Posted by PK on October 04, 2001 at 17:36:30:
"One of the dangerous ones," Alanna pointed out. She explained her theory. "Most of them
are no threat. These two got a woman, they killed her, I think...." She gulped.
Sajida paid attention at last. "Who?"
Alanna described what she had seen. Sajida nodded dourly. "Poor Chloe. Still, when she gets
cooked it'll draw the others. Seen anything else?"
Alanna related her encounter with Susan and her ideas about Amanda.
"Let's hope she's right," Sajida muttered. Alanna was appalled.
"You can't mean that."
Sajida stared at her, poker faced. "What planet are you from? D'you think this is a tea party?
I've done hunts before, but not against Amanda. If she's after somebody else, that's fine by
me. You're right, the two vets were dangerous, that one's dead. The other's got his dinner.
I'm not bloody stupid, I don't want Amanda Blake after me."
Alanna had to concede the point. The probability was, with all the available quarry, Amanda
was going to get somebody sooner or later. She'd rather it wasn't one of them. Sajida was
squatting on her heels over the dead man, doing something with his clothes. "Always wanted
to try these," she muttered.
"What are you - Oh my God...."
Sajida pulled out the man's scrotum and severed it neatly. After a bit more messy work with
the knife she produced two pinkish spheroids. "Prairie oysters," she announced, grinning
brightly. She held out her palm. "Want one?"
Alanna stifled a stomach upheaval. "No thanks," she managed.
"Suit yourself." Sajida popped one in her mouth, chewed briefly and gulped. "Not bad.
Nutritious too, or so I hear. Might be better cooked, though." She put the other one in her
pack. "I'll toast it later. If there is a later." She stood up. "Better get moving, somebody may
have heard this. Watch your back," she said and slipped into the trees again like a wild thing.
"Take care," Alanna said to empty air.
Amanda was having a good time, in a laid-back unemphatic way. Group hunts were like that,
they lacked the intensity of one-on-ones. This was just a fun day out, with the pleasant
prospect of barbecued woman to come later. Somebody was almost certain to get caught
eventually, probably by Rich and Jack, and they liked whole outdoor roasts, which would
mean enough for everybody. Amanda had therefore neither a personal point to make nor any
real need to meet. It just wasn't a matter of life and death, at least not for her. She might still
make a kill, it shouldn't be too hard. A lot of the runners on this bash, as was so often the
case, were unskilled: most of the fun was in seeing how many of them she could track. She
had spotted more than half of them already, without making any real attempt to catch them.
At least three of them she was sure she could find again. It was just as much fun watching
the amateur hunters blunder about. Even the naive runners could probably stay out of their
way, they were all fit young women with a lot more at stake than the boneheads chasing
them.
A commotion in the clearing she had staked out as she stopped to eat an apple and drink
some water caught her eye. Someone was breaking cover. A young woman burst out of the
undergrowth and into the open. It was Chloe, in that silly luminous white leotard, running fast.
Behind her, two male figures emerged from cover. It was Rich and Jack, unslinging their
bows. Poor girl had no chance. Damn, she'd had half a mind to have Chloe herself. She
watched with interest as she was brought down by an arrow.
Maybe it was time she went and caught her own, she mused. Susan, perhaps. Not much of a
challenge, but tasty enough. All she had to do was get close enough and the girl would break
cover like a flushed partridge. After that, run her down or shoot her depending on the terrain.
Piece of cake. Then that juicy little bird would be hers. Her mouth watered. Come on, the girl
had even shaved it for her. Practically an open invitation. Who was she to refuse? Susie,
here I come! Can you feel it? She grinned.
Yes, that's Chloe finished, with a businesslike tap on the head. She was quickly and
efficiently stripped - Amanda noted the way her clothes were packed away with approval, she
would have blasted them later if they'd left litter - and hoisted onto Rich's shoulder. Wait,
what was that? Something, or somebody in a tree on the far side, falling? Jack had seen it.
She watched with increased interest. Well, the lucky bastards were going to bag two! She
would have to kill somebody now or she'd feel like a fool. There went Jack, into the trees, as
Rich carried on to her left, towards one of the rest areas where the barbi kits were. She
waited, listening to the sounds of a hasty pursuit for a few minutes.Then a yell of surprise,
male? Then nothing. She couldn't contain herself any longer. She moved out of cover and
went to see what had happened.
