August Affliction

Chapter 7: Tearing Down a Lion's Ego

By Benson Langat.

Full of vivacity, serenity and life, the day was beautified by the sunlight, dazzling bright with the air as fresh as Sunday morning. The sky was alluringly clear and stood tall up above the beings below. The atmosphere was calm, with a little humidified air disappearing later into the day, a little touch of order, a semblance of normality. The streets were full, in gusto, hustle and bustles as the order of this day and so the others before and after.

David Hanif left the Constellate building with his personal not-so-bullet-proof body guard in front of him and two more at a safe distance behind. His phone rang, so he dipped his hands into his trouser pocket to get it as he signaled to the two men following him from behind that it wouldn't take long. Before he could get to receiving it, the sound of screeching tires blasted into their ears. In a micro second the front body guard was taken down in a fast and swiftly done drive-by, with the kill shot executed by an Uzi riffle, mostly known to be a military grade weapon. The round of ammunition that was fed into his body sent a deafening shockwave, powerful as ever, leaving a ballistic wound through the entry in his head, a crack in the skull and a several shattered ribs. His heart stopped beating before he could reach his weapon. David was instantaneously pulled backwards, and he unfortunately landed on his back. But in times of terror who cares whether you go down on all fours or land on your big soft belly? The preservation of life will come at all costs. He crawled and hid behind a pillar, sweat trickling down his fat scarred face as he tried to observe anything distinctive about their shooters.

The other two body guards like operational pistons, took their safe positions and acted fast but with caution as they both drew their MP4 riffles and wielding them as they sought targets lest they lost their heads shooting at ghosts. The first SUV had already taken the bend and was lost into the street as the second one raced back and on towards where they stood. "Stay down, stay down, sir!" One of his guards screamed as he slid on one knee to get a clear shot at his target before squeezing the trigger. He hit the co-driver and the car raced on scrapping against the road barrier before it disappeared too. The man turned back nodding at his partner who was providing their boss cover. "I think they're gone." He sighed. Before he knew it, three more bullets raged down on them, one after the other in intervals of a few seconds. This time, unlike the stray bullets, they hit their targets right where they wanted them. You could call it the bull's eye kind of accuracy- it was a sniper.

The first one tore into the flesh of the bent-over guard and shoved him onto the wall against the Constellate's entrance door. His brain matter was spattered onto the wall behind. The other guard took his partner's position once he had a lock on the sniper and hoped to punch some lead into the guy but even before he could squeeze the trigger, the second bullet was already drilling through his breast and taking out a chunk of flesh from behind as it rested his soul in eternal torment after sending his body to the ground with a loud thud. Screams had filled till they tired the air as innocent bystanders scrambled for covers that they were not certain of, but just hoping to save themselves the trouble of having to be buried headless.

David Hanif was exposed and naked. While the third bullet was meant to put him out of his developing misery, it so scratched and went with a few of his hairs right at the middle of his head, giving him a fine cut as the lead drill went on in procession, shattering the glass door behind him and pinning itself in the first wall of the reception desk inside the building.

The rather old man touched his head as the sound of definite desperation escaped his lips. A giant had been humbled, and as the shooting seized, the air remained decorated with the mixed stench of blood, lead and fear!

He remained sat on the ground as a tear rolled down his fat rough and scarred cheeks. Life had almost slipped from him, right before his eyes and as much as he took pleasure in making people suffer, he had never imagined how terrible it felt to lose the one thing he had fought so much for- life! The attack was to be presumed a gang hit considering the line of work that David was involved in. But why the sniper? The latter was to be presumed as a personal vendetta with strings dragging on to years of past mistakes that David never thought would come and haunt him this soon and this hard.