Most Dangerous Game: Himalayan Captive

         The crisp snow on the peaks of the mountains sparkled in the morning sun.
         "Look out the window, Langer.  Isn't it beautiful?" said Rainsford.
         "I've never seen anything more amazing in my life," Langer responded.  They were flying through the Himalayas.  Rainsford had written a book about his experiences on Ship-Trap Island seventeen months ago, and he and his publicist William Langer were traveling to Shanghai to promote the book.
         For a few minutes the two men gazed out the window as the private jet raced through the mountains.  Finally Rainsford closed his window and leaned back in his chair.  He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.  He would never forget that night.  How he had fallen off the yacht and had swum to the island.  How he had met General Zaroff and learned of his ways.  How he had hidden in the forest for three long days eluding his pursuer.  And finally how he had won the game.  He remembered it as if it was yesterday.
         "Hello?  Rainsford?" asked Langer.  Rainsford's mind was brought back to the present.
         "Are you okay?  I just asked you a question and you didn't ans- What was that?" said Langer.  The plane shook and they were both jolted forward.
         "I wonder if something's wrong with the plane," said Rainsford.
         "I'm going to go check with the pilot and see if everything's ok," said Langer as he got up to leave.
         Rainsford sat there waiting.  He opened his window again and saw that they were still over the mountains.  Then he felt the plane rumble again.  Rainsford went to the other window and thought the turbine looked unstable.  Then, suddenly, it exploded, sending the plane spiraling downward.  Rainsford lost his balance, and couldn't get up again.  He crawled along the floor, making his way to the cockpit.  The first thing he noticed was the pilot and Langer.  They were both sitting, unconscious, with their heads lying on the instrument panel.  The panel was smoking.  Very quickly, Rainsford checked both of their bodies.  They were both dead.  He was both shocked and horrified.  He stared at them for a few moments until another lurch reminded him of the plane's condition.  Remembering that there was a parachute stored under the seats, he reached under and pulled it out.  Strapping it to himself, he kicked open the door and jumped out.
         Rainsford had gone skydiving before, so he knew what to do.  As he slowly floated down toward the mountains, he watched the plane spiral down into the snow-covered peaks.  Tearing his eyes away from the plane, he focused on getting to the ground.  When his feet hit the soft earth, he stood there for a moment to catch his breath.  Rainsford suddenly noticed how cold it was.  He picked his direction and set off.
         After walking for about five hours, he had become very tired.  Then he noticed something up ahead.  Almost out of breath, he stumbled up to it.  It was a fence, and a large gate! The fence looked to be about thirty feet high.  The gate had a keypad, which supposedly opened it.  Behind the fence was a trail leading off into the horizon.  Rainsford thought that whoever lived here must be very wealthy.  He was thinking of a way to get inside, when an Oriental-looking man came strolling up the trail.  He was wearing a long red robe, and he looked to be about sixty years old.  He paused about five meters behind the gate, and stood there scrutinizing Rainsford.  The man had long, gray hair and a coarse-looking goatee.
         "Excuse me, sir?  I have been wandering for quite a while and I am very tired and hungry.  Maybe if you have food and a spare bed I could stay here for the night?" Rainsford asked.  He stood, waiting for a response, but received none.  Rainsford thought that perhaps the man didn't speak English.  He was about to ask again when the man stepped forward and entered a combination into the keypad.  The gate slowly creaked open.
         "Follow me," was all the man said before he turned back down the trail.  Rainsford had no hesitation in complying.
         Rainsford noticed the scenery was much more dreary here than it was outside the gate.  The trees were bare, and there seemed to be no animals in the area.  He noticed how quiet it was.  Then suddenly, as if right on cue, a loud scream broke the silence.
         Before he could ask, the man said, "Do not worry.  It is nothing."  Rainsford doubted the man, but thought it best not to say anything.
