Christmas Game: Hunting for a Human Mate as My Bride

Cold… It’s so cold… I shiver against the wind as I try to find warmth in the darkness. I pull my light long sleeve t-shirt tighter around me as I feel the hole in the bottom of my shoe start to rub against the pavement. I look up and realize that it has started snowing. I don’t have much choice but to keep going. My pants are old, worn, thin, and tattered as I make my way to the location. I have the flyer clutched tightly to my chest as I walk in the darkness down the lone street. I can see my breath in the air as a warehouse starts to come into view. As soon as I see it, I start running in order to get somewhere warm, I hope… The flyer was simple. The Christmas Hunt Challenge, it stated as it was scrolled across the page in crimson red ink. It gave details like the date, Christmas Eve, the time, and the location on where participants should meet. It stated the winner would receive a cash prize of one million dollars and I just couldn’t pass this offer up. When I reach the warehouse door, a woman, no more than thirty smiles brightly as she looks at me. She seems familiar, but I don’t know where I have seen her before. “Name?” She c***s her head to the side. I swallow hard. “Uhm… Lily… Lily Smith.” I shiver as I feel the temperature drop another two degrees as the sun falls completely behind the earth. The snow starts to pick up from just spitting to a slow fall. “Wonderful… Age?” The woman looks me up and down hard as she asks this question. I had read on the flyer that this game was only for those eighteen and older, but the prize for winning was too good to pass up. I swallow hard as I prepare myself to lie to a stranger again. “I’m eighteen…” This wasn’t an entire lie, as I would turn eighteen tomorrow on Christmas Day. “Excellent… Our hunters love young women… Alright, I need you to sign this waiver. It is a simple thing that states you won’t sue us if you get hurt during the game… Awesome, awesome… Alright, sweet, is there anything we need to know before you enter the building?”She eyes me as I shake my head firmly no after signing the waiver. “Okay, so here are a few things you need to know before entering the warehouse. Once you enter, you cannot leave until the game is over. So, from this point forward, if you step into this warehouse, you are not allowed to leave until the game has started. Is that clear?” I nod my head firmly as the win blows past us harshly. “Yes, ma’am… Uhm, will the game be inside? Is it warm inside the warehouse?” Her eyes soften as she takes in my appearance and nods slowly. “Yes, dear, it is warm inside the warehouse, however, the game will take place in the woods just behind the warehouse. This is just the meeting location for all of the participants. Do you have any other questions for me?” I shake my head. “Alright, you may go inside and good luck. I hope you win the game. If not, I hope you give them hell.” I smile firmly as I calm my nerves and walk through the doors into the warm warehouse. I instantly sigh with relief as I feel the heaters start to warm me and I see the overhead lights in the room. I must be early to the party, because there are only four other girls there. They all appear to be in their late teens or early twenties and they all seem to be better off in this world than me. I pass by their small group to a table that has hot drinks and snacks set out along with bottles of water. I quickly grab a bottle of water and down it completely before I grab one of the granola bars and inhale it deeply. This is the first food I have had in twenty-four hours and it is beyond delicious. After I swallow the last bit of the granola bar, I grab a large cup of hot coffee and mix sugar and powdered creamer into it. I sip it slowly in order to help me warm up from the inside out and I sigh as I feel it starting to work. “Hey,” I hear a preppy voice from behind me. I turn around to see one of the girls from the group smiling at me. She is tall, blonde, and seems to be a model in nature. “Do you want to come hang out with us?” I swallow hard and shrug my shoulders. “Uhm… Sure, I guess…” I walk over to the group of girls and stand with them. They all turn to me and smile and I nod my head. “So,” another girl, who has chocolate skin and poofy hair starts. “What’s your name?” I swallow hard as I give her a polite smile. “Uhm… Lily… My name is Lily.” “Cool! My name is Erica. This Latina beauty is Stella, the American classic is Victoria, and the athlete is Sara.” I smile at the nicknames and nod my head. I size all of the girls up and notice that I am the shortest out of all of them. It isn’t hard to beat since I stand at a whole five foot, two inches tall, but it is still a bit disheartening. I feel my green eyes train on Erica, and I decide to make my move. “Does that make you the African Queen?” The girls all smile and start to ooh and ah at the nickname suggestion. “I love it,” Erica states. “You have a natural talent for this… I think we should call you… Hmmm… Wild cat? Do you girls like that name?” They all smile and nod their heads firmly, and I agree too. “So, Wild Cat, what do you plan on doing with the money if you win?” Erica smiles brightly as she asks the question. I swallow hard and nod my head. They are sizing me up. They are scouting out the competition. “I.. Uhm… I need the money.” Stella