A Broken Dawn
You can’t let your emotions enter this type of work. You must be loyal and responsible, and along with those traits, you must remain cool and calculating.
Aim the gun. Don’t breathe. Don’t think. Take the shot.
A small but sudden jerk bounced against my steady shoulder. A few seconds later, the cruel man fell. I sighed, the only relief I could have in this line of work was that another sinful being had been erased from existence. I knew this man deserved to die. He was an extremely political figure in the area and used his power to oppress those too weak to fight back, he abused women, he was an alcoholic. The list went on and on.
You make me sick, I mentally addressed the dead body a few hundred feet away from me. I bet even the maggots and worms beneath the ground wouldn’t be willing to come near a scumbag like you.
Rage rose within me, but I had to stop myself. No emotions, just keep going through the list. The list is what matters right now. Another one gone, another day safer than the last.Throughout the night, I continuously worked through the list, just like I had been trained to. I knew my sergeant would be proud of me when he found out. Around three in the morning it became tough, but soon the light of dawn would break through.
It would be just like that part in the song, Through the night with a light from above, which continued to run through my mind while my soul sang along.
Anytime I became tired or weary, I remembered those lyrics which helped me remember my duty.
I can’t stop, no matter what.
I knew it would be dawn soon, but my list was only halfway finished. Hopelessness rose within me while my heart sank.
I’m a failure to this country and an awful human being. That’s why Sarge was always disappointed, because I have failed my mission and my country.
But the sun seemed to wait to shine its light upon the earth. It is waiting. It’s waiting for me to serve this country, I couldn’t help but realize the earth was on my side. On the winning side. For America. I was on another building when suddenly cop cars pulled up on the street below.
Finally, they’re coming to help keep America safe. It’s about damn time some of them showed up.
I heard the footsteps rushing up the stairs. That’s strange. They should be invading that scumbag’s building. Why are they wasting time?!
They opened the door and shined bright flashlights at me.
“Put down the gun!” One of them yelled.
“You want me to stop serving my country?”
How dare these douchebags impede my mission, they should be helping me, not investigating!
A tall cop came up towards me slowly, “Jack, you haven’t been in the army for three years.” She spoke softly as if I was some dumbass idiot who was slow in the head, when in fact she was the one who had no idea what she was talking about.
“Okay,” I scoffed at her. “Look,” I began, staring her dead in the eyes, “I’m on a mission, and you guys are ruining it! That man, sitting in his house, pretending all is fine with the world, is actually poisoning our society! As much as I’d love to chat with you all day, I need to get back to my duty.”
I could tell this lady wasn’t giving up as soon as she spoke to me, “Jack, calm down, the sun has barely started to rise. We have plenty of time to talk. I’m only going to show you what’s really happening.” She slowly walked over, “Can I see this list?” She asked softly as if I was some kid who had no idea what he was doing.
“Look right here Jack. If this is really the last person on your list, that’s your sergeant. Geremy Ross Hunter. 4563 Rosewood Ave.” She looked me in the eyes, “That’s the house right across the street, and that man sitting in his living room is your sergeant. We heard the rumors about what happened overseas. We know Jack, nothing is wrong with you. We can help you.”
I pulled away from her, lit with indignation.
“There’s nothing wrong with me and that man is sure as hell not my sergeant!”
What is this lady talking about? That man across the street is a vile rat who needs to be disposed of. I would never hurt Sarge.
She leaned down to talk into her radio, “Okay, get her up here.”
I didn’t know what was happening, but I was getting restless. The sun was breaking over the horizon.
“Okay, this needs to stop, and that man needs to die. If you’re not going to do it, I will.”
Aim the gun. Don’t breathe. Don’t think. Take the shot.
I could hear them telling me to stop, and I knew if I didn’t act now, evil would persist.
Aim the gun. Take the shot.
Before I could, I heard sniffling.
“Wait!”
I froze just before I could get into position.
“Jack? Baby?” I heard a broken whimper cry out.
“Theresa, what are you doing here?”
I rushed over to her, but the officers prevented me from getting to her.
“Let me see her. Why is she here? Why isn’t she at home?!” I yelled, my voice filling in the silence of the empty streets of the early morning.
The tall cop came over to me, “Jack, you haven’t been in the army for three years, it’s not your duty anymore. I know you think you were on a mission, but that man is your sergeant. You’re at home,” he stressed, “and we have to put you away for killing all those innocent civilians.”
Everything became fuzzy, it seemed as if my life overseas was meshing with my life at home, and all of a sudden nothing was clear anymore.
“Regardless of what you think, those men were not innocent,” I spat. “They deserved what they got.”
I looked over to Theresa crying for me and my heart broke right there, in the light of the early morning.
“All this was for you baby,” I looked at her, tears streaming down my own face, “So you could be free, and never worry about a single thing”
“Jack,” she whispered, “I never wanted-” her crying interrupted her and my broken heart cracked deeper with each tear of hers.
She looked up at me again, also heart-broken, “I never wanted this.”
I saw pity, understanding, and disgust mingled in her hazel eyes. I knew I hurt her, I had done it beyond repair. The last strand I held on to had finally broke. I pulled my rifle beneath my chin, ready to rid the world of the last evil being I could. Just in time for dawn.
