SnowFall

Friends for Now

"Luke, I'm in position." Jason muttered into his earpiece. He looked into the telescope for a zoomed up view. Luke was in his vision, he was wandering casually, his stroll slow and at ease but his shoulder was tense. Jason removed himself away from the telescope and shifted his rifle.

"Any signs of them?"

"No," Luke replied, "Not yet, at least."

"You sound certain that they will be here," Jason whispered and gazed into his telescope again.

Luke was silent and he halted in his steps. Jason held his breath and put his finger in the trigger hole.

Perched high above the building, he could see the small area of the woods. It didn't even count as a wood, just a barrier to separate the buildings from the hills that were behind the trees.

Jason took count of the seconds that ticked past and he breathed out when Luke started walking again. Jason's rifle angle moved with the movement of Luke's steps.

The wind was calm and his shoulders started to hurt from the unusual angle he was in. Shifting into a more comfortable position, Jason felt worry flood him. Last time they had organised a meet up at an obvious place, and it must had to be related to the secret meet-up he and Luke spotted a year ago. Jason cursed silently in his mind. He hadn't told Professor about it and what if it was the major breakthrough to this "suspicious activity"? Although he was tempted to tell Professor, he had promised Luke. He would never break the trust built between them. It's too precious.

"Jason."

Jason snapped into action. Peeking into his telescope he saw Luke stiffen.

"What is it?"

Luke didn't reply. He kept walking, but something changed in his stance. The leather patch on his elbow on his black uniform reflected the light. Jason's brow lowered as he concentrated.

It happened too fast. Luke was suddenly on the ground with a hound on top of him. The canine widened it's jaw and revealed it's sharp canines, trained to taste blood and rip flesh.

Jason panicked.

A man followed the hound and reached for something behind him. Jason stiffened. He was reaching for a gun. The sniper rifle clinked as Jason shifted. He took slow breaths and aimed. Luke was pouring black magic out of his hands at the dog, but the canine had locked his grip on his arm. The cross in the telescope met the attacker's head and Jason finger moved towards the trigger.

Luke suddenly lurched, broke free from the hound's deadly jaw with his magic and threw himself forwards. The bullet from the attacker's gun missed him by inches. Jason inhaled harshly.

"Luke, get out of there."

"I'm... trying..."

Jason aimed the pulled the trigger. The hound whimpered and fell, it's body convulsing as blood spurted out of it's guts.
He moved the rifle and aimed at the man, but in the shooting range it was possible that he could accidentally hit Luke. He cursed, sweat forming on his forehead as he attempted again. Luke was struggling, the man was twice his height and he had his thick arm locked around Luke's neck. Luke was swung around in the air, he elbowed him again and again and didn't manage to break free. Luke's face was paling, fading into a purple.

"J-Jason..."

"I'm trying, I'm trying." Jason cursed. The attacker seemed to know there was a sniper somewhere and kept swinging Luke around his head; shooting the attacker elsewhere might escalate the situation. The gun that the attacker dropped was just a metre away, but if Jason didn't shoot quickly, Luke would die and the attacker's backup would arrive.

"Come on... come on..." Jason pleaded quietly for a chance. And there it was. The attacker's arm got tired. And Luke jerked his head upwards, hitting the man in the nose. They toppled down.

Jason pulled the trigger.

It was quiet. They both fell to the ground in a slump.

None of them moved.

Jason looked up quickly, a round ring formed around his eye for pressing so hard on the telescope to aim.

"No..." His voice less than a whisper.

Jason got up quickly and made his way down the building. The aura bullet had flew in an ice blue light and it would eliminate anyone quickly if his aim was good. But he hoped it didn't hit anyone he wasn't meant to.

"Luke." He pressed on his earpiece, "Luke, do you copy?"

There was no reply.

"Luke? Lukas...?"

He swung his rifle over his shoulder and ran for the woods. It didn't take him long before he found the giant's body with Luke's relatively smaller figure buried under him. Jason cursed at the sight. The attacker had his back on top, his arms flared out to the side, his face dangled downwards. There was a pool of blood under him. Jason let out a groan as he pushed the giant off Luke. Luke was faced downwards too and even though he was wearing uniform as black as his, he still saw the glistening of a wet substance on him.

"Luke?" His voice shook as he reached out his gloved hand. He nudged him and looked at his fingers.
It was blood.

Jason cursed. Not again, not again!!!

"Lukas...!" Jason hissed near his ear. He flipped him over and slapped him gently on the face. Suddenly, Luke opened his eyes, his dark orbs full of shock and confusion. He looked at Jason, a bit dazed.
"Took you long enough."

Jason let out a sigh of relief and sat on the floor. "I thought–"

"You didn't," Luke cleared his throat and sat up. He felt around his neck, where the giant had locked his arm around. "You took him out at the heart. Impressive."

"It was meant for his head," Jason added. He didn't want to show the disappointment he had for himself and how he had miscalculated. How he might've hit his friend, and how irrational his decision was at the last few second of fire.

Something must have slipped because Luke's expression changed.
He rubbed his head, "Look, it's fine, okay? I'm fine now." He stood up and looked around, still massaging the area around his neck, "We better go. His backup might be heading here already."

Jason nodded absently.

"Jason?"

Jason looked up, his brows raised with surprise at the expression in Luke's face. He couldn't read him and tilted his head. "What is it, Luke?"

Luke's grip tightened then loosened. He breathed out. "N-Nothing..."

They stared at each other for a moment, before Luke nodded and they moved quietly away.

Little did Jason know that Luke was about abandon him to go to the enemy's base, but after seeing Jason's shaken form, he didn't have the heart to.