A Warzone Story
He knew his mistake as soon as he made it. Planting his hand on the coarse concrete he hurdled the bullet ridden parapet wall expecting to take his two victims by surprise. As the rubber soles of his combat boots found purchase on the asphalt, anticipation folded harshly into despair as he was met with the barrel of an MP40 covered in a Damascus skin, soon after accompanied by the H4 Blixen barrel peering into his soul. “Sweats”, was the only word he could manage to think before it was over almost immediately. A flurry of bullets swarmed him in an instant, full plates shredded in milliseconds, health gone almost as soon as the bullets left the barrels. For a moment it was there, the slow pause as the world came to a stop around him.
Feet lifted as easily as leaves in a gentle breeze from the ground, hands released their usually firm hold on his weapon, and he saw, rather than felt himself land in the downed position. He had made it too easy for them, soaring for the second time in this match into a scrap he had no business being involved in. From the former rooftop vantage point on Prison, the situation looked like a no brainer, two enemies cowering in the tiny hut, plates shattered twice. the plan was straightforward jump down pull chute, land behind the barrier and get the wipe. Somewhere between his feet leaving his perch and the ground the enemy had either seen or anticipated his play. He was a sitting duck.
Confined to the ground, all he could do was contemplate as he waited for the throwing knife. Enemy arm reached back, steel glinting in the fading sunlight, this was it. Resurgence had closed and his time in this lobby was drawing ever closer to its anticlimactic finish, until he heard an all too familiar sound. The bullet impacted his would-be killer somewhere in the left temple long before the percussion of the Kar98k reached his ears. Instantly his foe dropped to the same position he found himself in. For a brief moment the two stared at each other awkwardly in wild disbelief.
“No plates.” The thought racing across his mind so instantaneously he didn’t believe he had said it himself. He knew the enemy was weakened, but this was a rather fortunate opportunity presenting itself before his very eyes.
“Use your selfie, there’s one-” the voice in his head sounded tense, not with frustration, but focus. Immediately blocking out all noise, his hands fumbled almost on instinct rather thought for the injection pen. Fingers finally finding purchase, he wrenched the device from his vest, inserting it harshly into his chest. He had grown used to the pain, the sudden rush of drugs breathing life back into his incredibly weakened body. In almost the blink of an eye, the rush of adrenaline propelled him back onto his feet, Cooper Carbine loaded, the barrel hungry for his downed opponent.
Without thought or hesitation, he squeezed the trigger. Rounds punched into his foe, and before long the ground lay covered in blood and gear dropped by his rival he had never known before. There wasn’t time to think, there wasn’t time to plan, just move. He sprinted towards the hut, at least maybe he could draw his prey out from their cover just long enough for his savior to get a clear shot. Sliding towards the window he immediately vaulted through the glass and into the metal hut, finding his intended target completely unaware.
As he sent the rounds of the Cooper Carbine to their final destination, he couldn’t help but grin. As broken plates gave way to the sounds of bullets entering flesh, victory seemed certain. Finally extinguishing the light of his foe, he stepped forward to reload, plate up, and loot whatever trophies he could find, but two red lasers and an audible click suddenly brought his world crashing down around him in fire and pain. The percussion of the claymore was soon followed by a harsh impact with the ground, and before he knew, he was staring back at Prison roof through blood spattered eyes. “Not a wipe.” was all he could find.
Eternity seemed to pass lying on the concrete floor waiting for death, when a shadow first appeared in the window. First it moved back and forth, a blur almost impossible to catch hold of like shapes you see when you close your eyes. Suddenly, it stopped. His savior had come, but peering further through the blood and rays of the sun, he could see the head of Godzilla staring back at him, blue eyes filled with hatred. This was their third, this was his end.
Rage filled him, hand firmly grasping the button to give one final death com, but the opportunity never fully manifested. Two arms appeared behind his would-be killer, a taught wire between them. Dropping forcefully around his foe, he watched as someone wrapped the wire around his opponent’s neck quickly turning and launching his foe over their shoulder. Two pops from a pistol, followed by silence gave indication to the outcome.
Before long a new shadow, one of death and destruction loomed in the shattered window frame. Mantling their way in, flickering lights shone upon a white cloak spatter in quickly drying blood. Slowly, the figure approached his weakened body, crouching before him bring their face closer to his. A purple mask reflected half his bloodied face back to him, the other half revealed a hazel eye locked with his. To others it would strike terror, but to him it was home. Darkness lingered at the edge of his vision, slowly ebbing closer to all consuming like an incoming tide. As strength faded and vision faded, he felt a searing pain in his leg, “I’ve got you” was all she needed to say.
—-END—-
Thank you all for reading this story! 2022 was a year filled with discovery and growth as my creative outlet changed into something more direct. When I am not streaming, you can find me playing FPS games over on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/sladeskirata12 . While I took a hiatus from writing, I have made it a goal to continue pursuing this dream of content creation along with returning to my roots and telling my stories. I have struggled over the past year to link these two passions when the answer was in front of me the whole time. There will be much more to come in 2023, so strap in, get comfortable and squad up!
<iframe src="https://player.twitch.tv/?channel=sladeskirata12&parent=https://baileys-corner.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"></iframe>