The Spiders of Eden

Societal outcast, Jonah Pepper stumbles over an injured man in an alley and earns a job as an assistant for a peculiar, progressive hunting competition. When a murder occurs, Jonah is blamed and has little recourse, except to run. Hunted, injured and alone, his very survival is on the line. Will the memories of his early years help him escape?

Dragon’s Hearth resort raises genetically modified prey animals specifically so members of society’s upper class can slaughter them. The hunters start with primitive spears and atlatls… and as the days go by they get increasingly more efficient and modern equipment. Jonah is supposed to chase the animals to them. The hunters revile him, but he is used to antagonism for being the son of a notorious anti-government cult leader. He just wants to get through the month-long job without incident. But when a High Court Judge is assassinated, Jonah is blamed. He has little recourse, but to run. Suddenly he is trapped inside the massive hunting arena with little hope of escape. The only upside, when they come after him, is that they have primitive weapons. Soon, however, they will have guns and robots. Can he get over the inescapable walls before that happens?

Jonah spent the first twelve years of his life in an isolated wilderness community called Eden. Will the skills he learned then help him now? Attacked and severely beaten he flees into the forest with an atlatl and darts. This primitive weapon is completely ineffective against the spiderbots that hound him, but he hopes it will be enough to scare his human pursuers. Ironically, with his life on the line, he has never felt more emancipated.

Before the judge’s murder, a small number of his fellow employees were friendly toward him. That connection made him feel human again. But he cannot rely on their help. They are in no position to give him aid, even if they were inclined to do so.

The arena is a bizarre world. Lab-created acrodacs, carriodon, beviosaur and choreopteryx are all around. But he cannot admire the strange environment. His only focus is to get outside the tall, electrified walls. The longer it takes him, the more advanced weapons the hunters will have to stop him.

Liberty is fulfilling, if only he can live to keep it.