Lisa's arm was starting to grow numb with Soldier's tight grip. The endless maze of hallways blurred and Lisa was honestly starting to feel dizzy. Soldier was blabbering on and on about patriotism and...something about tests to prove she's American? Lisa was too busy trying to keep up with Soldier without stumbling over her own feet to really pay close enough attention to understand what he was saying. A set of double doors loomed ahead, and Soldier threw them open. With a soft hiss, Lisa brought up her free hand to shade her eyes from the sudden, intense glare of the sun.
The sun was just beginning to set and streaks of gold and crimson scattered across the wide desert sky. Soldier never stopped his relentless pace and a wave of dust was left in their wake. Lisa blinked as dust flew into her eyes and she quickly rubbed them. Upon opening them, she saw what looked to be...a wall? No..a fence was a better word to describe what she was seeing. Ahead of her there was a makeshift fence. Sheets of rusted metal were stood up, side by side. There was barbed wire strewn haphazardly along the top. The wind blew and it caused the metal to rattle eerily and Lisa shuddered.
"Scared, Cupcake?" Soldier asked, throwing his head back to look at her.
Before Lisa could answer, Soldier got in her face and screamed,
"YOU SHOULD BE! I CREATED THIS OBSTACLE COURSE MYSELF AND IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE GROWN MEN WEEP FOR THEIR MOTHERS!"
He turned to pace and Lisa wiped the spit from Soldier's passionate statement from her face in disgust and glanced around. To the left of her was a large stack of palettes on top of eachother. Rusted nails jutted out in every direction and the wood was rough and splintered.
"If you are afraid now it is NOTHING COMPARED TO THE FEAR YOU WILL FEEL ONCE YOU ARE INSIDE!" Soldier continued oblivious to Lisa surveying her surroundings.
He spun around and Lisa snapped back to attention.
"To your left there is a seven foot wall of random wooden planks I found in the area. To get in, you must scale it! FOR MOST AMERICAN MEN THAT IS HARDLY A CHALLENGE! BUT FOR YOU…"
He then leered and got into her face once more.
"YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN MAN. IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN WOMAN THEN THIS SHOULD BARELY BE A CHALLENGE DESPITE YOUR INFERIOR STATURE!"
Lisa felt an angry blush color her face and tried to ignore the steady heat but Soldier noticed.
"DID THAT ANGER YOU, ROOKIE?! HA! I HAVE MET CHIPMUNKS MORE INTIMIDATING THAN YOU! BUT IT IS GOOD TO SEE THAT THERE IS A FIGHTING SPIRIT SOMEWHERE IN THAT SKINNY BODY OF YOURS!"
He twisted on his heel again and Lisa once again observed her surroundings. She glanced behind her to see most of the team gathered on an upper landing of the metal staircase on the outside of the building. Miss Pauling was leaning on the railing and offered her a smile and a wave. Scout was at her side by the railing stuffing popcorn in his mouth faster than should be humanly possible. Engie sat on the stairs and was fiddling with some sort of gadget in his hand. Next to him on the staircase watching what Engie was doing with interest was someone Lisa had not yet met. The person wore what looked like a gas mask and clapped their hands in child like glee when Engie offered them the trinket.
'That must be Pyro.' She surmised from her conversation with Miss Pauling.
She observed further.
Spy was towards the back leaning against the wall smoking, looking bored and unimpressed. Demo staggered his way out of the doors leading to the landing and took a large swig of...whatever was in that bottle and collapsed against the back wall. It was large and brown and had X's on it large enough to see even from where Lisa stood.. Following behind him was Heavy and Medic. Heavy appeared to ask him something and when the Medic replied his eyes seemed to light up as he realized what was happening and also stood at the railing with Scout and Miss Pauling. Medic walked down the staircase, squeezing past Pyro and Engie to sit below them. The only one unaccounted for was Sniper.
'I wonder where he is…' Lisa wondered idly to herself before turning her gaze back to Soldier.
"-THERE WILL BE BOOBY TRAPS! THERE WILL BE MINES! THIS IS A COURSE OF AGILITY, SPEED, AND RAW STRENGTH! NOT ONLY WILL YOU HAVE TO FIND YOUR WAY OUT IN ONE PIECE...I WILL BE CHASING YOU WITH A SHOTGUN!"
That got Lisa's attention.
"EXCUSE ME WHAT?!"
He whipped out a shotgun and cocked it. Lisa gulped.
"THE BATTLEFIELD IS NO PLACE FOR SISSIES. THIS IS ONLY A TASTE OF WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE NIGH EVERY DAY ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE WITH THIS TEAM! SHOULD YOU FAIL UTTERLY THEN YOU SHOULD LEAVE AT ONCE! PACK YOUR BAGS AND GO BACK TO WHATEVER AMERICAN TOWN YOU CRAWLED OUT OF...IF YOU'RE EVEN AMERICAN!"
