GUN DOWN

“Go and announce the gospel of the Lord. Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. The mass ended,” I said, and I closed the Bible and left before the congregation departed.

I rushed to the venue because I had a mission to complete, and my colleagues were already waiting for me. They were already in their designated positions, playing their roles to make this operation successful. I readied my teddy bear and looked through the hair cross, watching the target and finding the right angle to complete the mission. I was on the rooftop of a building, feeling the wind blow against me. I held my cross and took a deep breath, knowing this would be a big night. I watched my team as well, to know that they were doing well. I saw Heart wearing a black, glittery, sexy dress, sipping her champagne while carefully watching the target. Clover stood not far from the target, as he would be the one to take the bag once the target was down.

“How are you, father?” Heart asked. The only girl in our group.

“I have eyes on him,” I said to them on the other end of the line.

“How many would you think are the bodyguards?” I asked Heart.

​“Not much,” She answered and sipped her champagne again.

I was wearing an earpiece that allowed us to communicate quietly. I steadied my sniper rifle and waited for the perfect moment to take the shot. I needed a clear line of fire, far from any civilians — collateral damage was not an option. I spotted the bag we needed to take home with the target, and I immediately informed Heart about it.

“I see it. Wait for Clover before you take the shot; he’ll retrieve the bag,” Heart instructed.

“Clover knows what his role is, right?” I asked just to ease the night.

“Haha, yeah,” Heart answered.

I nudged Teddy, my rifle partner and best friend. I sank into position and exhaled slowly, trying to focus on the mission. Our objective was clear: Assassinate the congressman, recover the bag, and deliver it to the client so we can receive the full payment. I looked through my scope again, watching the guests laugh and dance in their gowns and tuxedos. Then my earpiece screeched to life again.

“Spade, Diamond says take the shot now,” Heart whispered through the comms.

“Spade.”

“Spade, do you copy?”

“Yes, I’m here — still in position,” I replied as Heart’s voice cut through the static. It was time.

I exhaled, aligned the crosshairs, and squeezed the trigger. In an instant, the congressman collapsed, blood splattering across the floor as chaos erupted in the hall below. People screamed, scattering in every direction. I spotted Clover moving in, reaching for the bag, but a bodyguard intercepted him before he could grab it.

“Shit” I heard Heart whisper, and I saw her immediately stand up.

I packed up my gear in seconds and slipped off the rooftop.

I am done with my part, but I am not yet done with the mission because assassinating the congressman is not our mission alone.

“Clover needs backup” Heart said, but I didn’t answer because I was in a hurry to put my things in the car and go to the location. Before the bodyguards butcher Clover.

The engine roared to life, tires shrieking as I cut through the slick streets. My hands were steady, too steady for what I’d just done. The image of the congressman falling kept replaying behind my eyes like a stuttering film reel, but there was supposed to be mercy. There was supposed to be regret.

But I felt neither; I don’t even know what those words really mean. Only Heart insists I should feel something, but I don’t know how. I needed to hurry because Clover was out there, cornered.

Heart’s voice crackled in my earpiece again.

“Spade, you hear me? Clover’s pinned near exit three. You need to move.”

I gritted my teeth and took a hard left.

The venue came into view, flashing lights, panicked civilians flooding out, sirens already slicing through the night. I killed the headlights and slid the car behind a loading bay. No time for subtlety.

I popped the trunk, grabbed my secondary gear, and sprinted toward the back entrance.

Inside, alarms blared. Security teams swept the corridors like a tide of black suits and rifles. I weaved through the chaos, every muscle wired tight, every footstep measured. Then I saw him. Clover pressed behind an overturned catering table, outnumbered and bleeding from a cut across his cheek. The bag we came for sat just meters away, kicked aside during the struggle. His eyes met mine the moment I appeared.

“About time,” he hissed.

“Had to take care of something first,” I shot back, sliding next to him as gunfire erupted overhead. Clover looked at me as we hid together, but I reassured him that we didn’t need a savior. We would get out of this building without taking any damage.

