Hunted

by Heather Atkinson

Actaeon was still on the ground, his condition worse. He was barely breathing now, all his fight to live gone. He stared up at the ceiling with vacant eyes, seeing nothing. Ryan hoped he got the chance to dump him in his own chest freezer.

  Ryan crouched in the corner of the room, watching as Orion unlocked the metal cabinet and took out a rifle then started to load it. Real bullets this time, not tranquiliser darts.

  “Did you kill the others with that?” he said.

  “I killed Daniel Tebbs, George Romer and your close personal friend John Owen. This is Actaeon’s rifle. I’m using it in honour of him, so he can still be part of the hunt. He killed Luke Jones and Peter Everill with it.”

  So three two to Orion, thought Ryan. Even though he was the dominant one in their partnership he wasn’t the most proficient killer. Orion was. Shit. Then it occurred to Ryan there was a discrepancy in Orion’s statement. “Just a minute, that’s only five. Eight men went missing.”

  “I’m a crack shot,” continued Orion as though he hadn’t heard, stroking the barrel of the rifle like it was a woman. “I only miss if I choose.” He cocked the rifle. “And I won’t miss tonight.” He stood over Ryan, cradling the rifle. “On your feet.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “Then I’ll break one of your kneecaps. I wouldn’t rate your chances of running then.”

  “I thought I had to be in pristine health, according to your rules.”

  “Everything changed after what you did to Actaeon. I don’t mind hunting a lame duck if it’s you.”

  Ryan slowly climbed to his feet, hoping some miracle would happen and his friends would burst in armed to the teeth. He looked to the door. Nothing. He was on his own. But he wasn’t down yet. Orion had to uncuff him in order to get him outside.

  Keeping a safe distance away Orion pulled the keys for the cuffs from his trouser pocket. They were so close, dangling from his pudgy fingers, glinting in the light. Ryan tried to keep cool, desperately fighting the urge to snatch them from him. There before him hung freedom.

  A loud beeping filled the air and to Ryan’s dismay his salvation disappeared back inside Orion’s trouser pocket.

  “What’s that?” he said.

  Orion ignored him and flicked on what Ryan had assumed was a television but was in fact linked up to some sort of security camera outside because the monitor flickered into life to reveal the woods. Two pairs of legs vanished off screen, although it was impossible to tell who they belonged to.

  The colour rose in Orion’s cheeks, his eyes taking on that disturbing maniacal gleam. He rounded on Ryan, teeth bared, flecks of spittle on his lips. “They’re here.”

  “Who?”

  “Your fucking friends. They’ve tripped the motion sensor. This is your fault.”

  He raised the rifle, finger squeezing the trigger and Ryan thought that was it, he was a goner. He stared down the barrel of that rifle feeling no fear, only an overwhelming sadness that he’d never get to see his wife or kids again. It was a harrowing feeling and he was completely helpless to stop it.

  A grunt from Actaeon caused Orion to lower the rifle again. “No, I’ve got a much better idea,” he said, chubby face creasing into a smile. “That’s probably your bitch of a wife up there. I’m going to bring you back her head and make you eat her innards.”

  “No, wait, come back here,” yelled Ryan, silenced when the butt of the rifle swung into his left cheek. His head snapped sideways and he fell onto all fours, blood dripping from his mouth. By the time his vision had cleared Orion had gone.

  Ryan spat blood onto the floor and sat back on his haunches, trying to shake off the fuzziness that had gripped his brain from the hard blow. But Orion’s violence had backfired on him because the punch had agitated Ryan’s already upset stomach and he vomited into a corner of the room, bringing undigested pieces of John Owen back up. He frowned down at the mess on the floor, both revolted and relieved he’d got that out of his system. Things were finally starting to look up. Rachel was here, he knew it and she hadn’t come alone, she was probably accompanied by Battler and Bruiser. Mikey and Jez would have come up from Manchester too. But they were all city born, used to facing enemies in the concrete jungle, not darkened woods. They were out of their depth and they had no idea what was coming at them.

