The One-Handed Sniper
By: Timothy

Chapter 1
“Chris.”
The announcer spoke in a loud, almost ear-deafening, voice. Chris could even hear the voice through his earphones. He put his earphones and his ipod into his pocket. He lifted himself up and swung the backpack onto his shoulder. Chris was at an interview, as he was enlisting into the military.
Chris sat himself down to face the interrogator, a tall woman, with sturdy, broad shoulders and a big, warm smile on her face.
“Nice to meet you Chris. I’m Rebecca Stewarts, sergeant and captain of the Alpha Force. You seem a little young to be enlisting into the military. How old are you?”
Chris was shorter than 6 feet, at 5 foot 9, and still had a young face, so he understood how the women immediately realized that he was younger than the rest.
“I’m 15 sir. I know I’m young, but I really want to join the military, to keep peace in the world. That’s what my dad use to do.”
His father had been an ambassador, his second father. Chris had lived in an orphanage until he was 8. He was adopted by a very kind couple who had wanted to start a family for a long time. He was taken into their kindness. But sadly, his second mother died to a strange sickness, when he was 10. His second father took care of him by himself, even though he was busy. He had to go on a business trip to France, but on the way there, the plane crashed. Chris has been living alone since then, and used the money his second father gave him to sustain himself. He knew that if he joined the military and made it, he could live with the military force and also make peace in the world at the same time. Killing two of his problems with one stone.
“So how did you lose your left arm?” the sergeant questioned, breaking Chris’s flashback.
“Oh well I...” Chris usually people what had happened to his arm. He usually lied and said that he was born like that. But this was the military. Chris knew that they were trustworthy. He knew that they deserved to know the truth more than anyone else.

“One day when I was living on the streets, I was challenged to a fight by a group of thugs. I knew they wouldn’t take no as an answer. So I stood my ground. But I couldn’t take all of them at once. They ended up tying me up and bringing me to their hideout. They told me to give them all their money or I would die. I wasn’t quite threatened by his request, so I denied it. The leader pulled out a giant saw. and told me to say yes or I die. I again said no. So he swung the saw at me, but I moved backwards just to get the saw to cut the rope. The other thugs were trying to hold me down. The leader swung the saw and it sliced my arm cleanly off. I screamed in pain but I ran as fast I could, getting out of there. I lost a ton of blood but some of my friends on the street saved me by stopping the blood. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. ”

“I’m so sorry for your lose. But that’s some bravery, going up against a group of thugs. And holding your own ground, that’s quite impressive. We definitely need more people like you in the military.”

The sergeant changed the topic and starting asking about his physical and mental capabilities. In the end, the sergeant said that because of his bravery, they would give him the exception to go to training, even though he was just 15 years old. She lead him to a room and told him to rest up, as tomorrow was the first day of training. She said that if he needed anything, just to call her for help.

Chris thanked her and walked into the room. He took off his backpack and went for the showers. The interview had made him quite tired, and with him confessing the real reason for his lost arm, the painful memory seeped back into him, making him feel nauseous. After the quick shower, Chris got into the bed and immediately fell asleep.
Chris found himself in a nightmare. He was watching, as his second father’s plane took off. He wanted to run down there and stop him from boarding that plane. But his body didn’t respond, as if it was paralyzed. All he could do was sit and watch as his second father’s plane crashed, into the middle of nowhere, with no survivors.

Chris’s dream fast forward, and it showed him on the street, by himself. He saw the group of thugs slowly approaching him. He wanted to tell his past self to run, to not take the challenge. But again his body didn’t react, and he watched with pain as his arm yet again got cut off, and him bleeding out. Chris was screaming now, feeling the pain rush back into him.
Chris woke up, sweating. He saw the sergeant to his right.
“Chris are you okay? I heard a scream and thought you were attacked or something.” The sergeant said in a quite worrisome voice.
“I’m okay. I just had a bad dream. That’s all.”
“Well you’re going to have to forget about your bad dream and focus today. It’s day one of your training.”

Chapter 2

Chris gathered his belongings and walked toward the training facility. He pushed the painful memories into the back of his mind. He couldn’t let them distract him. This was his time to shine. He walked into the the training facility and found 99 other guys looking at him. They gave him a variety of looks. Some looked at him like he wasn’t suppose to be here. Like he was too young. Others gave him an encouraging look, giving him respect for coming out here at such a young age. They also gave him strange looks at the missing left arm. They started firing questions at him, but just in time, the sergeant walked into the room to silence the crowd.

“Welcome to the day one of your military training. You may wonder how many days of training there is, and your answer is three. Day one will be your physical capabilities. Day two will be your mental capabilities, like if you do better for the military on the computer. And day three, you will be tested on how well you can support the team. This includes sniping, scouting ahead, or flying drones behind the scene for support. Our scouts will be watching you as you go through the training. If you make the cut, you will be assigned a job. If you don’t make the cut, you will be able to keep practicing until you make it. We need as many people as we can get, so I hope all 100 of you standing right here make the cut. Good luck on your training.”

Training started. They went in order for alphabetical by first name, so Chris was near the front. Chris did pretty well during the physical course, climbing ropes, hiding behind barrels for cover, and turning and shooting. Shooting was a little tough for him, but he was able to accurate 99% of the time after the first couple of practice shots. At the end of day one, Chris was so tired and hungry that he could eat a horse and sleep like a pig. He ate up the small army rations and went to his room. He took a one minute shower and jumped onto the bed, falling asleep before his head hit his pillow.