“Where’s Teddy?” he asked.

“I left him.”

“What? You came here with nothing?” His voice was a mix of surprise and disbelief as he wondered how we were going to get out alive.

We were boxed in, outgunned. But turning back wasn’t an option.

The congressman had been only the first domino.

I heard another gunshot, and I knew it was not coming from the bodyguards, and I took it as a signal. I took my pocket knife and grabbed one of the bodyguards, and then, without thinking twice, I sliced his throat, took his gun, and dropped his body on the floor. Clover runs to the bag as I back him up. I kept on firing mercilessly. Bodies are now on the floor in an instant, and the bag is with Clover now.

We sprinted toward the entrance, the remaining bodyguards close behind, loyal enough to die for the man we killed, but not skilled enough to stop us. Heart fired from above, covering our escape with precise shots.

“I knew it was you,” I said when I finally saw her face clearly. She only smirked, replying, “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

They rode in their getaway vehicle while I took mine. Sirens wailed behind me. Glancing in the side mirror, I saw the police were already on our tail. There was no way we could return to headquarters with them following. I had to lose them.

“Go back to the base. I’ll handle them,” I said into the comms, lowering my earpiece to avoid hearing Heart argue.

“Take care of the bag and go with Heart now,” I ordered Clover.

“What about you?”

“Don’t mind me,” I said, then ran away from him.

I drew my Glock G40 Gen4 MOS and opened fire, intent on clearing the path. I tightened my grip on the Glock, fingers trembling with adrenaline but steady enough to make every shot count. The wail of sirens grew louder as the police closed in, headlights cutting through the rain-slick streets. I didn’t wait for them to corner me. I became the storm.

Each round I fired wasn’t random tires, engines, lights- chaos was my weapon. The first squad car spun out when a perfect shot shattered its rear axle. The second car skidded into a barrier after a well-placed round hit its brake lines. Reflexes and calculation danced together; I was the ghost they couldn’t hit.

Smoke and sparks filled the night as I drove the car around a sharp corner, narrowly avoiding a streetlight. My own pulse felt like it would explode, but I couldn’t afford hesitation. I glanced in the rearview mirror: one squad car remained, doggedly tailing me, sirens still screaming, lights blinding.

Time was running out. I needed a plan. A trap.

I hit the brakes hard, sliding the car into an abandoned alleyway. Tires screeched, metal scraped. As expected, the police followed blindly. Then I slammed the gear into reverse, spun the car around, and fired a few more rounds at the pursuing vehicle’s tires. Sparks flew. The car swerved violently and crashed into a dumpster, sending smoke and fire into the sky.

One down.

I exhaled through the tension in my chest. The alleyway opened into the industrial district. My pre-planned escape route. I could lose the rest there. But as I accelerated, something made me freeze: a black SUV appeared ahead of me, blocking the exit. Not police. Too precise. Too fast.

Clover’s voice crackled in my earpiece, urgent: “Spade… they’re not alone. You’re walking into a trap.”

I clenched my teeth. No time to hesitate. Whatever this was, I had to survive and make sure Clover and Heart did too.

“Freeze! Hands in the air!” one of the men shouted, his gun trained on me.

I lifted my hands slowly, watching as a man in a black coat approached from behind them. I tried to make out his face, but the darkness kept it obscured, just out of reach, like a memory I couldn’t grasp and then a gunshot cracked through the air. The officer in front of me dropped instantly, blood spilling from his mouth. I moved to grab his weapon, but the man in the black coat struck first, his boot slamming into my face, knocking me backwards.

Dazed, I hit the ground, and he stepped forward to kick me again. This time, I reacted. I grabbed his leg and yanked hard, sending him crashing down beside me. He swung his other leg, and his boot smashed into my face again, blurring my vision and spinning the world around me. He struck me over and over, fists raining down like hammers until he finally reached into his coat and drew a gun.

BANG.