  Recalling the keys in Orion’s pocket he wondered if Actaeon had some too. He tried to reach for the man but the cuffs wouldn’t allow his arms to stretch out all the way and he remained so close yet so far. Instead Ryan lay on his back, stretched out his legs, which had more freedom, and managed to hook his right foot under Actaeon’s right leg. He placed his left foot against the right to create a hook and pulled. Actaeon moved a couple of inches before he slipped from his grasp.

  “Shit,” said Ryan.

  He tried again, only this time Actaeon started to come round and tried to shrug his leg free. Ryan ground his teeth together, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he put all of his lower body strength into pulling a heavy man towards him using only his legs. He felt Actaeon’s knuckles weakly pummelling his leg, digging into his calf muscle, which was uncomfortable but not enough to stop him.

  When he was closer Ryan released him, sat up, grabbed one of his arms and pulled him towards him. Actaeon tried to stop him, hands flailing, slapping at him like a little girl. One punch to the face soon made him stop. Ryan hit him again then again not to subdue him, that had already been done, but because it felt so fucking good.

  Quickly he searched Actaeon and found a large hunting knife tucked into the back of his trousers, but no key.

  “Fuck.”

  Ryan stared at the knife, wondering if it had been used to remove parts from their victims to be eaten, the blade was certainly sharp and mean enough. Rage filled him and he punched Actaeon again, just because he could. Then he spied the radio on his belt and inspiration struck.

  Rachel crept through the undergrowth, Riley ahead of her, Jules behind. He’d insisted on them following in his footsteps so they wouldn’t do something silly like stand on a twig or fall into any traps. All three of them were wearing night vision goggles to avoid the necessity for torches. The others had separated off from them in accordance with Riley’s directions that would allow them to search the terrain in the most efficient way possible.

  Rachel strained for the slightest sound but there was nothing but the noises of the night and the soft rustle of leaves beneath their boots. She was glad Riley was here, if a situation called for an SAS soldier this had to be it.

  There was a loud crackle to their left, like static, bursting into the night air. All three of them went still, heads turning, attempting to locate the source of the noise. There was a blur of movement, the snapping of a twig and automatically Rachel started moving in its direction.

  “Stop,” whispered Riley.

  He grabbed her right arm, his grip so tight it was like a vice and she couldn’t go any further. She was pulled down to the mossy ground, Jules crouching behind her.

  “Did you hear that?” he whispered into the radio.

  “Yeah,” replied Battler. Jez’s voice gave the affirmative too.

  “Follow me.” Riley looked over his shoulder at Rachel and Jules. “You two, stay here.”

  “But…”

  “Let us know if you hear that noise again. Guide us,” said Riley.

  Rachel could see his logic, but she was still annoyed at being left behind. “Fine,” she said.

  He patted her hand before moving off in a crouch, covering the ground quickly. Ahead she saw four other shapes join his before they all melded into the darkness together.

  Silenced reigned once more. Rachel stared up at the sky. If the situation hadn’t been so dire she might have been able to appreciate how pretty it was, dotted with stars. In fact it was so clear she could make out some constellations, Orion’s belt gleaming brightly. She glanced at Jules, who was leaning back against a tree looking cool and calm. Her new sister-in-law had gone up hugely in her estimation
, she’d been there when she’d needed her. No matter the outcome of tonight she determined to try and build a relationship with her.

  They both froze and looked at each other when they heard a whisper.

  “Did you…,” began Rachel quietly.

  Jules nodded.

  Rachel crept forward on her hands and knees, being careful of where she put her weight down, like Riley had told her. The whispers grew slightly louder, more frantic, as though someone was in a desperate conversation. The silence of their radios told them it wasn’t coming from the others in their group. It was hard to tell where the sound was coming from so she moved forward again, Jules right behind her. Suddenly the figure broke into a run, still frantically hissing and Rachel was on her feet and chasing after them, thinking of nothing but reaching them. It was the bastard who’d taken Ryan, she knew it, and she was going to fucking have them.

  “Orion, can you hear me you bastard?” Ryan said into Actaeon’s radio. “I’ve got hold of your little friend and I’m hurting him. Can you hear?”

