I’ve managed to find somewhere safe to hide while I post this, but again I can’t stay here for long. I’ll try to do this as quickly as I can.
So last time I posted, I’d just met another Hider, Jenny, and we’d agreed to team up. As we made our way out of that shop and back into the teeming masses outside, we tried our best to blend in. We walked close together, acting like close friends to try and avoid suspicion.
“So what are you going to do if you win the money?” She asked me, curiously. Truth be told, I hadn’t got an exact idea of what I would do with the money if I won. I knew it would be great to have that amount of money, but there was nothing specific that I could put my finger on.
“You know, I’m not too sure, to be honest. I’ll probably just buy myself a new house and a PlayStation and never work again. To be honest I mainly joined as I thought a massive game of hide and seek would be fun, god knows I was wrong” I said, my voice dropped as I thought about the Hunter again.
Jenny let out a laugh. “Wow, you’re thinking small scale. If I win, I’m going to use the money to finally move out of my parent’s house. I love them both but god knows I need my own space. I might even get a city apartment or something, and try to start my own business. The world would be my oyster” She said, a faraway look overtaking her. I felt for her, she was just a young adult wanting to make a new start in life. I felt a pang of guilt, knowing that I’d considered abandoning her for a larger share of the prize.
We continued to walk and talk like this for about an hour or so. I would scan around for Hunters, keeping my eyes locked onto the faces of passers-by, Jenny would do the same, pretending to look in shop windows while using the reflections in the glass to screen nearby shoppers. I’m not going to lie, it felt good not to be on my own, I was really enjoying our little partnership. We were a team, and for the first time since that car crash, I really felt like things were starting to look up and that we could genuinely do this.
After a few more loops around the mall, we were both starving. Deciding to get something to eat. There was no sense in not eating just because we were hiding, we’d be weak and easy pickings. In fact, it would add to our cover, what with how busy it would be. Just two normal friends getting dinner together, I argued. I could tell from Jenny’s expression that she thought it was a great idea, even if she did seem slightly apprehensive about the Hunters.
As casually as we could, we made our way to the food court, all the while keeping up the facade of being regular shoppers. The smells of pizza and burgers filled my nostrils, causing my stomach to gurgle loudly. Practically salivating at this point, I told Jenny we needed to pick up the pace before I passed out. From the lack of protest from her, she must have been in the same position.
Passing several people as we entered the courtyard that was the food court, we didn’t see any signs of Hunters. We’d actually only had one close call all afternoon when Jenny panicked, thinking that she’d spotted one in a queue in a candle shop. We both made a speedy getaway, frantically checking back in the opposite direction, but after checking through the email again she realised she’d made a mistake. Unless the Hunter had somehow grown a beard in the last few hours, it wasn’t anything to worry about.
“So then, what are you feeling?” I asked her, I was too hungry to decide, everything looked delicious, so I hoped she had something particular in mind. “Erm….Pizza maybe?” she floated, as her eyes locked on a deep pan pizza stand. “Good choice!” I exclaimed.
We each ordered a large pizza, meat lovers for me, pepperoni and peppers for her. Making our way over to the seating area to eat, the delicious smell of molten cheese began filling our nostrils. We were ravenous, and as I devoured the first heavenly slice of that pizza I felt my stomach grumble thankfully.
We had sat down, pizza slices in hand, when I decided to do one last scan of the area. As my eyes moved from person to person, I’d nearly completed my sweep when I saw something that made me drop the slice of pizza I was holding.
Another Hunter was sitting at the other end of the food court. I’d not seen him on the way in, he’d been obscured by one of the central pillars. He’d obviously had the same idea about refuelling as us. Kicking myself for being so careless, I was thankful that the Hunter was equally as unaware of his surroundings. He was focused on the large burger on the plate in front of him.
“Jenny..” I hissed in a hushed tone. She turned to face me, a slice of pizza inches away from her mouth. She picked up on the urgency in my voice, staring at me wide-eyed. “Yeah?”
“Don’t look straight away, and for god sake be inconspicuous, but I think there’s a Hunter sitting at the other end of the food court. Over there in the corner, by the pillar”
“What? Oh god” she shakily replied, panic breaking out across her face. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him, waiting a few seconds as though pretending to read the menu of a nearby stall before looking back at me.
