WELCOME
Riley
LEGAL NAME:
I stared at the blinking cursor for three seconds before typing a lie.
Riley Kane.
It wasn’t the first time I’d used it. It was, however, the first time I’d ever used it to volunteer to be hunted for money.
DOB:
I dug around in my purse for my fake ID.
08/13/2001
EMERGENCY CONTACT:
My first instinct was to put Josie. But Riley Kane didn’t know anyone named Josie.
I wondered how many times she’d tried to call me after I disappeared. Did she check her phone everyday, hoping she would hear from me? Was she worried? Angry?
By now, she probably thought I was dead.
I sniffed back the threat of tears and typed the only answer that I could.
None.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PARTICIPATION MAY RESULT IN BRUISING, BLEEDING, BURNS, FRACTURES, SPRAINS, OR OTHER PHYSICAL INJURY?
Tap.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PARTICIPATION MAY INCLUDE BEING CHASED, TACKLED, PINNED, CARRIED, DRAGGED, OR RESTRAINED?
Tap.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT HUNTERS MAY USE VERBAL DEGRADATION, THREATS, COMMANDS, OR SEXUALLY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE?
Tap.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT HUNTER INTERACTIONS ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE ONE-ON-ONE, AND THAT MULTIPLE HUNTERS MAY PURSUE, RESTRAIN, TOUCH OR SEXUALLY ENGAGE YOU SIMULTANEOUSLY?
I swallowed, a strange flutter growing in the pit of my stomach.
Tap.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT SAYING “NO,” “STOP,” “DON’T,” OR OTHERWISE RESISTING WILL BE TREATED AS PART OF THE GAME?
Holy fuck.
My fingers hovered over the screen, hesitating for the first time since I started the application. My confidence faltered just a little.
Tap.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE THE GAME BEGINS, VENUE LOCKDOWN WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR A DURATION OF TEN HOURS?
I tapped next before I had time to reconsider my life choices.
PRIZE WINNINGS
GRAND PRIZE: $250,000
The grand prize will be awarded to the first eligible volunteer to reach the designated rooftop finish point.
MASK BONUS: $5,000 PER QUALIFYING MASK
Each qualifying Hunter mask in a Volunteer’s possession at the conclusion of the Hunt will earn an additional $5,000.
Five thousand dollars per mask?
That caught my attention, and I sat up a little straighter.
That still wouldn’t get me anywhere near how much money I needed, but every mask put me five thousand dollars closer to a number that had felt impossible five seconds ago. That was a good fucking start.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT MASK BONUSES ARE DETERMINED BY POSSESSION AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE HUNT, REGARDLESS OF WHO ORIGINALLY REMOVED THE MASK?
Oh, so people can steal them. Great.
Tap.
CONSENT
I CONFIRM THAT I AM VOLUNTARILY CHOOSING TO PARTICIPATE AND THAT I HAVE READ ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
I reached for the ginger ale sweating on my bedside table and drained what was left, mostly just to give my hands something to do.
Was I really about to do this? I could close the page. Pretend I’d never stumbled across this Hunt in the first place.
Hitting submit could cost me everything, but I needed the money yesterday.
Tap.
Your application has been submitted.
I tossed the phone down onto the bed beside me. Now all I could do was wait and hope that Riley Kane passed whatever background check they ran.
Ding! My burner phone buzzed against my leg.
RILEY KANE. YOUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN APPROVED. REPLY YES TO RECEIVE EVENT INFORMATION AND UPDATES.
I blinked. Well, that was fast. Either their background checks were shit, or my fake identity was airtight. Maybe both.
I dragged my thumb across the keyboard, swiping Y-E-S in one smooth motion.
CONFIRMED. EVENT LOCATION AND ARRIVAL WINDOW WILL BE PROVIDED DAY OF.
Another message.
WELCOME TO THE HUNT.
