Escape

Chapter III (Hunter)

"Rule number one. When making decisions, you must play rock, paper and scissors or decide by picking coloured paper," Ivy's voice echoed through Hunter's head reminding him that he couldn't run back to them. The guilt from taking the flashlight without thanking Will was finally sinking in. He froze, staring at his large pale hands. He was trembling. He never intended to come across are ignorant and aggressive. He bit down on his dry lips.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He shouted, unfolding his map. He shone his flashlight at the map for a few seconds, desperate to find a safe room before placing it back in his pocket. He pulled down his hoodie revealing his purple messy hair. He closed his eyes. While thinking about his next move, he remembered a sign reading "EVAEL!" in red letters.

"I wonder what that means" he thought to himself. He reopened his eyes almost hoping he would be back at school but instead he was greeted back to his horrible reality. He scanned the hall once more and ventured ahead. The walls where thinner than before and narrower. He continued in cautiously. The security he had felt with Will and Ivy vanished and fear replaced it. He felt a pair of eyes following his every move but when he glanced over his shoulder, no one could be seen. He shrugged it off and presumed it was his imagination since there were no clues to convince him. He stopped to check through the windows. He walked towards a broken window and looked through it. A sharp object could be seen through the cracks. Hunter sighed in relief.

"Fuck yes," he muttered. He reached through the opening and stretched his hand towards the weapon. His slim long fingers leaned closer to the the knife yet it was so far away. He finally felt the cold dusty table and began feeling around for it. And small cold breeze graze his hand sending shivers down his spine.

As he finally grabbed hold of his weapon of choice, his mind wasn't set at ease. He kept wondering if Will and Ivy would comeback and venture ahead together like before. As he quietly pondered the chances of it happening, a cold blade grazed his skin. Soon after he felt a burning sensation tickling the interior of his hand. He snapped his hand back, immediately letting go of his knife. He looked down at his decapitated hand gushing out with blood, in fear. He looked up from his hand, to only find a masked man staring back at him. His body stiffened up and his throat became rapidly dry.

The man squatted down low enough to see Hunters face through the window. His eyes were covered by giant, dusty googles while his nose and mouth were covered by a badly beaten gas mask. He slowly brought this hand up to his face and removed the mask. Hunter took a step back cautiously watching both the mysterious man and the hallway. "I guess you didn't pay any heed on the sign." He spoke holding up the knife. "!Leave" was write on it. His lips curved into a grin.

Hunter heart increased. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest. He knitted his eyebrows together and took a deep breath and attempted to composed himself. His legs began to shake uncontrollably and before he knew it, he was running down the hallways without a second glance. His vision started to fade. He turned the corner and headed through an open classroom. He carefully shut the door and barricaded it with tables and chair quietly as possible. He hide himself in one of the empty lockers.

A few minutes passed and heavy footsteps echoed through the room. The footsteps appeared louder and louder as it came closer to Hunters location. The steady pounding of footsteps send chills down his spine. He held his breath as the sound of footsteps ceased as it arrived at the room separating them. A layer of sweat appeared on the nape of his neck.  A giggle was heard behind the door before the footstep faded away from his location. Hunter released his breath and step out of his "safe haven". He investigated around the room to find something to stop the bleeding. He fondled around the cabinets and drawers desperately, taking anything in them. After noticing his arms we full, he decided to scattered the items on a desk. He stared blankly at all his useless items he had collected. He formed a his hand into a fist ready to strike at the desk but quickly realised what situation he was in. Sweat dripped down his face as he stood still listening at every move. Silences filled the room. He sighed, relieved of his situation. He thought long and hard about what he could use. He picked out a rag and some safety pins among the pile. He held his bleeding hand up and wrapped it with the rag and fixed it together with the safety pins.

"Hopefully this will stop the bleeding for the meantime" he whispered to himself. He reluctantly walked towards the door and carefully cleared his way out. He let out a sigh before sliding the door open.

Once out from the class room, he looked both directions before running to the exit and the opposite way from the footsteps. He ran as fast as his legs could go. He glanced back. A figure was racing towards him.

"Found you!" The man giggled chasing behind him. Hunter turned back, staring closely to his exit. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. He ran furiously, from the man behind him. Although he was now tired he pushed his legs to go faster. He breath was sharp, his eyes widen with tears. In the corner of his eyes everything became blurry. Fear washed on his face as he thought of the idea of his life being cut short. He parted his lips to yell for help but before he could utter a word he was slowly falling backwards, facing the ceiling. He's body fell to the ground causing the the weak flooring to vibrate from the weight. He stared at the mysterious mans face, fear crippled him, freezing his body still.

"That was a great workout" he heavily breathed. "But unfortunately, everything must come to an end." He whispered smiling at him.