I was running. Running from something that I didn't want to look back and see how close it was.
I could hear its heavy footsteps despite the loud pounding in my ears, adrenaline mixing with fear. I then tripped over something that I couldn't see as everything around me rose in a blur, my chin smacking on the ground.
The footsteps grew nearer and I saw something shine in front of me. I allowed my hand to creep forward to grab it as my vision blurred in a minor concussion. Suddenly a foot pressed down on my hand. I let out a scream of pain.
My attacker let out a crazed laugh and got into stance for the kill when suddenly a figure crashed into it, causing both of them to fly from my vision. I heard grunts and blow being dealt but one of them soon reduced to grunts of desperation, as if pushing themselves to their limit.
I took that moment to weakly grab the item just as the attacker appeared again and went for my neck. I used the last of my strength to flip over and hold the item out, causing it to go through its neck.
I breathed out heavily and identified that the item was a knife and my attacker was-. My head began to pound harder and I grabbed it in pain as a disturbed laugh sounded, blood clouding my vision.
I woke up in a cold sweat as I sat up with a jolt, pressing myself against the headboard while breathing heavily as I looked around the room. I was in another motel, this time in Hibbing, Minnesota. Such was the life of a hunter. I breathed out a sigh of relief and went to the sink, splashing some water on my face.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror before drying my face and going back to the motel bed with an ugly mix of salmon pink and neon orange. I sat down on the edge and laid back.
"Ugh what the hell do these dreams even mean?!"
I ran a hand through my hair and slipped under the covers, letting sleep take me once more. All I can deduct is something big is headed my way.
My name is Renee Citori. I am 23 and I started hunting when I was 14 years old. I have light auburn hair with a slightly ginger tint in a messy pixie cut and gray eyes, which switch between adding a mix of green and being completely gray. I am 5 feet and 3 and one half inches.
The next morning I opened my laptop and printed a map of the area, marking where people might have gone missing. I determined the most suspicious location and nodded.
"That has to be it," I stood up and slid on a fake police shirt, walking out to my corvette after locking the motel door behind me.
I patted its forest green trunk and opened it, pulling up the false bottom and propping it up with a retractable staff. I pulled the hem of my green racer-back tank top up and stuck a pistol on the right of my waistband and a buck knife on the left.
I started driving to the farm house that I circled on the map and switch on Avenged Sevenfold. I soon pulled over and hopped out, walking up to the old-looking house.
'This place needs a paint job' I thought as I stood on the porch and knocked on the door. I subtly rested my hands on my hips, over my weapons.
A little girl answered the door and I pulled out my fake police badge.
"I'm officer Falton, FBI. May I speak to an adult? Is your mother or father home?" I observed the house behind her, noticing the jar of teeth instantly before she spoke.
"My mother is dead," she held a neutral look on her face.
I put on a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. What about your father?"
"About to get you," She suddenly let out an earsplitting scream, "Daddy!"
My eyebrows knit together at a sudden smirk growing on her face. I understood her expression as a blow was suddenly delivered to the back of my head, white exploding then fading to black.
As I regained consciousness I immediately put my hand on the back of my head. A soft, deep voice spoke beside me, "Hey, are you alright?"
I slowly nodded in response, "Yeah I think so."
Something clicked in my brain and my hands shot to my waist in realization, "Ah shit! They disarmed me!" I tried to calm down and turned to look at my fellow prisoner.
He was slightly difficult to see in the dim lighting but I inferred that it didn't dull his features by much.
He has brown hair, the front to the middle and the back to below his ears. I shifted my eyes to his and noticed striking yet soft brown eyes to match. His jaw was defined and clenched as he was trying to grab something.
"What are you-," I realized he was trying to pull on a big metal, pipe looking object, "Oh."
The man across from my cage caught my eye. He had his legs bent with his knees in front of his chest with his arms loosely folded over them. "You're the man that went missing. Alvin Jenkins."
He looked over at me and nodded with a wry smile etched on his face. "Yeah I guess so."
"What's your name again?" Alvin asked as the man pulled.
The man grunted in his effort and kept his eye on his task, "It's Sam."
"Why don't you give it up Sammy there's no way out."
I opened my mouth to speak but Sam beat me to it, grunting as he pulled harder, "Don't. Call me. Sammy!" On that note he yanked the pipe from its place.
I smiled and looked that the object that fell with it, "I think just Sam is a nice name."
Sam nodded thanks in response as he coughed and waved his hand in front of his face from the dust.
Alvin looked over, "What is it?"
Sam looked over at Alvin and held the object up, shifting his gaze to it, "It's a bracket."
