Tom Ford : 30 - The Hunter and the Hunted (m+/m+)

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Tom Ford : 30 - The Hunter and the Hunted (m+/m+)

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Tom Ford's stories
30 - The Hunter and the Hunted
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By Tom Ford

Monday, August 12th 2002 - 12:12:39 AM

Summer - 1966
The Hunter and the Hunted


During the last game, Angela and Donald one by one captured Andrew, David, Jerry and Robert. We were utterly surprised at Angela's audacity, and so we gained a new respect for her. Thus, we won our second game in a row and our sixth total victory. Still, we have a long way to go, since Andrew and company won a total of fifteen games since the start, and we would like to even out the odds. It is a formidable challenge, but our two recent victories encouraged us.

It was a pleasant Thursday morning. We didn't play any games because our parents took us to a tour of the town and the neighbors. Now, we already have visited them a couple of dozen times before, and this is all routine. Visiting them is as exciting as doing homework, for all of them are adults, and their children are all either too old, being teen-agers or too young, being babies or 1-4 years of age. So we all clamored to return to the farm, before we died of a disease we call boredom. We ate lunch at one of the neighbors' house, and went home about one in the afternoon. Boy, was it a relief. We all removed the coat and tie we all have to wear in these visits, and took more ordinary clothes.

Now, Andrew has a plan of action ready. He assembled all of us boys whose ages ranges from 9-10, meaning Andrew, David, Robert, Jerry, Donald, Frank and me. He proposed that we play another game in the mountains.

"What game?" Robert asked.

"The same game we played the last time - Treasure Hunt!" my brother responded.

"You mean the game where you hide a chest full of marbles, and you give us a map, and we try to find it in the mountain, and we try to catch each other in the process?" Donald asked.

"Yup!" Andrew answered.

"The same rules?" Frank inquired.

"Yep!" my brother replied.

"Well, I don't know! The last game was, well, I don't know, but..." Jerry stalled, looking for an excuse.

"C'mon, Jerry! It'd be fun!" Robert encouraged.

"Yea. Didn't you enjoy it last time?" I asked.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I did, but..."

"But what?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I'. ah, uh...what the heck! Alright, I'm in!" Jerry asserted, which was cheered by the rest of us.

"Well, Jerry, Donald, David and I are..." Frank begun but was again interrupted.

"Before you plan, I would like to say that we would reshuffle the groups again!"

So we tossed the coin. The results are:

Frank - tails
Donald - heads
David - tails
Tom - heads
Andrew - heads
Robert - tails
Jerry - heads

So it was that Frank, David and Robert constitute one group, while Andrew, Jerry, Donald and I constitute the others. Our team automatically became the treasure hunters because Andrew had already made the treasure map. As before, he gave the other team a map to find the key of the chest and the treasure map. And as before, we have a half-hour head start.

We went out of the house to the mountain at about 2:00 PM, right after each side has prepared our water guns, rope, handkerchiefs, socks for gagging, more rope, duct tape, binoculars, and other items. We at first took the main road, but we branched off at a small footpath at the left side of the road. We took a different route from before. And from previous experience, it was to a different plateau from the one we played our last game. The path to it is no less difficult to trek however, but it was fun nonetheless, and we arrived at our destination at about 3:00 PM.

The plateau is about the same size as the other plateau. It is more rugged, with more bushes from which to hide, and has about a dozen sheds each with water taps, two chairs and a table in it. It has also tall trees, and from the side, it is not apparent that it is somehow more flat. There are mounds, foxholes, trenches, small holes, fallen trees in it, but it is generally more flat than the other plateau. And like the other plateau, there are several pathways to it, making it no easier than the other plateau to guard, if we consider it from that point of view. However, since we are now four and they are now three, it is now easier.

Andrew hid our "treasure", a chest full of marbles, near the south edge of the plateau, keeping it in a small hole and covering it with dried leaves to conceal it. And when we drew back, it is impossible to make a distinction between the leaves covering the treasure and the other leaves on ground. Our only guide is three rocks, one about a size of a washing machine, another the size of a two basketballs and the other the size of a thick dictionary placed beside the hiding place.

We divided ourselves into groups of two to cover a wide an area as we possibly can. Jerry and I would guard one end of the plateau, while Andrew and Donald would guard the other. We don't know where exactly what pathway they will use, and we just guarded the most probable. So we hid behind some bushes, fingered our guns and waited for them to arrive.

At about 3:40, we heard some movements, and we were pretty sure it was they. We readied our guns, ready to fire as soon as they were in range. I heard some more noises, and prepare to fire.

