Tobias's POV
"Tris's team is going to have their eyes open for people, not the flag, because where there are people, there's a flag. And that why no one is going to be guarding our flag." I say to my small group of carefully chosen people.
"But that's ridiculous! What if they just stumble upon it! We loose, and we didn't even get to put up a fight!" Marlene protests. Lynn nods in agreement next to her.
"It's a risk, but it's a risk I'm willing to take." I say, my tone ending any further discussion on the topic. Marlene purses her lips, but doesn't say another word.
"We're going to split up. If one person is caught, I don't want the whole team going down." I instruct. "Lynn and Marlene, Zeke and I, and Sam and Eleanor."
"Where's the flag actually going to be?" Eleanor, a girl a year younger than me asks.
"You know where the old fair grounds are?" I ask.
"Yeah, that's a good place!" She interrupts before I finish.
"Yeah, no. That's way too obvious." She droops her shoulders. "There's this bookstore on Empire. It's called Empire Books, and it's going to be in there." I explain.
I pull them in closer and explain our strategy quietly. They nod vigorously, and I am happy to have a team to try my plan on.
"Just remember, these teams are small, so only shoot if you absolutely have to. And if all goes as planned, we'll beat my girlfriend!" I say cheerily when I'm done explaining.
I wander to the window and watch the city pass in a blur. I think about Tris, and Uriah being on her team. I hope that her team works, despite her huge disability.
I think about the first time we ever played capture the flag and climbed up the Ferris wheel. That was the night I decided that Tris was worth it to love, even if it meant that I could loose all my credibility if people found out too soon. That was the night I decided to stay, and the night that I decided that I would love Tris with all of my being, for all of my days.
Tris's POV
"It's six. The game has officially begun." Jenn says, glancing down at the gold watch on her wrist.
I nod, and with two fingers, motion for my small team to follow me. I look across the water, and don't see anyone on the shore, or the small rowboat they took over. Good.
We quickly move out of the overgrown park the lake resides in and into the city.
The buildings here are built close together and are only a couple of stories together. The signs on the buildings are rusted and covered in ivy, but I can tell that they are in another language, one that I don't recognize. They are made up of symbols, rather than letters, but I have no idea what any of them say.
I feel too exposed walking through the street and decide that when I see a store that isn't boarded up, that we're going to go into it.
When I walk up to the door and pull on it, it comes off in my hands. Uriah catches it behind me, before it can clatter to the ground. He gently lays it on its side, and I try not to acknowledge him as I move into the room.
The room is dimly lit, and a fine layer of grime covers everything. The store shelves are empty and dusty, and as I move through the long room in search of the staircase, I walk through spider web after spider web.
"Holy shit!" I let out a small yelp, as I stare at tiny toy cat sitting on one shelf. One of its paws is waving back and forth in the air, and the other rests on a little tablet, that says something I can't read.
"What?" Uriah is at my side, and I walk away. "It doesn't have to be like this!" He says quietly, once my back is turned. I don't reply.
"Found it!" Jenn whispers, and I turn to see her opening a rusty door that leads to a stairwell. I nod, and she waits for me to move up before she follows.
It takes only three flights to get to the top, and the light burns my eyes for a second. I look around me, but I can't see far in any direction.
"We're going to jump the buildings." I instruct, pointing my gun in the right direction.
As if to teach them how, I take a running jump, and leap off the building. My veins surge with adrenaline, and for a moment I am flying, before my feet slam onto the roof of the next building. I smile and keep walking, without looking back. I know that they will follow.
We jump from building to building, until the strange signs appear less often, and eventually all return to English.
"Get down!" Jenn suddenly whisper yells, and without questioning her, I fall to the ground. My gun jabs into my stomach as I army crawl to the edge of roof and look down beneath me, where Lynn and Marlene casually turn the corner.
I point Jenn and mouth, "Marlene." She nods, and positions her gun.
I quietly pull my gun out from beneath me, and rest it on the edge of the roof. I look into the scope, and keep it pointed at Lynn. I trail her as she walks, but wait until she has passed us to shoot her in the back.
The paint splats her back hot pink, and she curses, while throwing her gun onto the ground. Her voice echoes around the empty city. Marlene is already crouched behind a rusty old car, her gun peaking out from above the hood.
She peaks from behind the car, her eyes scanning the ground, and I know that she doesn't know our position.
She suddenly stands all the way up and walks out into the open, her hands in the air. She drops her gun to the ground, and the clatter of it hitting the ground echoes around the deserted street.
"I surrender." She yells, and Jenn puts her finger on the trigger. I grab her hand and shake my head at her.
Shauna would never just surrender. There have to be more. A minute passes in intense silence, and I get into the crouching position, before I give Jenn the okay to shoot.
She aims, and pulls the trigger with a pop. Instantly, Shauna has a bright red splotch covering her chest. She stomps her foot, and screams, "Goddamn it!"
Almost simultaneously to Jenn pulling the trigger, Sam and Eleanor pop out from behind a corner. I stand to shoot, not being able to get a good angle from my position. My heart surges in my chest at the excitement, despite the fact that I was expecting backup.
Jenn fires and hits Sam, who throws his gun to the ground and screams, just like Lynn and Shauna did.
Eleanor spins around and fires at the roof, hitting Jenn, who was loading another paintball after hitting Sam.
Uriah takes her out, and Eleanor groans loudly, throwing her gun at a trashcan, denting its silver surface.
Jenn plops onto the ground and lies down, staring at the clouds. "I really wanted to make it out of this game." She sighs, and I laugh.
"No worries. We're going to win." I smile, as I take a running leap onto the next building.
"How are you so sure?" Uriah asks, when he lands next to me.
I walk over to the door, and tug on it. It opens with a loud creak. "The screaming and cursing when they were shot was a signal for help." I explain, as I trot down the dusty steps, trying to put off my hatred for Uriah, in the name of bragging rights. "See, when they cursed, it was a signal for help. And now they've only got two people left, and no one guarding their flag." I smile, as the door at the bottom of the stairs opens.
"How do you know no one is guarding their flag?" Uriah asks, walking in the door behind me.
"Four would never give himself the job of guarding, and from what we saw, they're working in pairs of two. So, just Four and Zeke are left, and they're out looking for our flag. I'm guessing that's their plan; to not have the flag guarded at all." I answer his question, as I kick out the front door. It falls to the ground with a bang, but I don't care. If Four and Zeke were coming here, they would have already arrived.
"But we still have to find their flag." Uriah tells me, as if I didn't already know that.
"No dumb shit. I know where their flag is." I shake my head as I walk out onto the road, no longer afraid to walk in the open. This is no longer a matter of finding the flag, its now a race against time, to get to their flag, before Tobias gets to ours.