Another dream started up. Chris saw himself as a young child, playing with toys in the orphanage. At this point the owner of the orphanage walked up to him. He knew that she wasn’t his mom, but at this time she was like a mom to him. She pat Chris and told him that it was time for dinner. Chris obeyed and put the toys away, and followed her into the kitchen. There, he spotted at least 20 other kids, waiting patiently as the owner prepared the food for all the kids. It wasn’t much, but Chris and the other kids learned to appreciate what they had. Chris thought of this memory as a happy one. Maybe this was his mind apologizing for the painful memory last night. He watched as the little kids played with him, as if the world was peaceful and perfect. Chris wished it was like that. But the world was just the opposite. Cruel with the human instinct of greed, and cruel with the viruses that killed innocent people every year. There were people elsewhere who suffered from hunger while others lived in wealth and riches. Chris wish that the rich people would open up their hearts and help the poor, the sick, the disabled. He wanted the world to be fair. He wanted the world to be peaceful and perfect. That was his ultimate goal.

Chris woke up and went through day two of training. Computer science wasn’t his kind of stuff, and he definitely knew that he didn’t want to be behind the scenes. He had a hard time memorizing the codes, hacking into other countries’ intel, and researching every single person for information. What hurt him the most was typing with only one hand. In the end, he knew he did quite terrible, and hoped that day three would make it up. He wasn't as tired physically, but was a lot more mentally tired than yesterday. He ate his small ration of food and went to bed, with a headache for all the mental work he had done.

Chris dreamed without a dream. He just stared into blackness, as if he was falling into a black hole. He woke up very focused and rested, ready for the final day of training. He did okay as a spy, did a little better as a scout because of his speed, and did a little worse with flying a drone. But the last test of the day was sniping. This was definitely a problem for Chris, as the sniper rifle was way too heavy for Chris to hold with just one hand. They gave Chris a modified one, here he could hold the front in his right hand and rest the rest of the rifle onto his shoulder. It was a little shorter so Chris could lean his head to the right to put his eye into the scope. They put extra ammo on his shoulder, underneath the rifle, for reloading. Since he only had one hand, if he flicked the sniper rifle forward with his right hand, still holding on to it, it would eject the cartridge out and he could place it back onto his shoulder in one swift motion, to push the ammo on his shoulder into the sniper rifle. Chris practiced this many times, and after a while, he got the hang of it.

They started by having them shoot cardboard people about 200 feet away. Chris just naturally aimed and shot. He just kept repeating the sequence, and people around him were amazed. Apparently all of his shots were to the head, which was an instant kill. Chris tried not to think about it, as he didn’t like killing people. They were next tested on hitting moving targets. Yet again, Chris was able to hit the head every single time. By now everyone had dropped their weapons and were watching him. As the cardboard targets started to increase in speed and numbers, Chris flicked his already used ammo to it a couple of cardboard people. He then got it back onto his shoulder and shot three times, getting three headshots flawlessly. Everyone around him was amazed. They all gave him complements and highfives. Even the sergeant herself gave him some words of encouragement. But as everyone was celebrating and cheering, a young man ran into the room. Sweat pouring down his face indicated that he had been running for a while to get here.
“Sergeant we have a problem.” The man spoke, gasping for air.
“What is it, Tommy?” The sergeant spoke eagerly.
“People are dieing. From the VIRUS.”

Chapter 3

“What’s VIRUS?” Chris asked. The other trainees were shaking their head in confusion.
“It’s a organization. It stands for the Vaccination Illness Radioactive Unusual Symptoms. The military just calls it VIRUS.” The sergeant said in a urgent voice.
“What do they do?” Someone behind Chris shouted out.
“They fly into a country with fake passports. They plant themselves in the middle of the country, just like a virus. Then, they ship out vaccinations to hospitals, but the vaccinations actually carry high levels of radioactivity, killing the patient. They ship their vaccines all around the country, like a virus spreading. Doctors think they are helping by giving them the vaccination, but instead they are killing them. Patients experience unusual symptoms, so it confuses doctors. We have been trying to stop them, but they have already killed many sick people in hospitals all over Europe and Asia. Now we are in big trouble. Because they have planted themselves in Kansas, in the middle of the United States of America. If we don’t stop them, they may take the most wealthiest country in the world. Then the world will have to surrender to VIRUS. That would be really bad.”
“So what do we do?” Chris asked.
“All of the government’s services will gather around and have a meeting. To find a solution to stop VIRUS.”
The sergeant lead everyone to a large room, where there were lots of computers and a large screen. Lots of people were typing on computers rapidly, and everyone was so focused, Chris started to realize that this was a very big problem. Especially if it involved all the government’s navy, army, marines, and everyone else.
Someone working on the computers spoke up, “Sergeant, we are live in ten seconds.”
“Thank you Mark.” The sergeant answered.
What happened next was chaotic. On the large screen appeared four different people, all talking to each other at once. Our sergeant calmed them down, and to introduce themselves to us since we were trainees.
Going clockwise, the captains of the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coastal Guards introduced themselves. We all bowed with respect for their services.
“Gentlemen, we all know the issue. What do you guys propose we do?” Our sergeant questioned.
“I think we should go offensive. Charge with everything we have at VIRUS and take them down. I am pretty sure we outnumber them. People may die, but for a noble cause.” The Air Force Captain said.

