Hunter or Hunted

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woodmanone
woodmanone
2,273 Followers

"Have you ever read a short story named 'The Most Dangerous Game'?" Sully asked. Gus nodded; Ally didn't bother to answer. "It's a story about a rich man hunting another man who was shipwrecked on the aristocrat's island. I've hunted all of the big game that the U.S., Canada and Alaska have to offer." Sully waited for a response from Gus and Ally but except for the look of hatred from Gus, he was disappointed.

"Anyway I'm bored. So after reading the story I decided to have my own 'Dangerous Game' by hunting another human. You will have the honor of being the prey."

"Why us?" Gus asked. "Of all the places and people you could go after, why us?"

"I scouted a hunting spot outside of Fremont in early August and as Van Buren is the county seat I went to the courthouse to get my deer tag. At the service station I heard you and the owner talking about him hunting on your property. He said he liked to hunt there because it was out and gone from any civilization."

Sully smiled and continued, "I did a little investigating and here we are. Your farm is 50 miles from the nearest town and the property is posted for 'no trespassing' so I thought this would be a great out of the way place to try my little experiment."

"And after the hunt, assuming you're successful?"

"I think this is a perfect area to continue our hunts," Sully answered. We will find other er...candidates and bring them here to continue our little entertainment."

"That story ends with the hunter becoming the hunted and losing the 'Game' and his life," Gus offered.

"Yes that is the way the story ends, but this is real life and that won't happen," Sully bragged.

"The story was of one man hunting another," Gus said. He motioned toward the other three men. "What about them?"

"I wanted to share the thrill of the hunt with my friends," Sully replied. "Tomorrow morning at dawn you will be given an hour's head start; then we will come after you."

"What about Ally?"

"The young lady will be the prize for the man who kills you." Sully leered at Ally. "I certainly hope I am the winner." He laughed and added, "of course if I win I'll share my trophy with my friends and I expect them to do the same for me."

Gus tensed but Sully pointed his pistol at him and Ally. "None of that now," he ordered. "You and the girl get over on couch. Joe, tie them up. Don't make it too tight; we want our prey to have feeling in his hands and feet tomorrow morning." Sully smiled again and added, "After all, we want to be sporting." The painfully thin man using a rock climber's nylon rope first secured Gus and then did the same to Ally.

"Now, I suggest you get some rest," Scully said. "The hunt begins at dawn."

"Will the prey be allowed a weapon?" Gus asked sarcastically.

"I have no intention of one of us getting hurt if you should get lucky....so no, you will be unarmed." Sully, Joe and Jenkins went through the breezeway to the bedrooms, leaving Barry to guard the prisoners.

Gus and Ally watched and talked in whispers when Barry wasn't paying attention or he went to the bathroom. They discussed plans and options and were still awake four hours later when Joe came to relieve the watch. After Barry left, Joe went to the stove, got the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. While he was occupied doing that, Gus leaned close to Ally's ear and whispered.

"No matter what, I will come back for you." Ally looked back at Gus and half way smiled.

"I know you will," she replied and leaned in closer to Gus and kissed him. "Just don't get yourself killed."

"They're not good enough to catch me so you do what you have to do to stay alive and I will come for you." Ally seemed to gain strength from Gus' words and nodded.

All too soon, Gus could see the sun beginning to rise. Sully, Joe, and Barry joined Jenkins in the kitchen. After getting coffee Sully pulled his gun and sent Joe to untie Gus. "Let him stretch his legs before we send him on his way," he ordered.

The hunters allowed Gus to take a long drink of water and pushed him toward the back door. "You'll have a one hour head start from the time we put you out the door," Sully instructed. "We won't watch where you go but in an hour we will track you down."

Gus started to say something to the big man but Sully held up his hand. "You now have 59 minutes." Gus stared at Sully for a few seconds turned and stepped out onto the back porch. Sully slammed the door behind him.

With a grim smile, Gus grabbed his bow, quiver, and hunting belt from the pegs on the outside wall. Good thing they didn't check the back wall, he thought as he left the yard at a ground covering lope. Circling, ten minutes later Gus settled behind a huge oak tree on a hill overlooking the valley and the house. The rain had stopped during the night but the low hanging dark clouds began to drop a gentle snow.

