The Island, page 4
I tried to take some comfort in that, along with the knowledge the show had been taping for three years, and no one had ever been seriously injured. This was all about living out a fantasy, and while some of the participants probably had quite violent fantasies to fulfill, it was reassuring to know the staff was available and watching everything to make sure they didn’t go too far.
“Hannah’s currently handing around backpacks for you. You’ll find a few survival-type items inside, along with food and water. Use the contents however you wish, but don’t forget to strategize. You want to make the hunt last as long as possible, both for entertainment value and to diminish the time the hunters have if they claim you. Have fun and stay focused, ladies. Good luck.” The black-haired man took a step back, signaling the end of his speech, and joined Hannah in passing out the backpacks.
When I received mine, I shrugged it on and stared at the apparatus in my palm Hannah had also handed me. “What is this?”
“It’s your head cam.” Hannah, the girl who’d greeted me last night in the makeup room, took it from me and clipped it into my hair.
It was no heavier than an average barrette, and I reached up to touch it. “It doesn’t seem very sturdy.”
She just shrugged. “It’s tougher than it looks. Just don’t take it off if you can help it. It’s one of the primary ways we track you.”
With a nod, I joined the other women who were already geared up and waiting, standing at the starting line. My stomach was a bundle of nerves, and I shifted restlessly in my running shoes. I’d brought a familiar pair from home that were broken in, but only one other woman seemed to have planned ahead and done the same. She was a tall Asian girl on my left, and we exchanged brief smiles, but nothing more.
The other three women wore the new white tennis shoes issued to them by the staff of the show. We all wore sturdy jeans and long-sleeved T-shirts with “The Island” logo, along with light windbreakers. Mine was currently tied around my waist, and most of the others either carried them or had stuffed them in their backpacks.
It was a sweltering day already, though the canopy of the forest would protect us from the worst of the sunlight. We were in a clearing, so I could feel it beating down on me at the moment, but was certain it would be much cooler once the race began, and I was in the shade.
“The timer’s about to start, and you have a thirty-minute head start,” said Sid once more. “Run like hell, ladies.”
At that moment, a shrill alarm sounded, and I recognized it from viewing the last episode. I started to run, as did the women beside me. From the corner of my eye, I saw two of them slip off together, but I scattered independently, as did the Asian girl beside me, and petite blonde on my other side.
At first, I just crashed through the jungle without a plan in mind. I was still riding high on adrenaline and fear, so it took me a few minutes to really slow down and look around properly, to evaluate the environment.
There was a profusion of foliage, along with twigs and vines. I found a sturdy-looking branch that could double either as a walking stick or perhaps a blunt object if used for a weapon. I tested it experimentally, and it seemed kind of brittle. When I slammed it against a nearby tree, the branch shattered. I cursed and kept looking.
The canopy provided the sunlight protection I’d expected, but also made it gloomier as well. I paused for a second to open my backpack, searching to see what we’d been given. I didn’t want to waste my thirty-minute head start, but I also had to know what was at my disposal.
The food was mostly protein bars and bottles of water, along with a couple of MREs and a mess kit with silverware, a plate, and a mug. There was also something labeled as a survival kit. I looked through it and found matches, an emergency blanket, a compass, and what looked like a small shovel along with a roll of toilet paper. There was also a mallet with a blunted ax on the back of it, and the handle was no longer than my forearm. As a weapon, it wouldn’t do much. However, it would probably help cut and sharpen sticks for starting a fire.
I also found a headlamp that I fastened on my forehead, careful not to displace the camera. It had an LED light that provided more illumination than expected for its small size, and I was soon underway again.
I kept running, trying to maintain a steady speed that wouldn’t exhaust me, but wanting to get as far away as possible before the hunters started. I knew I hadn’t been running for thirty minutes when I heard the second alarm. It was more like ten minutes, though I didn’t have a watch at my disposal.
“You lying bastards.” I didn’t shout it, not wanting to give away my position, but certain someone somewhere recorded that on camera. They hadn’t given us thirty minutes at all. They had lied and let the hunters come much sooner. If they lied about that, what else had they lied about?
Suddenly, I was a little less secure in my safety as I moved on, trying to increase my pace. It was difficult to run too fast, because there were no cleared paths. There were dead leaves and vines all over the forest floor, along with fallen logs and other debris. Twice, I startled small animals that scurried away.
I tried to split my time between looking down at my feet and looking straight ahead, but was making horrible progress. According to the compass I had strapped to my wrist, I had veered to the west instead of going straight. I guessed it didn’t matter, since I wasn’t certain where was safe, if anywhere.
I plunged on ahead, going faster than was wise and paying for it when I hit a fallen log and went flying. I landed hard on my hands and knees and couldn’t seem to get myself moving for a moment. My ears were ringing, though I hadn’t hit my head, and I was still trying to absorb the shock of the fall when something heavy moved behind me and on top of me. I instantly recognized it as a body and started struggling.
