Page 4 of Caught

"Evan… I did something stupid." Lila buried her face in her hands and moaned. "Sostupid. I… I signed up for the hunt."

Ice formed in Evan's veins. "You what?!"

"I know, I know! But everyone talks about how much money you can make if you survive… I thought I could just… just run fast." She looked up at him, blue eyes swimming with tears. "I couldn't do it. I saw them. They're sofast, Evan…!"

She looked down, hugging herself. "I got scared. I ran back out of the woods."

"Christ, Lila." Evan ran his fingers through his hair. "They'll come looking for you. You signed that contract…"

She looked up at him, movements sharp with fear. "I know! Y-you have to help me. Please. They'll find me and—" Her voice broke.

Evan paced the room, mind racing. He knew the laws. A volunteer couldn't back out—it disrupted the whole ritual. The werewolves needed their tributes, and if they didn't get them...

"They'll kill me," Lila whispered.

Evan stared at his friend, his chest tight with dread. The annual hunt's rules were simple but binding—volunteer as prey, survive the night, and receive a year of complete financial freedom. No bills, no rent, no expenses. Everything provided by the township's mysterious benefactors.

He watched Lila wipe her tears with trembling hands. Ofcoursethe reward had tempted her this year. She'd been struggling to make ends meet at the café, sharing a cramped apartment with three other girls, dreaming of travel she couldn't afford.

The promise of a whole year without financial worry must have seemed like a dream.

And now she was in a nightmare.

"I-I thought I could outrun them." Lila's voice cracked. "Everyone says there's a chance, that they know someone who just hid all night and walked away with all that money..."

Evan's jaw clenched. That's what they all thought. Every year, fresh volunteers convinced themselves they could sprint their way to freedom.

He'd seen the aftermath of that delusion firsthand during his ranger patrols. The clawed finger marks in the dirt. The torn clothes. The traces of what happened when human flesh met supernatural desire.

"It'll be okay," he said softly, though the words tasted like ash. There was no walking away from the hunt once you signed up. The contract was ironclad, enforced by powers far older than paper and ink.

The only escape clause was finding a replacement.

Evan stopped pacing. The woods behind his house stretched dark and endless, but he knew every trail, every hollow. He'd spent years mapping them as a ranger…

"I'll do it." The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

She looked up sharply. "What?"

"I'll take your place." His heart hammered, but his voice stayed steady. "I know these woods better than anyone. I can outrun them."

"No." Lila grabbed his arm. "You can't. I won't let you—"

"You don't have a choice." Evan gently pulled free. "And neither do I. I won't watch them hurt you."

"Evan..." Lila's voice broke as she wrapped her arms around him, her tears soaking into his shirt. Her small frame shook against his chest. "I can't believe you'd do this for me."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Evan's attempt at lightness fell flat, his voice rough. The weight of his decision pressed against his ribs, making each breath shorter than the last. "Just stay here, okay? Lock the doors. Don't answer for anyone."

Her eyes full of tears, she nodded.

He slipped away from her embrace and headed to his bedroom. His hands trembled as he pulled on black running pants and a dark thermal shirt. The familiar clothes were thin, insufficient armor against what awaited him.

Each step toward his back door echoed with finality. The metal handle was cold under his palm, grounding him in reality.

This wasn't just another patrol. This was something ancient, something hungry.

The door creaked open, spilling golden light onto the porch before the night swallowed it whole. The air outside was sharp with pine and something wilder—something that raised the hairs on Evan’s arms.

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