I don’t know how long I waited. It felt like lunch could have come and gone and that the sun would be setting any moment but, in truth, it was probably closer to twenty or so minutes before an older guy in a deep green vest and shirt ran by. He was there and gone so quickly, I hadn’t even managed to get my finger around the trigger in time. I sighed and scooted closer to the gun, pressing the pad of my finger next to the trigger. Not quite on it, but no more than a split second away from pressingit.
A few minutes later, I heard the telltale shuffles of feet slapping the ground rapidly as someone came my way. I kept my eyes peeled and lifted the end of my rifle, aiming to where I suspected the chest area would be. Someone in dark blue came out of the same area Texas had disappeared and I pulled the trigger just as their feet stepped several feet in front of the bushes I was hunkered downin.
“Ow! Fuck! Damn it!” The guy was young, closer to my age than the man who had run by before. “I’m out!” he called out. I didn’t know who he was calling out to, and I certainly knew there would be more people out there. I kept quiet and remained in place as the man in blue moved at a much slower pace now, keeping his hands raised and his gun above his head. I assumed that was the surrender pose, the one that let others know you’d been shot and were out and no longer playing. I would have to remember that because it was inevitable that I would get out of this bush eventually and since this was my first time in an airsoft field, I expected my reign to be rather shortlived.
After a while, the silence started to get to me. No one else came through and all I could hear was the distant sounds of birds and my own breathing. I tried not to think about all of the bugs that were likely crawling through the dirt alongside me, but it was hard. A branch snapped close by and if I hadn’t already been lying as still as I could manage, I would have frozen. My ears strained, seeking out which direction the noise had come from. When nothing happened, I decided tomove.
I struggled backwards, army crawling in reverse until I was free from the bushes. In the silence of the forest, I moved as quietly as possible, though there was no helping the occasional crunch of leaves under my tennis shoes. I tried to keep on the dirt or grass as much as possible because it absorbed most of the noise I made. I kept the gun pointed down, but at the ready. My heart raced. A cough sounded in the distance and I froze for a split second before I took offrunning.
Footfalls sounded behind me and I realized that I was being followed, tracked. My heart pounded faster. I saw a tree with a few low branches up ahead. I took a chance and shoved my gun down, letting it hang on me by its strap as I reached up and used old muscles that hadn’t been exercised since I was still practicing gymnastics. I hefted myself up onto the lowest one. I had to leap a bit just to reachit.
My hands closed over the branch. I clenched my stomach muscles and with my biceps aching, I lifted myself up and over the branch. It creaked under my weight and I heard the footfalls coming closer. I moved as fast as possible, reaching for the next branch and then the next and the next, until I was halfway up an incredibly tall oak tree. The footfalls slowed before coming to a completestop.
A dark head appeared just under the tree. It was a girl in a deep red t-shirt. She turned her head from side to side before moving slowly around the tree. I held my breath as she moved, wondering if I could reach for my gun and manage to get off a shot before she heard me. I kept one arm above my head, hand glued to the branch there as I slowly released with my other hand and leaned down for my gun. It smacked into the tree and the soundricocheted.
Both of us froze. Then the girl quickly circled the tree again, gun up and aiming around. Her feet made more noise as she moved, and I took that chance to grab my gun and get it centered against my shoulder. I had to clutch it with both hands and my feet wobbled on the branch, I moved closer to the trunk of the tree for stability, aiming downward. I tried to keep steady as I marked my gun at her back. She turned in another circle and I put my finger over the trigger. Sweat beaded on my neck and slid down into my shirt. It was hot and muggy, even under shade. The bark of the tree scratched at me, distracting me. It was hard, but I took small, short breaths – like the ones I used to take when I was a kid alone in my room at night, afraid of the monsters in the dark. I hadn’t wanted them to hear me and know I was there. Just likenow.
I re-centered my finger over the trigger and pulled back. The gun jammed against my shoulder again and I winced as a loud cry sounded below. The girl stumbled, the gun falling from her hands as she turned and clutched her shoulder. She whirled around in a circle, eyes squinting, looking. I didn’t dare move. For some reason, I still didn’t want her to know where I was despite the fact that she was out of the game. Her face was a mask of irritation, but she begrudgingly put her gun up and called out a frustrated, “I’m out!” before stalkingoff.
