by Maya William
My main worry at the moment, Big Guy, is getting to the landing area without falling out of this thing.
Barb puts her harness on the line in front of me. “Trust me. This is one of those things you don’t need to overthink.”
Sure, don’t overthink how thin that metal line is, the one that’s supposed to hold my weight.
“The three of us need to make this fast.” Archie puts himself in front of Barb and once again repeats the plan. “Lyra will not hesitate to shoot me, therefore, I’ll go first. Barb will confuse her, so she’ll go second, and she won’t shoot at Abigail, so you get to be third.”
My self-preservation and I agree this is a stupid plan.
“Ready?” Archie glances over his shoulder with a smirk. He nods to Barb, she gives her a thumbs up, and he focuses his gaze on me. “Meet you on the other side. Do not disappoint me, Twinkle Toes.”
With a wink, he runs the few steps toward the jump-off point to gain momentum, lifts his feet, and abandons the safety of the tower.
The breath returns to my lungs when, as he promised, he slides downward, proving the line will hold.
“Now Barb,” Archie’s voice comes through the earbud, and Barb follows him without hesitation.
Oh well, the worst thing that can happen is I break my neck and die. Grams, I really wish I was a dove at this moment.
“Darling, time for liftoff,” Barb tells me.
After a deep breath, I command my feet to move forward and run. My heart pumps at full speed with a strange combination of fear and exhilaration as adrenaline rushes through my body.
Ready or not, here I gooooo…
The moment my feet leave the safety of the tower, the expected sensation of falling doesn’t come. Instead, exhilarating energy spreads from my stomach to the rest of my body as I gain speed. I feel the urge to scream at the top of my lungs to release it but suppress the urge, not wanting to give my position away.
Grabbing the harness with all my might, I don’t dare to close my eyes. I want to enjoy the sight in front of and below me, not wanting to miss the nearest experience I can get to flying.
Glancing below, I try to make out the location of the others. Unfortunately, their camouflage clothing does its job.
When the speed slows, disappointment washes over me as I notice a similar tower at the end of the zip line, this one not as tall as the one we just left. Archie, already free of the line, helps Barb unfasten her harness
Can I have another go at it, Big Guy?
Before I get my answer, Archie and Barb reach out for me, and my feet touch the ground.
Awww, why did it have to end so quickly?
“Darling, you did amazing,” Barb chirps after Archie unhooks my harness from the line.
“What did you expect? She is our little dove.” He chuckles.
“To be honest, I feared she would scream at the top of her lungs, cursing your idea,” Barb confesses.
“Nah, she’s an adrenaline junkie.” Archie laughs, pulls his harness off, and hangs it on a rack. “You should see her during her driving lessons.”
If I didn’t have other matters to attend to, like taking off my harness or bringing the team back to reality, I’d slap him on the arm.
“No casualties?” I ask, checking the clothes and gear of my teammates.
“Nope. Either Lyra didn’t spot us, or she hesitated,” Barb informs me while removing her harness.
Archie takes both of our harnesses and hangs them on a hook next to his.
Good! Then the three of us remain in the game. Hurrah!
We quickly make our way out of the zip line tower and unstrap the paintball guns from our backs.
“Archie, where’s our flag?” I ask.
“Should be right behind those bushes.” He points at a small path right in front of us.
“Okay, then, guns up. We don’t know if Zach’s team knows we returned to the game, but Abigail most likely does, so no time to waste. Let’s move,” I whisper.
Archie takes the lead and Barb moves to the end of the line, putting me in the middle.
In less than five minutes, we reach our flag. I grab it and return to an area where the trees camouflage us.
Barb cheers, and Archie high-fives me.
“Which flag should we go after?” I ask. “Zach’s or Abigail’s?”
“We have a better chance of capturing the blue one,” Barb proposes. “Kellan won’t take me down, and Zach might hesitate shooting Archie.” Archie scoffs as if saying Zach would never do that. “But if he knows it’s Samantha, he’ll definitely hesitate.”
Archie shrugs as if agreeing with the plan. A part of me wants to go after the flag Abigail needs to capture, for the sheer pleasure of angering her. But, alas, Barb’s reasoning makes sense.
Maybe next time?
After I nod in agreement, she moves to my side and takes my ponytail out of the helmet.
“First, we need to put our flag someplace secure and out of sight from the rest. Any ideas?”
Archie snickers.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just a very dumb thought,” he says, laughing.
“I could move to a secure place and guard it?” Barb offers.
“No. I’d rather the three of us stay together,” I answer.
“Then stuff it in your bra. They won’t see it, and nobody will dare to look for it in there,” Archie suggests, chortling. “Unless they want to face Abigail’s and Zach’s wrath.”
Not such a stupid idea.
Without giving it much thought, I do as Archie proposed. His jaw falls open, much to Barb’s amusement.
“All right, time to get us a blue flag.” I clap my hands together and rub them. “Archie, can you lead us?”
He salutes me. “Sir, yes, sir.”
We move through the woods, Archie at the front of our group, never hesitating which way to go. His sense of direction amazes me; I would get lost after the first turn because all the trees, rocks, and bushes all look the same to me.
