The War

An interesting story idea that just came to me on my way back from class today. Inspired by one of my favorite hobbies.

Gunshots ring out in the distance, and radio chatter fills my ears. I quickly survey my surroundings, lower my rifle, and sprint to the nearest blown out wall. I shrink down, taking cover as bullets rip through the air.

Peeking over the wall, I see a target sprinting across the open courtyard. Pulling up my rifle, I take aim and pull the trigger – he falls forward to the ground, unmoving.
“Tango down, in the courtyard,” I call out as I shrink back behind the wall. But in the back of my mind, I’m wondering how I got here. I have no memories of anything before the sprint to the wall. Absolutely nothing. But there’s no time to dwell on this; an RPG soars overhead, and strikes the building behind me in a brilliant explosion.

Peeking around the side of my barrier, I see the soldier with the RPG; another quick shot, and he too crumbles to the ground.

“Good shot,” I hear over the radio, from my squadmate in one of the other buildings behind me. Pulling up his sniper rifle, he aims and fires, the shot ringing out audibly. “Got ‘em. Heads up, there’s a guy coming through the building ahead of you.”

“Copy that,” I respond, as I break from cover into a hallway, and pull out my pistol. Two shots later, and the target in the building is neutralized.

“Targets heading to the buildings on your left!”

I take the stairs to the second level, and set up near a window. I see two targets sprinting toward the buildings across the way; my bullets hit the dirt around the first, but the second target drops hard. I prepare to head back outside, when suddenly, my body is not my own.

Against my will, I leap out the window, hit the ground and stumble forward. I’m sprinting after the first target, but I have no control over my body. I’m in the open, totally exposed, and I hear a shot ring out from far away.

The bullet sinks into my right leg, and I stumble into cover, as a second sniper shot sinks into the sand behind me. Breathing heavily, I look to the wound, but see no blood.

‘What is happening to me?’

I see movement in the building, where the first target was. Keeping low, I find I’m able to move, and the pain is dissipating. It’s as if the hit never actually happened…

I throw a flash grenade through a window, kick in a door as it goes off, and take down the stunned target within.

I pause to catch my breath. I don’t know what’s happening. I have no memories of anything, and my body isn’t under my control. The radio chatter has died out – I must be the only one left. Through a crack in the wall, I can see an enemy sniper in the blown-out second story of a building down the road.

I creep back to the door I kicked in, and dart back outside into cover. The sniper sees me and takes a shot, but the bullet whizzes harmlessly overhead. Slipping out of cover, I fire in his direction. I see him drop back as my bullets strike the remnants of the wall. I lay down more suppressing fire as I run to a new cover point, but realize I’m out of ammo – I forgot to reload before heading back out.

An amateur mistake, and as I hear a sniper shot ring out, I know I’ll pay for it. He doesn’t miss this time, and I feel the bullet strike my chest. I crumble to the ground, staring to the sky, and my five short minutes of life flash before my eyes. The last thing I see as the world fades to darkness is an unusual sight; two words seem to be just floating there in the sky.

“GAME OVER,” it read. “GAME OVER.”

Word Count: 654