Dwight was an enthusiastic man. Always chasing after ambitions. He worked as a soldier, a part of a strike force team. Although he didn't pinpoint the location of a heinous crime lord or sift through tons of papers to uncover massive fund embezzlement, he was the tip of the spear. The one used to cast down those designated by the superiors.
He didn't ask questions. He didn't play the brain. No. He acted the hammer. Smiting enemies of the state. Or not? Never had he questioned orders, adamantly convinced of their correctness. Unable to imagine that a mistake could occur. But as they say... accidents happen.
Together with two teammates, Austin and Wright, they poised by a front door of a flat in a peaceful neighbourhood. Who would have guessed that a nefarious drug dealer selling cocaine to children resided there?
Kicking the door down, they ran inside squalling. "Police!"
Charging forth with submachine guns drawn, they quickly reached a bedroom. Bingo. The target was slumbering on a double bed along with a woman and a crying toddler clinging to her in fear.
"Get down!" Dwight repeated the mantra, grabbing the criminal by the shoulder and tossing him down on the ground, kneeling on his helpless body lying face-down.
"What..." the felon mumbled, confounded by the abrupt concussion. It seemed like a dream to him, a strange nightmare. Yet the shrieks of his wife alerted him of the terrible situation, urging him to shout. "What do you want?!"
"Shut up!" Dwight scolded the individual whilst cuffing him. It wasn't the soldier's thing to say, but he found it appaling that a father made a living by corrupting innocent children. It filled his mind with odium.
"This must be a mistake!" the heinous offender yelled, displaying his brazen personality, which further incensed the trooper, prompting him to punch the former in the head.
There was blood. Its sight shocked the woman, engulfing her in panic. Spurring her to act. Lunge at the invaders. Yet Austin overpowered her swiftly, pushing her back and aiming at her.
Appearances proved deceptive, he thought. A frail lady turning into a fury, protective of a scumbag. Or not?
"Alpha Team, there's been a mistake!" spoke a commanding officer via a headset. "Retreat immediately. The target lives one floor above!"
"What?!" Dwight exclaimed in horror. He knew something didn't add up.
Standing up and pacing out, the squad bid their farewells to the family, leaving the man in manacles, woman pallid in terror and child bawling.
"We apologize for the misunderstanding. Have a nice day."
***
Feeling a tingling sensation of remorse pervading his body, he soothed himself that he had carried out orders. Surely a broken door and a fractured skull wouldn't traumatize the person.
However, the memory of past erring rapidly vanished as adrenaline rushed in. They prepared to barge into another flat. This time the right one. The noises that echoed within, those minatory clinks and clanks.... they hinted at nothing less than a drug lord inspecting his vast array of weaponry.
"I'll kill that punk!" bellowed an irritated voice, followed by more clatter.
The team waited for Dwight, their leader. They expected his signal. Yet he lingered. Listening for the villainous individual beyond. Assessing the threat.
"You damn cheater! I'll teach you!" the man inside shrieked, reassuring them of his evil intentions. They were pitted against a sadistic psychopath. A sick maniac that deserved pummelling. Or at least they believed that.
Dwight nodded and they repeated the procedure. Brought the door down. Horror overwhelmed them afterwards. Gunfire screamed across the lair of the wicked felon. They came under attack. Taking cover behind a corner. Peeking out to see the corridor clear. Yet the madman kept shooting!
"Pricks! You won't catch me alive!" he taunted them. It riled the soldiers, but their training didn't allow them to run in with guns blazing. Maintaining their cool, they crept towards the din. The entrance to the room with the perpetrator drew closer and closer. They were almost there.
"Damn it! I'm dry! I'm dry! Hell! No!"
Silence ensued. Offered them a moment to press on. They darted in. Dwight in the front. He pulled the trigger without delay.
"Target neutralized," he remarked victoriously, watching a corpse roll down from a chair, revealing a computer monitor on a desk. It displayed a first person shooter game. Soon afterwards, the clamour of firearms resumed and the strike force realized their horrible mistake.
"Team, there's been a discrepancy!" the commanding officer said. "The target lives three floors below! Get there immediately."
Aghast, Dwight couldn't even utter a syllable. An overweight adolescent lay dead in a puddle of blood.
Instincts took over. They needed to abscond. Fast.
Yet as they reached the exit, an elderly lady screeched, emerging from a kitchen, hands shivering in panic.
They had no time to make amends. So they hurtled out instead.
***
Should they charge in? One error seemed acceptable. Two looked suspicious. But what if they failed for the third try? Dwight shuddered upon the idea. The door stood there patiently, goading them to pry it open. Yet they hesitated.
"Is the suspect apprehended?" the commanding officer inquired, confused by lack of noise.
"We're on it," Dwight whispered, sighing and hoping the assault wouldn't result in a blunder again.
He nodded and the mission commenced. They briskly gained entry, navigating empty hallways. They stumbled upon a man sitting on the ground in a grey room almost devoid of furniture. Simply a table with a chemistry set and bags with white powder atop it. Nothing incriminating.
"Are you a drug dealer?" Dwight asked the individual with baggy eyelids and a pistol on his belt. Hardly a sign of criminal activity.
"Uh..." the person stuttered, catching up swiftly. "Of course not! I'm a student and am working on an assignment right now."
"I expected as much," Dwight replied with relief, gesturing his mates to abort the attack. "This must be a misunderstanding."
"Indeed," the man agreed. "I'm not a drug dealer. I don't sell drugs to children. I'm a humble citizen."
"I see. I wish you a happy day then. Bye."
"Bye."
Upon heading out, a worm of doubt briefly gnawed at the trooper's thoughts, prompting him to stop at the doorstep. "Just a moment. How did you know we were looking for someone who sells drugs to children?"
"Erm... well... it was in the news!"
"Aha. Alright."
Dwight believed the whole raid was a mistake. This modest student worked hard to earn scholarship and yet those ignorant fools in offices ordered his execution because they didn't bother checking their information.
A long line of teenagers waiting at the front door probably were his siblings who wanted help with their homework. Their pale faces covered with rash and eyes worn spoke of untold sleepless nights spent on meticulous learning.
Dwight and his mates didn't dare to ruin another life. Or lives. It wasn't their right. So they returned to base. No matter that the true target roamed free. The knowledge of rebelling against erroneous commands and thus sparing innocent civilians more than made up for it. However, they still had to undergo that wretched court. They had killed a man after all. Chances of acquittal appeared high though. It was an accident and as everyone knows, accidents happen.
