Storyverse: Stealing the Show - 5. Chapter 5 $print

Fifteen contestants lined up in the middle of a botanical garden’s parking lot. Littered with gazebos, small wooded areas, and bountiful trails, the offer of one-hundred-thousand dollars brought them all to Mendocino Coast, California. The thrill of competition ignited their passions. Detective Dirk Wescott looked at his opponents. Some were familiar faces, but not all were. He scoffed. "Why'd you drag me here again?"

His mate, Justin Ingle, snickered. "Because I needed to see you run, big boy. Still can't believe you hadn't heard of this game."

The lycan next to them bumped Dirk's shoulder. "Don't feel alone; I hadn't either."

Irritated, Dirk growled. "And you are?"

"Tuck," he chirped, offering a handshake. "Beta to Alpha Saedric of Gatlinburg."

The delta was impressed. "Damn, they brought out some big guns. And is this your mate?"

"Nope. This is Aislin. She's one of our delta's mates. He couldn't make it, so here I am."

Examining her, Dirk was baffled. "A cernunnos! Wow."

Aislin dipped her head. "I wasn't expecting to see another bear here. My mate, Frode, is a grizzly."

"I'm a black bear from New York. I know half of the people here, so you got nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," the doe said, "but I can take care of myself."

Dirk saw the determination in her eyes. "You're definitely a bear's mate."

Mingling ensued. The Owensville detectives were shocked to learn they were competing against another black bear-lycan couple, Orson and Anton. The shorter wolf seemed timid, but Orson's arm never left his shoulder. Dirk admired the love and urge to protect what was his. They're not mates, not from what I can tell. If not, it'll happen soon enough. Good guys, though. Seeing Heather, a vampire within his home pack, they waved at each other.

Tasha sauntered over and stood next to Ingle with a huff. "This shit's gettin' old."

Ingle laughed and playfully bumped her shoulder. "Let it all out, girl."

She glanced down the line, then rolled her eyes. "Take a look."

Peering over, Dirk spotted Tasha’s mate, Caleb, with another local alpha, Remis McCabe. The duo was carrying on, laughing, and making animated gestures. What a broman—

A scoff from Tasha broke his concentration. "Those two need to fuck."

Dirk, Ingle, and Tucker cackled. Catching his breath, the beta from Tennessee inserted himself into the conversation. "Wai‐wait. Aren't you that lion's mate?"

Humming, Tasha glared at Caleb, who noticed. "Done popped out two for him. Just waiting to see if he'll do the same for Remis."

Shielding his eyes, Dirk fought to stay standing. She's a fucking riot! When he saw Caleb coming with his proverbial tail tucked between his legs, he laughed again. Remis returned to converse with his council, Bartlett and Ashford.

Intense music blared over them. A man with black, slicked-back hair and a sharp red suit walked onto a gray mat.

"Erik?" Caleb asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I happen to be the host of this wonderful shindig.” The man clapped. “Alright, line up! This is a reboot, after all. I want this to be flawless and awesome for TV."

Stagehands and cameramen were scrambling, and Erik shifted his weight to one leg. Dirk looked down the line when all the contestants and item placements were correctly positioned. There's fifteen of us. Seems like a lot for a game show.

"Welcome, runners!" Erik yelled. "I'm your host, Erik Maschev, and this is $print. You know, with the dollar sign for an S, because it's a game show? Get it?"

Aislin, Heather, and Anton giggled.

"Anyway," the host continued, "$print, the supernatural, real-life video game where each of you will compete for up to $100,000 in cold, hard cash. Let's introduce ourselves, shall we? Uh... You there, big bear."

Dirk stepped forward and crossed his arms, facing everyone. "I'm Dirk Wescott. Detective for Owensville, Kentucky. Former Head Enforcer for NYSP."

Ingle, Remis, Bartlett, Ashford, Caleb, and Tasha introduced themselves. Dirk paid closer attention to the rest. Met the beta and doe from Gatlinburg. Then there's the other bear and wolf from Wisconsin. So, who are these guys?

His heart raced as a massive lycan looked him in the eye. This won't be easy.

"Alpha Darmon Shore, Northern Nunavut." He gave Dirk a curt glance before returning to the line.

