Practice Writing A-9: Shoot Off

Writing Practice(s): File A-9 Date Published: 10:56, 22 April 2013 (Minnesota Time) Category: Drama/Action/Tragedy Title: Shoot Off

Writing Practice(s): File A-9

Category: Drama/Action/Tragedy

Title: Shoot Off

 

      I sat there. Rocking gently on my bed. Three weeks. At least that’s how long it had been before I stopped keeping track of the days and time. It had been three weeks since...

      My heart seized and by stomach contracted and my throat momentarily closed up at the horrific memory. I gasped in shock when my throat closed up and clutched my shirt for dear life. I was hyperventilating again. The doctor told me to take deep breaths when that happened. I obeyed the physician’s past command and placed my hand firmly on my stomach and breathed deeply, slowly inhaling and exhaling.

      After I had calmed myself down I fell back on my hard pillow. Tears threatened to cascade down my face. I allowed myself one more racked breath before I rolled over in a pitiful sobbing mess. I clutched my sleeves tightly and flinched at the horrible memory of the bullet piercing my sibling’s thin torso. I grimly recalled the atrocious and gruesome scene with vivid memory.

 

      It had been just another mission. We had been told that a wanted terrorist had crossed the Texas border into America. Of course we had been sent to apprehend them and bring them in for questioning. But the unexpected happened. I could have never foreseen it.

 

      “Feather, you alright?”

      “Yeah, I’m fine.” What was she talking about? Of course I was fine. This was my specialty.

      “Relax, sis. You just looked pale is all,” her voice sounded concerned and loving. Just like her. She was always thinking of others.

      “I’m fine,” I adjusted my scope and spit out of the corner of my mouth. I was a sniper. I was the best shot out there. One of the best in the world.

      “You sure?”

      “Yeah. Can you pass me that magazine?”

      “Oh, sure. Here you go,”

      “Thanks,” I inserted the fresh magazine into my gun and peered through my scope to make sure it was on target. Just where I wanted it.

      “Feather?”

      “Yeah Strom?”

      “I was wondering, have you ever thought about getting married someday?”

      “What, to a guy?”

      “Yes, of course a guy, what did you think I meant?” she giggled sweetly.

      “I dunno. I guess I’m just tired,”

      “Apparently. So have you ever thought about it?”

      “Yeah. I have. I’m just no longer interested in it,”

      “What? Why not?”

      “Storm, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but guys tend to shy away from me,”

      “Why? You’ve smart and beautiful and-“

      “Storm, guys aren’t interested in dating �" let alone marrying �" an aggressive former mercenary with a short temper. Heck, if it weren’t for you I’d probably be sitting in some cell in some maximum security prison right now,”

      “Feather...”

      “Don’t try and sugar coat it Storm, you know it’s true,”

      “You just got stuck in some bad situations was all,”

      “Storm, I killed people. Innocent people who had never done anything and I slaughtered them. I don’t deserve to live let alone walk free. Maybe you should have just left me so I could rot in that hole...”

      “Feather, I could never do that! You know I wouldn’t! I don’t know what I’d do without you! I know that if it had been me you wouldn’t have just let me rot in some awful cell in some awful prison. Feather they beat you and were so mean to you. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment, no matter what they’ve done,”

      I sighed. “Storm, I appreciate your support, but I don’t deserve any of this. I should be serving out a life sentence for everything I’ve done but instead I have a good paying job and a good house with good food,”

      “That’s nothing to complain about,”

      “I’m not complaining. I’m very grateful for everything. It sure beats digging through trash cans in search of rotted meat and that disgusting prison food. But still, I just don’t deserve any of it,”

      “Feather, you’re my sister. I couldn’t just leave you there,”

      “Maybe it would have been better. You’ve seen the looks people give us. They hate us because of me. They won’t even come near us because of me,”

      “I don’t care. You’re my sister and you mean more to me than someone else’s approval,”

      I hesitated before speaking. “Thank you, Storm. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you,”

      She smiled warmly and nuzzled lovingly under my chin with her muzzle like when we were pups. I smiled and gently nuzzled her back.

      She sighed. “So you really don’t want to get married?”

      “I dunno. I mean, I kind of do. But what guy would be interested in me?”

      “You’d be surprised. There’s someone out there for you. We just have to go find him,”

      “Thanks Strom. I just hope you’re right,”

      We sat up there in that oak tree for several minutes before Storm sighed and began to climb down.

      “What are you doing?”

      “I’m going to go check on Scott and Phil, we haven’t heard anything yet. I hope nothing’s happened to them,”

      “If something had happened to them I would have known. I would have heard some kind noise and smelled blo-“I stopped myself before I finished the word. “I mean I would have heard some kind of a struggle. Those guys are tough, remember? I’m sure they’re fine.”

      “I just want to check on them is all. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

      “Alright, just be careful.”

      “I know Feather. Now don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone,”

      “When have I ever done anything crazy?”

      “Feather, that was half the reason you were dragged off to prison,”

      “Oh yeah, forgot,”

      “Mm-hm. I’ll be back soon.”

      “OK, see you soon,”

 

      But little did I know that would be one of the last times I ever saw my sister again.

 

      It hadn’t been more than five minutes before the gunshots rang out and I heard shouting and violent fighting in the distance. I abandoned my post and dropped down onto the ground and towards the fight. Storm still wasn’t back yet. I just hoped she wasn’t in the middle of the fight. But it wasn’t the first time my hopes had been in vain.

