I'd Start A Riot //Dyle//

Chapter Five

"You ever shot a gun?" It's been two days since Charlie and Kyle rocked up at Woody's place, and Charlie informed Kyle last night that he felt they were outstaying their welcome. As a result, Charlie suggested to Woody that they track the WWComms guys today and then move on tomorrow. Woody agreed.

Kyle shakes his head, "N-no... Never really had the chance." With strict gun control laws, Kyle had never had 'shoot a gun' at number one of his bucket list. In fact, he never even wanted to. He was quite happy keeping his gun shooting to Call of Duty, where the bullets can't actually kill you.

"Well, now's your chance," Woody holds out a pistol to Kyle, who just stares at it. It's his first time seeing a gun in flesh. "You shouldn't need to use it, but if you do, it's there..." 

"I don't even know how to shoot a gun..." Kyle mumbles, putting his hand around it and taking it from Woody. The metal is cold in his hand, and he feels as though he shouldn't even be near it. 

"Well, you pull the trigger," Charlie mumbles with a cheeky smile on his face. "If the time comes, you'll know." Charlie stands at the table, putting things that had come out of his bag (spare tins of food or drink, or Luna's tennis ball) back inside it. "Don't worry. Besides, me and Woody won't ever be far from you." 

"You scared?" Woody laughs at Kyle's pale complexion, his shaking hands. When he nods slightly, he puts a hand on his shoulder. "We were, too. But some things in life have to be done. This country will never be like it once was, it's damaged past repair, so you need to know how to protect yourself. You never know what sort of freak is hiding around the corners." 

Kyle just nods and follows the two men out of the bunker, Woody shouting goodbye to Chrissy on the way. She locks in behind them.

"We shouldn't get in much trouble," Woody shrugs, "Just keep quiet, though. These WWComms people... They're brainwashed. Like weirdos, they can't think for themselves, Hell, I doubt they ever get to eat or drink. They work like machines, just shutting down when they're not needed. The worst thing is, it's regular people they do it to. There's a chance that your fella- what's his name?" 

"Dan." 

"Dan might have this done to him. I'm sorry to say it, but you've gotta be prepared." Woody walks on as if it was nothing, but Kyle feels sick. He feels as though he may just combust into tears at any moment. 

Dan is more than that. Dan deserves to be more than that. Dan is lovely, he is smart, he is happy and cheerful and he lights up a room as soon as he enters it. He is bright and loving, and the thought of him losing all of that and being nothing more than just a robot? That kills Kyle. The thought of Dan in one of those white jumpsuits, his electric blue eyes just lifeless and his beautiful mind no more.

"But I'm sure he'll be fine." Charlie adds, nudging Woody's shoulder to get him to shut up. Kyle knows he wasn't supposed to see it, but he did. "Anyway, where are we going?" 

"There's a small shopping centre not far from here. Usually they're scoping it out as if someone might be hiding there, but nobody ever is. Until we've come along." 

"There's one there!" Charlie says in a hushed whisper, crouching down so the barrier of the walkway can protect him from the line of sight of the WWComms people on the floor below them. Charlie, Woody, and Kyle are on the second floor of this shopping centre, which is completely deserted. There's a hole in the wall, which they have used to drive in their black van. The van, much alike the jumpsuit, has one of the weird WWComms triangles in the alternative colour- on the white jumpsuit it is black (they also have breathing masks on, which the three of them find weird), and the black van has a white triangle on. "What're they doing?" 

"I don't know. Something weird," Woody shrugs, "Why do they have those masks on?" 

"Maybe they're testing something," Charlie replies with a shrug as Woody kneels up, angling himself at a way so his gun is pointed at one of the agents. 

"Should I get him?" He asks, lining up his shot. "Clean shot. Dead right away." 

"Are you dumb? No, we shouldn't get him. They'll know he's died and they'll send more people here and we'll be fucked. Leave him be." Charlie pushed Woody a little bit so he is no longer pointing his gun there.

"That was somebodies son, man. Maybe even their husband, maybe a dad. That person meant the world to someone and now look at them. They don't even know their name." Kyle says, shaking his head. 

"They know their number," Charlie shrugs as they creep along the way and into a nearby shop, which has been raided more than enough times.

"Number?" Kyle follows the other two, his eyebrows furrowed. He hasn't said much on this trip at all, but he hasn't really had anything to talk about.

"They all have a number. Like WW123, or something like that. It can be like CM or CMMs, I don't know. But that's all they say, and that weird here for you bullshit. They're all brainwashed." They pick some left over stuff up- there's a packet of paracetamol under the counter that Charlie shoves into his bag, and a flask (God knows what's in it) is shoved into Woody's bag. 

"So, you and this Dan guy, then. How did you meet?" Woody then asks as they all disappear into the backroom of the shop, closing the door behind them so nobody will see that they're there. They then exit through a cupboard and a ladder appears before them- Kyle presumes this will take them to the roof. 

"I don't know, to be honest. I think... I think he was drunk- or maybe it was me? Either way, we ended up talking because whoever was drunk was crying over some stupid bullshit and then the other couldn't stop laughing. But crying over stupid shit sounds like Dan, and the other person laughing sounds like me." 

"Not your typical love story, then?" Woody begins to climb the ladder, which isn't very high. "Did you live together?" 

"Yeah. We've known each other for like four years or something, now, so..." Kyle follows Woody up the ladder, and Charlie is below them. "It only felt right." 

"You want to marry him?" Charlie calls up, light suddenly flooding the room from the latch above which Woody has pushed open.

"God yes. If I ever see him again," 

"Course you will. We'll make sure of it."