The Game Ends

The saying that you are not truly aware of what you are capable of until you are pressed to take action in a situation where you must take drastic measures is true. I pushed through the fear to make a hard decision. With blood on my paws, my path is set. I will fight back and I will win.

None of their equipment will be of use to me. I don't want to take the fight to the others. They will be looking for me. I will be ready for when we meet. Whoever I may meet. I also can't walk around aimlessly. I know that I will have to find my way back to the lodge. I may as well make my way back. I'll see if I can retrace my steps.

Some things look familiar. Others look completely foreign. I find the den that I found before so I know I'm on the right track. I just have to keep trekking. One step at a time. Whenever I hear anything I drop to the ground and wait. The dirt in my fur begins to feel natural the more I move around. I'm a mess. I know I'm a mess. And I just do not care. There is a drive that keeps me going forward. The will to survive is a strong force.

I hear a murmuring off to the side. They're not on the same path I am but close enough that we may cross. I take a position in the brush that would be difficult to traverse through for any normal person. I know that I'm not dealing with normal folks but anything that makes it harder for them, makes it better for me. They are much better armed than the last group. It's still only two of them but they have proper hunting rifles. Short-range scopes, probably four rounds in the box.

Neither is drawn. Neither seems to be in any ready stance. They're walking as though it's a stroll. Easy pickings. Or should I let them pass? Those rifles would be helpful though. I might have the advantage in a firefight but do I want to start one? Maybe they have something smaller that would prove more useful. A sidearm perhaps? I'm going to take the chance. Once like before. From behind as quietly as I can.

I stop to wait as they pass. And It paid off. They shouted back to another one asking if they were going to catch up or just waddle behind them. If I had jumped then, the third would have had the drop on me. I lucked out. But with three I'm going to have to let them pass. I sit and wait until they are out of sight. I can use them as a guide to finding my way back.

I'm alone with my thoughts for a moment while I try to figure something out. With no magic, for whatever blocker they have coursing through my body, how am I going to take on the hunting lodge that will undoubtedly be filled with those who are more than willing to kill me for sport? I didn't get a long time to train in combat tactics and what I did get was a very cut-down version to try and get me up to some speed for a mission that was botched before we even got to where we needed to. Something is better than nothing though.

If I can get the drop on them… I have more of a fighting chance. I can't even tell myself that I will have the advantage. I pick myself up from the ground to follow the path they took this far. There's a bit of a beaten path that's still mostly overgrown. One that's been used quite a bit but not often enough to beat the life out of the ground.

I find a trail that looks more like a road. It's well beaten. Against my better instinct, I follow it up a stretch until I see a familiar sight. I got a glimpse of it as I looked back the first time. It's the roof of the lodge. I can't stay on this road any longer. I'm way too open.

Logic dictates that I should stay out of sight and move around until I can find a spot that is a bit more covered before I try and find a way inside. There are large windows on the back of the lodge and a few at the front. The sides must be where they keep the rooms so any windows are smaller. Made for privacy.

I can only hope that they don't have cameras in the place. A quick look doesn't show anything on the outside. This brings up a conundrum. Do you put up cameras on a lodge where people spend six figures to come to or do you now have video evidence of the activities that happen at a sketchy lodge where people spend six figures to come to? There's a lot to risk in having video evidence of shady activities. If I have my way, there won't be anything left.

Sometimes, luck smiles upon me. Someone left a window unlocked! I use that as my way in. Someone is staying in this room. There are clothes in bags and some equipment laying around. I snag a set of clothes to cover up a bit. They're a bit big but I'll take what I can get.

And my lucky day continues. A pistol! 9mm, semi-auto. Looks like a Glock but doesn't have the right markings. Might be made in another country using the same or close to the same pattern. I won't argue. One magazine, empty of course but that's just good practice. Ammunition is nearby. I find one more magazine so I have the ability for continued fire.

How do I approach the others? I can hear the conversation on the other side of the door. They seem much more relaxed than they were hours ago when they were getting hyped up to go after me. Bust out of the door and fire a few rounds? No, ammunition is precious. Bust out and lay down someone? That would instill fear and show that I am not afraid of killing someone. I feel ugly about this. I have to let that feeling go. I have to survive.