About 30 minutes after he'd been forced out of the house, Sully, Barry and Jenkins stepped out onto the back porch. Sully pointed to the path leading up the closest hill and the men started into the woods. So much for an hour head start and being sporting, Gus thought. If this snow get heavier it will be harder not to leave a trail for them to follow.

He watched as the men went over the crest of the hill and start down the other side. Gus tightened the ties on his winter weight moccasins which allowed him to move silently through the woods and waited a few minutes to make sure the men were gone. He had only seen three of the hunters. Must have left Joe behind to guard Ally, Gus thought. Slowly and carefully he made his way down the hill to the back of the house.

Gus took a very quick peek through one window and saw Joe sitting at the kitchen table. He was facing the front door with his head down as he played solitaire. Ally was still sitting on the couch, staring at Joe but she wasn't relaxed. Her hands were still tied but she dropped her feet off the couch to the floor and rushed Joe.

As Gus watched Joe picked up a pistol from the table and backhanded Ally, knocking her to the floor. He pointed the pistol at her head and yelled at her. Gus put an arrow on the string and started toward the door. He was pretty sure he could let an arrow go before Joe could get turned. As he touched the door, Gus heard one of the other men coming back down the trail yelling over his shoulder that he would get the damn binoculars.

Before Gus could enter the house a rifle bullet as it hit the back wall near his head and immediately afterward he heard the sound of the shot. Joe turned to face the sound of the shooting bringing his pistol to bear on the door. Having lost the advantage, Gus turned and sprinted into the trees near the corner of the house away from Barry who was coming down the hill. Joe came out of the house and popped off a couple of rounds in the direction of Gus's escape.

Gus knew he could have gotten one of the men but he doubted he could have taken both of them. If he broke into the door and did take Joe down, he would still have Barry and shortly the others to contend with. It would have turned into a siege with he and Ally imprisoned in the house. If he took out Barry, Joe would have had a chance to maybe shoot Gus and definitely time to hurt Ally. Even if I did get both of them we would have had to run, he thought. Ally's good, but she couldn't keep up with me and we both would have be captured. There will be another time, he swore to himself.

Sully and Jenkins came down the hill, met up with Barry and Joe who had come out onto the porch. "What happened?" Sully asked. First Joe and then Barry explained Gus' appearance back at the cabin.

"Looks like our boy's trying to be clever," Sully said. "Okay, hogtie the girl and keep alert Joe. The rest of us will continue the hunt." Pointing at the woods Gus had disappeared into, he directed Jenkins to circle around from the right, Barry was sent to the left and he took the middle.

"Stay sharp and we'll catch him between us. If you tree him shoot twice very quickly and the other two will come to you. Understand?" Jenkins and Barry nodded, turned and took back to the woods. After a minute, Sully followed directly behind Gus. Sully carried his rifle at port arms with the safety off. Best be ready, he thought. The prey will run now and try to escape.

Sully was wrong, Gus wasn't running. Again he found a place to watch his pursuers until he knew what they were doing. He saw them split up and after a few minutes he followed Jenkins' trail. Gus saw that the hunter was following a game trail thinking Gus would have used it to make speed in his escape.

Gus looped around Jenkins and got a couple of hundred yards in front of him. The snow had gotten heavier but still wasn't sticking yet; except in open areas. He stayed under the trees as much as possible to keep from leaving footprints. There was an eight foot tall, rotted out stump beside the game trail. The dead tree was hollow with just one opening into the interior. Gus pulled his hunting knife, a Buck Frontiersmen with a 6 inch blade. He stepped into the hollow stump and waited for Jenkins.

Jenkins' rifle was held in front of him, ready for to bring it to bear in case he saw his prey. He heard a rustling behind him and turned. Before he could complete the turn an arm circled his neck and pulled his head back. Jenkins felt the sharp edge of a knife touch his neck. He tried to struggle but was shaken like a rag doll.

"Be real quiet now if you want to live," Gus ordered. "Drop your rifle and kick it away." Jenkins hesitated and felt the knife lightly slide across his neck, leaving a very shallow cut that began to bleed immediately "Do as I say or I'll finish the job," Gus added. Jenkins followed orders.

Gus kicked the back of Jenkins' knee and the man dropped to the wet leaf covered ground and was pushed to his stomach. His hands were pulled one at a time behind him and Gus used a zip tie he took from his hunting pouch to secure Jenkins. He used another tie on his prisoner's feet. Gus pulled Jenkins' feet up and connected the arms and legs together with a third zip tie.