“I think we should play more defensively. Tell all the hospitals around the country to not accept any vaccines from any unreliable source. We also send people to take down the headquarter, but only a handful to not risk many lives.” The Navy Captain suggested.

Those two suggestions were the two main ones. There were many heated arguments about it. The Navy Captain and the Coastal Guard Captain agreed to go defensively. The Marines Captain and the Air Force Captain agreed to go offensive. They all turned to our sergeant for the tiebreaker.
“Before I make my decision, what information do we have on VIRUS? We need to analyze our opponent before we make our decision, not just charge head on.”
“Well, we know they are in Kansas.” The Air Force Captain said.
“And they have a very heavily guarded security.” The Marines Captain said.
“Where in Kansas?” The sergeant asked.
“In the middle of nowhere. So no one notices them and their very high tech security. And they only notice trucks going in and out everyday, thinking it’s just a factory.” The Air Force Captain answered.
“What kind of security?” The sergeant asked.
“I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s like a puzzle, at the same time like our normal security today. Watch dogs, laser detectors, security cameras.”
“How do we know all this?” The sergeant asked.
“We had spies positioned at Kansas, and they spotted them coming in and out with trucks. They saw them load up the vaccines into the trucks.”

“In that case, I think I have my decision. Because of the mass security they have, I believe we need stealth to get into the headquarter. So we can’t go offensive. But we can’t go too defensive, because eventually the hospitals will need the vaccine, and VIRUS may outplay us. So I think we need to compromise. We need to finish them quickly, but not charge at them with our full force. So lets play half defensively, half offensively. We send like 50 or so people to the headquarter. We have the rest hold positions near hospitals. Check every shipment, test for radiation. Air Force should help out the 50 who are going toward the headquarter. That’s what I think. But we should ask the President.”

The sergeant gestured to one of the computer users, and they started typing. In seconds, a fifth person appeared in the middle of the screen. It was the President.

“Mr. President, what do you think we should do?” The sergeant asked.
“I heard what you guys were talking about earlier. I think I agree with you sergeant. That we split up. We may not have numbers, but we have stealth and the surprise element on our side.” The President said.
“Then it’s settled. Lets each choose the 10 best people. Then we take a private jet to Kansas. Then sneak our way into the headquarter.”
Chapter 4
The screen blacked out and the sergeant lead everyone back out of the room. She grabbed a clipboard with people’s names on it, and Chris knew that it was the evaluation for the trainees. The sergeant picked up her cellphone and called someone. She listed five names off, then hung up. Chris guessed that those five were people going to take down the headquarter of VIRUS. But why only five? Wasn’t it suppose to be ten? Maybe she was going to pick some trainees too. But they haven’t gotten much experience yet.

“I have already picked five people who are already in the army to come with us. But the remaining five is going to come from you trainees.” The sergeant said in a booming voice.
“We need a couple guys who are really good behind the scenes. As support. Maybe a sniper, maybe a scout.” The sergeant said.
Immediately after the sergeant mentioned sniper, the entire group of trainees started chanting Chris’s name. Chris was quite embarrassed, being called out in front of the sergeant. But at the same time, Chris felt quite proud that he did so well during the evaluation.

“I agree with you guys. For support, I believe we should take Chris. Even though he is young and is disabled.” The sergeant said with a confident voice.
The sergeant listed off four other names. She told the rest to go get some food and rest. For the five of them, she told them to come with her. Chris and the others followed her into a storage room. The sergeant turned on the lights to reveal shelves stocked with weapons, food, water, and all kinds of equipment. Chris was amazed at how the army had so many weapons. Anything from a small pistols to big cannonballs for cannons. The shelf Chris was particularly looking at was the shelf full of sniper rifles. Most of them were the normal ones, but there were a couple of special ones that Chris had never seen before.

“This is where we store all our supplies,” The sergeant said, breaking everyone’s amazement at all the weapons. “I am going to pack you guys well, so you guys are well prepared for this dangerous mission.”
The sergeant started out by handing everyone a backpack. Chris liked it better than his old one, as it had more room to hold more things. It was also camouflage, so it would help in the stealth aspect. She then handed out a water bottle, a first aid kit, and a couple of sandwiches. She handed out a pocket knife for close combat. She then finally went around individually to hand out weapons that would fit what they were doing. The sergeant went to Chris last. She handed him a sniper rifle that looked similar to the modified one from earlier, but it had a little switch and a little icon on the handle of the weapon, so it could be accessed by Chris, even with only one hand. It was also lighter, and was easier to reload with.

“What is the switch and the icon on the body of the sniper rifle for?” Chris asked.
“I knew you would ask that question, Chris. This sniper rifle is one of the newest technologies. While inventing this sniper rifle, we also invented a lot of new kinds of bullets with the rifle. This sniper rifle can shoot different kinds of bullets, to assist the team. The switch on the rifle is the switch between bullets, and the icon is to show what bullet it will be shooting.” The sergeant answered.

Chris was in shock. He, a 15 year old trainee, was just about the be entrusted with the newest sniper rifle ever invented.
“What kind of bullets can it shoot?” Chris asked.
“Some examples of bullets it can shoot are the normal bullets, faster bullets, piercing bullets, bullets of water, bullets of fire, explosive bullets, sticky bullets, and a few more.” The sergeant said.