Alvin got a disappointed and rather pissy look on his face, partially lifting his hand off of his arm as a lazy gesture before setting it back down, "Oh thank god a bracket, now we got em' now, huh."
I puffed my cheek out in annoyance, "Well that least it's something." I crossed my arms and folded my legs beside me.
Sam sat back down and heaved a sigh, raking his fingers through his hair.
I gave a shrug and a supporting smile. "That was a pretty good attempt." He opened his mouth to speak when a low-pitched stand-by sound rung and the cages suddenly unlocked, the doors partially swinging open. Alvin unfolded his arms, "Must've been a short."
He quickly got up and moved to get out of the cage, "Maybe you knocked something loose."
I looked from him to Sam, seeing Sam was getting agitated. I shifted my gaze back to Alvin, "Alvin you really shouldn't do that."
Sam shifted his gaze between the two of us, "I-I think you should get back in there Jenkins."
I gave a shrug and a supporting smile. "That was a pretty good attempt." He opened his mouth to speak when a low-pitched stand-by sound rung and the cages suddenly unlocked, the doors partially swinging open. Alvin unfolded his arms, "Must've been a short."
He quickly got up and moved to get out of the cage, "Maybe you knocked something loose." I looked from him to Sam, seeing Sam was getting agitated.
I shifted my gaze back to Alvin, "Alvin you really shouldn't do that."
Sam shifted his gaze between the two of us, "I-I think you should get back in there Jenkins."
Alvin got a look on his face and snapped his head in Sam's direction, using a confused and slightly agitated tone, "What?"
Sam took a breath in, "This isn't right." I nodded my head in agreement, scooting back a little farther into my own cage as a cautionary move.
"No no. I sure want to get out of here." He looked at Sam with certainty and determination.
"Yeah. But that was too easy." Sam countered.
"Sam's right. I think it's a trap. Plus, you aren't even armed. You'll be in even more danger out there than in here" I gave a pointed look to Alvin in hopes that he understood the risk and get back into his cage. This certainly wasn't right and I could feel it.
"Look I'm gonna get out of here, I'm gonna send help. Okay? Don't worry." Alvin insisted.
Sam breathed a little louder and his voice got stern, "No. I'm serious. Jenkins. She's right, this might be a trap!"
Jenkins walked to the room's door and spoke without looking back, "Bye Sammy, girlie." With that he put his arm out as a lazy wave and exited the room.
Sam and I both yelled for him at the same time, "Jenkins, Alvin!" Alvin closed the door behind him and with that he was gone.
I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest but let out a sharp grunt of pain as I felt my ribs throb. Sam must have noticed because he walked out of his cage and into mine, kneeling beside me it was then that I noticed that this man was a giant. "Did they hurt you?"
I tried to take deep, steady breaths and managed a small nod, "They must have decided to up the damage after they hit my head." I squeezed my eyes shut in pain before opening them again, finding a look on Sam's face that shone with worry.
His eyes scanned over my body in search of any visible injuries. I caught my breath a little more, "Sam should we really let Jenkins be out there alone? We can't just let an innocent person die because we couldn't stop him from leaving. I saw what was in their house before I got knocked out. There was a jar of teeth and other jaws of human parts. What if this really is a trap?" I looked down at the ground, trying to block the image of what might become of Jenkins.
He lifted my head while he shook his own. "We wouldn't be much help considering we aren't armed either. My brother is looking for me and when he finds us we can stop them from killing anyone else. Now where does it hurt, uhm-."
I then realized I knew his name but he didn't know mine, "Oh I'm sorry, that's so rude of me. Renee. My name's Renee." Sam nodded. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, it really is, but the circumstances to our meeting don't exactly make the phrase appropriate.
I let out a small laugh but winced at the pain and held back a cough. "Now where does it hurt, Recka?" I caught my breath again and gingerly rested my head against the cage wall, "My ribs."
He nodded and helped me slide off the fake police uniform shirt before carefully moving his hands to the hem of my tank top. I felt a blush creep onto my face and tried to remain calm. Sam moved his eyes up to mine as to not be rude, "I'm going to have to lift your shirt to be able to see the damage. Are you alright with that?" I considered for a few seconds and nodded. He seemed respectful so I decided to trust that he wouldn't do anything perverted.
With his help I slowly rolled the tank top up until the hem was right below my bust, and clenched it it my hands so it wouldn't roll back down. He examined my ribs and looked up at me with a very serious look on his face, "They really must not have liked your visiting. I'm pretty sure they broke two."
I stared up at the ceiling, "Well that rules out running away. So what now?" Sam helped me prop up into a position that didn't hurt my ribs as much, "We wait."
Alvin's blood-curdling scream rang through the room clearly as Sam moved back to his cage. Waiting just got scary.