"Drop your weapons, or you're dead!" David ordered behind us. He is holding two loaded water guns, and each is pointed to the back of our heads. David managed to sneak around us, and then quietly attacked us from behind. We were totally surprised. Guess our attention was too much focused on the movements on the pathway behind us that Jerry and I didn't bother to guard our rear.

We dropped our water guns. As soon as we did, he shot us in the back of head.

"Hey, we dropped our weapons! What gives!?" I complained.

"Just making sure. Consider it an insurance from any sudden moves from you!" David shot back. According to the rules, when you were shot, you are already a prisoner, and you must give in.

After shooting us, he bowed down and picked up our weapons. He then removed the backpacks from our bags, and collected other guns stored in my pocket.

"Coast is clear!" David shouted. With that, Frank and Robert emerged from the pathway we were concentrating on. I guess they served as distraction.
"Did any of these give you any trouble, David?" Frank asked.

"Nope, it was a piece of cake!" David boasted.

With that, Robert took a rope from my backpack, and pulled my arms behind my back. He then wrapped it several times before cinching it and knotting it off. As I said before, even though he and Jerry were inexperienced compared to us, with knots, they are as good as any of us. I tested the ropes, and it was snug, tight, but not uncomfortable. I tried feeling for knots with my fingers, and I found none. I then knew at that point that unless I could find anything sharp, which was nil since David took my pocket knife and my small scissors and all the other things I need is in the bag, I could not get out of this ropes without help. Robert then wrapped rope around my waist, cinched it and knotted it off, and tied the free ends to my wrists, pinning my wrists to my waist. He then tied a long piece of rope to my upper body, further pinning my arms to my body. When he was through, I cannot move my arms except perhaps to flex my fingers. Meanwhile, David was interrogating me while this process was going on.

"Okay, Tom, where is the treasure hidden?" David asked.

"What treasure are you talking about?" I replied.

"Don't play dumb. We know you know where it is hidden. Now tell me where it is if you know what's good for you!" David demanded.

"I don't know!" I lied.

"Liar! We'll see if you can stand the torture in the shed!" David said. With that, he took a sock from his pocket, and tried to insert it to my mouth. I shut my mouth, not wishing to be gagged, but he stepped on my foot very hard, which was painful. I opened my mouth to say ouch, but as soon as I did, he inserted the sock into my mouth, muffling my ouch into faint sounds. Robert then wrapped duct tape around my head, further silencing me.
At virtually the same time, Frank trussed up Jerry. He tied his hands behind his back at the wrists, and pinned it to his back by tying it to his waist.

He also tied rope around his upper body. When Frank was done with Jerry, he was practically tied the same way as me.

After my interrogation and gagging, David went to Jerry to interrogate him. He too refused to spill the beans, so he too was gagged. They inserted a sock to his mouth, and tied a bandana over his mouth as a cleave gag, then tying a scarf around the head to secure all the gags.

We were marched to the fourth nearest shed. We weren't place in the nearest shed because David figured that it would be a piece of cake for Andrew and Donald to find us if they hid us in the most obvious place.

The shed that we found ourselves in was the same as all the other sheds. Jerry was taken to the post, where they sat him down with his back leaning on it, and using another long piece or rope to secure him to the post. As for me, they removed my shoes and socks, and then I was hog-tied in the dirty floor, which was nothing more that a piece of linoleum spread over the dirt ground.

They removed my gag, and resumed their interrogation. This time, Frank and Robert did most of the questioning, while David mainly watched. I remembered the last interrogation under almost identical circumstances, which gave me a feeling of déjà vu.

"Where's the treasure!" Frank demanded.

"I don't know!" I lied.

"You're lying. Tell us where it is or else!" Robert threatened.

"Or you'll what!" I dared.

"Or this!" Robert replied, and then tickled me on the sides. I of course, laughed, and laughed. Finally, after about twenty seconds, they stopped. I was already gasping my breath from the tickling.

"Okay, now will you talk?" Frank asked.

"Okay!" I replied.

"Then talk!" Frank shot back.

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" They said talk, didn't they, so I talked. But they didn't seem satisfied, and they didn't let me finish. They tickled me, more intense than ever before. Soon, I was sweating from the heat and the tickling, and thanked God when they finished.

"Don't take us for fools! Now do that again and you're dead meat!" Robert threatened.

"What is it I was supposed to talk about?" I asked, again playing dumb.

"All right. Just to make sure you fully understand what we mean, you will tell us the exact location of the treasure chest, or else!" David interjected.

