The Cost of Knowing

They were never supposed to survive the first encounter. Hunted by professionals, betrayed by a system they once served, Dave and Skye are forced into the depths of a lawless island where the only rule is kill or be killed. What began as a quest for truth has become a fight for survival. With limited weapons, no training, and enemies closing in, the question isn’t whether they’ll win—it’s how long they can stay alive.

Dave and Skye had won a victory against the Tiger and his men. Hey had eluded the main group, taken out some of their dogs, and even managed to kill one of the Tiger’s hunters. As exciting as this was, they knew that they could not long rest as there was much work to do and many dangers still to face. They fled further into the island to try and find something defensible that they could use for the next fight against the Tiger and his crew that was sure to come.
As they ran Dave reflected on all that had happened. It all seemed like it happened so fast, one moment he was living the life of a simple worker in a big cooperate machine and the next he was fleeing from professional murderers at the side of a woman that he could never have pictured meeting. Dave had decided that he had made his choice, choosing to ask questions, keep photographs, and challenge the system. He could only accept the trouble that came from it. All it took was the mistake of knowing too much or asking too much…now both Dave and Skye’s worlds were turned upside down and could never be the same.
The last fight and Dave’s cunning had bought them but an hour, they grabbed what they could, mostly things they might need and it was in fact very little. There was a rifle, handgun, a knife and some bullets. The hunters had a well set up camp so it did not make sense for them to carry more than what they needed for a given day. Dave admitted he really knew little on how to prepare of an incursion into the outside world, always relying on the comforts of city life. Now he knew that though he was with the capable fighter Skye, he would have to learn how to defend himself, and learn fast.
Skye led the pair out the rear edges of the foothill area, trying as best she could not to be noticed by anyone still up on the mountain. Beyond was a think jungle, normally considered to be a most dangerous place but in this case the best hope for cover. Dave could not help but admire Skye’s skill and ability. It took all he had to suppress the shock and fear for what was happening and yet here she was, seemingly calm and ready to fight again at any moment.
Soon she found an old hunters hut, she guided Dave inside and closed the door behind him. She looked out and scanned the surrounding area.
“We are hidden here for now.” Skye said in a surprisingly calm tone. “We will have to act fast. No one has ever killed a hunter before so we will have to be even more careful. I need to confirm that you are still ready.”
“Confirm what?” Dave asked. “Were in this together.”
“I know that.” Skye replied simply. “I mean the fact that this will get a lot worse. They likely will come at us with more force than I have ever witnessed before. We literally will have to kill them before they kill us…and you better believe they want to kill us.
“I made my choice already.” Dave replied. “We both did. I will fight with all I have. I have decided that I am going to survive no matter what.”
“Good.” Skye replied. “I am not used to relying on people…not since my brother. Though you seem capable, surprisingly so. I would have been caught or killed back there if it weren’t for you.”
“I did not know if I could kill.” Dave added. “But all the resentment, all the anger, the need. I won’t even hesitate next time. We have guns now!
“You ever shot a gun before?” Skye asked. “I mean other than that back there. Sure, we know how they work but aiming, a pitch gun battle, we have no experience with that…neither of us!”
“Can we practice?” Dave asked. “That might help.”
“That would be a pretty bad idea.” Skye suggested. “We have bullets, and even some spares but every one we fire is one less we can use against them. They have YEARS of training on us and it is not something we can live up to with a few hours training. Also, each gunshot will be like a deafening beacon to where we are.”
“Good point.” Dave admitted. “We need to come up with a plan that will allow us to use our weapons with the most effect and minimize their skill over us.”
Skye nodded. “I agree. I think I might have an idea. I found something on the guard that might be of use.”
“I trust you.” Dave replied. “Whatever it takes to survive and get off this island I will do it.”
Skye nodded. “Me too.”
They rested in the hut for a few more moments, just to be sure they were not followed. It seemed that the other hunters were not quite sure what had happened, they had no way of knowing the gunshot was not the hunter killing prey. Once the hunters doubled back for their companion however, they would know what was up and react swiftly. Dave considered that hiding the body might have been a good plan but it would have taken hours and the dogs would have found the body anyway. The area of the fight was alike a crime scene and the Tiger was very likely trained to decipher such a scuffle. The next few hours of travel were not easy. It rained for most of the time and the terrain was rough and uneven. Skye kept them from the main paths and cut through dense jungle, hills, and swamps. Dave had not realized how accustomed she was to finer modes of travel. Even as a simple worker she was used to cabs, subways and easy walkways. Though he was overheated, wet and near miserable he never cursed the situation or his brave companion. Though it was dangerous and the situation dire, the whole thing had taught him how to find life as precious and enjoy the moments. He has happy to be alive and as long as he stayed that way he counted his blessings over his hardships.
