The Georgia winter night on New Year's Eve, 2017, held a crisp chill, but for Taji and Bryan, their hearts burned with a different kind of fire. Discovered in a dusty box within a derelict house, two firearms – a .22 caliber and a .38 Special revolver – became their new, dangerous toys. Fueled by cheap liquor and the reckless abandon of youth, they handled the guns with the swagger of movie protagonists.

"Look at this, Blu. Doesn't this feel real?" Bryan brandished the .38 Special, a glint of mischief mixed with an unsettling unease in his eyes.

Taji shrugged, fiddling with the .22. "It looks the part, sure. But does it actually shoot?"