Not long afterwards, Amanda examined the scene of the struggle with interest. Well, poor old
Jack, he'd finally caught up with one that bit back. The incoming tracks clearly indicated hot
pursuit, but there was no sign of the intended quarry, who had presumably escaped unhurt,
apart from an outgoing trail. Could she have outfought him? It didn't seem possible, none of
them should have been able to do that. Besides, Jack bore no defense wounds worth
mentioning, he'd died of a slit throat, a deep and decisive cut. It looked more like a surprise
attack, somebody had got the drop on him. An ambush, two of them working together? That
didn't seem quite right either. She grinned with delight. This was getting interesting, at least
one of the snarks was a boojum. She noticed the unfastened pants and took a closer look.
Well, well. She glanced around her carefully, listening. There was a wild one out there, this
was much more like fun. She got up. Was that a second trail? She spent nearly half an hour
trying to work out which trail was which and knew in the end that whichever one she picked,
she was too far behind. She'd have to think of something else.
Beautiful job, though I say so myself, thought Richard, admiring Chloe's neatly skewered and
gleaming carcase. It had been no easy job gutting, greasing and mounting her on the spit
without help. He'd had to start the fire first to get the first burn over with, which meant getting
her up there with the bed already hot, many thanks to whoever made the spit mounting
moveable. And that lazy bastard Jack was still off looking for fresh pussy. Well, if he gets
any he can dress it on his own. Just because I brought this one down, he wants his own filet,
greedy sod. He half turned at a noise behind him.
"About bloody time, you idle...AAH!" He went for his knife.
"Don't have a heart attack," said Amanda mildly. "I'm not here to steal your meat. Nice job,
by the way." She admired Chloe's long-legged form like the connoisseur she was.
Richard shrugged, regaining his composure. "Thanks. You're welcome to share," he offered.
"I don't suppose you've seen Jack, have you?"
"Thank you, but I think I might still catch my own. We'll see. And yes, I'm afraid I have seen
Jack." She made a throat-slitting gesture. "Sorry."
Richard stared at her, disbelief and anger in his expression. "You?" He fingered the haft of
his knife again.
Amanda looked pointedly at his hand and frowned. He moved it away hastily. "No, not me.
One of the snarks is a boojum."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"One of the rabbits is a vixen? A worm has turned?" She seemed amused. "Suddenly I've run
out of metaphors."
"A runner got him? I don't believe it."
"Believe it."
"Fucking hell. Who was it, do you know? I'll...I'll..." he trailed off.
"You'll what, kill her?" Amanda mocked. "Good heavens, man, don't tell me you're actually
angry? Have you forgotten where you are? Has it escaped your attention that he was
probably running down a half-naked girl with the intention of slaughtering her?" She nodded
at the barbecue. "Just like you killed poor tasty little Chloe."
Richard shook his head. "I don't know.." It didn't seem right, somehow.
"Not that I'm blaming you for that, I might well have done for her myself. That's what a hunt is
for, it's allowed under the rules. So is fighting back. Let it go, Richard."
"Is that an order?" A trace of defiance was back.
"It's a warning. Whoever got Jack, she's really dangerous. I don't think anybody is going to
get her, unless I do."
"I didn't know you cared," Richard said drily.
"What? Oh, I don't. Jack knew the risks, or he should have. This isn't about revenge,"
Amanda reproved him archly. "That would be silly. This one is something special. My kind of
woman. I want to meet her. And if I can catch her, I'm going to eat her." She smiled fondly.
"And I'm really going to enjoy it."
Richard cut into her reverie abrasively. "IF you catch her? Don't think you can handle it?"
The needling tone got nothing from Amanda but the indulgent smile offered to an idiot pupil.
"Oh, Richard. DO try to think about it. The odds favour the quarry on a single hunt, even for
me and I'm the best. The day's half gone, the park is crisscrossed with trails and I don't even
know who she is or where. She's evaded everybody and she knows the territory now. If I find
her, I can take her, but I probably won't."
"If it's so tough, why even try?" Richard sneered.
Amanda stared at him. "You really don't get it, do you? You're just in this to eat some pussy."
"And you're not? Don't tell me you're in love?"
Amanda had to smile at that. "That's me, just an old romantic. Well, I'll give it a go. If it
doesn't work out I'll see if I can bag myself a rabbit before the time's up. If I don't, oh mighty
hunter, I'll come and beg a morsel from your excellent catch." She cast an unfeigned glance
of admiration at Chloe's cooking body.
Richard nodded, the irony wasted on him. "Okay. If you get the bitch, I'll have a piece of her.
Deal?"
