Valour

Chapter 7- Sniper

"No!" I shout. Forgetting I'm supposed to be quiet. I turn on him and grab the collars of his jacket. Cal stays frozen. "What the hell do you mean split up? Huh? Stop acting like an idiot," I say through gritted teeth. "We split up, one of us dies and the other will be- be picked off! So yeah, we'll both die in the end. Great plan."

"Are you finished?" His voice is calm and rational, the opposite of what I'm feeling. I stare into the visor of Cal's helmet, trying to make out his eyes, trying to will some sense into him.

"The last time I split up with my squadron," I say through shaking breaths. "They all died."

All the memories I tried suppressing resurface. Filling my head with images and explosions so vivid I have to shut my eyes for a moment. "And for some twisted reason, I lived and now I will not let that happen again."

Cal carefully removes my hands from his collar.

"First off little miss emotional, I'm not an idiot. And secondly, I'm not going to die either."

I open my mouth to say something, then shut it again. I'm not sure to be offended or to just get up and leave right now. "Why can't we just go around this place?" I ask.

"Finally, you're asking questions that make sense."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Cal ignores me, "I want that." he points at something behind me. I turn around and notice an SUV parked by the base of the watchtower, next to the ladder. The Corvian symbol is printed onto the side of the vehicle, reminding everyone why they're here.

"Absolutely not."

"Yes."

I swivel back and give him the angriest glare I can muster. "This is absolutely unnecessary. We don't need that, if anything stealing a vehicle will give us more attention."

Cal suddenly grabs my arm and squeezes it. Hard.

He leans and whispers, "See, you have trust issues. You can't even trust me to stay alive and you haven't even heard my plan yet."

I can't help it, this gesture reminds too much about how Rohden treated me in the interrogations. I flinch backwards.

Cal immediately lets go of me and steps back. "Look, I get it. But we need that car," His voice is no longer menacing, "You have your agenda, and so do I, but right now we have to work as a team and that won't happen unless we trust each other. Okay?"

Too much, this is too much for me right now. I want to tell him. But he's right, I have got to get my shit together and stop being afraid. Never in my life have I been this uncertain to take action. Even at something as simple as this. But three months can change people, and I'm broken.

I swallow hard, "alright then, shoot me." Cal nods in understanding. "I mean not literally." for all I know he doesn't comprehend sayings.

He chuckles a little, "you actually think I'm an idiot."

I don't bother correcting him.

-------------------------

The plan is relatively simple. At least on my end, but it's also incredibly, stupidly dangerous. So many things can go wrong right now I don't even know where to begin.

"But it's the best plan we have, so deal with it, Sky." I try convincing myself to no avail.

So here I am. Still crouched in the same underbrush near the watchtower and I only have one job, to be the bait.

While all the sniper's attention is on me, Cal can sneak up the ladder and take them out. If I don't get shot first. He left just moments ago, but I can't make him out anywhere. Wow, he's really good at this.

I need to wait five minutes before giving away my location, and even though I'm pretty concealed, the sniper will no doubt have a better chance of killing me than I will.

Two minutes.

Taking a deep breath I check through the scope of my sniper. My favorite item that I've found so far in the game. Despite my physical disadvantages my eyesight is still sharp as ever. My vantage point only allows me to make out the sniper's weapon and also its form through the bottom of the wooden flooring from high above. This would've been much easier if I had a clear shot to the head. Direct hits are my specialty, but unfortunately even I have limitations.

I adjust my positions and hover my finger over the trigger.

"Here goes nothing." I close my eyes for a moment, then open them and take aim.

Bang.

The shot rings out sounding deafening against my ear despite the silencer. I brace from the kickback and hear so much as see the bullet hit the side of the tower just inches from the butt of the sniper's gun.

I fire off more rounds to make sure they know where the attack is coming from.

A bullet whizzes past the top of my head and lodges into the tree behind me.

"Shit."

I duck down as volleys of bullets begin raining down on me. They pepper the ground and every tree in my vicinity. I place my hands over my head and lie flat on my stomach hoping to whatever's out there the sniper won't get lucky.

I crawl to the side a little bit, the stray leaves and pointy branches getting in my way and scratching my exposed skin. Ouch.

I reach the other side of the brush and spit out dirt that's gotten into my mouth somehow, my tongue tasting the bitterness of it. This would be a terrible way to die. I think vaguely. Getting shot while eating dirt.

I swivel over and begin shooting at the tower again. Not even trying to aim at the tower, firing off more rounds. They collide into the walls and some go flying past into the sky, but I keep on the pressure, it's the sniper's turn to hide now.

Click. Click.

My magazine is empty.

I groan as another round of bullets begin coming at me. My heart rate accelerates so much it's all I can do to keep my breathing normal. The sniper's aim is off. They're shooting more towards the middle of all the brambles and I'm able to sigh in brief relief. Good. If they keep shooting at me, then maybe this plan will work.

Abruptly the attack ceases, like the sniper is stopping and thinking about whether or not I'm dead yet. I can't help but smirk. I take this time to roll onto my side and reload the sniper, reaching into the pocket of my cargo pants for another magazine. The cuts in my arms sting as I move them. Hopefully they aren't poisonous.

Crouching up slowly and making sure my movements aren't jerky, in case the sniper catches the motion, I take aim again. Looking up waiting for something to happen, or for Cal to finally signal and to let me know he's dead. Something, anything really, but nothing happens. Unease begins taking root in my stomach again. I don't know what he's waiting for. I begin to pull my trigger when I hear a twig snapping behind me. Before I can turn around the sound of a handgun being clicked off the safety resonates behind my back.

"Don't move sweetheart." a foreign voice announces behind me.