"I won't tell where it is!" I defiantly answered. I then braced myself for the tickle torture. And it came. For three minutes, I was tickled non-stop, and I just laughed my head off. My face was red, and my eyes in tears when they were through with me.

"Where's the treasure!" Robert demanded.

I kept my mouth shut. Soon, I was being tickled to death. But at the middle of the tickling, David stopped the tickling.

"Stubborn, aren't we? Well, let's see how well Jerry stands to being tortured!" David remarked. He gagged me and then directed the two to Jerry.

Robert removed Jerry's gag, and at once, they interrogated him.

"Where is the treasure?" Robert demanded.

"I don't know!" Jerry lied.

"Liar! Now tell us where it is or else!" Frank threatened.

"But I don't know where ha, ha, ha, really, ha, I don't, ha, ha!

"Wrong answer!" Frank said and tickled Jerry. He immediately broke into laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha, okay, ha, ha, I'll, ha, ha, tell, ha, ha, where, ha, ha, ha, where it is." Jerry shouted. Clearly, he had enough of tickling.

"Go on, talk!" Robert encouraged.

"Okay. The treasure is located on the north side of the plateau. It is located in a hollow tree trunk of a fallen tree." Jerry confessed, although it is obviously false.

"Good! Now, if that is not the case, then be prepared to suffer a fate worst than death!" David said. He then re-gagged Jerry and all three of them left. They figured that they might probably run into Andrew and Donald, they might as well have the numerical advantage. So all three of them left, but foolishly left our guns and backpack at the shed, taking only theirs. I decided to struggle, but for all practical purposes, it was useless. The ropes were too well tied for my struggles to have any effect to it.

I decided to wait for whatever will happen. Jerry continued to struggle, but after a few minutes, gave up. So we waited, I hog-tied and Jerry tied to the post in shed. Well, after what seems like forever (actually only twenty minutes) - time slows down when you're tied up - who should sneak in but Donald. He quietly entered, holding a gun in his right hand. After making sure the coast is clear, he untied us.

"Where's Andrew?" I asked Donald.

"He's somewhere in the plateau. We split up to find you guys! And I was the one who found you!" Donald replied.

"Let's get out of here before they come back! They'll fume when they learn that the treasure is not where I told them!" Jerry shouted.

But before we could leave, I was able to spot Robert and Frank through a hole in the wall. Between them is the Andrew, bound and gagged. His arms were tied behind his back, and his mouth is gagged with duct tape. Frank and Robert are all smiles, obviously enjoying their triumph.

It didn't last long. As soon as they entered, I pointed a gun at Frank's head, and Donald pointed a gun at Robert.

"Drop it!" Donald ordered.

Both Frank and Robert dropped their weapons. Jerry then untied Andrew.

"I knew we should have left somebody to guard you two! Or this wouldn't have happened!" Robert complained.

"How did you find them?" Frank asked Donald.

"I just found them, that's all!" Donald replied.

"Enough of your yapping!" I told them, and then I took a rope from Frank's backpack, and pulled his arms behind back. I wound the rope around his wrists vertically and horizontally several times before cinching it and knotting it off. Of course, I placed the knots beyond the reach of his fingers. And I made sure the ropes on his wrists were snug, tight but not uncomfortable. When Frank tested the ropes, it held.

I took another long piece of rope and wound it around his waist. After wrapping it several times, I cinched it and knotted it off at the back, then tied the free ends to his wrists, pinning his wrists to his waist. I then tied his upper body. Jerry did the same to his brother. Hands behind the back at the wrists, tied to the waist, and the upper body.

"Where's David?" Donald asked.

"He's looking for the treasure! By this time, he probably has it, and that means, we win the game!" Robert boasted.

"Oh shut up!" Andrew snapped, and then took a sock from his pocket, and shoved it up to Robert's mouth.

"Gag Frank too!" my brother commanded, and Jerry took a handkerchief, wadded it, and popped it into his mouth. Andrew then duct taped Robert's mouth, while Jerry tied a bandana over Frank, cleave-gagging then tying a scarf over the bandana. Frank and Robert just kept quiet, as evidenced by the lack of mmmppphhhhsss from the two.

"Let's keep them in another shed. We wouldn't want to make any easier for them than it is for us, would we? It wouldn't be fair!" Donald sarcastically said.

"Yea, let's do it!" Andrew agreed.

"Lead on, Andrew, lead on!" Jerry concurred.

With that, Jerry and Donald took Robert, while my brother and I took Frank. We marched them to nearby shed. In the shed, we hog-tied Frank on the floor, while we secured Robert on the post, while seating down and leaning on the post.