“I was hoping to catch you.” The voice was gruff and sounded older, and his hands weren’t gentle as they tugged at my clothes. I was trying to get away, but he had me trapped. Tears came to my eyes, but I had no clue how to escape.
Suddenly, the weight on me went slack before growing heavier and forcing me closer to the jungle floor. I sobbed and tried to wriggle away, finding it easier than expected despite the burden of the added weight atop me.
When I rolled over and looked up, I saw the Asian girl standing above me, holding out a hand. In her other one, she held a heavy branch that she had clearly wielded to the upside of the man’s head.
I took her hand and got to my feet, glancing briefly at the man who tried to capture me. He was the old man who’d leered at me last night, and I shuddered as I realized how close I came to being his captive. He might still catch me, which was a nauseating thought.
“Come on. We need to move.” She had a surprisingly dulcet voice that didn’t match her rougher-looking exterior. She was big and strong, with bulging muscles and wore a scowl. I wasn’t certain if that was her resting bitch face, or if she was just responding to the circumstances.
I started jogging along beside her. “Thank you.”
She lifted a shoulder and shrugged. “I couldn’t see letting him take you down when I was right there.”
“I’m Anya.” I didn’t give her my last name, because we were forbidden to exchange contact information with our fellow contestants or the hunters pursuing us. First names were it.
“Daiyu, but most people just call me Dai.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“It’s Chinese and means black jade.” She gave me a very brief smile. “My mother tells me she knew I would live up to the name the moment she held me.”
“You do seem to know what you’re doing.” I let her lead the way as I ran beside her.
She shrugged again. “I was in the military for a while. Two tours in Afghanistan taught me a few things.”
“That was desert and not the jungle, right?”
Once again, she shrugged. “It doesn’t matter so much about the terrain. The enemy’s all the same.”
I drew my brows together as I frowned. “The hunters aren’t really the enemy though, are they?”
She paused long enough to give me a look of disbelief. “You know what they’ll do if they catch you, right? I consider that pretty fucking hostile, which makes them the enemy in my book. I’m not going to let them take me easily.”
I nodded, finally grasping what she meant. “I agree with you. I don’t want them to catch me at all. I can certainly use that million dollars.” I didn’t say for what.
“Yeah, me too, but the hundred-kay is enough for now. That’ll buy my mom a new house and help ease some of her troubles.”
I smiled at her. “You’re doing this for your mom?”
This time when she shrugged, she looked embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess.” Her response was unenthusiastic, and she seemed uncomfortable with the answer. I didn’t pry about her mother’s circumstances, and I didn’t linger on the topic.
Instead, I ran with her. There was a stitch in my side, and I was already feeling breathless, but still I ran. I wasn’t going down without a fight, and the best way to avoid the fight was to evade being captured to start with. Maybe with Dai at my side, I had a chance of lasting longer than twenty minutes.
Chapter Four
The fucking jungle was all around me, and I couldn’t make head or tails of any of it. I could see an occasional broken branch where someone had crashed through, but that was the extent of my tracking ability. It certainly wasn’t easy, and the spongy floor covered with dying and dead vegetation did a surprisingly poor job of maintaining shoe prints. It was frustrating and maddening as hell, but at least I wasn’t bored.
I stumbled down what could’ve been a path in front of me, but it was hard to tell. There was slightly less vegetation growing here, but there were no formal trails, and there sure weren’t any markers to help us find where we were or discover our prey. I could hear other men crashing around me in the bush, and they were making enough noise to scare away any prey animal—especially an intelligent woman.
That was good though, because I didn’t want anybody finding Anya before I did. I had a name now, having looked her up last night in the paperwork we received when we got off the boat the previous afternoon. The program provided only scant details, but I now knew she was twenty years old, and there was a gold star beside her picture. Foster had helpfully explained that symbol—it designated her as a virgin. She was the only one in the current round of women running, and my brother seemed to think that would make her a popular target.
The idea made my stomach twist and anger course through me. If I found anyone with her, I’d break them in half. The rules said I couldn’t take a woman from another hunter if they were in a cottage, but anything before that was fair game. I wasn’t sure if I’d let a little thing like their rules stop me from rescuing her from another so-called hunter if I knew she was in a cottage with one.
Rescue might be a subjective term, since I wasn’t about to let her go merrily on her way. There was no scenario I could imagine where Anya left this island a virgin, and the only acceptable option for her losing it was to me.
If I could just find her in this fucking place. I’d been stumbling around for almost an hour now, and that’s exactly what it felt like–stumbling. I had no clue how to proceed, so I just walked ever forward and hoped I would stumble across her before someone else did. It was an inefficient way to play, especially since none of this felt like a game while immersed in it.
My brother and Nash had split up, taking different directions, so I was on my own. I walked for another few minutes until a familiar face appeared in front of me, seeming to have reached the same destination from a different route. I frowned at my brother. “This is the stupidest thing ever. How are we supposed to find anyone in this jungle?”