         They came upon a large pagoda-like building.  The man opened the doors and guided Rainsford inside.  The lighting was dim inside the building.  There were Chinese paintings hung on the wall, depicting what looked like men hunting large animals.  Rainsford followed the man into what looked like a living room.
         "Please sit down," said the man.  Rainsford did.  The man clapped twice, and two servants brought in a large tray of food and set it down in front of Rainsford.  He began to eat immediately.
         "I am Colonel Ming.  All of the land inside the fence is mine.  Tell me how you came here," the man said.  And Rainsford told him the whole story, pausing every once in a while to take a bite of food.  Colonel Ming listened intently without interruptions.
         When he was finished, Ming said, "I see.  You may stay overnight.  Please follow me to your quarters."  Ming led Rainsford up one flight of stairs and down a short hallway.  There was a door at the very end.  Ming opened the door and pushed Rainsford through, then abruptly shut the door.  Looking around, Rainsford was shocked to find he was in a small cage.  What's more, he saw that his cage was not alone.  There were several others, all filled with people!  There were two rows of cages separated by a narrow corridor.  Rainsford turned around and tried the door, but it was locked.
         "You're not going to get out." Rainsford looked at the cage to his left.  A short man, dressed in tattered clothing, was sitting in the corner.
         "What's going on here?" Rainsford asked him.
         "When Ming catches someone, he keeps them.  They don't escape," said the man.
         "But why would he want to hold so many people captive?" said Rainsford.
         "We are like animals to him.  He captures, and then kills them and sells their bodies to cannibals in Indonesia.  They will pay a lot for healthy meat," replied the man.  Rainsford closed his eyes and sighed.  He now knew what the scream he had heard earlier was.
         "How does he get away with it?" asked Rainsford.
         "I don't know.  I've been here for a few weeks, and no one's tried to stop him yet.  Ming is a horrible man.  I'm Frank by the way.  I was hiking up the mountain when an old man ran into me on the trail.  He explained to me that he lived on the mountain and asked me to eat dinner with him.  Then, after we ate, he just threw me in here."
         "And nobody's ever escaped?" questioned Rainsford.
         "Not that I know of.  You had better get some sleep.  You look very tired," said Frank.
         Rainsford lay down on the cold, stone floor.  He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, but found he couldn't.  There was too much to think about.  He recalled everything that had happened that day, and wondered what he would be doing if the plane had not crashed, or if he had not encountered the large gate.  Rainsford also pondered his future here, and wondered when Ming would want to dispose of him and ship him off.  Eventually he was able to fall asleep.
         The next morning Rainsford awoke to a clanging noise on the cage.  A guard opened his door and placed a tray of food on the floor in front of him.  Rainsford took the opportunity.  He lunged at the door, tackling the security guard.  He tried to punch the guard, but a sudden white-hot pain in his back made him roll over in pain.  The guard had used a Taser on him.  He kicked Rainsford back into the cell.
         "You're going to have to try harder than that," said the guard, and he walked away.  Rainsford rolled over in pain, and was slow to get up.  He had made up his mind.  He was going to try again next time.  So, a couple of hours later, he called a guard for a bathroom break.  After he had opened the door, Rainsford threw the empty plate at him, knocking him out.  He snuck out, took his keys, and let everybody else out.  He led them down the stairs and towards the door.  The only problem was Ming was standing in front of it.
         "You've come far enough!  You're not getting past me!" Ming shouted.  He pulled out a gun and started firing randomly.  Rainsford dived out of the way just in time.  Some of the others were not as lucky.  All of the prisoners ran at Ming trying to bring him down, and Ming was not able to target all of them at once.  Rainsford hit him with the Taser.  He jumped on Ming and stole the gun from his hands.  He pointed it at Ming and ended his life right there.
         With help from Frank and the others, Rainsford locked all the guard and servants into the same cages that they had been held in.  Then, they all sat down at the big dinner table and had a big feast.  Rainsford decided that he had never eaten a better meal.