Manny squinted at the distant convoy, his rifle hung loosely from his shoulder as he sighed, long and dramatic.

—“Hey... you should come stand here with me. There’s so much to see, you know? One truck... two trucks... a cloud... two clouds... oh look—”—he pointed lazily up to the sky.—“—a bird. Maybe a crow. No, wait... that’s probably a rat with wings.”

You knew exactly what he was doing—trying to pull a laugh out of you, as always. But it wasn’t working this time. Not after Isaac had sent you both to this dead-end sector just to watch the border where nothing ever happened. No reason to be here—except for the punishment disguised as 'surveillance duty.

—“Man... I’m starving,”—he groaned, rubbing his stomach in exaggerated circles.—“Hard work like this? Requires energy. Dedication. Pure, honest effort. This is not for amateurs, you know.”

You roll your eyes — it’s not that his company bothers you; you’d rather be with him and his huge appetite than with one of the rookies or some psychopath from Isaac’s crew.

—“C'mon,”—he said softly, turning to face you.—“You should be happy, no? Two whole weeks out here... with your best friend. Could be worse, right?.”