"What happened?" I asked Andrew.

"Well, we were on the opposite side of the plateau you were, if you remember. We decided to split about 40 minutes ago after seeing no action for a long time. So Jerry went to look for you to see if you had any luck, while I decided to explore the north side of the plateau. So I went there. And while I was exploring it, looking for anything, Robert suddenly saw me. He charged at me, but I was able to take him down. But they kept coming. Frank charged from my right side, surprising me, but I was able to shoot him. But seconds after I shot Frank, David shot me in the right side. So they won that round, tied me up, and dragged me to the shed where you were hidden. The rest is history!" Andrew narrated.

"Well what happened to you?" my brother asked me. So I narrated all that happened from the time we separated.

After the story telling, we decided to prepare for the manhunt. I took all of Frank and Robert's guns and placed them in my backpack. I fully reloaded all my guns and placed it both in my pockets, and emptied all the contents of Frank and Robert's bag into mine. That means that even if they escaped, they had no weapons to fight with. So we decided to split into two teams again, and to converge at the north side to try to trap David in between.

And we took off, Andrew and Jerry, and Donald and I. We went through different paths to the north to make sure that if it happens that David is coming back, there would be a greater chance for us to run into David. Well, we didn't run into him until we reached the north part of the plateau. There we saw David having a gun battle with Andrew and Jerry. Although it wasn't really a gun battle, since both are out of range of each other's guns. We hid ourselves in some bushes, clutching our guns, readying for any sudden moves, and preparing an attack from the rear of David. Then our work was made easier because David soon run out of ammo (water), while Andrew and Jerry have still much more, so David decided to run. And he ran in our direction. He jumped into the bushes to prevent being hit by the water, yet he jumped into the very bushes we were hiding. He literally ran into Jerry's arms and produced a collision no less spectacular than the collision of Robert and Angela in the previous game, although this time more harmless. Both of them fell to the ground, and both wrestled with each other, rolling on the ground. Jerry kept shouting for me to help, but I was beginning to be entertained by the fight, so I decided to wait and just interfere if and when David definitely wins. Andrew and Donald soon arrived but I managed to convince them to hold back for a bit longer. Anyway, we would still win any way this fight goes.

The struggle became a contest on who could take hold of Jerry's gun. For although Jerry had the gun, the wrist holding the gun was held by David, so he was not able to fire into David's face. Jerry tried to fire it at David, but David would always make that impossible. Then quite by accident, David was able to make Jerry throw his gun away, and at that moment, the fight became a contest of who will get the gun first. And both performed no better. They tried to crawl to the gun, but each would hinder each others movements, and it became a contest of physical strength. In that category, the ten-year-old David and the nine-year-old Jerry are nearly equal. Soon, David was able to grab the gun, but grabbing the gun does not necessarily mean victory, for Jerry grabbed David's wrists and tried to pry the gun away from David's fingers. But he was not able to do so. David then managed to fire the gun, but he was not able to aim it, and missed. Jerry then tried again to remove the gun from David's hand, but failed.
David then pushed himself away from Jerry and managed to stand-up. He then quickly pointed the gun to Jerry, and at that point, I stepped forward and pointed my gun at David's head, and fired.

"Thanks for the show!" I mockingly said. David was exasperated, but like a good sport that he was, threw the hard-fought gun away, and raised his hands in surrender.

"Why the hell didn't just shoot me so that we wouldn't have this ridiculous fight?" David asked.

"Hey, then we wouldn't have as much fun, would we?" Andrew replied.

"You're right. I could've just surrendered when I ran into you! But what the heck, it's fun!" David added.

"You're going to pay for this, Tom!" Jerry said. But it was more like a joke than a serious threat, because that's the way it is. So Andrew gave Jerry the honors of tying-up David. Jerry pulled David's arms behind him and tied it up good. He then tied his wrists to his waist and his upper body with rope. Jerry did it with a relish. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, and inserted it in David's mouth. He finished by wrapping duct-tape around his head. And so with that, we won this game.

We took him to the shed where we have kept Frank and Robert. There, we tied David to a chair, then tickled them for a while. Then we left them. Andrew then retrieved the treasure chest, and after fifteen minutes, entered the shed and showed off the treasure to the foiled treasure hunters. He boasted, and they can only groan. Then we untied them. They are all good sports, and they admitted defeat.

The next game will be played at the house, controlled by Angela, at an unusual time. What happened in the next tie-up game? Read the next part and find out!

Tom Ford

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