We halt when we hit an open area, fearing Lyra or Joy might be near and working as snipers. As a precaution, we keep close to the wooded area, and when it can’t be avoided, we crawl into the clearing, almost flat on the ground.
After ten minutes, we reach tree coverage again, and Archie stops. He points his gun forward, where the blue flag awaits near a cliff in an open area.
The good news is, the game is still going on.
The bad news, according to Archie’s calculations, is that Zach’s team should be close by.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
“Barb, any chance your heart can tell you where the love of your life is?” Archie voice can barely be heard through the earbuds.
She shakes her head.
“Archie, if they followed the path they initially established when Barb was on their team, which direction would they be arriving from?”
He points toward the right.
“And which way would Lyra be coming from to join them?”
Barb points toward our left.
Which means we’d be surrounded.
“Our best option would be to split and scout both routes before walking straight into a trap,” Archie proposes. “Once we confirm the coast is clear, one of us should proceed with caution and retrieve the flag.”
“I’ll go and search for Lyra,” Barb offers. “You and Archie go the other way and look for Zach and Kellan.”
Her offer sounds solid, although I’m not too keen on splitting up.
I reluctantly nod in agreement.
Following Archie, I keep my ears and eyes open, pointing my gun at anything suspicious. Archie moves fast from tree to tree as I cover him and vice-versa.
“Any news, Barb?” I ask through the microphone.
“I spotted a little owl waiting up in a tree,” she barely whispers.
It doesn’t take long before shots are fired, followed by loud cursing.
“Barb, do you copy?” I shout, worried she got shot.
More gunfire follows, this time coming from our side. I hit the deck, then try to place where the shooting is coming from.
Oh, hell!
Movement from a very suspicious rock catches my attention. Then a bullet leaves the other side of the tree, aimed in the direction where Barb moved. Rifle in hand, I crawl to the right, losing my cover but earning a better angle. I take a shot, hitting my target straight in the back.
“Scheißen!” a loud, deep voice shouts and echoes through the woods.
Shift! I shot Kellan!
The rock moves, showing the yellow splash of paint on his side, which is bigger than a quarter and means Kellan’s out.
Barb will shoot me for real after she finds out what I did to her boyfriend.
His head moves toward me. I roll back into the safety of the cover of the trees just in the nick of time: my previous location now sports a big dot of blue paint.
“Abigail, I’ve got you surrounded!” Zach’s voice resonates.
“No, he doesn’t,” Barb’s voice comes through the earbud, followed by a round of shots.
“Damn it!” Zach shouts. “Who has the yellow bullets?”
Full of surprise, he comes out of his hiding spot behind some overgrown bushes.
Did we take all of Zach’s team out?
“Coast is clear,” Barb chirps through the earbud.
“Archie, can you make a run for it?” I ask.
He immediately complies and captures the flag.
For a moment, I stay put, allowing the breath to return to my lungs, overcoming the excitement of our success.
“Sorry, Barb, I shot Kellan,” I confess through the microphone, making her laugh.
“Well done, darling. I shot your brother, so we’re even,” she answers between giggles. “Come over here, my German dumpling. Let me see how bad our little dove got you.”
“Samantha?” Zach asks, stepping into my line of sight.
He laughs as I move my goggles upward, revealing my face.
“Nicely played.” He extends his hand, helping me to my feet. “I thought Barb was out.”
“Oliver changed the rules,” I explain.
Archie steps closer, happily waving the flag while Zach regards me. “You were the one zip lining?” His voice comes out in a high pitch. “I thought it was Abigail.”
Bet you did! Thank you, Barb.
I shrug.
He removes his goggles. “Archie, Abigail will shoot you for putting her in unnecessary danger like that.”
“Hey, if she has to shoot somebody, it should be me!” I point at myself. “I’m the one leading this team. Zip-lining was our only choice left after all the time we lost!” I turn and look at Archie and giggle. “Plus, it was fun!”
“An adrenaline junkie. Welcome to the club, Twinkle Toes!” He holds his hand up, and I high-five him.
Zach rolls his eyes. “Don’t encourage her.”
Talking about encouraging. Wouldn’t it be great to capture all three flags?
“Barb and Archie, how about we go for the red flag?” I ask, knowing Barb is listening to me through her earbud.
“We already won. We captured Zach’s flag,” Barb says as she joins us.
Lyra trails behind her, a yellow splotch on her arm and a scrape on her face. Kellan also joins us, holding his side where I hit him with one hand.
Oops. Sorry, Big Guy.
“But she can still go after your flag,” Zach remarks. “You won’t be able to fool her team like you did with us.”
Barb and Archie laugh.
“She can’t,” Barb says. “We captured our flag.”
Zach’s eyebrows shoot upward.
“I say go for it, Samantha,” Oliver replies through the microphone. “She needs to learn a lesson about listening to her sister.”
I can tell by all their faces they all heard what he said.
“Okay, Archie, Barb, let’s do it,” I propose, and they nod. “Archie, lead the way.”
During our trip to the red flag, we determined we already lost the element of surprise after our zip line quest. We need to approach this with a different plan.