I waited several minutes before I slowly descended the tree. My abs ached, and my legs were sore by the time I made it down, but I was proud. I took off again, heading back for the same area Texas had told me to stay in. Hopefully he hadn’t gone back and found me missing and freaked out. When I arrived, other than a few telltale marks of where I had lain before, nothing was changed. I crawled back under the bushes and set the gun back up. I was fiddling with end of it, trying to pull it further under the bushes and keep it from showing through the leaves when two sets of footfalls sounded behindme.
I screamed as a pair of hands reached under the bushes behind me and grabbed my ankles, yanking me out from under the leaves. I twisted over on my back as the pulling halted and looked up into Bellamy and Texas’ smilingfaces.
“Jesus!” I snapped. “You damn near gave me a freaking heart attack!” I stood up and slapped at both of their arms before adjusting my clothes that had ridden up as they had dragged me across theground.
“Lunch is ready,” Bellamy said with ashrug.
I whipped my gun off and shoved it in Texas’ arms before taking off. I heard both of them laughing as I ran. It was the first time they had seen me willingly exercising thatday.
* * *
Lunch wassimple burgers and hot dogs grilled and handed out to anyone with a plate. Texas and Bellamy met back up with me and Texas took my vest and jacket to return to wherever it was supposed to go. When he returned we ate together and they informed me that the training day was pretty much over. We were expected to remain behind – specifically I was, because I was under penalty – to help clean up. I didn’t mind that. The food had been free, and it had been a fun day, albeit an exhaustingone.
Even as I helped with trash pickup, I noticed that there were plenty of activities I hadn’t even gotten to try – there had been tree rock climbing. My eyes widened at that. I hadn’t even known that was a thing. But there were giant plastic rocks screwed into some of the larger trees with ropes dangling from somewhere far up above. Though I was curious enough to picture myself doing it next time – if there was a next time – I couldn’t see where the ropes went and that scared me. How high up did theygo?
“Shorty!” My head jerked up as I was shocked out of my musings. Bellamy raced across the field, and I narrowed my eyes at him as he came to a stop in front ofme.
“That isnotmy new nickname,” Isaid.
He grinned ruefully. “Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand and tugging me away from where I had been tying up trash bags. “You’re done for the day. They have someone coming out to pick up the rest. Let’s go home and take ashower.”
“A shower…” I said with a happy sigh, picking up the pace. “I could go for a shower rightnow.”
Bellamy chuckled his agreement. We hit the trail again and I realized it was another run back to the car. I groaned and begged my legs not to collapse. I promised myself a nice long soak in my own personal tub just as soon as we got home. They just had to make it to the SUV. Luckily, they did. Wavering just before we hit the parking lot, Texas pulled up and I hopped in the back while Bellamy got into thefront.
“What’s up?” Bellamy asked. I looked up, noting Texas’ serious face as I grabbed my phone out of the backseat pocket where I had left it and set it on mylap.
Texas flicked a glance back at me through the rearview mirror before answering. “Knix called. Alex is at the house. He wants to seeHarlow.”
“Am I in trouble?” I asked hesitantly. “I did the penalty thing.” Being in trouble with the guys was different than being in trouble with Alex, for sure. I hoped Iwasn’t.
“Don’t worry,” Bellamy said, looking over his shoulder at me. “He probably wants to ask you some questions about what happened last night.” With that, I knew he wasn’t talking about the drinking. Drinking kind of came second place to the girl. I leaned back and clutched the phone in my hands. If I closed my eyes, I remembered her face and it made my chest ache and anger boil oncemore.
When we pulled up to the house, Bellamy and Texas got out first. I sat there for a moment longer before unbuckling my seatbelt and sliding out onto the driveway. Texas had left the SUV parked behind Alex’s white Subaru. We ascended the stairs and Bellamy held the door open for Texas andme.
Alex and Knix were alone in the living room. Alex was dressed in jeans and a light blue button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I hesitated in the doorway as Bellamy and Texas brushed past and welcomedhim.
“Hey, Alex,” Texassaid.