Minda The Bold (Chapter 1 Part 2) by S J Lewis

She trotted along for another twenty or thirty yards, then stopped. She could hear no more yelling. Either the skirmish had moved away from her or the combatants had all taken cover and there was a lull in the fighting. She moved behind a tree and looked and listened intently. This part of the forest had never been logged, so the trees here were very old and very tall. There was little underbrush to obscure her view, or the view of anyone out there lying in wait. She looked and listened a bit more until she caught sight of a lone figure up ahead as he darted from one tree to another. Between the drab clothes and the big yellow safety goggles that everyone wore to these games it was difficult to tell who it had been, but she'd noticed that whoever it was didn't seem to be wearing one of the red armbands that the other team was wearing. Since he'd had his back to her, she made the assumption that she was somewhere behind her team and it should be safe to move.
Then she heard a noise off to her left. It sounded like someone who was not trying to be quiet at all. Everyone on her team knew better than that. Crouching low, Minda peered around the weathered gray tree trunk. The minute she saw the long, flowing pale golden hair she knew who it was: Donna Johansen, co-captain of the cheerleading squad and the girlfriend of one of the big, loud jocks that made up the other side today. She must have gotten lost, and now was trying to find her team.She was wearing drab, loose-fitting khaki pants and a green-and-blue checked shirt that could provide a bit of camouflage. Her red armband stood out clearly against that background.
Minda shook her head. Donna was out here only because she was trying to find something she could do with her boyfriend besides partying and sex. She really didn't belong out here among the dedicated paintballers. Still, a kill was a kill, and even a rank amateur could pose a threat if she got behind somebody. She was a little too far away for a good shot. Once out of the barrel, the paint-filled thin plastic balls could literally go anywhere if the paint had settled and unbalanced the round. Minda let her quarry come closer. But when Donna began looking in her general direction she had to pull back behind the tree. Even an amateur could get in a lucky shot every once in a while. Unable to safely keep an eye on the girl now, Minda concentrated on listening. Donna's noisy steps drew closer and closer, then paused. When they began again, they were moving away. Minda straightened up and peered cautiously around the tree. Donna was no more than twenty feet off now, her back to Minda, unaware of her imminent peril. She'd stopped again, and was peering intently at the trees in front of her. Minda drew careful aim. Donna was dead meat now, but there was little glory in backshooting a complete noob. Anyway, she wanted to see the expression on Donna's angelically pretty face when the paintball hit her.
"Hey!" Minda called out cheerfully. Donna obligingly turned around and an instant later Minda's shot splattered messily against her perky, perfect, plump left tit.
"No!" Donna wailed. "Oh, dammit! That stings!" The look on her face was all that Minda could have hoped for.
"Shouldn't've gone off without your boyfriend," Minda taunted as she stepped fully into view. "Next time, stick close to him. He's a bigger target." She trotted past Donna, grinning at the other girl's dismay. Donna might have it all over most of the girls at the college when it came to looks, clothes and popularity, but none of that counted for anything out here in the woods. Here, Minda the Bold reigned, and woe betide any cheerleader who thought to challenge her on her own turf.
"Hey!" Donna called out just as Minda heard the sounds of renewed combat from somewhere ahead. She stopped with a sigh and turned to look at Donna.
"What?" Minda demanded, her hands on her hips.
"Where do I go now?" Donna asked. "I mean, which way...?"
"That direction," Minda replied, pointing.
"Are you sure?" Donna asked. She sounded dubious, as if she wouldn't put it past Minda to send her hiking into the next county.
"Yeah. I've been here lots of times," Minda answered. "I know where everything is. Anyway, if you hurry you'll catch up with one of my team. He's been shot too. He'll make sure you don't get lost."
"Oh. Okay, thanks," Donna said. She turned to go.
"Hey," Minda called out. Donna stopped and turned.
"What?" she demanded.
"You'd better push those goggles up," Minda said. "Somebody might not notice that paint splotch and take another shot at you, but we have strict rules about shooting at anyone without eye protection on."
"Oh." Donna pushed her goggles up onto her forehead. "You mean like this?"
"Yeah," Minda said, nodding. "Just like that. Better luck next time." She didn't wait to hear if Donna had any more questions. She'd already been separated from her band for too long, and they probably needed her. She moved quickly now, dodging from tree to tree and keeping an eye out for any movement. It looked as if the fight had wandered into a part of the woods where the trees were smaller and the underbrush thicker. That wasn't a good thing. Her teammates were all good shots, but close country like this canceled out that advantage. It wasn't likely that the jocks had planned on that. Minda and her team had gone up against them a number of times before, and the jocks always fought the same way, each and every one of them trying to be Rambo. Teamwork was better, which was why her team of geeks and nerds usually came out on top. It had earned them some grudging respect from the jocks.
She caught sight of two of her teammates near a blackberry bush, standing back to back for mutual protection. One of them saw her coming and started pointing his gun at her before he recognized her. He waved her in and resumed his watchful pose. Minda sprinted over to them.
"Hi, Jim, Barry," she whispered hoarsely. "I got lost. Sorry. What's the situation?"
"One or two of them got behind us somehow," Jim answered without looking at her. He was a short, stocky young man with unruly red hair, majoring in languages. "I don't think they know where they are, let alone where we are. I think we bagged all of their buddies."
"I got one of them a minute ago," Mindy said.
Barry snorted. "Where'd you get off to, Mindy?" he asked. "They tried to ambush us. They could've gotten us all but they sprang it too soon and Jason took all the hits. We fell back and ambushed them when they came after us."
"Sorry," Minda repeated. Barry always called her "Mindy" instead of "Minda". She let it pass. She was tired of correcting him. "So now what?"
"We sent a two-man team to swing out wide and get their flag," Jim said. "If they succeeded, we should know soon."
Minda nodded. None of the jocks ever wanted to stay behind to guard their flag. Some times they'd make whoever of their team who had been 'killed' first in the previous fight take that duty, but they didn't always stay put. Her team always left someone to guard their own flag. That duty rotated through their ranks, excepting always Minda. She was too valuable as a scout.
"So," Minda said, "We just wait?"
"Let's give it another five minutes," Jim replied. "If we don't see them or hear the horn by then we'll go hunting jocks."
"Fine by me," Barry agreed. "They're getting better at it, but they're still pretty easy. It's funny."
"What is?" Minda asked.
Barry grinned. "They play team sports, but once they're out in the woods they don't seem to know how to act as a team any more."
"They don't all play on the same teams," Jim pointed out. "That may have something to do with it."
Minda debated asking her teammates if either of them knew anything about a man living out here in the woods and decided against it. Jim and Barry were very bright guys, but they had very little interest in anything besides their studies and their games. She then debated telling them about her encounter with Jesse Semmes and likewise decided against that. It had been a chance meeting, however unlikely it might seem. It was a small college and a small college town, but she'd probably never see the man again. That thought bothered her, and she couldn't say why. Then the memory of how he looked and smelled came surging back into her mind, blocking out everything else for a moment. She recalled how easily he had helped her up, and how the look in his eyes had changed while they were talking.
"Mindy?" Barry asked. He looked concerned. "You okay?"
"What?" Minda shook her head. "I'm fine. Why?"
"For a minute there it looked like you were off in your own little world," Barry replied.
"Oh." Minda smiled, hoping that it looked reassuring. "It's nothing. I have a paper due soon. I was just thinking about how to make it better."
"What's it on?" Jim asked. "Maybe we can help."
The sound of an air horn split the air. Inwardly, Minda gave a sigh of relief. "C'mon," she said to her teammates. "Let's go find out who won."