Chapter Text
"Okey, can you explain to me again why I have to be the one driving you there?" Jayce stopped at a red light and looked at Cait who was nervously kneeding her hands. "Vi was late to work today, so she took our car." Jayce let out a sigh. "That doesn't explain why it has to be today, Cait." She turned around in her seat, but the light turned orange and then green and Jayce drove off.
"You don't understand, it's a K31!" Yes. He clearly doesn't understand a single thing. "And the barrel is in a good condition! If we are fast enough I can go to the shooting range today to try it out and adjust the sight and everything!" Jayce glanced at the route google maps was telling him and set a blinker to do a left turn.
He didn't mind driving her, but it was Saturday morning. And Cait had called him on his emergency phone, he thought something serious had happened. "Do you realise how lucky we are? Viktor just got it today!" Who is that now?
"He's the owner, looks like he hates everything and everyone but is actually nice, once you know him." Great, what a wonderfull perspective. He looked out for an empty parking spot.
"And he organizes the night shootings!" Jayce frowned and parked the car in one of the designated parking spots. "The what?"
"Night shootings." Jayce turned his head and looked at Cait. "Repeating the words, doesn't explain them, Caitlyn."
She let out a sigh and explained to him hat those are events happening in the night out in the woods with the night sights and are pretty stressfull to organize because you need a lot of special permits because of the wildlife and the people living near the shooting range. Even though the shooting range was there first, and the houses where build afterwards so the residents actually knew what they were getting into.
Jayce turned off the motor and shooed her out of the car so he could lock it and then proceeded to get in the shop.
It was... interesting. In the middle where two chairs to sit down, one shelf that had pepper spray and other self defense tools inside, on the left side of the entrance door was a display with all different types of knives.
In the middle of the room were display cases with pistols and cleaning kits. Looking up, he saw a rifle that was aimed towards a taxidermy fox, perched on a branch and looking slightly upwards, as if searching for something. He followed the fox’s gaze and swallowed when he saw the boar’s head mounted on the wall. Why was he here again?
Right. K31 for Cait.
He walked a bit further inside and on the left, next to the counter, behind the room divider, were a lot of rifles. How are they just displayed like that? Don’t they have to be locked away or something like that? In the corner on the left, he spotted a safe and even more cleaning kits.
"Caitlyn, I didn't expect you to show up 20 minutes after I wrote you the email." An accented voice broke the silence, and Jayce turned around, searching for the source. A man in his mid-forties, with greying hair, tied up in a loose manbun, walked out from the workshop. His hands covered in greenish-black grease, which he was wiping clean on his checkered shirt before rolling up his sleeves to reveal pale, nearly white skin. Was that this Viktor? The reason he couldn't have a peaceful lie in?
The guy looked over at Jayce who nervously held up his hand and waved. Gold-honey colored eyes scrutinised him and Jayce tried not to stare at the two moles in his face, but failed horribly.
He reached out his hand, and Cait shook it without any hesitation. "You said it's in good condition?" She tapped nervously and happily on the counter with both hands once the handshake was over.
Viktor nodded and turend around to walk over to a shelf where also some rifles where. He grabbed one of them, looked at something and then handed it out to Cait. "Come around and try it out, we probably have to adjust the stock." Cait didn't need to be told twice as she walked around and grabbed it.
She put her elbows on the counter and aimed at something in the shop. Jayce swallowed again and stepped aside, the man giving him a sideways glance. "Don't worry, there's no bullet in there, I checked before I gave it to her." Jayce shook his head. It doesn't matter, no one wants a rifle pointed at them, even if it's unloaded.
Viktor explained to Cait how it worked with the loading, the custom sight he had put on it, how she has to pull and turn the the safety lever, even though it was a ring, and everything else.
"And remember to always-"
"Relax the trigger spring, I know, I know."
Cait had a grinn and Jayce shook his head. Then Viktor looked him up and down. "And what are you here for? SIG SG 550 or a SIG SG 510? Or rather something more well known like like a FN SCAR, Heckler & Koch G36, AR-15 or an AUG?"
Jayce blinked a few times and shook his head, trying to process what he had just heard. "He has no idea what you're talking about, you freak. Not everyone is a rifle-lexicon with two legs like you."
Viktor shrugged with his shoulders returned his attention to Cait. "Alright, as I thought, the stock is to short, do you want a ninety-degree angle or your typically one?" Cait handed him the rifle back. "You still ask that?" Viktor nodded. "Right, my bad, sorry." He walked back to the workbench and clamped the rifle.