"Oh, why not? You can have her left tit if it makes you feel better. Fair enough?"
"Fair enough. Good hunting."
Amanda saluted sharply. "Tally ho!" She turned on her heel and left at a run. Richard would
never admit to himself that he was relieved to see her go.
Ten minutes later she was seated on a mossy rock and deep in thought. The truth was, she
probably couldn't catch the girl. The odds were that she was one of those she hadn't seen
yet. Back to first principles. She reviewed what she knew and what she had seen. Back at the
lodge she had taken quite a fancy to the black girl with the sweet face and the gentle grey
eyes. Alanna, that was it. A first timer, she seemed intelligent but she didn't give the
impression that she was capable of the decisive, ruthless action she had seen. She had
spotted her from a distance once and had a shrewd idea where she might be. Not her. Not
one of the poor little bunnies like Susan and Chloe, who was dead anyway. She dismissed
the other rabbits she had seen, except maybe the redhead in denims, Jill. She had done it
before. Who else? Mercedes looked useful, and she hadn't see her at all since the lodge.
She didn't know anything about her, she had nothing on file but her impression was that she
could handle herself. A good possibility. What about Sajida? Back at the lodge she had been
mentally choosing her prey, a harmless little game, and had focussed on Alanna, Susan of
the beautifully bare and prominent pubis, and the naked girl, Sajida. She had been out before
and survived, but as far as she knew she hadn't killed. Amanda, eyes closed, concentrated
on visualising her. Lean physique, probably fit and quick enough to take Jack the way it had
to have been done. But she ran naked, a tactic associated with surviving by staying aware of
vulnerability. It didn't fit the pattern. Still, neither had Rachel, her opponent in one of the most
interesting hunts she'd ever had, the one she had won and lost.
Mercedes or Sajida looked like the best bets. It didn't help. She didn't know either of them
well. Try another angle: why had the killer rabbit - let's call her the vixen - taken Jack out?
To save one of the others. She must have seen Jack chasing somebody and stopped him
killing her. Either that or it was a setup, a stinger game. One playing decoy, the other in
ambush. Amanda was fairly sure Mercedes didn't know Sajida. Not sure enough.
Try again. The fall from the tree was a genuine accident. The quarry was not badly hurt. Jack
chased her down and caught her, the lurker, the vixen, was there by coincidence and saved
her. Amanda visualised it, tying in all the tracking evidence she had seen. Nothing jarred, it
worked.
She stood up. She would have to go back to the scene and look for clues. If one of the
participants was a rabbit, she might still be in the area, lying low. She set off at an easy run.
Something was nagging at her memory. Who else might have been in that area? The image
of Alanna kept coming back to her. She tried to dismiss it, she was biased because of her
attraction for the girl, but her intuition held on to it. She remembered tracking Rachel by
smell or some shamanistic sense and went with it. Nothing rational was going to work.
Mercedes McGregor, woman of mystery, was sitting comfortably in a tree eating one of her
fruit and nut ration bars and listening to the birds. She had no idea that Amanda was thinking
of her. She decided to risk a cigarette.
Susan was taking a breather lying down in some long grass. The sun was hot and she was
sweating just nicely. Nobody had come near her for ages and she was beginning to think that
Alanna had been right. Amanda wasn't after her, she was going to make it. Her hand slipped
down between her legs. She knew it would be stupid and dangerous to masturbate, it would
distract her if anyone was stalking her. Stalking her to eat her. Her hand slipped further down.
Eat her... she shuddered deliciously and spread her legs.
Sophie was miserable. She had narrowly escaped the clumsy efforts of one of the hunters by
running like hell, and she was fairly sure she had lost him.She had no idea where Alanna
was. Her self-esteem was in shreds. If they both got out of this alive, she would apologise.
This had been a lousy idea.
Alanna was feeling cautiously optimistic. Sajida, who had vanished as quickly as she had
appeared, had killed one of the hunters. She couldn't regret it. One of the others had
probably gone to cook his catch. Poor Chloe. It was pointless to dwell on that, Sajida was
right. Amanda must have caught somebody by now. She suppressed the twinge of guilt over
the thought. All she had to do was keep out of sight of the lesser hunters and she was
through. It couldn't be too much longer now. She took a sip from her water bottle. She
suddenly felt hungry. There was an aroma of cooking meat in the air. With a start, she
realised what it must be.
"Hello," said Amanda. She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, standing still barely ten
yards away. Alanna's hand flew to her knife. Her heart was pounding.