Hunter

The Game Begins

Everyone watched the large clock on the back porch where they were instructed to start. Looking down, Juliet could see all the groups lined up. Hanson and Hunter looked as collected as ever. They were talking amongst themselves pointing out over the landscape and devising a quick plan. The other groups were looking out as well. Except one. Charlie was looking back into the lodge for a moment before looking up and catching eyes with Juliet. Something sent a chill down her spine until he looked away. There was something very off about that man.

The clock rolled over to 9 and the rumbling bass of the horn echoed through the place. Birds were startled out of their trees by the horn and the hunters as they yelled taking off into the grass. Hanson and Hunter stayed behind for a minute before walking off on their own. That strange man Charlie stayed for half a minute before calmly walking off in a different direction.

Before the two disappeared into the treeline they both looked back at Juliet giving her a sign that they would be alright. Hunter had his rifle bag on his back while Hanson had their pack at the ready. Juliet started her timer as was their plan. Wait five minutes, then deploy the drone for an initial sweep of where the groups decided to go. Once that information was relayed she would begin hunting on her own. Looking for the child. If she could find him and lead Hunter and Hanson to him before the others, then this would be a quick job.

Her timer went off and the drone was deployed. It leveled itself out once it left the base. She checked its GPS connection, different camera modes, and once the checklist was done she sent it out into the world. It hummed quietly in the room and before long was lost against the clouds. Her feed was strong on the laptop. The response was very quick. She could easily adapt to it as she started searching the area. The thermal camera picked up a group going over a clearing where a tree had fallen. She switched to a normal view to see who it was. The faces matched that of Conney and Mike. They seemed to be pointing to the ground and measuring out a space. Did they find a camping spot? Juliet got on the radio and sent in their location to Hunter and Hanson. She got back a quick response that they had heard her.

Her hunt continued! The drone hovered around as she switched between the different view modes trying to find another group. Something warm flashed on the thermal but disappeared rather quickly. She called it into the group and to her surprise, it was Hunter and Hanson that she had run across. They were pretty far out there for leaving after the other groups. She spent the next hour looking for other groups before she got a radio call from Hanson, "Lady Juliet, if you are still using thermal imaging, it will be useless during this time. The ambient temperature is getting to the body temperature. You will be unable to locate anyone." She swapped to a normal view before radioing back that she had heard them. Another hour passed with no luck finding another group. She got an alert that the battery on the drone was getting to the point where it would have enough power to return. It had a great little feature where it could return itself to its base. With no other option, she let it find its way home. To save power it shut off its camera and any other systems that would drain power.

She gave the message to Hanson that they were without drone support for a few hours while it charged again. She got a reply and was released until it was charged. This was her chance to head downstairs and talk to that Francine lady from the camping group. She was curled up in one of the oversized chairs with a tablet. She looked to be reading something intently. Now was a better time than any. "Hey, why didn't you go out with your group?" She didn't get a worded response. It was just one finger to wait while she read a bit more. She flipped the page before turning off the screen giving Juliet her attention. "I'm sorry, I don't believe that I've met you yet."

Oh hell. Juliet wasn't given an alias for this trip. She defaulted back to a previous one, "Abigale, a pleasure to meet you." She got a smile from the lady, "Francine, pleasure is mine." She shifted in the chair to get more face-to-face with Juliet. "I didn't go with them because I think that this hunting sport that they enjoy is sickening. I like to go camping with them but when they incorporate their hunting hobby, I prefer to be as far away as I can."