My First Kill by Phoebe Rea, Incoho Senior Dialer Manager

FIRST KILL

 

It’s terribly humid. I am low to the ground, clasping a AK 47 assault rifle, listening intently for every sound, every hush of the elephant grass meant someone is crouching down and is trying to sneak their way to my position. The sun is unforgiving, it’s bright rays blinding, making it difficult to see through the foliage. Sweat is now pouring from almost every pore of my body. My camouflage shirt is totally drenched.  I hear sporadic gun fire from all directions and I could only wonder if they’re from my comrades or from the opposing force who has been ordered to come and get us.  I got separated from my team and was all alone.  The feeling was almost beyond words, a mixture of nervous anxiety, fear, anger that I got left behind, and a tinge of liberation, that I am ready to go meet my proverbial maker. I decide to just stand my ground and lay still. If they were coming for us, I vowed I am going to take as many of them with me. 

 

From the corner of my eye, I could see a slight movement in the brush. It was very subtle but I noticed it. I could hear the almost indiscernible sound of grass blades bending and rubbing against fabric.  “Sh*t. Here they come!” I thought.  And ever so slowly I could now make out the form of a lone man, squatting down and scanning left to right then slowly duck walking to my general direction, being extremely careful to make only the hushes of noise, his assault rifle at the ready.

 

My heart is pounding and I could almost swear that my enemy could hear it. But I then realized. The motherf**ker hasn’t seen me yet.  Slowly and carefully I take aim. The brush was still too thick and I was worried I might miss. I wait patiently, the muzzle of my rifle locked at the looming figure that’s still inching his way through the thick grass. My safety is off. I decided it was now or never. I squeeze the trigger of my Russian made Kalashnikov and it spurts a burst of white lightning which pierces through the thick grass and made their way to my target hitting him squarely on the chest.

 

“Aray!!!! Hit!!! Hit!!! Hit!!!” my opponent shouted. He then raises his hand to acknowledge that he’s been hit, nods at me to congratulate me on my righteous kill and makes his way back to the safe zone. It was my first Airsoft Kill.

 

I wasn’t in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan for that matter but rather at an Airsoft game site in Paranaque attending an Airsoft Team Building activity organized by Incoho and overseen by Kyle Bendijo, Incoho’s VP for Philippine Operations and a long time airsoft enthusiast.


During the course of the day, we participated in pseudo-rescue missions, skirmishes and a ton of other scenarios all designed to make us think and function like a single entity. “There is no I in TEAM. But there is an M and an E. And the first person who’ll point that out to me will be shot.” said the boss in his usual dry and irreverent humor. 

It was a helluva day. I was drenched in sweat, had mosquito bites all over, a couple of welts on my arms from getting hit with BB’s, and just plain drained both literally and figuratively. And I still have a big smile on my face.