Posted by PK on October 05, 2001 at 17:25:59:
"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.
"What do you want?" snapped Alanna. Her voice sounded hoarse.
"Why, you of course," Amanda replied pleasantly. She made a general gesture indication the
woods, themselves, the whole situation. "You know? I'm sure you've got the gist of it by now.
Are you going to fight or surrender?"
She hasn't even drawn a weapon yet, Alanna noticed. She doesn't think I have a chance.
She's probably right. "Fight," she rasped.
"That's the spirit," said Amanda. "Before we start, one question?" Alanna nodded wordlessly.
"Who killed Jack? That's the hunter who got his throat slit, in case you wondered. Chasing
you, I believe."
Alanna thought quickly. "I did. Why, are you here to avenge him? Old pal of yours? Tough."
Amanda laughed. "No, and not really. I just wanted to congratulate whoever did it. In person."
I'll bet she does. "And then what? Eat her, right?" Alanna had a shrewd idea of what Amanda
liked to do with people she took a fancy to.
Amanda smiled wryly and shook her head in mock reproof. "Heaven forfend, how can you
say such a thing? So, who was it, really?"
Alanna noticed that the huntress hadn't actually contradicted her. Some code of honour? She
could try to trick her but she didn't like to lie directly. Well, I've been known to, for a good
cause, she thought. "I told you, it was me."
Amanda shook her head again. "Sorry, I don't believe you." she said mildly. "You're
protecting someone."
Alanna shrugged. She could only get killed once. Would Amanda torture her? Somehow, she
thought not. "Think what you like. He thought I was helpless, he got careless, tough shit, it
happens. It could happen to you."
Amanda nodded gravely as if a profound point had been made. "So it could. So I won't ask
how you cut a man's throat without getting your doeskin halter soaked in blood. I really don't
have time to wait while you make something up. Shall we dance?"
Alanna nodded and crouched in what she felt would pass for a fighting stance. Amanda
stepped forward, hands open and slightly spread. Without undue fuss, she evaded or
deflected Alanna's attempts to stab her until she got a grip on her wrist and twisted the knife
away. Easily fending off the girl's furious attempts to kick her and ducking or ignoring the
punches she threw with her free left hand, Amanda soon had her in an armlock and forced
her to the ground. Holding her down with a knee in the back, she secured her wrists behind
her with a slim leather tie she pulled from a hip pouch. It took hardly longer than it takes to
tell. She flipped Alanna over onto her back.
"While we're down here, I might as well shave you," Amanda said, pulling off her pack and
extracting a small shaving kit. "Scissors and rechargeable electric shaver. Not very
backwoods authentic, I'm afraid. Are you going to keep still?"
"Or I suppose you'll hang me up by my ankles? Might as well." Alanna parted her legs and
raised her knees slightly.
"Plenty to work with down here," Amanda noted chattily as she clipped off Alanna's thick
bush. Her touch was firm but gentle.
"That's because I'm a fuzzy wuzzy," Alanna replied. "It comes with the territory." She felt
light-headed. She was perfectly well aware that Amanda was preparing her as food but it all
seemed distanced from her. In the same casual way she might chat at the hairdressers'
she went on, "Am I going to be spitted?"
Amanda frowned. "Sore point, that. Normally I like to keep my catches for myself. Cook a
few choice bits on a small campfire right away - and not burned to a cinder, I might add - and
save the rest for later...." she shrugged.
Alanna could guess what one of the choice bits was. An intimate little dinner for one. "But?
Oh, I see. It's a group thing. They'll expect you to share me out." She actually felt herself
sympathising with Amanda's problem, she hated pushy, unwelcome guests. Was she nuts or
was this some sort of Stockholm syndrome? Was she trying to save herself by establishing a
rapport with her captor? She didn't think for one moment that it would work, she suspected
that Amanda would be pleasant and polite to her right up to the moment she slit her throat or
skewered her and put her over the fire. She was perfectly capable of coming to like her prey
and eating her anyway. Knowing that didn't change anything.
"Exactly," said Amanda, nodding in appreciation of her victim's understanding. She had
finished with the clippers and was now using a small electric shaver. The buzzing sensation
was quite pleasant. "Look, if you're worried about being spitted and cooked alive, don't be. If
it comes to that, I'll make sure you're killed cleanly first. If that's what you want, of course,"
she added courteously. "You never know what people will like."
"Thanks very much," said Alanna. She actually relaxed and enjoyed the gentle vibratory
massage. Was the huntress also a hypnotist or was she just in denial? She pushed the
thought away until all too soon Amanda said "All done."
"What happens now?" she asked, tensing up again.
Amanda sighed ruefully. "I suppose I'll have to share you, it's only fair. Rich offered me some
of his...." She shrugged. "Do you want me to kill you here and carry you, or would you prefer
to walk?"
Alanna was in no hurry. "A walk might do me good," she said lightly. "Might as well meet the
guests, have a chat, you know?" She sat up awkwardly, hands bound behind her, and
Amanda took her upper arm to help her stand. Her face was blank, as if distracted, as if...