Chris was trying to process everything in his head. A sniper rifle that can shoot all kinds of bullets? That was so powerful. Chris grabbed the gun and turned the switch. It was so easy to turn, with just a flick of his finger. Chris thanked the sergeant for the awesome weapon and clipped it onto his backpack.
“Okay you five. tomorrow, we are going to meet at the training facility first thing in the morning. I will drive you guys to the Air Force facility and you five will get on the plane. You guys will each get an earpiece so we can hear you talk to us and we can talk to you at the same time. We will also clip on a GPS to your clothes, so we can monitor your position and help you as you go into VIRUS’s headquarter. Do you understand?” The sergeant said.
“Yes, sir.” The five of them said.
“Then rest up tonight. It may be the only time you get some good sleep before this is all over.” The sergeant said.

Chris went out the storage room and into the food room for his daily ratios. He went to his room and showered for a really long time. He knew this may be the last he takes a shower in a long time. Who knows how long it may take until they would be able to breach the headquarter of VIRUS? Would the food the sergeant gave him last? He knew that he couldn’t fail the United States now.
Chris got into bed right after his shower, even though it was way before his bedtime. He needed to rest up before tomorrow, and he may not fall asleep for a long time because of nightmares. But after some time of thinking, Chris’s mind drifted into nothingness.

Chris found himself in a room, surrounded by people. He saw that all of them looked like trained ninjas. They were dressed like ninjas, and the mask over their face made them unrecognizable. They were each carry a short dagger in their left hand but a long, samurai sword in their right hand. Chris was not carrying any weapon of any sort to defend himself. Chris tensed as the ninjas slowly inched closer to him. Suddenly, all the ninjas lunged forward with their samurai sword. Chris knew that he was dead. But as the first ninja’s sword hit Chris’s arm, he deflected it away. Chris jumped to escape the ninjas. He landed on top of one of the ninjas and disarmed him. He deflected the attacks with the ninja’s sword and knocked the sword away from the ninja. Chris wasn’t controlling himself, there was a force that was controlling him to do these incredible ninja moves. He disarmed all the ninjas and ran out the door, escaping what should of been his death.

Chris woke up to the sergeant knocking on his door. He opened it and saw the sergeant telling him to get ready. He picked up his new backpack, with his gun on it, and walked out the door. When he got to the training facility, the other four were already there, waiting. Chris felt bad, as he had kept them waiting.
The sergeant said, “Lets go, we got a plane to catch.”

Chapter 5

Chris stayed silent as they drove to the airport. When they got there, Chris got out of the car to see the other 45 members there. He got strange looks because of his missing arm, just like the first day of training. But after the initial greeting, he was warmly welcomed. They each got earpieces and a GPS stuck to their clothes. Chris and the 49 others boarded the plane, along with their pilot, who would fly them to Topeka, the capital of Kansas. From there, they would walk a couple miles to where they thought the headquarter of VIRUS was. The captains of each military group wished us luck, and we took off.

The flight wasn’t too long, but with nothing else to do, so Chris talked with some of the guys sitting next to him. The two guys sitting on each side of him were 25 and 30 years of age. They had both serving since they were 18 for the marines. Their names were Alex and Ray. Chris introduced himself and how he had just gone through training. As he told them about what had happened yesterday at the sniping range, they were quite amazed that he could do such a feat, with only one arm. But before Chris could continue to introduce himself to his two new friends, the plane was thrown one way, almost taking Chris out of his seat. Chris looked behind him to see the back of the plane on fire, and spreading fast.

“We’ve been hit by something. Might be VIRUS trying to stop us.” The pilot shouted as he tried to maintain control.
“But how did they know we were here? I thought no one knew.” Someone in the back of the plane shouted back.
“It may not be VIRUS. But if it is, then there may be a spy among us, feeding them information.” The pilot shouted.
The plane was hit yet again by a mysterious force, but this time it ripped a hole in the plane. The emergency oxygen mask came down, and everyone grabbed one. The plane started to descend at a rapid pace, heading straight for the ground.
“I can’t get the plane to steady itself. Everyone embrace themselves. I will try to make an emergency landing!” The pilot shouted.
Chris embraced himself with his one hand just as the plane landed straight into the ground. Chris immediately blacked out.

Chapter 6

Chris woke up to a soft sound in his head. He couldn’t believe that he was still alive, and that he survived the plane accident. He realized that the soft sound in his head was the earpiece that the sergeant had put on him earlier. He took off his oxygen mask and tried to communicate with the sergeant.
“Hi sergeant, this is Chris. The plane crashed and I just woke up. I’m happy that I survived.”
“Thank you Chris for responding. We have been trying to communicate with you for hours. Is anybody on the plane up and awake?” The sergeant spoke with relief.
“No one is awake yet. Let me check their pulse to see if they are still alive.” Chris said.

Chris tried to get up, but was met by a wall of pain. He looked down on his body for the source and found that his leg was stuck between two of the airplane’s chairs, which had fallen in the crash. He recovered his backpack and his sniper rifle, and he pulled out the pocket knife out from his backpack. He cut away at the chair until there was enough space for him to bring his leg out. He checked it for wounds and just found a little bleeding and bruises. He took out his first aid kit and bandaged it up to deal with later.

Chris walked around the plane, checking everyone’s pulse. He didn’t find anyone with a pulse that was going. Everyone on the plane was dead. Except him.
“Sergeant, I checked everyone’s pulse. No one is alive except me.” Chris said in a sad tone.
“Then how did you survive the crash?” The sergeant said.
“I was sitting between two guys from the marines, maybe they cushioned me, saving my life. Does this mean I have to do the mission alone then?” Chris asked.
“I’m afraid so. For now. We will try to send reinforcements to you, but for now it’s just you Chris. I need you to get toward VIRUS right now. Luckily, you guys crashed landed near Topeka. You only need to walk five miles to get to their headquarter. But to take down the headquarter on your own, I wish you luck. You do have the most powerful weapon in your arsenal.” The sergeant said.

Chris sat in the plane to soak up all the information he was just given. He also sat there to let his leg heal a little, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that he now had take down the most lethal organization in the world all by himself, with only one arm. He had to get through massive security, then breach the headquarter by taking down everyone and their supply of vaccines, all by himself. Yet again in his life, Chris was left alone. He was abandoned by his parents at a young age, then his adoptive parents died, leaving him on the streets, and now he was left alone to take on a very dangerous mission.

Chris looked at his ipod and saw that it was already late afternoon. How long had I been knocked out? He wondered as he started walking toward the direction that the sergeant had told him to. Chris stopped every once in a while to check on his leg, making sure that it didn’t get any infections. He kept walking, for an hour, until he had reached a gate. It said “Do Not Enter”.
Chris looked to his left and saw, in the far horizon, a building with a truck coming out of it. Was the headquarter really that far? Chris looked and saw a gigantic wall in front of him. He looked and saw a pathway. A sign said that it was to the “Vaccine Factory”. Chris knew this was to VIRUS. He finally understood the security system and why it was a puzzle when he started his first few steps into the entrance. It was a maze. A giant, human maze.
Chapter 7

Chris started into the maze as quickly as he could. It may not have been a good idea, as the sun was starting to set, and Chris’s only light source would be from his ipod that he brought along. But Chris needed to get the mission over with. While walking, Chris told the sergeant about the security being a giant maze. She told him to that the Air Force couldn’t come near the headquarter because their planes would keep getting shot down. She would try to send more people by flying around the headquarter to Topeka, but it might take a while.

Chris understood. The maze wasn’t too hard. He used the headquarter as a compass, keeping him going the right way. His only problem was light. The sun had gone down, and the flashlight app on his ipod wasn’t very bright.  Chris looked up and realized that he couldn’t see the headquarter anymore. Chris looked in front of him and found a three way intersection. One path led to the right, one path led to the left, and one led straight. Chris tried to remember what direction he was facing before he got to this intersection, but he couldn’t remember. Chris took a guess and went left. Chris walked straight for a while and found himself at another intersection. Chris decided to take the right path over the left path this time.

Chris was thinking ahead about what he was going to do once he got to the headquarter. Once Chris got to the headquarter, he would probably set up his sniper rifle somewhere concealed and maybe pick off a couple of guards standing alone. Then he would take his key card, if he had one, and sneak his way through the headquarters. He would find the storage room and destroy all the vaccines. If he was found, he would try to fight his way through it. He could probably hit a couple guys with just the rifle itself, and try to shoot his way out.

Chris thoughts were interrupted by a growl. He turned around 360 degrees and saw nothing. He started walking again but was interrupted by another growl. And another. And another. Chris thought back and remembered that one of the captains said that their security included watch dogs. He turned around with his light to see a group of four or five watch dogs, staring at him. They slowly inched closer to Chris, growling with every step. Chris started to walk backwards, facing the dogs at all times. His back hit the wall. A dead end. He saw as the dogs surrounded him with a semi circle, scanning Chris with their eyes. The formation that they formed reminded Chris of the dream he had with the ninjas surrounding him. But would Chris be able to fend off the dogs? He couldn’t see quite well, and he only had his bare hands and his sniper rifle, which was almost useless from close range. Or that’s what he thought.

But before he could continue to analyze the scenario, the dogs attacked. Chris used his hand to block one of the dogs, but another bite him in the arm. He lifted his hand up in pain, and a third dog attacked his chest. Chris fell to the floor in pain, and the dogs continued to attack him. He knew it was over. No one would find him in the maze. No one would come to heal his wounds. Chris would lose all his blood sooner or later, and pass out. The sergeant wouldn’t know either. But something inside him triggered him to fight back. Just like in the dream with the ninjas. It didn’t feel like him.

Just as a dog went for his head, Chris took off his sniper rifle and smashed the dog’s head, like a baseball. The dog went flying backwards. The other dogs got a little scared and backed away. Chris twisted the knob on the rifle and set it to fire bullet. Without getting up from his position, he shot it at a dog, and it hit him in the head. The dog erupted into flames, and lied still on the ground, died. The other dogs ran away, scared by the sight of their friend on fire. Chris sighed. He had fended off the dogs. But the pain from his arm, legs, and chest were seeping up his body. Chris tried to get up, but was held down by the pain. He had failed the sergeant. The entire United States. Chris laided back, relaxing. He knew that he couldn’t do anything to stop the bleeding and the pain. He closed his eyes and thought about heaven. What awaited him there. He could finally meet his second parents again. Maybe heaven would be better than the world right now. VIRUS would soon get out and they would take the United States too. Then everyone would live in slavery under them. Chris let the thought sit for a while, before blacking out.
Chapter 8

Chris heard a sound, like someone talking to him. Had he arrived? To heaven? Was that God speaking to him? Chris saw a light in his mind, expanding. His mind went bright as Chris opened his eyes. To see...him inside a house? So he didn’t die. But how did he survive the bleeding, the pain? As Chris stared in confusion, a girl, about his age, walked into the room.
“Oh you woke up. You took a beating from the dogs.” The girl said.
“Who are you? How did you find me in the maze? How do you know about the dogs?” Chris said, firing the questions at the girl.

