The Hunt

“Would you like anything more, Matthew?” Allison asked with a devouring smile. It unnerved me in all of the good ways a beautiful woman with a devouring smile can unnerve an otherwise committed man.

“No, I am quite sated, thank you. The meal was absolutely amazing.” I was being quite sincere. It quite possibly was the best meal I’ve ever had. “Compliments to the chef.” I eyed both Allison and Rick in turn, not certain which one prepared it. I liked to believe I was pretty good in the kitchen, but this meal made anything I made look like I plopped it out of a can and nuked it for five minute on high.

“Allison deserves all of the credit,” Rick responded, a wolfish smile that reeked with pride, “her food craft being one of her Many talents.”

Allison’s face mocked a blush, for she was not a woman that seemed easily embarrassed by praise. She gave her husband a smile then turned it back toward me, and her smile hungered again, “It is a same Jennifer couldn’t join us. I really hope whatever ills her doesn’t linger too long. And Matthew, please tell me you left room for dessert?”

“I suppose I have a little room left after all,” I said earnestly. I did want to get back to Jenny to make my report, but one is a fool to pass on a dessert after the best meal of his life.

“So Matthew,” Rick smiled the words, “we’ll let Allison get that ready for us while I go prepare some drinks. You have a particular poison or can you indulge me to pick something that might complement Allison’s skills.” The way Rick ended that sentence bothered me, as if there was a joke behind it.

“Feel free, I am willing to try something new.”

“Great! You will not be disappointed. So Allison says you are a hunter too…”

~~~

“You are what!? Are you out of your mind?” Jenny nearly screamed, and honestly acting a tad bit unhinged.

“Yes, the invited me to go hunting with them and I said sure.”

“You were supposed to have dinner with them to see just how odd they are, not to become friendly with them.”

“Hun, I’ll admit, they do have an air of slight superiority because good fortune seems to fall into their laps, but they were friendly enough.”

“Didn’t it feel fake? Christ! That woman calls me Jennifer! I hate being called Jennifer.”

I look at my Jenny like she just slurped down a Dr. Hyde slurpee from 7-11. She was never like this.

“Actually, it didn’t feel fake hun. I just think they are actually a couple that is use to life being a certain way and they try to perhaps overcompensate because they haven’t hit the normal rough patches the rest of us mere mortals face on a weekly basis.”

“What about the way she looks at you? Don’t you DARE tell me I am imagining that!”

I looked at her, knowing I was on unstable ice and was probably going to fall in no matter what I said, “I have to admit, she looks at me in almost too friendly of a way.”

“And you are ok with that?”

There was no safe answer. I didn’t think there was a more-safe-than-others answer, “Honestly, it is a little flattering, but it is not like you have never oogled a man before while I was standing right there.”

“Fair enough, but did you ‘oogle’ her back?” Her look could have cut through Ginzu knives.

“Dammit Jenny! I didn’t even want to go over there! This was all you? Do you want me to tell you I think Allison is an ugly hag? It would be a lie. She is fucking, drop-dead-in-the-truest-sense-of-the-term gorgeous! You happy? But, she is not you. So enough!”

Jenny took a deep breath and then exhaled. I didn’t know if she was pissed or sad or what at this point.

“There is something not right about them. Rachel sees it too. It is not just in our heads, Matt. This whole neighborhood has gotten weird ever since Rick and Allison showed up. Friends moving, friends changing, some struck with crazy good luck while other seem to tumble into impossibly bad luck. I don’t like them and I really don’t like the idea of you going hunting with them.”

Jenny looked worn out. “Hun, then again, why the hell did you make me have dinner alone with them in the first place? You no I am nice to a fault and will never decline a friendly invite to anything if I don’t have a good enough excuse to do so.”

“Honestly, I almost wish I didn’t now. But, I really thought once you did, you would see it to. Whatever ‘it’ is.”

~~~

“So, do you have a favorite hunt, Matthew?”

Their truck went down the ungroomed dirt road as if it was driving on glass. The suspension on this beast probably cost more than my jeep alone. Allison was sandwiched between Rick and myself. She rested a hand lazily on my thigh. All of my subtle attempts to get it off just eventually found it back on my lap a short while later, and my imagination (or Jenny’s implanted mania about Allison) seemed to believe that Allison’s hand always landed a bit higher each time.

