do
>Komet's voice crackles through the room
>"A series of targets will appear on the range, each will have a number above them. Try to land hits greater than or equal to the amount listed on the targets for each one."
>A target appears, almost lazily coming into view
>The number above it is "1"
>You line up the post, focus in, and pull. The cold in your head subsides a small amount
>"Good, good! Excellent work, that was close to a bulls-eye too. You must be a natural shot"
"Truth be told, I used to have a handgun. It was confiscated when I was institutionalized for a few months, never got it back."
>"Tragic. What happened?"
>You told a friend you were going to kill yourself and forgot a piece of mail from months prior had your return address on it
>Stupid, stupid shit
>She sounds genuine, at least
"It's been years, don't worry about it. Bring on more targets, Royale. My head is starting to cool down again"
>Royale calls out from behind you excitedly
>"With pleasure!"
>In the beginning, you manage to hit almost every single shot on target
>You don't shoot too quickly, you know that a desert eagle is a firearm that rewards a certain amount of patience and has a large amount of kick
>You ensure your aim is steady and near still before pulling the trigger
>and you are rewarded for this with mark after mark
>When you need to reload, the targets don't pause
>You find there's a machine that's spitting out pre-loaded magazines next to you, so you drop the previous ones to the ground
>After a dozen targets, you begin to feel fatigued from the recoil
>Your arms ache
>Your fingers are cramping
>You just barely made the last target
>Komet authorizes a break, telling you that it's unlikely you'll need to shoot for that long, and allowing you to sit down and take a breather until the coldness returns to your skull
>The desert eagle
>You wouldn't have selected it but
>Gift horse
>Mouth
>Or muzzle
>You love Royale
>You wonder what her highest muzzle velocity is
>[spoiler]Up yours[/spoiler]
>Komet's voice reverberates once more from your skull
>"Horny pony. Ready for round two?"
>Fuck, she can hear your thoughts?
>You thought only Royale could, and she already knows most everything about you
>Komet's voice comes through, somewhat somber
>"It's okay Anon. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be listening"
"Can everyone hear?"
>"No, Dave can't."
>Still...
>She knows about your stupid mistake
"More targets, please"
>None appear for about 30 seconds
>Instead...
>A ripper
>It's coming at you, slow and curious
>You know it can move a lot faster, coiled muscles ripple beneath indistinct patterns of dark, former flesh
>You're scared, but you aim for the feature of it that is most recognizable as a head
>Slow trigger pull, let the shot surprise you
>Just like the friendly guy at the range all those years ago told you
>What was he, ex-military?
>A spatter of fluid comes out the other end of the thing's head and light shines through
>It roars and bounds forward
>Steel yourself
>Adjust
>One more pull
>It stumbles
>Three, on target
>It falls to the ground
>Four, good measure
>It finally stops moving
>A robed cultist appears
>You hesitate
>He draws what you think is a 1911
>You shoot at his head and miss by an inch, you can see him stumble and he's somewhat deterred
>Not deterred enough
>Quickly, you re-adjust for the body and hit him in the neck
>He cries out in pain, blood spurting from the hole in his windpipe before it fills his lungs and he begins to drown in it
>Hurts, don't it?
>A military officer with a strange rifle appears
>You drop him with little hesitation in three shots, he must have body armor and your hands are getting too shaky and tired to reliably hit headshots
>Your skull is pleasantly warm now
>You walk over to him and put one between his eyes just to be sure
>You back up and wait for more to spawn
>It's quiet for several minutes
>A man in a labcoat appears
>No, wait
>It's a child
>A woman?
>A leopard
>An enormous anteater
>The thing smiles at you
>You smile back, it's somehow inviting
>It's back to being a man
>In a labcoat
>This must be a test, you're not supposed to shoot him
>Maybe this represents the good in the world?
>You wanted to be like him
>Spend your time trying to help humanity
>Steady paychecks
>Money left over to meet and spend time with friends
>Maybe buy a house, settle down and...
>You're distracted
>He taps the side of his neck
>A great force rips your torso asunder from your legs, you look at him in shock as he walks over to you, almost glacial in pace
>and then, you're back in the ice bath
>Komet gives you a look of slight disappointment, but she quickly hides it behind one of approval
>"We've encountered the thing a few times prior."
>Komet strokes your cheek as you come to your senses
>Simulated death really fucks you up you suppose