out as he thought it would be, leaving him disappointed.

     Bryce came back, also seemingly disappointed as he retired his M40 in return for his prized Desert Eagle. "Any activity?" Bryce asked Andrew as he rummaged through the cupboards in the dirty apartment.

     "Not so far." Shrugging, he kept watch, half hoping to see someone out and about and half hoping that no one would show up for a while.

     Setting his backpack on the beat-up couch, Bryce fished out a water bottle. "God fucking tit dicks!" He cursed as he lurched his hand out, hissing. Andrew raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to his job of lookout. "Did Brycey-wicey give himself a boo-boo?" He made a childish pouty face as his friend angrily grabbed another water bottle and tossed it at his head. Andrew only laughed and placed it by his feet. "Why am I friends with you?" He grumbled, but there was still an amused gleam in his eyes as he took a spot at the window with Andrew.

     Uncapping his water bottle, Andrew watched as Bryce chugged half of it down in a few seconds. "Fucking thirsty motherfucker" He murmured, smirking. Bryce only laughed before finishing the water. "Hell fucking yea I was feller, fuck man" He sighed, leaving him to go lay on the couch.

      "Yea, you go take a nap while I sit here and watch you're tired ass, Bryce." More chuckling followed behind him, but in all Andrew wasn't entirely upset, the friendly banter kept him distracted from everything else raging inside him.

     "Uhh huh, why don't you come lay with me baby?" Bryce shot back at him, patting the spot beside him as he folded his hands behind his head.

     "You wish" Andrew snorted.

-

      Bryce must've dozed off a bit as he sat up again, feeling a bit dazed. Andrew was slumped by the window, seemingly dozing off as well with the sniper in hands. "Yo," Bryce yawned to his friend, startling him a bit. "Sorry man. No sleepin' on the job!" Andrew rolled his eyes. Only an hour had passed since they had found this place to camp and take shelter in and it was taking a boring turn of events.

     "See anyone? At all?" Bryce asked as he fished in his backpack again.

     "Nope" Andrew shrugged as he returned his focus outside. "Not even a god damn beetle."

     "Stop the war, stop the violence!" Bryce uttered sarcastically.

     As if on cue to the two's boredom, Andrew caught a glimpse of movement far off in front of him. "I see movement..." He pointed outwards to direct Bryce who literally pressed his face against the dirty glass.

     "I don't- oh I see. Can ya snipe 'em?" Bryce questioned, peering through the dirt and darkness. Before them were two buildings and a street, and on the street they could vaguely make out two figures moving around.

     Andrew loaded the sniper, lowering his head to scope them. "They're pretty close to the building. There's likely chance i'll miss 'em and hit that building" Andrew answered, trying to spot one of the figures, but to avail. They were moving far too much for him to follow. "Ah shit, they're heading to our right. Our right."

      Without a second thought, Bryce picked up his Desert Eagle and headed to the other side of the building. If only he had used his brain enough, Bryce would soon realize that thinking things through would've worked out better and that leaving his best friend's side was a large mistake for the both of them at this time. Finding the door to the next apartment open, he headed to the fire escape on that side of building, climbing slowly onto it and waiting. He crouched there and after what seemed like hours of waiting he was sure that the two figures they saw heading his direction had moved another way.

     Getting up, Bryce froze when he heard gunshots and screams behind him. His hair stood on the back of his neck and he nearly dropped his gun, the sounds shocking him. Snapping himself from it, the first thing that came to mind was his friend as reality began to sink in.

      "Andrew!"