“Um...it would have to be my first. My father and grandfather let me take down an elk and I can still feel the pride they had when I shot it.”

“No offense Matthew,” Rick said with his wolfish smile, “but your first time should never be your best time. We will have to rectify that, won’t we dear.”

“Oh, most definitely,” replied Allison. Her voice dripped honey, and I swear on everything holy that all of her body heat was suddenly displaced to her hand. There was no subtle way to remove it now. Yet, my tongue caught when I attempted to ask her to remove it from its resting place on my leg. This might possibly be the longest weekend of my life.

“Almost home!” stated Rick.

Their ‘hunting lodge’ made the house they had in our neighborhood look like the cardboard box I threw away after Jenny and I bought a new dishwasher. Rick and Allison had the nicest house in the neighborhood.

Allison smiled, squeezed my leg, and replied, “Yes, almost home.”

~~~

Once we I was settled, I stepped outside in the back and took in the view. Most would kill just to see a view like this in a postcard. Snow-peaked mountains in the background, trees seemingly as far as the eye could see, the tree line only scarred where the river must have flowed through.

The air was rich and sweet, and after each breath, I yearned for another, as one yearns for another sip of an amazing drink, or another bite of a perfect fruit.

The scene helped to calm me. There was an over-friendliness from Allison that I did not enjoy, and Rick either was oblivious, or in on the act. Being out here put me a bit at ease.

Rick appeared out of nowhere and slapped my back, “So, you ready to hunt, Matthew? Allison is waiting for us down below.

We walked down the stairs carved into the hill until we got to a large shed.

“So, Matthew? Would you like to take a look at the game we will be hunting today?” Rick laughed and whistled. The shed door opened and out stumbled Jenny’s and my friend, Rachel. Eyes wild with fear, hours past shedding tears, wearing nothing but a gag and perhaps the most expensive form-fitting red lace underwear I have ever seen.

“What the He…”

Before I could get the last word out, Rick cold-cocked me in the jaw, sending me to the ground. He then kicked me hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I looked at Rachel with confusion and an apology in my eyes. I watched Rick cut the gag from Rachel and slap her on her backside, “Run along little bunny. Run as fast as you can!”

Rachel ran, the rest of the way down the hill as fast as I have seen a person filled with utter fear run. She disappeared into the trees.

“Sorry for hitting you Matthew...”

“I am not playing whatever game you and Allison are playing, Rick!”

“Suit yourself, Matthew, but you might want to hear it all out before you confirm that decision. Now, as I was saying, before you interrupted. Sorry I hit you, but getting the vibe of the nice and noble guy we think you are, consider it a preemptive hit. I was certain if I didn’t, you would have clocked me a few seconds later. Am I right?”

I just nodded, chomping on rocks that were not there as to try to channel my anger.

“As I thought. So here is the deal. Rachel was starting to get a bit too nosy in our lives and seemed to be on the verge of causing us...shall we say, unwanted headaches. Unfortunately for you - who contrary to what you might believe, Allison and I are quite fond of you - we discovered in our interrogation of Ms. Rachel, that she has a bit of a thing for you. I personally don’t get it, but Allison seems to. Who the fuck knows what goes on in women’s minds, right Matthew? Anyway, Rachel secretly being hot to trot for you indirectly got you involved, see?”

At that moment, Allison stepped out of the shed. She was clad foot to toe in camo, somehow still looking sexy as hell, she had a ravenous look in her eyes. She held up her mobile for me to see. There was video of Jenny, tied up in our bedroom.

“See, my friend? Jenny was getting a bit nosy too. I cannot help but to think what she may have already told you. But, like I said before, Allison and I are fond of you and want to give you at least a chance to control your destiny somewhat.

“You can calm down and listen to our offer, or you can leave right now. If you leave, I can guarantee you will never see Jenny, Rachel, or us ever again. Some might say that might be the wisest course, because all four of us are trouble, albeit different sorts. Do you want to leave now, Matthew? Here are the keys to my truck if you do?”

I look up at this sociopath, and didn’t say a word, I just glared. I felt the trap closing tighter, I might as well know the full shape of it.

“I’ll take your silence as a no. So the hunt then. Rules are simple, you shoot Rachel before us, she is your prize, to do with what you will. You can go home, Jenny will be waiting, unharmed and we will disappear from everyone’s lives. And before you get all weird about shooting your friend, it will be with a tranquilizer dart only. The harm will be minimal. But, you do have to tag her, just catching her is not enough.

“If Allison tags her, she is willing to ransom her and Jenny off, sweetheart that she is. If I shoot her though, you will never see her again. At that point, we will discuss terms of possibly freeing Jenny, assuming we have your word she will play along with all of this. Sound like a deal?”

I stared at him simply and replied, “Do I have a choice?”

“You have choices my friend, they all suck though.” They both laughed. Allison then took off down the hill and into the forest. After about five minutes, Rick simply said, “Your turn, Matthew. I do wish you the best of luck. I almost wish you took my keys, you probably would have been better off.”

I raced down the hill with the gun he tossed me, hoping it actually was loaded, and prayed to any god that was listening for a way to win game that was heavily stacked against me.

