Remember me this way ● Ahmanet

{3} ~ Gunfire

   I felt a scream rip through my lips as suddenly the lower bedrooms window shattered, parts of the wall beside me layered with holes. I dropped down  to my knee's covering my head with my hands, my eyes closed instinctively as debris flew throughout the house.

  Suddenly, I could hear rapid shouts of men. I could imagine their guns being reloaded as they paused for a few seconds, the clicking and shuffling giving them away. Their footsteps echoed through the house, but I knew that they weren't inside but, outside.

The house was so unstable that the place shook from the rumbles of the large trucks pulling up into the small, abandoned town. I couldn't imagine what they were hear for.

I quickly lifted myself to my feet as the gunshots started again, once in a while piercing the wallpaper straight through, shattering a ancient vase or planting itself into the solid pillars. I made it to the front door, which was cluttered with bullet holes, I looked out of the cracks from the wood that was poorly boarded together.

Trucks drove by rapidly, chasing something. But, as I heard screams, shouts of accusations and panic, I could tell that it was someone they were after that wasn't supposed to be here at all. I sighed, "Couldn't have picked a better day," I mumbled to myself before taking out my pistol from my side pocket, I clicked off the safety before rushing up the steps of the house.

The staircase squeaked harshly under the pressure, I stumbled from the wobble it gave as I climbed them anxiously. As I reached the top, I was surprised to find the roof had caved in entirely, long before I had come.

At the other side of the room, I could see the opposite building, luckily it was shorter than this one but, it had a yard or so of space between. I walked close to the edge as I put my hand to the rotted away wall that made a direct opening to the streets below.

I could see them, running after the men who wore foreign clothing not to far from the building, the men wore heavy clothing and carried large guns, I knew who they were from the start. Insurgents. And that's when I knew who they were chasing after: Americans.

I didn't hesitate. I aimed my weapon, my target was a sniper that had yet to notice me. To their knowledge, I wasn't even here.

I fired.

The pistol made a loud, popping noise that rang through my ears but, I hardly flinched. The man dropped dead, a bullet through his temple.

His team had yet to notice, the deafening sound of gunshots had begun to sound so, familiar that they couldn't tell if they were the ones firing or I was. I aimed again, changing my position as I crossed over to another window.

I fired, the gun recoiling in my hand violently. I kept a steady grip as the next man dropped, his sudden fall giving the others the message. Someone else was here.

The gun shots stopped, the world becoming silent.

They turned, yelling out warnings and threats in their own language.

"Shit, another thieving american!"

"Come out! You coward, all you damned Americans are alike!"

"I'll shot your god damn brains out, fucking bitch!"

"Hide, hide! Sniper!"

I leaned against the wall, turning my back as some of them turned to the building I was hiding in, I held the pistol close to my chest before shoving it back into its holster. I carefully, silently took off my bag, I unzipped it as I heard the gun fire start up again, this time it was aimed for the buildings all around especially with the other americans.