Lisa felt lightheaded but tried to take deep calming breaths.
"I AM DOING YOU A FAVOR ROOKIE! PREPARE YOURSELF AND PRAY TO WHATEVER GOD YOU BELIEVE IN!" Soldier continued ignoring her obvious terror. "
I WILL GIVE YOU A SOLID TWO MINUTE HEAD START SINCE I AM FEELING GENEROUS TODAY! ON YOUR MARK!"
"Wait...what…"
"GET SET!"
As Lisa realized there was no way out, she faced towards the tall wall ahead of her and swallowed.
'You can do this. It's just like when you used to make home deliveries and big scary dogs would chase you. It's just like that...except that the big scary dog this time is a crazed man with a shotgun…'
"GO!" Soldier bellowed.
Lisa took off towards the fence as Soldier set a timer in his hand. Lisa used her momentum to leap and grab part of the fence. She winced feeling splinters dig into her soft exposed hands.
'Scary rabid dogs. Scary rabid dogs.' Lisa kept chanting to herself as she climbed.
She tried to avoid the rusty nails and the splinters but it was inevitable. Some caught on her clothing and cut her legs or arms. She made it to the top and threw herself over the edge, landing on her feet with a soft 'oof!'
"ONE MINUTE ROOKIE!"
'RUN. RUN. RUN.' Her mind chanted.
Lisa bolted forward and looked to see her path divide in two ways.
Left or right?
'LEFT!' Her brain screeched with urgency.
She barreled left, nearly stumbling and kept running. The path swerved and she slowed her pace a bit. Soldier had mentioned something about booby traps...what exactly…
She suddenly tripped over a wire and fell to the ground. She had no time to process the air leaving her lungs with her heavy fall as her heart leapt into her throat. She glanced up and to her left to see a load of bricks swinging at her from a makeshift pulley system. She flattened herself to the ground with a squeak. There was a solid WHOOSH as the ton of bricks swung just barely over her prone body and smashed hard into the metal fence next to her and hit it with jarring force. She breathed shakily as it swung back over her again but slower having lost momentum. She picked herself up and army crawled out from under the swinging trap. She got up on her feet still shaking as she quickly glanced at the trap. The pulley had been above her the whole time and she had been too enveloped by her fear to notice.
She quickly began to run again, more wary and observant of her surroundings just as she heard Soldier yell,
"TIMES UP, CUPCAKE! HERE I COME!"
A terrifying war cry erupted from the direction she had heard him from.
'OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD!' Her brain screeched unhelpfully as she sprinted.
Soldier's boisterous energy did help Lisa determine the direction he was coming from which was enormously helpful in avoiding him. She ducked around a few more sharp turns and looked above to see a series of ropes all intertwining.
'Another booby trap?' She wondered as she slowed to a jog.
She slowed to investigate in front of her but before she could do that, she realized she hadn't heard Soldier in a bit. Perspiration gathered on her brow as she stopped and hugged the wall closely...listening. Nothing. She turned to look at the trap in front of her. This time, it was a shotgun mounted on the top of the right wall. A wire to pull the trigger. But before that, there was something in the sand. Upon closer inspection...it was a bear trap hidden in the dirt. She would get trapped, fall and trigger the shot gun resulting in her swift and immediate demise. She cautiously stepped over the wire and around the bear trap and treaded carefully on. She kept an ear out for Soldier. It was then that she could hear the heavy footsteps of someone nearby. Directly to her right actually.
Thinking swiftly, she ducked down another path and just behind a sheet of metal moving as quietly as she could. She glanced behind her with a feeling of sinking dread...a dead end. She'd cornered herself.
The footsteps had slowed from a run and she heard Soldier's voice ring out with an annoyed edge to it,
"Very interesting strategy, cupcake. Playing it safe...and quiet. Me being the obviously bigger and stronger fighter, I can see how it would be intimidating to fight me head on."
He quickly skidded out into the opening with his shotgun in hand. He then continued moving forward confidently when she was not in his sights.
Lisa crouched low in her hiding place at the bend of a path just across from him. She tried to quiet her breath but it continued to come in soft rattles. She had to deter him from coming in this direction...but how?
"However...hiding and attacking me when I am not aware is COWARDLY!" He growled whirling in another direction.
Lisa realised he was trying to get a rise out of her in hopes of her revealing her location. What could she use to send him a different way? She glanced at the ground and saw a rock. It was large enough to fit in her palm and she picked it up quietly.
"IF I WERE A LESSER MAN PERHAPS YOU COULD CATCH ME UNAWARES! BUT I AM NOT A LESSER MAN!" Soldier continued to rant.
