Skitter of feet on pavement — click of a rifle bolt — shuffle step stop — Feet on the mesh metal stairwell — Radio chat: "Incoming!" — duck, crouch. Pause. Silence. Sudden staccato crack of rifle — shell casing hits the ground, clatter, clink — sidestep, quiet ... quiet ... he knows I'm here — does he? He's facing the other building — horrifying sound of bullets — from where? WHERE? Hit in the leg — screen all red!

One hope for freedom — back to base, fire escape — fire escape down to window below! Boots on metal, skitter, frantic, dribbles of blood falling

falling

six stories to the pavement below — drip! RUN. Oh no. There it is.

A solitary ladder! So easy to climb up — but please — oh please — don't make me try to go down it!

Step forward — turn — look down — no feet, only plummet — move backwards — slowly — press crouch — damn, move backwards — slowly — crouch — careful ... CAAaaareful ... GUNS! Bad guys! Terror! Press trigger! Tap backwards! Red brick hurtling by, black sky above, shrinking rooftop — hard cement — observer mode.

Quiet, quiet whimpering.

[Victim idea submitted by GameSpy reader Ryan McCormac]