“Dog in position.”

“Frog and Cat in position.”

“Rabbit in position.”

…

“Fox?”

…

“I’m going to blow their brains out.”

“You’re supposed to say: Fox in position.”

“Roger that. Fox ready to blow their brains out.”

A sigh was heard over the line.

Kibum wasn’t blinking as he looked through the scope of his AS50, aiming straight at the enemies. His breathing was slow and not particular deep although his heart rate was higher than normally.

As a sniper he had to stay calm no matter what, that was pretty much what he had been taught from the very first day he started doing this.

His job was to observe and to help. He had to keep his lads out of trouble and make sure they’d arrive at their destination without losing an arm or even their life.

“You should hurry or they’ll see you,” Kibum said in his usual low and even voice that he always had when he was concentrating on his task and observing his targets.

There were five men who were loading a truck with all kinds of weapons, two more in the front on the car’s seats.

“Do you have a straight firing line?” Rabbit asked and Kibum made a small sound close to a snort.

“Who do you think I am? 1000 yards is nothing. I’ve had the targets locked for over two minutes now so get your asses down there.”

“Roger.”

Wasn’t it wonderful to have comrades that understood exactly what you wanted them to do without having to tell them directly?

Well those were Kibum’s lads. They may be an odd team of people and sometimes a bit chaotic, maybe even messed up but they did their work with absolute precision. 

Not one mistake was allowed and everyone had to take care of their own part.

“Frog, man with RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) behind the wall,” Kibum said lowly, seeing the man look around the corner from time to time but never long enough for him to catch him. It wasn’t his job anyway. That man needed to be taken down first so he indirectly told Frog to take care of that problem.

“Team Expo starting mission Cobra 3.0 in 5…4…3…2…1…GO!” Rabbit called over the line and the four men ran towards their destination, opening fire while running and hiding behind almost completely ruined walls once their enemy had caught up on what was happening.

Kibum was aiming at a man on top of a roof who had his short distance sniper rifle aimed at his lads. He was probably the first one to react accordingly and would be able to take those four out because of his good location but the Fox wouldn’t let that happen.

Adjusting the distance and calculating the wind, Kibum took one last breath to calm his heart rate before he fired his first shot for today.

A clear headshot.

The sniper smirked softly and aimed at another man who was running over to his comrade. The bullet hit the ground in front of his feet, making him stumble and fall down. Sadly he didn’t have enough time to scramble to his feet again before Kibum fired his next, deadly shot.

That was it. The sound of the bullet leaving the muzzle if his weapon, the faint smell of smoke, the blowback that made his body jerk slightly with each shot and the sound of the now useless cartridges landing on the ground and joining the others.

“Nice one!” Dog shouted but the blond only tsked, his eyes never loosing focus and his mind always calculating each little change of the wind.

“Shut up and concentrate.”

“Rabbit, come in!” Cat called, a few gun shots accompanying his voice.

“Roger.”

“Hostages in the building at the end of the sector, probably around 20.”

“On my way.”

“Stay put!” Kibum called, his heartrate speeding up again as he caught sight or another man on a rooftop. That one didn’t look like an experienced sniper but he’d be able to hit Rabbit from such a short distance nevertheless, even without a good sniper rifle.

The man was around 1170 yards away from him so he needed to adjust the distance and aim at a spot above his target and slightly to the left to correct the wind.

He pulled the trigger, the blowback shooting through his body and two seconds later the man’s shoulder jerked back and he fell to the ground.

The sniper breathed out softly, blinking twice.

“Okay, run and stop at the red car.”

“Roger.”

Kibum watched how Rabbit sprinted over to the red car, sliding behind it and waiting for further instructions.

It wasn’t that Kibum didn’t want the hostages to be rescued, hell that was pretty much 60% of their mission, but he wouldn’t allow one of his lads to get shot while he still had two functional eyes.

“The way is clear, report back once you get there.”

“Roger.”