“My name is Luxa. We live next to the factory, the vaccine factory. I’m 15 years old. I was walking and saw a fire. I ran to the fire to find you, passed out, and a dog, died. That’s how I found out that you were attacked by dogs.” The girl said. “What’s your name? Why are you going to the factory?”
“I’m Chris. I am 15 years old, and I’m in the army. I went to the factory because they’re bad. They are actually an organization called VIRUS. They give out vaccines but the vaccines kill people instead of helping them. Me and 49 other people were going together to stop them, but the other 49 people died from the plane crash on the way here. I guess this is my second time experiencing a near death experience.” Chris said, breathing between words.

“Oh. The factory is bad? I never knew all this time! Anyways, I fixed your wounds to the best of my ability. I live alone. My parents both died to the tornado we had here a couple years ago. I have been living alone ever since. I work at the factory to make a living. That’s why they don’t let anyone know what they put in the vaccine. So no one can stop them.” Luxa said.
So she lost her parents too Chris thought. Just like him. Chris and Luxa talked for a while. Chris explained to Luxa about how he lost both sets of parents. They talked for a while about their goals and about how living alone was like.
“How long have I been out?” Chris asked.
“You’ve been out for almost a full day since I found you.” Luxa said.
More time wasted Chris thought. For everyday he wasted, everyday VIRUS may kill patients. Chris tried to get up quickly, but his legs, arm, and chest were too sore.
“You should rest more, Chris. If you want to take down the entire factory, You’re gonna need to be at full energy and strength.” Luxa said.
So Chris stayed in bed as Luxa tended to his wounds. Luxa asked him a couple of questions, like what his favorite foods were, or what did he use to do in his free time before joining the military.
“Were you able to retrieve my sniper rifle?” Chris asked.
“Yeah. It’s pretty cool, being modified for someone with just one hand. And it has this switch.” Luxa said, bringing the sniper rifle to him.
“Okay good. I need it to stand a chance against VIRUS. It is the most powerful sniper rifle right now.” Chris said.

Chris showed Luxa how to use the rifle, without firing it. Luxa thought it was really cool, practicing the reload action herself with her right arm. Chris thought about how similar the two of them were. Their parents had died, leaving them to live alone. Since their parent’s death, they both stopped going to school, Chris living on the streets, while Luxa got work at the factory. They also were both 15.
Luxa left him to her own room to sleep for the night. Chris told Luxa that he had to leave tomorrow, regardless of if the wound healed or not. Luxa, even though wanting him to stay more so that he could heal, agreed with him anyway. Chris thought about how grateful he felt that Luxa saved him. From dieing. If Chris was able to stop VIRUS, Luxa should get a medal with him. Even if he survived the night with the wounds, he wouldn’t have been able to move very much without Luxa’s help of patching his wounds up. Chris thought some more about other things, other variables that he needed to go his way, to take down VIRUS. Chris let his mind sleep after an hour of thought.

Chris woke up to see Luxa’s face staring at him. Chris realized that he just had a dreamless dream. He slowly got up, and found that his wounds were healing quite quickly. Chris put his backpack on and took the sniper rifle in his right hand. He walked to the front door, and was just about to open it, when a voice came from behind him.
“Wait Chris. Last night I was thinking about your situation. Since you do need access into the factory, and you have wounds slowing you down, how are you going to fight all those people? How are you going to take down VIRUS by yourself? So I made up my mind on something. I think I’m going to go with you.”

Chapter 9

Chris stared at Luxa in shock. Her? Coming with me?
“Luxa, I like your offer. But it’s too dangerous out there. Especially for someone like you. You still got a life to live. You still got some hope. I will be okay on my own.”
“Are you saying I can’t defend myself? Just because I’m a girl?” Luxa said.
“No, not at all. I just don’t want you to risk your life anymore. You’ve already helped me a great deal. Thank you. But I must do this alone.” Chris said
“I can help you get into almost everywhere. I work there Chris. If I stay back, and you take down VIRUS, where will I work then? Jobs are hard to find as a 15 year old girl. I’m coming, whether you like it or not.”
“But...” Chris started.

By then, Luxa had already walked out the door, signaling for Chris to follow. Looks like Chris had no choice but to let her come. He didn’t want her to risk her life for him again. Luxa stopped walking and hid behind a bush. Chris did the same.
“Okay, I just started working here, so I don’t have a very good connection with many people here. I can’t get past those guards if you come with me. We aren’t allowed to bring visitors. So I think you should take out those three guards. From there you can change into the lab coats that they were wearing. Then, we can get by.” Luxa whispered.
“Okay. Sounds like a good plan.” Chris whispered back.
So Chris switched the knob to the piercing bullet. To go through the glass, and to try to hit all the guards at once, so they don’t sound an alarm. Chris waited, waited for the guards to stand in a single file. Just as they did, Chris fired. Seconds later, three guards fell to the ground, blood slipping through the gun wound on their head. Chris winced. This was the first person he had killed. Chris sat for a second to let it soak in. He was a murderer. But he eased the pain by telling himself that he was doing it for a good cause. To take down VIRUS.

