Survivor // Ben Parish

//8//

The next day everything was smooth and normal. Zombie went back to his bed an hour before we were suppose to get up so no one would ask why we slept in the same bed, peanut actually got up in the morning and got dressed before any of us, and nugget got dressed all by himself, somehow my bruised ribs were gone. They just disappeared, like if Reznik never even touched me. The only thing that remained from the beating was my busted lip. I was scared shitless but I didn't want to tell anyone maybe we over reacted and it wasn't actually that bad.

We were currently standing in a straight line with a couple other squads.

"Today we're going to be playing a little game of paint ball, simple rules if you get hit you're out.  Last squad or individual standing wins" a soldier explained. 

I met Brandon my first time I ever went paint balling. I still remember that it was a cloudy Friday. My friends convinced me to go paint balling after school, they knew that I was a hunter so I would always go hunting so I was pretty good at shooting. I didn't want to go because of the physical pain, the way the paint ball would smash against your skin and leave a bruise later on. When we got there they put us in an arena with another team we didn't even know. 

It was my best friend Laura, her boyfriend Kenny, his friend Caleb and my other best friend Maxine and I, we had to wear a vest over our chests and a mask to protect our face. I heard a whistle and  I grabbed my gun and hid behind a big rock.  I could hear the guns going off and a few groans.

It couldn't be my team they were too good to get hit the very first minute.  I ran to another hiding spot. I could see Kenny and Maxine walking out of the arena. I saw a guy from the other team I got close enough to shoot him on the leg. One by one my team hit more people from the other team until only one was left. I found my way back to Laura and Caleb we made a plan to circle around the person and get them in one spot. 

I took the left side and moved myself all the way to the other side of the arena until I heard the gun going off again. I saw Laura and Caleb walking out of the arena.

"No no no" I muttered to myself.  I was the only one left at this point. I started walking backward and looking around I could feel their presence close.

I bumped into someone and we both turned around, it was a boy around my age, silky brown hair and big bright blue eyes.

"Hey" he breathed out staring at me with a slight smile on his face.

"Hi" I said just the same. We were both love struck. I've never felt this feeling inside of me, it was a good feeling. Like the pit of my stomach was getting tickled and I just wanted to jump up and down. 

"I'm Brandon" he smiled and reached his hand over to mine to shake it.

"I-I'm Irene" I grabbed his hand and shook it. "Oh and One more thing" I smirked and before he could even react I shot him on the chest. "I win"

"Soldiers take your spots!" 

My squad was crouching over a huge brick wall.

"Let's go inside the building over there" I whispered.

"Begin!"

The familiar sound of the paint ball guns filled the air.

"Go go go!" I yelled and we ran across the open alley, I pushed Sammy and peanut in front of zombie and I.

A girl with black heavy makeup and raven black hair hid behind a wall as she started shooting my squad, she shot tank and poundcake.

"Cmon!" I yelled. I started shooting her way but she hid behind the wall.

We ran inside the building and closed he doors. 

"This is scary" Sammy said.

"It's kind of fun" I smiled.

"Is that a smile I see?" Zombie teased.

"Shut it, before I shoot you myself" he let a small laugh slip out of his lips.

"Tank and poundcake are out, I think the girl from squad 19 hit them" Flinstone said. "I saw the way she looked at you killer, she's coming for you next" he chuckled.

"I hope she does" I growled.

"Peanut, you good?" Zombie called out.

"Yeah" she said.

Sammy got up and I followed behind him he grabbed something from under a bed, it was a Spider-Man toy.

"Look zombie!" He said and dragged the toy to zombie.

"No nugget it's a booby trap!" I yelled and picked him up and tried running away but the trap went off, zombie pulled my waist towards him and hid me in front of him protecting me with his arms and I protected Sammy in mine.

"Are you okay?" He asked. His face close to mine that I could feel his hot breath on my lips.

"Yeah, are you?" I asked.

"I don't think it got me" he said.

I got back up and put Sammy down. "No it didn't" I said after checking his back. "That was a close one"

"They're in here!" Someone yelled from behind the doors.

"Go!" I yelled to my squad. It was too late they broke in and shot teacup, Sammy, and Flinstone.

I heard the shots firing behind us.

"Oh shit!" Oompa yelled. "They got me!"

It was only zombie, peanut and I. We ran to a huge wall and sat against it.

"Zombie duck!" I yelled and as soon as he ducked I shot two people running towards us. "Let's move!"

"Peanut watch out!" Zombie yelled and covered her with his body. The guns fired and hit zombie. "Run!" Zombie yelled and pushed peanut towards me.

"Loser" I laughed when they shot him. I could hear him laughing as I ran away. I started shooting behind me and shot the girl that hit zombie.

"Cmon peanut" I said and jogged to the other side of the arena.

"Who's left?" I asked.

"I think the girl with the black makeup" she said.

"She's right there" I mumbled as I saw her walking behind a wall.

"Peanut, stay here. I'm gonna go around her." She nodded her head and hid behind a huge rock.

When she had her back towards me I ran as fast as I could around her and right when I was going to shoot her my foot slipped and I fell on the rocks. She shot her head towards me and started shooting I crawled away and she was hovering over me ready to pull the trigger.

Then a gun fired, it wasn't hers or mine..It was Peanut's.

"You're out" Peanut smirked.

She looked down at me with so much anger in her eyes.

"Squad 53 wins!"