The sniper focused his scope on another part of the small battlefield where Dog was fighting against three rebels who were hiding behind a wall, only showing themselves to shoot.

Kibum had to make the adjustments by guess and pinpoint the exact moment where they would show themselves again, needing to calculate the time the bullet would need to reach its target. Of course they were incredible fast but he was over 1km away.

It took him two tries, reloading his gun once, before he hit the first man, Dog the second who was stupid enough to check up on his fallen comrade.

The third didn’t show himself for over half a minute, Kibum completely frozen in his spot, his hand around the trigger tense so he could shoot at any moment.

Then the man clad in a white cloak showed himself and the blond had enough time to hit his stomach. Obviously not a deadly shot but the man wouldn’t be able to do anything anymore.

“Finish him off,” was all he said over the line before he focused back on Rabbit who had meanwhile reached his destination.

Kibum used the short moment to reload his gun again, taking another deep breath to stay calm and collected. Lives were on the line after all.

“The door is locked and bulletproof,” Rabbit said over the line, a hissing sound accompanying his voice because of the strong gust of wind that got up and blew the sniper’s hair out of his face, away from his black sunglasses.

“We’ll see about that,” he murmured, aiming at the two big door handles and the lock that was fastened around them.

He had ten bullets.

Ten shots to get through that thing.

One, two, three , four, five, six, seven, eight….each blowback making his body jerk slightly.

He had hit the lock, making it burst into little pieces.

The space around the look was now marked by small indentations where the bullets had tried to get through the thick metal, staying stuck in the material.

Eight cartridges had joined the others on the ground, forming a small pile of golden material.

“Remind me not to get onto your bad side,” Dog mumbled, observing the area close to the building with the hostages inside with the small scope onto of his gun.

“Focus,” Kibum simply shot back and Dog shut up for now. That guy would get killed for commenting simply everything one day.

“Area is clear,” Frog said and the sniper switched over to him, looking around once more to be sure every last one of the rebels had been killed.

“Roger.”

“Hostages are freed,” Rabbit announced and Kibum breathed out in slightly relief. So none of them had been killed, that was good.

Something reflected the sunlight in the sniper’s vision and he almost didn’t have enough time to duck his head before a bullet rushed past him and hit the tree behind him, the trunk now graced with a gaping hole.

“Fox?!” two people hollered at the same time, probably the ones that had seen the explosion just now but there was no time for chitty chat.

Kibum scrambled to his feet, avoiding a second bullet that hit the spot where he had just been a second ago. A third grazed his right shoulder and the sniper bit his lip as a rush of adrenaline went through his body, his brain in no condition to even register the pain.

He jumped down a small slope, running through the thick forest and jumped over a fallen tree, carrying his 28 pound heavy sniper rifle in his hands until he reached another good spot and dropped down again, ignoring his aching knees and hips while he was lying on his stomach.

In the matter of seconds he had readjust his weapon, reloaded and was searching for his almost murder.

“Fox?” Frog asked uneasily and Kibum released a breath he had been holding for almost a minute now.

“Everything alright. It was off a few degrees to the right. He didn’t calculate the wind.”

His four lads all breathed out in relieve.

“Target is getting away!” Cat suddenly yelled and Kibum bit his lip. He had finally found the culprit.

It was one of the men who were sitting on the truck which was loaded with weapons, their second target.

The car had been located a bit out of the village ruins and the team’s priority had been to rescue the hostages first before they took care of the truck which was supposed to get new supplies and weapons for the rebels.

Now all the bandits had been taken care of and there was nothing standing in their way anymore. Or rather nothing was in Kibum’s firing line anymore.

“Little bastard,” he hissed, aiming in front of the vehicle and pulling the trigger, his shoulder protesting at the blowback that went through his body.

A second later the car blew up into a gigantic explosion since all of the other weapons had gone off as well.

Weapon trucks were the easiest target simply because they blew up if you just hit them once so you didn’t need to be picky. Being able to hit them was another story.

