How to Play the Game

He slung the heavy and cumbersome Weatherby over his shoulder and started his trek through the trees. He could not help but worry that he might be hundreds of miles off base, but he was certain there was some sort of camp at the top of the mountain; he had noticed the flickering light of a campfire on the way up. There was someone up there, and everything pointed to Doug Faust.

For the first time in a long time, Matthew felt out of shape in the thin mountain air. His breath came in short gasps, but finally turned into deep pulls of air as he adjusted to the altitude. Travel would have been much easier had he stayed on the gravel road, but his plan was to scale the side of the mountain and come up on the backside of the property.

As the top of the mountain came into view, Matthew lightened his steps. He also stopped every few feet and listened to the night sounds around him. In such a silent and peaceful place, anything out of the ordinary stood out like a blaring siren. That little fact could work for him, as well as against him.

Matthew left the dense cover of the forest and returned to the gravel road. In the distance, on an outcropping, sat a small cabin. The light that he had earlier mistaken for a campfire actually came from inside the cabin. He did not see any power lines; the light must was coming from a gas lantern. Again, the hunter smiled. The light provided a great target in the darkness.