Man Hunt

Chapter Sixteen - What have you done?

I strap my dagger to the belt around my waist and zip my bag tightly shut. I am only bringing an empty water bottle – which I plan on refilling once I get the chance – and the map of the island with me. I purposely pack lightly; for obvious reasons – I will be able to move faster this way.

I glance slyly at the trio that compose the blue team alongside myself whenever I get the chance. Any one of them could be the traitor, placed here by the people that run this ‘game’. Then again, there may not be a traitor, my theory could be completely flawed and I may be pushing away the people I need at my side the most right now. Each has equally frightening outcomes.

‘’Ready to go?’’ asks Kate, sounding deflated as she sits down beside me – clearly dreading what lies ahead as much as myself.

‘’As ready as I’ll ever be considering what we’re about to do,’’ I reply.

‘’It’ll all be over soon hopefully,’’ she responds.

‘’But at what cost?’’

To this, she remains silent.

A few moments later, Aaron straps his bag onto his back and calls us over to him. I approach with Kate and Jack. The three of us stand around him awaiting orders.

‘’OK, here’s how this is going to work. Like before, we are going to attempt to sneak up on the red team and pick them off as quietly as possible. Obviously because there are only three of them it will be more noticeable if one goes missing at this stage. However I do think it’s better than storming in on them and risking losing any of our own team.’’

Nobody responds. We stay silent and I run through the possible scenarios that this day may behold. So many things can go wrong, and when mistakes mean death, it is rather serious. Aaron and I briefly make eye contact but I look away. He continues speaking.

‘’Alex and Niamh seem to have some chemistry, so ideally our target is the only other remaining member of their team.’’

‘’Should we not go for Alex?’’ questions Kate, ‘’he appears to be their leader.’’

‘’Yeah, I agree,’’ I say, partially because I actually do concur with what Kate is saying, but mainly because I want to test Aaron’s loyalty. He could very well be the traitor. Surely he would understand that targeting their leader is among the best options.

‘’I don’t think that would be wise. I agree that he needs to be eradicated, but at the right time. It’ll be easier to kill him when he has less people protecting him.’’

‘’He’s right,’’ I say before I realise what I am doing. Despite my suspicion, he is correct.

***

We exit the camp in a tight group, moving at a steady pace. Naturally, after about five minutes, we move slightly away from each other, moving at our own paces. I walk with Aaron to my right; Kate and Jack bring up the rear a few meters behind us. We move with purpose and with alertness.

‘’You alright?’’ asks Aaron as we walk in the direction of the small water source we’ve been filling our water bottles from.

‘’I’ve been thinking...’’ I begin, he watches me as we walk.

‘’About?’’

‘’The traitor, it’s all that’s on my mind,’’ I explain honestly.

‘’Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,’’ he replies, and instead of the warm feeling I know I should have now, all I feel is anger.

‘’It could be you, for all I know!’’ I utter and he smirks.

‘’Do you honestly believe that?’’ he questions.

‘’I don’t know, it’s possible.’’ I exclaim uncertainly and pick up the pace slightly.

‘’Ally,’’ he begins – calling me by that name triggers a memory somewhere in my brain, a name my family used to call me.

I look at him as he places his hand in mine.

‘’How could you think that I’d do something like that to you? After what we’ve been through together?’’

I pause momentarily and it is then I notice that Kate and Jack are silent behind us – well, Kate – and are listening to our conversation. Both myself and Aaron turn and they avert their gazes to the forest floor as we move.

‘’We’ll talk about this later,’’ I whisper and he nods slightly.

***

I lean over the small pool of water, and – like before – plunge my water bottle below the surface. It spurts bubbles up to the surface of the small pond as the air is forced from the container. It fills with water and I remove it from the pond. I pass it to Aaron and he hands me his.

Kate and Jack are watching our backs as we fill the water bottles, ensuring that if we are approached by the opposing team, we will know about it. Aaron sits on his hunkers beside me as I kneel at the edge of the water pool.

‘’Alice,’’ he begins in a whisper.

‘’Call me Ally, Ally just seems fitting,’’ I instruct, although I am not entirely sure why I prefer this nickname. He smiles slightly.

‘’Ally,’’ he corrects, ‘’I promise you, I am not a traitor. I would never do anything to hurt you. I understand how clichéd that sounds, but I really do love you and I will protect you at all costs.’’

‘’I don’t know what to believe anymore...I can’t help my suspicion. Despite what my heart feels, my head is screaming otherwise,’’ I explain.

‘’I understand,’’ he says gloomily and turns away.

I sigh and plunge the water bottle into the water. It fills slowly and for a moment, the noise of the air bubbles escaping the bottle is the only audible sound aside from our light breathing. Then suddenly, there is a scream, a gasp and a thud.

As I turn, the bottle falls from my grasp and sinks to the surface of the shallow pool. Time seems to slow down completely. I watch as the unnamed member of the red team – the girl left with Alex and Niamh – stands in front of us.

In her hands is a dagger with blood trickling from the blade. It is pointing in my direction; her arm is still outstretched from when she shoved it into her victim – a member of my team. Slowly, I move my eyes down to her feet and glance at the body crumpled in a heap, lying in the foetal position with blood seeping from a gash this girl inflicted.

I gasp aloud, as I gawk at Jack on the ground. His pupils have dilated and he stares at the sky above him. Despite the fact that has been mere seconds, all the colour has drained from his face. Kate – who obviously was the one who screamed – stares from the girl to Jack and back again.

‘’What have you done?’’ I question furiously, and time seems to snap back to normal pace.

The girl drops the knife and turns, her red hair swishing in the air behind her and she makes a break for it. My feet are momentarily planted to the ground, as are Kate’s apparently. Aaron is the first to act.

He drops the bag from over his shoulders and starts after the girl. He hurdles Jack’s body and bends down to pick up the knife used to take his life. He then sprints after the girl. I watch him disappear and then my eyes fall back on Jack. I fall to my knees beside his body, and begin to sob as the life drains from his body.