"You do realise that I still need an answer for what rifle you'll get right?" Jayce blinked a few times. "What?" He turned around and looked at Cait and then at Viktor who had grabbed a screwdriver and a hammer, tilted his head left and right and rolled with his shoulders. "And if you're not willing..."
"Then force I shall try?"
He didn't answer Cait and just hammered the screwdriver into the screw. Alright, when can they leave?
"For the night shooting in three wee-," he broke off and looked at Cait. "Hold on, you didn't tell him?" She grinned a bit. "Nope."
He took a step back, what are these two talking about?
"Boy, do you have any shooting pracitce?" He shook his head first but then nodded hessistant. "A little bit I guess?" Viktor narrowed his eyes to slits. "Caitlyn, you're lucky that you're one off my best costumers."
She grinned and Viktor tilted his head. "But how did I get your background check then?"
Jayce stared at him, then at Cait and then back at Viktor.
"My what?!"
He spun towards Cait who grinned at him. "That was me."
He starred at her in disbelief. "How?!" She shrugged her shoulders. "Digital and all I needed was your ID-Number and Adress. That's why I didn't had a problem to take care of you aparmtent, while you were on your worktrip."
He starred at her. "You intercepted my mail?!" She shook her head. "No! Only this letter."
Viktor had turned back to his work and was muttering somethling along the lines , "Caitlyn, you're lucky you know how to shoot..."
Cait grabbed his shoulders and shook them. "Trust me Jayce, It'll be fun!" He shook his head. "Cait, when was the last time I had a rifle in my hands? Five years? Ten?" She sighed and looked to the side. "Well you're already reigstered soooo...." His mouth fell open. "Is that the reason why I had to drive you?"
She moved her head a bit around and then nodded. "Come on, if you would pracitce a bit you wouldn't even be that bad!" Understatement. He's horrible at shooting.
Viktor came back from the workshop. "Cash or card?" Cait turned her attention back. "Cash is king." He nodded and typed everything in the register. While Cait was occupied with counting the bills, Viktor gave him a piece of paper.
"If you’ve got time, drop by. If not, just call the number." Jayce starred at the piece and put it in his phonecase. What just happened?
When Cait had paid she turned around at Jayce. "I'll just give you one of mine, but right now, let's go to the shooting range!" She threw the K31 around her shoulder and walked to his car. "Bye Viktor! If it malfunctions I'll come back." Jayce turned and nodded his thanks, which he answered with a slight smile and a nod.
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It was even worse than he expected. His hits where everywhere but not where they should be. If they at least would be centered at a some point, so he could adjust the sight, but no, he had to turn the target into a piece of Swiss Emmental cheese instead.
He secured the rifle and turned on his back, staring frustrated at the ceiling while Cait shot tens and nines next to him without a problem. He turned back and took out the magazine, did the PSC that Cait had hammered into his brain and put it in the gun rack.
"Not really that good." He turned to see one of his coworkers, Mel Medarda, waving a piece of paper. He grabbed it from her hand and stared at it.
Out of a possible 200 points, he got 73. That's a hit rate of about 35%.
Mel patted him on the shoulder and he shook his head. "Did you know Cait signed me up for the night shoot in three weeks?" He looked at her, completely lost, and Mel's eyes widened a little. "The night shoot? You mean the one organised by Viktor Reveck?" So his last name was Reveck?
He let out a sigh and shrugged. "Apparently yes." Mel crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "I guess as long as I hit the target, it should be fine?" She shook her head. "You have to find the right one first."
He put on his most miserable face and Mel gave him a final pat on the shoulder. "You'll be fine!" With that she was gone, along with whatever it was she was carrying on her back.
He put the note in his phone case and took out the one Viktor had given him earlier. A date, an address, a time and a phone number.
Looks like he knows what he's doing tomorrow.
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He heard the shots as soon as he turned off his car enginee and got out. The shooting range was in the absolute middle of nowhere. so he wasn't surprised that there wasn't a soulr around besides them.
He opened the door and the shots where louder now, on the table was an overear protective gear with a note.
'Don't forget to turn them on.'
He saw these before, they filter out the shots and amplify the voices so that you don't have to scream your lungs out and say 'what?' every five seconds.
