Image created by me using Canva
Please note, the dragon on the image has nothing to do with the story, just looks great with the blue, I think 😂😂
I could feel the sweat drip in my shirt as the car pulled up at the driveway of the hotel.
I looked at the invitation card again, checking if I was at the right address.
119 Family Close, Reunion Hotel and Suites.
"Yep, it's the right place." I say within myself.
"Would you like me to accompany you sir?"
My bodyguard and driver, Brolly asked, surely noticing my nervousness.
I gave him a clearly fake and distressed smile and said;
"Don't worry Bro, I'll be alright."
The reassurance didn't seem to convince him, honestly it didn't convince me either.
I took a big breath and walked into the hotel, the interior was lavish and beautiful.
Everything sparkled and glittered, showing the exquisite taste of the filthy rich.
One thing that was odd is that there was no one else in the hall.
A waiter walked up to me..
"Mr Pit, I would show you the way."
I noticed how the waiter called me by Pit instead of my newly formed name Peter.
We walked past a lot of rooms, all empty except for some maids clearly trying to keep themselves busy as I passed.
I looked in amusement as I saw one trying to clean a pet fish in a bedroom.
After some more equally funny rooms, we stopped at the door of one.
Room 137
"Your room Sir", the waiter gestured to me. I walked inside and admired the Television and center table, the only thing of note in the room.
"The meeting will start shortly."
The waiter informed me then closed the door behind him.
I walked around the room, wondering what this is all about.
I took a look at the invitation card once again.
Willy Red a.k.a Wire
He wasn't meant to be out in the open, neither was he meant to have the money to be able to plan such an event for a *'Simple get-together.'
"What the hell have I gotten myself into." I lamented out loud.
"Peter?" I heard my name called but muffled.
"Peter?" I heard it again, leaving the bed, I put my ear on the walls, listening.
"Who's that?" I asked while putting my ear and listening.
"Peter, is it really you?"
The voice came from the wall adjoining the next room.
I rapped on it and found out it was quite thin.
"Yeah it's Peter, who's this?"
The voice started laughing. A laughter I knew all too well.
"Bertrand!!" I answered my question.
"That's right you blasted idiot." Bertrand said, still laughing.
"Boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one who was foolish to come here." He replied .
I stopped laughing too, the air of amusement and joy of finding a friend in such a cold place was replaced by the reality of how cold the place actually is.
"Do you think he's actually out?" I asked Bertrand.
"The fact that both of us were invited here is mere proof that he got out... and he actually made it big." Bertrand answered, confirming my fears.
"Pit, Beat and Wire... The fearsome 3 are back together." Bertrand said out loud and started laughing again.
"Those are old names and that was a long time ago." I tell my old prison comrade.
Remembering the time on the Rock.
"You know if it really is him, we may have created history here." Bertrand says again.
"You think he's mad?" I asked nervously, remembering Wire's infamous anger tantrums and the incident that happened on our escape.
"Of course he would be mad, anyone would be angry to have bullets put in him." Bertrand said, still laughing.
I was amazed that he still had his habit of laughing in dangerous situations like this.
Indeed I was always the only normal person in the group.
The Tv across the room crackled to life and a timer began counting down.
30:00:00
"Hey Beat, the Tv showing you a countdown in your room?" I asked him as I watched the Tv curiously.
"Yeah", he said before he burst into a fit of giggles.
"30 mins till what?" I asked him.
"I'm coming in.." he shouted, his voice a bit fainter.
In a flash he dashed right through the wall separating our rooms.
"Hey captain", he said now in my room, leaving a man-shaped hole on the wall.
"You idiot!!" I shouted at him and he started laughing again.
"You're bleeding out of your head." I remarked watching the drop of blood fall out his chin.
Although I doubt the meat head would even notice such a miniature wound, probably something that'll close within the hour.
He dusted the plaster and paint off his flower patterned shirt and baggy trousers, and it seems he decided to live his new life on the beach, probably fishing or something.
"Best decision I've made, leaving Hawaii to come to this place."
I looked at him as though there was something wrong with his head, then I realized something might actually be.
Suddenly another container popped out from the sitting table in the middle of my room.
I went and saw knuckle rings, and a bat.
"Hey Pit, you know what this is right?"
Bertrand asked me while collecting the knuckle rings.
