The Package

I hear a knocking at the door, it is the middle of the night. Who would be here this late? I pull the Blankets off myself and I go downstairs, I look out the window to see a delivery truck driving off... I open my door to see a strange package waiting, It looks beat up, ties of leather and rope reach all around it. It is addressed to me, Ameila. Who would have sent me a package? As well as in the middle of the night? There is no return address, no name, and no clues as to where it would have come from.

I bring the package inside, hesitant to open it, I make and drink a coffee as I sit down at the table staring at it. That is it! I can not wait any longer, I grab a knife and start cutting the rope and leather off the brown beaten box. I finally open the package and see that it is filled with packing peanuts, I reach in and find a envelope, stamped with a seal in the shape of a dagger. This makes me nervous, I open the envelope to find a single piece of paper, it looks important. I unfold the paper and reveal a few sentences, it reads:

You are the chosen one, you have six hours to hide. As you know, we started a new program in the kingdom to control the population. We pick three people a month that all receive this. Starting tomorrow you will be being hunted, run and hide... If you are found, you are allowed to kill the one who found you before they kill you. There will be no use of guns, only weapons that require no ammunition of any kind. This will last forty-eight hours. After, if you survive, you are more then welcome to return home. If you make it back, there will be another package waiting for you on your doorstep, with your rewards listed inside.

I am stunned by what I just read, I only have six hours until morning. I pack my bag of supplies, making sure to grab my bat and pocket knife. I have four hours left to make it to a "safe" place to hide. I head out of my house and into the forest, everywhere I look is the same. I have no clue of where to go, or how I am going to get back home in two days, or if I will even make it home...

After a few hours, I think I have found a good spot, I am high up in a tree. I tie a rope around both the branch im sitting on, and myself. I go back to sleep until I am woken up by someone running through the woods below me. I watch them run by, being chased by a group of people. I rush to untie the rope around me rushing to stuff it back in my bag, rushing to get up I fall and at last minute I catch myself only letting a few branches fall to the ground.

One of the branches that fell hit someone passing by in the head. they stop and stare up at me. Soon recognizing me and shouting, "Hey you! Get down here, or I'm coming up!" I panic and start to pull myself back onto my branch as the stranger starts to climb my tree after me. He has a dagger in his hand as he closes the gap between us. I climb upwards as fast as I can, once I run out of tree to climb, I reach for my bat out of my bag for when the guy gets too close. Still climbing the tree, he is about ten feet below me. This is not how I die... It can not be.

Looking around in panic I see another tree branch close by, I make it as close as I can using the branch im on. The guy chasing me is a little more then two arm lengths away. I have to jump, I take a step back to gain momentum, as I am about to jump the branch snaps. We both fall, the guy chasing me is hitting all the branches on the way down. when we hit the ground I am incapable of moving...

When I look down at my legs, I see the guys dagger in my shin, I look at him and he is not breathing. Leaves start crunching, and I look around in a panic. I spot people towards me. I have to get up and run, I pull the dagger out of my shin and scramble to my feet as I try to run. As I run as hard and fast as I can I limp and they close space between us. I turn and twist around a few trees, but one of the steps I take collapse below me. It is a trap, a hole way too deep to escape. The people that were chasing me stop at the top of the hole and stare down at me… I can not see who it is, but I beg, “Please! You don’t have to do this…” I hear a mumble of words, then the people above me start to collect and throw knives and rocks down at me. Wrapping my arms around my head, doing the best i can to protect myself, it is no use… one of the rocks hit me hard on the back of the head knocking me out…

All I remember is falling in a hole, pleading to stay alive, then having things thrown at me. Now, i'm waking up in a strange room, the walls are light blue, and my vision is still blurry. When it finally focuses, I see a woman, her age looks to be around twenty-five, and she is wearing a lab coat. She turns around and says sounding surprised, “wow, you’re awake! You fell in a hole, I’m Francesca. I helped you out and brought you here.” my mouth is dry as I try to speak, Francesca hands me a glass of water. After downing it i ask, “where am i?”

“In my home. We’re about six hours away from the kingdom by carriage.” I nod in acknowledgement and she continues, “What’s your name?”

“Ameila.” 

Francesca’s Point Of View

Her name is the one from the monthly hunt. I grab my scalpel and walk behind her, “what are you?” I quickly slice her carotid artery and her eyes flutter shut. It is quiet. I hook my horses up to the carriage and go back inside to Ameila and check her pulse making sure she is dead. I clean up the blood and load her onto the back of the carriage… Six long hours later i finally make it to the kingdom… I collect my reward of one million dollars and free food for a month and head home.