“Come on, let’s go.” Luxa said.
They went down and walked to the front door. Luxa slid her key card and opened the door. Chris found the three guards and put one of their lab coats on. He hid his sniper rifle in his backpack. Even though they were disguised, they still needed to be stealthy to get around the factory. They couldn’t attract too much attention.
“Do you know where is the storage room, where the vaccines are?” Chris asked as they walked.
“I believe the storage room is on the other side of the factory. This way.” Luxa said
Luxa let Chris through a narrow hallway. The factory had signs, to direct people toward places, since the factory was so big. Chris realized that the hallways all connected to the middle, kinda like a virus. But he ignored the fact and kept following Luxa.
Luxa finally stopped walking and showed Chris the bolted door. It required three card keys to be used all at once in order to be opened. Luxa looked at Chris for what to do next, and Chris pulled out three card keys. Chris had taken them from the guards they shot earlier. Luxa let out a sigh of relief as Chris slided all three card keys at once. The door unlocked itself, and Luxa pushed it open. Inside, there were rows and rows of long shelves, stocked with the deadly vaccine. Both Chris and Luxa had puzzled looks. They both didn’t think that VIRUS had already manufactured this many vaccines.
“So, how do you plan to destroy all of them?” Luxa asked.
“Maybe shoot a couple bullets of fire, to burn all of them?” Chris answered.
“Sounds good to me.” Luxa said.
So Chris shot three bullets of fire, burning the entire room. But it seemed like a bad idea. The smoke from the fire triggered the fire alarm, and everybody in the factory knew they were there. Chris and Luxa hurried out the door to see them met by all the workers at the factory, some carrying a firearm, some carrying something sharp. The leader of the factory, walked up to them with an evil smile on his face.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our new employee and her friend. Trying to rebel against the most powerful VIRUS of all time. I would kill you myself, but I don’t want to get blood on my new suit. So I will have all 120 of our employees kill you for me. Get them!”.

The leader of VIRUS stepped back, and half of the employees pointed their guns at Chris and Luxa, ready to shoot. Half of them charged at them, ready to kill.
Chapter 10

Just as the first guy was arm’s length away, Chris hit him hard with his sniper rifle. He had given Luxa his pocket knife, so she could defend herself. As more people charged at them, Chris quickly scoped and fired a bullet of fire. Some of the people burned. Others stood back in fear. Chris took this opportunity to run, get some distance. He pulled Luxa in the opposite direction of the shooters, running toward a narrow hallway. He did this so he wouldn’t be facing the entire crowd at once.
“Luxa, do you think I can stop the leader of VIRUS if I go to the center of the factory.” Chris asked.
“Yes. They should be there, watching this whole thing play out.” Luxa said, stopping to catch her breath.
Chris let Luxa rest for a couple seconds and pulled her along again. The crowd of people with sharp things and guns were gaining on them. Just as they were about to take a right into the center of the factory, a shot was fired. Chris turned around to see Luxa, holding her back. Chris saw a room to his left and dragged Luxa in, and shut the door.
“You okay?” Chris asked.
“You should go without me. I think I’m slowing you down. Just go.” Luxa said slowly, breathing in air between words.
“No. I can’t just leave you here. You’re coming with me, whether you like it or not.” Chris said.
Luxa let out a small smile, how Chris had used her own words at her. Chris took out his first aid kit. He carefully took out the bullet from Luxa’s back. She winced in pain, but at least Chris was able to take it out. Chris took out the extra clothes he had and bandaged it around Luxa’s wound, to stop the bleeding. But Luxa still couldn’t move very well. Chris had to think about what to do. Maybe take down VIRUS and come back for her? Or carry her with him? Chris decided to carry her, since he didn’t want to leave her unattended. He slung her onto his left shoulder, and picked up his sniper rifle. That way he could still carry her, while being able to defend himself in the process.

Chris looked out the small peephole on the door and saw the entire army of people, waiting for him. He need to startle them right away, and to get away. He turned the knob on his sniper rifle to explosive. He clipped the sniper rifle on his shoulder, so his only hand would be free to open the door knob. He opened the door, grabbed his sniper rifle, and shot an explosive shot. This pushed most of the people back, and stunned them for a while. Some of the people were helping some that had suffered wounds from the explosion. This gave time for Chris to get away. He ran straight toward the center of the factory. There he opened the door to find the control room, with two people inside. Both turned around and looked at Chris. It was the leader of VIRUS, and who Chris was guessing was his assistant. Both looked very happy to see him, as if they wanted him to make it all the way here.

“Welcome to the control room Chris. We have been waiting for you.” The leader spoke with an evil voice.
“Waiting for me? How do you know my name.” Chris said.
“Because I raised you. I am your father. Your real father.”

Chapter 11

Chris stood there in shock, soaking in the new information he just got. This was his father? He abandoned him? Chris felt anger in his body and he stared at his “father”.
“I know what you’re thinking. Why did I abandon you? Well, I started VIRUS about the time when you were born. Just looking at you, I knew that you had the potential to help me in my conquest to take over the world. But your mother didn’t want you to be evil, like me. So she sent you to an orphanage to keep me from influencing you. But I kept watching you. Under my power, I was able to do things to alter your life slightly. Your second mother dying? She was poisoned by our vaccine. Your second father dying in the plane crash? It was hit with the same thing that hit your plane when it crashed too. I hired some people to shoot heavy artillery at your planes. And while I was watching you, I was able to continue to dominate the world at the same time. The military think that VIRUS just rooted in the United States, and started in Asia or Europe, but actually, VIRUS has been here for 15 years. I sent out my best assistants to start VIRUS in Europe and Asia. But now we are making our move. To take down the United States. And you won’t be able to stop me, Chris. You might as well join the winning side.”

