The four of them found themselves approaching a stadium-like structure situated right in the middle of Needles. The building consisted of the very same materials that made up the rest of the city. Sheets of metal and wood were haphazardly bolted and nailed together over a base concrete wall while chains hung across the circumference of the barrier, resembling a twisting and contorting garland. Long neon lights followed the flow of chains as plumes of smoke rose from the various vents that penetrated the building’s side. The surface of the walls seemed to resemble an hourglass of sorts, as the center of the walls concave, before sloping outwards and upwards to the previous base circumference. This created an awning over the area immediately surrounding the walls. From the looming concrete, stadium grade monitors hung and played continuous loops of ancient music videos as well as grainy footage of fights previously held here.
The entrance seemed to be a hole blown into the side of the wall and had decorative spikes bolted around it, with multicolored light bulbs strung around said spikes. Directly above the entrance was a bright neon sign that simply read, “THE HAYSTACK”. Pillars of fire billowed from the pyrotechnics and towered over the main entrance as townsfolk rushed in, practically trampling over each other. This was not the only sight of violence, as around the stadium’s perimeter, it seemed many were perpetually locked in bouts of fisticuffs. Security was even seemingly encouraging it as uniformed officers threw cash into the mass of wrangling bodies.
Kona and Gears paid absolutely no mind to the acts of gratuitous violence being committed not six feet from them as they walked by, instead discussing the best fights they’ve personally ever seen at The Haystack. Teddy attempted to cover Kayda’s eyes as they passed the multitude of fist fights that only continued to grow more violent. Kayda tried to peek over his hand best she could, even though it was a frightening sight, she couldn’t help but be curious. Part of her even wondered if there was anything she could do to stop these people from fighting. Knowing they did not have time for this, she wore a sullen expression as the four of them entered The Haystack.
In the entrance hall, there were a few additional passageways. Directly in front of them was a “grand” staircase made from splintered pieces of wood tied together with strands of stray chicken wire. Milk crates did their best to support the steep steps as lead pipes acted as a sort of rail guard for those ascending the steps into the stands. It was astonishing that the stairs didn’t collapse under the sheer weight of that many people rushing to find their seats. Besides this was a much more sparsely populated entrance that had a neon sign reading above it, “APPLICANTS”.
“Here we are! We don’t have to go the same way as all those schmucks who just wanna watch. This is where ya go if ya wanna be a part of the action yourself and become a living legend! Or kill yourself. That’s showbiz, baby!” Gears said with a hop to his step.
Teddy nervously chuckled and tapped on Gears shoulder before whispering, “Need I remind you that we are in the company of a young lady who is most afraid that we will meet our demise?”
Gears looks at Kona, “She looks fine to me, dude.”
Kona gives a thumbs up, “Yeah, Ted! Don’t worry about me! I have seen death almost every day of my life!”
“I’m not talking about Kona! I’m talking about the child you agreed to help us get home,” said Teddy, his eyes narrowing.
“Take it down a notch, Alfred. We aren’t gonna kick the bucket for real! You gotta have the confidence to laugh at the idea of eating it if you wanna make it two steps out here. I’m sorry if I scared the kid, I got that. But ease up a little, guy. You aren’t gonna ‘wallop some rapscallions’ if you got a stick shoved that far up your ass!” said Gears with his permanent grin.
“I don’t know why you seem so stressed! Didn’t you totally decapitate that assassin lady robot?” Kona interjected excitedly.
“You mean to tell me this guy already has a body count?” said Gears in a surprised tone.
“I suppose that is true, but that is only because of our meticulously thought out plan! The speed in which such a complex plot was formulated is likely unprecedented and I doubt it will happen again any time soon.”
Kona rubbed the back of her head, “Uhm, you just told me to distract her and then you started running up a building to get the jump on her. It was a neato plan but we weren’t exactly pulling an Ocean’s 11.”
“That’s neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is I am growing more unsure of his plan, and my criticism of Gears’s anachronisms is merely a byproduct of that. I mean, he’s refused to even disclose an inkling of what his plan might be.”
“It’s like you’ve never heard of a dramatic pause. I always planned on telling ya when we got here. Even though I’m pretty damn good at winging it, I wouldn’t put you bozos in the line of fire if I didn’t have the proverbial fire extinguisher at the ready,” Gears said confidently.
“Well, do you care to enlighten us? Because the sign up sheet is not ten feet away from us,” Teddy said, trying his best to mask his frustration.