If she could send him back the way he came...that means she could slip by and go through the path he was currently standing in front of.
With a quick peek, she could see Soldier facing the direction she wanted to go. Straight forward from the path of the trap. She just needed him to go back the way he came so she could sprint down the way he was currently facing. Anything was better than dying cornered. She palmed the rock in her hand and sent a prayer to God as she watched Soldier begin to head down the path she wanted to go.
She reeled back her arm and threw it as hard as she could in the direction he had come from. With a solid CLANK the rock hit a wall in that direction.
With an excited and triumphant laugh, Soldier ran back in the direction he had come, shotgun at the ready. Lisa booked it around the bend and left, down the path.
She heard Soldier give an enraged scream when he realized he'd been tricked and she pushed herself faster, adrenaline pumping. She could hear his pounding footsteps somewhere behind her and she knew that trick wouldn't work again. He would quickly gain on her and catch up if she didn't think of something fast. She continued straight without turning right or left when she came to another set of diverging paths. She then turned left and hit another dead end. Cursing herself for wasting time she ran back to her original path and took a right instead. To her horror Soldier stood in front of her further down the path. He leveled his shotgun at her with a grin. Releasing a startled yelp she ducked back behind the wall but not before a few pellets settled deeply in her thigh. She screamed in pain as she ducked behind the wall and she could hear Soldier laugh. She glanced down at her thigh and dry heaved. So much blood…
"You gave it a good run, cupcake…" She could hear Soldier brag as he reloaded his shotgun heading in her direction in a casual pace, knowing she couldn't run. "In respect for your tenacity, I will kill you quickly."
She sank against the wall and onto the ground a hand going to her thigh with a low pained whimper.
"However! You didn't face me in combat once! RAN LIKE A COWARD! I AM A MAN OF MY WORD SO I WILL STILL KILL YOU QUICKLY BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN I'LL LIKE IT!"
'This is it. It's over.' Lisa thought to herself as the world became fuzzy.
'Fights aren't over until you're dead, Lisa.' Her grandfather's voice rang out in her mind.
She was taken back to a time a few years ago. Her grandfather was brushing her up on her self defense skills. With guns being outlawed, he insisted on her learning basic hand to hand combat...especially after…
Lisa shook her head...no...he was nothing but an awful memory. One better left in the past. Focus on Grampie. She remembered her grandfather sparring with her. He pulled a cheap move when she went in for a swing with her fist and she ended up with the air knocked out of her on the ground.
'That was cheap, Grampie.' Lisa groaned from the mat.
'No such thing.' Grampie rebuked offering her a hand. 'In a fight, there is no such thing as fair. For one, your opponent will never be fair. Two, you're small. They'll see you as an easy target. Use every resource available to you. Use whatever you need to be able to make an escape. Your life is your priority...who cares about fair when your life's on the line.'
She opened her eyes and realised she was probably becoming delirious from blood loss. Did he hit an artery?
No...she can't give up now. Her left hand clenched and unclenched, while her right hand red with her blood, grasped a large handful of sand and dirt from next to where she sat slumped in a near stupor.
"Don't worry, Grampie. I remember what you said." Lisa slurred deliriously.
She closed her eyes and focused on the footsteps over the loud drumming of her beating heart.
One...two...one...two...one..NOW!
On a final burst of adrenaline, Lisa gave an enraged scream and threw the handful of sand and dust at Soldier's face while she used the left hand to push the side of the barrel of the gun away from her body. With a surprised shout, Soldier fired the gun and it shot wildly. There was a split second of him throwing back his head as dirt and dust was thrown into his eyes that exposed his neck. Lisa pulled back the hand that had thrown dust and curled it into a fist. She then brought the fist up into the exposed neck of Soldier with a brutal CRACK! Soldier fell to the ground with a solid THUMP.
She had no time to process her victory as her leg gave out and she collapsed to the ground where she had been standing. She turned her blurry gaze up and saw the exit in front of her. Freedom.
She struggled back to her feet and limped passed Soldier's unconscious body...forward. That's all she was focused on. She had fought dirty...and she had made an escape from her attacker. She was proud. Delirious...but proud.
"Grampie would be proud." She muttered incoherently as she stumbled forward.
Chaos was erupting from where the other mercs were gathered. It hadn't occurred to her what she had just accomplished. She was in pure survival mode...will to live and instinct driving her forward. She could contemplate the consequences of what she had done later. For now she stumbled forwards...her leg gave out again. She collapsed to her knee with a groan and then she heard a click. Her mind went back to when Soldier had mentioned mines.
'Are you kidding m-' was the final thought she had before there was a loud explosion and everything went black.
Author's note: This was later than I wanted but my laptop has broken down for the millionth time since 2020 has started. Anyways, it's here now! Let me know what you think in the comments!