My brother grinned at me. “I guess if you want it bad enough, you’ll find it.”
“Her,” I said coldly. “It’s not it. She’s a her.”
Foster put up a hand. “Easy there. I didn’t mean to denigrate the women we’re chasing. That’s part of the challenge of this though, and doesn’t it make you feel alive?”
I snorted. “I feel stupid and frustrated, but I don’t think that’s the same thing as feeling alive.”
“Your problem is you have no patience, and you’re not used to having to wait for anything.” He said it with paternal air, as though he was my father rather than my younger brother.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve had to wait for plenty of things.”
Foster crossed his arms over his chest. “Name one.”
I opened my mouth, certain I could come up with a whole list, but drew a blank. Finally, I offered a lame, “I had to wait to get my driver’s license.”
“Until the day you turned sixteen, which is the norm. Doesn’t really count. Name something you desperately wanted and had to wait for, or had to fight for. Something you’ve earned rather than been given?”
I shifted, uncomfortable with the question because it was so accurate. I honestly couldn’t think of anything I’d had to wait or work for. School came easy to me, even my exclusive Ivy League university, where I got an MBA. Sports were also second nature, though I hadn’t been on a rugby or polo field for a few years. Women were the least challenging of all. All I had to do was look sideways at one, and she was ready to fuck me. I let out a low sigh. “Okay, I concede you might have a point. I’m not used to waiting, and I’m sure as hell not used to forging my way through the jungle, so how am I supposed to find her?”
“Since you’re not a subscriber, you probably don’t know there’re advantages you can buy.” As he spoke, Foster removed something from his pocket and held it out to me.
I look down at it doubtfully. “What is it?” It was roughly the size of a candy bar and didn’t feel much heavier than one when I took it from him a moment later as he shook it gently in my direction.
“A GPS tracker. All their backpacks have one, so the staff can keep track of them, but for an additional fee, you can buy a device with your chosen prey’s coordinates programmed in. That way, you always know where to find her.”
I grimaced. “That seems pretty low. I don’t like the idea of cheating.”
Andrew shrugged and reached for it again. “Suit yourself, but don’t blame me if someone else finds her first.”
Before he could snatch back the tracker, I closed my hand around it and pulled it toward my body. “No one else is going to have her.”
He grinned at me. “I figured you’d feel that way. If you catch her, you can reimburse me the thirty-five thousand dollars I paid for the tracker.”
As I stuffed it in my pocket I managed a small smile of my own. “The weekend’s on you, remember?”
With a good-natured laugh, Foster flipped me off and turned to disappear the opposite direction he’d come, away from me.
Once it was just me again, I paused and leaned against a nearby tree to remove the tracker. It took less than a minute to figure out how it worked, and I quickly realized I was the blue dot, because I was unmoving. The red dot was moving farther away from me every second, and the device handily plotted the course for me.
I still wasn’t convinced it was fair to have such a device to start with, and I was certain the producers of the show had never bothered to enlighten the women that they could be specifically tracked for an extra payment, but the idea of someone else getting to her before me was unacceptable. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I didn’t want any other hands on her except mine. She belonged to me, and I was just as convinced of that as I had been at the first sight of her last night.
Chapter Five
I think I was getting on Dai’s nerves, but I was doing my best. She could move with stealthy silence, as though she was floating over all the obstacles in her path despite our rapid pace. Whereas I seemed to find every single one of them and crashed through the jungle with enough noise to attract every hunter in our vicinity. I was frankly amazed she hadn’t ditched me yet, though I appreciated her allowing me to keep tagging along despite slowing her down.
She paused for a moment, leaning against a tree to open her backpack. I took advantage of the moment to collapse onto a log nearby. It felt spongy and weak under my butt, but it didn’t crack with me.
My hands were shaking as I opened the backpack, and that was pure exertion. I was already worn out, though we’d only been at this a little more than an hour. I had no clue how I was going to make it through the whole weekend if I somehow managed to avoid one of the hunters. If I didn’t, there was little doubt how I’d make it through, though I hoped the one who caught me was on the gentle side.
Immediately, I thought of the man I’d seen last night. He’d been an arrogant asshole, and his offer of a million dollars had been insulting. It was only later, when I was back in the basic quarters assigned to the contestants, that I realized I’d probably acted too hastily. I could’ve gotten a million dollars from him by selling my body for one night. It wasn’t that much different from what I was doing as a contestant, but it felt far different inside. At least as a competitor, there was a chance I could escape untouched. If I’d gone to his room, I would’ve certainly felt like a prostitute.
I doubted it would have been any hardship to have sex with him though, and that was being brutally honest myself. I could have had a night of what would probably be amazing sex, and the million dollars, if I hadn’t reacted so negatively to the proposition. By the time I was second-guessing myself, it was too late, and I was wasting precious time I could spend slumbering. I’d allowed myself to sleep shortly thereafter, but now I wondered if I ran into him again, should I accept his offer?