Skye led the pair to an old lodge deep in the hills near the mountains on the south of the island, he looked at it for a moment as if considering it.
“Is it safe to stay here?” Dave asked. “Does it belong to the hunters?”
“It very much does.” Skye added. “This cabin is a secondary home to the hunters. However, they don’t use it as much anymore since establishing the bigger camp by the beaches
“Are we going to use it?” Dave asked. “It looks locked up tight…like a mini fortress.
“That is what this is for.” Skye replied as she held up a keyring. “Found this on the hunter we killed, we can get in and make use of it.”
“Wont they know that we are here?” Dave asked.
“Not at first.” Skye replied. “They will know a lot about what we did to that hunter back there and I am hoping they won’t put it together that we needed his keys for this reason. We took a lot of paths through swamps and the dogs will not easily track us here. We have some time.”
Dave nodded. “We really could use the rest and I imagine there is food inside.”
“Exactly.” Skye replied. “We rest, we eat and we use this place as a base to fight back.”
“Sounds good to me.” Dave agreed.
“It is the best plan I have.” Skye commented as she used the keys, opened the door, and went inside. “We will still need a lot of luck.
The pair went in, the cabin was spacious and well maintained. It seemed the idea that the hunters might be in it or coming to it kept other people out and the fact that it was tightly locked didn’t hurt either.”
“I will prepare some food for us.” Dave commented with a smile. “Will be nice to use a proper stove and not an impromptu camp fire.”
“That sounds great actually.” Skye replied as she went back to the door. “I will set some traps to warn us of their coming, it won’t take too long.”
“Well there will likely be food waiting for you when you return.” Dave replied with a smile. “Mostly cans and rations here but I am actually a fair cook.”
“I can hardly wait.” Skye replied with a smile, before heading out.
Soon the pair ate together, washed their clothes, and generally spent time preparing. They fortified the windows, intending to use the place as a bunker of sorts in order to help even the odds against their attackers. Dave admitted that they worked well together and Skye was beginning to warm up to him. Though they had been at each other’s side since meeting in the mountains. it had not been so much as a time to get to know each other as a time to work. Dave admitted that just being with Skye was fantastic, he felt real freedom and saw in her someone free spirited and honest, unlike the other drones from the place where he had come from. He had dated a few women but found that it was like assembling a shelf, it had rules and steps and no real sense of fun or excitement. A pair coupled off, they got married, they had kids, repeat. There was no room for real connection and the government seemed keen to take any reality from the precedings.
Though there were multiple bedrooms and several beds, the pair chose to sleep next to the fire. Though the days were hot, the nights were very cold and the crackling fire felt good. Dave lay down on a bearskin rug by the fire. He was shocked as Skye just joined him. She rolled over and looked at Dave, seeming to be reading his face and trying to figure him out.
“I almost feel safe.” Dave said with a laugh. “I almost can’t believe it.”
“I agree.” Skye replied. “It is like you are so used to death being at your heels that you get a moment and it is like a paradise.”
“I was thinking the same.” Dave replied with a laugh. “Though I would be inclined to enjoy it. Things could get bad again, really bad at any moment.”
“Makes sense.” Skye said with a smile. “Who knows if there is anything like this again for us. We could be dead this time tomorrow.”
“Exactly.” Dave agreed. “We need to make the best of it.”
“I agree.” Skye said as she rolled over and embraced Dave. He was shocked at first but it was like suddenly being presented with a thing you didn’t know you always wanted. The pair kissed each other hungrily, not allowing anything to get in their way. They had neither time nor opportunity to do much with each other on the run so far and they could no longer allow themselves to pass up this opportunity. The pair became one, passionately and irrevocably connecting in both body and mind.
To Dave’s every touch, every motion was like a new exciting experience, something he had tried to pretend she could live without, but now eagerly admitted he could not. It seemed that Skye was the same, the normally stoic and logical woman given herself over to pleasure and getting what she wanted as well. Dave had been with a woman before, h, that felt like it was a lifetime ago and he was a different person, or at least a different version of himself. He was doing what she was supposed to do in the life that was laid out for him. However, him now with Skye, this was his choice, his own destiny and as much as Skye hungrily took him, he took her as well. This was not just a woman he wanted, this was THE freedom he wanted at any cost.
