This is an adaptation of a movie called "Surviving the Game"

Intro

Never in my life would I have ever thought what I am about to tell you would conceivably happen to me or to anyone else, nor will I ever forget.

I supposed I should introduce myself. My name is Mark Calaway, better known as The Undertaker. I am a wrestler, and have been for nearly twenty years. I consider myself to be in excellent shape for my age. Being nearly seven feet tall and weighting 305 pounds has given me several advantages in the ring. Little did I dream that I would have to call on those advantages to help me survive.

______________

Chapter 1

It started innocently enough. I had just finished doing a house show in Vancouver. I had gone to a local sports bar with a couple of the other wrestlers for a quick beer or two before going ot the hotel. Being it was a Saturday night, the place was somewhat crowded.

While I sat there, a group of men were observing me and my partners. It wasn't until later that I found out this group had been observing us (mainly me) for quite some time. One of them had gotten up and come over to the bar to introduce himself.

"I'm Dr. Reins," he said shaking my hand.

He went on to say that he and his friends were big fans of wrestling and wondered if I and my companions would join them. Always glad to meet our fans, the three of us accepted and joined the group, which consisted of the doctor and four other men. The four men introduced themselves: Jeff Seurock (stock broker), Dr. Estes (psychologist), Morton Salsburg (businessman), and Gary Shuler (another businessman). There was nothing out of the ordinary about their demeanor which would indicate what truly lied beneath.

Our conversation progressed, finding we shared quite a bit in common, especially our love of the outdoors. The group went on about how they would meet every six months at a chosen spot to hunt, fish, or just plain campout to get away from the stress of the everyday world.

After an hour, one of my companions had to leave as he was tired. Looking at my watch, I too noticed it was late. I made my excuses and got up to leave, but not before I had told them I would check them out the next time I was up this way. Dr. Reins gave me his address and phone number. I said good night and left.

Chapter 2

The next 6 months' road schedule was tough. Between doing houseshows, personal appearances, and TV I found I had very little time to relax or recuperate. It was getting close to Unforgiven ppv. I had gone in to speak to Vince the week before and asked for some time off. My entire body by this time was drained and some old nagging injuries were beginning to give me problems. I was also needing time to take care of some personal business at the ranch.

During those six months, I kept in touch with Dr. Reins. At one of the Smackdown tapings in Portland, I happened to run into him. He told me (which I believed at the time) he was in town on business and had decided to stay an extra night to catch the show. I found out later that each of the men had kept up with the schedule and had attended the shows, taking notes on how I had performed in the ring.
,br> Back to Dr. Reins

After the show we went out to a late dinner and afterwards for a beer. He told me the men were getting together around the end of October, first part of November, for their usual camp out. He said they were going to Montana as a friend of his had given him permission to use his cabin to hunt elk. He asked if I would care to join them, then quickly retracted saying I probalby couldn't because of my busy schedule, adding he understood also since I did not know him or the rest of the men too well.

The nagging injuries must have been playing havoc with my mind. I replied it was not a problem as I had asked for time off anyway and would be more than happy to join them after I had taken care of some last minute business. After making arrangements as to where we would meet, he added that I needn't bring anything with me as he would furnish everything. That should have been the first indication that something was up, but I was anxious to do a bit of hunting, something I hadn't done in quite a while.

Three weeks later I headed out of Houston on what was supposed to be a camp out with the guys, not suspecting what was to come.

Chapter 3

I got into Seattle on Friday afternoon. I didn't have long to wait as Dr. Reins came shortly after I had picked up my bag. We drove across town to a small private airstrip. On thinking back, when he had met me he had seemed somewhat perturbed at first when he noticed I had brought along a duffle bag, but I dismissed it at the time.

When we reached the airstrip, there was a 2-passenger Cessna waiting. It took some doing for me to fit me and the duffle bag in the plane but I somehow managed. As we took off he told me we would be flying to the western part of Montana near the Canadian border. He said it was the perfect spot to hunt elk. The area was well away from any populous town, with the nearest town over 50 miles away. The terrain was rocky and heavily wooded.

It took three hours to reach our destination, a small town whose name escapes me at the present. It had felt good to stretch my legs once I got off the plane. We swtiched to a jeep and started out for the hour and a half drive. I asked him where were the others. He replied they were already at our destination setting things up and that we would be dining as soon as we arrived.