“Nope, I don’t see anyone,” she sighed, sounding relieved.
“What, are you sure? I could swear it was one of the guys from the email” I hissed again, confused. I swear it was one of the Hunters, I was convinced.
“Nope, he’s just a normal guy. Another false alarm” she said jovially, smiling at me with a reassuring smile.
“Thank god, I swear he looks just like one of those guys” I sighed, relieved, as I turned around casually to look again.
As my eyes swept across the food court, my eyes locked onto the man in the corner again. Before they had a chance to focus, I felt a searing pain in my head and the world went black as I fell from my chair with an almighty clatter.
When the world came back to me I could hear muffled shouting and screams, my vision swimming as I woke up on the floor. There were people running, yelling and screaming over one another. Why was I on the floor? As I tried to focus on the sounds, I could hear another more familiar voice breaking through over the rest. It took me a while to figure out who it was, but as I did I felt a sting of pain in my heart.
“Hey, you! Over here! We got a Hider!”. That voice, it was Jenny, what the hell was she doing? Mustering what felt like a gargantuan amount of effort, I forced myself over and onto my side. Jenny was standing above me, looking over me towards the other end of the food court.
“You’re a Hunter right, well come and get him, this one’s for free!”. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, what was she doing? I felt a pang of tears along with the confusion welling up inside me. I thought we were a team.
“Jenny?…” I managed to force out, weakly. She turned down to look at me, an expression of genuine sadness creeping across her face.
“I’m really sorry David, but I really need the money. You understand, right, it’s just a game after all?” she said, before turning on her heel and running as fast as she could, disappearing into the crowd.
I watched her as she went, tears filling my eyes. I was so embarrassed, so confused. Pain filled my heart as a stream of thoughts flooded my mind. How could she have betrayed me like this, handing me over to the Hunters? I thought we were a great team, and I was really starting to like her. Then anger welled up within me as I kicked myself for being so stupid. Why had I thought trusting another Hider was a good idea, I should have seen this coming, what with the large prize and all. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same if I hadn’t already had an encounter with the Hunters.
As she ran, I could see her tuck something into her bag. It looked shiny and metallic, like a small handgun. A terrifying thought burst to the front of my brain, causing my blood to run cold and my vision to swim again. My head was pounding, had she shot me? Shakily, I raised my hand to my head, dreading the gaping hole that I would find where part of my skull used to be.
Frantically touching my head, relief washed over me as I realised my head felt like it did before, albeit a bit more sore. She must have hit me around the back of the head with the butt of the gun when my back was turned. Anger welled up again as I couldn’t believe that I’d let myself get that comfortable. She was a stranger after all, she’d done nothing to earn my trust other than be on the Hiders team and make me laugh a couple of times. Still, the betrayal hurt though.
I was snapped back to the current moment by the sounds of screams getting closer to me. Spinning my head to my left, I could see a line of people being forcefully parted in the sea of shoppers before me. The Hunter! In all of my confusion and grief about Jenny’s betrayal, I’d forgotten that the Hunter would be coming to get me. He was barrelling through the crowd, quickly closing the distance between us.
Frantically, I tried my best to get to my feet, slipping and stumbling as the world span. Adrenaline helped me to get enough composure to run semi-coherently. My mind was scrambled, the only thought occupying it now was that I needed to get away, although I had no idea where to go. I started running in the opposite direction to the screams, it was all I could think to do.
I broke into a loping sprint, trying to force my legs to work faster while also not collapsing from underneath me. The screams behind me seemed to get louder in a deafening crescendo as another sound ripped through the air that made the blood freeze in my veins. An explosion of powder from one of the tiles near my right foot accompanied it and I had to make a physical effort to keep control of my already failing legs. A gunshot. That lunatic Hunter was shooting at me.
All sense left me at this point, this was even worse than the one that crashed into me with his car. How was this allowed? The rules had said they couldn’t kill or incapacitate me but there was nothing about slowing me down by shooting my leg or maiming me. It wasn’t something that occurred to me at the time. Then darker thoughts raced through my mind, causing a shiver to run down my spine. There were hardly any limits to what they could do to catch me, as long as I was intact and not dead the organisers would count that as acceptable.
