Catch and Release
XXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 1
XXXXXXXXXX
It all seemed to be part of some sick, twisted game. Through some cruel, sadistic twist of fate, she had found herself playing along as a most unwilling participant. It was best not to think about the consequences should she decide to forfeit, or worse, lose outright to her opponent. It was best just to do what was being demanded of her in the current situation and pray to God that she would live to see the game's conclusion no matter how unlikely that seemed at the moment. Playing, at the very least, was a better alternative in her mind than giving in to the despair that threatened to overwhelm her. Her strength and resolve, however, were waning with each new round and she found herself fearing that she would be unable to play much longer.
"Fuck!" The man cursed as he emptied himself inside of her abused body. Lifting himself off of her with a grunt, he casually tucked himself back into his pants and watched in amusement as she struggled painfully to right what little clothing he had allowed her to keep in exchange for playing with him. "You're such a pretty, little Bunny."
The bruised and battered woman, dressed in nothing but a pair of blue panties and a matching camisole, flinched away from the man's calloused hand in both fright and disgust as he reached down to stroke the filthy, novelty rabbit ears that had been affixed to her head. She looked up at the man who owned the hand, her face red and puffy from both tears and exertion. "Please…"
The man grinned down at her, his nicotine stained teeth eerily yellow in the pale moonlight. His eyes, dark and feral, bored back into her own. "Please, what?"
The woman ducked her head, unable to meet his predatory gaze any longer, causing her tangled mess of brown hair to fall into her face. "Please…I…I don't want to play anymore."
An amused chuckle escaped the man as he continued to gently pet her. "Silly, Rabbit. What you want is irrelevant. You should understand that by now. This is my game. We stop playing when I say so."
"Please…" Her voice prickled with desperation that bordered on hysteria. "I just want to go home. I won't tell anyone, I swear." She felt the tears coming again but held them back. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened the first time she had lost control of her emotions. It had been the first time he had ran her down and caught her; the first time he had violently violated her body. She was certain, judging from the acute pull in her side, that he had cracked a couple of her ribs when he had severely disciplined her for breaking character. After all, he had reminded her when he was through, Bunnies don't cry. She choked as she tried to hold back a sob. "I can't do this anymore…"
"Aw, yes you can." The man continued to stroke the dirty rabbit ears attached to her head. "And if you're a really good Bunny, when we're all done playing I'll release you back into the wild."
The woman blinked up at him, unbelieving but desperate for any sliver of hope. "You'll…you'll let me go?"
"Only if you're a really good Bunny but you have to play by my rules." The man abruptly pulled his hand away took a few steps back from her, a wolfish smile tugging at his lips. "I'll tell you what; I'll even give you a head start this time. I'll give you until the count of ten."
A look of unbridled terror crossed the woman's face. "No…please, not again…"
Closing his eyes, the man began to count. "One…"
"Please!" A desperate sob escaped the woman. "I can't…"
"Two…"
"God, please!" The woman's voice came out in a strangled cry.
"Three…"
"Please, stop!" The woman struggled unsteadily to stand. Her tired, aching legs threatened to pull her back down to the ground. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're funny, Bunny." A ghost of a smile pulled at the man's lips as he bent to retrieve the rifle that lay at his feet. "Four…"
"Oh, my God…" The woman stumbled as she turned to run. The sharp stones and sticks that littered the forest floor cut into her bare feet as she scrambled to get out of the small clearing. She could still hear him counting over the pounding of her furiously beating heart.
"Five…"
Her instinct for self-preservation took over. She ran blindly through the trees and brush as fast as her abused body would allow her to go. The only thought in her head was of escape. She wasn't certain how she had ended up in this scenario. She wasn't even exactly sure of where she was or how she had gotten there for that matter. All she really remembered was making her way back through the darkened parking lot toward her car after a night of fun and games with friends at the local carnival. The next moment she had been waking up, bound and gagged, in the flatbed of a truck with a strange man looming over her and those stupid rabbit ears tied to her head.
She tried to push the foggy memories out of her head. There were much more important things that she needed to be focusing on, the most important thing being her continued survival. She could sort through what exactly had transpired later…if she lived that long. There was some way out of this situation. There had to be. Her very life depended on it.
"Ready or not, here I come!"
The sound of the man's voice echoing off the trees that surrounded her caused her to freeze in terror. She held her breath as she did her best to try to figure out which direction the voice had come from. She had always loved the outdoors but the one thing she had always hated about the forest was how easy it was to get turned around and lose one's bearings. The very last thing she wanted was to end up running back into her hunter's clutches.
The sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching off to her right caught her attention. Her breathing quickened as adrenaline flooded her veins and her body went on high alert. Uncertain of whether she should try to run or hide, she remained frozen in place, terrified and completely unable to move. The noise came nearer, rousing her out of her petrified state and made the decision for her. Too late to run, she quickly hunched down into the thick, tangled overgrowth, making herself as small as humanly possible and praying her wouldn't see her.
"Shhh…" The man eased himself through the trees. "Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbit." He giggled like a disturbed child. "Isn't this fun, Bunny?"
She stifled a cry as the man moved passed her within inches of her face, apparently oblivious to her as she cowered at his feet. As quietly as she could, she maneuvered herself backwards on all fours as the man put a bit of distance between them. The urge to run was strong but she forced herself to wait. If she moved too soon he was certain to catch her.
"I know you're here somewhere, Bunny." The man stopped walking and turned around slowly in place as if scenting the air for her. He made a kissing sound one would use to call a dog. "Come here, little Bunny. Come out, come out wherever you are. I have something for you." He chuckled to himself as he pumped a round into his high-powered rifle.
The woman saw that as her cue and practically exploded out of the brush at a full out run in the opposite direction. Fueled entirely by adrenaline and sheer will power, she sprinted through the trees like a woman possessed. She was entirely unaware of the branches that lashed her face and the rocks that cut into her feet. Her desire to live, to survive, trumped all of the physical pain at the moment. Self-preservation was foremost in her mind.
"Woohoo!" The man gave a whoop of glee at seeing his prey move out into the open. "I knew you'd make a good Bunny!" He brought his rifle up to his shoulder and fired.
The woman screamed and fell to the ground as the trunk of the tree directly to her left exploded outward into a million splinters of wood. Terror filled eyes looked up at the gaping hole and back in the direction the shot had come from. Realization that the game was in its final round dawned on her. She also realized with some trepidation that her chance of being released back into the wild at this point was very, very slim.
XXXXXXXXXX
End of Chapter 1
XXXXXXXXXX