A clearly intimated shorter man took Shore's place. From the breeze, Dirk caught his scent. A turned human. Interesting.

"Uh, hi! I'm Tyler Williamson. I just became a lycan shifter not too long ago, so I'm still getting the hang of things. I graduated from college with a music degree, and I'm gonna do my best here." Tyler looked at the next person up. "Your turn, Garrison."

He and the strawberry-blond high-fived as they swapped places. Ingle leaned over and whispered, "There's somethin' off with that guy."

"How so?"

"Don't know. Got a bad feeling about him."

Dirk kept his mate's gut in mind. If Justin says something's off, he's right.

The last contestant waved meekly. "Hey, I'm Elijah Garrison. I'm kind of in the same boat as my best friend, Ty. Just recently mated a shifter, and I'm eager to show everyone what I can do."

Elijah returned to his spot, and Dirk agreed with Ingle. "He's lying. Too cheery, and he doesn't smell like a lycan, born or turned."

"You are the better profiler," his mate stated.

"Runners," Erik said, clapping. "Your objective today is to survive for sixty minutes and get to the final destination when it’s revealed. This can be accomplished by utilizing your skill and talent as shifters. Each of you will have the opportunity to earn tools to help along the way. Everyone starts with a specially crafted running pack equipped with auto-adjusting straps that will move with you as you shift. They include a water pouch for hydration and a few other goodies. All the while, you can use your phones for any reason. I suggest getting everyone's numbers. You never know when you’ll need to contact someone.

"The first person who crosses the finish line gets fifty-thousand dollars, plus any of the twenty-five bonus cash flags hidden across the map. But it's not all fun and games here in $print. There's danger lurking around every corner. While you're out and about, you'll have to watch out for hunters. These specialized, skilled people can and will track you down. If a hunter tags you, you're out of the game. Any cash flags you've collected get added to the winning game pot.

"But who are the hunters?" Erik asked with a grin. "On the old show, they were trained sprinters and endurance runners. Boring! Six of you are the hunters."

Dirk was nervous. Six of us? It… They could be anybody, and any one of us could be great at it.

Procuring a card, Erik read aloud, "We're starting with two hunters on the board, and as the game progresses, four of you will transform into hunters. For each runner you nab, you earn twenty-thousand dollars, regardless of who crosses the finish line. First up, we have–Oh, that's just cheeky. Elijah and Tyler."

The pair exchanged a glance. Erik continued, "There's some ground rules, though, mostly to keep things fair. Elijah, I'm sure you planned to keep quiet about your abilities, but you'll need to spill the beans. If you would…"

Elijah shrugged. "Seems fair to me." He stepped between the host and the runners, turning to the group. "I'm a shapeshifter. Not a lycan."

"Ifreann fulteacha," Remis, the Irishman, mumbled.

"Bloody hell's right," Erik translated. "While Elijah can turn into just about anything and everything, he'll have to keep it on the ground. No birds, pterodactyls, or insects."

"That's fine," Elijah replied. "I have trouble turning into anything smaller than a large rat anyway."

"Excellent!" Erik clamored. "Elijah, Tyler. Come stand with me. Runners, we're keeping this clean. No fighting, kicking, or bloodshed. Family-friendly and all that shit. Oops—" Looking at one of the cameras, he grinned. "Edit that out, would you?

"Your first mission starts in a bit. Right over there are some special treadmills. Together, you need to accumulate two hundred miles of distance. Once done, the chest in the middle will unlock, allowing access to a deflector. When used, it will force a pursuing hunter to stop and walk in the opposite direction for a whole minute. It's one use only, so use it wisely. Hunters, take a ride on that golf cart,”—he pointed—“where you'll be driven to the opposite side of the map. When I give the signal, the game will begin."

As the cart drove away, Ingle huffed. "This is more intense than I remember."

Dirk rolled his eyes. "That was twenty years ago, and I'm pretty sure it was fake as hell."

His mate snorted. "You're damn right it was! The last couple of episodes were dope, though."

While they waited, Dirk managed to get everyone's phone numbers. Ingle said they would come in handy.

Erik shouted, "The game starts now! Get running if you want those deflectors!"

