The Paparazzi scramble

There was a beat of silence following Mackenzies declaration. The photographers all froze in place save their leader who turned around and was shocked to see the naked redhead standing in the parking lot. He hadn't really anticipated seeing a naked woman on this side of the wall. Mackenzie flinched she hadn't really thought this through. Now a man with a very high-def camera was staring right at her. Neither of them had time to say anything before the screaming started. A sudden chorus of shrieks erupted from beyond the wall—high-pitched, panicked, unmistakably human. The frozen paparazzi didn't even try to hide. Then came the scrambling, the frantic splashes of water, the slap of bare feet against sand as beachgoers bolted for cover.

"Shit, we've been made!" one of the men hissed, already yanking already hurrying down his ladder. The goggles-wearing leader whipped around back towards the beach, his face tight with frustration. He knew it was over. After all the work he had put in his plan was ruined. Mackenzie felt some satisfaction in that.

"PERVERTS! THEY'RE TAKING PICTURES! OH MY GOD!" A female voice screeched out from beyond the wall. The paparazzi scrambled down their ladders in a panicked frenzy, their expensive cameras bouncing against their chests as they stumbled over each other. The man with the night vision goggles barked orders, his voice sharp with urgency, but the chaos was already spiraling out of control. Ladders, and even a few photographers clattered to the ground, one of them falling onto the van and breaking a window. Mackenzie gasped and hid back down behind the car once again watching the pandemonium. The leader just managed to regain enough control to file his team back into the back of the van. A camera tumbled out, landing with a thud in the middle of the road, its lens cracking against the asphalt. The goggle wearing leader was the last into the van, He scowled in Mackenzie's direction. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was there. The van’s brake lights flared as its tires skidded in place for a second as the leader shut the door behind him. Then it shot forward. the screech of rubber drowning out the fading shouts from the beach.

Mackenzie smirked to herself as she rose up from behind cover. It was rare for the often-nude redhead to strike back at the perverts of the world and honestly it felt pretty good. The nudists had no idea what she had done for them, but on some level, Mackenzie assumed they were grateful.

"Call security!" A voice called from beyond the wall. "I want whoever's on the other side of that wall in cuffs!"

Mackenzie stopped breathing. The paparazzi were gone but someone was still coming over to investigate and at a bougie place like this they were going to be thorough. Mackenzie clapped her arms over her bare chest. There was no way they wouldn't find her even if she hid, and on way they'd believe she wasn't part of it.

"The queen of the perverts" they'd call her as the put her in the back of the squadcar. She'd probably make the news.

Mackenzie’s breath hitched as her eyes locked onto the lone ladder still propped against the wall—left behind in the paparazzi’s frantic retreat. The aluminum rungs gleamed under the flickering parking lot lights, swaying slightly in the breeze like an invitation. It was her only hope.

She darted forward before she could second-guess herself, her bare feet slapping against the asphalt, each step sending a jolt of cold through her soles. The ladder’s metal was icy under her palms as she gripped it, her fingers trembling. In the distance Mackenzie heard sirens. The police were on their way. She flinched but didn't stop.

One rung. Then another. The metal groaned under her weight as she finally reached the top, her fingers gripping the rough concrete edge of the wall. She peaked over and gazed into the beach. The creeping night color the ocean a dark blue a stark contrast to the golden sands of the beach itself. Directly beneath her was a long strip of hedges and a concrete walkway that seemed to travel the full length of the wall. It was quiet, extremely quiet, a stark contrast to what it was just a few minutes ago. There were a few amenities scattered around lounging chairs, cabanas, bar stands and if Mackenzie looked closely, she the slight cubature of human bodies huddled behind them. The nudists were still hiding, trying to keep themselves off camera.

"Now's my chance." Mackenzie declared. If she was quick and no one saw her, Mackenzie would be able to blend in with the members. Mackenzie’s pulse hammered in her throat as she swung one leg over the wall, then the other, her bare skin scraping against the rough concrete. She surveyed the area making absolutely sure no one was else was looking. If she was caught after jumping it was really over there would be no way off the beach except in cuffs and a trespassing charge. Not to mention the fall. There was a flower bush directly below her but was that going to break her fall. She hesitated for a second, realizing all the risks of this plan of hers, but then she saw the red and blue police lights in the corner of her eye. Time had run out.