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The silence in the school was broken only by the sound of distant sirens and a gasping breath. Cal, his face filled with tension, clutched the cold metal in his hand. Andre trembled beside him, his own hand mirroring Cal's. They were surrounded by the aftermath of a day gone wrong.
"Okay," Cal managed, his voice barely above a whisper. "We... we said we'd do it together. We're counting down."
Andre nodded, his eyes wide and unfocused. He swallowed hard. "Okay. Together."
A wave of exhaustion washed over Cal. He felt numb, detached from reality. He began to count, the numbers heavy and thick in the air. "Three..."
Andre's breath caught. He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Two..." Cal continued, his voice breaking.
Andre's whole body was shaking. The weight of what they were about to do pressed down on him, choking him. A question climbed to the surface of his thoughts. He couldn't let it go unnoticed.
He opened his mouth just as Cal finished counting: "Wait! Are we... are we going first... or after?"
The gunshot shattered the silence before Andre could even finish his question.
He backed away, his eyes snapping open. Cal slumped over beside him, the gun falling from his lifeless hand.
Andre stared ahead, both paralyzed and shocked. His mind struggled to process what had just happened. Cal was gone. He had gone first.
He hadn't even had a chance to... do what? He didn't know what he wanted to do. He only knew he wanted to ask the question. But now Cal was gone, and the question was meaningless.
Andre slowly lowered his gun. The weight suddenly felt unbearable. He looked around at the destruction they had caused, at the silence that now screamed Cal’s absence.
He was alone.
He dropped the gun to the ground, the clatter echoing in the vast emptiness of the building. He sank to his knees beside Cal, tears streaming down his face. He didn’t know what he would do next. He didn’t know how he would face the world. But one thing was certain: he was alive. And Cal wasn’t.