Scavenger Hunt

„The rain has stopped!“

Immediately the shelter is filled with the sound of naked feet on stone floor. There is the rustling of clothes. They are mixed with zippers being closed. Finally, the door creaks open and sunlight streams in the hall.

- “Group 1 and 2?”

“Present, task leader Melanie and Sylvie.”

- “Group 3 and 4?”

“Present, task leader Marta and Simone.”

- “Group 5?”

Heads turn. Wet rubber on tiles carry rushed movements.

- “Group 5?”

“Present, we’re… we’re present.”

- “Who’s leading?”

“Hm… it’s… hu… Sara?”

- “Was this an answer?“

The young woman in the red coat straightens her back. The teenagers around her stare at the red figure. The hood is already pulled over her head. Finally, she nods. A young man elbows her, and the figure clears her throat.

“Yes. Present, task leader Sara.”

The older woman in front of them shoots a glance in Sara’s direction but doesn’t say anything. Instead, she proceeds to hand every task leader a list. When Sara receives the list, the young man next to her tries to catch a glance. But Sara makes it disappear in the big coat pocket immediately.

- “Mind the curfew. Task leaders, set your timers now. 12:34”

Small beeping sounds echo in the hall. The time is repeated five times. There is no hesitation. Sara pushes the young man further away again.

- “I’ll see you in three hours.”

“It’s all we need.”

Twenty-five people sound like one. Within seconds they form rows and step into the cloudy afternoon.

Sara feels the list in her pocket while her boots splash through puddles. Her group leaves the compound towards the South. The other groups are heard chatting happily. Sara’s group is quiet. A few times the young woman glances back until they cross the fence. She looks up at the sky and pushes back the hood.

“Where’s Sara?”

The blond woman licks her lips.

- “She’s sick. I take over for her today.”

The young man pulls a face and stops. The other three teenagers stop as well and stare at the impostor.

“You’ve no experience leading. We better get back. We need to report to Brigitte.”

Fake-Sara looks at the girl. A smile appears on her lips and the girl shrinks back.

- “Go. Report. You know what’ll happen.”

“Stop scaring them, Melissa. We should…”

- “As I said. Go. Report. But you know for sure you won’t be on the run for the next few months.”

This shuts the young man up. The other teenagers also direct their gazes towards the muddy ground. One set of wellingtons, four pairs of naked feet.

- “I have the list. I know where to find everything.”

“Ha, you haven’t even looked at it.”

- “I did! I saw it on Brigitte’s desk.”

The young man opens his mouth again but the beeping on Melissa’s wrist shuts him up. Melissa stares at them, fists on her hips. The teenagers flinch. This is Brigitte’s stance. Before punishment.

- “We need to hurry. Decide now. Ten seconds.”

While she fiddles on her watch, the teenagers look from one to another. There is murmurs but no discussion.

- “Time’s up. Report or leave?”

Three times a confident leave, one hesitant. The group starts to jog. Melissa leads over puddles. The only sound is the steady rhythm of breathing and water splashing. They pass a lake. Nobody asks to stop for a drink. They enter the forest again. Melissa shows the way. The group follows.

The leaves block the already dim light. Melissa avoids branches. She jumps over boulders. The breathing behind her becomes more labored. She doesn’t slow down. The watch tells her to hurry.

“Ah!”

A splash and a thud. Melissa stops and turns around. The young man has fallen. The others have stopped as well. Their feet are a brown-red mess. Melissa approaches the fallen teenager.

- “Can you stand? Show me?”

One of the girls helps him up and he rubs his ankle. The trousers are completely soaked and covered in mud. Melissa can also see a tear and a brighter red smear. She focuses on his face instead.

- “If you can’t continue, you need to head back.”

He puts some weight on the injured leg. He winces. Melissa sighs and crouches down. With skilled movements she slowly rotates the ankle. Constantly observing the young man’s face. Sweat is running down his temple. His jaws are clenched. Melissa jerks the foot in one direction. Like a dry twig breaking, the teenager let’s out a scream.

- “There you go. Try to stand now.”

Tears and snot stream down the teenagers face. The girl supporting him glares at Melissa. The other two teenagers are white as a sheet. Hesitantly he puts down his foot. Muddy feet sink in muddy leavy ground. His eyes widen. A grin appears on his face.

“Thanks.”

Melissa just grunts and waves a hand. They continue their journey. The pace slightly slower. The leader checks her group over her shoulder more often now. The forest ends and they pass by former sports grounds. They’re all overgrown. Melissa recognizes the football goals, which lie there toppled over. The muddy path ends and after another beeping of her watch, they see the blue building with the yellow letters.

For a moment they all stop. They stare at the huge building and then at their leader. Melissa doesn’t succeed in hiding her grin. Her heart beats fast. She hands out the gloves and masks from her bag. The teenagers stare at her but she urges them to put them on.

“I can’t breathe in them.”

It’s the young man complaining again. Melissa stares at him, then steps forward. She is slightly shorter than him. He still shrinks back.

- “Don’t be dumb. Be safe. You want to survive, right?”

The question is forwarded to the others with one cursory look. All nod. Nobody complains when Melissa explains the rules. Then she pulls out the list. Quickly, they enter the old warehouse. Torches in hand they jog through the aisles. They stuff everything they can in their bags. Then the watch makes them run towards the entrance.

Outside, they are met by a light drizzle. Melissa checks her watch, then the sky.

- “Ulf, how’s the foot?”

Rotating his ankle, the teenager grins and gives her a silent thumbs up. Melissa nods and tightens her shoulder straps.

- “We got everything. Let’s head back.”

The drizzle turns into rain as soon as they pass the training fields. Melissa fastens her jog but soon she doesn’t hear the familiar huffing behind her. She turns around and can see her team has fallen behind. She stops and checks her watch.

- “Come on! You can make it. Remember, we’ll be on Brigitte’s good side!”

The faces are red. The hair is all dark. The previous smiles have vanished. The group has caught up. Heavy breathing against the steady drumming of the rain.

“Just a short break. Let us drink something.”

- “Drink? You know it’s not safe.”

Completely ignoring her, Ulf pulls out a bottle. The others eagerly round him. Tired eyes yearning for a reward. Melissa hesitates. A frown appearing on her face. He has already opened the bottle, when she finally agrees. All of them drink from the sweet soda. The bottle is empty and Ulf wants to put it back in his bag.

- “No, leave it. Nobody is to find out.”

With rain streaming down his face, Ulf gives her a crooked smile. He looks like he wants to say something else, but Melissa’s watch beeps again.

- “Let’s get going. We need to hurry now.”

Someone groans but in the end they all follow. They enter the next stretch of the forest. It’s darker than before. In exchange, the rain is less heavy. Melissa navigates between the puddles and holes in the ground, washed out by the rain. There is now a small stream next to their path.

Suddenly, there’s a dry crack in the wet forest. A branch snapping. Right behind Melissa. She turns around. Checking on her group. Ulf is just behind her. She loses her footing. Stumbles forward. Tries to catch the fall. Wants to soften the impact. Her palms burn. Her knees are on fire. Then there is a cracking noise. Her forehead hits the muddy ground.

It’s dark when Melissa opens her eyes. She tries to move her arms. Her legs. They don’t obey her command. Instead, there is a fire burning in the back of her head. She gags. Just in time she manages to turn her head. With her head exploding she empties her stomach’s contents on the ground next to her.

The sour odor of her vomit mixes with the forest soil. She starts to shiver. With the shaking of her body, pain surges through it. Branches crack. The sound is swallowed by wet forest soil. The silence is final.