1 June 2012
1. I pull my mask tight and raise gun to shoulder, peering down the barrel like a pro. I run into battle with the forest. My ears capture every cracked twig and rustled leaf. I learn my surroundings fast. A flurry of movement to my left and I set my sights on a nearby tree. Nothing. In a swift movement I turn again, gun focussing on another splintered trunk. My steady heart pulses calmly in my neck. A crack. I turn on the spot and stare down the hollow tube of a gun. I analyse the threat. Milliseconds in minutes:
5"6. Short brown hair. Blue eyes through misted mask. Addidas trainers, soaked in brown and red.
I hesitate, then he shoots me in the chest. Red trickles down my camouflaged clothes and the masked man runs off into the knot-work of trees. He was lucky. Lucky I didn't draw first. Lucky my military trigger finger didn't kick in. I wipe off the red paint from my heart and continue to hunt. My gun and eyes are one again. I tread past rusted metal barrels, balls of unburst paint gently oozing under foot. Suddenly I see him, crouched low and aiming into the distance. I poise patiently, gun trained on target. He turns and sees me, spinning his gun towards me. Everything slows:
5"7. Heavy duty boots. Pricey watch. Glasses under mask. Wedding ring.
I shoot him in the head. He falls backwards into the mud, red exploding against the inside of his mask. I move forwards, still in my sights. His visor is cracked around a small jagged hole. His body lies limp. I lower my weapon and reach for his hand, tugging the ring from his finger. "She says she wants it back," I whisper to deaf ears, pocketing the ring. I walk towards the exit. I slowly remove my mask and lay it down amongst the rest. I remove my camouflaged clothing and place it back with the others. I walk through the groups of excited party-goers like a phantom. Just one of them, playing the game. "Hope you had a good time!" one of the enthusiastic staff members calls out. "Absolutely," I respond, without a hint of a smile. "It's very real." I open the car door and leave, without another look.
Scenes - Forest • Opuss № I