  Although it was distasteful to him he grabbed Actaeon’s crotch and twisted, making him squeal, despite his injured throat.

  “Leave him alone, haven’t you hurt him enough?” came back Orion’s slightly hysterical voice.

  “I’m going to gouge one of his eyes out now. I’ll pop it right out of his head and make him eat it, give him an idea of what he’s put me through. Want to hear him really scream Orion?”

  Ryan pressed his thumb into the corner of Actaeon’s left eye and applied pressure, making the eyeball bulge over the lid. Actaeon thrashed and screeched, unable to release a full-blown yell because of his injured throat.

  “Stop it, stop it,” panted Orion’s voice.

  “Oh dear, the left one just popped out,” said Ryan when the eyeball plopped onto Actaeon’s cheek, still attached to the socket by the optic nerve. He yelped in horror before releasing a low moan, body shaking. Ryan hoped he didn’t go into shock and die on him before he’d finished getting his own back. “Get your fat arse back down here right now Orion or I’ll take the right one too.”

  “You sick fucker.”

  “Takes one to know one. You’d better be quick, you don’t want him to be completely blind, do you,” he said, pressing his thumb to Acateon’s one remaining eye, eliciting more squeals.

  “I’m on my way, just leave him alone.”

  “Move it fat boy. Let’s hope you don’t have a coronary before you get here.”

  Ryan dropped the radio, rolled Actaeon onto his side and drew the hunting knife from his belt. He pulled himself into the corner - being careful not to sit in the puddle of his own vomit - and hauled Actaeon up to a sitting position, his head falling forward, the eye swinging about like a pendulum, his breath coming out in shallow pants. Ryan managed to manoeuvre him in front of himself so he was a human shield then held the knife to his throat, pressing the blade against the carotid artery.

  “Make one move and I’ll cut you open like you did to your victims,” said Ryan. Things were starting to swing in his favour. Orion was moving away from Rachel and he had Actaeon at his mercy. He’d get out of this yet.

  Orion’s presence was announced loudly. There was the sound of footsteps slapping their way down the stairs then he burst into the room, breathing almost as loudly as Actaeon, sweat running down his face, which was the colour of a tomato, a large ugly one. He screeched to a halt, shocked by the damage that had been done to his friend in such a short space of time.

  “No. What have you done to his eye? He has such pretty eyes.”

  “What an odd thing to say,” said Ryan from behind Actaeon’s head. “Drop the gun.”

  “Not a fucking chance. I’m going to blow your head off you bastard.”

  “Ah, ah, ah,” said Ryan, digging the blade into Actaeon’s neck, drawing blood. “Drop it or I will cut his throat. If you want to stop me you’ll have to shoot through him.”

  Orion hopped from one foot to the other, looking like a scared little boy again, seeking guidance from his friend. “What do I do?” he said, eyes welling with tears.

  “Better make your mind up quickly,” said Ryan, jabbing the knife into him again. Actaeon was absolutely rigid in his arms and Ryan was amazed he was still conscious after everything that had been done to him. He was a strong bugger, he had to give him that.

  “Alright, I’ll put it down. Just please stop hurting him. I need him.”

  “Then I suggest you hurry before he loses any more blood.”

  Slowly Orion placed the rifle on the floor.

  “Kick it over here.”

  “But…”

  When Ryan placed the blade horizontally against Actaeon’s throat, ready to cut, he exclaimed, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”

  “Wise decision. The last time I did this to someone I almost took their head off. They made me really angry.”

  Orion kicked the gun but not hard enough and it settled in the middle of the floor between them.

  “You stupid fat bastard,” yelled Ryan.

  “Sorry, I’m so sorry.”

  “You’re making me really fucking mad,” said Ryan, stabbing Actaeon in the shoulder.

  “I didn’t mean to,” shrieked Orion, tears running freely down his face. “Don’t hurt my friend, I can’t live without him.”

  “Throw the keys to the cuffs over here and if you conveniently miss then this knife is going to end up in his ball sac. Are we clear?”