He turned them on, put them over his head and walked in. He didn't know what he expected but not that it was that... empty. In the furthest corner away was Viktor.
He was standing, calm, focused. He reloaded his carabiner with a smooth motion, the empty casing flying away.
He aimed with his left eye, so he didn't even had to take his finger away from the trigger when he reloaded, which was technically not allowed but it looks like he didn't care.
Another shot, he barrely moved, just his left shoulder moved slightly because off the recoil
Viktor shot another shot and this time his body didn't move at all, only his right arm when he pulled the bolt back, took out the magazine, put it in his pocket, took another one out and put it in the carabiner and slammed the bolt forward.
Jayce froze and stared.
This wasn't just 'casual practice', this was a habit. Pure muscle memory.
"I know you're there." Viktor didn't even looked up and just shot again.
Jayce observed his posture, it was almost picture book perfect. Almost. Something... felt off. Viktor took a visible deep breath and took half a step back with his right leg and then Jayce saw it just fo the mere of a second. His ankle was metal. A prosthetic.
"Hunting accident."
Another shot was fired his grip steady on the rifle.
"We had to put down a sick piglet."
He worked the bolt, a spent casing flys in a long arc, clattering to the floor.
"I was young and dumb. Just got my licence, you know?"
Another shot echoed trough the empty range.
"The sow came for me, before I could even start to aim at the piglet."
He reloaded again, the motion sharper this time, the casing flew over his head, narrowly missing Jayce's head. He dodged it and just starred at it as it fell on the ground with a clatter.
"My fat- my mentor tried to save me."
He pulled the trigger and a shot went loose.
"He fired two shots."
The casing didn’' fly out this time. He plucked it manually and moved the bolt forward again.
"One hit my knee, the other hit her."
Another shot was fired.
"He called the ambulance, the cops, and then..."
His pause was just a little to long to be a normal one and to short to reload.
"Things got complicated."
He reloaded once more, slower this time, but fast enought that it just jumped out off the rifle and fell to the ground next to him.
He lowered the rifle and turned only his torso, barrel pointed to the ground.
He was calm. To calm for telling a story like that.
"That was now almost thirty years ago."
Jayce swallowed and Viktor lifted the rifle up again and shot the last shot and then did his PSC.
"Do you know if you're left or right?" Jayce still had to process the story and didn't really listened to him.
"What?"
"Do you aim with your left or right eye?" Oh that. Looks like he doesn't want to talk about it anymore.
"The right one." Viktor nodded and turned around now facing Jayce holding out his rifle to him. "Ever shot standing up?" Jayce shook his head and Viktor scrutinized him. "Take a step forward."
Jayce was confused but did what he's been told. "Alright, we'll try something, alright?" Jayce swallowed and nodded. Why does he fell like a teenager now? He was thirty-two, not fifteen. He grabbed the rifle and looked confused at the leatherband.
"Do it like that." Viktor took a step forward and that's when Jayce noticed the slight limp. Viktor put his right arm before the trigger and his left at the trigger. "Viktor I'm-"
"I know, just give it a shot. Pun intended."
Jayce let out a sigh. It felt strange to have the rifle on his left side. "I have an eye patch here, so if you struggle with closing the eye we can cover it up with that." Viktor put another magazin in it and made the loading motion. "Just aim and shoot. Nothing can happen."
Jayce swallowed again and aimed. It was strange but somehow he saw what he has to aim for. He took a breath and slowly pulled the trigger. A faint click was hearable but nothing followed. His eyes widened and he lifted up his head. Did he.. no it's not possible that he just broke a rifle just with holding it, right?
Viktor stood next to him and pulled the bolt back and a casing was flying out. What? "A dummy, they look like ammunition but aren't. We use them to train how to fill up a magazine and the loading motion." He slammed the bolt forward. "Do it again."
Jayce put the rifle back in his shoulder and aimed and pulled the trigger. He looked at Viktor who nodded. "Alright, now try it yourself." Jayce grabbed the bolt with his right hand, pulled it back, the dummy flew out and he pushed it back in.
He repeated that another two times. "Alright, last shot, then you're ready for the live ammunition." Jayce nodded and aimed again. He never thought that he would feel more comfortable with aiming with his left eye but it felt more natural than with his right eye.
He took another breath and Viktor put his hand on his shoulder. "Keep breathing, once you have the breaking point you can hold your breath and then you increase the pressure, like you were squeezing a lemon." Jayce had to hold his breath to not to start to laugh. What was that comparsion?