They kept me trapped in a basement for days. They took others and who knows what happened to them. These people are killers, not hunters. They've pushed me into a corner and now it's time to fight back. It's time to fight.

I unlock the door to the room. I wasn't able to get a clear view of the inside of this place before. Now that the drugs that kept me in a haze are gone, I can appreciate this place for the hellhole that it is. The voices carry down a hallway that leads to the large windows located at the back of the building.

I turn the corner to see the natural light from outside. The back of a chair is at the end of the hallway with someone sitting inside of it. I can't tell who or what kind of creature they are. I feel bad for them. Really I do. They're about to be made an example of for the other. I step out into the open space looking at the other faces. A few eyes dart to me for a second before they go back. A few catch on coming back to me. One loud pop from the pistol in my hand takes the life of the person who never saw it coming. The others freeze in place. One puts his paws up as he tries to clamor over the back of the couch.

I give a friendly smile, "I'm glad we could have this meeting. I have so many questions that I want to be answered starting with who is in charge. Hopefully, it wasn't this gent." I pat the back of the chair where the fresh body sits. No one seems to want to answer. "You were all so loud a while ago. Why are you quiet now? Do I need to provide a bit more motivation?" I aim my pistol at the one who tried to scurry away.

His poor attempt to flee let me know that he didn't want to be hurt. He doesn't want to die. He will be the weak link that will give me what I want. He starts to whimper like the dog he is as he tears up, "Please! Don't!"

"The irony. How many said that to you while they were being used for what you think is a game? I'll ask again. Who is in charge?"

He points to the old, gray wolf next to him who moves his paws up. My sights move to him. He doesn't flinch. He seems more resigned than anything. He sighs as his eyes roll but no words. "Why? That's the first thing I want to know." His voice was gravel as he spoke. I recognized it as one of the few that went into the basement so many times. "I offer rare hunts of exotic species for a price befitting of the catch."

"All sentient? Or do you have a heart and mix in some wild animals as well?"

"I mix in wild animals."

"Glad to hear that my life matters that much. $150,000 for a chance at me? I'm insulted."

His head drops knowing he's been beaten. There is no making this right. There is no law or form of justice that could bring down the correct punishment for just this outing alone. He strikes me as one of those people who aren't sorry because they feel bad. Only because they were caught and know that they're going to be punished. He goes to stand up to address me, "Maybe you and I can work out a deal."

"You can sit back down and keep your paws above your head."

"I don't think…"

One shot rang out as I put the matching round into his upper thigh. "If you're lucky I missed an artery and you won't bleed out in a few minutes. Stay sitting." He fell back trying to keep his paws up. I put him in a world of pain. Maybe he'll get to see what it's like. Oh! That's an idea. "I'm sorry. I didn't follow your rules. Humain kills only." Two more shots to his chest lay him back on the couch in a heap deserving of what he's done. The other four in the room are all locked onto me. My ears are ringing but not from the gunshots. It's the anger.

I went from being in a country I didn't know because my government doesn't want to admit it made a mistake to this nightmare where I was pushed into a situation that no one should have to experience. Now that these others are on the opposite end, they get a moment to enjoy the fear I had to overcome.

Something inside just snaps. My head becomes clear as my breathing steadies. The look of fear on their faces intensifies as one of them calls out, "He is the nine-tailed fox!" They've noticed. And so have I. That clear-headed feeling was my magic flowing through me again. My body feels light, yet a little more off balance. I don't even need to look to know that's my fifth tail.

"You have 10 seconds to get out of my sight." They got their only warning I'm willing to give. They all scramble past me towards the main entryway as I count. The last leaves before I get to seven. I'm not going to leave this place standing. I got what I wanted, for the most part. This cycle should stop. At least for this location. One deep breath in and it all feels natural again. I can feel the flow of the elements around me as I command them. One breath out and the lodge is no more.

The explosion sends a wave out to the forest that shakes the tallest trees. It disturbs everything as it kicks up dust and dirt. Those magnificent wood pillars, adorned with carvings and details, were turned to splinters as they were thrown out. All those "trophies" that adorned the halls and walls were burnt to ash and scattered across the wildlands. Nothing was left except the sign of an explosion. Even the basement collapsed in to ensure that it would never be used again. I hope that serves as a sign for those still out in the woods that their game is over.