Kibum blinked a few times, watching the flames through his scope before he lifted his head slightly and looked over his weapon at the location of the battle.

From his spot he could only see the flames of the car and the ruins of the village the rebels had been hiding in.

“Nice shot, Fox,” Dino commented and Kibum closed his eyes, releasing an almost annoyed breath but a smile sneaked onto his face nevertheless.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, everything is clear,” Frog said who had controlled the area once more with Cat.

“Good then gather by me, location 3.5.0,” Rabbit said, his leader attitude shining through again.

Normally it was Kibum who lead the team since he was the observer but he actually wasn’t the leader. He was only the guy the others could rely on. Their backup that watched their backs during battle and made sure no one got hurt.

The sniper took another deep breath, his head feeling slightly fuzzy but that was normal after having to focus this much. He stood up and made his way down the hill and started walking towards the village.

Probably the only disadvantage of him being a sniper: He was always the one who had to walk a lot before he’d reach their checkpoints.

His shoulder was meanwhile aching and reality of him almost being shot slowly started to reach his brain but it wasn’t the first time. Sure, it had been a close call and all but no one had been able to actually hit him until now, obviously.

He had the unique trait of moving around and being able to change his location in just the matter of seconds. Most snipers stayed in their spot for an entire battle and didn’t even have the ability to change their position but Kibum was special in that aspect.

Being a sniper didn’t completely limit his agility.

The sun was harsh and shone down on him while he made his way through the sandy environment, rocks and dried out plants the only other things on the crappy road he was walking…if it could even be called a road. His black boots had already turned into a sandy color because of the sand and dust his steps made whirl up.

He was going to get stupid sun tan all over his bare arms once again. Great, just great.

At least his scarf protected most of his face and shoulders while his sun glasses shielded his sensitive eyes from all that dust and the sun as well.

Only now he noticed how sweaty his hands were underneath his fingerless, black gloves once again, the reason he wore them.

Not being able to fire was pretty much a death sentence so this was his only option.

That and he’d get sore hands after a while.

His weapon seemed to get heavier the more he walked but Kibum was already used to carry around such a heavy thing. Most snipers always complained about it but it gave him a strange sense of security, almost like he was invincible with such a heavy weapon by his side.

If it was true or not didn’t really matter.

So he continued his way, the muzzle of his sniper rifle pointed at the ground while the trigger was positioned just below his chest, one finger still around it in case he still needed to fire.

Thankfully he soon reached the first ruins and made his way through the rundown village, careful with his steps because this had still served as a battlefield just a short while ago. Random missiles or other things could be anywhere but it seemed to be safe.

The dead bodies of the rebels they had fought here were lying on the ground or slumped against a wall, none of without a bloodstain on their clothes.

This is what reality looked like for them: Dead enemies decorating the battlefield once it was over. Not a sight Kibum wanted anyone to see but it couldn’t be prevented, especially not in such a dangerous country like this one.

He rounded a corner and saw a group of around thirty people standing in front of the building they had been held hostage in, the door broken down an graced with small holes Kibum had shot in there previously.

Four men in military clothing were looking after the hostages, making sure no one was hurt or in a worrying condition. Well, that and they made sure none of them had any weapons.

“Oh, the hero of the day finally arrives!” the smallest of the four called with a eating grin on his face.

“Shut up, Jonghyun, or I’ll blow your brains out,” Kibum said, his voice still as calm as ever, as he pulled his scarf down from his face. Despite being a member of the military he was the definition of calmness. Pretty much like most snipers. Calmness was their second name because they had to stay calm no matter what.

If they snapped then everything was over.

Jonghyun just tsked and rolled his eyes, muttering something about him not being the enemy.

“Geez, that looks nasty,” the short male continued and pointed at Kibum’s bloody bicep and the still bleeding cut the bullet had left behind.

