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Dry leaves crunched under Takumi’s hurried steps.
It was loud, too loud; almost like an alarm that would broadcast far and wide exactly where he currently was. But Takumi couldn’t afford to sneak – that would slow him down, and he was running out of time.
They’d been given two days to make it past the markers on the other side of the valley. Anyone who managed to reach that point, they’d been told, would get to walk free from this madness – and with a significant cash prize to boot. Probably to keep them silent, or something. Takumi didn’t care much about that part. He only knew that he needed to make it out of here.
And that his pursuers must be close behind.
He’d seen them for the first time two evenings ago, at that fancy gala he hadn’t even technically been invited to.
A vendor from the same street as the tofu shop had been hired last-minute to deliver a few crates of high-end sake, and for one reason or another he’d been unable to do so himself and had knocked at their door for help. His old man hadn’t been home, so Takumi had begrudgingly agreed and waved his quiet evening of going to bed early goodbye.
And that’s how he’d found himself there, at that so-called gala. He’d just been supposed to deliver the crates and leave, but he hadn’t been sure where to go, so he’d been in that ballroom, and that middle-aged man in his expensive suit who apparently was the organiser of the entire event had spotted him.
Honestly, Takumi had automatically assumed he was in trouble for being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, but the man had been cordial. A bit too forthcoming, in hindsight, but Takumi had simply assumed him to be one of those eccentric types of rich people.
And yeah, he sure was, but not in the way Takumi had assumed when he’d been invited to stay a bit and treat himself to the fancy buffet. The event was a charity gala, he’d been told – a lot of underprivileged people had been invited, too, for “the chance of their lifetime.”
Looking around, there’d definitely been a number of people there who’d looked a bit out of place, just like Takumi himself.
But those two… they certainly hadn’t looked out of place.
Takumi’s stomach growled. He’d barely eaten anything since that buffet, mostly some nuts and berries he’d been fairly sure were safe to eat. He didn’t know much about foraging, having lived in a city his entire life, so he’d been extra careful lest he accidentally poison himself – but that meant he was running on a practically empty stomach now. He tried his best to ignore the gnawing hunger.
There wasn’t much he could do about it, anyway. He’d more likely be shot before he could starve to death.
At least he and the others had been provided with a full container of water each before they’d been sent off into the wilderness, and it hadn’t been too difficult to find a clear stream to refill it. He hadn’t dared to then travel along the stream, though, because that would have made him way too easy to track.
It didn’t feel like they were finding it very difficult to track him, but still.
He had to try.
They’d been impossible not to notice amongst the crowd in that ballroom, even with everyone else around them. They’d stood out, but not in the way that all those people did who, from what Takumi could guess, were probably dressed in the best clothes they owned or could afford but still obviously didn’t belong into those circles.
Something about the two of them had inevitably drawn Takumi’s attention – maybe it had been the feeling of being watched, or maybe something else.
They didn’t look like they were much older than Takumi, but they obviously lived in an entirely different sphere of existence. Their suits looked expensive even to someone clueless about such things like Takumi was, and even apart from that, just from their postures, the way they carried themselves, Takumi had been able to tell that they weren’t part of the portion of attendants that were, as the host had put it, underprivileged.
Takumi remembered finding them handsome. But he’d also thought they looked cold and detached, and like it was an exceptional bother for them to be attending that function. Rich kids forced to be there by their socialite parents, probably.
Looking at it with hindsight, they’d likely just been bored by the fakery and the decorum and waiting for what was to come after.
Now Takumi knew that he hadn’t imagined the looks they’d been shooting him.
He’d felt uncomfortable at the gala – not just because of them. No, he usually didn’t let weird looks bother him. But he just didn’t feel at home at fancy events like that, and the awareness that he wasn’t even an invited guest had been prickling underneath his skin even when he’d all but been ordered to stay and help himself to the free food by the organiser with the too-friendly smile.
It had been easy to blame his discomfort on those things. And Takumi remembered for sure that he’d been planning to quietly leave at the first good opportunity… but that opportunity never arrived.
Instead, he’d woken up disoriented in a forest clearing surrounded by equally disoriented other people to the booming voice of the organiser, standing among a small crowd on the porch of an almost ludicrously large timber lodge.
Announcing the rules of this game.
Takumi sent a worried glance towards the small fragments of sky shimmering through the canopy above him. The sun was already setting on his second day, and he didn’t know how far away from the finish line he still was.
Occasionally, he thought he could hear steps other than his own disturbing the quiet of the forest somewhere behind him. A quick look over his shoulder didn’t reveal anyone, but that failed to calm his nerves. He’d had a close call the day prior – he hadn’t noticed just how much they’d caught up to him until he heard their voices through the underbrush. He’d narrowly avoided being spotted by quickly scaling a tree and hiding within its dense crown, praying that they wouldn’t look up. He could be glad that he’d been wearing something plain for the delivery, all muted colours that now helped him blend in out here in the wilderness.