Whirling from this new realisation, pure survival instinct carried me. I needed to get away, more than just winning the game counted on it now. Running as fast as I could, I ran through corridor after corridor of the mall, shops flying by at breakneck speed. The fog in my brain from being dazed had now completely cleared with the sound of that gunshot. I hardly felt the throbbing in my head anymore or the protesting of my burning legs. All that mattered was getting away from this psycho with a gun.
I don’t know how long I’d been running for, but the screams and thundering footsteps behind me told me that the Hunter wasn’t giving up. I could still hear his frantic footsteps coming from behind me as the screams from mall-goers rose up. Another shot flew past me when I rounded the corner to one of the corridors on my right, narrowly missing where my left shoulder had been.
My lungs were burning, each breath feeling like liquid fire. Although my head wasn’t throbbing anymore, I could tell deep down that something was wrong. My legs were beginning to shake from the exertion and my chest felt tighter with each breath, my shattered ribs screaming for me to stop. The car crash must have done more damage than I initially released. Horror filled me as I realised there was no way I’d be able to keep this up, I couldn’t outrun him.
I had to hide, it was the only way I might get out of this. Panic-stricken, I scanned around frantically, looking for anywhere that might conceal me. Somewhere that would allow me to catch my breath and lose my tail.
After what felt like too long searching, I spotted a small island in the middle of the corridor up ahead. The concrete edges were around two feet tall and there were several plants growing within it that would hide me if I could just get to the other side. Summoning one last effort, I pushed myself, my burning lungs rattling as I gulped down fresh breaths of air.
Skidding clumsily to a halt, I dived behind it, spreading myself across the floor and pressing against the sides of the concrete base, trying to conceal myself against it. I heard the frantic steps of the Hunter just moments after, entering the corridor. They seemed to slow, obviously noticing I was nowhere to be seen. My heart pounded in my chest as slowly they made their way closer to my hiding spot. If they looked around and saw me, that would be it, there was no way I’d be able to get up and run again in time. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst, only for them to come to a stop a few metres away from where I had concealed myself.
I waited, every fibre of my being shaking, for the sound of the footsteps to leave or move into one of the other shops. I don’t know how long I sat like that, listening, praying that the maniac with the gun would just leave. I could hear my heart beating in my ears and my shallow breathing like they were amplified. After what felt like several minutes, I dared a glance over the edge of the concrete that concealed me. If I was careful, the plants would conceal me and allow me to at least get a better look at the Hunter.
Slowly counting down in my mind, I gingerly raised my head. Obscured by the leaves of the plants on the island, I could make him out clearly. He was sitting on the benches opposite my hiding place, pretending to look at the surrounding shops. My heart sank a little as I realised he must have assumed I was hiding in one of them and was waiting for me to come out.
I could see the glint of black metal partially concealed by his coat, drawing my attention. He still had his hand on the gun, ready and waiting. I couldn’t stay here like this, all it would take was for him to walk over this way and he would see me. Frantically scanning around, I looked for any possible means of escape. After several dead ends, my eyes locked on a door to my left marked “Maintenance”. A thought began forming, if I was lucky, maybe, just maybe, it would be unlocked and I could lose him in the tunnels.
I began weighing up my options in my mind. I could say here and possibly get caught when the Hunter got bored of waiting and decided on a more thorough examination. Or I could make a run for that door and hopefully lose him. I’d need to be quick though, if I could get in there as fast as I could then maybe he wouldn’t see me. He might just think it was a member of staff.
I didn’t like the plan, the idea of running again made me feel sick, my head and chest were screaming with pain. But I didn’t have any more options, and if I stayed here I doubted my head and chest would be the only parts of me in pain. I had to do this.
If I waited for him to look the other way and ran, I might be through the door before he had a chance to look back. Glancing through the leaves again, his attention seemed to be fixed on one of the shops to his left. This was it. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t know when I would get another chance. Shakily, and as quickly as I could I got to my feet and broke into a charge, slamming full pelt into the door, bursting through it and into the concrete-lined tunnels behind. This was it, I thought, anticipation welling up in me. I’d be free.
A shot rang out and one of the blocks in front of me spat out a small explosion of powder. My heart sank like a stone. So much for that, he’d seen me. All I could do now was run, skidding around the corner of the access corridor into a much longer one. There were several workers in this area, all on their lunch breaks. When they caught sight of me running around the corner they began angrily yelling at me that I shouldn’t be in there. I ignored them, screaming at them to get back, to get away from the maniac with the gun behind me. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if this Hunter accidentally caught one of them in the crossfire because I’d decided to try and escape down this corridor.