“Of course, if you’ll put a lid on it for a sec,“ Gears said, leading them to the corner of the room, “Alright, so here’s the low down. We ain’t trifling with these low level posers like the schmucks outside. The best we’d get as prize money is some deodorant for Kona here.”
Kona paused and smelled herself before wincing at what she was met with.
“So, we gotta go in there and fight the biggest guy we see, basically! Like, preschool! They always list their biggest guy as some dude named Snake Eyes. Rumor has it, he fought twenty guys about thirty years back and the mess was so bad even the people who run the place blew chunks. And those guys are basically bloodthirsty war lords. But even though all the posters advertise the shit outta him, everyone refuses to fight him. It’s kinda an unspoken thing here in Needles.” Gears said in a hushed tone.
“Yeah! I hear the stories while eavesdropping on people. The janitors didn’t even know whose parts were who’s and they just threw the chunks of flesh in a pit outside town,” Kona said with a chuckle to her voice.
Teddy looked at the both of them with wide eyes, “And you want the THREE of us to fight-”
Kayda interrupted, “Four-”
Teddy shook his head and said softly, “Three. Just us. Anyhow… You want the THREE of us to take down a man who basically shredded TWENTY men?!”
“I heard they were more liquified than anything,” Kona interrupted.
“Neither of those things are gonna happen to us! Besides, I’m already shredded!” said Gears.
“Wow,” said Teddy, already growing dejected.
“Like I said, we ain’t going in strategically naked. Look, here at The Haystack, it’s written clear as day that ANYTHING goes in the ring. NOTHING is considered cheating, so we’re gonna pull out the stops to make sure this guy doesn’t do nothing to us! Just enough to make sure he taps out. Sooo, that’s why I have these babies,” Gears said, opening his upper chest storage compartment.
Within Gears were six neatly stacked landmines, all of them seemingly in pristine condition and ready to be activated. He proudly presented them and began to hand them out to Kona and Teddy, the both of them dumbfounded as they took his rather peculiar gift. Kona and Teddy shared confused glances before returning their gaze back to Gears.
“Ain’t it all coming together? I told y’all we weren’t gonna be out there with our thumbs in our asses. So here’s the skinny. Ted, you gotta do what you do best and act like a spaz and get the guy’s attention. Do ANYTHING you can. Be annoying, flail around. Basically, just be yourself,” Gears chuckled.
“And what about me?” Kona asked.
Gears handed her an additional device, “Set these bad boys up, and once they’re done, do your best to get his attention. Lure him to your mine locations and when he’s near I’ll try to detonate them when you’re at a safe distance. While Kona is doing that, Teddy, you start setting up your mines and if he tries to go for you again, you lure him to your mines. Your mines are more of an extra measure if Kona’s don’t get him. It’s best to lay the battlefield with all we got!”
“Oh! A baton pass! Like what the pioneers did with dysentery!” Kona exclaimed.
“I am so thankful that both of you are equally as annoying. Any maniac would love to gut you guys,” said Gears, closing his compartment back up.
“Aw, that’s so sweet.”
“Anyways, are you satisfied? Is my plan up to snuff?” Gears said, confidently looking at Teddy.
Teddy’s eyes darted back and forth, “I mean, it isn’t the worst plan one could formulate. I could see us working with this. It isn’t like we have much of a choice either. I apologize for doubting you, Gears. The nerves are simply getting to me.”
“Just always assume I know what I’m doing and we’ll get little Kayda home in no time flat. Now then! Are we ready to kick some stranger’s ass and potentially make him lose a limb or two?”
“Preferably not the last part-”
“Alright, let’s go then!” Gears said, leading the way to the reception desk.
A sense of unease washed over Teddy even though he was more than satisfied with the plan presented to him. If anything, actually having a concrete plan now made everything feel all too real. This was no longer just an idea. He looked over to Kayda who was following close behind, seemingly not too happy about the fact that the three of them are already putting so much on the line for her. She seemed disheartened when Teddy immediately dissuaded the notion of her participating in the fight. Teddy would rather be mutilated twice over before any harm would befall her. He did not want to experience even a fraction of the dread he felt when he thought he lost her. If he were to fail her in any way, what reason did he even have to be here? What would be the reason behind his sudden awakening if not to help her? He dreaded thinking of his existence beyond helping Kayda. If he couldn’t do something as simple as assisting a helpless child, what benefit does he even really hold? Does he deserve this sudden chance at life when so many have lost theirs in this new, cruel world? Such thoughts instilled a sobering sense of dread that weighed on his conscience. Over and over again a singular question beat down on him. Who am I?
