Corporal Keshet, The Zebra Sniper

Silence.

Nothing but silence.

Just dead as--

“Why’d you sign up?” Nik asked from a few feet away in the other room.

Keshet looked over at Nik briefly as his mind processed the sudden noise. “Sighed up?” It only took a few seconds for the chemicals in his brain to do the chemistry before he looked back out his windows and answered, “I didn’t.”

“Drafted?” Nik asked

“What else?” Keshet said.

“I didn’t know the drafted were already seeing combat.” Nik went back to looking back out the window he was at.

“Only those who were drafted the second the draft was put into play are seeing combat now. Like me. Unlucky... I know.” Keshet said.

“How’d you become a sniper then?”

Keshet looked at Nik for a second before answering, “Just a good shot is all. Started training two years ago with some breech-loaded rifle I bought from a gunsmith in the area. Was trying to hunt down a bugbear.”

“A bugbear? I don’t think you’d need to train much to bring down one of those.” Nik said.

“It took me about a year to find it is the problem, so I had plenty of time to refine my skills.”

“What’d it do? Just hunt it for sport?”

Keshet sat on the question for a few moments. He kept looking out the windows but wasn’t processing whatever he saw, “No. Not sport. I don’t even know if the one I killed was the one I was looking for. I mean, most likely by fact it was probably a different one but…” He paused for a second.

Nik brought up the courage to ask, “But?”

“But I hunted it down because the-- a bugbear killed my friend in front of me. Fishing on a river and it charged us. Got him and I escaped without injury. Mauled him to death. I think… I don’t know. I don’t wanna fucking know.” Keshet stared blankly down at his rifle for a few seconds before swallowing, “I ended up shooting the damn bear from over 350 meters with that gun. First shot.”

Nik didn’t say anything. Keshet didn’t look over at him either. They just both sat on what was said for a few seconds in silence. Beren doing the same as he had listened in on the conversation.

“You?” Keshet finally asked.

“Suicide.” Nik said.

There was another silence this time, but awkward, until Keshet asked, “What?”

“Suicide is the one-sentence explanation. When Áltu started doing all of her military reforms, as well as her speeches during the campaigning, I knew that we’d eventually go to war with Barrad, and I still think we will. After this Austurland stuff, I think they’ll push us into Barrad and take them out.” Nik paused for a few seconds before saying straight-faced, “And in that time, I hope I’m killed in action.”

There was now silence again. Expect it lasted a few minutes as thoughts went through Keshet’s head, as well as Beren’s. Nik not so much as he had already gone over it with himself many times before.

Keshet looked out the window, staring at the snow, not focusing or looking for anything else right now.

What Nik said was depressing and sad for Keshet. He hadn’t really learned much of the other platoon members lives yet so he didn’t really know how to proceed with the conversation anymore. What was he supposed to ask? What was he supposed to do? Nik had said it so, casually, that it just didn’t seem like it was nothing.

“Why?” Beren asked. It was hard for Keshet to hear him but he had asked it loudly enough, “Why would you want to purposefully want to die? Volunteer or not, that’s just--”

“Suicidal? It is because that’s what I am.” Nik said.

Keshet looked back at Nik and asked a bit weakly, “Are you ok Nik?”

There was another pause in the conversation for a few seconds before Nik shrugged, “Yes. No. Both. I’m not going to do anything to purposefully get myself killed. It just happens to be something I hope happens eventually.” He sighed and shook his head, “Listen up you two. Don’t tell anyzebra else this story, ok.”

Keshet responded back with a nod. Beren did the same before Nik looked back at both of them momentarily before looking back forward out his window and starting his story.

“In Colthage, before I escaped here to Kasa, I was a slave. Me, my bro and parents were slaves for this horrible slaver, worked a damn farm for years. The thing was though that my parents were worked to death one day for a mishap from the day prior, dropped bag of fuckin’ seeds. Just worked until they couldn’t no more, expect when they couldn’t work no more, they were forced to work still. No clue how they did it. Well, I guess I know how they did it, used every damn cell in their bodies until it killed them was how. But from there, it was just a downfall for me and my brother. More work and more punishments over something our parents did.

