Chapter 1 - Hunted

A few more shots whipped past my head and the feathered darts buried themselves into the tree trunk I was leaning on. Break over. They were getting close. Very close. I had no choice but to take to my heels again and run like hell. This was the fifth time in two months that the humans had hunted me. And once again, I had no idea where I was running to, even though I knew this forest like the back of my hand. I was running out of energy and my muscles were protesting. I'd already tried changing, but my last shift was too recent.
I heard some growls and shouts come from the trees behind me. Then something hit me square in the back, winding me and knocking me to the floor. A set of jaws clamped firmly down on my shoulder as I tumbled across the damp forest floor trying to get the rottweiler off my back. I managed to throw it off me and scrambled to my feet, but I was knocked down by the dog again. The shouts of men grew louder. I couldn't hear what was being said, because I was too busy trying not to be torn apart by this sodding dog. It eventually gave up and I tried to run away again. I was on the brink of blind panic as I started to stumble away through the thinning bracken. I didn't manage to get very far as a strong net tangled around me, making me fall to the floor. I tried to find a way out of the net, but my squirming was only rewarded with a tranquilizer dart to my backside. I looked up and saw three faces staring down at me.
I couldn't make out any details as my eyelids started to get heavier and my vision started to blurr and waver. But I knew there was one woman and two men looking down at me.
'' 'bout bloody time we caught it..'' Said one of the men, nudging me in the side with a foot.
''Hopefully this one'll get us that payrise we've been waiting for.'' Said the woman.
I didn't catch what the other man said. I'd already passed out.

When I came to, I was lay on a cold, hard metallic table with a needle buried in my arm. The room was brightly lit and I was forced to squint until my eyes adjusted to the bright artificial light. I had no idea where I was or what had happened. Then it came to me. I'd finally been caught after months of being hunted.
I pulled the needle out of my arm and rolled off the table, crouching down on the cold hard floor. My head spun and I grabbed the side of the table to steady myself. My hand touched a warm bag hanging off the side of the table, it's liquid contents were black and the bag was labelled. It was a bag of blood. My blood. No wonder I felt so light headed. How many more of these bags had the bastard's filled with my blood?

Someone entered the room and I grabbed the first sharp object that came to hand, which was a pair of nasty looking scissors.
The man who came into the room had a pair of blue jeans on, a dull white shirt and a knee length white coat on over the top. He was still flicking through the pages on his clipboard, but jumped and took a step back when he noticed that I was up and about and armed with a pair of painful looking scissors.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment