Twenty minutes later, all five of us gathered back in the agreed location beneath the thick canopy of the oak trees.
Daryl and Merle stepped out of the bushes first, followed by Shane, while Rick and I dropped down beside them in the cool shade.
"What did you find?" I asked, looking at Shane.
"Five total now," Shane said, wiping sweat off his neck with the back of his hand.
"Aside from the three visible ones we spotted first, we found another guy sitting on top of an old grain silo behind the main building. He's got a tarp over his head, but he's watching the back fields."
"We found another one on the west side," Rick added, nodding toward the train tracks. "He was sitting on top of a yellow school bus built right into the wall. He's lazy, but he's got a clear view of the road."
"So five snipers total," I said, putting the numbers together in my head. "Watchtower in front, coral building roof, water tower, grain silo, and the school bus."
"That water tower guy is still the main problem," Daryl grunted, shifting his crossbow on his shoulder. "He sees everything."
"He's going to be our first priority to take down," I said, looking at the guys. "That guy needs to leave the field, otherwise everything we did is moot point."
Pausing for a bit before I continued, "Daryl, you're the best shot with the bow among us. You'll take him out first from the trees," I told Daryl, looking him straight in the eye.
"One clean bolt through the neck before he can hit his air horn or pull a trigger. The second he drops, you radio us so we can begin the operation. Rick and Shane take the bus and the watchtower. Merle and I will slip through the west gap near the train tracks and handle the coral roof and the silo."
The guys looked at each other, taking in the plan.
It was tight, it was dangerous, but it was the only way inside without blowing the place to kingdom come or having everyone inside come barreling at us.
"Everyone knows their target?" I asked, looking around at the four hard faces staring back at me.
Rick nodded. Shane racked the slide of his suppressed pistol with a soft click.
Merle gave a nasty grin, and Daryl just loaded a fresh bolt into his bow.
"Good," I said, checking the mag on my sidearm one last time and adjusting my pack. "Then let's get to work. We have a psycho to catch."
We split up again as soon as these words left my mouth.
Daryl went to take down the sniper perched on top of the water tower.
Rick headed toward the school bus location, preparing to take down the guard there as soon as he got the get-go.
Shane went for his target in the watchtower at the front gates.
Merle went for the silo sniper, and I headed for the sniper on top of the coral-colored building.
I chose a location tucked behind an old, overgrown hedge that had a clear view of the water tower.
It was close enough that I could take down my target at a moment's notice.
As soon as I was settled in, I grabbed my binoculars and looked up at the water tower.
The sniper looked relaxed, blissfully unaware of the coming catastrophe that was awaiting him.
He was leaning back against his sandbags, twirling an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
I kept watching for a few minutes, keeping my breathing slow and steady.
Then suddenly, his eyes bugged out. He dropped the cigarette, reached wildly for his neck with both hands, and fell backward out of sight.
Seeing that, I knew Daryl had done his job.
A split second later, my radio sputtered to life with a quiet buzz.
"It's done," came Daryl's voice over the speaker.
I settled my binoculars around my neck and grabbed my radio, keeping my thumb light on the mic.
"Good job," I said. "Begin the operation now."
I put the radio away and grabbed my suppressed pistol from its holster.
I dropped to a knee, rested my elbow on my knee to steady my arm, and raised the sights.
It was no rifle, but it would get the job done.
My target on the coral roof was leaning over the waist-high brick ledge, looking down at two women carrying laundry baskets along the street below.
He had his guard completely down.
I lined up the front post of my iron sights right on the base of his skull—right where his head met his neck.
I held my breath halfway out and squeezed the trigger.
Pfft.
The weapon jerked slightly in my hand.
The bullet caught him squarely behind the ear.
His whole body went limp instantly.
His arms flopped over the edge of the ledge for a terrifying second before the weight of his torso pulled him over.
He dropped like a sack of potatoes, plummeting straight down into a thick pile of discarded mattresses stacked in the alleyway below.
He hit the springs with a soft, dull thud, not making a single sound that carried to the main street.
I kept my pistol raised, scanning the roof for a second man just in case.
Nothing moved. The alley stayed empty.
I crouched back down behind the hedge, pulling the radio out to listen for the team.
Pfft.
A faint pop came from the direction of the front gate.
Looks like Shane's finished as well, I muttered to myself.
A minute passed in dead silence, then the radio speaker clicked open again.
"Watchtower's clear," Shane's voice came through. "Guy didn't even get his hand on his rifle."
"School bus is down," Rick reported right after.
"Silo's done," Merle growled, a rasped, faint chuckle behind his words. "He ain't getting back after that again."
"Good," I said into the mic, looking up at the empty coral roof one last time before slipping my pistol back into its leather holster. "Regroup back at the west wall gap near the train tracks. We're moving inside."
(To be continued...)