The pistol was cocked, ready to go. The young man stared down at the gun which was now locked and loaded, closing his eyes and taking several long breaths before looking over to where his older and more seasoned counterpart had been standing.

"We're going to die, aren't we," the young man commented, the hand holding the pistol starting to shake as his older counterpart exhaled heavily.

"We're all going to die someday," he mused in return. "So what if today is our day."

The young man sighed and looked back down at the gun in his hands. "I don't want to die," he started to say after several long moments of silence. "I don't want to die."

"And I don't want you to keep talking like that," the older man nearly snapped in return. "You're better than that, and we both know that. I would never have brought you on this mission if I thought for one sec--"

Their quiet conversation was briefly interrupted by the sound of gunshots echoing in the distance. Both men returned to where they had been hiding, back behind crumbling walls, walls that had already withstood their share of mortar fire over the years. Crumbling walls that wouldn't be able to protect them forever.

"This is fucking insane!" the young man almost shouted, knowing that speaking too loudly would give away their position. "We have no right to be here! This isn't our fight, why the hell are we even here right now?"

The older man was quiet for an incredibly long moment, holding his own gun close to his chest, staring up at the cloudy skies above them before he turned to the younger man standing not five feet away, and sighing softly. "Because they kidnapped my daughter," he said very plainly. "They kidnapped my daughter, your sister. They're going to kill her and our government doesn't give a shit if they do. So you and I, we're going to do what we need to get done to save her."