fandomhigh | Bringing Literature To Life--Through Violence! [Tuesday, Second Period]

"Last week we talked about the nature of humanity." Because when Cindy taught a class, it tended to get pretty thought-provoking. "Today we're going to be dealing with adrenaline, challenge, and victory." Much simpler topics, really.

"When looking at a story about hunting other people, it's pretty easy to judge things without sufficient context." Max shrugged slightly. "What I mean by that is that, for many people, there's no real way to really understand the allure of hunting people. Because many cultures don't have 'game' hunting traditions where you hunt not for food, or for safety, but because it is difficult and it challenges you. But within some cultures, hunting can be a lot like climbing a mountain: you do it because you want a challenge." Seemed like a waste of time to Max, but he had been accused of laziness before. Once or twice.

"Now I'm sure there's all sorts of theory about why people like challenges, and why they go out of their way to do difficult things, but rather than discuss any of that," which would require some sort of research, "I figured the best thing to do would be to let you experience it."

Which might have explained the wooded setting that the Danger Shop was set to. And the pile of paintball guns and protective gear that Max was standing next to.

"Today's activity is simple. You're going to gear up and hunt the most dangerous game." Max grinned. "Me."

"If you can hit me before I manage to touch you, you win." Otherwise, you lost. Simple as that.

Max's grin broadened slightly. "And, come on, how many of your teachers give you an opportunity to shoot them?"

He turned and trotted toward the trees. "You've got five minutes to gear up!" he called over his shoulder as he disappeared.

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Sam took to the high ground, which in this case meant the trees. She climbed up into the canopy, paintball gun strapped to her back, and took up a sentry position pressed up against the trunk. Sure, it cut off her field of vision a bit, but it also made her a much smaller target.

This guy was going to be way harder to catch unawares than Spencer, after all.

Max almost just found a good defensive position to hole up in, but where would be the fun in that? After all, most of his students weren't trained in tracking, so he'd probably just sit there for the entire period, and that sounded boring.

So he was moving slowly through the woods. Pausing behind cover to scan for threats before ghosting on to the next tree, bush, or whatever might block incoming paintballs.

But maybe he wasn't looking up into the trees? It was possible!

In Sam's experience, people frequently didn't look up.

Mind you, that experience was mostly indoors or in otherwise urban environments, but still.

She caught movement down on the ground and drew a bead on it with her paintball gun.

The movement immediately stopped. Almost as if nothing had ever been near those bushes at all.

Almost.

Like Sam was going to buy that. She kept her gun aimed on the spot.

Sure, she might be about to shoot a teal deer. But the little antlered bastards had it coming, anyway.

Still nothing.

The real question was: just how patient was Sam?

In most things, not that patient.

In winning a game based on violence? Well. All the rules changed, then.

She waited some more, occasionally glancing up at the rest of the area in case this was a trick.

Suddenly there was movement again. Branches rustled and something looked like it darted behind a tree.

Sam's attention snapped back to the movement.

Dammit, she couldn't get a clean shot. And shooting now would draw attention to her position.

And now there was a rustle in the bushes on the other side of Sam.

Maybe just a squirrel or something.

Sam cursed mentally. She knew she should have grabbed two weapons. She flattened back against the trunk of the tree and tried to track both movements at once.

And then, as if just to mess with her, some bushes in a third direction began to rustle.

Sam rolled her eyes. Okay, now someone was just being mean.

Admittedly, this was the sort of behavior she tended to approve of.

Now a fourth bush!

Mostly just because it was funny.

Sam huffed as quietly as she could and started doing eeny-meenie-minie-moe in her head.

Second bush it was.

Fire!

"Nice try," came an amused chuckle.

From the next tree over.

Sam spun, then dropped, swinging down from her perch to the branches below and firing back at where the voice came from.

She wasn't going down without a fight here.

Something that looked suspiciously person shaped dropped down behind the tree she was shooting at, careful to keep the trunk in the way of her paintballs.

Sam cursed and started around her tree to the other side, trying to get a new angle on him.

But then there was a rustling sound behind her!

Not that Max was there, of course, but watching her spin around earlier had been fun.

As far as Sam knew, this guy couldn't teleport. So she was betting that noise was proooooobably a woodland creature.

She'd get it later.

Awww. That was no fun.

But while he couldn't teleport, Max had plenty of other ways to cheat. And one of those was the ability to quickly, and very quietly, climb trees. So he moved up the one that was between them, aiming to get into the branches before she could spot him.

Sam had lost track of where he was, and as such, decided to get on the move herself. She, too, was pretty good at the sneaky, though not as accomplished as Max himself. She started down her tree, looking for a good spot where she could switch to one of the others without actually touching the ground.