After dinner, Luke and Leo had to wait almost an hour in-line to wash their clothes.

It was this hour where the depleting morale of Sector E was on full display as everyone seemed to be frustrated, angry, anxious, irritated and ready to start a fight.

Many of them grumbled about the penalty they suffered disallowing them to play the game for the next 3 days and how it seriously hurt their chances to advance.

Some talked about how they too considered selling their body to higher ups as a good choice under these circumstances as the urban myth of a sector S bigshot visiting the slums a day ago was apparently very popular.

Thankfully, even as they actively talked about this point, they did not recognise Luke and Leo as the source of this rumour as although the rumour had spread through word of mouth, without functioning mobile phones there was no photo of them in circulation, giving them a layer of anonymity.

Keeping their heads hanging low, Luke and Leo quietly did their laundry and headed back towards their apartment without stirring any trouble, when shockingly they found some odd crook sitting in front of their door.

" Excuse me? Can you move aside please?" Leo asked politely as he felt unsure as to why someone was sitting outside their front door.

" It's you? Are you the brats who live here?" He asked in a maniacal voice as Luke and Leo looked at each other in doubt.

" So what if we do?" Luke replied, his tone stern and strong as he pulled Leo behind him and faced the man himself.

The man with red eyes, long hair and a stubble for a beard stood up as he blocked the entrance to the apartment door and confronted Luke and Leo instead.

" I couldn't see your face that day… but I remember this door.

It's this door that the bigshot walked through, and you will tell me everything about why he did and why he wanted to meet you specifically!" The man said demandingly as Luke and Leo inadvertently took a step back looking into his crazy eyes.

" Whatever business he had with us was private, we're not telling you jackshit," Leo said as the man wagged his finger in front of the two and made clicking sounds with his tongue.

*Tch* *Tch* *Tch*

" I waited all day yesterday to see if you two would come out, but you did not.

Initially there were three of us waiting but then because of yesterday's riots, two of my friends left.

UNFORTUNATELY, both of them died in the riots yesterday….DEAD.

Forever gone.

I'm the only survivor" the main said as he absurdly shouted in the middle of his sentence at times, as it was evident that the pain of losing his friends had made him lose his mind.

" We were protesting because we are treated like pigs….. we were protesting because we wish to be treated like humans with basic courtesy.

However, instead of getting the respect we deserve, we got death.

Hahahahahaha" he said, as Luke and Leo took a step back from the crazy man yet again, his antics freaking them out.

" Yet you know what we found out? Of all the violations that people were penalised for yesterday, hitting or worse even killing sector E personnel was not amongst them.

I can kill you today and leave this place scot free, yet I can't fucking curse a supervisor.

I want to escape this shit-hole, I want to escape it anyway possible and I know you two pipsqueaks know something that I don't.

So either tell me now…. Or I will send you to an intergalactic grave" the man said as he pulled out what looked to be a makeshift knife.

Its head was sharp hard plastic, likely broken off from something else and it's handle was wood, looking like it was once again part of some small wooden comb or mirror that was broken to make the knife.

While not steel, the edge looked plenty sharp to stab someone and the man looked crazy enough to do it.

Luke clenched his fists, he did not wish to be pushed over by a maniac, however, he was not sure about fighting him either.

He contemplated between telling him the information he seeked and fighting back, however, it was Leo who put a hand over his shoulder this time around.

"It's two versus one brother, it's not even a decision we need to worry about" Leo said as he assured Luke that he had his back.

Luke's eyes sparkled with life when he realised that he did not need to hold back anymore as he lunged towards the maniac with Leo in tow.

"DIE!" the crazy man shouted as he tried to stab Luke, however, Luke grabbed his stabbing hand and kicked him hard in his abdomen.

Leo jumped over Luke's back and went straight for the man's chin as he punched him with all his might, knocking a teeth out with his very first strike.

*CLANG*

Disoriented and dizzy, the man dropped his knife as a result of Leo's punch as the two brothers proceeded to maul the crazy man two versus one.

All the pent up frustration that the brothers had over Vini and their current condition, came out in this fight as they roughed the man up real bad, breaking his teeth and also a couple ribs.

"Mercy…. Please mercy" the man begged as he sprawled on the floor curled into a ball.

Tears streamed down even his eyes as he felt unsure of why he chose to intimidate kids or what he was doing acting like a thug.

He only wanted information that could help him escape the hell of sector E, but the way he approached the brothers was perhaps the worst choice.

Had he genuinely asked them for help, perhaps Luke and Leo would have obliged, but he chose to intimidate and the brothers were not ready to have any of that crap.

They were raised in tough conditions themselves and were not afraid of a street fight.

" Please don't come back" Luke said as he stepped over the man's body to enter their small apartment with Leo in pursuit.

—----

/// A/N - This bonus chapter is sponsored by patron EmpathyReader, please thank her in the comments for this one ///