“What happened to my mother?” Chris asked.
“She left VIRUS, in search for you.” Chris’s father said.
“Oh.” Chris said.
This was all hard for Chris to imagine. That VIRUS had been here for so long. How his second parents’ death had been involved with his real father, which had tried to influence him into VIRUS as a young child. Now he was trying to again.
“What do you think? Do you want to join me? Reunite after 15 years, on the winning side. There’s no way you can defeat us by yourself. You might as well surrender. I might spare your life. Even if you defeat me, you will be taken down by my mind controlled army.”

“Mind controlled?” Chris asked, the new information adding to his confusion.
“Yes. As long as they still have their lab coats on, they will be under my command. They may not know about who they are really working for, but they can’t stop themselves from the mind control.”
So those 120 employees earlier that tried to kill him and Luxa were doing it out of their will. This made Chris more mad at his father. His father was taking innocent lives and using them to do his dirty work. His father was playing with people as if it were a game of chess. This had to end now.
“I am not joining you father. Never in a million years!” Chris shouted.
“Fine son. You’ll just have to fight me, like a man.”

Chapter 12

His father pulled out a golden dagger. The dagger looked like it had just been sharpened. Chris was okay just taking on his dad, but suddenly, his father’s assistant pulled out another dagger, identical to the one his father was holding. Chris realized that it was a two to one battle. Even worse, the two of them had three more hands than he did, making this fight really unfair. Chris set down Luxa in the corner of the control room. He put his sniper rifle on his back and took out his pocket knife. He had gotten it back from Luxa when she was shot. Chris stood very still, waiting for the other two to make their first move. Chris’s father lunged forward, and Chris deflected it with his pocket knife. Chris turned around 180 degrees and hit his father in the head with his sniper rifle. His father fell down from the blow, but his assistant attacked Chris. Chris kept defensive, keeping his father’s assistant’s dagger from cutting him. it might reopen the wounds he had earlier. This would cause Chris to bleed out, probably dying on the spot. Chris couldn’t find an opening to attack the assistant, but the assistant did. He made a cut on Chris’s chest, reopening the wound. It didn’t hurt Chris that much, but Chris saw blooding coming out of his chest again. Chris fell back, clutching his chest. With the last amount of strength, Chris took his sniper rifle and aimed it at at the assistant. One shot later, and the assistant fell to the ground, died. Chris was relieved, but he hadn’t finished the job. Chris slowly crawled toward the control panel, and unplugged it. The system went black, and the door opened, revealing the employees. They sat in confusion to why they were holding guns, to why they had tried to attack Chris. Chris knew that it was over. That soon the reinforcements would come and clean the place up. He had succeeded. But he knew that it was over for him. He fell to the ground, blood still coming out of his chest. Black spots were beginning to form in his eyesight, and in the last couple of seconds, he saw Luxa walk toward him. But Chris blacked out in that very moment.

Chris woke up to see Luxa, the sergeant, and a lot of other men staring at him. He realized that for a third time, he had escaped death. Everyone in the hospital room was happy that he was alive.
“Good job Chris. For defeating VIRUS. Countries around the world are sending troops to Europe and Asia to help take down VIRUS there. But the main headquarter was here. And you defeated them. Single handedly.” The sergeant said.
Just then, the president walked into the room, holding a case.
“Chris, for your heroism for taking on the world’s most dangerous organization by yourself, I give you the Medal of Honor.” The president said.
The president put the medal around Chris’s neck. He then turned to Luxa.
“For stepping out of your way to help complete the mission, you too, shall gain the Medal of Honor.” The president said.
After the awards and the cheering, the sergeant told everyone except Luxa to leave, to get back to training. The sergeant said that Chris should tell them what happened tomorrow. She closed the door behind them, leaving just Luxa and Chris alone.
“You did it, Chris.” Luxa said.
“Wouldn’t have without your help.” Chris said.
“I’m sorry about your father, and how your second parents died because of your father.” Luxa said.
“It’s okay, I guess. I’ll get over it sooner or later.” Chris said.
It all made sense now. That his father was behind everything bad that happened to him. Meeting his father was like the last piece of the puzzle, solving Chris’s questions. At least he now knew what happened to his real parents and his second parents.
After moments of silence, Luxa left the room, letting Chris sleep. Chris could finally relax, without the tension of someone trying to kill him. Chris fell into a peaceful sleep.

A couple weeks after, Chris had fully recovered. Luxa had visited him every day during his recovery. Chris was seeing Luxa off, as she was heading back to her house.
“Well it was good knowing you.” Chris said.
“It was good knowing you too.” Luxa said.
“Looks like I’m going back to the streets for a while. The military said I could take a break.” Chris said.
They stared at each other for a while, and then Luxa said something to break the silence.
“You know, you could live at my place for a bit. I still got extra rooms. It would be better than to live on the streets again and risk getting your good arm cut off. Plus, you could keep me company for a while.”Luxa said
Chris thought about it for a second. It seemed like a good alternative to going back to the streets.
“Sounds like a good idea.” Chris said.
So Chris and Luxa starting walking into the woods, and disappeared into the horizon.