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]