However in past instances, and especially this instance, he elected to ignore these feelings for a bit longer, as he noticed Kayda growing more and more wary. The two shared an uneasy glance before Teddy lowered himself down to her eye level. He dusted off ash that perpetually spilled onto her shoulder from the rafters above. She smiled lightly at this gesture of concern before shifting back to a concerned expression.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Right-o, what are we feeling right now?” Teddy inquired.
“Same thing as last time… I can help if you guys want! I can fight! I fought some bullies back home and I think-”
Teddy shook his head, “Now, now. I know you know that those fighting in that ring are not your run of the mill bullies looking to steal pocket change. These are bloodthirsty people looking to really hurt whoever they face. They aren’t afraid to kill others. I doubt you’ve encountered anyone like that before, Miss Kayda.”
Kayda winced, shakily looking down while grasping her upper left arm with her right hand, “Y-Yeah, I’ve never met anyone like that…”
“Indeed, so please do not fret. Leave this to us adults. We have this handled. I wouldn’t proceed with Gears’s plans unless I was certain.”
Kayda nodded, “I know, I just wish I could be of more help to you guys.”
“Trust me, cheering for us is all the help we’ll need! Make sure to cheer very loudly! Once it’s all over, meet us in this room. We’ll collect our reward and make for the train, post haste!”
Kayda forced a smile and nodded again, “Alright… Go out there and kick some butt!”
“Very well!” Teddy looked to Kona and Gears, “Excuse us for a moment, you two get situated with the proper paperwork and I’ll get her somewhere she could watch. From a safe distance, of course.”
“Don’t worry, Kayda! If it gets bad, it won’t be THAT bloody! I’m the only one that bleeds! These two will just be dead. Like animals being put down.”
“God damn, do you hear the things you say sometimes?” Gears said, shocked, but soon began laughing, as he was caught off guard.
Kayda simply giggled as Teddy eagerly escorted her away, before either Gears or Kayda could say something else alarming.
Teddy quickly took her to the stands and found a seat close up front that seemed safe. With what few funds Gears was willing to issue, he even purchased her a bag of popcorn and a bottle of water. When she was situated in a seat he presumed to be safe, he quickly returned to Kona and Gears, who were waiting in line to get signed up to participate in that day’s matches.
During their meticulous discussion, the lobby for sign ups quickly filled with folks eager to fight and make decent coin, as all manner of individuals surrounded the now group of three. Many of them were adorned in outrageous and flamboyant costumes, seemingly performing characters for the sake of theatrics. However, many of their wounds and missing appendages were all too real. Most of the humans had a replacement robotic limb or two, which only added to the spectacle of their costumes. Some robots had replacement organic limbs as well. The trio chose to ignore the ramifications of this and decided to not dwell on it.
The three of them almost found themselves at the front of the line, behind one last person before it was their turn to sign up and pick their fighting class. They stood quietly, their nerves beginning to slowly gnaw at them, as even Gears was getting a little agitated the longer they waited, as the guy in front of them was taking far too long to get situated.
The clerk up front rubbed his temples in frustration, “So… you’re the Milk Man?”
“Yeah.”
“And your thing is that you spray milk-”
“NO. How is this THAT hard? I’m the Milk Man, I’m lactose intolerant. I drink a shit ton of milk, shit myself, and fight my opponent like that. No one wants to fight a guy covered in-.”
“Ah, biological warfare. My kinda guy. I got you down for the sixth match. Go ahead and wait in the green room down that way and wait for your name to be called,” the clerk flatly remarked.
The man dressed as a 1950’s milkman simply nodded and sauntered off as an exasperated Teddy, Kona, and Gears approached the counter. Gears snatched the pen from a nearby cup and simply wrote their names on the application form and handed it over to the clerk. The clerk looked the three of them up and down with an unimpressed stare before taking the form and began to type something on a nearby typewriter. The awkward silence permeated the air as he finally spoke up.
“Okay, so what? You guys wanna join the lightweight class? The wait time is gonna be long, you’re looking at maybe the 74th match tonight, and the pay isn’t really-”
Gears simply leaned forward and whispered, “Snake Eyes.”
