King's and Queen's War, 191X

Somewhere cold.

A dying brain does not simply "power down" but instead exhibits a surge of organized, heightened electrical activity around the time of cardiac arrest, it is said.

The soldier laid motionless for countless hours, calmly breathing through her mouth stuffed with snow as she kept her rifle trained on the white expanse, searching for any signs of movement. She'd shed her hefty armour in favor of a lighter uniform and covered every tracks left behind, all for the sake of hunting the sniper she'd tracked for weeks now.

The cold wind kept her company for some time, though there were moments where loneliness seeped through the invisible cracks forming on her psyche. For Queen and Country, she reminded herself. For the comrades slain by this monster. I have to hunt him down.

Her body was covered head to toe in the snow that accumulated from the hours that passed, with only the muzzle of her rifle clear of any obstruction that poked out of the inconspicuous mound of snow.

Suddenly, as if nature itself held its breath in anticipation of what would unfold, the world stopped. There was silence. There were no gusts of wind, no rustling of leaves, no flowing of water, not even the chirping of birds.

A wolf howled in the distance.

As the soldier aimed her rifle towards the sound, she spotted the faint glint of a faraway telescopic sight.

BANG!

The gunshot resounded, and the world returned to normal. She was struck by a 7.62mmr lead bullet and dropped her rifle beside her while writhing in pain. A deep streak of crimson formed on the snow, trailing to her neck where the gunshot wound resided.

Why... She thought in disbelief, trying to mutter a curse under her breath but failing to do so as her vocal cords were dead. Fortunately enough, her cervical remained intact. Why can't I beat him!? A deep sense of hatred stirred within her for the unseen sniper, one so potent that it kept her conscious enough to turn her head to the side.

She saw a figure looming in the edges of her blurred vision, a white death that bested her despite everything she's done.

He approached the fallen soldier, having already slung his rifle on his shoulder. That detail angered her the most. Does he think I'm not a threat anymore, that I'm a helpless wounded prey? She thought. The woman wanted to express her hatred for him, and it was already done through the intense glare she gave him.

"I sensed your fear." The sniper explained. He crouched beside her, looking down at her face that slowly turned pale. "You are one of my great favorites. Through corpse-strewn battlefields and the rubbles of cities, I have always enjoyed our game of cat and mouse."

He stood up and tossed a first-aid kit to her. "I will be seeing you soon." The sniper bid farewell, and left.

She stared at his retreating back through the snowfall and vowed to take revenge.