"This is the third time in a month that we've tried to find this damn bear. You'll work in groups of five accompanied by a dog. If you find any tracks, report them by radio."
"We don't want anyone trying to be a hero. Remember, they die first. Look for claw marks, footprints, or any trees that have been uprooted. Bears like to do that." (David)
David Shifer was in charge of leading the bear hunting team. The bear was too big to be caught and relocated. With multiple murders to its name, Mayor Noble ordered that it be eliminated as soon as possible.
"Is he the hunter who came from far away?" (Hunter A)
"Wasn't he a friend of the previous victim? His face looks familiar to me?" (Hunter B)
"They say he's very good at his job. He's hunted two other bears that devoured humans" (Hunter C)
"Keep your eyes open and avoid making too much noise" (David)
The team of 25 men stood just in front of the forest, all dressed in reflective clothing and equipped with torches, rifles and shotguns. The tracking dogs were restless near the forest, shaking their leashes, barking occasionally and scratching the ground.
"You've heard the expert. No reckless behaviour. You were chosen because you are very good hunters, but remember that you have families who depend on you. The reward for eliminating the bear is not enough for your lives" (Galpin).
Sheriff Galpin also assembled a small group of officers with hunting experience who had grown up in Jericho. They knew the terrain and how to move through this forest. The rest of the group consisted of brave men encouraged to participate by the substantial reward for the bear's head, parents concerned about their children playing near the forest, or simply idiots seeking excitement and money.
"Let's hope that prevents any of them from dying because of their recklessness" (Ritchie)
"That would be the worst possible outcome tonight" (Galpin)
"Chuck"
"All right, let's go. Everyone cover your designated area. We'll meet back here in two hours. If you need help, fire the flare you were given, but be careful with it—there's only one per team." (David)
David loaded his hunting rifle and gave the order to depart. The groups split up and entered the forest in turns.
60 minutes later, north of the initial position.
"Come and see this. It's the first time I've seen footprints like these." (Gael)
"Maybe they're from a raccoon?" (Hunter B)
"Or a weasel." (Hunter C)
"Raccoons have five toes. These have four, and they're too big for a weasel." (Gael)
The first group to find something was the group of hunters who had come for the reward. Small footprints caught their attention on the muddy ground covered with dry leaves and dead branches.
With the light of their torches illuminating the path, dozens of small footprints marked a trail in the earth.
"Let's follow them to see what it is" (Gael)
"We're looking for a bear, not some damn unknown creature. Let's go" (Samuel)
"Come on, Samuel, it'll only take a second. This thing walks on two legs. It could be a new, unknown species. You could name the whole species" (Gael)
Samuel wiped his nose and decided to follow the others. The trail of small footprints led them to the hollow trunk of a large tree.
"You wanted to name it, come on, take a look, Gael" (Samuel)
Gael, who was wearing a hunting cap, was the first to find the footprints.
"No way am I sticking my head in there" (Gael)
"Come on, don't be a wimp" (Samuel)
"Apart from being a fearful coward, what else is missing? Move aside, I'll do it." (Dave)
Dave pushed Gael out of the way. He was a man with a large belly caused by drinking too much beer, and despite his appearance, he had the best aim of the group of five.
"This is a bad idea. Let's leave this and keep looking for bear tracks" (Christian)
"Let's see what's in here" (Dave)
Dave put his torch on the ground, bent down and put his head through the hole.
"¡Aaaah!"
Dave's shout came quickly, and a second later a wet object was thrown towards Gael's face.
"¡Eeeek!"
Gael screamed in fear as he felt the warm liquid run down his face and quickly illuminated his stained hands. Blood covered his hair, face, and now his hands.
Southern part of the forest
"Do you think we'll find anything today?" (Ritchie)
"The way things are going, I doubt it." (Galpin)
"It's huge, and even with the dogs, we can't find its trail." (Ritchie)
"It may have experience dealing with hunters." (Galpin)
"Do you think it's smart enough to know someone is chasing it?" (Ritchie)
"It may be smart, or maybe it's just being cautious by instinct." (Galpin)
Sheriff Galpin crouched down near some broken branches and some droppings on the ground.
