The whistle marks the start(Melody's POV)

Melody stood at the edge of the woods. Everything was well maintained and taken care of. It still looked natural despite the tedious attention it received to remain safe for such events. Melody could see all of the prey lined up next to her, some talked amongst themselves, others seemed quiet. Focused. Melody was scared. Melody peered into the woods, her thoughts racing until she heard Chanelle behind them, speaking up.

"Prey, pay attention!" Chanelle called out.

Everyone turned around, even Melody. Melody's eyes went to Griffin. She could see him talking amongst the other predators. She assumed they were giving him advice since he had never done any of this before either. Melody looked Griffin up and down. The male predators were shirtless and wearing nothing but slightly tight fitting shorts for comfort but also safety, nothing too baggy. The female predators, only two counting Chanelle, wore tight yoga-like leggings with a sports bra. Workout clothes for certain. Melody turned her head slightly to see the prey line. The men were the same, no shirts, tight fitting shorts. The women, including herself were wearing their undergarments, Melody had a tight sleeveless shirt on and tight fitting shorts.

"Listen up!" Chanelle commanded, looking at Melody who was distracted, clearly.

Melody's gaze snapped to Chanelle and her face flushed deeply.

"Okay everyone. You've all done this before except one of you, so I will repeat the rules this time. Rule number one, no shoving each other out of the way. Yes, we know prey fights for their lives by running and screw everyone else but that's not how we operate. Rule number 2, no selling out other prey. Let the predators find them on their own. Rule number 3, when you are captured, you may fight back, however, don't purposely try to hurt the predator that has captured you. We are still humans. Duh." Chanelle wiggled her fingers in the air before straightening her boobs which made a few people chuckle.

"Rule number 3, you will be subdued and you will be taken to the central building. The predator may bind you in anyway that he or she wishes, if clothes get in the way... well, we will remedy that. Do you all consent to this?" Chanelle's eyed fell to Melody, knowing that everyone else did.

Melody could feel Griffin's eyes burning into her, waiting to see what she said. She looked at Melody and nodded her head. She consented. Chanelle winked at her and smiled gently to her. Everyone else agreed as well.

"Very good." Chanelle motioned to someone.

Melody watched Luke walk up and noticed that he wasn't in line with them, however, he was passing out flashlights and small metal whistles.

"These are for you. The predators will have them as well. The whistle is for you to concede if a predator hasn't found you yet. This whistle is your automatic transfer to the central building. The flashlight is for you in case you aren't found before the sun sets. This will help you navigate the woods or for someone to find you by seeing your light. Hold onto these items. Also, there are a few scattered buildings around with phones inside. We have placed them, fully charged. If you have an emergency, dial the number that is written on a notepad next to the phone. We will know what phone and where it is and come to you. We have a medic on site as well as moderators for the event while I am participating." Chanelle looked at everyone, making sure they understood.

As Luke got to Melody and handed her the flashlight and the whistle, he smiled widely at her before standing next to her with his flashlight and whistle. Melody took a deep breath as she held onto these items tightly. She looked to Griffin and saw him holding the same items and talking to another predator. Her eyes looked him up and down, taking in his muscles, his body, his curves, all of him. She felt herself getting excited at the thought of him chasing her down.

"Now, we are all properly fed and hydrated. When I blow this whistle, the prey will get a 5 minute head start into the woods. Hide, run, or allow yourself to get captured, whatever you wish. Are we ready?!" Chanelle asked as she saw everyone start to get excited, especially the predators, eyeing the prey like their next meal.

Chanelle smirked as she put the metal whistle up to her lips. With a deep breath, she blew, causing a shrieking noise to pierce everyone's ears. The prey turned and began running off into the woods, Melody was one of the last few to enter the woods. The sun was just starting to set so they still had a good bit of daylight left. It would be easier to be seen with the light. Melody felt her heart pounding as she ran through the woods, occasionally vaulting over a strategically placed fallen tree. Melody looked around, seeing everyone begin to disappear within the brush and trees of the woods but she could hear them running, their feet crunching leaves or an occasional twig snapping. Melody saw Luke jogging casually, barely making an effort it seemed.

"Luke? Aren't you going to run?" Melody breathed out as she looked at him.

Luke looked over at her and smirked. "Don't use so much of your energy in quick bursts. We still have the 5 minute window. Everyone else will tire out by using their energy up. They won't be able to run from a predator or fight back when they're caught."

"Do you hide or do you just run?" Melody breathed out. She wasn't used to much cardio.

"I jog until I think the 5 minutes is up then I run. There are a few great hiding spots with man made holes dug, big enough for a person to hide in. But shh... you don't know that." Luke laughed a little.

Melody smiled then she nodded. "Never heard a thing. Good luck Luke."

"You as well." Luke smiled as he kept jogging.

After what seemed like a couple of minutes, Luke then sprinted away and off in another direction, leaving Melody there alone. Melody could hear the running from others but mostly she heard her running and her pants. She knew the predators would have started into the woods by now. She turned around, seeing nothing but trees behind her. She kept moving forward, making sure to slow down and save some of her energy and catch her breath. She would make sure she didn't make too much noise, well, the best she could. Her eyes focused as she began sneaking through the woods, looking around, listening for anything that seemed to approach her. Little did she know, she was being watched.