Dirk hustled to a treadmill. They were larger than any he had ever seen. Ingle and Tucker instantly stripped and shifted into their animals, encouraging others to do the same. Aislin was the only one to remain in human form, alongside Heather. As Dirk's bear paws hit the track, he understood. There's no way a deer's hooves could keep any traction on this. They'd slip and fall.

A monitor kept track of the collective mileage. They were operating at an impressive speed, but he knew the group needed to push harder. "Faster," he grumbled. "Elijah and Tyler have to be heading here."

Luckily, they had Caleb and Tasha. Those two were clearly running as fast as they could. Together, the lion and leopard couple handled a healthy chunk of the distance.

"You guys are almost there!" Erik called out. "From my GPS, Elijah and Tyler are halfway here. I'd hurry up if I were you."

When the monitor lit up green, the runners reverted to their human forms and collected their items. Unfortunately, it posed an issue. Dirk scowled. We're faster in animal form, but we can't use the tools. What the fuck?

He expressed the concern to Ingle. The detectives stashed the deflector in their packs and elected to run away as bear and wolf. How can Heather handle this game? Sure, she can run faster than a normal human, but what's a vampire supposed to do?

He saw Heather and Aislin traveling together through the blurring brush and trees. Interesting. Figured the doe would stick with that beta wolf. No, he corrected himself. That's a smart move. Heather can use her deflector. Aislin can't unless she shifts. Kind of a double-edged sword, though. If one of them turns into a hunter, the other will need to get away. He could not figure out who would be scarier as a hunter between the two. Probably Aislin. Deer are scary quiet. She could sneak up on us.

Following Ingle’s auburn wolf, Dirk saw a cash flag and grabbed it with his mouth. That's two thousand. Next chance I get, it's going in the bag. Before long, Ingle found another. Taking shelter in a corner of the playable map, the duo shifted and slipped their two flags into their respective packs. "What's the game plan?"

Ingle opened the game map. "We're over here. In a few minutes, Erik'll probably change one of us into a hunter. We’re–five minutes in. The second mission usually happens at the twenty-minute mark, and the third's at forty. Normally, you want to stay off marked trails, but I don't think that'll be a factor in—"

Their phones pinged. A text popped up. Runners, Anton has been eliminated.

"Damn, that's fast," Dirk commented.

"That's typical. Usually, there's—"

"Wait, there's more." Dirk read aloud. "The next hunter has been activated. Keep an eye open for Hunter Ashford."

Ingle sneered. "Which one was that again?"

Dirk was intimidated. "Remis's enforcer. Big fucker."

"Is he fast?"

"He's on par with us, but he could probably last longer in a marathon. Would it be smart to split up?"

The lycan shook his head. "No. More eyes are better. Even if one of us becomes a hunter, that means we're guaranteed twenty-kay." Ingle winked.

"Like I'd let you catch me."

***

“Suck it, Garrison.”

"Shut it, Williamson."

The pair of hunters traveled together as they reveled in their first victory. Tyler got the first elimination, securing twenty-thousand dollars for his bank account. Admittedly, the slightly smaller lycan was easy to tag, but the accompanying bear was certainly upset afterward. Orson's roar forced them to flee and regroup.

"Think you can get him?" Elijah asked.

"No fucking way I'm going after that! I'm still getting used to being naked." Tyler cupped himself with both hands. "I swear, if a breeze goes by, I'm screaming."

"Then go back to being a wolf. You'll be warm."

Tyler huffed. "And fall down? I still don't know how you guys do this!"

Elijah admitted that learning to run on all fours was difficult. "You'll get the hang of it. It just takes time. You did great getting that Anton guy."

"Yeah, sure. I can run in a straight line. Doesn't count in horseshoes and hand grenades when I have to make a turn or stop suddenly."

Elijah laughed when he remembered his best friend skidding and tumbling as he sped away from the big, black bear. "Just think, I had to figure out how to run on four legs, fly with wings, and swim with fins. Consider yourself lucky. You try figuring out how gills work."

Tyler hummed. "How does that work?"

"It's weird. You feel like you're breathing through your neck."

"I—"

Watching Tyler stoop, Elijah followed his gaze. There was a deer. "Is that…" Following it, one of the contestants, the vampire chick, was jogging behind.

