I gulp nervously as I stare out at my friends from inside of a box. "Guys…? What the hell is going on?" I ask shakily.
Cam frowns, folding his arms across his chest, "Well, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. But your stuck in an Xbox." He states non-chalet.
I blink, "Um and how the hell did that happen?" I ask, only remembering a green light engulfing me.
Marlon scratches the back of his head. "Well, I got the Xbox from bed, bath and beyond. Because it had a 'so called' great 3-D graphics and you'll feel like you're actually in the game. What I didn't realize was they meant it literally." He confesses.
I stare at him blankly, unable to put into words just how pissed I am. Molly looks at him, "So you mean she's stuck in there?" she shrieks, ready to kill him despite her thin frame and usual calm nature.
Marlon jumps back, "Oh, hey! Chill! She can get out…by winning a video game." He tries reassuring her.
Jamie approaches him, a stone cold look on her face. "You have GOT to be kidding us! So basically she has to play through some stupid game to get out? What is this, the fricking twilight zone?" she snaps.
Cam smiles sheepishly, singing the theme song till Jamie gives him a dark look. I sigh, crossing my arms, "Jamie, chill. If I got to do that, then I have to. Now, what game am I playing? It's probably some easy old arcade game changed over to the Xbox format-" I start, walking over to the start box. But I stop short when I see the familiar figure of the cover of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. "Oh sweet Jesus…" I breathe. I had played COD before, stealing it from my brother-and I couldn't go through a level without getting killed at least once. I look out at my friends, "Uh, Marlon? I have unlimited lives in the game, right?" I gulp, fearing his answer.
He scratches the back of his head, looking away from the screen. "Sorry, but you only have the life your mom gave you-and that's it." He breathes.
Jamie blinks and looks at me with concern heavy in her blue eyes. "Oh Brandy, I-I'm sorry. I feel like this is my entire fault. If I hadn't of dared you…you wouldn't be in this situation." She mumbles, walking up to the screen and placing a hand on it.
I place my hand on the other side of the glass to her hand. A weak smile plays on my lips, "Hey, it ain't your fault. Well, wish me luck and I'll see you on the other side, my friend." I answer. With that, I turn and walk towards the game square.
"Hey, Brandy. You have a head set. It's your only connection with us back here in the real world. We can help you if you get in a tough spot, ya know, talk you through it." Marlon informs me as he places his head set on.
I look at him, and then touch my head as I feel my own headset. My smile strengthens as I feel I'll still be connected with them. "Thanks." I reply. I turn back to the square. Pausing, I take a deep breath before I step into the unknown. A sudden rush of wind causes me to shut my eyes. I'm hit with an abrupt wave of heat, sound reaching my ears. My eyes open and I feel my heart skip a beat. So, if I'm not mistaken, S.S.D.D begins here. Standing on the opposite side of the table, is Foley. He's ranting to a group of soldiers about how to shoot. "…Your Private here will demonstrate. Private Allen, take that gun from the table and show them how a ranger takes down a target." Orders Foley, turning to look at me.
Shakily, I take the gun and turn around to the range. The sudden show of red targets alarms me, causing me to let of a sudden burst of gun fire. The target goes down but another pops up on the other side of the range. I let out a slow breath, calming myself before I pull the trigger. The target easily goes down. I smirk. Thank you Tallahassee! [1]
Foley Blinks, furrowing his brow. "See, she's spraying bullets all over the damn place. Your luck if you hit the target. Now, aim down your sights. You have to hit your target from a stable stance." Foley states.
I unconsciously reload a new mag into the gun and crouch behind the wall. Aiming down my sights, I took down a target with one shot and aim accordingly to take down another. When I'm done, I stand up, feeling good with my work. "Good, now you can also pop in between targets. Show 'em, Private" Foley orders. I blink, the fact dawning on me that they've changed all the male pronouns to feminae. I shake my head and pop in and out of targets quickly. Foley goes on to explain hitting a target behind light cover and frag grenades. Personally, I liked the frag grenades. I grab some from the table. Pulling the pin, I toss it into the range. I watch as most of the targets fall from the blast.
I can't help but smile, "Heh, did you see that guys?" I mumble into my headset. I'm lost in awe that I don't hear Foley talking till he places a hand on my shoulder. I jump and look at him, my heart pounding loudly in my ears.
"At ease Private. Shepard wants to see you run the course in the pit. Get moving and-" Foley said, glancing back at the group of chatting soldiers before he smirks at me, "Good luck, Brandy."
