Max and his team were suited up and equipped with their proper gear. Brett had a shotgun, Joel was equipped with an automatic rifle, and Krissy’s weapons of choice were two handguns.
“Guys,” Maxwell pronounced, grabbing a machine gun for himself, “We have to win this game. Getting off to a good start is just as important as a good finish.”
“Funny,” Krissy butted in, “I thought you just wanted to win so you wouldn’t feel embarrassed about Blood Hound beating you, three weeks ago.”
“Leave it be,” Joel told her. Max did his best to ignore the comment. He and Krissy hadn’t gotten along well for a while, despite the fact that they used to be a couple.
“Teams! Final preparations should be done by now. The game is about to begin,” Siver announced over the intercom. Max and his team stood. Together, they turned to the battlefield door.
“Sage team; are you ready?” Siver’s voice could be heard from the next room.
“Yeah!” Blood Hound shouted. His team began pounding on the other side of the wall, yelling curses and insults.
“Crimson team; are you ready?” Siver asked over the intercom in the room.
“Yes, sir,” Max replied, politely.
“Okay. Three… two… one…”
The door in front of Max burst open and he found himself running into complete darkness.
“Turn left!” He called out to his team. They did as he told them, turning into a narrow alleyway.
“Run! Run and don’t stop!” He commanded. Again, they followed his orders and began sprinting down the dark corridor. As they ran, blades began slamming down behind them, closing off the entrance.
They came to the end of the alley and stopped. A final blade slammed down behind them, reminding them there was no escape.
They were now in front of their base. “All right,” Max said, “Let’s go in.”
Siver stood off to the side of the viewing pit, which was a large glass circle that showed the entire indoor battlefield from above. Many students, including Dex were watching from up here.
“Both teams are in their bases. The battlefield is completely locked down. All suits are online. Awaiting game activation,” a computerized voice notified Siver.
Siver nodded to nobody in particular, and then slammed his fist down on a large green button. Dex moved closer.
Maxwell, Brett, Joel, and Krissy were in the base, when electricity began coursing through the walls and dome ceiling of the battlefield. Fog emerged from vents in the floor, as heavy metal music blasted on and drowned out any possible noises.
“Let the game begin!” Siver’s voice could be heard over the song.
The team filed out of the base and began their run across a dark field of ruined pillars, burning vehicles, and destroyed pieces of wall. In the distance, Blood Hound and his team were charging towards them.
Max dove behind a burning car, dodging a shot from Blood Hound’s shotgun. Within seconds, Blood Hound was on the other side of the car, taunting Max.
“Going to die hiding, Maxwell?” he questioned.
“Damn you, Blood Hound!” Max jumped up, firing his machine gun at Blood Hound, who immediately rolled out of the way.
Max kept his aim, following Blood Hound with his shots. But Blood Hound was too fast, avoiding every single laser by rolling out of the way and behind the protection of a ruined pillar.
“Nice work,” Blood Hound commented, leaning his back into the pillar, “You almost hit something.”
Suddenly turning, Blood Hound began pushing against the pillar. The pillar, already unstable to begin with, leaned over and fell. It smashed down on top of the burning car, causing a minor explosion from the car’s hood.
When the smoke cleared, Max was nowhere to be found. Blood Hound walked up to the car and checked underneath it for Max.
“Come on, Max,” he shouted, “I don’t have time to play with you anymore.”
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