Chapter 5: The Hunt
“We got some movement down there, see the big tree on the far slope, go left fifty yards and in toward us about the same!” whispers P-man.
I get my eye to the 10 power scope and slowly scan the area, nothing, I go back over it again slower. Sure as hell I catch a flicker of movement.
“Jesus, bud, look there, he’s damn near invisible” I mutter. Charlie is wearing some kind of camouflage and he looks like a patch of bad lawn.
“How come we can barely see the top of the bugger?” I whisper.
“He’s in just a slight depression in the ground and it looks like he’s headed towards those two small rocks,” replies P-man.
“We’ll let him get into position and comfy before we take him.” I mutter. “What is your range estimate and wind speed?”
“It’s close on 800 yards over there and wind is about 10 mph right to left, bullet is going to carry some because we are shooting down on him,” calculates P-man.
Shit, I think, a .308 caliber kills nicely out to 1000 yards if the target is a man standing up. The kill zone of a human is 14 X 22 inches; the size of an average mans chest and stomach area. But this shot we will maybe have 6 x 8 inches if we can see all of his head. There is no shot at all on his chest/stomach area. And at this distance we don’t have a hope in hell of a headshot on him! Lovely, just fucking lovely!
The Devil is doing cartwheels and cackling in glee!
It is 18:00 hours, Charlie is in position at the rocks and we watch and hear him commence firing on the firebase. P-man and I are watching carefully, noting the grass movement from the wind, how much the small tree branches are moving to see if the wind is steady.
“Jesus, Hud, Charlie isn’t using an AK47, he’s got a Russian Dragunov sniper rifle!” hisses P-man. “Likely why he is getting head shots, he’s got the 7.62x54R 7N1 sniper ammo, the shit is gold!”
“Aw Christ,” I moan. “This just gets better and better.”
My 173 gr. bullet will leave the rifle muzzle at 2550 ft/sec. At 800 yards it will drop 80 inches and the 10 mph wind will push it off by 65 inches. I hold over him about six feet and into the wind five feet. Two deep inhales and slow my breathing and wait for things to settle down and get very calm. THUMP, the rifle smacks my shoulder and I lose the sight picture.
“Short by two feet and left by three feet,” says P-man. “It’s more than 800 yards and the wind is stronger than we estimated. Go up another two feet and right three more feet. And don’t take all day as Charlie knows we’re here now!”
Oh Christ, we’re deep in the shit now. I wipe the sweat from my eyes and settle in again. Charlie has swung around and is scanning in our direction.
The Devil is leering and reaching for me. I own you Hud!
I sight two more feet up three more feet right, breathe and slowly squeeze the trigger, THUMP!
“Fuck,” says P-man. “Six inches to the right, a touch less windage, height is on!”
The Devil is cackling and reaching closer. Give it up fool you are mine!
A muzzle flash, Charlie has fired, a hiss and smack as the bullet whacks a tree above and just back of us. The bastard gook has seen my muzzle flash. He fires again and the bullet slaps into the ground in front of us. We are bracketed, fuck me, too close.
The Devils screams in anticipation!
“Jesus Christ, Hud, we gotta go!” hisses P-man. “Come on!”
A fleeting vision of Daria appears in my mind, I can feel her touch on my cheek. There is calmness in her touch. My heart slows and I begin to breathe evenly.
I sight again, same height, and a touch less to the right, it is a sense, a feeling, an instinct. Time stops and there is quiet. The rifle THUMPS and smacks me again.
P-man hisses excitedly “Jesus, fuck, Hud, ya got him, ya got the bugger, his head just exploded!”
“Yes, I could feel I got him” I mutter.
I get the scope back on the sight picture and confirm. Relief flows over me, Charlie is snuffed, his head is mostly missing, split open like a melon, with brains and blood spewed over the ground behind him. Christ, I have a rush of elation, an impossible shot, shit, no one will believe this!
Ho-yah, fuck you Devil, fuck you!
“Damn straight, P-man, it’s one dead gook, Charlie is truly fucked!” I chuckle in shaky relief. “Let’s pack our asses the hell out of here, bud, before his buddies figure out where we are.”
“Roger that, man, this kill calls for some serious drinking tonight!” chuckles P-man.
Chapter 6: Firebase
The hump back to camp seems much quicker and goes without incident.
My killer’s remorse is settling in solid now and I’m feeling like shit. I’m crashing emotionally, but at least the Devil is not grinning. He is just watching, and biding his time!
“Firebase Foxtrot, Firebase Foxtrot, this is street gang, come in!” P-man is on the radio to alert the sentries we are coming in, always a dangerous event. Just be our luck to get snuffed by our own sentries.
“Street gang, this is Foxtrot, state your position,” crackles the radio.
“Foxtrot, this is street gang, at your back door,” replies P-man.
“Hey, Millar, got your eyes open?” I holler.
“Well, Jesus H Christ, if it isn’t the house plants. I wasn’t sure if I should shoot the both of you or just piss on ya to water you!” drawls Millar.
“You’re still an asshole,” retorts P-man.
“I try my best,” chuckles Millar. “Good hunting, bout time you two pricks did something useful. I’ll buy ya a couple of rounds later!”
Four weeks and 4 days left, shit, a lifetime. The JD is smooth, and it jolts my head and clears my focus momentarily.
Maybe all I have to do is not be stupid and keep my head together. Maybe, just maybe I’ll make it through and get back home. And just maybe Daria will see my soul, recognize, and love me. I check the picture in my hat once more. Damn she is beautiful and God how I miss her. How I ache to hold and snuggle with her. The Jack is smooth; I beat the devil today, ho-yah...
Copyright 2014 Martin E. Silenus
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Author’s Note
This is the first of a series of three books (plus a prequel) on the Vietnam War and the personal experiences of a couple of young lads that had the misfortune to wind up in the middle of it. Life allows no observers!
Special thanks to Guy Vanderhaeghe, who encouraged, taught, and inspired me to keep writing, to Rita Toews for the excellent cover, to Maureen at “Go Published” for formatting, to friends and family for ongoing support, and to my friend Joan who edits my doggerel into a readable form.
Thank you for reading my ebook. If you enjoyed it won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review at Amazon? I would really appreciate it.
Or drop me an e-mail at [email protected]
Thanks
Martin E. Silenus
Cambodia
IN THE JUNGLE THERE are entities which freeze you in mid-step, turn your blood to ice, make your skin prickly, and make you afraid, very afraid!
Captain Farris has sniper grunts Hud and P-man humping into Cambodia to a possible Cong supply base to create havoc. The jungle watches and offers beings our sniper grunts have no way to rationalize. Things which deny reality, even the warped reality of a war zone!
Cambodia is the second book in the Vietnam War series, and the adventures of Hud and P-man, a sniper team operating from firebase Foxtrot. If you enjoyed Apocalypse Now or Platoon, you will love Martin E. Silenus’s powerful action book.
Pick up Cambodia to continue this exciting series today.
The Horror
The Tiger is an immense beast, highly intelli
gent, and tracking them constantly!
Hud and P-man are seasoned professionals in their ability to perform and survive increasingly difficult and dangerous jungle missions. But Captain Farris has handed the lads the ultimate horror. Hunt down a squad of our own rogue soldiers which have gone out of control. The Devil is ecstatic, P-man is in a murderous rage, the jungle Tiger is watching them very closely, and Daria is Hud's only chance to save his soul from eternal hell and damnation!
The Horror is the third and final book in the Vietnam War series. If you enjoyed Sniper, Apocalypse Now or Platoon then you have to read Martin E Silenus’s action thriller!
Pick up The Horror today to read the heart stopping conclusion!
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