ManHunt

Rules

The boys, Charlotte and I all eerily step down onto the first floor, turning our heads slowly as if to avoid anything unusual or scary.

All of this is already unusual, I thought.

We spot Mrs. Heller standing by the entrance to the kitchen, beckoning us in. She's wearing all black. A black blouse with a long black skirt that reaches the floor. Her head is covered with a black veil and her eyes gleam with determination mixed with evil.

She opens the door for us and we enter as slow as we can trying to avoid what was coming, although we already knew we were about to die.

The kitchen looked different than usual. The table were gone, sinks and cabinets all removed and the floor was dark pavement.

Seated in a small circle were 3 other children, all different ages, and 2 adults. They all looked so horrified my heart ached for them. It is dim in the room so I have to adjust my eyes to see better.

We step closer and I see that their faces do not have mouths but is just skin.

The youngest is a girl, maybe 9, she's short but looks mature. I feel extremely bad for her.

I'm spooked and terrified and suddenly I'm being forced to sit down in between 2 of the adults. My butt feels so heavy like it's magnetic to the ground. I feel nauseous and feel my heart thumping like it'll explode out of my mouth.

I open my mouth to ask something only I can't. It's like I've forgotten how to speak.

I raise my hand shakily up to the area where my mouth is supposed to be.

I gently touch just below my nose and expect to feel my lips but instead feel nothing but skin.

My eyes water and I realize my mouth has been removed like everyone else's. The game has begun.

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"Thank you all for your patience," Mrs. Heller booms, eyeing people around the room. Her eyes meet mine and I give her the coldest stare as I could back.
She simply looks away.

"You are probably wondering why I gathered you all here. Well, we are going to play a little game. Most of you know it," she states, turning her head and smiling at the young girl, and then the boys.

"Others, you are new. You may be a master at this game, or you may be terrible and end up dying a great death." She laughs menacingly.

"You may wonder why you're here. Why you have been chosen. And what the hell are we doing."
She continues, "you're here for either one of the 2 reasons. One, you've been randomly chosen."

A shiver is sent down my spine indicating that I'm here for reason 1.

"Or...you've been a bad person and need to be punished."

I take a quick peep at Charlotte. Her eyebrows scrunch together meaning that she was reason number 2.

"And to answer; what are we doing, simple. We are playing a game. Oh no, not just any game. We are playing ManHunt. Not the ManHunt you play as a child." She sneers.

I see Josh out of the corner of my eye. He's squirming around. Something's bothering him.

Then I see it. How could I miss it? There was a spider the size of a pom pom at the top of Santa's hat.

"JOSH!" I try to scream, but again, no sound escapes my "mouth".

He wiggles and tries to shake it off but the termite is latched into the side of his sweater. Mrs. Heller stops speaking and sees Josh.

"Joshua. Stop. Moving. That spider could possibly be the key to freedom in this game so I suggest you don't try and remove it."

Josh gives Mrs. Heller a look like, Will it really help me?

She chuckles, "no."

I don't see what happens after because suddenly a huge *BANG* pierces the air.

"Ah, that must be my husband. See everyone soon. He will explain the rest." Mrs. Heller waves us a small goodbye and disappears into the darkness.

Second later a huge sound erupts into the room. It sounds like a diesel engine being powered on. It stops a moment later and is replaced by the sound of blood. Blood dripping down the walls. All the heads turn to the the revolting black-purple liquid squish-squash its way down.

The sound makes me want to die. The scene I witness next is beyond terrifying.

The sound of a bloodcurdling scream is heard and a flash of a girl with dark hair races across my eyes.

Then it's calm. Too calm.

"HELLO EVERYONE!" a man's voice booms. Probably Mr. Hellers.

He laughs slowly like those evil laughs in horror movies.

"That," he begins, "ladies and gentlemen, was just a test. The real things you will experience in this game...are way, way, way, worse."

"The rules are easy peasy," Mr. Heller explains, "the game will last 3 days. It's like normal ManHunt but with some twists. You will each go through a ceremony to see who will be the MAN and the HUNT. The MAN's are the ones being hunted. The HUNT are it. There are nine of you, 2 will be the HUNT and the rest are MAN."

Silence.

Then he speaks up again.

"Your boundaries are limited. If you fall asleep, let's hope for the best someone doesn't find you. If you're "tagged" you become a HUNT. Once 8 of you are it, the last person wins. Then all the HUNT die."

What the hell?! You DIE if you WIN. What's the point?!

"If the HUNT catch you and you refuse, you die. You try your best to find someone and tag them. But remember. Once you're tagged. There's no going back. You're the HUNT. You. Die."

Tears stream down my eyes.

"And if you were wondering, if you want to win, you've got to lose. And if you win, you lose."