Man Hunt

Chapter Twenty Five - A Useful Skill

‘’You stupid bitch!’’ I roar as I dive towards Niamh and grab her around the neck before she has a chance to retaliate.

The tazer drops from her hand and hits the floor of the boat, sliding out of reach. She gasps as I cut off the oxygen supply to her lungs and she tries to break free of my grasp by hitting her hands against my wrists however her struggles are no match for me.

A wave of sudden strength has come over me, watching her push Aaron from the boat has fuelled my body with anger. I will make her pay for that. I will make her pay for all of this. She is the reason I am here. She is the reason my life has been in danger since I woke up on this island. I will make her pay.

Suddenly, she kicks me hard in the shin and I fall backwards, taking her with me. We fall onto the floor of the boat and grapple each other around the throat for a few moments. She gets a grip around my neck, but my grip on her is still stronger.

‘’You’re supposed to be my friend,’’ I remind her.

‘’I was your friend; but a lot can change in seven years Alice.’’

I slam her head against the floor of the boat, it is not hard enough to damage her seriously, but that’s not what I intend to do to her anyway. As it impacts, she cries out in pain and wriggles beneath me. We are lying on top of each other awkwardly, the fact that we are in a boat makes movement even more difficult.

‘’Just let us go Niamh, we won. We deserve to live.’’

‘’But you’ll expose the secret, I can’t let you do that,’’ she argues, ‘’because then Man Hunt may come to an end.’’

I think about what she is saying. How could we have been so selfish to flee the island? More and more teenagers are going to be kidnapped. The same thing will happen to them. We have to get more evidence that will help us track these people down. We must go back.

I take out my dagger and as Niamh’s eyes fall on it, they enlarge with fear. I stare at her, a stone-cold expression painted across my face.

Am I about to murder her? Will I even be able to? Am I that twisted?

‘’Do it...Alice...’’ she taunts through struggled, jagged breaths, ‘’kill me...’’

I stare down at her. I can’t do this. I am not a murderer. I won’t kill her.

She smirks at me, ‘’I knew you were too weak to kill.’’

As she says this, she uses her knees to propel me forwards. I am launched through the air and I fly towards the front of the boat. I am thrown against the front and as I impact the edge of the boat hard, the wind is knocked from my stomach and the dagger I grasp is knocked from my hand. It flies over the edge of the boat and disappears into the water. As it splashes, I curse loudly.

I am never getting that back.

For a brief second, I look for Aaron in the water. However he is nowhere to be seen in the water that is illuminated by the boat’s light. I don’t fear for him however, he may have been tazed but he was wearing a life jacket, he won’t drown. I am confident of that. I just need to ensure I stay alive to rescue him.

I turn to face Niamh, our eyes meet and then we both glace down at the tazer on the floor between the two of us. She smirks at me, and I stare in disgust at her. I have to get that tazer before she does.

She is closer to it. She will reach it first.

As she dashes towards it, I turn to the pile of supplies behind me and grab the large wooden oar nestled among the ropes. As she bends down to retrieve the tazer, I turn to face her – swinging the oar hard as I do – and I smack her as hard as I can with it.