It was early morning when I woke up on the day of The Hunt; The annual wine-searching competition my town holds. As I left my house, other people and families left theirs too. Some people partook in The Hunt for fun. The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold. I reached the town square and signed in. Only participants did this. Seeing as the area where the sealed envelope could be anywhere within a thirty-kilometre radius, one could easily get lost. The best place to check first was the forest, stretching out for unknown length.

"Up for The Hunt again this year, Miss Hardwick?" the young attendant at the desk smiled.

"You know me, David. I have to win one of these years," I grinned as I filled out the form he had handed me.

"You and me both, Miss Hardwick."

"Please David, call me Beth" the infectious grin was playing at the corner of her lips and freely dancing in her eyes.

"Good luck out there, Miss Hardwick. Alexis is dead set on breaking the record for the most wins on the trot. Been jogging all spring."

"How many does she have now? Four?"

"Nay, it's five. It's the sixth time this year."

"You'll be alright?" Bethany asked when she saw the look of sadness flicker over Davis's face.

"Yeah, I'll manage."

"You sure?"

"Daisy would want me to keep moving forward and not to get bogged in grief for the disappearance of her. As much of a pain as she was, she was still family."

"You know she will be considered legally dead in a years' time."

"Then it will be official" David's eyes watered. "Anyway, that's enough misery for today. Go out there and enjoy yourself."

Bethany waved and walked away, finding herself at the lemonade stand.

"Want a drink Miss?" a cheery voice squeaked.

∞

Within an hour the whole square is packed with people. The mayor gives his speech and explains the rules "in case this anyone forgot or is unfamiliar". He then asked all participants to line up at the entrance of the town. My arm brushed against someone as I get ready to sprint towards the forest.

"Watch where you're going," Someone spat. Only one person would say that because of a simple, harmless push. Alexis.

"Good luck," I say without looking up.

"Whatever. It's not me who needs the luck."

The starting gun went off and everyone runs off. Three-quarters of the town normally participate, with about half of that returning at one o'clock. I prefer to use all nine-and-a half-hours. Even if I never win. Alexis and I happened to both be heading towards the forest. When we entered, we both carried on running and in the same direction. A clearing was up ahead, and I stopped there, checking the ground for any tampering. Alexis ran past and her footsteps soon ceased to exist. A couple of hours later, I needed to head back to the town. Empty handed. I shuffle my way back and sign in again. According to David, I'm the second to last person to arrive.

"Who's the last?"

"Alexis."

I could care less, but, it did make me a bit worried. The mayor calls out the winners of various things and The Hunt and everyone heads home. The prizegiving lasts about an hour. I asked David if Alexis had arrived back.

"Not that I know of." He says. He was about to continue when the mayor grabs everyone's attention.

"I have just been informed that one of the competitors, Alexis Palmer has not signed back in. All competitors and helpers are to help look for her."

Murmurs are instantly spread across the square. After a few minutes, everyone spreads out. I head towards the forest, knowing that I was the last to see her there. As the night gets darker, the forest gets spookier. I don't have a torch with me, but the moon provides enough light. Every sound seems amplified, from my feet crunching on the dead, dry leaves underfoot to the occasional hoot of an owl. As I got deeper into the forest, rushing water reached my ears. I jogged towards the sound, and only stopped when I heard voices.

"Got everything?" A gruff voice says.

"Yes. Oh, would you look at the time? People will be looking for me. Got to keep up the façade y'know," another voice said. I crouched behind a bush and peered through it. In the river was a rowboat filled with boxes. Two men were already in the in the boat, oars at the ready. Another man started getting into the boat. Another person was there, and it made me gasp.

They must have heard me because the man who was getting in the boat stopped.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"It sounded as though..." He looked around and looked in my direction.

He took large, slow steps, as though he were a villain from a horror movie. I couldn't move; rooted to the spot in fear. My breathing quickened and the instinct to run away only kicked in when the man reached over the bushes and grabbed onto my jacket.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He asked, sneering.

"Pl...Please don't hurt me. I- I was only looking for... for Alexis..." I stutter. I slowly turned to face him. He raised an eyebrow. "It's true! She... She's supposed to come to Woodscreek at six o'clock in the evening because that's when The Hunt ends!" I exclaimed, fearing for my life. The man looked at me before bursting out into laughter.

"You... you think that The Hunt... The Hunt," He said, laughing the whole time, only stopping to speak, "you think that The Hunt is a tradition at Woodscreek? That has got to be the best thing I've ever heard!" He continues to laugh and let's go of me.

I really should run. But I'm too intrigued not to. I laughed nervously before he stopped laughing and with a completely serious tone of voice, with a bit of malice laced into his words.

"Woodscreek is just a cover. Do you really think that life could be so perfect?" He spat out. "Woodscreek was never meant to turn into an ideal living place. Just a temporary hiding place for goods."

"Wha... What goods?"

"Stuff. Stuff that you won't ever know about." Alexis said.

"I think it's safe to tell her. After all, she won't be leaving alive."

Alexis huffed. "Fine."

I knew had to run. But I couldn't. Fear had already embedded itself in me. My heart thumped against my chest, beating hundreds of miles per second.

The man, either not noticing my fear or not caring about it, started talking and strutting like a peacock. "In the 1960s our father and his men needed to get to places with... supplies. But they started to notice that they were being watched. So, they decided that they would set up a temporary home in case.

"People who were helping them in one way or another started to hear about this small establishment in the English countryside and were drawn to it themselves. They started to stay, and in about ten years, it was a thriving small town. People came from all over and made their home."

Alexis stepped in and continued the story. Now that I looked more closely, Alexis did look a bit like the man. "This started becoming a problem. So, our father thought of The Hunt. A yearly competition where townspeople raced to find something they never did. It kept the town quiet while our father and his men could do their work."

I started taking steps back. The information was too confusing, too mind-blowing to be true.

Alexis continued talking. "When he died, The Hunt was changed a bit. When the winery was established, it was decided that there would be a real prize as people started getting suspicious.

"It was a successful plan that worked for many, many years. As all games, rules were always slightly altered. But there has always been, and always will be, one rule that never changes.

"Should any innocent person happen to stumble across our... craft," She lifted her gun. Sweat rolled down my head, ", they will always be met with a nasty surprise."

∞

A couple of weeks later, the police found a body lying by the river. Arrests were made and the townspeople who were innocent were made to leave as a full investigation was undertaken.

Alexis and her brother were forced to tell all they knew. Including the whereabouts of poor Daisy Scott, who they found on the brink of death.

∞

A year later, Bethany wasn't the only thing Woodscreek lost. The town that was once a favourable place to live, ceased to exist.

A/N: And thus, Woodscreek's Secret is over! I hope you all enjoyed the story :) I can only set one dedicated to this chapter, but the whole thing is dedicated to/for mystery, adventure, AmbassadorsITA, and AmbassadorsPH because of the contest. 

Total words: 1,473, not including the A/N