I blink my mouth falling agape. "How did you know-oh never mind…Yes sir." I reply, quickly walking past him and towards the pit. OK, Shepard's going to be watching me. Hm…I wonder what happens if I shoot him? I enter down to the pit and Dunn sits on the table with a look of boredom in his face under his helmet.
He doesn't look up when I approach, obviously knowing it's me. "Grab a side arm from the table. Now don't forget, switching to your side arm is always faster than reloading. Good luck and smile for the camera. The best shooter gets to join Shepard's prima donna squad-" Dunn drawls on. But before he can continue, I've aimed my M4A1 and shot Shepard. I can't help but smile as Dunn stares at me with mouth a gape. "Y-you shot Shepard…" he stutters, not believing the words coming out of his mouth.
I look at him and smile sheepishly, "Finger slipped." I lie through my teeth. You'll thank me later, trust me. I wave him off, "Besides, that one screen will come up saying friendly fire will not be tolerated. Then we'll start over, blah, blah blah!" I chime lightly, smiling at him. Silence fills the void and my smile disappears from my face. I click the head set on, "Marlon…there's no 'friendly fire' screen and restart, is there…" I gulp, watching Dunn Stare at me in horror.
"Yeah, you kinda shot yourself in the foot, kid…" he states slowly.
"Oh, well….damn. Tch, at least I killed Shepard." I remark happily, wondering if this qualified as winning the game.
There's a pause at the other line, "Brandy, you do realize you've completely changed the game, right? Honestly, I don't know where you go from here." Admits Marlon. In the background, I hear Jamie screaming swears that are obviously aimed at the football lineman.
I gulp but force a smile to my face. "Well, that's good then! It just means this is a new adventure." I reply optimistically.
Dunn looks at me, shaking himself out of his daze. "I'm giving you a 10 second head start before I call it in. I suggest you take it." He informs me darkly.
I nod, smiling at him softly, "Thanks Dunn." I mutter quietly.
He nods back at me shortly, beaming at me. "Your welcome Brandy." He answers, grinning and winking at me. I blink; about to ask how he knows my name but decide not to waste my head start time on pointless conversations. I dash out of the pit, looking around for my way out. Humvee? No, that's not going to get me anywhere-planes! I'll hijack a plane! I run into camp, keeping myself hidden among the back of the tents. The sound of footsteps alerts me, causing me to drop down to a crouch behind a tent. I peer around, watching a squad run by.
"Did you hear? Someone shot Shepard! Rumor is he's dead." hisses a soldier as they continue on their way, as they past my location. I let out a held in breath, glad that they hadn't found me. Suddenly, I'm grabbed from behind. A hand is clamped over my mouth to muffle my scream. I'm dragged back into a tent and I black out.
Marlon looks at the screen intently, "Brandy, BRANDY! Are you OK...Dammit, answer!" he shouts into the radio headset he wears. No answer comes back over, the screen remaining black.
Molly places a hand over her mouth, staring at the screen in horror. "Oh God…s-she's dead." She gasps, on the verge of tears.
Jamie shakes her head, hands clenched in fists of rage. She lunges at Marlon, shaking him violently, despite her small frame. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! Damn you-y-you killed her!" she shrieks, hot tears running down her face.
Cam pulls her off and looks at her seriously, "Hey, look. This all was never supposed to happen…" he mumbles dismally, trying to calm her down.
Marlon blinks, looking at the Xbox. "She's not dead…" he mutters as he doesn't remove his eyes from the slim box.
Jamie blinks then looks at him, "What? But the screen-" she starts, not understanding.
Marlon shakes his head and looks at her smiling brightly. "The xbox still shows her as player 1. She's still alive! She probably just blacked out or something." He reassures them happily.
Jamie gives a squeal of happiness before hugging Cam around the neck. She realizes her action and blushes madly, releasing her grasp. She stares at the ground, embarrassed. "Heh, sorry…I-I got a little over zealous." She mumbles quickly.
A blush crosses Cam's face as he looks away, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, t-that's OK..." he mumbles. Though it's quite obvious that neither wanted the hug to end so soon.
Katie shakes her head solemnly, staring at the screen. "Hey, just because she's blacked out, doesn't mean she's out of danger yet…" she states seriously. They all nod in agreement, returning their attention back to the screen with worry.
[1] Zombieland reference, sorry. I just had to put it
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