But what had actually saved him, as horrible as it was to think about, had probably been the gunshot suddenly sounding from somewhere to the left – and the scream, followed by a second shot.
Takumi had made no sound, silently praying and waiting. His pursuers had been standing only a few steps away from his tree – and they, of course, had also taken notice of the jarring sounds and what they meant.
“We should hurry,” the dark-haired one who seemed to be in charge had said.
“He must have heard that, too. I assume he’s going in the opposite direction now. Let’s go.”
Still like a statue, Takumi had waited until he couldn’t hear their footsteps. Then he’d climbed down the tree and, although all his instincts told him otherwise, took a gamble and went towards where the gunshots had come from.
After all, if the rules for this hadn’t been just another thing to mislead them, the only ones permitted to shoot at him were the one or two people who’d picked him as their quarry.
And it hadn’t been hard at all to figure out who did.
Takumi gritted his teeth and fought a bout of nausea as the images arose again in his mind.
After the announcement, they’d all just been standing there, in complete disbelief – until one of them ran forward, yelled out loud the thoughts they all were thinking as the confusion wore off and the realisation that this was not an outrageous joke set in.
Outrageous, yes.
But not a joke.
The organiser had raised his hand and they- they’d just shot the guy.
Right there, in front of everyone.
Takumi had been standing close enough to get hit by a few droplets of blood. He remembers the deathly silence, the iron scent in the air. And then, the screaming.
That’s all it took for them to understand that playing along was the only way to survive this.
Takumi had torn his eyes away from the gruesome scene. Had looked up at the assembly of rich people in their expensive hunting clothes who were watching everything play out dispassionately or, worse, amusedly.
And amidst that same group, he’d spotted them again. Still standing next to each other, their fancy suits now exchanged for more practical and comfortable clothes, and their expressions unreadable save for the almost ever-present slight scowl on the blond one’s face.
The dark-haired one whose name Takumi also still didn’t know had met his eyes and given him a curt nod.
The message had been clear.
Run.
And Takumi did.
From the moment the hunt began – signalled by the blare of a horn in the distance; their group was given a head start – Takumi had barely rested. The other side of the valley and its promise of salvation looked very far away, and the two who were now hunting him seemed to be in pretty good shape just from their looks.
Takumi felt the exhaustion in his bones. He’d only allowed himself the tiniest nap, also in the crown of a tree, and that only because his body had been threatening to shut down otherwise. Any real sleep had eluded him thanks to the uncomfortable position – and of course, the fact that he was actively being hunted down for fun.
As some form of twisted entertainment for these rich, bored bastards. Just for the thrill of it.
If Takumi had to guess, he’d say that they probably all paid some astronomical amount to be able to participate.
And as for them, the hunted? Probably all people they’d assumed no-one would miss, or from backgrounds the wealthy didn’t have to fear repercussions from because they were too poor for the police to care too much about a missing persons report.
And Takumi… Takumi also fit the bill.
He’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He hadn’t even been supposed to be there. But he must’ve caught the organiser’s eye – or been seen as a threat, a potential witness, and so a part of the hunt he became.
Grimly, Takumi quickened his steps even against his legs’ protest. He wasn’t about to allow anyone to turn him into prey. Come what may, he’d make it out of this alive. For his own sake. For his old man’s, too.
However he was going to explain his two-day absence to him…
The forest got less dense the closer Takumi came to the finish line. Now, with less foliage to block his view, he could actually see the tall flagpoles with the red banners that marked his goal.
His heartbeat sped up. Only ten more minutes, or less – then this would all be over. He’d get to go home. He-
A branch snapped, somewhere behind him.
Takumi felt a panic the likes of which he’d been unfamiliar with before, his eyes darting around for a hiding place, but the trees were way too small and sparse to offer any cover here- he didn’t have the time to dig a hole in the ground and cover himself with leaves-
“Over there!”
Takumi hesitated no longer.
He ran.
He didn’t bother to look over his shoulder how much of a distance there was to them; it would only cost time that he didn’t have. Every single second counted now that he was spotted.
The trees made way for a large clearing. Takumi ran in zigzags, heart hammering in his chest when he heard the first dull pop behind him – but there was no pain, no stumble, so the shot must have missed him. Part of him wanted badly to look back now, but he fought the impulse and pressed on, still changing directions randomly, hoping that they’d continue to miss.
Ahead of him, Takumi saw running water glittering through the wild grass – this might be where that stream led; the one that he’d decided against following.
He jumped the small river, almost stumbling on the opposite bank, and continued his mad dash towards the trees on the clearing’s opposite side. He ignored the shout coming from behind him – as if he was going to stop to have a conversation!
His lungs were burning, and his heart started to feel like it was going to jump out from his ribs any moment now. All his muscles screamed out against the strain put on them, but Takumi forced himself forward at the same speed, breath coming out in urgent puffs.
