Requiem for a Soldier (Requiem #1)

Chapter 7: Nightmare

April 2

Tayja

The next morning after breakfast, Ryan asks me to come outside with him. I frown as I remember my last experience leaving the cabin. I haven't gone outside since that day almost a week ago and I don't plan on doing so again in the foreseeable future.

"Just for a minute. I want to show you how to use the rifle."

"Why?" I ask, moving closer to the door. If this makes him more likely to let me keep the gun with me, it's definitely worth it.

"I'm going to let you hold onto it today."

"What about the bears?" I ask, remember his earlier reason for taking the gun with him.

"I'll be fine," he says, leading me to the edge of the porch. "This is a Mosin Nagant. It's Russian. They were designed over a century ago and were used by the Russian military through World War II. They are very reliable."

He shows me how to load the gun, how to use the safety, and how to fire it. He makes me repeat everything he did, then he produces two earplugs from a pocket.

"Put these in," he says. When I don't immediately take them, he says, "You'll thank me later."

After I shove the earplugs in my ears he hands me the rifle. I awkwardly shoulder the heavy firearm and try to aim it. He tries to give instructions on how to hold it, but when his vague directions aren't very effective, he takes a different approach. 

"Like this," he says, stepping nearer. His arms come around me, his right holding me close to support the gun while his left hand guides mine to the correct placement. "Put your fingers like this," he says, his voice next to my ear. "Hold your right arm like this," he raises my right elbow. "And pull the rifle into your shoulder harder," he says. I press the gun tightly into my right shoulder. 

"Is it going to hurt?" I ask.

"You'll be fine," he says. I give him a sideways glance, a little surprised how close his face is to mine. His arms drop from around me and he steps back quickly. "Fire when you're ready," he says.

I ease back on the trigger. For a moment, nothing happens. Then in one instant, the gun in my arms leaps back at me, an ear-shattering explosion breaks the silence of the clear morning, and a fireball erupts out of the end of the rifle. 

"Holy crap," I whisper as the shot echos back from the trees. I lower the gun and stare at the tree I just shot. Bark is missing and the bullet has buried itself deep into the trunk. The entire tree shakes a little from the impact. 

"Chamber the next round," Ryan says, prompting me.

I struggle with the bolt action rifle and Ryan has to help me out a little bit. The second shot is as astounding as the first. So is the third. Something about shooting at the nightmare-inducing trees is just a little bit comforting.

"Try not to shoot yourself," he says, preparing to leave. "Stay inside, and in the exceedingly rare case that someone does show up and knocks on the door, don't answer it. I'll be back much sooner today."

Why he's only just now concerned about other people showing up at the cabin is beyond me. I consider asking him why he's changed his mind on the subject, but he quickly leaves the porch and drives away on an ATV.

I head back inside, only just now noticing that he left the fishing rod behind. Without the gun or the rod, what is he doing out there? I suppose I'll have to ask him when he comes back.

While he's out, I double-check the list I'm going to give him. I decided to take him at his word and ask for everything I want. I add a few things to the bottom of the list just to be funny, including a private jet, the island of Maui, and a hundred million dollars. Satisfied with my list, I pick up the next book I've decided to read, The Phantom of the Opera.