laughs. “We all need the money, honey. What are you going to use the money for, though? That’s the question… I’m using it to pay for my dream vacation!” “I’m going to donate it to charity.” Victoria chimes in next. Her smile is smug as she folds her arms across her large chest. “I’m going to use it to get the boob job I have been wanting,” Sara states. “I’m going to use it to start up my dream business… My parents are done funding my other endeavors, so I need it for start-up,” Erica states. “So… What are you going to use it for?” I swallow hard and look down. Do I tell them the truth? Before I can say anything, the warehouse door on the other side of the building slides open and a tall man in a black suit walks into the warehouse. “Well, I guess playtime is over,” Victoria states. I nod my head as the tall man clears his throat. “Good evening, ladies… I am the Game Maker and I am the one running the game tonight. I was not the creator of this game, but I have been tasked with making sure that the creators’ ideas stay true and the game runs smoothly each year. Come close so we can have a little chat before we get started…” We all move together to stand in front of the Game Maker and he smiles warmly at all of us. A small part of me doesn’t want to trust him, but I know it is because of how I have been living. “Wonderful! Such a fine group of young ladies we have this time.” I swallow hard as I continue to listen to him. “Well, ladies, I don’t know how much you have been told about this game, so I will give you a rundown of things. This game is called The Christmas Hunt. We play this game every year starting on Christmas Eve, so, if you want to play again at a later date, you can. The idea is simple: You have ten minutes to go hide in the woods. After ten minutes, we release the hunters to try and find you. There are ten of them and five of you, so the odds are not really in your favor.” He smiles darkly before he continues. “If you evade them for twenty-four hours you win the prize. If you are caught and brought back to the warehouse, the game is over for you and you belong to the hunter or hunters who catch you. They have to bring you back to the warehouse in order for it to count as a catch though. So, if you get away from them after you are caught, you still have a chance to be free.” I hear gasps from the other girls as their eyes double in size. “What do you mean we become theirs? Like… What does that even mean? How long is this going to last?” Erica challenges the man boldly, but I can tell she is all bark. She doesn’t have it in her to be brave when it truly matters. The Game Maker turns his eyes to her and I see a dark grin spread across her face. “You should have read the fine print on the contract, sweetheart… It states that if you lose the game, you belong to them for however long they want to own you…It could be twenty-four hours or twenty-four years, it is all up to them.” As if on cue, two men step forward and flank the Game Maker. They both hold guns in front of their chests and I watch as they move their fingers to the triggers in preparation to fire. This small action makes me swallow hard as I look back at the Game Maker and I see him smirk. “Anymore interruptions before I continue?” We all shake our heads no. “Good… Now, we know that it isn’t fair to just throw you ladies into an area without any help, so we are going to help you all out. We have some supplies that you all can use should you choose to use it, but there are rules.” I inhale deeply as I watch the Game Maker closely. “Now, the rules are simple.You can only take one item into the woods with you. We will provide it to you. No cell phones, though. No smart watches either. Each one of you will be given a digital watch if you choose to wear it. If not, you won’t know how long you have until the game is over, but I can assure you the hunters will be looking for the watch. You all will be given warm, snow camouflage attire to wear and black hiking boots. We don’t need you all dying in the woods. Now, you can do anything you want in order to prevent being caught by the hunters. Run, hide, fight, or whatever you please, just know that they have the right to do the same to you in order to catch you. Any questions?” I raise my hand and nod my head slowly. “I have a question, sir… How long do we have to choose our one item before we are sent into the woods?” He smiles at my brave question and nods his head slowly. “Smart girl… You have ten minutes to get changed and choose your item, if you choose to take something in there with you. All of the items are on the back table and we will be watching to make sure you only take one.” I swallow hard and nod my head firmly. “Any other questions?” “Yeah, are you going to make sure these bastards feed us if we lose?” Sara folds her arms across her chest as she glares at the Game Maker. He sighs and purses his lips at her question. “What they do with you after you are caught is none of my business nor do we regulate it… Your fate is in their hands. Any other questions?” I sigh and raise my hand once again. “Yes, sir… Uhm… How many women have actually won this game?” He smiles wider and I get a glimpse at the true evil this man actually is. “None… Any more questions?” We shake our heads as we are all stunned into silence. “Good… Choose your one item carefully because your time starts now.”