"Wait," warned Tyler. "Let them get out of earshot, and then we'll shift."

It was a solid plan. Once they were out of sight, Tyler's wolf came out. His coat was a tri-colored, sable pattern; black saddle on the back, leading to beige sides and light gray paws. Elijah elected to join him as one, choosing brown and tan fur to blend into the environment. There was something unique about running alongside a partner. He enjoyed exploring Sebastian's forests with Ashton, Austin, and Tyler.

"Straight line?"

Tyler huffed. Both of them took off and sprinted. Aislin and Heather must have heard them coming. Elijah didn’t expect the vampire would come at the wolves head-on. She held out a hand, and her eyes burned crimson.

Something was wrong. Tyler slowed, then sat on his haunches. Elijah had the urge to do the same. He had heard about what some vampires could do. Charms, he thought. All they could do was sit as Heather and Aislin escaped. "This sucks," Elijah snorted in the wolven language.

A chime came from their packs. Transforming back into a human, Elijah grabbed his phone. "Ashford got Remis. That's the Irish guy, right?"

"Sebastian's long-lost cousin," Tyler joked, shifting back. "The dude's like if Seb ever let loose and partied."

"When pigs fly." Looking at Tyler and his concerned expression, Elijah chuckled and love-tapped him. "Flying pigs don't exist."

"That you know of. Let's go. We need to figure out a way around whatever that Heather girl did."

Elijah smirked. "Got it, but you'll need to hang back."

***

Dirk breathed quietly. Twenty minutes of total game time had passed. Separated from Ingle, he roamed the area near the parking lot. There was lots of open space, and a wide clearing filled with colorful flowers and a trail entrance leading into the woods could be seen.

Damn that Ashford. He's faster than we gave him credit for. The delta from Mesker Park City came out of nowhere. In their escape, Ingle and Dirk parted ways, and Ashford chose Ingle as his target. Still, didn't get the elimination notification. I could call or text Justin, but I don't know if he turned his volume down. Don't want to give away his position if he's hiding.

An alert rang from his phone. He hastily grabbed it, hoping it was from his mate.

He growled. Attention runners. The fourth hunter is now active. Hunter Orson is now in play. Meanwhile, the second mission is now underway. You know those runner packs we gave you? There's a little USB cord dangling from the back. Connect it to another player's pack, and you'll deactivate the alarm that'll go off in five minutes. Better hurry, because that thing is loud AF! Do this, and you'll earn a pair of invisibility glasses. Wear them, and hunters have to ignore you for two whole minutes. Take them off too soon; they're considered gone.

The bear grimaced. "Fuck."

Another message popped up. Elijah is on the scoreboard. Bye-bye, Mr. Bartlett. Also, welcome Hunter Heather!

Dirk cursed. Two new hunters? Back to back? That’s bull shit! At the risk of exposing what may be his mate’s hiding place, Dirk texted Ingle. Parking lot. You close?

The response was quick. Hell nah!

His fingers flew as he scoped his surroundings. Starting a group text, he added all of the active runners. Yeah– None of the hunters. Okay. Asking for all current locations, he kept his eyes peeled around him.

Caleb answered first. With Tasha at north end.

Near coast, Aislin added.

Dirk quickly responded. At parking lot. Aislin, meet in middle. No way for them to ambush.

Jogging west, he sought out the doe. It was already difficult to avoid and run away from the hunters. Having an alarm blaring on his back would cripple his chances of winning. I'd have every hunter on me, and that Elijah brat would turn into something faster than me. A cheetah… Hell, he'd win the whole damn thing if he did that.

No, he would keep it fun. The camaraderie between him and that Tyler kid showed me that.

He stopped as he saw Ingle running closer. He… He said he was nowhere nearby.

His mate waved. "Hey, big boy. How's my—"

Dirk stepped away cautiously. The bear's instincts were going haywire. "You just texted me. What happened to not being close?"

Ingle shrugged. "You know me, baby. I ran here as fast as I could."

The delta growled and prepared to shift. "You're not Justin."