And why does Viktors hand feel so hot on his shoulder, even though he is wearing a jacket and shouldn't be able to feel it?
He pulled the trigger and was surprised by a heavy recoil who pushed him back but Viktor held his shoulder. So that's why he was holding it. "You... Are you insane?!" He turned his head towards Viktor who looked at him with a faint smile.
"Jayce, before you judge I would look at your result." He frowned and Viktor pointed downards to a screeen. He knows them, they're the same at the shooting range he was yesterday. They show you where you had shot. and how high or how far to the side it was.
He took a step back to have a look at it and Viktors hand dropped down to his side. "Ten? I shot a ten?!"
Viktor hummed happy and moved his thumb up and down. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have tricked you, but If you had knew what would happen, do you think you would also have got a ten?" Jayce starred silent at the screen, then at the rifle and lastly at Viktor. A strain of his graying hair had losened and was now falling just not before his left eye.
He lowered it, turned it to the side. "Do you... have more ammunition?" Viktor laughed shortly and grabbed in his pockets. "It's your lucky day." He pulled out a little white cardboard box and opened it. Inside where ten cartridges and Viktor showed him to take out the magazine and load it.
Jayce put it back on and now, that he knew it would shot he wasn't as calm as before. "Don't forget to breath, no one is here, it's just you and me. And when the night shooting is no one see's you anyway." Viktor stood behind him, which was amusing, since he was smaller than Jayce but he pushed up his right ellbow a bit and moved his hand.
"Get used to it. You can change the sight don't worry about that." Jayce nodded, exhaled, hold his breath and pulled the trigger. He wanted to turn his head but Viktor put his right hand against his head, stoping him in motion. "Don't look immediatly at the screen. You're too nervous, I wouldn't be surprised if your targets look like someone just punched blindly into it with a trident."
Jayce bit his underlip, as he tried to keep focused on the target. "If you stare to long, your eye can get tired. Look sometimes into the forest to relax it." Jayce closed his eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled even slower. He slowly opened his eye and even slower pulled the trigger.
The shot came as surprising as unsurprising. This time he didn't move his head, but instead he watched the shot, something else that Viktor had told him to do. With VIktors help he made it trough the other five bullets from the magazine. He noticed that Viktor touched him more than he actually than he needed to, but he absolutely didn't mind it.
Once the magazine was empty Viktor showed him how to do the PSC and then Jayce gave him the rifle back and he... used it as a cane replacement?! Was that even safe? And comfrotable?
Viktor held the tip off the barrel and put the stock on the ground and leaned on it. "Is... everything alright?" Jayce held up his hands unsure what to do.
Viktor had closed his eyes and it looked like he was putting all his weight on his left leg. "Phantom... pain." Jayce looked worried at him. He had heard of this phenomen before, People can feel pain in limbs that arent attached to the body anymore. He swallowed.
"Can I... ask you something?" Viktor let out a heavy sigh. "If you help me to sit down." Jayce took immediatly a step forward and grabbed the rifle and Viktors hand. Slowly they made their way to the table where the Logging system was. Viktor sat down with a grunt and massaged over his right thigh. Was here the... what is it even called? The part where leg ends and metal begins?
"The boarhead in your shop..." Jayce didn't finish the sentence, Viktor let out a chuckle and looked up at him. "You're pretty smart. Yes... that's the sow who tried to attack me. Like I said I... should've just stayed in the high seat. I don't know what drove me to the idea to follow them on ground instead of just waiting high up."
He scoffed and shook his head. "But what we know now is that you're a lefty just like I am. Which is good, because I can help you better with that."
Jayce mouth fell open. "Help me?" Viktor nodded. "You looked a little bit lost and Cait just... didn't seem to care, so I decided to take matters in my own hands." Was all that... just because he felt sorry for him?
"I want you here next week at the same time. The night shooting is in the night from saturday to sunday so you only have this, next and the week after." Jayce swallowed again. "What do you mean?" Viktor looked up at him again and reached out his right hand, as if they where about to make a deal. "You have to lie down for the night shooting, so once we settle on a rifle for you, we can start to train."
Viktor explained to him everything he has to know, and that he won't be at his best, but it woud be better than no training at all. "How unorthodox can I train you?" That was the moment were all the alarm bells should've rung.
"If it works...?" Viktor looked reliefed and had a grin. "Don't worry, it will."