The man’s eyes widened in shock and terror as he began to choke on the sunflower seeds he had unenthusiastically been chewing on. Punching his chest to clear his cough, he spat out the gray clump of seed matter onto the counter, some of it splashing onto Kona’s face. She wiped her cheek with an annoyed expression, while Teddy offered a handkerchief. As soon as the clerk’s coughing fit ceased, he looked at them with a ghastly stare, as the color began to drain from his face. The words were ripped from his mouth, while his form continued to stiffen. The three of them eagerly awaited his response as he paced around his office, struggling to remember what the procedure even is for this kind of thing.
He wiped the drool from his mouth and leaned forward, “Are you guys… sure?”
“Is a baboon’s ass red?” Gears responded confidently.
The clerk nodded, “Well, hope you guys have the funeral already planned.”
Before the others could interject, the clerk grabbed a nearby red telephone and brought the receiver to his face before whispering something into it. Almost immediately, sirens began to blare as the TV screen that hung above them that listed the planned matches went blank, before a single match reappeared at the number one slot. It simply read, “Teddy, Gears, and Kona vs. Snake Eyes”. Upon seeing this, the crowd in the lobby went ballistic, some upset that their matches had been canceled, others in awe that they’ll be able to see Snake Eyes for the first time in years. People ran to and fro, not knowing what to do, excited they’ll be seeing a once in a lifetime event in a few moments.
“What the hell? They’re acting like it’s the second coming or something!” Gears said in confusion as the crowd around them grew more agitated.
Teddy looked at him, “You did basically request a monster to come out of retirement! This is something no sane person has done in Needles in over thirty years! This isn’t a typical Tuesday now!”
“Yeah! It’s Monday! And, I kinda like all this! Makes me feel like one of the cool kids in one of those old high school movies!” Kona said, laughing at the insanity of the crowd that grew only more excited.
“If the cool kids volunteered for a public execution and the school collectively began to shit itself, then yeah, I could see that!” Gears retorted.
Soon, a pair of guards shoved past the frenzied crowd and escorted the three of them down the hall, but past the green room. They took note of this, and along with the previous erratic behavior of everyone else, they couldn’t help but feel unease take over them as the two burly men practically shoved them down the winding hall that presumably led to the ring. Teddy had already begun regretting the plan since he first heard the discussion between the clerk and the Milk Man, Kona had been distracted this entire time as she couldn’t help but admire the accuracy of the Milk Man’s costume, while Gears wondered if the Milk Man’s strategy was even viable. Only two things were on their minds as they approached certain doom. The Milk Man, and Snake Eyes.
The guards continued to push the trio along past the various green rooms that lined the lab-like hallway, not giving them a moment to catch their breath as they practically had to run to avoid being trampled by the guards.
Gears grunted, “God damn what were you two fed growing up? Looks like you two could have spared some food to some of the other scrawny kids around this hell hole-”
Before they had a chance to process it all, they were thrown right into the ring of The Haystack itself. They tumbled onto the sand-covered ring as clouds of dust surrounded them from their impact. Almost immediately, the iron gates slammed down behind them, trapping them in the arena. They slowly got up and dusted themselves off, however, they were not offered even a second of respite after their abrupt foray into the match, as beams of blinding stadium lights bathed them in a white glow. Dusk loomed over the stadium as twilight encroached on the isolated desert town. The intense, brilliant glow of the sun soon disappeared over the lip of the arena while a cool, yet foreboding chill enraptured not only them, but the crowd who waited with baited breath.
The crowd sitting in the stands above were a stark contrast to the frenzy they had seen in the lobby not too long ago. Many were even looking away, afraid to watch even though the fight had not even started yet. For some, though they feigned guilt and fear, deep down, they anticipated the carnage to come, their teeth gritted into twisted smiles while their faces gave the pretense of fear. Others looked on in genuine fear of what’s to come, as the stories of the demon beneath The Haystack were only ever told in hushed tones, short of a local urban legend. Though these sets of people stood in opposition to one another, they shared one common thing. Curiosity. After all, when tragedy befalls, we all struggle to look away, as if deep down we are desperately in need to be reminded just how fragile we really are.
The trio’s eyes adjusted to the beaming rays of lights as they took note of the sheer number of people, eagerly awaiting their demise. The audience stood high above, not unlike an executioner at one’s final moments. The three of them stepped forward to the center of the arena, Gears trying his best to feign bravery, Teddy noting to himself that if he could sweat, he would, and Kona actually sweating as the collar of her shirt grew damp. The air grew still and stagnant as silence choked everyone there.
