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Crow could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he leaned against the wall, hidden from sight. All around him was unforgiving darkness interspersed with only the occasional dim light; he was flying blind here, and he knew it. His hand tightened instinctually on the grip of his gun, a finger ready on the trigger.
A sound from around the corner he was hiding behind alerted him to his pursuer’s presence. Freezing, Crow held his breath in anticipation, trying not to give away his location. If he was cornered here, it was all over. He risked a peek around the corner.
In the few moments he had to look, Crow spotted the faint outline of someone blocking some of the dim lights. When they noticed him, they raised something up, and Crow quickly drew back. So they were at an impasse, it seemed.
Glancing around nervously, Crow held his weapon tightly to his chest. If he could fire off a shot quickly enough, he might be able to hit them. But if his timing was off, well… Crow would be the one struck. The thought made his grip tighten slightly.
It all happened so suddenly. Crow was about to make his move when he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye, but it was already too late. Completely exposed to the attacker now right in front of him, Crow attempted to protect himself, but there was nowhere to hide. He was an easy target.
He heard the shot before he saw it. A bright flash in the dark, and then nothing. Crow slowly looked down at his chest, already knowing what he would see. Bright red glowed against the fabric of his shirt, confirming his suspicions. He had been hit.
Crow fell to his knees, clutching his chest. He dropped his weapon, hearing it clatter across the floor. His assailant was still there, watching, waiting. With a strangled choking sound, Crow swayed forward before falling on his face. He closed his eyes. The world was dark.
“Jesus, Crow, get off the fucking floor.” A voice commanded. It was quickly followed by a foot rudely digging into his side. Crow opened his eyes again, this time greeted by the brightness of a fully lit room. He rolled away from the offending foot and pushed himself up.
“Cut it out, you jerk.” He grumbled, standing once again. “And don’t swear in here, dumbass.” He dusted himself off, picking up the gun. Crow gave the plastic object a once over, not finding any scrapes or chips from when he had dropped it. That was good; the less he had to pay to replace, the better.
Jack just glared at him, crossing his arms. “The match is over. And it was god awful, just like I said it would be.” Crow glanced down at the target on his chest; it had stopped glowing red, and was not back to the same bright blue it had been when they started. He fixed Jack with a look of contempt.
“Don’t be pissy just ‘cause we found another thing you suck at. Besides, we’re not here for you.” Crow said, making his way back towards the entrance with his older brother in tow.
“I do not ‘suck’ at laser tag.” Jack declared, scowling. “It’s just that they’re too good. And there’s two of them. And they’re really small. And fast. Besides, they got you too, so it’s not like you’re any better.”
“Excuses, excuses!” Crow answered in a sing-song voice, slinging his laser gun over his shoulder. “Complain all you like, but we both know if the twins want to have their next birthday party here again, you’re still gonna show up.”
Jack blushed and looked away, annoyed. He made no attempt to deny the claim. “At least I don’t overact when I get fake shot with a toy gun. I still have some dignity.” Jack muttered, earning himself a small punch from Crow.
“Yeah, whatever.” Crow laughed. Unlike his brother, he wasn’t afraid to admit when he was having fun. And now, as they reunited with the other members of Team 5Ds at the entrance, Crow could easily say that he had had a pretty good time.