I didn't see much as we drove as evening was setting in, but I felt every bump and rut the road had. By the time we reached the cabin, my ass was sore as hell. Slowly I got out, glad we had finally stopped. My stomach was growling by this time and the smell of meat cooking made my mouth water. The other four men came out and welcomed us. Dr. Estes took my bag and showed me to my room, telling me supper was ready.

The group kept offering me food to the point I finally had to practically leave the table. There was one particular dish that was served. I couldn't at the time put my finger on what it tasted like. Not until later would I find out exactly what it was. The evening was spent playing cards and sipping scotch whiskey. Around 11:00 everyone retired for the night. During the night I got up to go to the restroom. As I went to enter, I noticed a small door with a padlock attached. Dr. Reins must have heard me because he came out to see me standing in front of it. I asked what was behind the door. He shrugged it off saying it was a private room his friend had kept locked all the time. No one there knew what was in it and hadn't bothered to ask the man either. I was always one to never stick my nose into anything, but that padlock had me curious. I would find out its contents later.

Perhaps at this point I should stop and briefly describe my "companions."

The men were of average height, except for Dr. Reins, who I guess stood at least 6 foot 3 inches. Their ages ranged between 35 and 50. None of them were of exceptional build, except for Jeff Seurock. During the meal we had talked about how wrestlers kept in shape. He mentioned that he jogged at least twice a week and worked out 3 times a week. I had to admit, he looked the fittest of the group. Morton Salzberg, who was stocky built, did not seem the type to enjoy the outdoors, but one can never tell by first impressions. If ever one fit his profession, it was Dr. Estes. Just by listening, one could tell his profession was psychology in the way he handled Gary Shuler, who stuttered a lot and always shifted in his chair while we talked. Dr. Reins was quiet and soft spoken. Of the group, he would prove to be the deadliest of all.

Chapter 4

(Big thanks to Stonewall and Jade for helping me.)

The next morning I awoke to find it raining. I looked at my watch - 8:30. I scrambled out of bed and quickly dressed. I opened the door and stopped. I could hear the group arguing in low voices. I turned my ear to hear better, but couldn't understand what they were saying. Upon my entrance they stopped. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat.

I apologized for oversleeping and added I hoped I wasn't the reason for the delay. Dr. Reins assured me I wasn't. I filled my plate and ate. I could see from the corner of my eye a couple of them watching me intently. When I looked up, they had quickly averted their eyes.

During my entire professional career, I had gotten use to people staring at me, but this was something different. It was beyond the norm, almost borderline psychotic. A small shiver went through me. I thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

A small movement caught my attention. I turned to see the barrel of a rifle pointed at me. Seurock's face had a lop-sided grin. He lowered the barrel and began cleaning it. If there's one thing I don't care for, it's someone pointing a gun at me, even as a joke, and I made it a point of saying so. I noticed Salzberg furrow his brows at Seurock and shake his head. Seurock softly snorted. For the rest of the morning, I kept an eye on him.

The rest of the day was spent either making sure the equipment was in order or playing cards and drinking whiskey. Every so often I found one of the group eyeing me. My mind is a bit fuzzy as to what happened next. All I remember is that after lunch the next day I found myself getting very sleepy. I excused myself and went to my room to rest. I don't remember how long I had rested, but I found myself being shook. I opened my eyes to find the group standing around my bed. I focused my eyes more and looked down to see my hands and feet were bound. I looked over at the clock - 7:30 a.m. I asked what happened.

The group just stood there with weird, almost demonic looks on their faces. Dr. Reins finally spoke. A chill went up and down my spine (and still does to this day) as I heard these exact words. "Well, Mr. Calaway. We are going to have a game of hide and seek. You hide and we seek you out. I hope you like it since as you can see, we are the hunters and you are our prey. We are now going to enjoy a leisurely morning meal. This will give you at least one hour head start. So my best advice for you is to get as far away as you can before we come after you."

I was so stunned I couldn't say anything. Shuler cut the ropes that held my feet. The group pulled me up and escorted me outside, my hands still bound. Dr. Reins cut the ropes around my wrists and suggested that I get moving. The group turned around to go back inside. I heard one of them laugh and say, "Let the games begin!"