"That ought to hold you," Gus offered. He cut two long strips from the man's jacket, pushing one strip into Jenkins' mouth and using the other to tie the gag in place. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be back for you," Gus said and patted the man on the shoulder. He picked up the rifle and hid it well off the trail. Gus didn't want to use the gun because it would alert the others. He left heading east; the light breeze that had come up made more noise than the woodsman.

Barry stopped to catch his breath; the hill he had came up was steep and there were obstructions with brush and downed trees. He sat down on a log after brushing the moss off of it and took out a cigarette. As he started to light it, he felt a needle sharp point pushed against the back of his neck. Slowly turning his head he looked behind him and saw his intended prey with the point of a hunting arrow pointed at his face.

"Toss the rifle," Gus said in a soft voice. Barry did as he was told and was pushed face down onto the ground. His hands, feet and mouth were secured just as Jenkins' had been. Gus hid Barry's rifle as he'd done with the first one. "Now I'll go find your friend."

Gus heard the rifle shot and the hiss as the bullet just missed his head. He quickly turned and in one motion brought his bow up and let the huntin arrow loose. The arrow, a carbon graphite shaft with a razor sharp broad head tip, jumped from the bow and at over 200 mph; it took less than one second to cross the forty foot space to its target. The impact of the missile just below the breastbone drove Sully to his knees. Three inches of the arrow protruded from his back through his spine. Sully looked down at the shaft and looked up. He gave a mocking salute and fell over.

"No need to tie this one," Gus said. He turned and like a ghost of the woods slipped through the trees back toward the farm house.

Gus slipped onto the back porch and peeked into the window. Joe was at the table again but had his back to the side wall. He held his pistol bracing it on the table and he nervously looked at first the front door and then at the back one.

Stepping to the side of the door, Gus knocked. He saw Joe jump up and point his pistol at the back door. "Joe, its Gus Baylor. Jenkins and Barry are secured up on the ridge. Sully wasn't as lucky; he's on the ridge too but I had to kill him."

"I've got the girl Baylor; don't try anything." Joe's voice quivered and rose in pitch.

"Joe if you hurt her I will kill you; slowly," Gus responded. "Leave your pistol and come outside. I give you my word I won't hurt you."

"What are you gonna do to me?" Joe's voice was full of fear.

"I'll take you, Barry and Jenkins into the Sheriff." Gus waited for a few seconds before he spoke again. "C'mon Joe, you can't hold out forever; you've got to sleep sometime."

"So do you," Joe argued.

"That's true, but you'll never know when I sleep. All I have to do is check on you now and then."

Joe looked longingly at the front door but hesitated. If Sully and the others had been taken by this guy, I don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell, Joe thought. Making up his mind, he laid the pistol on the table, moved away and got down on the floor. Before he could call out, Gus came through the door with an arrow on the string and the bow pulled back for shooting.

Gus let the string go back to rest and picked up the pistol from the table sticking it in his waistband. He went to the pantry and got three more zip ties; he had used all he had on Jenkins and Barry. Gus put his knee in Joe's back and trussed the man up like the others. Then he went to Ally.

Using his Buck knife Gus cut the ropes holding her and helped her to sit up. "Are you okay?" He asked. Ally nodded.

Ally sat rubbing her wrists and stretching her legs to get the circulation back. "What about the others?" She asked.

"Like I told Joe, two of them are hogtied in the woods." Gus gave her a grim smile. "I had to put an arrow into Sully."

"Good. The bastard got what he deserved," Ally replied.

Gus looked closer at Ally. The left side of her face still showed the bruising from the first slap. The right side of her face was swollen, there was a small cut just at the end of her eyebrow and the ugly colors were obvious. "Let me get a cold towel for your face," Gus suggested and walked to the kitchen sink.

As he left her, Ally got to her feet and limping a little made her way to where Joe lay on the floor. Drawing back her foot, she kicked him three times. "How does that feel you little shit? Pistol whip me will you? Gonna use me for your plaything are you?" She started to kick him again but Gus put his arms around her and pulled her away.

"Settle down young lady," he said with a laugh. "I thought I was the deadly hunter."

"You are but I'm pi....really mad. All he talked about was what he and the other were going to do to me." Ally leaned into Gus' arms and asked. "What are we going to do now? We can't call the Sheriff; we don't have a landline phone, that's something you refuse to allow on the farm, and our cell phones don't get reception out here."

