Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

Evan was getting more and more anxious. "Are they fighting already?"

Tarquin lowered his voice.

"Not yet. Relax. You know Bernard's got our plan in mind. If he's going to make a move, it won't be here and now. He'll pick the right place."

He'd definitely keep his distance, Tarquin thought, just to make sure nothing messed with their plan.

And judging by the state of this bunch, Bernard must have already scared the living daylights out of them before he left.

“Let's take care of these guys first-quick and clean. Then we'll go find them," Tarquin said.

Evan was still nervous, but he nodded. "Alright."

Father and son worked like a well-oiled team. Tarquin scattered a handful of hallucinogenic powder, while Evan played the spooky ghost, darting right under the hunters' noses.

The group of hunters was already on edge, and once the powder kicked in, their nerves snapped.

Chaos erupted. People screamed and dashed for cover in every direction.

Some got hit by friendly fire, some fainted dead away, and others just ran around wailing for their mothers.

Tarquin and Evan, having taken the antidote ahead of time, were immune to the effects.

They herded the frenzied hunters like wolves, making sure none of them slipped out of the circle-keeping them in the thick of the hallucination, pushing their panic to the max.

Only when Tarquin figured the drug had done its job did he let them bolt into the forest.

Deep in the woods, the real battle began.

The hunters had guns, but their minds were muddled.

The wild animals had no weapons, but their minds were sharp and clear.

Each had their strengths and weaknesses-an even match.noveldrama

Howls echoed. Gunshots and screams rang out.

It was obvious the animals were winning.

Some hunters didn't get far before a wolf pack brought them down, tearing them apart.

A cheetah took one out with a single bite to the neck.

A black bear smacked another clear across a clearing-he landed a dozen yards away, dead before he hit the ground.

The cold-blooded predators of the daylight were now prey, fleeing for their lives.

And the animals, the ones hunted all day, had become the hunters.

Tarquin stood up in a tree, coldly watching it all unfold, not a trace of pity in his eyes.

Were these people worth pity?

Not at all.

Innocent people suddenly attacked by wild animals-now that would be a tragedy.

But these guys? They barged in here with hunting rifles, breaking every law on the books, planning to kill for Now they were the hunted.

Sere was nothing tragic about that.

They brought it on themselves.

The government had made it clear-no poaching, no hunting wild animals. That wasn't just a slogan.

Living in harmony with nature isn't just for the sake of the animals-it's for all of humanity.

A broken ecosystem is a terrifying thing.

Tarquin would never kill a person

that if the animals did,

s just the luck of the dre

Whoever survived, survived.

After watching for a bit, Tarquin nudged Evan, and together they set off to find Bernard and the old scar-faced boss.

He'd come back tomorrow to see which hunters had survived, and plan the next

move.

By the time father and son reached the two old men, the fight had already broken out at the top of the hill.

Both were seasoned fighters-every move was dangerous.

Evan, panicked, wanted to break it up, but Tarquin held him back.

"Let them get it out of their system first," Tarquin murmured. "We'll only step in if we have to."

Their feud had been simmering for years-words wouldn't settle it. They needed to fight it out.

"But what if they really hurt each other?" Evan whispered.

"As long as nobody dies, it's fine," Tarquin replied.

Sometimes a good fight was the only way to let go of old grudges.

They waited in the shadows, ready to step in if anyone tried to go too far.

After a while, Bernard's eyes flashed with sudden determination. He snatched the old boss's wrist-and with his other hand, clamped down hard on his throat, pinning him to the ground in one swift, brutal move.