      By the time I arrived it was too late; one of the terrorists had Strom in their sights and shot her. I felt as if everything inside me collapsed and was suddenly sucked into a dark abyss of shattered hope. It seemed as if all the sound had been silenced and refused to enter my ears. All I heard was a nullified screams and shouts and gunshots. My own scream was nullified by my rage and grief as my one and only sister crumpled to her knees and fell in a still and bleeding heap on the ground.

      I remember stabbing the terrorist in the head and shooting him in the stomach before I stood up and quickly shot the other three that were there. Three shots rang out and three men fell to the ground.

      I rushed to my sister’s side and dropped on my knees and held her in my arms. She was still alive! But she was losing blood. Oh, so much blood. And she was losing it fast. Too fast. I screamed at one of the other agents to get a doctor but I knew it was pointless. I had seen this before with my old friends back in Timber Pack. She wasn’t going to make it. By the time the doctor would get here it would be too late. And there was nothing he could’ve done anyway. Oh dear Lord, not my sister!

      “Feather...” she coughed and suddenly began to wheeze.

      “No, no, no, no Storm. Shhhhh. Everything’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. Scott gonna get the doctor and you’re going to be fine. You’ll see!” I frantically spewed out. I was hysterical. I knew there was no way she could make it but I was spewing out false hope anyway. Maybe I was just trying to comfort her. Or maybe I was just trying to comfort myself.

      “Feather, don’t bother,” she cough. “I don’t think I’m going to get out of this one...”

      “No, no, no! Yes you will! You have to! You’re my sister and I’m not just going to leave you here like this!”

      “Then just stay. Stay here with me.” She coughed loudly and hacked up blood. She was losing more and more with every second.

      “Sing. Sing that song daddy would always sing...” she wheezed. Her eyes fluttered and her chest twitched with effort it took to keep her breathing.

      Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed. I sniffed and recalled the old lullaby:

      “Peaceful little angel

Let your mourning cease

Dry your shining eyes and rest your weary soul

You’ve come o so far, searching for something

That cannot be found

 

Rest, my little angel

Lay your weight on me

Cast your heavy burdens down

Let the wind carry them away

 

My dear sweet, sweet little angel

Rest your cares on me

Let me heal your wounds-

And dry your tears

Let me take away your toils-

And comfort you in the dead of night…

Let me mend your broken spirit-

Vanquish your hardships-

And take away your pain…

 

Beautiful little angel

Cast your cares away

The Darkness has gone

The moonlight will shine

 

      I love you my little angel-

      Never forget that

      Remember who you are

Never give into the forces of the Dark…

 

Give up your sorrow

Cast it on me

I will take it to the tallest mountain

And release it to the wind…

 

Do not give up hope my little angel

While the moon may set

It will always rise again…

 

Sleep, my little angel

Rest your weary head

For tomorrow we set off

Back to the land we call home…

Back to the forest where caribou roam-

And eagles soar!

 

Beautiful little angel

Cast your pain and toils away

The Dark is gone

The light has come

Feel the wind beneath you wings-

And the sky above your head

 

Fly! My little angel

Cast your pain and toils away

Remember that I love you

Remember who you are…

 

I will see you before night’s end

So that I may fly with you till forever’s end

 

      Fly! My little angel

      Cast your pain and toils away

      Remember that I love you

      Remember who you are...”

 

      Her eyes became lifeless as I sobbed the last few verses of the song. My sister bled to death in my arms. I couldn’t save her. After all she had done for me; I couldn’t even save my own sister.

 

      I gasped at the traumatized memory and fell back on my pillow in a weeping mess. My sister was gone. And I could never get her back.

      I whispered the song I had sung to my sister in her last few moments of life:

      “Peaceful little angel

Let your mourning cease

Dry your shining eyes and rest your weary soul

You’ve come o so far, searching for something

That can never found

 

Rest, my little angel

Lay your weight on me

Cast your heavy burdens down

Let the wind carry them away

 

My dear sweet, sweet little angel

Rest your cares on me

Let me heal your wounds-

And dry your tears

Let me take away your toils-

And comfort you in the dead of night…

Let me mend your broken spirit-

Vanquish your hardships-

And take away your pain…

 

Beautiful little angel

Cast your cares away

The Darkness has gone

The moonlight will shine

 

      I love you my little angel-

      Never forget that

      Remember who you are

Never give into the forces of the Dark…

 

Give up your sorrow

Cast it on me

I will take it to the tallest mountain

And release it to the wind…

 

Do not give up hope my little angel

While the moon may set

It will always rise again…

 

Sleep, my little angel

Rest your weary head

For tomorrow we set off

Back to the land we call home…

Back to the forest where caribou roam-

And eagles soar!

 

Beautiful little angel

Cast your pain and toils away

The Dark is gone

The light has come

Feel the wind beneath you wings-

And the sky above your head

 

Fly! My little angel

Cast your pain and toils away

Remember that I love you

Remember who you are…

 

I will see you before night’s end

So that I may fly with you till forever’s end

 

      Fly! My little angel

      Cast your pain and toils away

      Remember that I love you

      Remember who you are...”

 

      I cried myself to sleep that night. Nobody came to see me. Storm had been my only friend. Now I had nobody. I was completely alone in this world. And nobody even cared.