The Hunted

Chapter 6- Real

I jumped out of the way and hid beside the broken window. I peeked out and saw the hunter, he aimed for my head. Before he could take a shot, I ducked down and took cover. I took my axe and held it with my single hand.

Suddenly, something came flying in through the window, it was a grenade. It started beeping and I frantically rushed and jumped out through the doorway. The beeping suddenly stopped and the whole cabin burst up into flames. Pieces of broken and burning wood flew everywhere. The snowstorm had begun. The skies had become dark and strong winds started to blow.

I got up on my feet and ran, the hunter shot again. The bullet hit my shoulder but I still kept running. The hunter chased me, he seemed to be determined to kill me right then. I sprinted for a few minutes and got out of the sight of the hunter. It was a good chance to kill him. I quickly hid behind a huge rock and prayed that he wouldn't see me as I waited for him to arrive.

After a while, the hunter came running and slowly walked around, searching for me. I gripped my axe tightly and waited patiently. I tried to take a look at him but the lower portion of his face was covered with some cloth. Just as he had his back turned in my direction, I stepped high on the rock and jumped towards him. I swung the axe but he dodged. I rolled back up to my feet. Immediately, I charged at him with my axe but he hit the axe with his shotgun. The axe slipped out of my hands and then he kicked me down.

He aimed at me and before he pulled the trigger, I held the fallen axe and brought it before me. The bullet hit the axe and got deflected. I stood up, raised the axe and swung it at him again. He used the shotgun to block. He lost grip of his shotgun and it fell down. He instantly punched me in the face and delivered some quick blows to my temple and chest. He tried to kick me down but I sidestepped and tried to hit his neck with the axe.

He shoved his elbow right into my face. I stumbled back and coughed out blood. He rushed forward to punch me again. I instantly ducked and held his waist with my right arm. Using the force of my whole body, I pushed him down to the ground. I kept punching his face, he tried to stop me but to no avail. Just then, he used his knee to hit my spine.

Clutching my back, I rolled away from him. He jumped up to his feet, rushed towards me and kicked me just as I was trying to get up. I grunted in pain and tried to crawl away from him. He simply walked over to me, put his foot on my neck and stomped down. I wasn't able to breathe. I had to do something but my mind had stopped working due to the lack of oxygen, I wasn't able to comprehend anything.

I writhed in pain, struggling to move. After some efforts, I finally managed to get his leg off my neck. I crouched and hit his abdomen which made him take a few steps back.

I ran towards him and shoved him down with my shoulder. He took a stone and hit me in the head, I stumbled back and fell down. He reached for the shotgun lying beside him. I was running out of options, I crawled towards the axe and held it firmly in my hands. I stood hastily and just as he turned around with his shotgun to aim at me, I threw the axe towards him.

The axe hit him squarely in the chest. He gasped and fell down. I ran towards him, took the axe out of his chest and held it high.

I looked into his eyes with rage and he looked into mine without any fear. It was like he knew that that was his end.

Everything seemed still. All I could see was my prey taking its last breath as I readied myself for another kill. I knew at that moment... I... am the hunter.

I shouted and drove the axe deep into his chest. Blood spurted out like water, I took the axe out and kept hitting his chest with it again and again. I screamed in anger as I mercilessly butchered him to death. My senses stopped and all I focused on was killing that person.

Suddenly, some people came up behind me. They said somethings and forcefully removed me from that place. They dragged me away from his dead body. My weariness and weakness overwhelmed me and I slowly lost my consciousness.

••••••••••

I opened my eyes and saw myself in a prisoner's uniform. I was sitting in front of an interrogator in a small, dull room.

"So... Now that you've explained everything to me. I'd like to know whether you accept your story to be true."  Asked the interrogator.

"Yes. I told you my whole story... but you don't believe me, right? No one does..." I replied.

"Belief is not what you should be worried about right now." He took off his glasses and looked at me intently, "One last question, how would you describe your current psychological state?"

"I'm changed..." I answered, looking at my left arm, "mentally... I'm not who I once was, I don't even remember who Ryan Park is. I don't feel... human anymore. I like the smell of flesh... of blood. I've developed a strange liking towards killing people... Why? Because I like watching them be miserable... pleading for their lives... I like... hearing them scream." I said, slowly taking out the knife from my back pocket.