Our priority remains to determine their location. Archie estimates they should be close by since the remaining three are good climbers and fast runners. Barb suggests we disguise me as Abigail again and once more hides my ponytail.
It takes us ten minutes to reach what Archie calls the danger zone. He calls it that because we should cross paths with them in this zone.
We stop to strategize.
“Barb, what would Abigail do?” I ask since she knows her much better than I do.
She keeps quiet for a few seconds. “She’d put Joy up in a tree as a sniper and Samuel close by to cover her. She’d personally take the risk and make the run for the flag.”
Take the risk, or claim the prize by herself?
“Archie, which way do you think she’d come from?” I ask.
“The easiest climb is in that direction.” He points to the right.
I keep thinking of probable ways to approach this, the logical way or… “Archie, what would you do?”
He chuckles. “Make you run for it.”
Me?
Thankfully, Barb asks, “Why her? You’re faster.”
“Yeah, but if your guess is correct and her team already split up, Joy and Samuel might believe she’s Abigail and second-guess taking the shot,” he explains.
There’s only one way to find out.
After agreeing with the plan, Archie points to the visible yellow ammo in my gun. He takes it from me and removes most of the paint bullets, leaving only a few in case I need them. With the magazine mostly empty, their color doesn’t show and act like a total giveaway.
“Which way?”
He moves closer to me. “I’m going with you.”
“No! You’ll mess up the plan!” Barb argues.
“Not if Joy thinks I’m chasing Abigail. She’ll shoot me, giving away her position, and then you shoot her.” He stands.
My heart goes to my throat. “But, Archie, you’d be out.”
“Aww, unlike her sister, Twinkle Toes does mind if I get shot.” He shrugs. “Think of it like taking one for the team.”
“For the record, I still don’t like your plan.” I shake my head. “But let’s do this.”
Before I chicken out, I run at full speed, going in the direction Archie tells me through the earbud.
“Faster!” he orders. “Barb, anything new?”
“No,” she informs us, out of breath.
In the distance, the blue flag moves in the wind, waving to me, calling me to go and claim it.
Don’t overthink it, just do it!
The sound of shots being fired makes me slow down.
“Run, Samantha, run!” Archie calls before his microphone cuts off.
“Got you, Joy!” Barb says. “Keep moving, Samantha!”
Movement from my peripheral vision catches my attention. I slightly turn my head and notice another figure running toward the flag.
Another shot echoes, and my insides tremble, waiting for the sting of pain from the hit, but nothing happens.
“Shit! Keep running, Samantha!” Barb says before her microphone cuts off.
The running figure comes closer, her garments the same as mine. Judging by the build, it could only be one person.
Abigail!
An overpowering instinct makes me detour from my path. I speed up and tackle her, both our guns falling from our hands as we hit the ground.
“Samuel, shoot her!” Abigail shouts.
“You shot me!” I scream at the top of my lungs, holding her legs to keep her down.
“Samantha, I don’t want to hurt you. Let go!” she warns.
“No!” I try to sit on top of her to immobilize her.
Not a smart plan since it backfires. She takes the first opportunity, wriggles out from under me and rolls me over, my back hitting the ground. One of the guns lies within my reach. S
he kicks it away.
“Samuel, I have her. Come and take her out!” She gets ahold of my hands, keeping them at either side of my body.
Samuel’s tall figure steps closer, pointing his gun at me.
Here it goes!
Bam!
The sound echoes through the field, but again, the pain I expect to feel doesn’t reach me. Instead, Abigail releases my hands and curses as she moves them to her back.
“Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouts.
“You shot Samantha!” he yells. “You lied and said it was the other team.”
Abigail stands, grabbing her gun from the ground, and pointing it at Samuel.
I don’t think so.
She stands over me while I lie on the ground, her feet on either side of me. I roll into her as hard as I can, making her lose her balance and fall, the gun clattering behind me.
Before she recovers, I stand and run toward Samuel, getting between him and Abigail.
“Get the damn flag, Samuel!” Abigail orders.
Okay, welcome to the Wild West, where only two people will be left standing.
Samuel and me.
“Go get it, Samantha.” Samuel gives up, putting his gun down and raising his hands in the air. “Nicely played, Samantha. Now go and claim your victory.”
I stay put, looking at him, not accepting his surrender.
“The game’s over. Samantha’s team wins. Everybody back to the main cabin,” Oliver declares through our earbuds.
We return to the cabin using the golf carts waiting for us at the other side of the field. Archie happily brags about how the yellow team won because of his idea, and Barb laughs as he rubs it in Abigail’s face.
When we reach the main cabin, Oliver orders everyone to get into formation. They all line up, shoulder to shoulder, looking at Oliver. Feeling the need to do the same, I go to the end of the line and stand next to Joy, mimicking their pose: legs spread, arms behind my back.
“First of all, as you found out, I created an additional team when the game started, so every team had an equal number of people on it. I would ask all of you to not be too harsh on Abigail. I ordered her to purposely shoot Samantha before you left for the field since I wanted to test a theory.”
My mouth hits the floor as I remember Abigail’s words right before she shot me. Sorry, Samantha, but I also have my orders.
Big Guy, I may have been a little harsh with her.