Snippet #2723342

An apartment building long since claimed by nature stood silently among others of its kind. Some weapon of war hard ripped most of the building apart, destroying the once neatly laid lines of stone and masonry. Lush vegetation crept through it now, claiming that which was once the lives of many.

James had lived in one of these apartments at one time... not in this city. But when he was younger, before the war.

He exhaled slowly, watching down the road for his prey. A buck had come to drink at that intersection several times, finding a place to take a shot from hadn't been hard. Finding a time which it would be safe to collect his prize was proving to be more difficult.

He was buried within the apartment building. He had pain painstakingly assembled his camouflage suit to blend into the foliage of the area, his suit and his weapon. The buck wandered into his field of view. A sunken face pulled taunt over its skull... ribs showing to the point James would be able to count them, he could see parts of the creatures hip bones under the hide...

It looked delicious... He wet his dry lips and exhaled once more, attempting to control his trembling hand.

The creature took timid steps into the center.

Jame's finger gently moved the trigger, taking up the slack of the two stages...

" Just behind the shoulder." His father whispered to him from the past. " Take your time son, you only get one shot. "

He breathed deeply again.

" Check your environmentals Corporal." His first Sargent demand.

Centering the cross hair where he desired the round to be placed he waited for the wind to steady... The tall grass danced around the buck taunting James. He could not miss the vitals... He could not afford the chase... he had to drop the beast where he stood.

The animals' ears perked up... And James heart fell to his boots as the trickle of conversation made its way to his ears... The Buck was gone.

James closed his eyes...removed his finger from the trigger of his rifle. Who had spooked his game...?

The hunter picked his way through the building , moving towards the sound's direction.

" Who are you!?" Rang through the empty streets... Down the road, James decided.

Lowering him self to the ground in the hallway, he slid on his belly into the room that would give him a vantage point on the situation, draggin his rifle beside him in a very controlled manner.

The hunter found his line of sight, and set himself among the foliage of the building to gaze upon those who had interrupted him collecting his food... A boy and a young woman... probably about five and a half feet tall... He centers the cross hair at the top of her head. 5.5 mils tall... so that's about 330 yards... The marksmen adjusted his optic... and waited, watching to see what the woman did with the child held at gun point.