  “Y…yes,” stammered Orion, fingers scrabbling at his trouser pocket. Eventually he managed to pull out the keys, sobbing quietly to himself, and threw them to Ryan. They landed right beside his leg and when Actaeon tried to take them he slammed his fist into his face, careful to hold him up to maintain his shield, just in case Orion decided to make a play for the gun.

  “Stop hurting him, stop hurting him,” whimpered Orion, chewing on the nails of both hands.

  Ryan was presented with a dilemma. He needed both hands to free himself but didn’t dare lower the knife from Actaeon’s throat.

  Before he could decide on a course of action there was a noise right above their heads, the sound of running footsteps. The change in Orion came on as swiftly as it had before. The child in him disappeared, replaced by the hunter.

  “Your wife’s here,” he said, a macabre smile splitting his face in two. “What you did to Actaeon I’m going to do to her tenfold.”

  He lunged forward with surprising agility, snatched up the rifle and made for the stairs.

  “Get back here Orion or I’ll kill your friend,” yelled Ryan.

  But he ignored him and disappeared upstairs.

  “Orion.” No answer. “Shit.” Ryan shoved Actaeon aside and jammed the key into the cuffs. It didn’t fit. It had been a ruse on Orion’s part to get him to put down the knife. “Oh no, please no, no, no,” he said, verging on panic. He grabbed Actaeon by the shirt front and dragged him up to a sitting position. “Where’s the fucking key?”

  Actaeon released a wheezy chuckle. Enraged, Ryan ripped the eye from the optic nerve and shoved it into his mouth before punching him, breaking his jaw so he couldn’t spit it out.

  “Chew on it or choke,” snarled Ryan as Actaeon’s one remaining eye bulged with horror.

  Ryan looked towards the door as footsteps returned. Frantically he tried to drag Actaeon back to him but he was exhausted, the lack of sleep and food and the incredible strain taking its toll. They were in the room before he’d got his human shield back in place. He let Actaeon drop.

  “Rachel,” he breathed.

  CHAPTER 26

  Rachel pulled off the night vision goggles, raced up to Ryan and threw her arms around his neck. “You’re alive, thank God, thank you God,” she said.

  “You won’t believe how good it is to see you,” he said into her hair, holding her tight.

  Tears shone in Rachel’s eyes “Yes I do.”

  He crushed her to him, kissing her hard, until he recalled what they’d ma
de him eat and he tore himself away. She gave him a quizzical look.

  “There’s two of them, the other one just went upstairs. He’s armed,” explained Ryan.

  “I’ll warn the others,” she said, getting on her radio.

  “Others?”

  “The usual,” she smiled humourlessly. “Riley too.”

  Ryan felt better. They’d make mincemeat of Orion.

  She tugged at the cuffs. “Where are the keys?”

  “I don’t know. I thought I had them but they don’t fit,” he said, indicating the set Orion had given him on the floor.

  “Jules,” she called over her shoulder.

  He was doubly shocked when his sister walked into the room, knives out. “Is this the piece of shit who took you?” she said, slamming her foot into Actaeon’s ribs, who sounded to be choking.

  “One of them. The other went up top. He was carrying a rifle,” replied Ryan.

  “Then it’s time to go,” said Jules, keeping one eye on the door.

  “We don’t know where the keys are,” said Rachel, holding onto Ryan’s hand, afraid if she let go he’d vanish.

  “Allow me.”

  Jules knelt beside Actaeon and plunged her blade into the left side of his belly. “Tell me where the key is or I’ll slit you open and make a party banner out of your intestines.”

  “He can’t tell you, I broke his jaw,” said Ryan.

  Jules shrugged. “Never mind, this is still fun,” she said, twisting the blade. She must have caused him intense pain because he passed out. She withdrew the knife and wiped it on his trousers before returning it to its sheath. “Then we’ve got to find the key.”

  They began searching the room but found nothing.

  “Any bolt cutters?” called Jules over her shoulder.

  “No,” Rachel called back, her head buried in the metal locker. “But I did find this,” she said, withdrawing a pistol. “Would this be enough to get through the chain?”

  Jules took it from her, checked the bullets in the clip and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Now come on, you might hit me,” said Ryan, a little nervous.