"It's too old. It passed through here several days ago." (Galpin)
"Shit!!" (Ritchie)
"What's going on...?" (Galpin)
Galpin looked up after hearing Ritchie's sudden curse. A bright red ball of light rose high into the sky before descending in an arc.
"No way, another one." (Ritchie)
"This may have been a very bad idea." (Galpin)
A moment later, the second distress flare lit up the sky, both in opposite positions from each other and quite a distance apart.
"Which one should we go to?" (Ritchie)
"Ted and I will go north, Ritchie take Garcia and Smith east, more teams must have seen the light and will go to help, when I'm done I'll get to your position as soon as possible." (Galpin)
"You heard the Sheriff. Damn it, hurry up. No one should die tonight, at least not a human." (Ritchie)
(If only I hadn't fallen asleep in the patrol car after taking Mrs. Rocher home the other day, I wouldn't be here today.) (Garcia)
East position of the forest.
"I've got you, bastard!" (David)
David stood up excitedly. He had found the trail of the bear they were hunting: small tufts of hair stuck in the thorns of a wild rose bush.
(The bastard is big and knows how to watch his step, but he's still an animal, and animals make mistakes.) (David)
"Come here, I've got it!" (David)
David stood up cheerfully and took the tuft of hair from the tree and brought it to his hunting dog, a large hound with experience in dealing with bears and coyotes.
(You cost me a lot of money, so you better find this damn bear for me.) (David)
"He's got it, let's follow the dogs" (David)
"That's right, I'm going to buy my son something nice for his birthday with the reward money" (Steve)
"It's bad luck to say things like that, it's dangerous to deal with a wild animal" (Matt)
"Shut up, Steve, you'll bring bad luck on us all" (Cass)
Steve ignored his companions' comments and ran after the dogs alongside David. The rest followed them, still concerned and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
It took them ten minutes to reach the place of origin, a gloomy cave at the foot of a cliff a few feet high. The best time to hunt a bear was at dawn and dusk. The first few times they tracked it down in the early morning and got no results, but now the night had caught them.
The third victim was found a few days later. They could not continue in this situation, so they changed their strategy. They would hunt it at dusk, which was much more dangerous and almost illegal. If they spent too much time in the forest, darkness would cover everything, and more animals besides the bear would emerge to hunt at night. But panic was growing among the population of Jericho, and Mayor Noble had to show results. His first year as mayor could not end this way.
"All right, Steve, do us the honour and take out the bear. You'll get most of the reward." (Cass)
"I'll even give you half of my share if you go in there." (Matt)
"All right, I'll go in first." (Steve)
"I knew you would. You and your damn gambling debts. What a gift for your son. You'll just bet it away again and lose, as usual." (Cass)
"You don't have to do it. We'll gather some wood and light a fire to lure the bear out. There's no need to risk your life." (David)
"It rained a lot yesterday. I doubt we'll find dry wood anytime soon, and more teams will arrive if we delay." (Steve)
(I need the money for Jimmy. Last year he didn't get anything, but I promise you that this year you'll get that doll you want so much.) (Steve)
*Deep breath* (Steve)
"Get ready, I'll get it out and you all finish it off." (Steve)
"Take Chester with you, he'll help you get the bear out." (David)
Steve gripped his rifle tightly, feeling scared and nervous. He had hunted deer and turkeys before, but never a predator. He took Chester's leash and advanced with his rifle raised. The poor dog didn't want to go into the cave alone, but he would do it; that's what he had been trained for since he was a puppy.
The four remaining members of the team took up positions behind the trees, aimed, and waited in silence. The sound of insects was the only thing that could still be heard.
"Be careful with Steve. Aim carefully. Just because it's dark doesn't mean it's okay to shoot at anything that moves." (David)
Steve's back disappeared into the darkness alongside Chester. The single beam of his torch was not enough to illuminate his figure deep inside the cave.
"Bang" "Bang" "Bang"