Chapter Text
While Evan liked to think of himself as a smart and cunning individual, it didn’t change the fact that most of the survivors had gotten wise to the placement of his traps.
Of course, he used to go for obvious places: near chests, near the exit switches, over by the generators. As time went on, he mixed it up in an effort to fool the survivors, but it seemed that the bulk of them had been doing this long enough to just constantly be paranoid about their next step, which put the Trapper at a disadvantage.
This is why he found himself sitting in his estate and trying to think of a plan.
The Entity had rewarded him with various upgrades to his traps, but he’d used them before and none would help him right now. He needed something new. Something the survivors hadn’t experiences before. Something outside the box.
But what could he do?
He thought back to his trapping days when he would catch wild animals for trophies and pelts. It had always been so simple: set the trap up, lay out the bait, and then wait patiently for-
Wait a minute.
Evan perked up, almost kicking himself for not having thought of this before. Bait. Of course! He could use bait to lure the survivors into the traps and then catch them while they struggled.
Evan stood up and strode over to the room where he kept his food. No one really needed to eat in the Entity’s realm, but the Entity had seen fit to reward its killers with food and comforts when they did well in the trials. Evan had plenty as he sometimes forgot to eat it when he was working on new traps upgrades.
He pulled out a thick slab of beef, still red and dripping as if freshly cut from the cow. Yes, this would be perfect. He remembered all the cooking lessons he’d been given in his youth, and he new just how to dress this up to make it irresistible.
And then all he’d have to do is wait...
>>>>>>>
Feng Min considered herself a competitor who had seen all kinds of cheating and knew how to either shut it down or work around it. She’d played by the rules as much as she could, but in this particular game she had to unlearn that code of honor. There was no cheating here, it was every man for himself and every trick you could pull.
Still, the rules were set and you couldn’t work around them without getting flack from fellow survivors. She couldn’t just wander around and let the others risk life and limb on generators just to eventually camp by the hatch and use it when it opened. She couldn’t leave a survivor hanging and rush through the exit without sparing them a glance.
Well, technically she could, but that was bound to get her ear yelled off.
So she became a team player for the sake of peace and camaraderie and to survive a bit longer. She did the generators as instructed, she saved her fellow survivors as much as she could, she stayed close by in case anyone needed help.
But in this trial, something caught her attention that made her break her usual tactics. She could smell... food? Feng couldn’t remember the last time she had really eaten anything. Survivors did not get hungry, nor were they given any kind of food by the Entity. And even before coming here, Feng mostly lived off of energy drinks and junk food. But this... this smelled warm and comforting like home cooked food.
She abandoned the generator she had been working on to follow the smell. It led her to a corner of the map that didn’t have much nearby. A slab of beef was roasting over a fire, sizzling and dripping fats and juices. The sight made Feng’s mouth begin to water, and a phantom pang of hunger rumbled in her stomach.
But why was this out here? Was it the Trapper’s meal? Had they interrupted his dinner with this trial? The thought seemed hilarious to Feng, as if these monsters could do something as human as eat meals. But it made sense. After all, what other reason could there be for roasting meat out here?
The meat had a good color to it, and looked like it was about to fall off the spit, it was so tender. Feng could smell the herbs, and it briefly made her think of happier times when her parents would cook like this. Her tongue hung from her mouth, and she groaned. Surely a bite wouldn’t hurt, right? Just a little bite...
With her decision made, Feng carefully crept forward. She kept her ears out for the heartbeat that signaled the Trapper’s presence, as if he’d come gunning at her for stealing his food.
She came closer and closer, finally reaching out to claim her prize.
SNAP!
Feng screamed and fell to her knees as she felt the trap close on her ankle. She frantically tried to free herself, but she could hear the heartbeat getting louder and louder. This trap had been fortified, there was no way she’d get free in time.
With a growl, Feng turned and tore into the meat. Like hell was she going to get trapped and not get a taste of what caused it in the first place. This was her prize, after all...
>>>
When Evan saw the snap of a trap, he grinned beneath his mask. It had actually worked! He’d caught someone. He rushed to the corner where he’d set up his trap and was surprised to see the survivor wasn’t even trying to free herself. Instead, she was going at the meat like a wild animal.
He’d been kidding with himself about setting up food as bait, but it seems he wasn’t far off at all. Maybe he could use this to his advantage...
Evan shook himself from his thoughts and bent down to free the survivor. She started to struggle as he picked her up, but her hands were covered in grease and it made it hard for her to do so. Well, that was just another advantage then.
Feng tried to say something, but her words were muffled by the food still in her mouth.
“Don’t talk with your mouthful,” Evan admonished her as he dropped her on a hook. He’ll set up another spit for the next trial and try his luck again.