Hank and Ryne exchanged glances as they caught their breath and scanned the city streets for trouble. Anyone in Fracture knew of the dangers lurking beneath them—the Busters, a ruthless gang that ruled the streets with an iron fist. Clad in metal suits fashioned from salvaged Shells, fiercely loyal to their unknown leader, and entangled in the drug trade that catered to the affluent citizens of Nova City.
People standing up to the Busters had slowly become recognised as being as foolhardy as standing up to the authority of Nova City itself.
Power and influence. Having enough of both gave people free rein to do whatever they wanted, to whoever they wanted. Especially here.
Ryne and Hank calculated every step they took, each carefully planned to avoid missteps that could expose them to the watchful eyes of the Busters. They moved silently, blending with the shadows cast by the sunset, their senses heightened to detect any signs of danger.
Suddenly, Hank lost his footing on a ledge and tumbled, his body crashing through the side of an already-crumbling building. Ryne froze in his tracks, heart pounding in his chest, as the sound of Hank's fall reverberated through the desolate streets.
There was no way that nobody heard that.
Time stood still as they held their breath, fearing the noise had exposed their location to the bruisers below. Hank, covered in pieces of rubble, lay still on the third floor of an old apartment building. Slowly, he rose to his feet, brushing pieces of brick and drywall from his clothes, and stepped closer to the gap between the buildings.
"I think it came from over here!" the harsh voice of a Buster echoed from below.
Several footsteps grew closer with each passing second. Panic surged through Ryne's veins, but he quickly composed himself. With urgency, he extended a hand to Hank, helping him over the gap. Hank winced in pain but stood tall, determined to continue. Hesitation, empathy, self-pity—no time for such things.
Without exchanging a word, they resumed their precarious journey. Their hearts raced, adrenaline pumping through their veins as they maneuvered across the rooftops and through buildings with even greater speed. They performed every leap, vault, and landing with precision, pushing their bodies to the limits of their agility and strength.
"We're almost there," Hank said, pointing to an old school building.
As they neared their destination, a symphony of clinking metal broke the silence of the deserted streets below. By the time they spotted the cause of the noise, they had reached the edge of their current building and skidded to a stop. In three organised lines, a group of twelve Busters patrolled the area ahead. The imposing figures and the glint of their suits sent a shiver down Ryne's spine.
Some of the concrete at the roof's edge crumbled and fell into the streets below. One Buster looked towards their location, and Hank pulled Ryne behind a crumbling wall. They paused, hiding in the shadows, hoping the danger would pass.
Across the street, through a hole in the wall, Ryne spotted an old school building.
"Yeah, that's the place," Hank whispered, watching Ryne observe the building.
The haunting structure seemed frozen in a forgotten realm. It stood alone amidst a desolate landscape, surrounded by crumbling concrete walls that enclosed it in a somber embrace. The once vibrant walls had succumbed to the relentless march of time, the paint faded and chipped around the crawling plants, constricting the building like a legion of snakes.
"The school has no access from the nearby houses..."
"Yeah, we can only access it from the ground. Now you understand why I asked for your help?"
"So, where to?"
"The roof, of course."
Ryne looked over the building, figuring out a means to scale the three stories and reach the top without error. The patrol marched along, granting distance between them and their hiding spot as more time passed.
The moment the Busters left their sight, they seized their opportunity and launched into action. Hank led the way, his bulky form descending the crumbling structure. Ryne followed closely behind, heart in throat, exceeding the grace of Hank's movements with ease, mind focused on the task at hand.
When they hit the ground, they gave their bodies no chance to rest as they sprinted towards the school. Dust and dirt flicked into the air behind them. As they neared the wall that separated them from their destination, they glanced at each other, silent communication passing between them. Ryne knelt down, using his hands to support Hank's jump to the top of the wall. Hank easily caught the ledge of the three-meter-tall stone barrier. Ryne took several steps back, sprinted at the wall, used his momentum to jump, and then kicked himself up the wall. Hank caught his hand and pulled him up.
They dropped quietly into the school grounds, which had grown untamed and wild without a caretaker. The grass, swaying in the light breeze sweeping over the concrete wall, reached heights that surpassed Ryne's waist. The towering trees, ancient and gnarled, framed the decaying school with their skeletal branches. Their limbs, the leaves long since shed, groaned eerily.
Taking a deep breath, Ryne let his gaze linger on the desolate pathway leading to the school's entrance. The heavy glass doors, framed with wood, weathered, cracked, and worn, stood before them. Fresh handprints disturbed the layers of dust on the glass.
Ryne waded through the grass, several pods clinging to his clothes, begging to be spread to other parts of Fracture. He brushed them from his tracksuit. When he looked up after brushing himself off, two figures emerged from inside the school, the ominous silhouettes of their scrap armour glinting in the fading light.
"Ah, that was good!" One zipped up their pants.
"Dunno why you always want to piss in the buildings. Just go in the streets." The other said, an annoyed expression on his face.
As their eyes met Ryne and Hank's, their faces glinted with malice. They had spotted the intruders trespassing in their territory.
"Oh? What do we have here?" the annoyed one asked happily.
"Shit…" Ryne clenched his fists and gulped.