Finally, the sickening quiet was pierced by one small, innocent voice.
“Teddy! Gears! Kona! You can do it!” yelled Kayda at the top of her lungs as she stood up and cheered, “I know you guys got this!”
Her cheers were enough to shatter the silence in not only the crowd, but the trio down below. As murmuring and chattering began to fill the arena, the crowd becoming restless, Gears stepped forward with his arms crossed.
“Alright then! Where’s Tiny? I gotta meet my ass kicking quota for today! I know y’all have him! Is he scared? WE’RE READY!” Gears erupted.
With this, the crowd lost it. Soon, they were no different than the crowd of potential fighters in the lobby. The arena erupted into a symphony of cheers and boos as people quickly took sides to who they were rooting for. Soon, it was hard to discern the wills of the populace at large, as it all eventually coagulated into pure noise.
The wailing of the audience quickly ceased however, as a voice resounded on the giant speakers that lined the circumference of the stadium.
“ROBOTS, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO ANOTHER JUICY, RED NIGHT AT THE HAYSTACK! AS I’M SURE YOU’RE ALL AWARE, WE GOT A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU ALL TONIGHT! LOOKS LIKE TO ME WE GOT A SUICIDE PACT DOWN THERE, AS THEY ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE IN OVER THIRTY YEARS TO REQUEST THE ONE, THE ONLY… SNAKE EYES! AND, WHO ARE WE TO DENY SOMEONE THE RIGHT TO DIE ON THEIR OWN TERMS? WHO’S READY FOR SOME BLOODSHED! COME ON, EVERYONE! SNAKE EYES CAN’T WAKE UP WITHOUT YOUR HELP! MAKE SOME NOISE AND WAKE IT UP!”
The crowd again erupted into a deafening roar as they all began to cheer “Snake Eyes” over and over again. The volume reached a pitch where the three of them could feel the vibrations from it all even at their level. Gears gave Teddy and Kona a confident nod, signaling Kona to ready her landmines, and reminding Teddy of his role as the diversion. Their bodies stiffened as they readied themselves to face merely their opponent, and hopefully not death itself.
Kona took a pause and looked at Gears once more. “Wait, did the announcer say ‘It’?”
Before any of them could acknowledge her observation, they soon began to feel the ground vibrate once more. But, this time, the intensity was far more than anything a stadium of spectators could muster, even at impossible levels of excitement. Teddy struggled to keep his balance as Kona and Gears almost immediately fell over and struggled to pick themselves up. The quaking created some distance between the three, with Teddy finding himself much farther from them than before. So that they may not start at a disadvantage, Teddy began to make his way to the both of them, and help them up Teddy noticed Gears around forty feet from him, extending his arm as he approached him. Gears extended his arm as well and began practically crawling towards Teddy for help.
However, before they could reach each other, all three of them were thrown backwards as something billowed and exploded from the sand, sending plumes of gravel and dirt upward, creating clouds of ash that began to obscure the scene. Soon, the shaking stopped as the sound of screeching metal could be heard. What could only be described as nails scratching stainless steel could be heard echoing across the battlefield. The three of them could not discern where or what the ghastly sound was originating from, the screech enveloping every square inch of the stadium, flowing with the swirling winds of dust and soot.
The horrible, blood curdling sound of tearing metal could still be heard as Teddy got to his feet. The noise was unlike anything he had heard before. Before he knew it though, the sound ceased as the dust clouds continued to swirl around him. The air was so thick he could not even see the spectators above, the ashen clouds enough to block the blistering stadium lights. He could not even hear the audience, as their jubilant awes had long faded. Whatever they saw, it was enough to silence them once more. The air grew as sickening and stagnant as it once was when they first entered this blood-soaked theater. He paced around, hesitant to trudge too far, lest he become a pile of spare parts.
“Kona? Gears?” He whispered out, too scared to move any farther.
As darkness enveloped him, he began to grow more and more panicked. But, before he could do anything, a singular red light pierced through the sandy fog and shined down on him. Apprehension overtook him as he took a step back, staring upward at the source of the blood red glow that bathed him. From the light’s source, he could hear a distinct chittering sound, not unlike chainsaw blades being gently rubbed together. He gasped in astonishment as the light grew brighter and clouds dissipated.