Prey (A Closed Thread)

[marauder13]

David easily fell into his hunter's mind. Everything else was irrelevant. He focused on her tracks, which were clear as day to his eyes. She had been sticking to known tracks, which was quite a mistake for her, but whether she would learn from it was another matter entirely. His ears listened for unusual sounds; sudden burst of noise from the wildlife that called his property home, or an unusual sound caused by someone with little woodcraft moving through the undergrowth.

He caught sight of where she had backtracked. A set of tracks clearly going off one way, and then coming back again and going off a different direction. He smiled and shook his head. David followed her tracks, moving at a good pace, but keeping himself quiet and low as he went.

He stopped, the wind catching the sounds of her crying and carrying them to his ears. But the trees would distort where the sound came from, and would be of little use to pinpoint where she was. But it served him well considering Kelly stayed on the trails. He took his time following her tracks. The sobbing grew louder. He veered off the track, taking a guess at where she was. It took him longer to move through the trees and undergrowth, but he soon had her in sight.

She looked tired. Frazzled. Scared shitless. Sitting with her back to a large tree, breathing heavily and not seeming to be taking much notice of her surroundings. David allowed himself some time to calm himself down. Seeing her there, ripe for the picking, had got his excitement levels up too high for an effective shot. It took him less than a minute to regain his composure and be ready to take his first shot.

He raised the rifle, years of practice making it easy to get it to his shoulder without disturbing his immediate environment. The barrel moved out enough to ensure a clean exit from the muzzle for the dart. David noted that the wind was negligible, so his aim would be straight, all he need to do was allow for the drop. He positioned the rifle against his arm, took his breath, let out about half. He steadied the rifle, squeezing the trigger until he heard the near silent 'puft' that told him the dart was in flight towards Kelly.

 

[PollySays]

A sound. Kelly stiffened, trying to stop her heavy breaths, to suck them in without making a sound, her heart pounding heavily in her chest from both the rush of fear and the pain of that held air. A bird? She pushed of from the tree, peering around slowly, trying to figure out the best direction. Which way to go. Which was safest.

None of them, really.
Absolutely nothing was safe at the moment, was it?
He was. Everywhere.

A shiver of fear ran through her bones once more, Kelly's hand raising to run against her lips, against her face. A smear of dirt from the tree was left against her skin, ignored at the moment. She had to think. Plan. Do something.

A sharp sudden pain, in her right shoulder. Harsher than a mosquito, piercing into her flesh through her shirt. She let out a surprised noise, slapping at the stinging spot. Something attached.

Oh god.
He found her. He found her, that was his-

Kelly shrieked at the realization, yanking the thing from her arm and tossing it to the ground. The sudden panic flooded her head, whatever was in that thing flowing with her bloodstream. Coach had shown the girls countless videos on the effects drugs had on the body, the way they could easily take over the bloodflow-

Oh god.

She tried to run again, her legs growing uncooperative as her vision grew lost to the sea of greenery. Green to a yellow, a white.

Oh god.

"No... Fuck, no, not- no..." Words mumbled in a high pitched whine, Kelly's hands flailing out to grab against the nearest tree. Legs unresponsive. Feet feeling like bricks. Her body too heavy, lost to her command. keep trying to move. Get out of his line of sight, at least. Somewhere he can't find you, out of the way.

She fell, hard. Into some brush, branches and nettle cutting at her skin, at her clothing. His dart had left her numb at least, unable to really feel that second sting now.

Her mind was still running. Frightened. Angry.
Exhaustion. That, above all.
Her eyes drifted shut, a tiny whimper leaving her as her body turned limp in the bush.

 

[marauder13]

His shot was true, taking her in the shoulder, and better still, remain embedded long enough to transfer enough of the sedative into her system to at the very least render her incapable of much movement.

He watched from his position as she let her terror take over. That reaction would put her body into overdrive, accelerating the effects of the drug. He saw her reactions slow, her body becoming uncoordinated as she attempted to escape. He listened as well as watched, she she did pass from his line of sight, but she didn't get too much further. The sounds of her collapsing were clear to him.

He stood, shouldering his rifle as he approached where Kelly lay. She had fallen into some of the undergrowth, and had picked up a few slight scratches along the way. He checked her vital signs, happy to see that she had not had any adverse reactions to the drug. He squatted down, scooping her limp body, and carrying back to his camp.