The red banners were still a good bit away, but he could make it if only he didn’t stumble, if his legs didn’t give out-
Sharp pain lanced through his side and he yelped – for a moment he didn’t even realise that he’d been hit, thought instead that it was just another symptom of the physical exertion. But it felt- weird, somehow, and when he glanced down, there was a dart with a hollow tube sticking from his side.
He tore the dart out in a blind panic and tossed it away, not caring about the sting- A tranquilliser gun; they’d shot him with a tranquilliser gun. He had only one possible explanation for that – they didn’t want to kill him immediately, but as for why, he didn’t care to find out.
He kept running and made it to the edge of the clearing, dread and hope both swirling inside him as he kept his eyes blindly ahead, getting closer and closer towards safety-
A sudden wave of dizziness washed through him and made his steps falter.
No- no-
He tripped and fell forward, impacting with the ground unable to move his arms quickly enough to catch himself. He tried to get up, but his limbs wouldn’t properly obey his brain’s commands, and he fell uselessly back into the grass.
Not a minute later, his hunters caught up to him.
“Man, you’re faster than I thought,” the blond one drawled upon crouching in the grass next to Takumi, “That was a real pain.”
He reached for him, but Takumi writhed away from his hand.
“Get away from me…!”
“Calm down,” the other one said, stopping at Takumi’s other side, “The sedative is already taking effect, but you could still hurt yourself.”
Takumi was torn between panic and fury as he glared at him, ready to do anything but to calm down. He tried to throw a punch his way to get him to back off, but the force he was able to put behind it was so little that the guy caught his wrist effortlessly.
“Keisuke, the bag.”
Keisuke, whose name Takumi now finally knew, took off his backpack – the contents of which Takumi could go without finding out about. He turned his head, looking towards the red banners – he was so close, so, so close…
His dogged attempt at dragging his deadweight of a body towards his only chance at salvation was immediately stopped by strong hands holding him down by the shoulders.
“No, no, you’re staying right here. Would be way too much of a waste after all the effort we went through.”
“Don’t…” Takumi had to struggle with his heavy tongue to get the words out, “Don’t touch me...”
“You’ll have to forgive us,” said the one whose name Takumi hadn’t been told yet, his face a mask of practised neutrality that was almost eerie in this current situation – like he hadn’t pursued another human for two days in a twisted hunt and shot him with a tranquilliser gun.
“There isn’t exactly a way around it now.”
Keisuke barked out a short, dry laugh. “That’s one way to put it, aniki.”
Ignoring his brother, the older of the duo kept his attentive eyes on Takumi even while reaching into the backpack.
“My name is Ryousuke, Takahashi Ryousuke. And your name…?”
Takumi kept his mouth stubbornly shut as blackness crept into the edges of his vision.
If Ryousuke was angry at the lack of answer, he didn’t show it.
“Well, there will be time for that later. First, we’ll get you out of here.”
He pulled his hand from the backpack – blinking rapidly, Takumi saw what he was holding.
“No…”
Takumi writhed under Keisuke’s hands, struggling to move at all but trying regardless even as his vision dimmed and the sedative took hold in his body.
“It’s no use. Don’t fight it. We’re not going to harm you, but we’ll have to take you away as quarry, or not at all.”
With calm, practised movements Ryousuke fastened the collar around Takumi’s neck.
“Go to sleep now. We’ll talk later.”
But Takumi couldn’t just give up. He clawed at the grass with weak fingers, unable to find any purchase, but staring towards the blurry red that was so close yet so far away.
“I’ll tell you something,” Keisuke said, leaning down further and lowering his voice to a murmur. Takumi had to strain his ears to hear him, what with his senses all inevitably being dragged towards unconsciousness.
“That whole thing about being free and allowed to leave when you cross the finish line?” He scoffed, “All a lie. You know what actually happens to everyone who does?”
Takumi met his eyes. Piercing eyes, intense, pinning him down like an insect in a display case.
“They get shot,” Keisuke continued mercilessly.
“Did you really think those bastards would give you a way out? You couldn’t even flee on foot. We’re on a private island. There is no escape. That’s all there is to this game.”
Those cruel words were something that deep down, Takumi had already known. But he’d clung to the idea of making it to the finish line as his only hope, the same way all the others probably had.
How many of them had made it and simply died there instead of in the valley at the hands of the hunters?
“Let’s get moving,” he dimly heard Ryousuke say. “The sooner we leave, the better.”
“Sure,” his brother muttered. Takumi felt hands sliding underneath his shoulders and knees. “I’m never fucking doing this shit again.”
Takumi didn’t hear Ryousuke’s answer, if there was any at all. As he was lifted off the ground, he finally succumbed to the sedative running through his system.
With his last conscious thought, he wondered whether his ordeal was finally over – or if it had only just begun.