Note: The word Mississippi is used to count out a time of about one second (ref).

ps. Congratulations in advance to those who got it right. ;)

Tiffany POV

I. Hate. Losing.

But, damn. It seems like I have no choice but to just surrender now.

Hmmm. Maybe, I can just defeat them on my own. I am pretty much better than Jessica and the rest of her team on this game, anyway. Well, it's somehow obvious enough from our first two games earlier.

Yet...

Yeah, I can still be right, but... Jessica and Yoong seemed to have their somewhat special skills elevated up to the fullest. Well, it must be because of the prizes for this final battle: bragging rights plus rights to eating the best and delicious meals for tomorrow while the losing team suffers bland and non-delicious regular food. Well, anyone will be so hyped up for those kinds of prizes, right? I should be hyped up and inspired too, yes, but...

But...

Damn hell...

Why am I teamed up with him? Really, why?

Yeah, right... It's just one day of mediocre food, anyway. I'll just let this one slip...

---

[PAINTBALL WARS FINAL BATTLE: YulTi versus YoonSic]

Team YulTi: Yuri, Tiffany, Sunny, Taeyeon, Seohyun

Team YoonSic: Yoong, Jessica, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Sunkyu

The YoonSic team has started to dominate the whole battlefield. Their team scattered all over the place and seems all their adrenaline are up to the frenzy level. So, then, our very poor team YulTi was just driven out to the farthermost corner of the battlefield, hiding behind a very big bush, which, fortunately, have not yet noticed by the other team. It was already ten minutes passed of awkward silence, though, since we started hiding here. And yes, until now we have no definite plan on how to even at least survive this battle for ten minutes more.

"So, there's no plan?" Seohyun snapped. No one answered her, though. She continued, "Like, really, no plan at all? Not even a single directive?"

Yeah, no one still answered.

She looked at me. "You're the team leader, Fany-unnie. What's our strategy?"

"Why am I the team leader?"

"Well, you're the most skillful one here. Of course, you should be the team leader!"

I sighed and shrugged, "I kinda feel tired and bored acting like the team leader. I've been nominated for the last two battles already. Maybe, one of you guys should take over."

She looked at the Zombie, "So, you'll be our team leader?"

He shrugged too, "My mind's currently not in the mood to function right now. I can no longer think of a good plan, so... anyone of you three should take over."

"How about you, Taeyeon-oppa?"

"Err-- uhmm..."

"What?"

"I don't know. I'm not really fitted to be a leader."

She sighed loudly. Then, she redirected to Sunny. "How about you, Sunny-unnie?"

Sunny answered, "Well... maybe we shouldn't appoint a team leader if no one wants to, then..."

"So, what are we gonna do now...?"

...

"Any suggestions...?"

...

"Gosh. We're all helpless..."

...

After few more minutes of awkward silence, Sunny sighed loudly then snapped, "Let's just go all out. Let's finish this battle and take a rest. There's no point in winning. The bland, tasteless food will just be for tomorrow, anyway." She suddenly went out of the bush where we're hiding and walked towards the center of the battlefield.

"She's right. Having no plan is much better, anyway, since it'll be a little bit unpredictable, right?" Seohyun uttered. "Alrighty. I'll go with her resolution. Bye guys." She also went out of our hiding place but from another side.

Taeyeon then uttered too, "She's right on the part that there's no point on winning." He sighed loudly. "I'm already used to be part of the loser team, anyway." He then went out and walked from another side as well.

And now, the two of us are left alone. The Zombie (aka Kwon Yuri) and me.

Well, yes... It was a hella another awkward moment of silence...

...

...

...

Alright. That's it. I'll just go along with Sunny's resolution too.

I decided to leave our hiding place. However, I was suddenly halted by the Zombie.

"Wait." he snapped.

"Yes?"

"What are you gonna do?"

"Hmm. I don't know... Surrender? Our teammates already have low morale now which just equates to them as already out of the game. Everything's already jeopardized too, anyway."