~~~

I tried to move as quickly as I could through the forest, scanning the trail of broken branches and displaced ground. I had stumbled upon Allison first and found out shooting her, that my gun indeed shot darts, and they did indeed knock a person out. Before she drifted into sweet oblivion, Allison smiled sweetly up to me and said, “Well done, Matthew. I didn’t think you had it in you, but I am glad you tagged me as well, you will be reward if you can still win...”

I didn’t recall any rules that said I couldn’t take them out too, but I knew I gambled by doing it. Not sure if whatever drug-induced craziness Allison stated made me feel better or worse. I just couldn’t afford Allison reaching Rachel first. I had to get to Rachel then try to come up with a plan out of it, without getting all of us killed. My stomach twisted thinking about Jenny. She was completely out of my control right now.

I heard Rachel stumbling through the woods first. I knew it was her because I saw flashes of red from the few garments she was wearing. I tried to call to her to stop, but she kept running. I called to her again, she cried in return, “They told me if you wanted to ever see Jenny alive, you would have to kill me Matt!”

“Dammit Rachel! I would never kill, just to save someone else, regardless who it is. I would never be able to live with that. We are hunting with tranquilizer rifles regardless. I was only told if I shoot you first, I win and we can all go free, not that I fully trust that. Just stop and come out before Rick catches up to us. Lets talk it out to see if we have any other options.”

Rachel stopped and turned around. She ran into my arms and wept, turning into a dead weight.

“Oh Matt…”

“It is ok Rachel, let’s just figure out…”

“...I am so sorry.”