They just stared at me blankly, confused expressions plastered over their faces. All the while the echoing footsteps of my pursuer were bouncing around the walls. I carried on running, turning again around another corner and vanishing from the sight of the workers.
Frantically my eyes scanned the area, looking for a way out or another hiding place. They settled on a door underneath a glowing red sign marked “Exit”. If I could get outside then maybe I could lose him in the parking lot or find somewhere else to hide.
There was a commotion from behind me that made my scalp tighten. The raised voices of the workers and the shouting of the Hunter, before an almighty bang from another shot and the screams of the workers. Then the footsteps started up again, getting closer. I was terrified, I had images of the Hunter shooting one of the workers for trying to stop him, them now lying in a pool of their own blood surrounded by their colleagues just because I’d decided to run through these corridors.
I mustered what little resolve I had left and charged for the exit door, knowing that there was nothing I could do for them now. Another shot from behind me indicated my pursuer was still on my tail. I noticed a horrible burning sensation in my left calf, but I tried my best to ignore it. It wasn’t important right now, I just needed to escape. A warm trickle made its way down my calf and into my sock, soaking it slowly. I knew that if I looked at my leg, whatever composure I had left would leave me and I would surely be caught.
Dragging my injured leg behind me as I reached the door, I frantically forced it open. Thankfully it was unlocked, I ran through before slamming it shut behind me. Looking around at my surroundings, I was in a courtyard surrounded by a chain link fence. There were several dumpsters and other random piles of trash scattered throughout the courtyard. This must have been the mall’s waste disposal area I thought to myself.
Eyes darting around for anything I could use to barricade the door, I noticed a discarded metal chair from the food court just to my left. I grabbed it and forced it under the handle of the door. It wasn’t going to stop someone from getting through forever, the flimsy metal would buckle long before that, but it would at least slow them down.
Turning back around, my heart sank as I scanned the area. I knew I wouldn’t be able to clamber over that fence easily, not with enough time to run away without getting shot. There didn’t look like there were any other exits either, only this fence and the door behind me.
The only thing I could do now was hide. But then would the Hunter be expecting that? It would be pretty obvious as there would be nowhere else for me to go. I began to feel the tickling fingers of despair clawing at my mind and I realised how hopeless my situation was.
Then, like a flash, an idea began forming in my head. With renewed vigour, I limped over to the chain link fence, my calf now throbbing in time with my heartbeat, my sock squelching with each step. Reaching out a hand, I grasped the cold metal of the fence between my fingers. With a determined breath, I shook the fence as hard as I could, making as much noise as it would allow me to. After a few seconds, I stopped shaking the metal and jumped, landing as loudly as I possibly could.
Over my shoulder, I could hear the banging coming from the door that I’d blocked with the chair. The Hunter was trying to force it open, throwing his weight against it. I was banking on the fact that he’d heard the racket I’d made with the fence. I needed this to work.
Moving over to the nearest dumpster and holding my breath, I slowly and gently opened the lid, trying to be as quiet as possible. I was dreading this part of my plan. Hiding in a dumpster wasn’t something I would enjoy, but if it meant I got away without being shot again then it was something I was going to have to do.
Gazing over the edge of the huge metal container, I could see several black bin bags. A waft of stale air clung to my nostrils, but I wasn’t met with the horrific stench I was expecting. Still, I dreaded to think of the rotting food and disgusting creatures that might be residing in this dumpster. Vomit tickled its way up my throat just thinking about it.
I was beginning to have second thoughts, considering checking another dumpster, perhaps there was an empty one. I was about to turn around when I heard a cracking noise from the door and knew that the chair holding it wasn’t long for this world.
Fear rising in me again, I bit the bullet, clambering into the dumpster as quietly as I could. As my feet touched the bags they seemed to sink in, absorbed by the black plastic. But they weren’t met with a slimy consistency like I was expecting. Relieved, I noted that it was the opposite. The bags felt quite soft, almost fluffy. Looking down again I saw, through a split in one of the bin bags, that they were filled with clothing. I thanked my lucky stars, I must have chosen a bin from one of the clothing outlets.