You know, I’m surprised to think about it now, but I have no clue how they got away with it. The exertion and horrible working conditions we were put through. They must’ve made tons of money off of our labor to pay off inspectors or, whoever the fuck was in charge of that whole damn fuckin’ mess.

But anyways, full downfall. We both got depressed and our work got a bit sloppy so they’d punish us both, starved a few days, some days we were even forced to eat until we were throwing it all back up while being told the whole time that it meant we wouldn’t ever be able to not be slaves because that’s how everyzebra else ate. Insane I survived their punishments.

Then one day my brother just tells me one day while working that he’s going to throw himself under one of the farm tractors when one comes by. I regret not saying or asking him anything else because a few minutes later, when one of the tractors came by, he did it. Just under the wheel. Ran over and dead.

Reason I regret not saying anything is because I wish I had asked if I could’ve joined him. I wish more that he would’ve asked me instead if I’d join…

Life was horrible there. I still feel like I live at that place. I don’t feel safe anywhere I go, always expecting that they’ll find me. I just don’t want to worry about it anymore.”

Nik went silent. He lost his focus on looking out the window, staring at some spot on the wall now. It looked like he was just reliving his whole life now. Keshet was still looking out a window but his thoughts raced on the whole story.

Keshet’s thoughts were interrupted when Nik added, “Only thing I have left of my family is this half of a photo.” He pulled out a ripped photo from his vest and looked at it. He didn’t try to show Keshet or Beren it, but they could see it from afar. It was ripped in half, torn across the middle. There were no faces on it, just the hoofs of some zebra lined the bottom, bunched up it looked like. “Two guards found it one night while me and the other zebras were sleeping. Came in searching for a ‘missing’ tool that no one ended up having. But they searched my stuff too well this time and found the photo, I kept them from taking it, tried, and they ended up tearing it in half. Got into a fight with the guards, caused a commotion where some other zebras joined in and decided I’d leave. Took off with another zebra who joined in. Just had the photo. I was lucky. They ended up shooting at us, but guns at the time weren’t as they are today so they couldn't get shots off quick enough. For me at least, the other zebra who ran with me got hit, but he went on for about an hour before I left him behind. No clue what happened to him.

Ever since I’ve been passively suicidal, if that’s what you call it. Hoping something happens that gives me a chance to die. And as I said before, war seemed like the easiest way for that to happen.”

“Only thing I have with me right now to remind myself of my friend is this bobber.” Keshet motioned towards the bobber at the end of his rifle, “It was the one my bud was using the day he was killed.”

Nik sighed and then put away the photo he had taken out looked over at me and said, “Keep it with you then. I know how important things like that are to zebras.”

“You sure you’ll be ok?” Beren asked.

Nik looked over at him and nodded, “No comment, just, don’t worry about me. Best thing to do. Imagine the conversation never happened.” That was all Nik said before he shook his head lightly and looked back out the window.

No one said anything else and the three went back to silence. It was truly an award silence as Keshet and Beren were separated by Nik and neither dared to try and start a conversation with each other if they wanted while he was between them.

BANG BANG BANG

The tension instantly rose as Keshet quickly took out his pistol and aimed it at the back door. Nik got low and didn’t move but he aimed his gun out of the window closet to him and Beren slowly made his way into the kitchen or tried to before Nik whispered, “SHHH!” Beren stopped before he could get into the room, still behind a wall so he couldn’t see Keshet or the door.

BANG BANG

Two more knocks happened on the door. Keshet and Beren could feel the adrenaline running through them, their hearts beating fast. No one inside the house had seen anything in the past hour that they’d been sitting there but somehow Keshet and Nik missed the random creature that walked right up to the back door and knocked on it. They probably didn’t have much time before whoever it was came in.

Keshet made the sudden decision for them, by putting his pistol away and quickly pushing the table he’d been using as a rest for his gun, against the door and into the corner. It made a lot of noise, but as he did so, he said, “OTHER DOOR! WE LEAVE NOW!” After doing that, whoever was on the other side of the door he had just blocked tried to open it, not having an easy time, but they succeeded enough that the door could be cracked open a little and peered into. Not that whoever would see inside would see much now as Keshet had rushed the other two to the other door on the other side of the house already.