“Are you okay?” Jinki asked worried, his brown eyes focused on his comrade’s injury.

The sniper sighed quietly and looked to the side, the action staying hidden behind his glasses beside the small turn of his head. “Fine,” he said quietly because for some odd reason it made him feel uncomfortable when others asked after his wellbeing. He wasn’t the one who fought on the front lines after all. He was pretty much in a safe distance and away from the battlefield most of the times.

He shouldn’t be the cause of concern.

His eyes wandered over the small crowd of people that had gathered in front of the destroyed doors.

Most of them were young men, a few women and older people as well. Sadly there were also a few children around the age of six or seven that were staying close to their parents.

A train cart had been taken over by the rebels something about a week ago and the hostages had been used as threat against the military so they sent team Expo over there to ‘solve’ the conflict.

No one seemed to be hurt except from some bruises and cuts and the children seemed to be alright as well. They were staring at Kibum in particular in awe, eyeing his huge weapon with big eyes.

No surprise. It wasn’t every day that you got to see a sniper with his rifle after all. Those things were pretty huge and did look slightly threatening but none of the children seemed to be scared, just awestruck.

Team Expo was fit and well so far except for Kibum’s injury and Taemin whose left shoulder was a bit bloody and burnt because of an explosion but it was nothing major and according to him it didn’t even hurt.

Minho, Jonghyun and Jinki didn’t have any injuries and were still in one piece, Jinki because of Kibum’s warning back there or he would have joined the dead bodies on the ground.

The adrenaline that had been pumping through the blond’s veins just a while ago was now completely gone and his heart rate was normal again as well. It probably didn’t show on the outside though because Kibum was always in perfect control of himself.

He finally turned the safety catch on his weapon and lowered it a bit. There was no one around, he had checked before he entered the village, so they were safe for now and he couldn’t do much with a weapon designed for shooting targets 1000 up to 1500 yards away, on a short distance anyway.

It was like trying to fight with a stick against someone with a sword: Pretty much useless.

“How many are there,” Kibum asked, nodding his head towards the hostages.

“Twenty-seven in total, we managed to get everyone out of there before something happened,” Minho said and eyed the sniper’s by now bloody arm one last time before he tore his eyes away.

It wasn’t like they blond would let them treat him here on the battlefield anyway. He’d say they mission wasn’t finished before they made sure every single one of the hostages was safe and safe meant at the refugee camp in a safety zone.

Kibum looked down and saw one of the small boys standing in front of him and looking at his weapon with big eyes.

“Can I hold it?” he asked carefully and pointed at the black gun without hesitation.

The sniper pushed his sun glasses up into his hair and looked down at the child for some moments, thinking about what could go wrong and calculating how much harm could be done, a habit he had picked up on after all those years.

Calculations over calculations.

He turned his weapons in his hands, holding the barrel a bit below the muzzle so he could still take the weapon if he had to and the boy couldn’t aim at people, only up at the sky, although the safety catch was still .

The boy took it carefully and almost fell down because of the heavy weight that now rested in his arms.

“It’s heavy!” he called surprised and Kibum chuckled.

Everyone thought his weapon was too heavy except for himself.

“Mr. Soldier, you are very strong,” the boy said with sparkling eyes as he looked up to Kibum who took his weapon back.

He kneeled down on one knee so he was on eyelevel with the small boy.

“I am not a soldier,” he said and the boy blinked at him confused.

“I’m just a sniper. I don’t fight on the battlefield like soldiers do.”

It was probably difficult for a child his age to understand the difference between those two but it was just how Kibum felt.

Him being called a soldier just didn’t feel right. Soldiers were honorable and fought while their lives were on the line but he just hid far away and shot their backs once he had the chance to. There was nothing honorable about that.

“But you made that car go BAAM!” the boy said, emphasizing the word by making a big circle with his arms and Kibum tried to figure out how he knew that. There was no way he could have possibly figured this out on his own.

“Shorty said it was you.”