Both men stared at each other. The moment Ingle's bald head sprouted black hair, Dirk ran, shifting mid-stride. He saw Aislin galloping his way. "Run," he roared. Daringly, he sneaked a peek behind him and discovered a panther giving chase. Elijah! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Dirk hatched a plan. He poured on the speed. With enough of a lead, he shifted as fast as he could, dug into his pack, and pointed his deflector. Pulling the trigger, a red strip of light shined on Elijah's bag strap, and a faint vibration came from it. When the panther treaded away, it mewled and sprinted toward the wooded area.

Dirk sighed and tossed the used device on the ground. I had to—no other option. We could've kept running, but the alarms'll go off anytime now.

Aislin trotted forward, allowing Dirk to attach the cords to their respective bags. A green strip shined, and a lock hissed. Opening his bag, he found a black box containing the invisibility glasses. He relayed the information to the doe, so she knew where they were.

She huffed, and Dirk agreed. "Yeah, let's travel together for a bit."

Another minute passed, and he could hear a few buzzers going off from different directions. Three of 'em. Hopefully Justin got his deactivated. Steering clear of them, he and Aislin wandered the coastline. There was a sandy beach, so they decided to patrol the trail nearby. Don't think her hooves would do well on sand.

Knowing she still had a deflector, they decided to travel on foot with hers at the ready. Unfortunately, it had to be burned when they noticed Heather fast approaching. Nope! Can't let her get too close. We'll get suckered by a charm instantly.

A notification came from their phones. Runners, we're at the forty-minute mark, and I bet you're itching to know where the finish line is. So let me give you a clue. 'Humble beginnings often lead to riches.' On that note, your third and final mission is now available. Head to the western trail entrance for a chance at a sticky grenade. No, not the explosive kind. Plant that on a fellow runner, and it will send a location pulse every thirty seconds to nearby hunters. Be sure to use it immediately because it will last for the game's duration. Oh, and you better hurry. There’s a limited supply.

Aislin shifted and sped away, alarming Dirk. "Fuck," he cursed. She'll get it and use it on me. Making an impromptu decision, he ran in the opposite direction. Can't be near anybody now. If they stick one on me, I'm done for.

***

Arriving at the mission, Aislin halted in fear. What's this?

The ailouros shifter, Caleb, was in a metal cage. He waved with a menacing grin. A countdown monitor was working nearby, labeled 'New Hunter.'

2:38… 2:37… That's when he'll be free. He's a lion, so he's definitely faster than me.

There was a large sign that provided instructions. Runners, this is a tripwire maze. Some of the wires are connected to a Klaxon. Bump into the wrong one, and hunters will be on you like bug on stink! Don't worry though. The hunters don't know this is here, and are not allowed to come near… Unless the alarm is set off.

The contraption was a few feet taller than her, and a tangle of cords was strung tight in a web of various directions. After shifting into her human form, she analyzed the connections along the support beams. There's four bad wires. Entering the maze, Aislin bobbed and weaved, only touching safe cords. Nabbing one of the two sticky grenades at the end, she tried to retrace her steps.

She panicked as a lycan, Shore, ran up. Aislin cried out, "Stop! They're booby-trapped." Setting her reward on the ground, she tossed it to him. "Take that one. I'll grab the other."

Once done, the doe traversed out of the maze, only to see the alpha waiting for her. He studied the cernunnos. "Why give me what you earned?"

"You're bigger," she said curtly. "You could set off the alarms."

Shore was quiet for a moment before glancing at Caleb. He huffed. "Need to move."

Aislin followed him, a typical strong and silent type. Shore reminded her of her mate, Frode. He seems like a loner.

He turned and looked behind them. "The lion is released by now. He probably has our scents."

She nodded. "We need to shift." Silently, she transformed and trotted.

As she went on, Shore’s snow-white wolf cantered at her side. He snorted with wolven language, "You shift quietly. Good trick."

Together, they treaded swiftly, while frequently watching their backs. Lions were deadly. Prey can pass them by without spotting them, and Aislin refused to make that error. Having an alpha next to her was both a blessing and a hindrance. Shore could growl with his powerful voice, forcing non-alphas to back down. On the flip side, it made Aislin the prime target should the hunters advance.

