Man Hunt
Nothing like your childhood game
HORROR | ACTION
Nothing like your childhood game
“The mind of man is capable of anything — because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there after all? Joy, fear, sorrow, devotion, valor, rage — who can tell? — but truth — truth stripped of its cloak of time.” — Joseph Conrad
“So does everyone know how to play?” Kevin asks his neighborhood friends.
Some kids shout ‘Yes’, and some say ‘No’, shaking their heads.
“OK, so it’s Manhunt, so there are two teams: the Fugitives on one side and Hunters on the other. Fugitives have to get to the other side of the street without being seen by the Hunters. They win if they get their whole team over there. Hunters have to tag the Fugitives, and then you bring them to the jail, which is in the center.
“They win if they do that. Only one player at a time can guard the jail. But the other players can rescue them from jail, OK? We’ll use the entire two blocks, sound good? So you have to make it across these two blocks. Alright, we’ll pick teams.”
Kevin and Mel are fifteen and the oldest in the suburban neighborhood. They pick their teams and ten are on each.
“OK, so everyone good? You all know the rules?”
Everyone shouts in agreement.
“OK, so we’ll be Fugitives,” Kevin says. “And you guys, Hunters, and we’ll switch ’em up after the first round. Alright, let’s hide.”
Kevin stays with his team as Mel gathers his and they run off into the twilight.
“Hey, Kevin,” Darius asks, being the youngest one. His older cousin dragged him along for the night. “I have to pee.”
“Can you hold it?”
“Uh…”
“You can hold it. Come on, I need you, man.”
The summer night awakens Darius’ soul. His senses are fresh and alive. Walking down the dusty, newly paved streets, the orange street lights turn on as the night hurries in. A glow of peaceful good fun awaits him in the cool evening.
“OK, so remember: Don’t get caught. We’re the Fugitives. They’re the Hunters. Good luck!”
Running off into the darkness, they hurry to the other side of the blocks.
Darius really needs to pee but is filled with adrenaline, so he holds it miserably as he runs endlessly, sprinting into the streets of imagination.
The crickets chirp melodiously and the yellow half-moon is seen up above. He stops and hears shouting. But he desperately needs to pee. Hurrying into a little patch of woods in the center of the two blocks where the kids play, he pees near a tree. As he finishes up, he hears a crackling of twigs and quick footsteps pounding on the grassy ground.
Suddenly, he is grabbed by a man who forcefully brings him into cover behind a tree and crouches down.
The big man has bulging muscles, a heavy-duty bullet-resistant vest, and camo pants with big black tactical boots. Black streaks of face paint cover his menacing appearance. He holds an assault rifle fully loaded, with magazines in his back pouch. He uses a radio on his head to call while his hand covers Darius’ mouth. He puts a finger to his crimson lips.
“Be still.” Then radios, “This is Scorpion, over. Raven, do you read?” He waits for a signal.
“Roger. I hear ya, Scorpion. Uh… two hostiles coming your way. Over.”
“Roger that.”
He looks through his binoculars and sees two men in military garb and assault rifles aiming their weapons stealthily in the street lighting.
“I see them, Raven. Over.”
“Be advised more hostiles are coming the other way. Kids are out. Protect them, soldier. Over.”
“Copy. I found one of ’em. Over and out.” He gets out his huge blade. “Wait here, kid.”
Darius is terrified but stays put out of confusion and sheer fear.
The soldier waits for his enemies as they come close down the street.
Hurriedly, he hides behind a bush as the two enemy soldiers pass. He lunges out and cuts their throats with silent precision. Dragging their bodies, he puts them behind the bushes running back and checking his surroundings.
The coast is clear.
“OK,” he tells Darius. “Stay close and follow me.”
“Sir, is… is this a game?”
“If you want it to be.”
“What do I call you, sir?” Darius asks confused.
“Scorpion. Now, come on!” He rushes him into the forest and they bypass the other soldiers and kids.
“How many are you,” Darius asks.
“Five. And five of them. Raven, do you read?”
Scorpion waits but it’s static air.
“Raven, do you read?” But nothing comes over. “Dammit. Come on, kid.”
“Scorpion, are we the good guys,” Darius asks.
“It depends on what you mean by good. Keep moving!”
As they flee, Darius thinks the whole situation is awesome. Scorpion is a living, breathing soldier among the players, but he doesn’t realize enemy hostiles are waiting to kill anyone standing in their way. He is too young to understand this strange concept. He accepts the weird occurrence as reality.
Eventually, they come to a clearing out into the town streets.
“Dammit, we’re taking fire!” They crouch down and Scorpion sees his men being killed by a sharpshooter in the distance.
“Does anyone else see this?”
“Scorpion? This is Wolf, over.”
“Wolf, what happened? Over.”
“They’re gone, sir. Every last man, dead.”