Melody heard the first scream within the woods as the first prey was captured. She had no idea how long it had been, the sense of time didn't exist in this world. The sun was setting now, the woods were slowly darkening as the sun began leaving the sky. Melody could still see quite well so, she didn't need the flashlight just yet. If she had animalistic ears, they would have turned to the sound she heard behind her. Without thinking, she bolted, dodging through trees. Her adrenaline began coursing through her veins in low doses, but enough where she felt her heart beat, her muscles tighten and her breathing quicken. She turned slightly and saw nothing behind her, so she slowed down to save her energy. Melody leaned against a tree, hiding but also to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and listened. She heard the hard steps of someone, then the screams again, this time there were only a few seconds between them. Melody thought it was two prey together, captured by two predators. Since there were 10 people involved and there had been 3 screams already, something dawned on her. She and Luke were the last ones left. The only ones to not have been caught. What if Luke had been caught and he didn't scream?

Melody kept listening as her heart began slowing down and her breathing slowed down. Her eyes went wide open as she heard a familiar scream. It was Luke! He had been caught! But by whom? His predator? Melody felt her heart skip a beat. She was the only one left! But it also put a fear inside of her. She was being hunted right now by the last predator. She felt an excitement rising with the fear inside of her. Just as Melody was about to turn around to check out behind her, she heard a snap of a twig just a couple of feet behind the tree she was leaning against. Her eyes went wide as she heard the panting getting closer, the ground making slight noises as this predator was coming closer. No one spoke. Melody felt as if she couldn't breathe. She looked around, seeing she still had enough light left to see but it wouldn't last long. Her eyes widened further as she heard a deep inhale just behind the tree. They were right behind her! Right there! She heard a sigh after the deep inhale. Without thinking, Melody bolted forward, vaulting over a fallen tree. She hauled ass and whoever was behind her run after her. She heard the panting and the feet hitting the ground. She dared not look back.

Melody felt something awaken inside of her in that moment as someone chased her. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins and it was like a blossom of a flower erupted. Melody could only focus on one thing. Run. Run. Run. Her senses drowned out everything else around her except her thought of running and the sound of the chase behind her. Melody felt her heart pounding but she didn't stop. She kept going.

She didn't know how long she had been at it but her legs began burning, her steps became painful and her speed slowed down. Her legs were screaming at her now for pushing them so far. It was as if fate had a hand in this moment. Once she hit a patch of what looked like the softest grass, she went forward as she felt someone tackle her to the ground. She hit with a thud and a scream erupted from her lungs as the air escaped from the hit. Her instinct began to kick and wiggle to get free of this person but she felt the exhaustion in her muscles. She felt her shirt being ripped and used as fabric to tie her hands behind her back, pulled tight and knotted. She couldn't escape but she still wiggled and tried to get free. She was **** to her feet and this person held her arms, pushing her forward. Melody was about to turn to see who this person was but then she felt strong arms pick her up and she was tossed over someone's shoulder. She looked down and saw the shirtless stomach of a man but he wasn't the one who had claimed her. Who originally tackled her down to the ground? Were there more predators than prey? Melody heard the heavy breathing from two distinct people walking with her as cargo. Her eyes fluttered as exhaustion consumed her, her body crashed from the adrenaline then her eyes closed slowly.

Melody jumped awake as she felt herself being placed in a chair. Her eyes adjusted to the light around her. She figured they must have been in the central building now. Melody blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted and she was in a line with the other prey who were dirty and just as exhausted as she was. The predators stood in front of each prey they had captured. Melody scanned them until her eyes landed on Griffin. He was standing in front of Luke. He had captured Luke as his prey! Melody's eyes slowly drifted up and there stood Chanelle with a large muscular man standing behind her. Chanelle was in nothing but a tight bra that barely seemed to hold her breasts and a tight pair of underwear. She was smirking at Melody, eyeing her up and down. Melody noticed the man was doing the same then she looked down and saw her shirt was gone, used as a restraint and one of her own breasts had fallen out of her bra during the struggle and no one seemed to have fixed it.

"Very good predators and prey. The first prey to be captured was Eliza. The last, surprisingly was our first timer. Melody. Captured by our very own host Chanelle and her teammate Neo." A man spoke calmly.

The predators eyed the prey closely, their minds full of what they wanted to do to them, the arousal was obvious in the room, the tension was clear. Melody swallowed hard and her eyes went to Griffin. His eyes were on her, glued completely. His pupils had dilated and he was still panting. This was something she hadn't seen before, not to this extent.

"Alright predators. We will make this easy. Stand in front of the prey you wish to claim tonight." The man spoke again.

A few people began moving. Griffin immediately walked and stood in front of Melody, the others stood in front of their partners. Chanelle and the larger man called Neo stood in front of both Melody and Luke who were sitting next to each other. Melody couldn't stop the blush on her face from surfacing.

"Ah. Looks like we have a potential group option here. Well, prey, predators, do you consent?"

Melody looked at them, her eyes darting to everyone that stood in front of her. Her eyes even went to Luke then back to Griffin.