Page 36 of Out of the Shadows
His pressed together lips morph into a huge grin. There’s something almost all boyish about it and that’s because he’s enjoying this, and even though my bollocks are starting to freeze, and it’s begun to drizzle, I am too.
“Ay Ay, Cap’ain. Or is that sailors?”
He huffs, but his boyish grin turns into a wry smile.
“Come on. I think they’re far enough ahead of us for us to track them without them knowing. But remember, we need to keep our cover so follow my lead. Okay?”
“Yes, once you let go of my arm.”
His eyes widen and his hand jerks away from my bicep as though he’s been hit by a Taser.
“Sorry about that,” he mumbles, his voice so gruff I half expect him to addmateon the end.
A second later, Daniel scrambles out of the hollow making more noise than I think he means to, with me on his heels.
Just like before we go from tree to tree, and prickly bush to prickly bush. I can’t see or hear anybody and neither can Daniel, if the deep furrow on his brow is anything to go by.
The sudden, loud and totally unexpected crash of branches from behind has us spinning around. The green team — and my quiet, wouldn’t say boo to a goose colleague Tom — is doing a very fine Rambo impression as he lets loose a volley of green paintballs.
The bastards have ambushed us
“Ah, shit, that hurt,” I shout as paintballs pummel me.
So much for Daniel’s tracking skills. I glare at him and like me, he’s covered in green splodges.
“We saw what happened with the others,” Tom says. “And perhaps I should have mentioned I lead paintball games at the weekend.”
“What? That’s cheating.” Because it’s got to be. “I demand a steward’s enquiry.”
Tom laughs. “Don’t be such a bad loser, Cosmo. You wiped out two teams and that’s pretty impressive but we’ve been playing a waiting game. I’ll buy you a pint in the pub later.”
“When did his balls drop?” I mutter to Daniel as Tom and his partner Mina head off. “You’re lucky if you can get half a dozen words out of him normally.”
“They played the smart game, whereas I made the cardinal error. I underestimated the enemy. We’re officially dead, so let’s get back to the minibus because I’ve had enough for today.”
Now the exercise, game, ordeal, or whatever Linda and the weaselly facilitator want to call it is over, the adrenaline drains from me. Now I feel sluggish and tired and all I want is to get rid of the ridiculous set of overalls and never play paintball again.
“Which way?”
I look around. All I can see are trees and bushes. At some point the drizzle’s turned into driving rain, and late into the afternoon, it’s starting to get dark. I’m a city boy through and through and this landscape is totally alien to me. I’ve got no idea how far we’ve travelled into the woods and I haven’t got a clue how to get back to the minibus.
“This way,” Daniel says with authority as he strides off. Now the game’s over, I may as well not be here.
He’s already blending into the shadowy woodland and there’s no way I intend to be left behind and I dash after him, but I don’t get more than a few steps when my foot finds a tree root, and twists. I come down hard as a bomb of burning pain explodes in my ankle, too shocked even to cry out.
“Oh fuck.” My voice is thin and shaky. My breath is coming hard as a wave of nausea flows over me, and my face pulses hot and cold.
“What have you done?” Daniel stomps back towards me.
“Isn’t it obvious? I don’t hunker down on soaking, stinking leaves, rocking backwards and forwards and clutching my ankle for the fun of it. I can’t walk. I think I’ve broken my leg. I need an ambulance, probably an air ambulance. You have to call somebody right now before I get eaten by feral sheep.”
Daniel starts to laugh.
“This isn’t funny.”
Covered in paint and with an ankle that’s already doubled if not tripled in size, I’m helpless in the middle of nowhere. It feels like the story of my life.
I glare at him and he shakes his head.