Aim the gun. Don’t breathe. Don’t think. Take the shot.
A small but sudden jerk bounced against my steady shoulder. A few seconds later, the cruel man fell. I sighed, the only relief I could have in this line of work was that another sinful being had been erased from existence. I knew this man deserved to die. He was an extremely political figure in the area and used his power to oppress those too weak to fight back, he abused women, he was an alcoholic. The list went on and on.
You make me sick, I mentally addressed the dead body a few hundred feet away from me. I bet even the maggots and worms beneath the ground wouldn’t be willing to come near a scumbag like you.
Rage rose within me, but I had to stop myself. No emotions, just keep going through the list. The list is what matters right now. Another one gone, another day safer than the last.Throughout the night, I continuously worked through the list, just like I had been trained to. I knew my sergeant would be proud of me when he found out. Around three in the morning it became tough, but soon the light of dawn would break through.
It would be just like that part in the song, Through the night with a light from above, which continued to run through my mind while my soul sang along.
Anytime I became tired or weary, I remembered those lyrics which helped me remember my duty.
I can’t stop, no matter what.
I knew it would be dawn soon, but my list was only halfway finished. Hopelessness rose within me while my heart sank.
I’m a failure to this country and an awful human being. That’s why Sarge was always disappointed, because I have failed my mission and my country.
But the sun seemed to wait to shine its light upon the earth. It is waiting. It’s waiting for me to serve this country, I couldn’t help but realize the earth was on my side. On the winning side. For America. I was on another building when suddenly cop cars pulled up on the street below.
Finally, they’re coming to help keep America safe. It’s about damn time some of them showed up.
I heard the footsteps rushing up the stairs. That’s strange. They should be invading that scumbag’s building. Why are they wasting time?!
They opened the door and shined bright flashlights at me.
“Put down the gun!” One of them yelled.
“You want me to stop serving my country?”
How dare these douchebags impede my mission, they should be helping me, not investigating!
A tall cop came up towards me slowly, “Jack, you haven’t been in the army for three years.” She spoke softly as if I was some dumbass idiot who was slow in the head, when in fact she was the one who had no idea what she was talking about.
“Okay,” I scoffed at her. “Look,” I began, staring her dead in the eyes, “I’m on a mission, and you guys are ruining it! That man, sitting in his house, pretending all is fine with the world, is actually poisoning our society! As much as I’d love to chat with you all day, I need to get back to my duty.”
I could tell this lady wasn’t giving up as soon as she spoke to me, “Jack, calm down, the sun has barely started to rise. We have plenty of time to talk. I’m only going to show you what’s really happening.” She slowly walked over, “Can I see this list?” She asked softly as if I was some kid who had no idea what he was doing.
“Look right here Jack. If this is really the last person on your list, that’s your sergeant. Geremy Ross Hunter. 4563 Rosewood Ave.” She looked me in the eyes, “That’s the house right across the street, and that man sitting in his living room is your sergeant. We heard the rumors about what happened overseas. We know Jack, nothing is wrong with you. We can help you.”
I pulled away from her, lit with indignation.
“There’s nothing wrong with me and that man is sure as hell not my sergeant!”
What is this lady talking about? That man across the street is a vile rat who needs to be disposed of. I would never hurt Sarge.
She leaned down to talk into her radio, “Okay, get her up here.”
I didn’t know what was happening, but I was getting restless. The sun was breaking over the horizon.
“Okay, this needs to stop, and that man needs to die. If you’re not going to do it, I will.”
Aim the gun. Don’t breathe. Don’t think. Take the shot.
I could hear them telling me to stop, and I knew if I didn’t act now, evil would persist.
Aim the gun. Take the shot.
Before I could, I heard sniffling.
“Wait!”
I froze just before I could get into position.
“Jack? Baby?” I heard a broken whimper cry out.
“Theresa, what are you doing here?”
I rushed over to her, but the officers prevented me from getting to her.
“Let me see her. Why is she here? Why isn’t she at home?!” I yelled, my voice filling in the silence of the empty streets of the early morning.
The tall cop came over to me, “Jack, you haven’t been in the army for three years, it’s not your duty anymore. I know you think you were on a mission, but that man is your sergeant. You’re at home,” he stressed, “and we have to put you away for killing all those innocent civilians.”
Everything became fuzzy, it seemed as if my life overseas was meshing with my life at home, and all of a sudden nothing was clear anymore.
“Regardless of what you think, those men were not innocent,” I spat. “They deserved what they got.”
I looked over to Theresa crying for me and my heart broke right there, in the light of the early morning.
“All this was for you baby,” I looked at her, tears streaming down my own face, “So you could be free, and never worry about a single thing”
“Jack,” she whispered, “I never wanted-” her crying interrupted her and my broken heart cracked deeper with each tear of hers.
She looked up at me again, also heart-broken, “I never wanted this.”
I saw pity, understanding, and disgust mingled in her hazel eyes. I knew I hurt her, I had done it beyond repair. The last strand I held on to had finally broke. I pulled my rifle beneath my chin, ready to rid the world of the last evil being I could. Just in time for dawn.
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