“Dale. You have a bogie closing in at two o’clock.”

Dale turned on the jets as he rounded a corner and came across an old asphalt road that led into the distance. Bullets ricocheted behind him as he sought cover. The only thing nearby was a stack of metal canisters that stood three thick. They were rusted and the only thing missing were nuclear signs on the side, because they reminded him of an old zombie movie.

He didn’t have much time. The warning buzzes had started up again and he needed to get the hell out of here and into the next zone, but he didn’t have time to check his tablet. He only had time for a cursory glance at his watch to know he would be running.

He rushed behind the stack and then turned this attention to his pursuer. He pressed the SCAR to his shoulder and waited for Albert to chime in.

The other player showed their ass by diving around the corner of the building as he sprayed the metal barrels with bullets, and used a fallen tree for cover. Dale zeroed in on the guy and fired a couple of rounds. He laid down more suppressing fire, then spun to find out if he had any other options.

A rusted bus lay thirty feet away, but he would be out in the open to reach it.

The other player must have reloaded, because rounds plinked off metal above his head.

“Hey, man. I think I finally figured out how to unlock your harness, but you need to take care of that guy and get clear of that area first. You’ve got about sixty seconds to make that happen.”

“Fuck,” Dale muttered as he fired off two more rounds.

He ejected the magazine and slammed another one home. At the rate he was shooting, he would be out of bullets before this son of a bitch showed his head. Worse, the fallen tree next to the building was quite long. As far as Dale knew, the other guy was already creeping along its exterior with the intention of flanking his location.

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Dale moved, and his knee struck a glass bottle that rattled against a metal drum. He glanced at the object. “Oh, shit yeah.”

He laid down a hail of fire on the other man’s location, and then ducked back out of sight. He gathered up the bottle and the strip of cloth. Luckily a plastic container that reeked of gasoline had been left, making it the perfect ingredient for a Molotov cocktail. Better still, another bottle sat there waiting for him.

Dale unscrewed the top of the gallon plastic container, and recoiled as the smell hit him. He poured the fluid into the bottle, shoved the end of the cloth into the bottle and got it good and wet, then he lit the end. The flame licked up the side of the bottle as it caught the cloth. He shifted back a few feet, and then sent the bottle sailing. The glass broke upon impact and flames leapt up in a whoosh.

He rushed to the next bottle and repeated the steps, then tossed that bottle as well.

The other player screamed as he struggled to his feet. His pants burned furiously, so he batted at them as he simultaneously tried to fire at Dale and run.

“Get out of there. You’re about five seconds away from getting your ass shocked. I’ve almost got it, but won’t have the harness unlocked for another…” Albert’s voice faded and a loud screech sounded from the earpiece.

Fighting panic, pain, and the desire to simply run, Dale put the other player’s head in his sights and dropped him with one shot.

Then he turned and ran as fast as he could.

The first shock sent him to the ground. He gasped, nearly puked, and got back up. He followed his watch’s direction, and ran once again.

The next shock made him clench his teeth shut. He grunted in pain as he went flying, arms outstretched to take the brunt of impact. He was back on his feet in seconds, and on the move again. Just a hundred more yards, and he would be in the safe zone.

“Hey. Hey. I think I got it. I’m going to release you now,” Albert said, but his voice sounded scratchy and far away. Something must have happened to their connection.

A click, and then some of the pressure in the harness released.

Dale slowed down and breathed a sigh of relief, but continued to head toward the safe zone because he had to keep up appearances.

“…don’t …I’m ……fuck …problem.” Albert’s voice broke up and then a hissing filled his ear.

His earpiece crackled as Albert tried to say something, but Dale couldn’t make it out. Then Albert’s transmission went dead.