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.
I have no idea about how long I slept, but from the light I am guessing it is still a couple of hours left before the game ends. Three hours at the max. I curse myself for the decision to stay put and not change my hiding place from time to time. I was naive, and now I am fucked. Literally. I cannot help it, but my dark mind sees the humor of the situation. The consequences of them finding me are exactly this: They're going to capture me, restrain me, and use me until morning.
Then there are three pairs of feet right next to me. I brace myself, trying to hide my head and face in case they start kicking me. One of them pokes at my back with his boot, then someone grabs me by my feet and drags me out of my hiding place. They lift me like a rag doll, holding me by my arms, legs, and hair, then flip me over. I get a knee in the small of my back, so hard that I lose my breath for a moment.
My eyes have already teared up from the hair pulling, but my body is still resisting. They twist my arms behind my back and fasten the handcuffs together. Then they drag me up, and someone ties a rope to my collar. I glare at the guy tying me up. For this small act of rebellion, he slaps me hard in the face before they command me to move.
I believe they initially planned to put a hood on my head, but the terrain is so steep and covered in small holes, rocks, and roots, not being able to see would make me trip and fall over too easily. Maybe this is what happened to the first woman. They do not need a second injured prey.
We walk for about 10 minutes. Further down, the terrain is grassier. The trees are bigger, and there are more of them. By a small cabin there is a meadow with a table and benches made of logs. A small stream chuckles past the campsite, where it widens into a pool perfect for splashing around on hot days. It is beautiful, the perfect spot for a Sunday picnic - if you leave out the torture and rape part.
