Valour

Chapter 2- A Second Chance

I check the time on my tablet for the fifth time. It's 10:42.

I landed here over three hours ago and I still have no idea when the circle will start closing.

I sigh and shift my position again trying to find a comfortable way to stay crouched but my legs are starting to ache. Another fault to my lack of strength. The sniper rests heavily on my shoulder and the sun shines relentlessly through the bare windows. I try not to think about Before.

Before I ended up here, before I was even captured and left with no choice but to play this game. A mind is a traitorous thing when left with nothing to distract it. I stare at the never changing scenery in front of me, I've thought of every possible route of escape if I'm seen. From the drab rooftops to open windows in the other buildings. Which roads leave you exposed and which ones are the quickest path into the dense forest parallel to the base of the mountains. And yet, my hand reaches out instinctively again to touch the back of my neck.

I feel the thing embedded there. The whole fucking reason to my demise.

"No." I say to myself, "I will not die here." I just need to survive four days. That's not so bad, I've been through worse, right?

I shift my position for the hundredth time so my weight rests mainly on my right leg, when I suddenly notice a faint movement on the ground. Almost indiscernible if I haven't been staring at the same motionless scenery below me for hours.

I stiffen and squint into the rifle's lenses to get a closer look. There, at the corner of one of the grey industrial building's doors stands a man with a shiny rifle in his arms. The sun's rays reflect off of the metallic material and cause the man's slightest movements to be pronounced. Shiny gunman turns around as if speaking with another person, probably his ally, his bald head turned away. I have a perfect shot of his head .

I take position and aim. My finger hovers over the trigger, my heart races with adrenaline but I hesitate.

It's not like I've never killed before, I'm no savior but I've always had a reason, a cause. This is no cause, it's almost nonsensical. There's no reason to fire and I have no reason to hate him.

Then he looks up, and it's like the man is staring right at me, in a moment of panic, I pull the trigger. I know it reaches home before seeing the bullet hit the target. I fall back as shock reverberates through my body, my arms vibrating from the force of the blast.

"What did I do?" I say, gripping my head from the sudden nausea. Voices scream from down below. They carry up from the wind and I hear them cursing and shooting in intense panic. I've killed their friend, now they want to kill me. One bullet hits the roof of my little tower. It leaves a large indent as the stray bullet falls onto the floor beside me with a clatter and I know they've figured where I am. If I pop my head up for even a second, then I'm dead.

I shut my eyes tight then open them again, and see the wooden trap door.

Escape.

Without thinking, I fasten my sniper and fling the door open. It thuds loudly as it swings and lands on the floor but I can barely hear it over the pounding of my heart. Inside is a ladder leading down into darkness. My eyes haven't adjusted to the low light and I can barely make out where the floor is below. No time though as I shimmy my way down and slide quickly down the ladder. My boots land softly on the hard floor. The room smells like mildew.

Quickly, I pull out my handgun, bracing for the monsters to appear, but the small room is empty. The only light coming from the trapdoor. I breathe in and out, trying to calm myself, and that's when I hear things moving and crashing below me. The sounds of footsteps and hooting carries up from the open stairway. They're coming up, and I need to go down. I vaguely recall the slanted roofs on the buildings, if I can just reach that then I might be able to make it out alive.