Deadly Games by Fear359 (f/m, qs, grim) Mandy, her boyfriend Steve, her best friend Ann, and her boyfriend Alan, went for a drive in the country to get back to nature, and to have a day of fun in the sun, they were all in Steve's chevy s-10 blazer, and having a good time listening to the new Def Leppard tape hystera. The place they were going to was about 150 miles from the hustle and bustle of the city, and Steve and Alan had been there many times, and told the girls that they would have the time of their lives out in the wide open country. The girls were not to keen on the idea of running around in some dark, and spooky woods, but after they thought about it they thought what the heck, we'll have some fun. About 20 miles from there destination they all heard a loud bang, and no one knew what it was so Steve decided to pull over, and see what it was. After parking the truck on the side of the road, he and Alan got out and took a look. When they both got to the back of the truck they both could smell gas, and Steve took a look underneath the truck, and found out why. Something hit the gas tank, and put a hole in it. Not a very big one, but big enough to have gas flow out in a steady stream. Steve knew that if they didn't fix it fast they would be walking back to the city, not something that any of them were ready to do! Alan asked Ann to hand him a piece of plastic from one of the sandwiches, so they could plug up the hole for right now, and then they could fix it later. Steve pushed the plastic in as far as it would go, and waited to see if it would hold. After about 10 minutes, he didn't see anymore gas flowing out so he and Alan got back in the truck are they were on their way again. They made it to the camp grounds without any more problems, and when they got out, the girls were in awe over the beauty of the place, and they couldn't wait to finish eating so they could all go hiking, but Steve told them that they eating would have to wait, the gas tank needed to be fixed as soon as possible. Well you know how girls can get their way if they put their minds to it, well Mandy, and Ann, did that little pouting thing that girls do so well, and the guys felt bad, so they thought, "Well, I guess the gas tank can wait." So they went to have lunch, and do a little hiking. Well after a very large, and good lunch, they all just sat there, letting the food settle, and then Ann jumpped up, and asked, "Hey when are we going hiking?" Alan suggested that she and Mandy change into some pants, and shoes. The girls jumped up, and ran over to the truck, and began to change, into they hiking clothes, long sleeve shirts, blue jeans, and hiking boots. When they both got back to the guys, they were talking to a man, who seemed to be a hunter of some sorts. When he looked back, and saw the girls coming up, he smiled and greeted them with a look in his eyes that neither Mandy, nor Ann could make out. He said that he was up here hunting, and just wanted to let them know so when they heard gunshots they shouldn't get scared, and start running around the woods, because he wouldn't want to shoot them by mistake! Then he just walked off into the woods, and was gone. Steve told the girls, that if they didn't want to go for a hike they could just sit here, and talk, or head back home it was up to them! Well it only took the both of them about a minute to figure out what they wanted to do, and Mandy, took Steve's hand, and Ann took Alan's, and they all four went for a walk, in the woods, but stayed on the trails just in case that hunter was around, and thought that they might be an animal or something. The woods were beautful, and Mandy, and Ann were having the time of their lives. That were about three miles down the trail when they heard some kind of loud boom. The girls thought that it was that hunter, but the guys knew what a gun shot sounded like, and that didn't sound like a gun, more like something being blown up. They decided to get back to the truck so they could fix the tank, and be on their way, because Steve had a bad feeling about something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Getting back to the truck they were all in shock, someone had used Steve's truck for target practice, and did a good job. All four tires were gone, the wind shield was shot up, the front grill was gone, and so was the radiator! The girls were crying, and Alan was just standing there shaking his head, and Steve was upset, and said whoever did this was a dead man! Steve went up to the truck, or what was left of it, and saw something stuck to the front seat of the truck, a note, a freaking note, someone had some pretty big balls to shoot up his truck, and then leave a note. He picked it up, and Alan knew by the look in his eyes, they were in big trouble. "Steve what is it?" Alan asked. Steve looked up at him, and said, "We gotta get out of here, now! That hunter we were talking to, well he hunts the two legged kind of animals! HE IS HUNTING US!" Mandy was almost in shock, and Ann was trying to figure out why someone would do this? That's when shots started ringing out from behind the blazer, and Steve took off running towards Alan, Ann, and Mandy, when they all heard a voice, and they stopped and listened to what the man had to say. He told them, that he could have killed