Chapter 5

I stood rooted to the spot, my brain numb. This had to be a horrible nightmare. The laughter from inside woke me out of my daze. This was real. I was being hunted by the most dangerous predator on earth - man. I inmediately looked around for an escape. The jeep popped into my mind. I ran to the back of the cabin. Any hopes were soon dashed when I saw the hood up. A voice behind me sneered, "Looking for this?"

It was Dr. Reins. "You'd better get going. Besides, the jeep would have done you no good. The road we came up on washes out easily when it rains." He turned and went inside.

Realization sunk in. "Which way?" I thought. Everything was inside, compass, gun, everything. It was still cloudy and the air had a bit of a chill. "Great!" I hissed. There was no time to waste. Not caring which direction I went, and as the cabin was surrounded by pines and brush, I took off.

As I ran, my clothes became damp from the trees and brush as I ran up a steep hill. From there I saw what was around me. To my left were the mountains, to my right was the cabin. In front of me was a small valley. I turned around. It was more of the same. I was out of breath from running. Which way to go? I had to decide fast.

An all too familiar sound reached my ears. I would have recognized it anywhere - ATV's. "Where the fuck did they come from?" I hadn't seen any when I arrived. There was no time to think about that. Not caring at this point, I ran down the steep hill, tripping over the rocks, trying not to give myself away. When I finally reached the bottom I quickly looked for a place to hide. That was not going to be easy with my size.

I spied a thick clump of brush and laid behind it, gasping for breath. I peered through the branches at the top of the hill. There they were, pondering which way I had gone. Finally one of them pointed toward the mountains. With a hoot and a holler they got on their vehicles and headed in that direction. I sat up. I knew it wouldn't be long before they would head back this way. For the moment I had some spare time to think of a way to get out of there and keep myself alive.

Chapter 6

I began to assess my "situation." The first thing I looked at was the clothes I wore. Thank God I had chosen to wear a long-sleeve flannel shirt, heavy denim jeans, thick socks, a hunting vest, hunting boots, and a cap. At least I would have some warmth, but not much. Not with winter coming on soon. I began rubbing my legs and felt something. I pushed up the jean leg. "Thank God!" I thought to myself. I had remembered to take a small knife with me, but what good would that do?

Where to hide? There was nothing in the immediate area. I looked toward the mountains. That seemed to be the most likely place to go. I made sure the coast was clear. I worked my way through the pine forest, which eventually gave way to a small clearing. My stomach began to grumble. Damn I was hungry!

I crossed the small stream and headed once again through a grove of pines. I couldn't tell what time of day it was. My watch was at the cabin.

The ATV's were coming! I quickly ran to hide behind a tree. One of them must have spotted me. The next thing I heard was a bullet whiz past me, barely missing my arm and hitting the tree in front of me. I ducked behind one of the bigger ones. The bullets kept coming. I cringed against the tree, pieces of bark pelting me. I couldn't stay there, so I decided to take my chances and run for it.

As fast as my legs could carry me over the terrain, I ran, keeping as many of the trees between them and me. Either they were bad shots or heaven was with me. The grove gave way again to a clearing. It was fortunate for me they had stopped firing. It gave me a little time to gage the distance from where I stood to an outcrop of rock that was straight ahead. I guessed the rocks were about 300 yards away.

300 yards. It had looked further than that at the time. My chest was heaving, plus my stomach was rumbling more from not having eaten since yesterday. I looked back. Something was moving. Taking two more breaths, I urged my legs to get going. It seemed like an eternity, but I made it. Not stopping I began to climb.

A lot of small stones were loose, making it difficult as hell to keep a foothold. At one point, a rock about the size of a softball slipped out from under me. I began sliding fast. I grabbed at the dirt and larger rocks, anything to stop. I don't know how far I slid.

I finally stopped. I started climbing again, being careful not to loosen any more, till I found a solid ledge. Nearly out of breath, I managed to pull myself over. I lay there for a few seconds to catch my breath. I turned over on my stomach and peered over the ledge. I'm not sure how far I had climbed, but it was enough that I had a pretty good view of below.

I looked up and spotted an overhang perhaps another 20 feet above. My left arm was hurting. I hadn't noticed the pain before. I probably had hit one of the rocks as I slid down and just didn't realize it at the time.

