One Shot!

This Short Story is Based on the ''A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words - 4/16/2022" Prompt.

I Hope You Enjoy This Story!

Warning: Mild scenes of voilence and strong language

The sudden movement made him flinch as Joe looked through his scope.

'Shit,' he thought, 'I can't let my anxiety take control now.'

Joe used to be a Special Marine Corps Sniper. It was when he started questioning the orders he'd been given, that Joe's nightmares started and eventually landed him up at the Psychiatrist.

"What is it about that order that made you feel uncomfortable?"

"I don't really know. Something about it just felt wrong."

"Okay, Joe. That's good, but I want you to really think about it for a moment."

"I can't."

Joe was fidgeting and tapped with the heel of his right foot. Images of heads exploding kept crawling back into his mind. Innocent heads?

Dr. McCray was patient, however, she knew the only way for him to move forward was to face his fears.

"Joe, you're fidgeting again. I want you to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths."

His chest felt heavy as he started breathing.

"Good. Remember what I asked you to say to yourself."

"Yes."

Joe had grown fond of her. Dr. McCray had a stern approach, yet her voice and mannerisms were gentle. He wasn't sure if she'd been trained that way, or if it was simply the way she was. He believed the latter to be more likely, though.

It wasn't until his last order, that Joe broke down. He started digging deeper into his previous orders, scouring the Dark Web for more information. That's when he realized he'd been played. It wasn't National Security; it was money and power.

Now, it was just a power play. Someone got pissed off with him and tried taking the only piece of sanity away that he had left. His Psychiatrist.

Whoever it was, knew he had issues. They were playing with him.

'A game of cat and mouse? Some sick and twisted version of Russian Roulette?'

Joe shook the thought. Someone left him a trail of breadcrumbs that led him here. Someone knew what he'd been discussing with his Psychiatrist. Someone wanted to break him before taking him out.

Joe checked the time on his wrist. One minute and forty-five seconds left.

"Shit!"

He managed to get into position three minutes ago. Whoever the masked individual was had timed it perfectly, giving him as little opportunity as possible.

Joe thought about the note.

'Once every minute, my head will pop out from behind Dr. McCray. When the time has run out, you'll see her brains splattered over the window.'

He saw the head pop out just under the two-minute mark and wasted the quick opportunity.

"One shot. You only have one shot," he whispered to himself.

As Joe steadied his breathing, he let all his muscles relax and proceeded to continue the countdown in his head.

"60, 59, 58, 57 -'

The figure that popped its head out earlier was barely visible behind the Doctor. Both were seated and she was heavily tied down.

The previous time he noticed the individual was a few paces behind her, rocked to the left, then disappeared behind her again.

'Left or right?' he thought, steadily breathing with his finger ready to pull the trigger.

It was a long shot. Just over half a mile out. The perpetrator planned it this way. That he knew for sure.

As the countdown continued, Joe attempted to stay as focused as possible. Rushing from one point to the next had taken its toll, however, there was no giving up.

He had his sights aimed at the center of Dr. McCray's chest. The height was correct, as the previous appearance showed the masked face pop out just below her shoulders.

'24, 23, 22 -'

The masked head started drifting over to the right. Previously it lasted for around a second.

Joe quickly adjusted his aim, exhaled, then squeezed on the trigger.

Traveling at 3,000 feet per second, the bullet flew through the window, leaving a small hole surrounded by cracks.

Joe couldn't see anything else. Dr. McCray was wriggling in the chair and he noticed blood on her upper arm. He kept looking for movement, but there was none.

'What if I missed?'

'I can't just lay here and wait.'

Joe felt his chest tightening as fear started washing over him. He needed to do something.

What was about ten seconds since he pulled the trigger, felt like a lifetime. He got up, sidearm ready, then started running across the farm towards the house.

'I haven't heard any gunshots,' he thought, as he quickly closed the distance.

By the time he'd reached the little farmhouse, his breathing was rapid. Joe wasn't as fit as he used to be, but his muscles and lungs still worked well enough.

He peered through the window, looking straight at the Doctor. Her cheeks were streaked with wet and drying tears and her eyes were riddled with fear.

As he looked past her, he noticed a body lying sprawled across the floor, with another chair laying on its side.

Through his training, he remained cautious as he circled the house.

The back door was unlocked, as Joe quickly, yet carefully entered and made his way through the house.

When he reached Dr. McCray, he quickly removed her gag.

"It's okay, I've got you," he said, as she drew in some deep breaths, properly filling her lungs with oxygen.

"Get me out! Get me the fuck out of here!"

She was visibly traumatized, as Joe quickly cut the individual ropes binding her.

"Don't worry, Doctor, he's gone."

"I don't care. I just want to get out of here!"

This reminded Joe about back when they went through their grueling training. He realized it was just a state of panic.

It wasn't until she'd been completely freed, that she seemed to calm down slightly.

"Just look at me," Joe said, as he took her by the shoulders.

"Don't look behind you. Just keep your focus on me."

Dr. Fray seemed to have escaped the panicked state.

'Perhaps she struggled with confinement,' Joe thought.

"Is he dead?"

"Yes."

"Good. Damn bastard!" she shouted out as she pulled her eyes away from Joe's.

Dr. McCray ran towards the still body. The left side of the masked face was gone. She kicked at his ribs as she shouted out.

"Fuck you! You pig! Fuck you!"

Joe let her have her moment. Perhaps it would help her deal with what had happened.

A year later, Joe and Dr. McCray were completely freed from the prying eyes of the Special Forces. Although they were forced to change their identities and moved to Mexico, they were free.

Joe still fought against his anxiety, however, he had a better handle on it. As the pair worked their way towards a different life, Joe was able to give her real information to work with. This enabled the Doctor to give him better guidance towards a more emotionally stable life.

The End

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