He looked at me with his eyebrows crossed. Then, he tapped the ground right next to him signaling me to take a seat beside him. I sighed in defeat and complied. "Now, what is it?" I asked boringly.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"Them..."

I focused on my sense of hearing. From all sides, I hear Jessica and Yoong laughing maniacally all over the place as if sounding like psychotic murderers as they hunt for our teammates. Afterwards, Sunkyu laughed like a dark lord too as he tried to shoot his Taeyeon-hyung. Well, it seemed the latter has gotten away as he has been laughing and screaming Sunkyu’s name, sounding triumphant. However, I heard him screaming Jessica and Yoong's names afterwards. Maybe, he encountered the two and they shot him in multiple instances. Yup, the duo still went on with their evil laughter.

Oh. Hyoyeon and Sooyoung are somewhat hyped up on joining Yoong and Jessica on their weird psychotic soundings. The former two have cornered Seohyun as well and somewhat 'murdered' the poor girl with paintballs.

Afterwards, Jessica and Yoong mercilessly shot so many paintballs over Sunny in the very middle of the battlefield. It was a very horrible moment. The zombie and I peeked over the scene through the bushes and gulped from the nervousness. Those two sure are a cold and heartless pairing.

Just a heads up, for the final battle, Hyoyeon had designed the middle area of the battlefield depicting like a 'Cornucopia' in the movie 'Hunger Games' whereas all the paintball pellets, both colors of the two opposing teams are placed on a man-made kiddy pool for everyone to get for reloading. That's actually the reason why Jessica and Yoong somewhat decided to settle themselves in the middle despite being really open and unsecured.

After hearing and witnessing those horrible incidents, he asked me another, "Now, do you like the view and sound of that?"

"Pfft. Of course not. I hate it."

"I damn hate it too."

"..."

"You know, Stephanie, we may have very different views but I know we have one thing in common."

We then both said, coincidentally, in unison, "I hate losing." We looked at each other straight in the eyes and smirked.

I reiterated, "I hate losing as in soooo much."

"I really damn hate losing too." he responded and nodded.

"But wait." I snapped as I narrowed my eyes. "Didn't you just lose on me and Sunkyu in the first two battles?"

He glared at me, "Yah. I'm good in this game. I'm really, really good. Those three guys can vouch for my greatness. We've been playing paintball since last year of senior high school. It's just that you and Sunkyu are somewhat having really heavy hatred against me so I'm at disadvantage. I am somehow feeling distracted for the whole day too, so--"

"And why are you distracted?"

"N-nothing. Like I said--"

"Come to think of it, you've been looking like bored throughout the first two games. Do you have a problem or something?"

"Yah, Stephanie. Stop it, okay. That's not what I am pointing out here, anyway."

"No, really. Why are you so distracted?"

"It doesn't matter why!" he accidentally shouted. Then, he immediately lowered his voice. "Look. My point is, I really, really, really, really hate losing. And like you also declared, you really hate losing too."

"So... uhhhmmm... what are you proposing then?"

He smirked, "I say, why don't we give all of them what they never expect?"

"Huh?"

"You know..."

"No." I shook my head. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Aisshh-- teamwork!"

"Oh..."

"..."

"Hmmmmmm."

"We make a great team, Stephanie. We really do. We got a great history of epic teamwork. And that's, I bet, they all have disregarded. They will never expect us commencing our teamwork again." He nodded and smiled proudly. "So, I say... let them have the illusion they're going to win. With that illusion, we're going to turn this game around."

"Hmmm. You are really smart for an undead creature, aren't you?"

He smirked mischievously again, "Of course, I am." He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the battlefield behind, "We don't need those three cowards. They're just liabilities for us, anyway."

I nodded as I looked over the battlefield too, "Right. We can beat those psychotic fools on our own."

"So, what do you say? Are we in this together?" He forwarded his fist in front of me for a bump.

I returned the gesture and smi