Team Fortress 2: Masks

Clouds gathered in the darkening sky, smothering the last faint rays of the sun. The day had drawn to an early close, bringing an unusual chill to the bare landscape below. Far from civilization, the harsh terrain of the desert stretched on endlessly, trees and bushes scattered across a vast expanse of yellow and brown. Hundreds of miles lay between the only populated area in this huge stretch of dust and rock and the nearest town, not to mention decent society.
Lee dwelt on this as he had for most of that evening, enjoying the last patch of sunlight left from the day. He sat with his back against the rusted wall of the weapons garage; long legs crossed and head tilted back, staring unhappily at the horizon.
It was times like this when he wished he had brought attire more comfortable than what he had been given at the training station, or at least some sort of vehicle to ride around in. He had seen a large camper van parked near the garage, neglected, shabby and well past its expiration date. He wasn't accustomed to sleeping in cramped quarters, but anything was better then having to share a room with anyone who could kill without a second thought.
It was quickly getting cold, his breath forming small clouds of mist, low dark clouds overhead heralding a rainstorm. He hardly noticed it; his body was so used to the cold. Roughing it in the wilderness could do wonders for a person's health.
He closed his eyes and lifted his head to feel the night breezes brush against his cheek. Normally, the sparse scenery of the desert brought out old feelings of loneliness and bittersweet memory. Now it just depressed him. He had too much time to think lately, leaving no place for his usual appreciation of nature.
Being a Spy was not exactly his dream job. In fact, he wouldn't be here at all if his father hadn't insisted on it. Having a jittery wreck of a son wasn't doing him any favours, the thought putting a wry smile on Lee's face. You would think the man would have grown a bit more tolerant over the years before his return home, especially after his mother's spectacular breakdown. His father's words were still bouncing around in his skull as though he had only spat them out yesterday.
"Lee, you're as tall as a post and twice as thick. You wouldn't last a day in the field."
My God, he thought, he was really onto something.
So, two long weeks later, he banished himself to the new recruit training centre. He had been given a choice between at least two teams, the Blue Base or the White Base, both at war with the enemy Red and Black Bases. The obscure war between the Reds and Blues had been going on for so long, new allies were needed. After carefully looking over his potential comrades, Lee had chosen the White Base. Dad was impressed, however bravery was not the reason he had chosen it.
Lee sighed, stretching out his arms in a wide arc. The train ride on the way out here had left him feeling so sore after he had fallen asleep on the uncomfortable seats. His face had been plastered awkwardly against the window most of the time, leaving it stinging painfully ever since he had left.
He stood and pulled on his plain white mask. He hated wearing the uncomfortable thing, even if it was part of the uniform. He straightened his tie nervously, glancing around. He had almost forgotten he was in the middle of a warzone.
A group of white buildings huddled together in the featureless terrain, surrounded by old rundown towers leaning towards each other, like some monstrous clawed hand. Lee had arrived earlier that day, taking his time walking from the train station. There was no need for him to be cautious; his cloaking device took care of that, letting him blend seamlessly into the environment. No need to worry about the Black Base's Sniper, for even they couldn't see through a Spy's disguises.
When he reached the entrance of the White Base, he had hesitated and gone around the back instead. Nervous about meeting his teammates, he had decided to stay out of sight until he could collect himself. Not being a people person and having previously spent months in isolation, being in crowds might send him into panic mode. His dad wasn't included in that group since it only happened around people.
Lee walked back around the garage, hurrying across the wide dark grounds. Everything had been tidily put away, swept clean of debris and assorted body parts, leaving only a dark stain in the sand that looked horribly like blood.
He looked up and saw bright yellow patches of light in the building's windows, his stomach tying itself in a knot at the sight. He hadn't even thought of an explanation for his avoiding everyone all day, hoping the team would just think he was scouting around for the Black Spy. Thank God that he hadn't actually run into him.

Lee had barely reached the wide front entrance of the base when it happened.
A sudden barrage of gunshots split the silence, sending tremors through his feet. The Spy nearly jumped out of his skin, throwing his arms up over his head to protect himself. Stumbling over his feet, Lee made it over the threshold, his head barely missing the half-open roller door. Fear shook his thin frame, a cacophony of ear-splitting gunshots and hoarse shouting breaking out behind him. Had they all been hiding under rocks when he was wandering around out there?! His ears throbbed with pain to the gunshots, groaning and falling clumsily to his knees, pressing on them in a fruitless effort to shut it all out.
He had been told there were always ceasefires after dark! Apparently, the Black Team wasn't under that impression.
Lee took cover further back, his hand fiercely clutching the gun at his waist, his breathing quickened, heart racing in his thin chest. He thought he'd have more time to prepare then this, but he could at least stun if he wasn't prepared to kill.
Dark shapes raced around the grounds, twisting and firing at things he couldn't see. His sense of reason told him he should be rushing out there to assist his team, but what good would that do? He could barely see, let alone hit the right target. He knew he would regret not making a trip or two to the firing range back home eventually.
He backed further down the empty corridor, raising his gun in defence. His hands shook and his throat tightened, repulsed by the very thought of pulling the trigger, terror consuming him. Oh God, were people dying out there?
An abrupt blast of intense heat enveloped him, a monstrous black thing hurtling past him, streams of fire giving him a fleeting glimpse of a mangled black mask and gigantic gloved hands.
Whatever remained of his courage crumbled into dust. Lee turned and ran wildly down the corridor with no consideration as to where he was going, as long as it was away from that black thing. The lights had been turned off across the base, shadows dancing wildly across the walls, his imagination turning every one into that of a would-be assassin.
Suddenly, he collided with something hard, knocking him backwards onto the bare floor. His hands flew to his ankle, his gun clattering to the ground and when he looked up, his heart almost stopped.
A deformed head stared back at him, twitching erratically. One eye was split apart and clouded, lips shrivelled as though fried, toothless gums blackened and burned, and a face covered with patches of skin so churned and torn it looked almost like a relief map of the Andes.
Lee opened his mouth and screamed.
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Enjoy! :)