“Fine, but if this is some kind of sabotage, I will eat you for breakfast and I’ll tell on you.” She points at him and turns back to the guy in the middle of the course. We can’t even see the other side or their flag, it’s so far.
Matt glances at me as he puts his mask on, speaking low as Bev barks at everyone else to get into position. “And how did you end up in her good graces already?”
“You don’t want to know.” I wink at his wide-eyed stare and pull on my mask. It takes a second to get used to the feel of it.
The horn blows and Bev and I run to the right, hugging the tape line as Eddie and Branson go left. Matt follows us, trying to stay low but the guy is enormous, even compared to Bev and I who are both tall.
Music starts playing loudly over speakers high up in the trees, making it impossible to hear anyone else.
My heart races and I’m on high alert. We’re running and ducking, scanning and rushing forward.
Movement to the right catches my eye. Someone is out of bounds. I run and superman slide along the grassy ground, hiding under the cover of a large bush. A player from the blue team comes around a tree, and I plant a perfect shot right between his eyes, soaking his mask in yellow paint.
“Fuck!” he cusses and I roll to the left, getting up fast and catching up to Bev. She’s shot down someone else, and Matt shoots another person who has Bev in their sights. She nods at him, making him beam in a weird way. He clearly needs her approval, which endears him to me a little.
“Walk the trigger, Matty.” She holds up two fingers on her hand and wiggles them back and forth. “Stop curling your fingers, you’ll be too slow.”
Bev and I hustle forward, sprinting and stopping behind an old car. Paint blasts the car near us. I shove Matt down, tripping him to save him. As he’s falling, I swing my gun to the right and fire, hitting the chest and face of the person, soaking them in yellow.
Bev takes down two guys who are running up the middle like idiots.
Matt struggles to get up while Bev and I make our way to the bunker on the left, close to the tape. She walks the trigger to give me cover as I pull a grenade. I don’t know if anyone is in there, but I toss the bomb in and run.
As we run to the right, clinging to the tape, the bomb explodes, blasting yellow paint out the small windows and doors.
I’m heaving my breath as we each hug a tree with our backs. She turns my way, but I can’t see her expression through the mask.
Matt catches up, muttering, “What the fuck?”
We ignore him and run, moving with speed and stealth up the line to hide behind a fence. She takes a different section of fence than I do. I check the right side first, keeping my body tight so as not to chicken wing and stick an arm out.
When I see no movement, I rush to the left, switching my gun mid jump and sneaking out the left side. Movement and a bright silvery shirt sleeve catch my eye. I shoot, blasting with rapid fire up his whole torso. Someone with a pink shirt sleeve runs for him, and I blast him with yellow paint too. Bev sees what I’m firing at when she comes right and tosses a grenade at them. It explodes and soaks them in paint.
“Oh shit,” Matt says with a breathy laugh.
“I’m hit!” Eddie screams from the left.
“You’re with him!” Bev shouts at me and points at Matt as she sprints off to the left. “Cover me!” She tucks behind a shack.
I don’t look, just shoot. Matt joins me, realizing too late what we’re doing. Bev moves fast across the field and forest until we lose her in the course.
“Come on!” I shout at Matt. “Stay low!” When I get to the next bunker, I say, “Cover me,” and reload. When I’m done I lift my gun. “Reload.”
He follows my lead, speaking softly as if he’s talking to himself, “How are you so good at this?”
“Let’s go.” I ignore his question and move forward, catching someone hiding behind a bunker. I run at him, firing so he has to take cover. I blow past him shooting, hitting his side and face.
At the next bunker, Bev and Branson are with us. She offers a quick thumbs up and moves forward.
“Go, I’ll cover!” I say to Matt, waving him past me. He doesn’t know I’m using him as bait. And he’s lucky I’m a good shot. He’s so huge that when he moves forward, he brings all the boys to the yard. I shoot one in the arm and face, another in the back. I drop three of them and catch up to him.
Someone shouts, “I’m hit!”
Branson moves from the field with his arms up, gun in the air.
“Fuck!” Matt yells, drawing my gaze. A shirt I recognize comes around the corner painting Matt’s body with blue. I run and football slide coming up on a bush. I lean back as I’m sliding, shooting and skidding, painting Brady’s face completely. He screams, drawing attention.
As I jump up, I snatch Matt’s gun from his hand and leave mine. It’s almost empty and he’s hardly shot anything. No wonder Bev didn’t want him.
Paintballs are flying over my head as I duck into a bunker. “Bev!” I shout as balls explode all over the building, drawing their attention to me. “Go for it!”
I shoot through the window, seeing movement and trying to draw more fire on me. The build of the person getting close is familiar.
It’s Lawrence.
As I scan the bunker for something, a glimmer of hope in the form of a flicker of light in the back catches my eye.