It was slow going. Pulling myself up as I climbed wasn't easy. I thought to myself at the time I needed to lose a bit more weight. Finally I was there. I crawled underneath. From there I had an even better view.

I took a look at myself again. My clothes were muddy but in good shape. I tried lifting my left arm. There was some pain, but I was able to lift it up to shoulder level. I then checked my pant leg. Yes, the small knife was still there. My stomach grumbled again. It sounded like a dog growling. I had to forget about food, at least for a while, so I put my mind back to assessing my situation. The words of one of the men came back to me. "Let the games begin." True enough, they had begun.

CHAPTER 7

It was getting dark and I could feel the temperature start to drop. I took off my vest and put it over me like a blanket, thankful it was heavy and warm. In the distance I thought I heard the ATV's. I looked down and saw brief snatches of light. They had obviously found their way down and were looking for signs of me. After what I guess was half an hour, they stopped. A bright orange flicker appeared. They were going to stay the night. I watched fire flicker, knowing they were warm while I was up here freezing my ass off. I suspected they were playing more games.

I slept as much as I could during the night. I awoke as darkness was beginning to fade. Just enough to let me see my way down. I stretched my arms to get the blood circulating, then rubbed my legs to get them warmed up. I guessed that now would be as good as any to make my way down, feet first. My left arms still hurt from the day before, but like I had done in the ring for so many years, I fought through the pain.

It was getting lighter, the eastern horizon had a touch of orange. I quickly made my way to edge of the grove. I could see the fire was still burning as I crept between the trees, making my way toward the group.

I saw the ATVs parked just beyond the firelight. All the men but one were still asleep. I could tell from the firelight it was Shuler. He was busy wiping down his gun, his back slightly toward me. From behind one of the trees I could see one of the ATVs was only a short distance away. I picked up a palm-sized stone, ready to use it if necessary. I had gone only a few steps when I stepped on a twig. At the sound of the snap, Shuler turned. He began shouting when he saw me.

Cursing at myself, I took off running as fast as I could. I could hear him tell the others he was going after me. I heard one of them reply as loud as possible to leave some for them. The bullets whizzed past me. One came close, so close I felt it lightly touched my ear lobe. I headed toward the stream, willing my legs to go faster.

Never was I so grateful before as now for my long legs which kept me well ahead of him. I neared the stream and turned to my left, running with the current. It was hard running as I kept tripping over stones and fallen trunks. In the distance I could hear a roar. I kept running towards it, the roar getting louder as I got closer. I stopped briefly when I got to the junction and saw it was emptying into a river. I heard him cussing and laughing at the same time, not really hearing what he was saying. I turned to my right and headed down river. The bank was loose sand, which made it hard to run. I then noticed the bank was sloping upwards. I ran up the slope, my thighs burning from the exertion.

I saw the sand in front of me explode. Shuler was shooting at me again. When I got to the top of the slope, I felt a sting in my side. Not taking any chances, I fell to the ground and didn't move. I heard him climb up the slope, laughing, "You're mine, motherfucker!"

CHAPTER 8

I lay there, pretending to be dead. Shuler shouted something, then laughed. I heard him make his way up the embankment, then stop. I could tell he was walking around me, checking me for any sign of movement. He then kicked me in my side - hard. It took everything for me to keep from wincing in pain. One more time he kicked me. Again I pretended to be dead. The next thing I heard was a click and some static. Shuler began talking, boasting that he had bagged me. My hand inched slowly toward his left foot.

I slowly lifted my head. Just as my hand was at his ankle, I quickly grabbed it and yanked it from under him, making him fall to the ground. I climbed on top of him, knocking the rifle from his hand. Shuler punched me in the face. My head went back for only a split second. I then began hitting him with lefts and rights.

Shuler's right fist hit my left side (which had been grazed by a bullet). I yelled in pain and fell off him. Through the pain I saw him get up and pull a long hunting knife from his side. I rolled to the side just as he made to stab my shoulder, missing by mere inches. I again punched him in the face, knocking him to the side.

I quickly got up and so did he, the knife still in his hand. My side was burning not only because of the bullet but also from the kicks Shuler had done. He came after me again. I sidestepped him, making him trip. He got up and charged again. This time I caught him by the throat, picking him and quickly slamming him to the ground.

