It must have been less than an hour when I hear the whistle. I have no idea which one of them it is, but I really hope she is okay and not too injured or scared, whatever happened to her. They will take care of her, and there is nothing I can do about it anyway.
My problem now is that there are three hunting parties and only two of us left. Which means it just got harder for us. Harder for me.
I start to see a couple of weaknesses in my strategy. Despite the jacket, I am getting cold. I can solve that problem by starting to move, but the vegetation is so sparse in this area that I fear the hunters can spot me from a long distance if I try. I decide my best choice is to stay put and wait, and I curl up behind the tree trunks and try to cover as much of my naked body as possible.
After what feels like hours, I hear faint screams. They caught the second one. I am not sure how many hunters are going to start having fun with her, and how many hunters are still going to search for me, but I reckon the hunters want some fun.
I haven't heard anyone getting close to me yet, no voices or footsteps, so for now, I am safe.
Even in this crazy situation, I somehow manage to doze off. How I can fall asleep while they hunt me down, I don't know, but I am known to be able to sleep anywhere, anytime. I even fell asleep between contractions when I gave birth to my two daughters. I have slept in cars and parks and public bathrooms. I have fallen asleep at parties and after parties. Sleep deprivation doesn't just feel like torture to me, it also makes me feel more vulnerable and fragile.
Luckily, nothing bad ever happened to me in those situations, but now my luck is turning.
I wake up with a jolt. They have surrounded me. There is something about their movements, circling closer, not talking but still somehow communicating that tells me they know exactly where I am. I hold my breath, still hoping for a miracle. My heart is racing, and my body wants to flee, but it is too late to run. They are too close, and I will not be able to outrun them anyway.