The Prey

Curtis clapped his hands and headed toward his golf cart. “Climb aboard.” They rode in silence along the perimeter of the island and then turned off the paved paths, moving between sand dunes toward a dense clump of trees. Curtis parked the cart near some scrub brush and gestured for the girls to get out.

Mara stepped onto the sandy soil covered with vines and roots, grateful for her sneakers, hoping she’d be allowed to wear them on the day of the hunt.

I exist to serve…to suffer…I am the property…

Curtis reached into the back of his golf cart and pulled out three small backpacks. He dropped a pack on the ground in front of each of the girls. “Open your pack and take out the items so you’re familiar with your gear. You’ll be issued an identical pack the morning of the hunt. First thing you want to do is put on the insect repellant. This particular repellant makes you less appealing to snakes, too.”

“Snakes!” Cassie squeaked.

Curtis laughed cruelly. “Trust me, sugar, snakes will be the least of your worries.”

Mara lifted the flap of her backpack and reached inside. She pulled out a plastic bottle of water, a can of insect repellent, a small first-aid kit, sunscreen, an energy bar, a coil of rope, a red bandana and a roll of toilet paper.

She sprayed the insect repellent on her body and used the bandana to tie back her hair. Curtis directed them to put their packs on their backs and follow him into the cool shade of the woods.

They walked single file, picking their way carefully over a thicket of tangled roots and dried twigs. Curtis pointed out various trees and bushes along the way. “That there is a black myrtle. Over there are scrub pines. That one is a red cedar. We got live oaks and water oaks here on the island—you’ve seen those along the main roads. Those taller trees are the evergreen cedars. They’re good for climbing.” He halted suddenly and pointed to a small body of scum-covered water. “You’ll want to watch out for the salt bogs. They’re hard to see sometimes, especially when you’re running.”

He brought them to a small clearing and pointed to a tall, sturdy tree. “The rope in your pack will be helpful when climbing trees. We’ll go over some basic knots, but the first thing you’ll need to do is scope out the good climbing trees.” He walked to the tree and patted its trunk. “Look for a tree with strong branches that can hold your weight, like this one.”

He gestured to the girls, indicating with his hand they should come closer. When they all stood before the tree, he said, “You’ll want to watch out for trees with lots of low branches. Even though it might look easier to climb, a tree with low branches could be rotting. If a tree is missing bark, it might have a virus or fungus, which could mean it’s weaker and less sturdy. You also want to check there are no animal nests up there.” He waved toward the foliage on the higher branches of the tree. “You don’t want to invade a critter’s territory and piss him off.”

Curtis led them deeper into the woods, pointing out more trees that would be good for climbing, and those that would not. He showed them how to use the ropes to sling over the base of thicker branches and how to tie knots that would hold the ropes in place as they climbed. Finally, he said they were ready to try climbing one for themselves.

“You’ll be naked, of course, for the actual hunt, but since this is just practice, I’ll let you keep on your tops and shorts today.” He turned first to Raeanne. “Let’s see if you were paying attention. Shimmy on up that tree, girl. Use the rope like I’ve been showing you.”

Raeanne moved to the tree and stared up at it, as if taking its measure. Wrapping her arms around the trunk, Raeanne placed a foot on a tree knot and hoisted herself upward. She grabbed the rope she had put over her shoulder and slung it so it draped itself perfectly over a thick branch. Using the rope for support, she pulled herself up until she could reach the branch with her hand.

Mara watched, extremely impressed with Raeanne’s strength and dexterity, doubtful she would be able to duplicate it. When Raeanne was perched on a branch high overhead, Curtis turned to Mara. “Go on. Your turn. Get on up there.”

Mara tried to copy what Raeanne had done. The bark was rough and scratchy against her arms and legs. She managed to get partway up the trunk, but when she threw her rope, it missed the branch. A large black beetle chose that moment to scuttle over her arm. With a startled squeal, Mara dropped the rope and slid partway down the trunk, skinning the insides of her thighs in the process.