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The cavern fell into silence. I considered my play. First order of priority was to find the exit and avoid being shot. I slunk around a corner and ran right into Jax. He shot me immediately, and my vest lit up.

“Watch out, Red,” he said melting back into the darkness. I swore, fumbled, and shot at him but missed.

Crap.

Running in the opposite direction, I slipped and half crawled behind a rock, trying to think. I was down five points, but the exit had to be my priority. Feeling along the wall, I inched my way forward. I felt nothing. No door, no exit. I could hear shouting in the distance, a bit to my right. I took a chance and dashed to the opposite wall. A head popped up, and Mike shot me. He scored a hit on my left shoulder. I rolled right at him and shot him in the back as he made a run for it. I saw a flash of surprise on his face as he glanced over his shoulder. Perhaps he hadn’t thought I could be so accurate in nonvirtual reality.

Good for me.

I was at fifteen points. Quickly and methodically, I continued my search along the wall, feeling for a door. I glanced at my watch. Four minutes had passed, so I’d better get a move on. I crept forward and collided with someone.

I barely kept from pulling the trigger. “Wally?” I hissed.

“Angel?” He pressed a hand to his chest and lowered his gun. “You scared the crap out of me.”

I yanked him down into a crouch, keeping my voice to a whisper. “Have you seen Frankie?”

“No. Just Kira. She was the first one to shoot me. Someone else hit me, but I didn’t see who.”

I looked down at his arm. “What’s your point situation?”

He turned his wrist over and showed me his watch. He had ten points. Two more hits and he was out.

“We’ve got to hurry and find the exit,” I said.

“No kidding. Where do you think it is?”

“Hard to say.” I considered. “Most laser tag games have clearly marked exits. I hoped that maybe they kept the door but just hid the exit sign. But I have a feeling they aren’t going to make it that easy.”

“I agree.”

“So, it’s going to be hidden somehow.” I considered the possibilities. “We’re probably looking for a latch or a lever, something that will pop it open.”

“Maybe.” The strobe lights distorted his face, and it was freaking me out. “You got a plan?”

“There’s nothing in the rules that says we can’t work together, right?”

“Not that I heard.”

“Good. We’ll have a better chance if we stick tight. I’ll keep feeling along the walls for a hidden door, just in case, and you check the rocks and floor for a lever or something. Keep your eyes open for shooters and Frankie. I’m not sure she can do this on her own. But we have to hurry. Time is ticking.”

I heard Jax shout something several feet away, and Bo bellowed back. Apparently they hadn’t found the exit yet, either. I hadn’t heard a female voice yet, but it could be the girls were being quiet. Or maybe they were already out. It was hard to know.

We started moving along methodically, feeling for anything. Wally and I watched each other’s backs. Someone shot at Wally and hit him in the shoulder. I shot back, and someone’s vest lit up as they ran away. Wally was down to five points and I was back up to twenty.

“We need to get you healthy,” I said. “Let’s wait here a minute and see if you can score a hit.”

Seconds after I said that, we spotted Bo creeping around the corner. I elbowed Wally to alert him, but Wally was already poised to fire. He squeezed the trigger and scored a hit on Bo’s chest plate.

Bo started to fire back at Wally, but I shot at him. I missed but came close enough to ruin his shot. Lit up like a beacon, Bo cut his losses and moved away.

“Thanks,” Wally said. “I’m back at ten points.”

“No problem.”

We continued searching. Time was slipping past at a scary-fast rate. I patted the wall as fast as I could, trying to hurry, when my hand hit something hard and cold. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around a pole.

“Wally, I’ve found something,” I whispered. “It’s a ladder. We’ve got to go up. It’s either the exit, or there’s another level of play.”