Something hit Amanda from behind. Alanna fell back, catching a sight of Amanda ducking as
someone behind her threw a slim brown arm, clutching a wicked knife, around her neck. One
more second and the backstroke would cut her throat. Sajida fell forward as Amanda rolled
and she lost her grip. Alanna tried to prop herself up on her elbows as the two women
struggled on the ground. Sajida fought like a wildcat, writhing, kicking and trying to bite. She
was tough and a natural fighter, but Amanda was better skilled and far stronger. She rode it
out, keeping her attacker's knife hand away until she disabled it with a thumb on the inside of
her elbow. After that it didn't take long before Sajida was pinned face down.
"Nice of you to drop in," Amanda said. "I don't suppose you'd like to come quietly?"
"Go fuck yourself," Sajida spat.
Amanda found her carotid and put her to sleep. Rising to a crouch, she produced more
leather ties and bound her latest catch at the wrists and ankles. "Suspicions confirmed," she
said cheerily. "The vixen. She killed Jack, didn't she?" She removed Sajida's sandals and
rolled her face up. Sajida's head lolled to the side.
Alanna didn't answer. Naked and tied, Sajida didn't look like a ferocious creature of the wild
any more, she looked small and young and pathetically helpless. Alanna's eyes teared.
"Don't," she said
Amanda turned to her, a smile of polite enquiry on her face. "Don't?"
"Don't kill her."
"Why not?" Amanda wondered. She seemed patiently curious.
"It's not fair," said Alanna, feeling hopeless. "She was only trying to help me. You'd never
have caught her otherwise." Amanda's eyebrows rose. "That's it, isn't it?" Alanna went on
recklessly. "Most of us are no match for you, no fun. You could have caught Susan the first
time you saw her couldn't you?"
Amanda gave her a wry smile and a nod. The girl had her dead to rights. "Go on."
"I don't suppose any of us could have got away from you if you'd chosen us. At any rate, you
should have caught somebody by now. Susan was right, you could afford to take your time,
pick and choose. I'm betting this started when you guessed what happened to that hunter?"
Here she was fishing but Amanda nodded again. "Right. Then you got interested. You
probably guessed it was Sajida, or at least somebody worth playing with. You caught me and
used me as bait. How am I doing?"
"Not badly," Amanda allowed, "But you underestimate your own appeal. I'd picked you out for
my dinner back at the lodge. I'm still going to roast you." She made a conceding gesture.
"The rest is true. I hoped Sajida, or whoever, would come after you. It worked. So why
shouldn't I have her too?" She stared at Alanna intently.
Alanna gazed back without flinching. Dark grey eyes met luminous green and held their own.
"I'll die cursing you," she said. Amanda quirked an eyebrow again. "Oh, shit, I don't know. It's
just so bloody piggish." She shook her head in disgust. "Haven't enough people died? You've
got me. You've got all you need to eat. You've proved you could catch Sajida. Can't you just
be big about this for once? Let her go, please. Please."
Amanda looked pensive for a moment then shook her head. "I'm impressed, but I'm not
convinced. My current plan is to take you to the party and keep Sajida for myself, but I don't
mind improvising. You've got my attention for the next five minutes. You'll have to come up
with something better."
Sophie was, oddly enough, feeling much better now she'd been caught. The hunter she
thought she'd evaded had trapped her while she was wandering around aimlessly and feeling
guilty and disconsolate. She'd given in without a fight. He had wanted to fuck her and she
had agreed to it, they'd done it in a nice bed of long summer grass. She hadn't had to
undress, her loins were already exposed by the costume. To her own surprise, she had
enjoyed it. The man who had caught her rolled off and lay on his back by her side. She
wondered when he'd get round to killing her. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit two and
offered her one. She took it and inhaled deeply, looking up at the sky.
"Do you think we could have dinner together some time?" he asked, after a few minutes of
companionable silence.
A date? How thoughtful. "Sounds nice," she heard herself saying. "Where?"
"I think they've caught somebody," he went on. "Want to come with me?"
Sophie thought about it. Would it be Alanna? She could smell the barbecue from here. It all
seemed very dreamy and pleasant in the afterglow. What would she be, his date or the
second course? She hardly cared, she just wanted to know. She wanted it all resolved.
"Sounds good to me," she said. "Sorry, I don't have a party dress."
"A hunt," Alanna improvised. "Just you and me. Now or any time you like, any terms.
Tomorrow, next weekend, whenever. I'll sign a contract for it if you like. I'm sure you've got
something to cover it at the lodge. Get me there while the hunt's on and I'll have to sign it or
you can still kill us both."
"Let me get this straight," Amanda said quizzically. "You want me to trade two certain kills for
a chance to catch you again? I must be missing something. It doesn't sound like much of a
deal for me."
Alanna pounced. "I didn't think you were in it for trade," she said, letting disdain creep into
her voice. "I thought you liked a good hunt. Not this farce, with everybody blundering about
and falling over each other. Hunt me, alone, and you get me to yourself if you can catch me.