–
The banning from the door snapped me back to the task at hand. Quickly I closed the dumpster lid, trying to be as quiet as possible. Almost as soon as I’d snapped that lid into place I heard an almighty crack as the chair blocking the door shattered. In the darkness of the dumpster, I heard the door slam as it was thrown open and bounced against the wall.
The sound of frustrated footsteps echoed throughout the courtyard as the Hunter made his way outside. I could hear him muttering something to himself as he searched for me. I closed my eyes and waited with bated breath. I could hear him walking around in what seemed like circles, looking for me. Then everything went silent. My mind went wild in the dark, all manner of thoughts about what the Hunter could be doing bubbling up in my brain.
Was he going to wait here expecting that I was hiding? Would he leave and come back later? Or would he assume that I’d made it over the fence and climb it himself?
It felt like hours that I sat there, all the while just waiting for the lid of the dumpster to fly back and an arm to reach in and grab me. Then there was an almighty slam as a pile of trash at the other end of the yard was toppled over. The sound caught me off guard, and before I could stop myself, a little whimper escaped my lips. The sounds stopped immediately, and I heard another sound that made the colour drain from my face. The footsteps had started up again, and they were getting closer.
Each footstep I heard cut through the cold silence of the dumpster and echoed around in my head. I could hear my heart beating in my chest. It couldn’t end like this. I’d spent so much time and effort, experienced so much fear. I’d survived a car crash, running across a main road and being shot, only to be captured in a dumpster, like a fish in a barrel. All because I couldn’t suppress one stupid sound.
The only thing I could think to do was to press myself as hard as I could into the bags. It seemed pointless, but there was nothing else I could do. I was trapped. Quickly but quietly, I moved the bags around me and covered myself, trying to become as small as possible. I lay there, waiting for the hunter to rip the lid from the dumpster and find me here. I was just about to accept my fate, when I heard something I wasn’t expecting.
An almighty rattle followed by a heavy thud, then quick footsteps leading away from me. I almost cried. My ruse must have worked. He must have thought I’d climbed the fence and ran away through the houses on the other side. I let out a shaking breath, my body untensing as a huge wave of relief washed over me.
Still, I waited for several minutes before moving, after all this may have been a trap. Pressing my ear to the cold metal of the dumpster, I listened carefully with bated breath for any sign that there was still someone out there. When no sounds met my ears, I slowly slid back the lid of the dumpster, slowly poking my head out as I chanced a look into the courtyard.
It was abandoned, just as I found it. The only indication that the Hunter had been here was the scattered remains of the chair I’d used on the door and a ransacked pile of trash on the other end of the yard.
Joy washed over me as I realised I’d evaded him. Thank god, I’d managed to escape. I knew I couldn’t stay here though, it was too dangerous. If the Hunters were going to use methods like this then populated places wouldn’t work. I’d need somewhere out of the way, somewhere that no one would ever think to look at and that had several places I could easily hide.
Racking my brains, my mind wandered to a small internet cafe that I frequented. It was a little place down a sidestreet on the outskirts of town. Normally you’d find three or four people there maximum. Yes, I thought to myself, it would be perfect. As long as I did not get sloppy and get followed.
I began to make my way there. The Hunter had jumped the fence, and I wasn’t about to follow him, so I decided that it would be best for me to make my way back through the mall. I knew it was dangerous as there were far less people around now with it being nearly closing time, but it was still safer than taking my chances going the same way as the Hunter.
As I started to slowly limp back through the concrete maintenance tunnel, my leg burning with each step, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was funny, in all of the fear and panic, I’d forgotten it was even there. Thank god it didn’t go off when I was in the dumpster, I shuddered at the thought. Pulling it out of my pocket and unlocking the screen, it was shattered.
“Ah crap, probably from the crash”, I sighed, annoyed at the fact that I would now need to buy a new phone. I could still make out a notification at the top of the screen.
It was an email. Dragging down the navigation bar, I could see that it was from the same garbled mess of characters that had sent the mail before. Even with everything that happened I’m pretty sure that the contents of the email were the worst part of all of this.
I need to move again, they’re closing up shop now so I need to find a new hiding place before the owners come up here, but I’ll post the rest of this when I get to another safe spot.