With that, I felt a jab in my arm, sticking into it, was a tranquilizer dart. I looked into Rachel’s eyes, and she smiled, even more hungrily than Allison ever had.

~~~

My head was throbbing, I woke in the most comfortable bed I have ever been in, naked as the day I was born, arms loosely bound to the bed posts. Allison, Rick, and Rachel all sitting in winged chairs like a king and queens on thrones.

“He wakes!” Rick jested, as if it were a clever joke, “You are a damned good sport, that is for sure. You made me lose a heavy bet with Allison though. She thought you would shoot her if you caught up to her. I didn’t think you had it in you, just as I was sure you would not shoot Rachel in the end as well.”

I look at Rachel with fury, “You were in on it.”

Allison interjected, voice honeysuckle sweet now, “Matthew, my dear. This was Rachel’s first wish.”

I looked at Allison, as if I didn’t hear her correctly, I thought about what Rick said before about Rachel having a secret thing for me.

Allison continued, in a far away voice, “I wish for Matthew to rescue me. That was Rachel’s first wish, so all of this is how Rick granted it for her.”

Rick cut in before I could respond, “Matthew, Allison and I are Djinns, or in your barbaric language, Genies. And Rachel earned wishes from each of us. Many in your neighborhood did, how did you think fortunes fell and tumbled so drastically since we arrived?”

I thought about what Jenny said. Jenny! As if reading my thoughts, Allison quipped, “Jennifer is fine, for the most part, with one slight change. Rachel’s second wish was for her best friend to forget all memories of you.”

It sounded crazy, but my soul was trying to catch my mind up to everything. My soul knew this was true, crazy as it seemed. They thought of Jenny not having any memories of me, hurt more than I dared to imagine.

“What happens now, I asked? Does Rachel wish for me to fall madly in love with her or something?”

“No, dear Matthew, that is one wish even we cannot grant. We cannot wish someone to love. Love is a more powerful force.”

“So what is her last wish?”

“Here last? My dear, she has 3 wishes from each of us. She bought and paid for them. She still has 4 more.”

Rachel smiled, a crazy look in her eyes. Gluttoned on the power perhaps. “I wish for any secret lust that Matt has ever had for me to come to the surface and always simmer there. I might not ever have his love, but I can enjoy perhaps his lust even if just from afar.”

“Granted”

And, at that moment, I knew this nightmare was something real. All of the secret fantasies that I even had of Rachel came to the surface of my mind. Sharp and clear. I couldn’t look at her now without getting deeply aroused. Yet I HAD to look at her because who wouldn’t want to feel that level of desire for someone. The fantasies that they were, even though they were few, felt like real memories instead. All of them started to hum as better memories than any of my previous lovers. It sickened me. It excited me. I felt damned to my own mind. Perhaps I was. The more I tried to think of other lovers, other times, the Rachel fantasies would bleed into them. To the point that any memory I had of sex, somehow had Rachel in it too. Even my sexual fantasies that didn’t tie to anyone real at all became corrupted with Rachel in them. Sweet, wanton Rachel.

I looked at her, I wanted her more than I wanted anything. I hated her but that seemed to fuel the lust. I barely had any control. The only reason I did have a bit of control was that I wasn’t a mindless animal. Yet, the animal was yearning to break free and rut with the only woman that mattered for such things now.

Rachel watched me ravenously. “I wish to have all of his lustful thoughts for me as my own as well.”

“Granted”

Rachel convulsed with the onslaught of them. Her cries of ecstasy only stirred my feelings for her further. It was a trap I could have never imagined. It was a feedback loop that might drown us both.

Eventually an equilibrium was found. We were both panting. Rachel eyed me like a wolf. “Matthew, you naughty, wonderful thing. Your secrets are safe with me. I will even indulge in most of them with you one day, if you ever grow to forgive me for all of this.”

“Why?” was all I could croak out.

“Because, you were too good for her and...I was tired of being alone. I wanted someone nice, even if only like this.”

She almost wept. Almost.

“I wish for him to forget about Jenny, because I don’t want him to have that pain of losing her any more.”

“Granted”

And Jenny bled from my memories. I tried to hold onto them, I didn’t want to lose them. I wanted to hold onto the pain, if it was all I could have left of her.

I was trying to remember someone. Someone special. I was trying to remember something. I was trying to remember. Did I lose something. It felt like I lost something. I had this feeling in the back of my head. Then it was gone. I was looking at them like I was a bit lost. I still remember the hunt. I still had anger, but it didn’t make any sense. Like their were missing pieces.

Rachel spoke, a wicked smile on her face, “Finally, I wish Matthew forgot all about the hunt, that this was all just a get away with the closest of friends instead.”

“Granted”

The memories of this day unraveled, the force of it knocked me out.

~~~

I woke with in a start, as if waking from a bad nightmare. Rachel was curled up against me, God but I wanted her.

I noticed our friends Rick and Allison sitting in winged chairs watching us. I blush in embarrassment. I have a fresh memory of sleeping with Rachel and Allison, but I am almost certain it was just a fantasy, almost.

Rachel snuggled deeper into me, and purred. I wished we were alone. “Matty, don’t you remember, Rick and Allison just revealed to you that they are Genies, and that you won 3 wishes from Allison by capturing her?”

The memory of capturing her is suddenly sharp and fresh.

“So, what are you going to wish for love?”

I looked at my lover Rachel, and wondered if I did indeed love her. She was always sweet to me. She was crazy good in the sack. I wondered why I didn’t feel like I loved her fully though. It felt strange to feel that bit of disconnect.

“Yes, Matthew, what do you wish from me?” Allison just purred.

“Well, are there any rules?”

Allison started to recite the few rules there were and I smiled as wishes started forming in my mind.