I didn’t know what the hell she was thinking.

We kept driving, eventually taking a turn and heading back into the trees. The old high school couldn’t be seen from the road anymore — its yard was overtaken by tall grass and overgrown trees. In the dusk, it looked particularly eerie with its broken windows, its chained doors halfway off their hinges. The white plaster exterior was now a dingy gray, with streaks of brown that seeped from the window frames like dried blood.

“It was abandoned back in the 70s,” Vincent explained to Jess. She was edged up on the seat next to me for a better view as the Bronco bounced along the rutted road, the asphalt buckled and cracked from years of neglect. “Attendance was too low. They locked it up and left everything behind.”

I glanced to the side, just in time to see Jess’s eyes dart away from me. I was the first one out of the vehicle as we came to a stop, shoving open the door before the car was even in park.

“Ready for a little urban exploration, fucktoy?” I said, leaving the door open so Jess could climb out behind me. We all piled out, stretching our arms and rolling the stiffness out of our shoulders.

She looked at the old building sprawled out before her, half overtaken by creeping vines. “Looks pretty creepy. Is it haunted?”

“Probably,” Jason said, and she laughed, playfully shoving his shoulder. My frown deepened even more.

“Technically, it’s private property, but no one bothers to check for trespassers,” Manson said as he opened the Bronco’s hatch and pulled out our guns, tossing one to each of us. Jess caught hers easily.

“Are we going against each other?” she said, watching as Jason and Vincent reloaded their hoppers.

“That’s right. Player versus player,” Jason said.

“We’ll spread out through the building,” Manson said. “Last man standing without paint on him wins.”

“Or woman,” Jess said, and I gave a low laugh that made her fix me with a narrow-eyed glare. “What do you think is so funny?”

“That you think you have a chance at winning,” I said, resting my gun against my shoulder. “Or that you’re playing at all. Honestly, I can’t decide which one is funnier.”

Manson was giving me a don’t start shit look, but it was too late for that. Jess marched up to me, jabbing her purple nail against my chest.

“Not only am I going to play and win,” she said viciously, “but I’m taking you out first.”

“Oooh, she’s coming for you, Lucas,” Vincent said, and Jason snickered. I glared down at the tiny woman in front of me, her gun strapped over her shoulder, her hip cocked.

“You’ll be coming for me,” I said, and her eyes flashed. “Just not in the way you think.”