The Gauntlet (Rachel Hatch) by L.T. Ryan & Brian Shea

Author:L.T. Ryan & Brian Shea [Ryan, L.T. & Shea, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liquid Mind Media
Published: 2020-11-14T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

Hatch already had the weapon up at the ready as her target came into view. In the split second before her finger squeezed the trigger, she saw the third OPFOR role-player seated behind a desk. He had a human shield of his own. Held directly in front of him was a small mannequin, like that of a child.

Hatch felt her stomach turn when she saw the mannequin’s dress. It was the one the little girl had been wearing when her mother detonated the improvised explosive device that killed her teammate and friend. She cleared her mind of the image as she took a fraction of a second to evaluate the enemy target seated before her. A matte black Sig Sauer P230 was pressed to the mannequin's head. The expressionless eyes of the doll stared back at Hatch.

Hatch, in that split second, adjusted her sight picture, focusing on the T intersection connecting the eyes and the bridge of the nose. A perfectly aimed and timed shot was necessary for neutralizing an enemy's ability to pull the trigger. Instant death erasing the ability for them to commit one final act. She'd run the drill a thousand times in training and had, on two rare occasions, been called to use it in the field with success. The third time was not a charm.

Hatch held her breath, not allowing time for the natural respiratory pause she would have used for a longer shot. Quick, controlled breathing was needed for dynamic entry. This was as dynamic as they came. Her breath held, she squeezed the trigger and fired two shots from the weapon in her left hand.

The soldier's face shield was painted in two overlapping orange dots centered between his eyes. He played his part, dropping the mannequin girl to the side and slumping forward over the desk.

Hatch then did a rapid sweep of the small room finding it bare, minus the desk, the actor, and the mannequin. Underneath the slumped soldier's chest lay another manila packet. Objective complete, she thought. Time to move on to the next.

She crossed the room. Her eye caught a glimpse of the mannequin's dress peeking out from the side of the desk. She fought her stare, willing herself to look away and focus. Her mind had other plans and began drifting down the dark path. She knew what lay at the end of that journey. The image of the girl's face appeared again, the way it had before disappearing into oblivion. Hatch had tucked the memory so deep that she feared what would happen if she ever truly let it out.

She uncinched the cord holding her body shield. Feeling the man's weight release lightened her, as he slumped to the ground by her boots. A sudden unburdening, both literally and metaphorically. She felt light, fresh. With the confidence building from having completed her second objective, she moved closer to the desk and grabbed the next mission's packet.

She ran her finger along the lip, just as she'd done with the two previous objectives.

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