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War |
| Written by james cogan | |
| Saturday, 15 March 2008 | |
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War “Run! Everyone run to the hills. Get in those trenches men. On the double now, move it,” screams the general. The men jump into the trenches. The soggy feeling on their feet have them crying for home. All they want to do is go home. None of them want to be in a muddy trench that reeks. Shots are being fired everywhere. The constant sound of guns firing above the soldiers heads has them all beginning to experience a small amount of shellshock. The morale of these soldiers is growing faint. “We’re pinned down here men. It was nice knowing you fellas. You’re all damn good soldiers. I say when they get close just throw what grenades you have left and see how many we can take out,” stated the general. Suddenly the massive amounts of bullets begin to fade. One soldier peaks his head above the trench. “Sir you won’t believe this,” said the soldier. The targets are falling like flies over there. The general peaks his head over the battered earth to see for himself. “By God, what is happening over there,” said the general. Bullets enter the enemies one by one. The enemies are scattering in confusion and fear. One soldier takes his binoculars and looks in the opposite direction from the enemies. “Sir, take a look at this,” said the solider. “Hell yeah men! We’ve got us a sharpshooter in that building. Looks like Head Quarters sent us some reinforcements,” said the general. Far off in an old hospital building is a stationed sharpshooter. “Hah, got another one. Oh, got you too. Run, run as you wish, but I can still see you. You can’t escape the sight of this sharpshooter. I’m the best there ever was,” said the sharpshooter. Looks like I’m the hero of the war. Nobody can stop me now! “Brian, wake up you’re gonna be late,” said a soft voice. “Alright, alright I’m getting up,” said Brian. “Man I shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night,” he thought to himself. Brian is just the average guy. He has never won any awards. Never has he been a hero nor done something extraordinary for someone. He is just the average white male that goes about his daily business and tries to live life as it is. Brian is easily distinguishable from most men though. He is a rather short guy and very skinny. If you put him next to a toothpick he might just be smaller. Brian wasn’t the smartest of the bunch either. He struggled throughout his school years and never flourished when he should have. Brian’s mom stormed up the stairs. “Boy, you better get outta that bed and go to work,” said Brian’s mom. “Man, just another boring day,” thought Brian. “I wish I could have a day like in my dreams,” he thought to himself. “Just once I would like to have some damn action at work. Every single day its just wake up, go to work, go on calls, station myself on a building, and wait for someone to finally crack and give their selves up. I don’t even think I’ve ever had to load my gun. Man, what a lousy job. Even those times we did have a real situation on deck, I’m told to hold my fire and watch the “more experienced” shooters take out the target. Will I ever get to be the hero?” Brian wept on the inside with self pity. “Off to work I guess,” said Brian. It usually took Brian a few minutes to get to work, but this day was different. He crept to work going way below the speed limit. He sat in his car just thinking about the dream he had every night. He thought about this dream often since he was a hero in this dream. He saved the day when everyone had already given up and thrown in the towel. Brian finally arrived at work. He walked into the station and went to go get his rifle. He began to clean his rifle as he did everyday when he got to work. All of a sudden the alarm went off. “Everyone suit up and head to the truck, said the voice on the intercom. We have a situation on our hands downtown.” Brian rushed to get his equipment on since he arrived at work a few minutes late. He suited up as quickly as possible and then grabbed his .50 caliber sniper rifle with a box of rounds, then proceeded to the S.W.A.T truck. He sprinted out of the doors and jumped into the back of the truck. Soon they arrived at the scene. Brian worked his way up a nearby building and found a balcony to set up his rifle at. It didn’t help that he was afraid of heights but none the less he was still an excellent shot. The only problem was that he never got to take a shot. He wasn’t the best on this S.W.A.T team as far as being a sniper. Bill was always the one commanded to take the shot. Who cared if he had the best scores? Brian knew he could do it too, given the chance. Brian looked down with his rifle and scouted out the situation. “Looks like we got a man threatening to shoot this little girl, said the captain. Bill, I want you to take the shot when u have the chance. Let’s take this bastard out while the girl is still unharmed.” “I got him in my sights now captain,” said Bill. “Great, just great, thought Brian. Why does Bill have to be the perfect guy? He’s got the family I never had. He’s got the respect I've