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The sniper stands up to confirm that his plan worked. It has. His enemy thinks he is dead and now stands, unconcerned, in front of a row of chimney pots, looking toward him. His head is clearly visible against the western sky. The Republican sniper smiles and lifts his revolver above the parapet.
His target across the street is about fifty yards away. The light is dim, which will make it difficult for him to aim, and he is wounded, bleeding, and in unbearable pain. Eagerly, he tries to keep his hand steady, presses his lips together, and fires. The sound of the shot is almost deafening, and his arm shakes from the recoil.
As the smoke clears, he watches as the enemy sniper staggers to the parapet in pain. His rifle falls from his hands, hits a barber’s pole, and clatters to the pavement below. The enemy sniper, dying, falls from the roof and rolls in space, thudding on the ground below.
The sniper watches his enemy fall and shudders. Suddenly, the desire for battle dies within him. A feeling of deep regret and guilt engulfs him. The excitement of the night, his wounded forearm, the heat, and the exhaustion of lying in wait overtake him. He feels sick, and the sight of his enemy’s dead body revolts him. His teeth chatter, he babbles in gibberish, and he curses the war, himself, and everyone.
He throws the revolver to the roof, still smoking, and it goes off. The bullet narrowly misses his head. Frightened, he calms down, returning to his senses. He pulls the flask from his pocket and drinks the whiskey in a single gulp, which makes him feel careless enough to compromise his position on the roof. He decides to search for his company commander so that he can report the incident.
He picks up his revolver and crawls through a skylight into the house below. When he reaches the street, he is suddenly filled with a curious urge to find out whom he has just killed. After all, the enemy sniper had been a good shot, and the two may have known each other back in the army. They could even have been in the same company before they were divided.
He hears firing in the upper part of the street, but it is quiet where he is. He rushes across as a machine gun tears up the ground around him and throws himself down next to his enemy’s corpse. He turns the corpse over and stares into his brother’s face.
