The Hunter [completed]

SEVEN

He left the door open. In the distance we could hear the dog barking. Lee was quick to shut the door close and locking it. He turned to the rest of us. No one said anything until Lee spoke up. "What the fuck?" Sean and Sam started talking in each other's mouths, Hannah was sat crying next to me with Christie comforting her. Danny looked stunned. "What just happened?" he asked to no one in particular. "This is unreal. Where's his manners?" Manners. Was that the worrying monument here? I got up, not knowing what had prompted me to do so. "What's with the bullshit he said when he left?" Sean asked, looking at Lee, like he had all the answers just because he was the one that told him to leave. I sat back down, perplexed. "He's obviously fucked up," Sam reasoned. Jess was still clutching onto his arm. He looked at her bemused. "It's just a stupid story. And we're here. Not to worry, girls. Let's not let this put us down, yeah?" You're here. Four teenage lads. No problem. We're safe then.

The conversation soon went back to normal, however, the feeling of uneasiness didn't leave the room. I went out to the outhouse with Hannah and Christie, not wanting to having to go there alone in the middle of the night. As we settled in for the night, the storm outside raved on.

I was stood in the doorway between the two rooms saying goodnight to Hannah, Christie and Danny when a loud noise came from outside. Danny shot up and headed straight to the window next to the door. "If its that hunter playing with us I swear..." His voice died as another loud noise was heard. Lee, Sean and Sam appeared behind me. "What was that?" Danny pulled the curtain back and backed up, away from the window. I quickly double checked that the door was locked. It was. I sighed with relief. "Is it him?" Sean wanted to know. "It sounded like... I can't quite put my finger on it," Danny admitted. "Well, we can't hear his dog. That's a good thing, no?" Sam chirped in. "Let's go to bed. If it's him, we will not let ourselves become a part of his silly game," Danny said sternly. He placed himself on the side of the sofa closest to the door and blew out the candles. "Goodnight everyone." I exchanged looks with Hannah and Christie before they blew out the candles by their end of the sofa. Hannah looked frightened, and Christie's face I couldn't read. I closed the door, but decided against it and left it slightly ajar. Then I climbed up in my bunk, getting changed to my pj's. Sean was already sound asleep by the low snoring coming from his bunk. Sam and Jess were crammed into the same bunk, breathing steadily. Lee climbed out of his bunk and leaned onto mine. "If you have to go to the toilet during the night, wake me up. There's no way I'm allowing you, or anyone, outside alone tonight." I nodded. "Thank you," I whispered in return. He nodded, bid me goodnight and climbed back onto his bunk.

The room was dark, and everyone were asleep. I couldn't. I was laid on my side with my eyes closed, listening intently to the rain hitting the windows. I pulled out my favourite going to sleep fantasy from my brain cabinet and started fantasising away, when the distant sound of a dog barking disturbed me. I froze. I didn't like that he was still around, and not knowing exactly where. The gruesome thought of him lurking around filled me with anxiety. His reaction when he was asked to leave, and all the nonsense he was saying... He could be capable of a lot of things. The barking drifted off until I could no longer hear it. I thought of Christie's reaction to the lake, and the story the hunter had told us... and of the lake... With its dark waters, bottomless. My head swam with these thoughts and I felt dizzy.

I must have fallen asleep, but the room was still dark and the rain was still pouring. I had to pee, but even accompanied by Lee I refused to go outside. I tried to go back to sleep again, but to no use. I shifted my uneasy body, and I heard movement from the bunk below. Then, a whisper: "Are you awake?" Lee's head popped up, although I could barely see him in the dark, only the outlines against the slight moonshine peeping through the curtains. "Yes." He climbed up and placed himself by my feet. I pushed myself upright. "I don't want to scare you further, but I think he's out there. I've heard his dog a couple of times, and not long ago I heard a noise like someone dragged something across the walls on the outside. I got out of the bed and listened by the door, and I heard someone try the door knob." His voice was a low whisper, barely audible. I felt the hairs on my skin rise and goosebumps appear. "I only heard the dog," I whispered back and placed my head on his shoulder. He pulled me closer to him. "I don't know what he's up to, or if he's just trying to scare us. In any regards I'm reluctant to go back to sleep." He was clearly frightened, and I wanted to comfort him, but I was in turmoil myself. "Do you think he's known that we are here all along? Could it be him who moved Sam's shoes?" I asked quietly as to not wake the others. He processed the thought for a couple of seconds, then turned to me. "Maybe. But we've never heard a dog though." I drew my breath and lay myself back down. "I want to go home," I said. Lee leaned over, gave me a kiss on my forehead and climbed back down.

After another hour of Lee constantly changing sleeping positions, he must have fallen asleep. I heard faint snoring from the other room. I was just lying there, wishing and waiting for the morning to come. Nothing had been heard for so long, I was starting to feel less frightened. Maybe he had had his fun and had moved on. I turned around with my back against the wall and started thinking about the new 'the Sims' game that was probably waiting for me at home. It was the only thing I had wanted for my birthday. I had been looking forward to this particular expansion pack for three whole months, and had already started to plan a family. I must have drifted, because I was jerked awake by something that sounded like... a violin! I felt the adrenaline rush through my veins, and the loud beats of my heart, throbbing painfully against my chest. It was distant, floating. I was dreaming, wasn't I? If I was, it was the weirdest state of dreaming I have ever experienced. Many years from now, when telling the story, I would still swear that I wasn't. It was uncanny. Unreal. I hid my head underneath my pillow and cried myself exhausted and then to sleep.