A few notifications from their phones went off consecutively. Shore shifted back to read them off. "Caleb's been released, Ingle got caught by Heather, and there's an offer to give up and earn ten thousand right now."

Aislin shook her head. No way. Not this close. There's only ten minutes left in the game.

"I'm thinking the same," the wolf responded. Tucking his device away, he shifted again and sauntered forward.

As they traveled, Aislin plotted. Shore posed a threat to her winning. He's probably fast. He might beat me if it became an all-out sprint to the finish line. I can outrun that last bear, and there's the beta wolf and leopard. She decided to act.

Silently shifting, she slipped the tracking ball out of her bag's side pocket, pressed the button, peeled off the wrapper, and slapped it on the wolf's pack. Just as he spun, she hastily transformed and sprinted away. He's tagged! Move, got to move!

Now by her lonesome, she kept the location hint in mind. Humble beginnings. That has to mean where we started, right?

***

Camping out at the starting stage, Dirk continued to pivot. He needed to watch every direction. Justin's out, and I haven't seen anyone in a while. Must not be a popular location for the hunters. Fine by me.

Seven minutes left. Caleb's out there. So's Elijah, Tyler, Ashford, Heather, and Orson. This shit's intense! He was weary from the stress and constant motion. Having been chased by nearly every hunter, the bear was ready for the game to end.

Six minutes left. C'mon! Tell me I'm in the right spot.

His instincts wavered. Someone found him. Dirk ran, not caring in what direction. All he focused on was surviving.

With a quick sniff, he knew he was doomed.

Caleb. Fuck me sideways!

He immediately turned to the forest. Darting between the trees, Dirk did his best to confuse the lion. He could not turn and change directions as quickly as his fellow delta, but there was no sense in giving up. So close to the end!

A loud notification rang from his bag. Erik's voice came through the speaker. "Runners and hunters, there are five minutes remaining, and the finish line is now revealed."

Dirk growled. Back at the starting platfor—

"Head to the entrance to the botanical gardens. First runner here collects the prize money. Show up too late, and you get nothing."

The bear's mind kicked into overdrive. East. Not too far! He still had to contend with Caleb. He's messing with me. He has to be!

A rustle to his right alerted Dirk to Orson. The slightly smaller black bear was flanking him. In front of him was the entrance sign. He saw Erik standing in the red suit.

Victory was teasing him. One final pu—

A weight landed on his back, and claws barely dug into his skin. He collapsed as he heard Caleb's victory yowl.

Lifting his head, Dirk saw a leopard circle Erik. Tasha! She won. Upon a closer examination, the leopard had a pair of oversized, red goggles on her head. The invisibility glasses! I… I could've used them. Shit!

"Tasha!" Erik shouted. "You did it! Fifty-thousand dollars is yours. Congratulations!"

Feeling Caleb hop off, Dirk shifted and groaned. Damn it! Seeing the smug lion run over to his mate, the bear sighed. At least they won it. They earned it fair and square. Jogging over, Tasha and Caleb were hugging each other in their human forms. After they shared a kiss, Dirk offered a handshake to both of them. "Good game, everyone."

Caleb shook it. "Holy shit, man! You were juking me left and right. I didn't know bears could do half the things you just did."

After everyone gathered, Erik clapped. "Alright, final standings! All of our hunters, minus Orson, managed to get one capture, earning them twenty-thousand. When you add all fourteen cash flags collected, Tasha has won a grand total of seventy-eight thousand dollars!"

Everyone applauded as Tasha sobbed. She raised a fist and held Caleb's with the other. Pride and happiness poured off the short woman.

Erik closed the distance. "Tasha, what are you going to do with all that moolah?"

Wiping her tears, Tasha gasped for breath. Her lips were trembling as she stared at her mate. After recovering, she spoke, "We're doin' what we set out to do, Erik. Every penny's going into college funds for our children. We did this for them."

Dirk applauded, prompting the others to do the same. Now I'm happy I got caught. That just added twenty-kay to their winnings. Add in my elimination, they got ninety-eight-thousand.

Erik shooed Caleb away and sided up to Tasha. Pointing at a camera, he wrapped things up. "Evading hunters, earning cash, and surviving in a real-life video game. You can only experience such intensity right here on $print!"