Lightning flashed, offering a temporary view of trees swaying in the wind. They had been away from camp for three days, with little rest and even less to eat. Commander Jun, leader of the yellow team, was a different person when playing war. The game excited him, as did the storm. He insisted on making the yellow team hunt for prisoners in the bad weather. The storm would mask their movements, he said, giving them the advantage of surprise. Twigs scratched her arms, and her stomach growled. Bayla leaned on the trunk of a dead tree that had yet to fall, and realized she was alone. She must have wandered away from her partner, another soldier with a yellow armband. Should she stay here? Thunder rippled across the sky. Spending the night in a downpour by herself would not be wise. The sound of water rushing over rocks perked her ears. A creek ran alongside her team’s site. If she could just find the creek, she could follow it back to where guards watched over the prisoners wearing red armbands.
