The Sniper of Vlopolis

Chapter 8: Farewell

Bacon sizzled in the frying pan and warm eggs steamed on a plate. Tortillas were warmed up by the fire on the stove. Mercury used tongs to put the bacon on another plate. She turned the TV on, sat down, and ate her breakfast. A headline below a newsman said: "Al Hijayet Iizaya bombs Paris." Mercury leaned into the table and turned the TV up louder.

"The terrorist group known as Al Hijayet Iizaya bombed the Paris International Airport just as the French Prime Minister Gauthier Lhomme landed at 12:30 this morning. Survivors have footage of the incident. This may be graphic to some viewers." A video began showing someone recording with their phone sitting in a seat in an airport terminal, then all of a sudden gunshots echoed in the airport, and seconds later, deafening blasts erupted, glass shattering and debris flying everywhere. Everyone around the person taking the video screamed and cupped their hands over their ears. The video became blurry when the person taking the video rolled under his seat.

"An estimate of 1,000 people died, including the prime minister and his family. Citizens of France are mourning the loss of their leader, his beloved family, and everyone who died in the terrorist attack. Pascal Fabre, the President of France is expected to become the new Prime Minister. At 7:00 a.m. he called for a ban on Islamic immigration and that France should now help exterminate the terrorist group in Iran. The President will later speak at the United Nations to discuss the war.

Pictures appeared on the screen of the aftermath of the airport, the Prime Minister and President walking out of the Éleysée Palace, and citizens of Paris crowding around the residence. In the last image, the screen glitched and suddenly changed to a blood-red color with the words Al Hijayet Iizaya written in Arabic in the middle of the screen, and a long high-pitched monotone buzz sound went off.

Mercury sprung from her chair. Her stomach twisted and she felt nauseous. Her heart beat violently against her chest. They just hacked into the news station. She heard her neighbor's TV doing the same next door.

The sound stopped and a man in a long white tunic emerged on the screen. He stood across from a soldier strapped to a chair with a burlap sack on his head, holding a pistol.

"Citizens of the world, today you have seen one of the many great accomplishments the Al Hijayet Iizaya is capable of. For you, this is a day for mourning, but for us, it is a day of triumph. All of you are probably wondering: 'how can they take this much death and not feel troubled about it?' I've hacked into all television networks and apps to demonstrate how we handle it, and what we feel like after," the man said in Arabic.

He raised the gun, and before he shot, Mercury shut her eyes and looked away. BANG! She jumped a little when she heard the shot. She opened her eyes, avoiding looking at the soldier. Some blood was sprinkled on the man's white tunic and the side of his face. The man didn't seem to care. "Forever with hate," he said.

The video turned off and the TV went back to normal. The newsman was speechless and he stared blankly at the camera. Mercury shut off the TV and pressed her fist on her mouth. She rubbed her eyes and wiped her sweaty palms on her pajamas. "I need to bomb that place," she murmured.

She cleaned her plate and the table and got ready for the gym. She usually went to the gym every day, but since she's been busy, she hasn't had time to.

As she walked down Coldfire Street, everyone was talking about the disruption. People crowded around a store with TVs behind a window which showed a news report of the disruption. A large throng of people protested in the street holding signs of Jakeem Shiaa, the leader of the terrorist group, and chanting: "Al Hijayet Iizaya needs to go!" A woman held a sign that said "V.S.F. needs to destroy Al Hijayet Iizaya!" with a picture above of the members of the Vlopolis Special Forces. A homeless man sitting on the sidewalk with his dog held a sign that said "V.S.F. is our only hope."