As the pair made love far into the night, both became lost in their desires and they did not care if anyone else in the world did not like it. They were not an information hoarder or a person that asked to many questions…they were equals and lovers and that was all they needed to be. As their pleasure built and their desires became red hot they both felt an intense feel of bliss, like they were both exactly where they were supposed to be and neither in their lives…have ever felt so free.

During the night, Dave was awoken with a start. He listened closely for anything out of the ordinary or the traps that Skye had set. Had they been crossed or broken they would have heard something. However, as he focused, there was nothing wrong, the traps were still set and undisturbed. A feeling persisted, something vague and hard to place, that something was indeed very wrong. Part of his mind tried to rationalize the fears, desiring him to go back to bed and curl back up with Skye…however the disturbing feeling persisted.
Dave got up, quickly dressed and went out of the cabin. He could feel somehow, deep down that there was something wrong and he could not rest until he figured out what it was. As he took a few steps out of the lodge he stopped, he focused his eyes and his mind to pick out what was natural and what was not right. The wind tore at the long grasses and moved the trees, but there was something else there, something sinister that many people could not fully see.
“I know you are out here.” Dave called out, drawing the handgun from his trousers “Show yourself.”
“You are much better than we anticipated.” A masculine voice replied as he stepped forward. It was one of the mercinaries, tall and strong and with a savage grin upon his face. He seemed to have no fear of the gun.
“How did you get past the traps?” Dave asked, still aiming the gun right at the man.
The hunter laughed. “You might have gotten the drop on my friend, but when it comes to traps…these are but child’s play to me.”
“Where is your boss?” Dave demanded, afraid to take a shot lest it alert the Tiger to join the fight.”
“Investigating elsewhere.” The hunter replied. “We figured you have grown bold and either come here or another place to hide. I chose this place to look, he chose the other.”
“You are awfully talkative.” Dave commented, standing at the ready. He was relieved to hear that the hunter referred to him in the singular. Which meant that he did not know about Skye. He searched his mind of ways to alert her but was pretty sure she still slept inside. “Don’t you usually just kill?”
“Oh, I do!” The hunter replied. “But you have proven to be quite the hindrance. I do not just want to kill you…I want to make you suffer.”
“Are you no used to people fighting back?” Dave asked. “Are you used to people giving up and letting you kill them?”
“People try.” The hunter replied. “Though you were at our camp, you killed my dogs, you murdered my friend. You get my special attention…also we are pretty sure you are with the girl…the survivor. Where is she?”
“You will not lay one finger on her.” Dave challenged, raising the gun in what he hoped was a more threating manner.
“I had imagined you would say something like that.” The hunter replied. “To be completely honest with you I have no desire just to kill the girl…lay a finger? Perhaps much more than a finger will be laid.”
“I could shoot you dead right now!” Dave replied, buying time as he surveyed the area.
“You probably could.” The hunter replied. “You did quite well against my friends but I’d imagine that was the first time you fired a gun.”
A pair of dogs came from either side of the man, they were bigger than the others and seemed to be waiting for time to react.
“Call off your dogs!” Dave demanded. “Last warning.”
“Oh really?” The hunter asked. “I don’t think so. I would imagine it would take you quite some time to aim. With us about what…ten feet away you will get one shot off with any semblance of aiming…maybe two. The question is…which two do you shoot? You manage to kill both of the dogs I will come forward and gut you with my knife before you can fire again. You shoot me and a dog and the other one will be on you in seconds, tearing you apart.”
“You haven’t won yet.” Dave said defiantly. “I have done a lot to survive of late and I will not stop now.”
“Make your choice worm!” The hunter shouted. “Then let whoever is still standing make…”
A gunshot went off, cutting off the hunter’s words. A hole in his chest began to bleed and he just fell backwards, dying before hitting the ground. Dave could not even allow himself a second’s hesitation. He knew that Skye was up and at a window with the rifle they took from the hunter. The dogs had begun to advance and Dave had but seconds to react. He aimed the pistol and fired at one, the dog whimpering and going down. The other leapt on him, pinning him to the wall and biting into his leg. Dave called out in pain but focused not to drop the gun. He fought through the pain, pointing the gun at the dog and firing. The dog whimpered and fell to the ground.
“Where is the Tiger?” Skye asked, poking her head out of the cabin.
“I don’t know.” Dave responded. “The guy said he was looking into something elsewhere.”
“Either way we cannot stay here.” Skye agreed. “Grab your things and let’s go.”
“Thank you.” Dave added as he went inside. “You saved me.”
“Hardly.” Skye replied. “You stalled him and kept him stationary. I should be thanking you.”
“Either way…” Dave added. “We survived another night…lets hope our luck holds out.”