them a long time ago, but he liked to give all animals a sporting chance, and then he told them the rules of the game. "Stay alive, you live, get caught you die! You have 30 minutes to get going. Oh yeah, if I were you four, I would stay in the woods, and stay off the roads, you would be surprised at how big of a target you become when you're in the wide open!" Steve, didn't wait long after that. He just grabbed Mandy's hand and they all four took off, at least they had 30 minutes to get as far as they could, before he came looking for them. Ann was having a hard time keeping up with the three of them, so they stopped to take a short break, when Mandy started asking all kinds of questions. "Steve, why? Why is he hunting us? I don't understand!" "Sweetheart I don't understand either. All I know is, that guy's a nut case, and we have got to get out of here fast!" Ann was rested enough to go on, and when Alan looked down at his watch, he told the three of them that they only had 10 minutes left to be on the trail, and that they should get off now. Steve agreed, and the four of them got off the trail, and started walking through the dense forest. They had been walking for about 15 minutes when they heard gun shots, the girls almost started screaming, but the guys told them to keep quiet, that he was only shooting to find out where they were, and they had to keep going on! They had been walking for about 2 hours, when Steve, and Alan noticed that the ground was starting to get soft, and muddy. Mandy asked what was wrong, and Steve told her that they were coming up on a huge marsh, and that they had to be very careful, if they wanted to make it through it alive. Mandy looked at Ann, and they both looked at Steve, and Alan, and asked why do they have to be careful? "Because there are alot of bogs in there, and if we make one false step we could be in trouble!" The girls had seen enough quicksand movies to know what that meant. So with that in mind they all started walking towards the marsh, each of them so tense that the slightest noise would snap them in two, that's when they heard a voice, and they all froze in their tracks! "So you thought that you could get away from me, by heading into to marsh? Well I'm sorry to say this but now it's time to die!" The time for being careful was over, all four of them just started running as fast as them could. They could hear gun shots all around them, but they weren't hitting anything, but the marsh mud. Ann didn't care if he was a bad shot, then so be it, she just wanted to get out of there, and quick. She let go of Alan's hand and said, "Alan, this way we can hide behind those trees over there." And the next thing Ann knew her feet sank into so very soft and yielding mud that seem to pull her down everytime she tried to pull her feet out. "Alan help me I'm stuck!" When Alan stopped to turn around and help Ann, he found that the mud had closed in over his feet like a steel trap, and he too was sinking. "God! Alan, help me! I'm sinking in some kind of quicksand!" The more Ann struggled, the deepper she became mired. It was like wet cement, and it was getting harder and harder to move her legs. And now the quicksand was up to her waist. "Alan, for the love of god, help me!" Alan finally answered her, "I can't. I'm trapped too, and I'm sinking fast! If I could get out I could get to you and pull you free, but I can't pull my legs out of this goo! It's like glue!" Mandy turned and saw Ann up to her waist, sinking fast, and Alan sinking even faster. She told Steve that they had to help them. "Mandy, it's too dangerous! And if we get trapped, then we are all goners!" But Steve knew deep down that he could not live with himself if he didn't try to help his friends. So he said, "Alright, let's go." For some strange reason the shots stopped, and they were all alone in the marsh, trying to reach their friends. Steve had almost reached Alan, when the bottom fell out from beneath his feet, and now he was stuck fast up to his kneecaps in hungry mud. Mandy tried to reach Ann from the opposite way, and found that the ground was soft and muddy, but it held her weight. She was only 5 feet from Ann when she felt the ground give way beneath her, and with a startled cry she sank in to her calves. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Now all four were trapped, and no one to rescue any one, when they heard a voice, "Thank you for that fun game of hide and seek! I must do this again! I can't wait for the next bunch of campers to come up here!" Ann couldn't take it any longer, and started trying to rock herself out of her trap, and the more she rocked the deeper she sank. Alan kept on trying to reach her, but he too was sinking beyond help. Steve knew that they were all done for, and closed his eyes and said a prayer for the four of them! Mandy was so close, so damn close, to saving her friend, but now she was just stuck like the rest of them, but she didn't give up. She leaned her body towards her friend to somehow reach her, when she fell forward, and muck and mud took her up to her neck. When Ann saw her friend up to her neck she started screaming. Alan, and Steve looked up just in time to see Mandy sink into her grave, and the three of them knew that they would be joining her. It was just a matter of time!