A pain.

Just an insignificant pain, I told myself. At a time like now, I really had no time to concentrate on a pain.

After all, I would be inflicting it on many, in a couple of minutes.

A flash of light; one of them had lit up a cigarette. A surprisingly high number had turned to smoking.

After the day that it all went wrong, that is.

The tiny flicker of a lighter went out. I heard curses; there were more of them smoking than just one.

Damn. I had to find another way around them.

I eased my leg muscle out of its contorted position, and felt a wave of relief wash over me, as blood carrying buckets of salt flowed back into the cramped muscle, which I had ignored for the last twenty minutes. Gently, so as not to disturb even a leaf, I gradually drifted my way over the sodden grass, resting on my senseless knees and elbows. If only I could get to the relatively deep gutter, I could work my way straight past the guards.

I clipped my rifle back onto my back, before wrapping a thin black cloak around it. I didn't want my rifle butt to stick over the edge of my new found haven.

A laugh. Yes, she was still there. Good. Easing my balaclava-covered eye line just above the curb, I spotted her silhouette against the shinier plastic of the oil tank.

She had made two of the huge mistakes of camouflage, silhouette and shape. A human body is an easy shape to spot, and a silhouette is even easier. But then, she wasn't trying to be stealthy.

She didn't know that her minutes were numbered.

I spotted a car just ahead, and judging by the noises that came from within, I could tell that there was a boy in there, asleep. Popping up into a low, cable-layer style crouch, I padded over to the discovery, as fast as I dare. Peering into the darkness, I could make out his distinct profile.

The boy looked about 13, with long, jet black greasy hair, that reminded me of oil. He was dressed in casual clothes, yet still had a short, stubby 177 ASG Dan Wesson 4" Revolver resting gently on the seat next to him.

So, she had thought of protection after all…

*Schink.*

My blade slipped silently through his neck, straight between two of his spinal bones, slicing his precious nerves that were carried down his back, and back into the fresh, open air of the night again.

*Splick.*

It was over in an instant. Just as I had rehearsed, I lent smoothly out of the way of the jet of foaming blood now spouting from his throat.

The window was open; perfect. I uncovered my rifle, and slipped my bullets into the chamber, before flicking the bold back forward.

Hopefully, I would only need one.

None the less, accidents happen.

I slipped it stealthily along the edge of the window, the wooden grain running along the metallic edge of the discovery. I had been careful to choose a spot that would keep my scope in shadow. Too many kills had been prevented in history, simply because of a glinting scope warning the target before his time came.

I could just make out their shapes, cast by a large lamp on the wall. So, they also had electricity?

I had seriously underestimated the power of that woman to impose her will over others.

Remembering the picture that I had studied so carefully for the past week or so, I visualized her features; short-medium height, hair down to her shoulders, always wore some bad-ass revolver at her side.

A sudden explosion. I hit the deck of the car. Had my rifle gone off by accident? No, it couldn't have. Peering into the gloom, I noticed a burning bin now roar with more flame than beforehand.

Of course. The guards, quite drunken and senseless, had now turned to throwing their nicotine addicted comrades' lighters into the fire.

That could certainly be of use.

Suddenly, without warning, the target stepped out of the crowd, and round the corner of the building, leading another boy behind her.

If she was going in now, I couldn't afford to wait.

I steadied the rifle, and released the safety.

But then, she stopped next to the wall with the boy. Of course! She must have a boyfriend, and sure as heck, they started kissing.

This was my opportunity. I had to take the shot.

But could I?

Those two, in each other's arms, against that brick wall. They were so similar to me and…

That was it.

That was in fact the scenario. It wasn't her and her boyfriend having a romantic moment.

It was me, and my girl.

And my target would be taking the sh-

The bullet left the rifle, travelling at over 850 meters per second, revolving at thousands of rotations per minute, spanned the darkened car park and green in barely a moment, the speed of sound oozing behind at a mere 300 meters per second. However, this lagging sound would still reach the hearing of those around to coincide more or less perfectly with another lighter's explosion.

The metallic point of lead was of the armor piercing variety; it certainly had no trouble breaking straight through the back of the head, and flying right into the soft center of the brain, burrowing its way through the thick porridge that had dictated the destruction of so many others. It broke out of the other side, penetrating and pulling apart the unseen area of the eyeball, taking brains, hair, blood and fragments of nerve in an elaborate, airborne mist, similar to that or an aerosol, precisely into the lower forehead of her boyfriend.

There, the warped and dented piece of metal carved a much less uniform path, simply proceeding to shred and slash its way through anything else that opposed it, finally striking the ivy cloaked brickwork behind the mess it had left. With a scraping cacophony similar to the sound of the destruction of a sand castle, it was finally embedded into the mortar of the wall.

Nope. The guards were still oblivious to anything.

Should give me more than plenty of time to sneak off.

I slunk out of the discovery, taking the revolver with me; to borrow the Land rover itself would be too suspicious even for the drunken 'security' monkeys to notice.

Spotting a small alleyway, I crept along it, visualizing mentally just where I should come out at.

Then, there was the pickup signal; a smashing of glass, followed by an owl hoot. My lift was here! Putting on an unprecedented sprint, I flew down the passageway. Sure enough, I emerged into a small mud passing place, where my ride was ready.

Mission accomplished.