A little bit dangerous

Chapter 27 : The match

Will stayed two weeks in hospital and one more week at home before going back to school. Joyce was relieved every day to see him ok; his scar was still hurting, but the doctor told them it was normal and that it would disappear with the time.

Joyce talked with Clarissa many times. She still didn't know what happened in jail, as Clarissa wasn't allowed to tell her, but she understood that she had multiple traumas and that she needed professionals help. For now, she was in a center of rehabilitation which accepted to welcome her to, at least, help her to find new habits, a job, and those kinds of things. Even if Max was feeling a bit bad for abandoning her like that, she was relieved to not have her at home anymore and to know she was in good hands. And she wasn't far, so she could see her often, and Clarissa could take a walk outside the center with her cousin one time per month. She was still harassed by the four teens, but she didn't want them to control her life, she tried to ignore them or to not show them she was scared, but she was sure it didn't work. At least she wasn't scared enough to lock herself in.

Joyce and Hopper met at the man's office. It was the date mentioned on the invitation that Hopper received months ago. They took his car and went to the address written. It wasn't really an address; it was geographic coordinates leading to an arena in the middle of the desert. The man parked his car with the others, while people were waiting in line to enter.

- "I don't like that," said Joyce.

- "Me neither."

- "It smells like a trap."

- "I don't think it's a trap, not for us."

- "What do you mean?"

- "A jail sending invitations in an arena, I don't think we're here to see a play," stated Hopper.

- "Let see what they prepared us."

While the two adults joined the line, in another room hidden underground, a young girl was doing warm-ups. She spent the day before in a moving vehicle before waking up here. The elephant told her it was in a few hours now. Jane didn't know what was going to happen, but she was ready to fight for her freedom.

Hopper and Joyce stayed half an hour in line before being searched to finally enter the arena. The place was full of people of every age and every class. They followed the signs to find their seats, took four stairs, to finally arrive at their floor. Armed men were there as security guards, and booths to bet were at each opening to join the seats.

- "Bets? We don't even know what's happening," told Joyce.

- "It's your first time, right?" smiled a guy behind a booth.

- "We look this lost?" answered Hopper.

- "I've been working here for years now; I can recognize when it's the first time of someone. You're certainly an important person to be invited."

- "I don't know, I don't think I am, I'm still wondering why I'm here."

- "Because you're curious. You won't be disappointed. You wanna bet on someone today? I would advise you to bet for the last match, it's the most important part of this day, the rest it's just for entertainment. We don't really know who the fighters are, we just know their measurements."

- "Their measurements?" frowned Joyce.

- "Yeah, height, weight, age, and all those things that can help people to bet on the right one."

Hopper and Joyce took a look on the papers with all this information. The title made them shiver.

- "Deathmatch? It's just for the name, right? It's not a real deathmatch, right?" asked Hopper with a nervous smile.