BOSTON — Hoodies up, faces covered, guns loaded. That’s what Boston police say they walked into Friday night at the Franklin Field housing projects — a scene where teenagers barely out of middle school were roaming the courtyard strapped like career criminals.

Around 6:59 p.m., officers on patrol in Mattapan and Dorchester zeroed in on a cluster of six to eight youths loitering on Westview Way. The group’s uniform: layers of clothing, face coverings, and the kind of hard stares that have turned neighborhood courtyards into no-go zones.

One 14-year-old peeled off, fidgeting and refusing eye contact. A frisk told the story: a Glock pistol, round chambered, four more in the mag. Fourteen years old — still a child — but carrying like a soldier.

Then came the runner. A 16-year-old bolted through the projects, chased down by officers. Retracing his steps, police found the throwaway — a Taurus 9mm dumped under a bush, also loaded, chamber hot.

Both boys were cuffed and hauled to District B-3, now facing gun charges in Dorchester court.

But behind the charges sits the bigger story: this is what Boston’s housing projects have become. Courtyards meant for families are now breeding grounds for armed teenagers, hiding guns under bushes and playing cat-and-mouse with cops. Neighbors whisper about safety, kids can’t play outside, and parents — or whoever’s left — are nowhere to be found.