The instructor explains the rules and hands out the protective clothing. ‘You’ll see from your map the area in which you need to stay. I’ve marked each person’s starting point. The rules are simple. Once you’ve been shot, return to base, where lunch will be provided.’
‘Do you think he’s brought a barbecue?’ I say.
‘I doubt it,’ says Alex. ‘This isn’t a romantic date like yours. But you and I will always have s’mores.’
‘You’d better get going,’ I warn him. ‘You need to get to your starting point before those teenagers see you. At your height, you’d be a sitting duck.’
He shoots me a challenging look. ‘May the best man win.’
‘Thank you. I intend to,’ I say and run off down the path.
I reach my starting point and listen for the whistle. Did Alex really find our previous date romantic? Painting models and getting soaked hiking up a hill is hardly a candlelit dinner for two, but I’m glad he enjoyed it. It’s rare to find someone who enjoys the same sorts of things as I do. I hope he wasn’t being polite.
The whistle shrills through the frozen air, making me jump. I’d almost forgotten where I was. I look around me nervously. There’s no one in sight. I haven’t decided whether to take cover and wait for my opponents to arrive or start stalking them.
I hide behind a bush while I consider my options. My feet are already frozen, so I decide on the second one. There’s no point staying here, only to be discovered an hour later, unpainted but frozen to the spot.
I set off cautiously through the undergrowth, keeping hidden as far as possible. This isn’t the best time of year to hide behind foliage, but there’s enough cover for me to make a fair bit of progress without fear of being shot.
I reach a clearing and see to my surprise that Alex is standing there, studying his map. My first instinct is to shout to him to hide, but that isn’t the point of the game. I consider whether I could hit him from here and decide I probably couldn’t.
There’s very little cover between us. If I make any noise or sudden movements, he’ll turn at once and see me. I have no idea whether he’s a good shot, but I don’t want to take the risk.
I stand behind a holly bush, thinking hard. I’ve just decided to break cover and race towards him, taking my chances on being able to hit him before he turns around, when a movement catches my eye. One of the teenage boys has emerged from behind a tree and is walking stealthily towards Alex, his gun raised to his shoulder. Without stopping to think, I step out from behind the holly bush, aim at him and fire.
To my amazement, he lets out a gasp and staggers. He spins around and sees me standing there. He gives me a furious look, and I shrug. ‘Sorry.’
He glares at me and stalks off towards the main path. I turn to look for Alex, but he’s disappeared. I barely have time to wonder where he’s gone when I hear a branch break behind me.
‘Don’t even think about it,’ says an amused voice.
‘Are you going to shoot me in the back?’ I wait for the clatter of his gun and the splatter of paint, but it doesn’t come.
I turn at last to see him grinning at me. ‘Any last requests – a cigarette, perhaps, or a final s’more?’
‘I should have shot you when I had the chance,’ I say resignedly.
He looks surprised. ‘When was that?’
‘Just now! That boy I shot was about to shoot you. You were standing right in the middle of the clearing, looking at your map and not even watching. You were a sitting duck.’
He lowers his gun. ‘Seriously, you shot him to save me?’
‘It was instinct. It won’t happen again. Anyway, that’s what we’re meant to be doing – shooting all our opponents. So, go ahead. I should have kept my eye on you.’
He doesn’t move. ‘It feels a bit unsportsmanlike. You saved me, and now I haven’t shot you, so we’re quits. Why don’t we team up and beat those kids together?’
‘We aren’t supposed to be working in teams.’
‘No one will court martial us if we don’t follow the rules exactly,’ he says. ‘Besides, it’s only until we’ve taken them all out. After that, it’s you and me. No mercy shown.’
‘What’s the plan?’
He waves his map. ‘Everyone’s starting positions are marked on here. I think we should check those out first. Not everyone will have left them. Some of them will have decided to stay and snipe at the people looking for them. But if we’re working together, that should make it easier. One of us can cause a diversion and catch their attention, and the other one can shoot them.’
‘Talk about unsportsmanlike!’ But I follow him as he sets off down the path.
We hear shouts and yells nearby.