I waited, out of breath, for him to get up, but he didn't move. I took the knife from his hand. I then noticed something red come from behind his head. Cautiously I knelt, ready. The substance was running heavier now. I then realized it was blood. I turned his head. He had hit his head on a sharp stone. I stood up and looked at the lifeless body.

I closed my eyes. I had just killed someone for the first time. I heard static and turned in its direction, spying a walkie-talkie. "Shuler! Shuler! You there? Did you leave anything for us?"

I pushed the talk button. "Shuler is dead." There was silence.

I got my thoughts together. They were sure to come this way. I had to find a place to hold out. I attached the walkie-talkie to my belt. I searched Shuler's pockets for ammo and picked up the rifle.

I could hear roaring in the distance. They were coming. I looked around. Which way now? I had to find my way back to the cabin. I couldn't go back the way I came, so I stayed on top of the embankment and followed the river.

CHAPTER 9

I don't remember how far I ran along the bank, or for how long. I came upon a fallen tree and sat to rest. I unbuttoned my vest and shirt, which was sticky from the blood. My ride side was still sore from being kicked and had turned an ugly purple. I breathed a sigh of relief after examining the wound to see the bullet had only grazed my side.

I looked down and saw blood spots on my boots and jean cuffs. I knew it wasn't mine, it was Shuler's. The scene of the blood running on the ground replayed in my mind.

I've been around and have done a lot of things in my years on this earth, and have even gotten into my share of fights, but never had I gone this far, to take another person's life. My mind swirled with questions. "Was he married?" "Did he have any children?" But the biggest question was "Why?"

I didn't have an answer and there was no time to sit and analyze it further. When this nightmare was finished perhaps I would have an answer then. Right now surviving was my number one priority along with finding my way back to the cabin.

I looked around. From my position I was facing west, and judged it was going on late afternoon or early evening. I began to picture the other four men by now had found Shuler's body and were looking down at him. Were they thinking had the game gone too far already or would they just shrug their shoulders and say it was all a part of it?

I heard my name being called through the static of the walkie-talkie. I could tell it was Dr. Reins.

"CALAWAY, YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!" He yelled. "YOUR ASS IS MINE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME! MINE!" Then silence.

CHAPTER 10

I clipped the walkie-talkie back on my belt and took off, heading north. The image of Shuler stayed on my mind and the words that Dr. Raines had uttered. Evening settled in and the air turned cooler. Hunger pangs gnawed at my belly. I forced myself to pay no attention to them but had little success.

I estimated I had gone about a mile or so. I stopped to check where I could find some place to rest for the night plus maybe find something halfway edible. As usual there were a lot of trees and bushes, but very little that would provide shelter. That applied to finding something edible as well. I decided to go on, but as night started to settle in, footing became treacherous and I was hearing rustling noises to my left.

I knew wolves were common to this area, but there was another animal that roamed this area, one I didn't want to think about - grizzlies. I could deal with wolves, but a grizzly was something else. I didn't particularly want to run into one, especially this time of year as they were getting ready for hibernation.

The rustling in the bushes became louder as I walked on. I would turn and glance in that direction when the noise would stop. I was so into thinking of what was behind the bushes that I didn't watch my footing. Suddenly I found myself falling headfirst to the ground. Stunned for a couple of minutes, I slowly sat up. Through the haze I saw I had tripped over a fallen limb. When I tried to get up, a stab of pain shot up my leg. I crawled over to an old tree trunk and leaned against it. Gingerly I examined my left leg. I sucked in my breath when I put slight pressure on the ankle. "DAMN!" I yelled to no one. This was all I needed on top of everything else - a sprained ankle.

There wasn't much choice but to stay where I was for the night as to tried to move it now would only make it worse, which only added to the problems I was already facing - being tired, hungry, chilly, and hurting.

I piled a bunch of pine needles to form a rough pillow. Next to me were some small branches that still had a fair amount of leaves attached. Pulling the cap over my ears and putting up the collar around my neck, I put the branches over me for extra warmth. As an added precaution, I took the small knife from my boot just in case. I put my hands inside my jacket as well as the knife, and got as comfortable as I possibly could and closed my eyes. I had barely closed them when a low snarl had them wide open.

Part 2

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