"Yeah", I answered gravely as the whole situation sunk in.
I watched Bertrand put on the rings and flex his punching skills, stretching his muscles and laughing.
"Does he actually think he alone can beat 2 of the big 3, and I thought I was crazy." I watched as he enjoyed the thought of a free for all between the 3 best fighters in The Rock's prison history.
I looked at the timer, 25 mins remaining.
"You remember the legend and the pride of the Old Rock?" I asked Bertrand.
"Haa!" He laughed shortly. "That Old Rock? How could I forget."
"Bunch of stuck up bastards they were."
"Only 1 in a Million would ever see better days."
Bertrand recited the saying with mock pride, even holding his hand to his heart and doing a salute.
"Yet here we are." I say now laughing.
"You know what the Prison Warden said when our escape plan was snitched on?"
2 people making it out does not even sound logical.
3 people making it out is mission impossible.
"Yet here we are!" Bertrand said laughing.
"I would like to visit there again, that Cook's Friday soup was heavenly." He said wistfully.
"Only you would escape and still want to go back to your cell only for a bowl of soup." I laugh out looking at him.
I looked at the timer with 15 mins remaining.
"Are you ready?" I asked Bertrand.
"Been ready for a while now. As always, 30 minutes is too much time to wait."
He said, jogging up and air boxing.
I looked at his physique, the impressive muscles and intimidating gait, didn't seem to have dropped after he left prison.
Unlike me who let go of a lot of things.
"You're not planning to enter the game like that are you?" Bertrand asks me.
"You're not Pit, you said your name was Peter right?" He asked again, coming closer to me.
"I'm not a fighter anymore." I smiled and looked at him.
"That's boring, the only reason I've not ran through that measly door is because I don't know if you're ready." I shivered in fear at the thought of gun fire and unbridled violence.
Yet a deep part of me shuddered for a different reason.
"Wire is surely planning to kill us." Bertrand continued.
"Now I don't know about you, but I'll rather fight to be able to say I won't fight again than not fight and then die."
I looked at the clock again, wondering if Wire would go through with this.
"We're friends right." I said in dismay..
"Why put us in such a stupid game?"
"30 minutes in and out was made by you. A game made to torture and kill a group of people mentally and physically.
30 minutes of waiting, then 30 minutes of fierce fighting, then 30 minutes of waiting again, till there's only one survivor.
A game meant to break even the strongest of men. A game that could only be made by the man I respected and feared the most....
Destructive Pit, would you be victorious or fall victim to your game?
For the first time I'll play by the rules and wait till the 30 minutes are over, but know this. If you don't let him out, you will die...
Then you escaped the Rock for nothing."
He stood up, walked to the wall and sat down and rested his back on the wall then fell asleep. Just after giving out such a conflicting speech.
I looked at the bat in my hands, and watched the clock as it slowly yet surely counted down.
I dreaded the power to hurt people I had inside me.
The clock reached 5 mins and started to blink.
I could hear the soldiers gathering at the other side of the door by now.
"Would I be able to control him?"
I asked myself, the only reason why I was able to lock him in is because in the real world there was close to no reason to be violent.
I remembered the last time I lost control in the cell, killing 15 men with my bare hands.
Although they were labeled as death row inmates, ending their life a little sooner doesn't make the hurt better.
It was a minute now and I knew I had no choice.
I let Pit out, slowly backing off and giving him control over my body, relishing in the increase of my heartbeat and the jolt in my blood he brought with the sight of a potential battle.
I could sense the soldiers behind the door even better, 20 men.
00:00:00
The door started opening.
I exuded all my bloodlust and directed it straight at the door.
Immediately Bertrand stood up, holding his metal knuckle rings in a defensive position.
Using the metal bat, I drew a line on the floor.
"If you know, you have a good chance of beating any of us here. Cross the line." I said to the men at the door.
"If you know you want to live, throw your weapons to the floor and walk to the side of the door now."
All of them immediately threw their weapons on the ground and went to the sides of the room.
"Nice to have you back, Pit." He laughed and slapped my back.
"Feels great to be back Beat. Now come, we have a reunion to attend."
We walked out the room and on the digital clock in the lobby, the timer showed again.
29:59:59
Written using The Inkwell Monthly Prompt for April: Reunion