Back and Forth

The sound of any battlefield is one of constant cracking as air ionizes. I peer through my scope, watching the red dot of a laser sight jump from body to body. I eventually settle on a trooper whose crop top is decorated with rank insignia, aiming my las-rifle at the hollow of her throat and pulling the trigger.

The energy pulse travels instantly, burns into the officer's neck, and she crumples while clutching at the wound. I'm already moving on as her former platoon reflexively follow her last order and leap from their trench, half almost immediately dropping as they're shot. Barely a handful make it more than a few steps unscathed, one even taunts us before dancing her death throes as her toned stomach is pounded by laser fire.

There's soon only one trooper left and we allow her to get halfway between the trenches. She knows she's already dead, eyes flicking about nervously, but admirably she keeps moving. Her march finally stops as lasers strike her from neck to toes, penetrating deep into her flesh. Her uniform floats away as ash, exposing more of her that could be fired at.

The trooper is eventually allowed to fall, skin covered with burn marks, and flops into the mud. I've taken down three other officers by that time, all squirming out their last breath. Their killing has warmed my belly, got me excited, and I rub myself as another platoon of troopers rise from their trench, as they fall again.

***

And then it's our turn. I slither down from my vantage point as whistles are blown, put my las-rifle into a locker for the next sniper's use. The carbine I'm given as a replacement feels comforting, it was the weapon I was trained on, and I take my place, glancing at the women either side of me. Another round of whistles go off and we haul ourselves out of the trench, start running. I can already see helmets bobbing, the enemy rushing to repopulate their trench, and also some of our troopers crumpling, taken down by sniper fire.

Our line is bunching up, there are troopers using each other as shields. I can feel my heartbeat, feel the excitement in me building rapidly. A blonde just ahead of me flips onto her back, shot in the head, and I can't help moaning as she twitches. We start returning fire, try to stop the snipers from picking us off, and then the trench is in front of me.

I skid through the mud, slide down and land on my feet, swinging my carbine round to shoot an enemy trooper just entering the trench. She doubles over, drops to her knees, before pitching forward, dying with her ass in the air. A close-range firefight breaks out, my senses overwhelmed by burnt flesh and the cracking of air.

I'm turning when I'm shot, I get a serious case of heartburn, and I'm gurgling as I stagger, fall against the side of the trench...