Helluva Family (18+)

Ch. 11: Show Your Resolve

The clock hit ten seconds. As it counted down the air felt so heavy. Each tick felt like a gunshot. At this point, words didn't even begin to describe how Jack was feeling.

Every second.

An eternity as the clock reached zero.

Jack stood there as the horn blared, what he assumed meant the start of the game. He was in no way confident but needed to show he could be as strong as Loona in his own way.

Wally Wackford: "And with that, the Bloodmas Games begin! The toughest of the tough are here, so let's see 'em kill till the last one standing!"

This whole game pissed Jack right off but there was nothing he could change. A random thought surfaced in his head. He completely forgot! He searched both his pockets, feeling instant relief. Wackford didn't take Loona's gift. He felt the box in his pocket with his hand. A smile formed beneath his mask.

Meanwhile, Loona stood behind him, her head down. Her words were fresh in her mind. She felt horrible for saying what she said and not knowing how he would perceive it. Jack had already proven he was strong to her many times, but the demons of hell were on a different level. She didn't want to imagine if he faced a hellhound in there. Sure, he had taken down a hellhound before but this was a death tournament, meaning no one here was going to toy with him. In the end, she was just trying to protect him.

The other factor was the fact that Jack wasn't a killer, the demons in here were going to be a different story. A grab of her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts. Jack was facing her, his eyes showing determination.

Jack: "Let's get moving. Staying in one place will only make us a target."

Loona: "But we'll also have a higher chance of running into another contestant."

Jack: "Not if we stick to the perimeter. People are most likely going to engage further towards the center."

A gunshot in the distance confirmed his theory. It also confirmed that weapons must have been scattered around. His plan slowly shifted because of this information. Jack believed if they could avoid as much fighting as possible and obtain a weapon, they had a better chance of winning.

Jack: "C'mon!"

Loona: "O-Ok!"

Jack grabbed her hand and ran towards the nearest wall. They slowed their pace as they followed along the perimeter. Yells and screams could be heard from different directions. They were hard to hear over the audience's applause and cheers. Jack kept keeping tabs on his peripheral.

He couldn't tell just how much time passed as they walked. Jack also didn't know how many contestants there were. He felt a pull on his hand.

Loona: "Look."

Loona had pointed out the big screen from before. Now, instead of a timer, a large map of the arena was shown. Several little red dots were illuminated on the map, which Jack could only assume as the contestants. He could easily spot his and Loona's dots, as they were the only ones on the edge of the map.

Then something caught his eye. A singular red dot had started moving. Moving in their direction specifically. Jack quickly looked at Loona. He felt like his blood turned to ice.