Deep breath in, deep breath out, hold… fire.
Exhaling, I watched the RED Medic drop into the dust, blood staining the orange sand a deep crimson. With a flick of a well-trained wrist, I had the blot dislodged and pulled back, on its way to reload.
Adjusting the bandana over my mouth and pressing my glasses up my nose, I actioned the rifle. As I did this, my team's Scout sprinted past the fallen Medic to clobber the enraged Heavy standing a short while off. He ran past shouting his thanks over his shoulder, waving in my general direction.
That son of a…
Slamming the bolt back in anger, I cursed the stupid boy who was now eating a sandwich on top of the enemy Heavy. I don't even know where it came from, but I had other things to worry about now. Like how I was going to shove his balls down his throat for giving away a good position for the third time in a bloody hour…
I ceased my errant thoughts as I heard the whisper of disturbed air. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as the RED Spy materialised behind me, brandishing his blade. Snarling in frustration over being found so soon, I swung the barrel of my rifle at the spooks head only for it to be caught in both his hands. Stunted in my attack, he took the opportunity to kick me against the fragile wooden boards I had been peering through earlier. They broke away, stunning me for a split of a second before my brain told me to fumble for the Kukri that was lying nearby.
Shit. This is where I was most vulnerable. Anybody with a brain knows sniper is ranged, watching from a distance, never truly in the thick of battle. No sniper was good at closed quartered combat, which made us all the better as prey for spooks.
Finally grasping its handle, I swung madly at the suited man, despairing as he dodged both swings with ease. On the second swing, pain seared across my left cheek as his balisong made contact. I wiped away the blood before going in for a final stab. The bloody spook won out yet again. I yelped as his blade crossed my side, down my back and finally sunk into my shoulder.
Immediately I knew something was wrong. The man's aim was perfect, precise, always hitting the exact same spot on my spine, yet his balisong was embedded into my shoulder.
Doubling over, I hit the railing protecting me from a fall to the first floor. I felt him walk up behind me, his lips close to my ear, hand on my neck to prevent any rebellion.
'I've always wondered, my dear sniper, whether you were entered correctly into the respawn system. It surely wasn't designed for your… physique. I'd imagine some problems if you were not.' I felt his other hand trace lightly down my side.
Pausing, he whispered a parting note before pushing me from my precarious position. Landing hard on the first floor, I lay there paralysed, his final words echoing in my mind.
'You will be of great use to me, Mademoiselle.'
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[If I could take a moment of your time, I'd like to say thank you for reading this story! In addition to that, particularly to old readers, there have been some changes as it's been a long time since I started this story and I lost the original final (and all its scaffolding) in the Great Hard Drive Delete of 2013. Character traits have also been revised so that they react more like they would and act like themselves. Because that's pretty REALLY important. Now, get reading you awesome bunch!
Also… I'M BACK BITCHES. DIDN'T EXPECT THAT, DID YA? It's been a few years!]