Ghost Sniper

In Vietnamese the word is “Ma.” It means “Ghost.” That’s the name the enemy gave their deadliest, most dangerous, and most elusive sniper the Viet Cong had working for them with an incredibly high number of kills during the Vietnam War. His trademark was his elusiveness. By night or by day he came, targeted the unwary and then disappeared. His world was any rugged terrain that gave him cover, with fast running streams winding through steaming jungles of growth so thick you crawled to get through. The man called Ma moved through this country like a shadow leaving no sign of his presence. The Ghost came, did his deadly deed, and vanished. No one ever saw him. No one even found the slightest indication of where he had been. All anyone knew about him was that he never missed and he always vanished as though he had never been there. The VC had named him well.

Our military sent squads into the bush searching for Ma. Too often they themselves ended up as statistics. How he trapped and wiped out an entire squad no one ever learned. When patrols did return all they could report was finding possible places that might give a sniper his superior range of fire. But even there they found nothing more than perhaps a depression in the grass on a knoll, or a suspicious trail of displaced vegetation leading to a stream, signs that any wild animal might have made.

To our troops Ma the Ghost Sniper became legend. No one wanted him on their case. They knew him because he never failed to make at least one but several kills in as many days. Then he vanished. Finally, the military thought they might have more qualified competition for this legendary sniper. He was a former Green Beret, an older veteran, an exceptionally skilled Marine sniper named Harry Landon. Sergeant Landon was given just one assignment—to live alone in the jungle on continual special duty. There, he honed himself sharper than the competition that he was often asked to take out. ...and always he hunted the Ghost.

Sergeant Landon had lived in the jungle so long that it became a part of him. He lived to learn all the tricks. The troops knew by his reputation that he was good, mainly because he had survived. The men on the hill in Charlie Company knew him because he had taken out troublesome snipers for them before. But now, for the first time they were up against a shooter with all the cunning and evasive tactics of the legendary Ghost. Before Ma could take out any more of them they put out a plea for help. This is that story.

But beware. This isn’t just any ordinary story.  This is an interactive story. This means that you play an important role in this deadly drama. Before it is over you the reader become Harry Landon the sniper. You alone will determine how this duel to the death ends. What is going to happen will happen due to your decision. 

As he skirts the jungle terrain above what he recognizes is Ma’s trap for the unwary, Harry fires at a glint of sun off Ma’s scope. Now Harry must descend and see if he has hit his target. Should he take the longer more dangerous route around the ridge where he may be seen, or should he descend quickly down the slope directly into what might be a death trap?

You choose which way you would go. You must decide before you read the ending. If you choose Trail 1, you get that ending. If you choose Trail 2 you get that ending. Either way, Harry, your life depends upon which choice you make. You will either be a legend in your own time, or you won’t. Your choice. But since this is only fiction, if you don’t like your ending, go the other way. Then be glad this isn’t reality!