"Be careful, don't hit my hand or I'll chop your balls."
"Yeah yeah, I'll be careful. Just hold tightly."
Two identical people struggled with the tent pegs, arguing like they were at home, not in the middle of a jungle. On a branch above them, our protagonist Dev sat, quietly listening to their endless bickering.
[Dev POV]
Man, these right-haired and left-haired guys just can't shut up. I'm already missing my room.
It's been two hours since the jeep dumped us into the forest. After roaming around for the last hour, we finally found a flat surface surrounded by thick trees—perfect cover for our base. And yeah, it was my idea.
I know. I'm amazing.
Anyway, I heard footsteps—Karan and Vikram returning from scouting the area.
Soon, they reached the base.
"Hey guys, look what I caught."
Seriously, do these idiots not realize we're in a jungle? Animals can smell blood.
Vikram held up a rabbit proudly like he'd just bagged a lion. Karan, ever practical, was carrying sticks.
Why does it feel like we're on a camping trip instead of a survival mission?
Half an hour passed. Karan joined me up on the branch, and together we watched the other three bicker nonstop while eating roasted rabbit.
I jumped down. "Okay, that's enough settling down. It's time to act."
I opened my bag, pulled out the map of the jungle, and spread it out on the ground.
"Move aside, your shadow's falling on the map," I said, motioning to Vikram.
Vikram shuffled over slightly.
"Alright, listen up. The map is marked with six areas—one for each team. This pink zone here represents us, since our flag's pink." I shot a look at Vikram, who rubbed the back of his head, avoided eye contact, and started whistling.
"There are six weapons total: one sniper, two pistols, and three assault rifles. I'm taking the sniper and one pistol. The rest—divide among yourselves."
"We start with the orange team. While most teams go left or right, we'll hit them head-on from the front."
After a few more minutes of planning, we moved into position.
I climbed one of the tallest trees, unfolded the sniper, and started scouting.
The bullets weren't real. Getting hit just stunned you for a set time, depending on where the shot landed. If the total stun time reached one minute—like with a headshot—the watch counted it as a kill.
As for the flag, it was with...
"Oh wait, there's an enemy."
"Karan, 4 o'clock—three people. Green team. All with assault rifles."
I aimed carefully. I couldn't reveal my position by firing too early.
Soon, Karan reached them, and the gunfight began. I took the shot.
"Bang."
The guy behind tree cover dropped, stunned.
"Sniper!" one of them shouted, scrambling for new cover.
While he moved, I took another shot. Not gonna lie—pure luck (and maybe a bit of physics)—but I hit him too.
The last guy turned and bolted as Vikram, Left Hair, and Right Hair charged after him.
"Wait… what were their names again?"
Whatever. I followed them through the scope. The guy was running toward the swamp.
I contacted Karan.
"Karan, they're heading toward the swamp. Stop them."
Before he could respond, I heard gunshots.
I adjusted the sniper in their direction—continuous bursts were hitting the trees they were hiding behind.
"Bang. Bang. Bang."
Shots rained down on them.
"Karan! It's a trap—be careful!"
Suddenly, I heard rustling from the leaves below.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a guy aiming a gun at me, finger on the trigger.
"Bang. Bang. Bang!"
I left the sniper behind and dashed along the branch toward the trunk, but the moment I turned—bam. Another one stood there with a pistol.
He fired.
I ducked just in time—the bullet zipped past my head and slammed into the trunk.
Without hesitation, I drew my pistol and fired a full round. He rolled to the ground, but one bullet hit his arm—stunned for 5 seconds.
That was enough.
I aimed and shot him in the head. Stunned. Gone.
Then I used the trunk for cover and started firing back at the first guy.
"Bang. Bang. Bang."
He paused—probably to reload. I peeked to take advantage, but he raised a pistol and fired.
"Bang."
By pure instinct, I turned my head. The bullet grazed my ear and stunned me briefly.
I started to fall—but my body kicked in. I grabbed a hanging vine, swung down, and fired mid-air.
One bullet hit his shoulder—he froze.
Perfect.
I shot him in the head.
Done.
I climbed back up, grabbed my sniper, and started searching the bodies for clothes or gear.
"Karan. Karan. Are you alive?" I called through the Bluetooth.
"You want me dead?" came his voice.
Relief.
"I got the green flag. Are you coming back?"
"Yeah. We lost Vikram… but four of the orange team are down."
"Hmm."
I moved discreetly toward our base, making sure no one was tailing me.
I got there. Soon after, Karan, Left Hair and Right Hair showed up.
They were covered in mud up to their waists. Their playful expressions? Gone.
Me I am always serious.
Still Things are pretty heated.
"what happened at your side"
[Dev pov ends]