Battle dance

A Story by Alasse Fefalas

It's dark. We're armed with our guns. And we hear the enemy approaching.

Battle Dance
Alasse Fefalas

It was hard to see in the darkness. The full moon that hung low in the sky gave out a musky yellow light – the only light source. Our black shirts and dark pants blended well with the shadows that surrounded us. Hiding behind empty barrels and broken-down walls, my team was armed with the M-16s, ready to shoot when our enemy appeared. I was far at the back, a sniper for any who tried to sneak into our territory without any notice.

The silence between us was broken by the sound of crunching grass. I watched the distance intently, determined to see my enemy and gain aim. The movement of a shadow caught my attention and gave away the man’s position. Sprawled on the ground, I took aim with my gun. My finger hovered over the trigger, ready to fire my gun, but I didn’t. I was waiting for an affirmation that the figure was indeed my enemy. I didn’t want to accidentally shoot any of my teammates.

I did not have to wait long. His cautious steps alerted me of him being an intruder. I pulled the trigger and a single shot rang throughout the entire place. Silence took place of the deafening shot. I watched the figure, wondering if my bullet had reached its intended target. Then, slowly, he fell to the ground. I cheered silently to myself for the good shot.

Suddenly, there was an angry roar, an instruction I could not make out, and the screams of the guns being fired ripped through the air. I watched as my teammates retaliated; they brought a number of people down before being shot themselves. Many fell before my eyes. Red was splattered everywhere – the barrels, the walls, the ground, my teammates. I took aim with my sniper gun again, wanting to help them, and managed to bring down a couple. But when I pulled the trigger again, nothing came out. I was all out.

Cursing, I abandoned my sniper gun and picked up the M-16 lying on the ground. I charged forward, attacking and taking refuge at appropriate times. I looked around myself and noticed that I was the only one in my team left and that there were three from my enemy’s. I carefully took one out and ran to another hiding place before they could pinpoint out my hiding place through the sound of the gun. I did exactly the same thing again, and managed to bring down the number of trespassers down to one. I decided not to try my luck with my previous method as he was the last one standing. The most ruthless ones are usually the ones left in war.

So I changed my method. Careful not to make a sound, I crept to his last hiding spot. I wanted to take him from behind by surprise but when I got there, I was the one who received the surprise. He wasn’t there.

“So you’re the last one,” A deep voice said from behind me. Before I could turn around, I felt the gun prodding my back. “Goodbye,” it said to me.

He shot me. Turning around, I saw a malicious smile on his face. I fell to the ground. Suddenly, the place became lighted. Another voice rang out, “Game over. Red team wins.”

It was then that I understood that paintball needed not only luck, but also strategy. And that it was incredibly painful to get hit by a paintball.