Darius sees his friends being overtaken by the kid Hunters. They are oblivious to the real hunters in the distance away from them. One of Scorpion’s men shoots the sniper and kills the hostile.
“I’m a fugitive. Did you know that,” Darius asks excitedly.
“What’ve you done to deserve that, kid,” Scorpion asks, trying to humor him. “Good kill.”
“I don’t know, we’re just playin’.”
“Wolf, find me,” Scorpion demands. “I’ll send you my coordinates.”
But then he hears Wolf’s scream sounding like he got shot. “Dammit!”
He aims his rifle and shoots a soldier he sees come out of someone’s garage. It’s a headshot as he dies instantly. “Come on, kid!”
They come to where the jail is located. Mel guards it holding three kids already inside, as another hostile comes out of nowhere, approaching him. Mel is startled and terrified as the soldier grills him. Mel nods with respect and fear as the enemy explains the situation.
“He’s recruiting him,” Scorpion says.
“Why?” Darius is concerned.
“‘He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future’,” he says, wiping his bloody dagger.
“Scorpion, why are you hunting them?”
“Because they hunted us first. Bloodthirsty savages who kill for sport.”
Scorpion points his gun at the soldier and shoots him twice in the back as he collapses. Mel is shocked and falls to the ground covering his head.
“We hunt to destroy every last one ‘em.” The duo heads over.
“Hey, kid, don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Scorpion reassures Mel.
Mel lifts his head and sees Darius beside the intimidating man. “W-What happened? Who-”
“It doesn’t matter. What we need to do is come together and stop them. Who’s with me?”
The other three kids in jail raise their hands as they stand but are paralyzed by fear.
“OK, we need to go, now.”
Mel wipes his face, “What about the others?”
“We’ll find ’em. It’s only me left in my unit.”
“What-what about the game?”
“The game is done,” Scorpion says gravely. “This is real life, kid. Let’s go, all of you!”
Scorpion leads the kids along, rushing to a nearby garage door; the darkness protects them.
The streets are deserted. It’s as if the whole world has disappeared and only the kids and soldiers remain in a last battle for power and control. Menacing beings in pursuit of violence and woe.
He checks the corners and scans around. It’s clear.
Looking back, Scorpion sees Mel, “I need you to hold this.” He gives him a grenade.
“Pull the pin and then throw it as fast as possible in the direction when you see movement, OK? I’m gonna go over the street and check to see if they’re coming but if you see ’em: Don’t hesitate.”
He moves without Mel nodding or agreeing. He trusts him flying off to the other side of the street.
Mel looks down the street and sees two soldiers running and coming their way. Pulling the pin, he tosses it across the ground. He plays hockey, so his aim is flawless as the two see it with eyes wide mixed with awful emotions. They run but it explodes, killing one. The other one struggles on the ground clawing for his weapon. The kids glue themselves to the garage door hoping the mayhem will end.
The one soldier with a burned back and shrapnel moves towards his gun but Scorpion comes and hits his hand. Shooting a full round into his back, the soldier dies.
Mel sees and is horrified. Suddenly, the last enemy soldier comes out of the bushes right in front of the kids. Petrified, they freeze, but Mel runs as the hostile shoots.
But the man misses. Mel runs straight for Scorpion’s arms as he catches him.
“Run kid! Run far away from here!” The boy sprints off into the crazed evening.
Scorpion aims his sights at his enemy.
“Hey, you leave ’em out of this! It’s you and me left! Let’s finish this like the savages we are!”
The enemy fires as he ducks to the garage door clinging to the side as Scorpion goes off into the bushes and lands in a backyard. The enemy grabs Darius by the collar and forces him out.
“Follow me! You’re in front today, kid.”
He picks him up, his handgun at Darius’ temple and the thug shoots in front of him, trying to frighten and sift Scorpion out of hiding.
Scorpion looks through the fence, knowing the direction which he will take, and hops the fence.
Jumping right on top of him, Darius falls back and rolls across the concrete. He sees Scorpion and his foe fight hand-to-hand combat with brutal tenacity.
They kick and block with a violent and calculating style. Scorpion sees an opening and punches him. Seizing control, he gets him in a hold on the ground around his neck and he chokes him. Breaking his neck viciously, the thug dies instantly.
Rising from his victory, he slowly grabs his weapon and holds it up in the air. He winks at Darius.
“Good job, soldier. Good job.” The kids come out of the shadows as the porch light to their right shines.
The four young children look and see a woman.
“Havin’ fun out there, honey,” Darius’ Mother says, coming out of the door.
He looks back at Scorpion but he’s vanished, gone. Then he sees the other three kids with mouths wide open, staring into the abyss of the night.
His Mother puts a hand over her mouth as she approaches him, seeing the red blotch on his cheek.
“Darius, baby? What’s that on your cheek?”
Over the Tracks
Down Near the Woodsmedium.com
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