Note: I am writing this assuming that the readers have at least given some time to read up on the nature of the main story. Hence, any additional explanations will not be included, unless it pertains to interactions between the characters.

Note: I am not very confident about my writing and would appreciate it if you guys can give any criticism or suggestions on how to improve. Thank you for taking the time to read the notes and I hope that you guys enjoy ^^

Life and Death

"Vance! Come on! My mom's been calling me for an hour now!" [???]

*waits for a few minutes*

"Vance? We really need to go man!" [???]

*waits for a few more minutes and starts walking towards the stairs*

*sighs* "Calm down Carl, just leave without me. I wasn't the one who promised Tita (Aunt) Angie that I'd be going home early tonight." [Vance]

*slowly walks down the stairs*

"You're supposed to be my friend damnit! Besides, she becomes more forgiving whenever you're around so I really need you right now." [Carl]

"Alrighty then, we should leave now while there's still some daylight left. It's a long walk but I think we can get there in thirty minutes" [Vance]

     The two left the building. Vance and Carl have been friends since elementary school. Their families lived in the same subdivision and became close because of their friendship. Years passed and they were able to successfully graduate High school. Vance had become top of their class with Carl as second. Both of them applied to several Universities and were able to pass the entrance examinations. They chose however, the one farthest from the subdivision they lived in. This was because they both craved for adventure. They have read from internet forums, success stories from people during their vital college years. Hence, they wanted to start their own journey to success in college life as well. However, because of the distance, they would have trouble commuting to and from their homes. They both urged their respective parents that they needed to find a place to rent near their school. They were granted permission and experienced little to no resistance since they did well together with their studies.

    Vance and Carl had spent days already, looking for an apartment. Among the several places they had found, the building they just exited seemed to be the best one yet. Fully furnished, having two bedrooms and a small living room, Carl had immediately exclaimed "finally!" Vance on the other hand was still skeptical, but upon hearing the rent, he became on board with Carl. Having finished making a full sweep to check for any damages, strange stains or faulty wiring, they proceeded to ask the landlady for the requirements for the transaction. A sample contract was provided by the landlady. They both proceeded to ask her about the area. They were pleased to know that the area is well secured by both the ever present building guards and the patrolling policemen just outside the building.

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    They spent the rest of the time asking the landlady for more information about the place. A few hours passed and the landlady had to leave them since she had prior engagements that she needed to attend to. After apologizing, she left Vance and Carl with the key. Both of them were surprised, but the landlady explained how she trusted both of them and that the guards make regular rounds around the building every night, making sure to check every room and giving priority to unowned ones.

    Vance and Carl picked up their pace. Carl took out his phone every now and then to check for any new calls from his mother. However, in one of his regular checks, his face clearly became perplexed about something. Vance asked him what happened. It took a few minutes but Carl answered, seemingly absentmindedly, “Did you turn on the ‘hotspot’ feature of your smartphone?”

*checks phone* “Nope. I turned it off before leaving the apartment earlier.” [Vance]

“My phone got a virus then. Damn, I need to get this fixed. I’m actually a bit worried now. I haven’t gotten a single call from my mom since we left the building. Its either this virus is blocking any incoming calls or my mom’s already at that point that she’s just gonna scold me like there’s no tomorrow when I get home.” [Carl]

    Vance smiles and seemingly slows down his pace. Carl having noticed this, immediately went behind and started to push while increasing his own pace, urging Vance to “cut it out!” Because of this, they did not notice the man walking towards them. The man had seen Vance’s phone from afar. He was grinning as he walked towards the two.

*takes out gun from his jacket pocket and aims it at Vance* “Give me your phone.” [???]

“Carl, stop pushing… and don’t panic.” [Vance]

*Carl stops and sees the guy with the gun*

“Oh shit…Brother, can we talk about this? We are just students and we really don’t have any money with us. We wouldn’t be walking if we did actually…” [Carl]

    At that moment, Carl hear a loud, deafening sound. Moments later he noticed Vance who was in front of him, was slowly leaning sideward, and falling. He immediately catches him and was too dumbfounded to get any words out of his mouth. The man, with hastened steps, walked towards them and when he got close, he quickly searched Vance’s pockets for his phone. Carl just stared at the guy as he ransacked his friend. He couldn’t do anything, he was too afraid to do anything. The man then proceeds to shoot Carl on the head.