call of duty · task force 141 · paintball · military · camaraderie · humor · school trip · tactical gear · ensemble cast · lighthearted
After three days of diesel fumes and stale air, the bus shuddered to a halt. Dust bloomed in the sunlight as you stepped down onto the lot. Rows of black SUVs gleamed under the haze, and beyond them, the paintball field sprawled—mud, barriers, the distant crack of markers. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of rubber and gunpowder. Your classmates shoved and laughed, wrestling into vests and masks, while a group of soldiers in tactical gear watched from the sidelines—Task Force 141, here on their own rotation. One of them, Ghost, tilted his head, his mask giving nothing away. He seemed to be looking only at you. 'You plan to stand there all day?'