Tick Tock Part Four - The Mouse Fell Down

The First Royale

Phck...Gavin wasn't sure if his food had been drugged or if he'd been knocked out again, but he felt too groggy to have fallen asleep naturally. He was also pretty sure the noise would have woken him up. There was a heavy slapping sound, like hands slamming on a distant window. His brow pinched as he roused himself, barely making out the sound of a voice screaming his name. A young voice. A girl. Sandy? It was definitely someone he knew. His protective instincts kicked in, forcing him to open his eyes with a wince and push himself up. Sitting up so far made his head spin and a heavy fog still lingered as he looked around.

He was on a camping cot. No pillow or blanket, so clearly not somewhere he was supposed to stay long term. As he sat up, he noticed a sheer glass wall. Is it glass, or some kind of plexiglass? It didn't matter either way. He wouldn't be able to break it without a weapon. Straight ahead was an open space with various items scattered across the floor. A long wooden bat, a sledgehammer, a smaller claw hammer, a hunting knife, a machete, and what looked like a cattle prod. What is this Battle Royale bullshit? He was so busy puzzling over the scattered items, he didn't notice the small figure in an identical glass cell to his right.

"Kitty?" He hadn't seen her since her father's funeral when she was eight years old, which mean she had to be around twelve. She was taller, of course, more mature and filled out. Her skin was flushed, eyes puffy where she'd clearly been crying. Her hair was long and straight, a little darker than Jack's and kept loose about her shoulders. She was wearing black leggings and a short tartan skirt with a tight black top with Daddy's Girl printed across the front in swirling silver text. By the dark smudges around her eyes, he guessed she was wearing makeup too. She was just hitting maturity, likely going through that early rebellious phase. He certainly didn't think Sandy would have let her go out looking like that. "Kitty!"

"Uncle Gavin! Uncle Gavin!" Shit, he hated not being close to her. It was hard to comfort her from a distance, to see her slapping at the glass wall and hear her wailing for him. His own heart raced as he assessed the situation. There was no way in hell the Hickory Killer would think he'd kill his own Goddaughter, so there had to be a catch. He swallowed hard as he looked across to the other side of the room. There was another cell sitting opposite Kitty's. He didn't know the occupant of that cell, but from the snarl on his lips and the way he kept eyeing them, he knew he was bad news. Kitty's frantic blue eyes darted back and forth between them, fearful and desperate.

"Just stay calm, alright? I'm right here! You're going to be fine!" He'd make sure of it. His plan was obvious. The Hickory Killer was going to set them loose and whoever won got the girl or got to live. The man in the other cell had the advantage in size. He was huge! About a foot taller, and half as wide. He was dressed in a white T-shirt that barely contained his chest and gut, with an open plaid shirt over the top. Even his jeans looked tight, stretching over his muscular thighs and calves like they didn't make them big enough. Maybe they didn't. The only thing that seemed to fit were his dusty brown boots. Gavin didn't know what his day job was, and he didn't want to know.

He could have been a professional wrestler with all the muscle he had, which meant he'd have to be quick. His smaller size would give him the speed and dexterity advantage, but if that guy got his hands on him, it would be game over. That meant heavy weaponry was out. Something like the sledgehammer would only slow him down. On a normal day on the job, he'd aim to incapacitate and hope someone came along to find him, but with an innocent life on the line, and no hope of rescue, he couldn't afford to be merciful. Not with Kitty.

"Gavin, so nice of you to join us. Kitty and Malcolm have just been getting acquainted." From the terrified sob that fled her lips, Gavin assumed Kitty was less than pleased to meet him. Her cheeks were still wet with tears as she wailed and slapped the glass, which only seemed to amuse Malcolm more as he folded his arms and laughed at her. Gavin swallowed hard. The Hickory Killer wouldn't bring just anyone to face off against him. It had to be someone ruthless who wouldn't hesitate to kill Kitty once they finished with him. "I told you we'd start off simple, so here are the rules. Only two of you will leave this room alive. You may use any weapons you chose and take any side you choose." Gavin knew what that meant. If they wanted to, they could kill the weakest member and get out without a proper fight, but no way was he pulling that shit. Looking at Malcolm, he didn't think he was up for that either. "You may start once the doors open." Shit!