“What the FUCK.” Beren whispered in a tense tone.

“FUCKING I DON”T KNOW!” Keshet said through his teeth clenched, “Just clear the back!”

“Whatever it was, they heard us.” Nik said. Whatever it was, could be heard from where they were trying to barge in, but Beren had opened the back door and already rushed out.

“NIK!” Keshet muttered as he followed behind Beren, “Shit, hold the dam--”

A figure quickly came around the corner that the three had rushed to when they came to the house, which quickly resulted in a loud gunshot coming from Beren as he shot whatever it was, hitting it. It was a quick reaction and it didn’t give any of them time to think.

Keshet also aimed at the figure, which was now obviously a deer, and fired half a second after Beren did, hitting the deer as well as it was in mid collapse to the ground. Both of them were now cycling their bolts and loading new bullets as they awaited whatever fate would give them after rounding the corner.

The two were now ready, Nik was behind the two, aiming at the same corner as well, all of them awaiting the next deer.

It didn’t happen.

The tension lasted only a few seconds once Beren was aimed at the corner, even though it felt like an eternity before they all collected their thoughts and realized what had happened.

The deer they shot wasn’t in a Austurland military uniform, nor did they have any weapon on them from the looks of it.

“Wai--” Beren said before stopping himself and saying, “I’m going forward.” He slowly started walking forward, not aiming at the deer but at the corner.

“S--” Keshet was about to say something before he cut himself off as well and just joined behind Beren. They both made their way forward. Nik didn’t know what to do himself at the moment so he just looked out into the open woods that they were exposed to while against the wall of the house and scanned it.

Beren rounded the corner first, making a wide round, Keshet just turning the corner while stepping over the deer after noticing they weren’t moving at all. Neither of them crossed each other's line of fire as they aimed down the other side of the house which had nothing.

“Front.” Beren whispered to Keshet. They moved their way to the other end of the wall and rounded the corner to the side of the house with the door Keshet had blocked. Once again, nothing.

“Last side.” Beren said as he picked up his pace and made his way to the corner at the other end, Keshet was still following, and they rounded the corner to the last side of the house that they hadn’t seen yet, which was void of any creature.

“NIK! Coming from the corner!” Keshet said as they made their way around the last corner, which brought them back to the side of the house that they had come out on.

Nik was at the corner of the house, kneeled down inspecting the deer that was just shot. Keshet and Beren were still on high alert, Nik was as well, just not as much.

“Not military.” Nik said, standing back up, “One of you shot him in the heart. They’re confirmed dead.” He said as he looked back at Keshet and Beren, who were relaxing slowly as the whole situation set in.

Keshet looked down at the deer, there was blood soaking into the snow around their chest. Their face was covered in snow as it had been pushed into the snow enough when they fell.

“W-- They’re civilian?” Keshet asked, confused.

“Yeah…” Nik said in a melancholy tone.

“I-” Keshet was about to talk before being interrupted.

“We can’t stay here now. The rest of the platoon has heard our gunshots and who knows what else. We CAN’T stay here.” Beren said stressfully.

“Yeah.” Nik responded as he scanned the forest.

“Why were they knocking on the door?” Keshet asked again.

“Listen! Kes! We can’t stay here now. We have to at least go tell everyone else that it’s not the enemy, then we determine what to do then.” Beren argued.

Keshet couldn’t take his eyes off of the deer, his thoughts were racing on them just shooting an unarmed deer, who was probably civilian. He at least thought that.

“Fuck.” Beren muttered as he grabbed Keshet with a claw and gave him a jerking pull and said, “Fuckin’ let’s go. Now.” He was already making off back towards the dried creek they had come from.

Keshet’s attention was brought away from the corpse now, lagging behind the other two as they were already making their way quickly to the creek. He gave one last look at the deer’s corpse before taking a deep breath and galloping away with the other two.

They were under strict orders to not directly kill any civilians.