never had. He’s got the life I’ve never had. Why can’t I be given the chance?” Bill locked in on the man holding the gun to the little girls head. “Taking the shot now captain,” said Bill. Click. Click, click. “Damn, said Bill. My damn gun is jammed captain. I can’t take the shot. Brian, do you have a good shot on him?” “Yeah I have him locked and ready to be taken out,” said Brian. “Well son, today is you lucky day, said the captain. You gotta take this shot and do not miss the target. One miss could be a catastrophe. This girls life depend on your shot here Brian. Make it a good one.” Brian begins to sweat heavily. He always wanted this chance, but now that he had it he was unbelievably nervous. Many people see snipers shoot in movies but don’t realize how much precision goes into each shot. There is the wind factor, air thickness factor, and all kinds of things that can take a bullet from its direct path. Brian knew that one inch off meant that he could hit the girl instead of the man. One inch off could mean he miss completely and then the gunman would take away this little girls life. Brian felt so powerful at this moment but yet so vulnerable. What would he say to the parents of this little girl if he missed? How would he ever live knowing that if Bill’s gun hadn’t have jammed that this little girl would have been alive since he wouldn’t have taken the shot? Brian was now beginning to shake. His stomach felt like it was dropping from a high distance and he was loosing his composure. “Just take the shot, Brian thought to him self. You’ve done this a million times in training before, so why should this be any different.” Down on the streets the gunman began to get more violent. He demanded for money and he was shaking the little girl more and more. Her screams and cry was funneling up the buildings and into the ears of Brian. He knew he had to take the shot soon or he would fail his mission without even taking a shot. But how would he ever gain the confidence in this very moment to take the shot? “What the hell are you doing Brian?” said the Captain. “Take the damn shot before this madman can’t take any more.” Brian is now beginning to panic. He had to do something and do it fast. “I’ve got it!” said Brian to him self. Brian shut his eyes. He thought really hard to vision the dream he had every night. Maybe if he could vision himself as being there, then he would have the courage to take this guy out. He sat there for a few seconds, daydreaming precious time away. He then opened his eyes and looked into the sky. He took a whiff of the crisp hot air. The slow breeze ran off his back and mixed with the sweat. Brian put his finger on the trigger. He then put the man in his cross hairs. “No, wait,” he thought to him self. “I’ll aim a little to the left just to make sure I don’t hit that girl.” He moved his gun slightly to the left and geared up for the shot. People on the street looked on in fear, seeing no hope for this little girl. All was lost in their minds. There was no way of saving this little girl from the grasps of this insane man. Brian then stared as hard as he could into the scope. He pulled the trigger and a loud crack of sound was sent through the streets. Screams where roaring thought the streets as both the man and the little girl came crashing down toward the ground. Cops rushing to the scene, people in the streets looking on with hope, and Brian sitting as his post wondering who he hit. The cops rushed to the bodies and both of them lay without signs of life. Brian continued to look on with his scope in hope that he hit the right person. The cops then rolled the man off the little girl only to find the bullet had ripped through the gunman’s torso. The little girl lay there unharmed besides the few cuts she received from the fall. She then began to scream and weep as she knew the terror was over. Brian jumped up in excitement and had a smile of joy on his face. He was now a hero. He had done what he always dreamed about. Saving this little girl would remain in his memory for the rest of his life and in the little girls as well. Brian walked proudly down the building and back to the truck. “Great shot my man,” said the Captain. I didn’t think you had it in you Brian. You totally proved me wrong. Man you must have been nervous. One inch to the right and you woulda nailed that little girl.” “Yea I thought at the last second that I should move it over an inch to the left just to be safe,” said Brian. “Damn good thing you did pal,” said the Captain. But you gotta let me in on something Brian. How on earth did you get the confidence to take that shot when you look so nervous at shooting practice?” “Oh I think I’ve done it in war or two,” said Brian. “War?” said the Captain. “What war have you been in son?” Brian jumped up in the truck. He then started to untie his shoes. “I’ll explain it all when we get back to the station Captain,” said Brian. Brian then shut the doors to the truck, leaving his Captain standing there in the street, puzzled. The truck then began to drive off from the street that Brian had won his own personal war on. Copyright 2008 james cogan |
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