Sweat dripped down his face in rivulets as he silently stepped forward, approaching the area where the hostages were being held. Motioning in the air he sent two of his squadron down one hall as the corridor forked, knowing that their way lead to the east entrance of the physio department. The way he was headed went to the west.
The flickering, ghost like lighting of the third floor served only to make visibility through his visor that much more difficult, but they had all been trained in how to react in challenging situations including a lack of vision. The conditions did not worry him, the adrenaline running through his system only serving to make his senses that much sharper.
Crouching slightly he made his way towards the target, weapon drawn and the reassuring footfalls of his comrade behind him. Secure the perimeter. This objective was simple enough terrain wise. The department only having two points of entry meant there were only two points to cover. Motioning in the air he sent his team mate shuffling forward before moving fast and low past the short corridor leading to the western door of the waiting room. Hallways sprawled out in every direction from his position containing the remnants of the normal day at work the hospital staff had been in the middle of, suddenly abandoned when the evacuation alarm had been sounded. Trolleys, gurneys and other hospital equipment littered the corridors turning the place into a shoo-in for a zombie apocalypse movie.
Wheeling one of the larger trolleys forward, the officer crouched down behind it to afford himself some cover whilst pointing the muzzle of his gun towards the entrance to the department. Rotating his shoulders, he attempted to adjust to the somewhat crushing weight of the bullet proof vest as he prepared for a long stake out.
So convinced that they would be in for a long wait, he broke one of the first rules of his training and allowed himself a lull in concentration. His head snapped back up as the unmistakable sound of a door opening filled the silence of the hall. Fumbling slightly, he grasped at the trigger and attempted to bring the gun up to his eye line quickly. His blood chilled slightly as the preceding shadow of what was obviously a crouching figure came towards him down the short corridor leading to the entranceway. The hairs on his neck stood up slightly on end as his wavering concentration was focused totally upon the moving target.
The barrel of a gun poked around the corner as it's owner cautiously approached the hallway. From the corner of his eye the officer saw his partner shuffle as he prepared himself for a possible light show. The slight movement apparently caught the eye of the approaching target, the barrel whipping off to the right. The action seemed suddenly to be in slow motion as a deafening roar of gunfire filled the previously silent hallway. Horror crossed the face of the officer as the exploding bullets tore towards his team member, his torso vibrating with every impact. The vest absorbed most of the slugs and would have probably stood up to the onslaught, but it was the bullet that ripped through the man's throat which ended up being the killing shot.
Red bloomed across the hospital standard cream wall as the artery pumping life giving blood was nicked, sending forth an apparent tidal wave of liquid from the officer's throat. The never ending gunfire finally ceased and the body of the scout slid slowly down to the floor, the wound in his neck oozing as his heart beat its last.
It felt like a lifetime had passed in the last thirty seconds. Horror had been replaced with sadness and then a white hot rage in an instant and the leader let out a yell of anger as he brought his own weapon up in retaliation. The gun jumped in his hands as he fired off a steady stream of bullets, a sick elation filling him as they started to draw blood. The figure in black fell to the ground, the flesh of his arms, the only place he wasn't covered in layers of protective clothing, hung in shredded flaps. As he hit the floor he brought his own weapon around, returning fire wildly in the direction of the officer.
A silence finally filled the hallway as both guns finally ran dry of bullets. As the smoke settled, the halls were filled with the sounds of wet choking. A grim smile crossed the scout's face as he caught sight of his foe lying in the hallway, dead eyes staring up without seeing forever. The smile turned to a grimace as he was hit with a coughing fit, blood welling up from somewhere deep inside him where one or more bullets had made their way through his armour. Erupting from his mouth in an arc of splatters. He slumped down to the floor, the adrenaline blooming through his body leaking away and leaving him in a world of pain. He barely registered the movement of the returning forms of the other half of his team before his eye line seemed to fill up with the smiling faces of his wife and two little girls before slowly fading to black.
So this is a short chapter. I wanted it to focus entirely on the scouts without any other distraction and because I have been a tad absent recently I figured I'd send it out tonight along with the other chapter in a two for one sort of a deal. Makes up for them both being shorter chapters.
As always, all comments and critiques are welcome.