Grimm Games

Chapter 21: Twisted Duty

The growl of the Wolfman caused us all to cover our ears. The sound, a mixture of a lion's roar and a vicious canine's howl, sent chills down my spine just as it would when face-to-face with those animals.

Spencer and Dylan flattened their tall, brawny bodies against the back of their chain-link confinement, trying to keep far away from the mangy-looking monstrosity. Its patchy black fur couldn't quite conceal the sickly gray skin beneath.

Crouched on all fours, the Wolfman remained illuminated in the spotlight while the colossal screen over the playfield and the host's commentary shifted focus. The host had moved on, transitioning to the next captivating and dangerous moment after Jade and Millie emerged from the well of water.

"What do we do?" Jade looked to me for an answer.

Millie huffed. "Not our problem."

"They're good people," I added, hoping to change her mind.

"Not everyone who looks like you is a good person, Sis."

I shook my head at the irony in her statement. "They helped me." I gestured to the magnet as proof. "They didn't have to, but they did."

"The less competition the better." Millie finally swiped her drenched white stands from her forehead. "You forget where you're at, Kam. This isn't the streets or the community. Saving them isn't your duty. This is a competition where the entire point is to be the last ones standing."

I shook my head in disapproval and seized Jade's hand. There wasn't time for us to check in on each other or express relief at still being alive. Instead, we did what we always did—plunged straight into action.

The wet snout on the scrunched human face squeezed through one of the holes of the chain link fence, sniffing the brothers' fear as if that was all it needed to be satiated. Clear strands of saliva and snot melded together and strings of it dribbled from the creature's gaping muzzle.

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to grab its attention. Deep down, I knew it was unlikely to work. I understood the beast wouldn't listen, wouldn't just turn and stroll away. Yet, if we could manage to get it to focus on us and not the brothers, it upped their odds of survival.

Maybe all they needed was a bit of time to figure a way out, and perhaps with me helping it could demonstrate my willingness to repay a favor, to support when needed.

Jade joined me, taking my cue. "Leave them alone, you asshole!"

Millie sighed, and I wasn't sure if it was in response to our attempts to help or Jade's use of a swear word. "Ugh. Let's try to get them out of that thing." Millie finally took the lead, getting further from the raised stage and water well to meet the brothers at the fence.

Another spotlight flashed on, illuminating the brothers in its beam. It lit Millie when she crossed into the light as she approached the fence.

Jade and I were swift on her heels, protected from the half man, half canine creature by the ten-foot-tall fence that spanned the perimeter of the staging arena.

Dylan aimed the sharpened end of his staff at the snout of the beast, ready to strike but obviously afraid of escalating its anger. "Get us out of here."

Spencer flattened his body against the chain linked mesh which warped and bowed from his weight, but the door refused to budge. "They locked us in here." He signaled to Millie with a frantic wave. "I'm trying but can't get it open."

Together, Millie, Jade, and I inserted our fingers through the gaps to get enough leverage to pull the door open. We tampered with the area where a lock should have been, but the door still wouldn't budge. It seemed to be controlled electronically.