The Hunter Hunted - A Random Story

I held my hand tightly to my shoulder as I crouched down behind the fallen tree.

The shot had just grazed my left shoulder. My shirt was damp with the blood I was trying to hold back. It was nothing serious. I would live.

I needed to be careful now though.

The blood would light a blazing trail straight to me should they use dogs or have decent tracking skills.

My original plan would have taken my escape route via the river. That would be too dangerous now. I was safe for the moment. As the sunlight skimmed off the tops of the tall and ancient trees there were nothing but shadows down here now.

This time of year was perfect for what I do. Every year I would perform the ritual killing at sundown. It got easier for me every time despite the increasing scarcity of suitable individuals. This time I’d gotten careless. Even though I’d scouted the area before making my move I’d been spotted just after slitting my unsuspecting victim’s throat where he stood.

I’d counted three at the camp, two that had stayed as this one wandered off to find firewood. My victims are all self-selected. Anyone stupid enough to still come to these woods and go off alone, knowing this is my time, deserved to die. Maybe they thought they were better than me?

On this occasion they were right.

There was a fourth hidden in a tree. I had watched them set up camp. There had been no fourth person there. This meant that they had come prepared. They had sought me out. It made sense now.

As I’d watched my first victim slide down my body to the ground I saw the red dot on my chest wavering over my heart. I moved immediately, diving for cover, but I heard no shot apart from thud of the bullet in the tree behind me and the splintering of wood.

I ran and heard them give chase. Even when being pursued I made myself hard to follow. With the adrenaline coursing through everything was heightened and in slow motion and every move I made was borne from the care and instinct I’d built over the years of hiding and stalking.

My attackers split up, trying to outflank me, instead I attracted the attention of one and he followed me. I knew every inch of this forest and how to turn against my pursuer.

I stood over him revelling in the irony as this so-called hunter was a caught in one of his own instrument of torture. As he writhed in the bear trap which was now clamped to his leg he screamed for mercy. I had none.

He had seen me so I had to remove his ability to see. I went behind him and dislocated his shoulders. Then I moved before him again. Tears streaming down his face in pain and terror. I plunged my thumbs right into his eyeballs. As sometimes happens I get caught up in the power and thrill of it all and not content to just take his sight I claimed his life too. With a small movement I pushed my thumbs further and into his brain.

My mistakes continued though and before I had time to wipe my hands a bullet whistled passed my ear a second later I felt the pain in my shoulder. It was time to run again.

Here by the tree I stopped to gather my thoughts. Before I ran I had looked down at the body as it fell backwards. Its jacket had slipped open and there, clipped to his belt was a federal badge.

This changed things. They would not be alone. There had to be backup.

Oh well, of this course meant they were not my usual type of victim, but I’d never slaughtered this many before. I accepted the challenge.

I thought out my new plan of action. The river would wash off my scent but they were bound to have agents somewhere upstream and downstream to cut off any escape.

Improvising, I doubled back. Slowly, but steadily, I moved through the undergrowth keeping an ear out for my would-be hunters. These men must be trained for stealth and with me on the run they must be feeling confident. That meant they would probably underestimate my own skills at staying undetected.

That’s when I heard him.

Even though they were stalking me they still maintained radio contact. Stupid. Even though they kept it quiet I could easily pick it out from the natural noises within this glorious wilderness. This would be easy. I had been doing this all my life.

It all started when my father had taken me hunting with him one Fall. His aim had been to show me how Man was master over all. Then, in one unfortunate moment, he couldn’t even master his rifle and shot me point blank. In the face.

I survived, but fate obviously had a greater plan for me. Once I had healed, my father became my first victim.

It never got boring. Taking away a life is the biggest rush you could get, but this wasn’t about me. This was for a higher purpose.

Catching the attention of the radio guy was easy. I rustled a few branches and snapped a few twigs as loudly as I could. He turned and I let him get a glimpse of me before I moved away enticing him to follow. There was a brief chatter on the radio and in a few seconds the noise of a helicopter started to overpower the background hubbub, but he started after me, as I wanted. The helicopter would not get here in time to help him.

I led him towards one of my bolt holes in the forest. I crept silently into the small space under a tree root and felt around. There it was! My bow and arrow.

On the floor, I slid into a comfortable position and waited. As soon as he appeared I let fly. Bam! Right through the throat!

Radio that one in!

This left only one of the original four. I would have to be happy with what I had accomplished and live to fight another day. There was no reason to put myself at further risk.

The further I moved away from the river and back to civilisation the more chance I would now have of escaping. I had broken their lines as they tightened their grip elsewhere.

Lost in my thoughts I got careless again. Now I was caught!

I had moved into a thicket not realising a uniformed agent was already using it for cover. Had I been alert enough I would never have missed the signs. He pointed his gun at me and circled around to cover my way out. It seemed my mission had come to an end.

I shouldn’t have lost faith.

Instead, the very thing I sought to defend came to my aid. Seemingly from nowhere a grizzly bear attacked the agent. With one fierce swipe of its paw the agent’s head came flying off. His body dropped to its knees then fell forward, still holding the gun.

The bear looked me in the eye and I bowed my head in thanks. It showed no further interest and, after licking its paw, moved back out into the wild.

Since receiving my injury so long ago I had seen things so clearly. Someone had to stop the hunters from taking more precious life in the forest. With my miraculous survival from what should have been a fatal accident I realised I had been chosen to eradicate the threat of the hunter from nature. If my father had taken my life people would have treated him like a criminal and yet animals were allowed to be slaughtered indiscriminately in the name of sport.

Now every hunting season I come here for one night and get revenge for those who could not fight for themselves.

The wildlife has taught me many of its secrets so that I may return year after year to instil fear and fulfil my role as the forest’s guardian and turn the tables so that I can hunt the hunters.









Character: damp Plot: Format Resolution: Repeated