"We'll take the truck, go to Van Buren and tell the Sheriff what happened. Then he can follow us back and pick up the garbage." Gus grinned and added, "As far as a landline goes, it would cost a fortune to get one installed this far out and even if we could I come here to escape civilization not to bring it with me. I like having the electric power but that's about all I'll stand for. You ready?" Ally nodded. "Then let's go to town." Before they left, Gus wrapped some ice cubes in a towel so Ally could bring down the swelling on her face.

********************

"Howdy Gus, hello Ally," Sheriff Paul Bradley said. "What brings you to town? It isn't your normal day for a supply run." Seeing Ally's face for the first time he asked, "What happened to you face? You best get over to Doc Taylors."

Sheriff Bradley knew everything that went on in his town and he was upset that a young lady he considered a friend was injured. He'd been sheriff for over fifteen years. Bradley had been elected when he was twenty five and was such a favorite of the people in Van Buren that after a few years nobody ran against him in the elections.

He was the exact opposite of the stereotypical country sheriff. Bradley was three inches over six feet with a lean, trim, muscular body. His hair now had a little gray in it but his eyes were still keen and as sharp as a laser. One look into those eyes and people realized this wasn't a man to cross.

"Had some trouble out at my place," Gus answered. He explained what had happened with Ally chiming in several times. "Three of the four men are trussed up back at the farm."

"You said there were four men," Bradley said. "Where is the fourth one?"

"He shot at me and I had to put an arrow into him," Gus answered. "He's up on the ridge too."

"Sounds to me like they picked the wrong man to hunt," Bradley said. "Y'all get Ally over to the Doc's. When you're ready to go back, me and my deputy will follow you."

There was much that Doc Taylor could do for Ally. He examined her, cleaned the cut on her face and closed it with a small butterfly bandage. "It won't leave a scar, so don't worry Ally. Here's some pain pills if it gets to hurtin too bad," Taylor said. "That cold compress is about all we can do. But you're gonna look like a raccoon for a spell."

********************

Arriving back at the farm, Gus and Ally ignored Joe who was still hogtied on the living room floor. They made and ate lunch as neither had had anything to eat since their 'adventure' had begun.

"Hey, don't I get something to eat?" Joe asked in a whiney voice.

"No, you don't get something to eat. You're lucky you can still breathe," Gus replied. "Shut up until the Sheriff gets here."

After eating Gus went into the master bedroom. In the large closet was a hidden door to a gun safe that contained Gus' weapons. He cleaned and carefully unstrung his bow and put it on its holder. Gus took his personal weapon, a Glock 21, .45 caliber pistol, the holster designed for it and clipped to his belt under his rain proof jacket. He put on a wide brimmed water proof hat and started toward the back door.

"I'm going to bring Barry and Jenkins down for the Sheriff," he explained.

"I'll go with you," Ally offered.

Gus shook his head, pointed at their prisoner and handed Ally Joe's 9mm. "Keep an eye on our guest here. If Bradley gets here before I get back tell him what I'm doing and I'll have more company for him shortly."

"You be careful," Ally ordered. "I don't want anything to happen to you now." Gus pulled her in for a hug and then went out the back door.

Gus hiked up the ridge to where he'd left Jenkins. The man was lying on his side, soaking wet from the rain and snow; he was shivering from the cold. Gus cut the zip tie holding his hands and feet together and cut the one securing Jenkins' feet leaving his hands tied. Gus pulled back his coat and showed his prisoner his weapon.

"You're gonna walk down the hill in front of me," Gus said. "If you try anything or try to run, I will shoot you and leave you to rot. Understand?" Jenkins nodded yes. "Say it," Gus ordered.

"I understand," Jenkins said.

Gus turned him down the hill and the two men slowly made their way back to the farm house. Climbing onto the porch, Gus called out. "It's me Ally." He opened the door and grabbing Jenkins' arm drew him into the kitchen. "Sit down next to Joe on the floor," he said.

Jenkins awkwardly sat down and Gus went to the pantry, bring out a few more zip ties. "Stick your feet out in front of you," he said to Jenkins. The man did as he was ordered, then Gus zip tied his feet together and pushed Jenkins against the wall.

woodmanone
woodmanone
2,273 Followers