I'll know the territiory next time, I'll give you a good run." She warmed to the theme. She
could tell Amanda was intrigued or she wouldn't still be talking. "What's the problem, don't
think you can do it again? Scared? Okay, you were right, Sajida killed Jack, but I would have
fought if she hadn't. I'll fight you too, and I'll kill you if I can, don't think I won't."
Amanda smiled, her eyes twinkling with suppressed laughter. "I don't doubt it. I still see one
tiny little flaw in your proposal. What's to stop me keeping Sajida and offering you the same
deal? A second chance against the inevitable."
She was just testing, Alanna guessed. The answer was obvious, if she was committed
enough. "No deal. I won't play. Kill her while she's helpless and you'll have to kill me before
the time's up, or let me go. You won't have me all to yourself." She cocked a hip and
contrived a flirtacious smirk.
Amanda laughed aloud. "I thought you might be fun," she said, "but this is priceless. That is
the most outrageous offer I've ever had."
"You''ll take it, then?"
Amanda sobered. "I can fit you in next Saturday. You do realise this is extra time, not a
reprieve? I intend to have you, and I will."
Alanna shrugged. "I expect you will, but I'll fight for it anyway because there's always a
chance, and that's why it will be fun for you." Amanda was hooked, she knew it.
"How will you keep your nerve through the week?"
Alanna nodded downward. "Keep myself shaved to remind me I'm on borrowed time. As long
as I don't start counting on living past next weekend I'll be fine."
Amanda eyes widened, perhaps in surprised respect, and nodded approval. She held out a
hand, then remembered and pulled out her knife, reached behind Alanna and cut her loose.
The she offered her hand again. "Deal," she said, then she frowned. "Still one little problem. I
can't go to the party empty handed." She brightened. "Well, there's still time. I may be gone a
while, look after Sajida, okay?" She picked up her bow. "Don't run away, will you? I'm sure I
can trust you but if you do..."
"I know." Alanna was under no illusions. She had a shrewd idea what sort of party supplies
the huntress was looking for. She had no doubt either that if she wasn't here when she got
back, she'd kill Sajida. And I don't think I can run very far carrying her, she thought. She sat
down beside the girl's unconscious form to wait.
Amanda couldn't believe it. It had taken her hardly more than a quarter of an hour to find her.
The girl was actually asleep, sprawled on her back in the grass, legs invitingly apart, one
hand in her crotch. Amanda could guess why. She picked a grass stalk and tickled her nose
until she sneezed. "Wake up, little Susie," she called brightly. "Party time!"
Susan sat up with a start. "What the f... oh, shit, Amanda". The huntress was smiling at her.
She rubbed her eyes. A grass stalk tickled her between the legs and her knees came up
reflexively. "Party?" she mumbled.
"Party," Amanda confirmed. "That's the good news. The bad news is...care to guess?"
Susan didn't have to try very hard. "Oh, shit," she said again. "I'm fucked." She really had
thought she might get through this one.
"Later, if you're so inclined and we have time," said Amanda briskly. "Right now we have to
meet a couple of friends. Hands in front, please, crossed at the wrist. Good girl." She tied
Susan's meekly offered hands with dispatch and helped her to her feet. "Upsy-daisy. Sorry
about this, but it looks like turning into an all-day barbecue bash - you know how those are -
and we've only got one girl so far. So you see, you're needed, it wouldn't be quite so much
fun without you. Don't worry, I'll get you a beer first. Only fair." She ran a finger over Susan's
nipples under the sheer fabric of her top, causing them to come erect, them she swiped a
finger between the girl's legs and licked it. "Yummy. We're all going to enjoy you, but
especially me..." Susan moaned, not entirely from fear. Amanda attached a leather leash to
the bond round her wrists.
Yes, this was really happening at last, she realised as she followed the huntress out of the
meadow into the trees. She'd fantasised about it all her adult life and she'd finally pushed it
too far. She was going to be eaten for real. She'd known it would happen one day, but
still...she shook her head. Amanda was leading her by a leash, like a heifer to the
slaughterhouse. She didn't need to ask who would get her prime cut.
"Amanda?" She asked nervously.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Am I going be spitted alive?" She was trembling all over.
Amanda grinned back at her. "For you, dear, delicious girl, I'll make sure of it. Your wish is
my command"
"Ohhhh...." Susan almost stumbled. It wasn't easy walking through a rising orgasm.
Sophie, coming a little more to her senses, was beginning to wonder if this was really a good
idea. She asked herself how she had agreed to come half-naked to a hunters' barbecue party
when she was still legitimate prey and she didn't have a good answer. Michael's "It will be
okay." didn't seem much of a guarantee. As they entered the clearing she saw several people
- all men, it seemed - gathered loosely around a barbecue pit where the prize roast was quite
unmistakeably a woman. Most of them had beers. She wondered who it had been. One of the
men saw them and came to greet them.