"Not a very smart thing to do, Kelly. I could understand you trying to escape, but breaking one of my favourite DVDs? Never saw you as the callous bitch. Maybe you put on a good TV face." He took a few deep breaths as he walked through the woodland. "Well, you'll soon find out exactly how much you've pissed me off, Kelly. We were going to have a fun time together when I first caught you, but I'm afraid that it's going going to be that nice for you."

He finally walked into a clearing that was accessibly from only one route, and the track was well established. The natural hollow sported a large pond fed by a slow moving waterfall. There were a couple of natural caves that offered enough space to be habitable, but not hold too many surprises. Once he got Kelly into the furthest cave from the entrance, he returned to close off the only escape route with a razor wire gate that he pulled across the opening.

"Now, how exactly will I make her understand the fullness of my displeasure with her?" He stood still, looking up at the top lip of the hollow. A slow, menacing grin covered his face. "Yes, that will do the trick nicely." He walked to another one of the caves, grabbing several lengths of rope, and carrying them over to the sole tree that grew in the hollow. The stout specimen was a hundred years old from his estimates, and had a very solid branch just low enough to serve his purposes. He got the ropes secured to the branch, as well as driving a couple of tent pegs into the ground as well. Happy with his preparations, he returned to Kelly, and gave her some of the reversal drug. Within a few seconds of administering it, David would be able to give Kelly the good news about how she would apologize for her bad behaviour.

When he felt she was coherent enough to understand him, David smiled. "Hello, Kelly. Time for bad little girls to get their punishment. Pity, I was so looking forward to having fun with you. But, you fucked up and here we are. Please don't make it harder on yourself by doing something silly. OK?"

 

[PollySays]

Dizzy.
Very dizzy.

Kelly's eyes felt incredibly heavy as they started to move, looking around in confusion to try and recognize where she was. Nothing about this looked the least bit familiar.

Except him.

The sudden realization of the face she was looking at, the man who was smiling at her in that frightening fashion. Everything flooded into her. The house, the bedroom. The movie. The running, the dart-

She gasped, trying to sit up, her body still arguing on cooperation. It felt as though her legs were asleep, her limbs unable to understand what she wanted from them. A small whimper came from her throat, looking up to him as he greeted her with that sickeningly cheerful that pushed into frightening tone.

He was far too happy with what he had done to her.

"I. I didn't. You were going to. Things."
Her words were jumbling. She couldn't get them out right.
"Bad. Is you. Not. You fucking. Shot."

That was only making her dizzier. It was too hard to get it out correctly. She instead chose to lay back down, to try and take deep breaths.

"Can't. Run."
She glanced at him, still taking the slow deep breaths to try and get her body to cooperate.
"Can't. Game. Take. Me. Back."

She swallowed hard, groaning as it felt so strange in her throat. What had he done to her? At least the feeling was starting to return, something she knew was expanding by the returning tingle in her toes. Her fingers managed to wriggle slightly, her hands playing in the dirt beneath them.

"Please."
Her voice was growing more earnest, more frightened as she looked up at him. Feeling was returning. The use of her arms. Weak, but there. She pushed herself up to sitting, waiting for her legs to cooperate with her.
"I'm. Sorry. Bad. Choice."

They were coming easily now, still somewhat halted, but forming more coherently. "We can. Try. Again. Please. Don't. Please."

Pleading.
She felt the fear rising again, taking in more of the cave he had hidden them away in. Another unknown part to his property. A wall of wire, a man she feared before her.
"Please."

 

[marauder13]

Kelly being an athlete meant that the effects of the various drugs worked quickly and efficiently due to her metabolism. She was coming out of the effects well as he looked over her. As he expected, she started to plead with him over her error. She looked so pitiful that he might have been moved to allow her a second chance.

'Except she broke one of my FAVOURITE DVDS!'

His smile remained pleasant as she sat herself up.

"I'm. Sorry. Bad. Choice.

"We can. Try. Again. Please. Don't. Please.

"Please."

David sighed. "Kelly, I wish I could, but I can't. How would I look in your eyes if I started not keeping to the rules? Where would the long term benefits be in it for you? Your coach pushes you from time to time to keep you doing the right things, so you become a better athlete? Well, you were naughty, so it's time for you to suffer the consequences of what you did." He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet and moving her toward the tree where the ropes were tied.

"Plus," his words spat through clenched jaws, "why should I show you any consideration when you haven't shown me any?" He got her to the tree, yanking one arm up and quickly securing it with one of the ropes hanging from the branch. It was not the type of knot he wanted, but it would serve for the short time it was needed.