“HEY!” Jonghyun cried offended and the sniper closed his eyes, trying to hide the grin that sneaked onto his face.

“Well, shorty is right-”

“YAH!”

“But that doesn’t make me a soldier.”

The boy crooked his head and hummed quietly, seeming to think about it.

“You’re Mr. Sniper then,” he concluded happily, his smile carefree like he hadn’t just been freed from his prison after almost one week.

“Milo!” a woman called and rushed over to the young boy who turned around to her with the same big smile.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t watch him for a second and he was already gone. I hope he didn’t bother you, I’m sorry,” he apologized over and over again, bowing with almost each word.

Kibum stood up and shook his head. “Not at all, no worries,” he said and smiled at the woman to reassure her.

Seems like she was still a bit shaken up after this whole incident. Who wouldn’t be? …except for children.

“Alright, everyone please listen,” Jinki called and the quiet talking of the small crowed died down, some wives holding onto their husbands while worry was shown on their faces.

“There’ll be four trucks arriving in a few minutes. All of them are going to drive to the same refugee camp where you’ll get food and everything you need. Every truck can take seven people so please divide into four groups so we can leave as quickly as possible,” the leader said and the people quickly tried to arrange four groups, families trying not to get separated.

Of course they didn’t trust them fully. Why should they? After what just happened it was no surprise that they were extra careful.

The promised four trucks arrive around five minutes later plus one separated one for team Expo.

The small boy waved at Kibum before he was urged to climb onto the truck, Kibum lifting his hand shortly as a goodbye since chances he’d see the boy again were pretty low.

Once everyone was seated the four soldiers and their sniper climbed into their separated car, they drove off. Jonghyun and Taemin were each taking a deep breath to get rid of all the tension in their bodies.

Jonghyun tried to chat with Minho but the tall male simply ignored him until the shorter was sulking and refusing to say another word. Taemin got a first treatment for his wound and Jinki was discussing something with their driver.

Kibum was staring out of the window at the always similar looking environment they were driving through. All just sand, rocks and some dirty roads and ruins of villages.

His shoulder was by now hurting quite a lot but there was not much he could do about it. He had to wait until they were back at the headquarters.

The blood had dried on his skin, making it sticky and coloring almost the complete outside of his upper arm red.

“Kibum?”

The sniper looked up at Taemin as he called his name.

“Hm?”

“How was that guy able to get you?” the youngest asked and all four soldiers turned to him curiously.

Of course they were curious since they didn’t really understand much about snipers, how they thought or how they worked. They didn’t need to know. None of that knowledge would prevent them from getting shot on the battlefield.

The blond sighed, resting his head against the head rest of his seat and closing his eyes for a moment, recalling the scene and what had happened exactly.

“He calculated backwards and tracked my bullets,” he then said but the mystery didn’t seem to be solved with just that.

“Tracked them?” Jonghyun asked, breaking his silent vow of not speaking anymore.

“Yeah, he was able to tell where I was after I shot at the door several times. If someone fired eight shots like that I’d be able to pinpoint his exactly location, two to three meters given or taken, on almost 1500 yards as well.”

“Geez, that’s crazy,” Jonghyun mumbled

“But he miscalculated the wind and the rotation of the bullet so he missed but I guess he had a separated observer or he wouldn’t have been able to correct his shot that quickly,” Kibum said and twisted his weapon in his hands.

“He would have gotten me with his first shot but his scope reflected the sun so I was able to dodge and move to another spot.”

The four guys were silent for a little while.

“My, we really have the best sniper as a backup,” Jinki said with a big smile and Kibum quickly looked out of the window again.

Tsk, to say such embarrassing things just out of the blue.

“Agreed!” Jonghyun called. “He saved my too often already.”

“That’s true,” Minho said and the shorter started arguing again.

The sniper just smiled softly and shook his head.

They sure were an odd team but he wouldn’t change it for the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for reading~

 

4,289 words