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Mason could hear his heart pound; his chest rose and fell mechanically. [i]Keep the feather in the center[/i], he thought to himself as he controlled his aspirations. A gunshot rang uncomfortably nearby; he flinched and tightened his fists until his nails bit. He shrunk further away from the nearest window when he heard voices outside. They were just a bit too far for Mason to make out what they were saying, but it was safe to assume they were members of the Boyz. He’d seen them before, which was to be expected given how many areas they’ve taken over, but he’d never had to deal with them personally. And now, the chances of such an encounter had never been higher, and he was alone.

It had been about 3 weeks since he was separated from his only friend and ally in L.A., a wide-eyed, good natured young professional named Leo - a former coworker and fellow Deltahuman. The two had stayed past work hours on the day of the Incident, and were the only ones left at the office when the first earthquake had begun. Mason often thought back to that day whenever he had a moment to breathe; when Leo was out on lookout and the only thing he could hear was the faint singing of birds in the distance, he closed his eyes. 

Glass had shattered in the adjacent room and its chilling clangs sent Mason into a panic right before he was able to register the floor violently shaking beneath them. His body moved on its own; he grabbed Leo and dove under the nearest desk before a shelf was about to fall on them. He shielded his friend with his body as he held his breath. The shelf struck the table as its contents - books, hardware, and framed photos of his team - spilled out and smashed onto the ground, shortly followed by the computers that sat atop their desks just moments ago, all before his eyes. Leo had been shouting but he couldn’t hear him, his mind was completely overwhelmed as the world around them fell apart. His chest tightened. His vision had begun to blur.

It was only once his friend gave him a hard smack that he was able to regain his senses, and realize that he’d been suffocating him the entire time. Leo glared at him jokingly, and almost let out a laugh, but another intense tremor - worse than the last - erupted and his expression instantly dropped. Mason stared at the floor, examining its design as a distraction as he attempted to stabilize his heart rate and clear his head. He turned to Leo after he had calmed down a bit and upon seeing his fearful eyes, his thoughts finally began to focus. Leo was a year older than him, but he looked and acted like his junior, and often reminded him of his younger siblings. 

Right. Whatever happened next, he had to protect him and ensure that they’d both survive. [i]There was never another option.[/i]

Thankfully, their office’s building had a strong foundation, so they came out unharmed. The two had stuck together since the Incident. Leo wasn’t nearly as shrewd as Mason, but he was an optimist, and very earnest, which made him the perfect companion for Mason - and his sanity. Leo would often remind Mason about how his actions saved them both on the day of the Incident, in which he’d only be able to respond with a flustered chuckle. He appreciated the sentiments, but was never fully convinced. That moment he completely dissociated weighed in his mind; if something had happened within that frame of time, he wouldn’t have been able to act. Yeah, it was pretty dumb to think this way - harmful even. He knew that much, yet the feeling was still there. 

The two had been forced to face many other dangers since then. On the outset, Mason was quick to adapt to the anarchic world but, in truth, he barely held himself together. He knew it. He knew that his ability to cope with his emotions was awful. He knew he could - and should - have gone to his only friend for support, and now he was gone. With only his thoughts left to accompany him for the past few weeks, he felt as if he was about to lose his mind, but of course, he couldn’t. 

If he gave up and let himself get killed, it was good as abandoning his closest friend - who could still be out there - and of course, his siblings. They’ve lost enough, and he made a promise that he’d always be there if they needed him, even if he was far away. “Heh, only if I don’t get my dumb ass killed,” he had joked to alleviate the cloying sappiness of it, but now it just sounded like a self-inflicted death flag to him. 

An intense barrage of gunfire in the distance sent him back to the present. The increase of activity may have been provoked by the people the Boyz had been attacking, but now was not the time to check - not if he didn’t want to risk getting shot by a stray shell. He listened to his pulse, and allowed it to take over his thoughts as he focused on his breathing; the feather floated gently in the center of his imaginary vision. His sister, Elisa, was the one who taught him that trick; he had promised to walk her down the aisle one day. His mind began to clear and soon, all that remained was [color=E1F99F]“survive for them”[/color]. 

Thankfully, the Boyz seem to be focused on whoever this area belongs to. He didn’t intend to wander into another gang/group’s territory, but it seemed that he may have to deal with them as well. Just then, the door behind him gently creaked open a sliver. His heart skipped a beat.