"Now, don't be a naughty girl again, Kelly. Behave, and I can get you tied off nicely and you wont loose blood flow to your hands."

He pulled her other arm up, watching to see what she chose to do as he reached for the other length of rope.

 

[PollySays]

More movement.

Her muscles were regaining their strength, the numbness starting to wear away. Still not enough to completely move on her own, but at least it had gone to more of a sleeping leg sensation than the overwhelming loss of feeling that had overtaken her. They were there, and she could feel them, try to move them clumsily.

A lecture.

Kelly simply stared up at him, her eyes narrowing a bit as he compared his need to punish with that of her coach's need to push her limits. Better athlete? How was anything he was doing going to make any difference on her track career?

She was nearly ready to spit back a retort, to angrily snap at him, when his hand found her wrist and hauled her to her feet. The still numb muscles attempted to keep her balanced, shuffling across the dirt to keep up with him. Another angry spouting of words was given in her face as he yanked her arm up over her head, tied into place with his furious fingers flying.

"You shot me with a fucking dart." Her voice was working again. "You kidnapped me from my team bus. You chained me to a fucking bed! What the hell did you expect me to do in return?" His own tone was that of anger, and now she was using it in return. His accusations, his fury. All leading to her own developing further.

Another yank, and another knot. She cringed, a tiny whimper of pain at the feeling in her arm. "And now you're tying me to a tree? What do you even expect to come out of this? You honestly think I'm going to be your friend or something now? You are insane! Absolutely, completely, utterly mad!"

Her mouth was back to normal, but the rest of her was still working to regain cooperation. Her foot was awake enough now to scrape against the dirt, feeling creeping through to allow her the sensation of the rocks buried in the ground.

Tight but not too tight.
Enough to keep her upright. Unmoving.
Arms spread, and stuck completely.

"Just. Just tell me what you expect."
Her voice was softer now. Pleading.
An explanation.
Something.

 

[marauder13]

David tied off her other hand, pleased that she didn't fight him too much. Physically she didn't, verbally she had. Words were spoken, ones to be replied to once he had her feet secured. Rope went around one ankle, then the stake in the ground. He pulled the rope until her leg was wide enough, then he tied it off. Same with the other leg. All four limbs were now fully secured, with very little wiggle room.

He lunged at her, coming face to face with her, mere fractions of an inch separating them. He mimicked her voice and tone as he repeated her words to her.

"'You shot me with a fucking dart.' Of course I did, Kelly! Would you have liked real bullets? I'm hunting you, you stupid bitch! Get used to it." A finger came up, the tip close to one of her eyes. "But, it's not the only thing I'm using to catch you with. There are other ways. Maybe, just maybe, you prefer the dart over those." The finger dropped away

"'You honestly think I'm going to be your friend or something now? You are insane! Absolutely, completely, utterly mad!' Be fucking careful about what you call me. Insane?" His voice dropped and he pulled back a little. "Well, that is a matter open to much debate in certain circles. I have been treated, and I even have paperwork that says I am no longer insane. But some people... well they just don't think that's the case. But..." His voice bellowed at her, "I'm not fucking MAD! Severely irate. Overwhelming pissed off. But not MAD!"

"Just. Just tell me what you expect."

His voice returned to a type used by friends in a relaxed conversation. "What I expect from you, Kelly, is to do your best to get out of here, but also stay within the rules and be polite. So, no more deliberately breaking my property, like my DVDs. OK? Remember that when you get caught, you'll be brought back here, or another one of my prepared camps, and you will, hmmm, pay the price for getting caught.

"But this time, you have been very naughty. Yes, I know, I know, I kidnapped you, blah, blah, blah. That doesn't matter. I had been nice to you. I could have tied you down, raped you in some many disgusting ways, tortured you without remorse. But I put you on a bed, gave you food, treated you well, all because I thought you were the smart girl I saw on the TV, and had seen in person a few times.

"Now, for starters, you are going to stay just like that for a little while, so you can think on your mistakes so far, and how you can go about apologising to me for that." He nodded, with a "Hmmpf".

He turned, and with an exaggerated bounce in his step, he headed off for one of the other caves.

 

[PollySays]

No words.
Just seething anger, Kelly's eyes narrowing as the finger was jammed before her. Reminded her of her father scolding their old dog for shitting on the rug. Was that what he saw now? Misbehaving bitch?

"Get that out of my face," she managed to hiss, balling her fists and tugging the ropes latched to her wrists. Hunting her. Humanely, as he seemed to see it. The mention of the what ifs of earlier, what he could have done to her. Those lingered.

