Sniper on the ground;
Moving in without a sound;
Locks and loads a single round;
So early, so early;
So early in the morning…
Moving in without a sound;
Locks and loads a single round;
So early, so early;
So early in the morning…
Takahashi Kiyoshi sprinted through the dark, pre-dawn alleys of the Susukino District, a bolt-action rifle in his hands. The scratched and dinged wood of the stock and worn bluing on the barrel gave away the weapons age, but did not take away from its ability to fulfil its purpose. The suppressor on the end of the barrel and the scope that sat atop the firearm were dead giveaways as to what Kiyoshi intended to do.
The target must be eliminated.
Kiyoshi slowed as he reached his objective. The back door of an apartment building overlooking the alley had been left unlocked, as per the student’s request. He opened it, entered, and silently shut it behind him before turning and starting up the stairwell that led to the roof. Taking the stairs two at a time, he climbed the half-dozen floors, quickly reaching the ladder leading up to the hatch door that provided rooftop access. Slinging the rifle across his shoulders, he began the final ascent.
The hatch to the roof was old and rarely ever used, but Kiyoshi’s forethought to apply a little grease to the hinges the day before ensured the absence of the usual high-pitched, rusty squeal that would have given away his position. Crawling onto the tarred surface of the roof, Kiyoshi stayed low, and quietly moved to a small downspout opening in the wall on the alley side of the building. When he reached it, he silently set his rifle down, and took off his dark grey hoodie. Kiyoshi rolled the soft fabric up and placed it in front of him before picking up his rifle and laying the handguard atop the makeshift rest.
There was barely enough room for the end of the suppressor to fit through the downspout drain hole while still giving Kiyoshi enough space to look through the scope into the alley below. Good. The less of him that was exposed, the better. His target was keen of eye, and had already spotted him on one previous attempt on his life. All that remained now was the waiting. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes into an hour as the sun rose, finally cresting the mountains. The light warmed Kiyoshi’s exposed arms, but the shadow cast by the building on which he perched kept the light in the alley dim and grey.
Finally, the target approached. Kiyoshi had studied his movements for well over a week, and his regular daily route would finally be the end of him. Deactivating the cross-block safety, Kiyoshi exhaled all of his breath, lined up the scope’s crosshairs, and gently squeezed the trigger. Crack. The suppressor kept the report relatively quiet, but the supersonic bullet still created a tiny sonic boom. Unfortunately for the enemy, the polymer-tipped, solid copper projectile reached him before he could hear it. A small cloud of pink mist puffed out from the base of his skull as he collapsed, twitching on the ground for only a second before going stiff and still. Kiyoshi breathed a sigh of relief, stood, and went back down to the alley to confirm the kill.
*******
Kiyoshi stood over the body, his hoodie back on, and the rifle tucked in the crook of his right arm. He smiled. After two weeks of trial and error, multiple failed attempts, and a quick trip to the emergency room for a rabies shot, he had finally killed Reggie the Racoon.
The trash panda had been a thorn in his landlord’s side for months; digging through garbage, defecating on the outside stairs and walkways, and attacking the other tenant’s smaller pets. When she hired on her new academy student tenant as a building custodian, her first request was to get rid of the little nuisance by whatever means necessary. Kiyoshi had hoped for a more humane solution, and had left several traps for the rascal; but the dirty little creature was too smart to be caught so easily.
He was a vindictive little shit, too. Once Kiyoshi began his efforts to detain the filthy thing, it began leaving nasty “presents” in front of the door to his apartment to express his displeasure. When Reggie attacked Kiyoshi on his own balcony (resulting in the aforementioned hospital trip), it was the last straw. He headed to the academy armory, picked up a small .17HMR varmint rifle, and got all of the necessary hunting permits to take the beast down. Permanently.
The tiny caliber rifle was perfect for small game, such as rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, or even foxes and coyotes. It’s diminutive size, coupled with the polymer expanding tip and high velocity, ensured the round would expand inside the target and fragment, preventing overpenetration and transferring all of its energy into the animal for a quick, clean kill. It was of utmost importance to Kiyoshi that the round not over-penetrate and hit an unintended target. The Susukino District was, after all, a highly populated area. And, while he wanted Reggie dead, he didn’t want the animal to suffer needlessly.
Kiyoshi bent down to examine the raccoon. The bullet had entered just below the creature’s ear at the base of the skull, destroying its medulla oblongata and killing him instantly. The exit wound was quite devastating on a creature that size, and had Kiyoshi worried about where the fragments of the round went. Luckily, they were found in the puddle of blood and brain matter that was left behind on the alley floor, and hadn’t ricocheted and caused further destruction elsewhere. One of the principle rules of firearm safety that his father had taught him was to know not only your target, but what lies beyond.
Picking the raccoon up by its feet, Kiyoshi headed to his landlord’s apartment to give her the good news. Who knows, she might even want it stuffed as a trophy, or it’s hide made into a hat. Either way, Reggie had knocked over his last trashcan.
Mission Accomplished.
[WC: 1022]
Approval: LINK