But those seemed to make more sense to her.
Those had. More reason to them. She could see the mindset involved.
This. This she did not.
This was the more frightening. Especially when he snapped at her, only to so coolly slide back to the pleasant demeanor.

Two sides.
Maybe more.
What the hell was in number three.

At least she wasn't meeting him now, watching blankly as he started away. "Wait." Her voice was soft, a developing worry as he continued away. "Wait!"

He was nearly skipping.
Was this number three?

"You bastard!," she shrieked, yanking again, trying desperately now to tug the routes free. He wasn't kidding. Serious. Serious on leaving her here. Stuck. Alone. "I'm not apologizing for a damn thing!"

Another yank and shriek, fear replacing her anger. She couldn't see him anymore. Running it freely, even unfamiliar terrain felt safer than being left this way. Stuck and alone, left to think over his words and worry on west was to come, from both her captor and his little game.

He wanted her to keep trying.
That was his fun. The hunt.
Those darts fucking hurt.
He said something in other means.
Traps?

She took a deep breath, trying to listen to her surroundings. Anything. Some clue on location. Water? Anything? Still no noises of traffic, which meant they had to have been some distance from the highway where he found her. Lots of birds. Noisy little bastards, she could barely hear over them all.

He left her to think.
To question her behavior.
To apologize.
She scoffed at that. What was he expecting?

 

[marauder13]

David sat down in the coolness of the cave, doodling in the dirt as he whistled to himself merrily. He checked the time, and decided that about 30 minutes of reflection and contemplation would do Kelly the world of good.

"It's the drugs messing with her head, that's all. Of course, being an athlete, she's got that passion in her to make it big, and that get's directed the wrong way at times. Yeah, she's not really herself right now. A little cooling off, not getting distracted by anything will do her good."

Of course, her words while he was tying her up were far from nice but David was a forgiving soul and was willing to over look her minor indiscretions at the time. He sat back, against the wall of the cave, letting himself drift mentally while he waited for the time to pass. He thought through all of the time he spent in the hospital, convincing the doctors that there was nothing wrong with him, at least to the point of keeping him locked up. But he was out, and had been a good lad, doing everything the doctors had asked him.

The time limit came, and David wandered out with a casual saunter in his step as he approached where he had left Kelly tied up. He was smiling softly, looking at her and liking what he was seeing.

"Now that you have had time to think, is there anything you'd like to say to me?"

His voice was sweet, and sounded innocent, just like the pose he held while standing before her.

 

[PollySays]

Her thoughts had wandered, just as he had told her they would. To both the things he told her to focus on, and things certainly not on his itinerary.

Anger. Utter hatred for the man who had stolen her away, forced her into playing his despicable game.

Confusion. Unsure on how she had even gotten into this mess. She was supposed to be at that meet. They were going to notice. Weren't they? The crash. Hospitals. Everyone was going to miss that. Probably canceled completely.

Self pity. How terrible things had become. How cruel had was towards her. The fear that overwhelmed her, the entire situation. She felt so alone. So worried and afraid. She was certain, certain, that at some point, he would snap. He would. Do something.
That something, however, she still wasn't sure on it's exact qualification.

But then the other things were creeping in. Fear on being left this way. That he wouldn't return. Reasonings with herself. If he did come back, what to say. What to plead. What to scream. What to sob. All of them at once.

Her body ached. Between the running, the tripping, the still sore ankle, the position he had left her in. All of it left a toll upon her.

Exhausted. Again.
Her head lowered, letting it hang slightly as her eyes closed, trying to both listen to the sounds around her while losing herself to it all. Block out the situation with something else.

The sound of his approach seemed so much louder with that, glancing up groggily as he stepped around one of the trees, a merry jaunt to his motions.

Kelly groaned softly at that, shaking her head as she looked back down to the earth dug up before her feet.

He asked what she had to say.

Kelly stayed quiet for a moment, trying to pull at all those possibilities she had created earlier.

None of them.
Simply the first thought.
"I'm thirsty."

Her voice was raspy as she said it, barely bringing her gaze to rise, though slowly allowing it to do so. She flicked her tongue against her lips, drawing a heavy breath. "Please. Just let me have some water. I'm sorry. I'm. I'm very sorry." Words spoken in such a monotone voice. "I shouldn't have done that. I was scared. I was. Confused. I didn't. I didn't think. At all." Another flick of her tongue, this time looking towards him. "I'm so sorry. Please."