《Fighter》 One One Stormy music lilted through the room. A man, accompanied by a guitar, a violin and a piano, sung about a long-lost love. An argument in the corner had erupted and been escalating for the last few minutes and the tension in the room had built to match their volume. The timber and stone room was lit from a single fireplace and a few candles that were attached to the walls. The slippery floor hid the layers of thick stickiness underneath and the whole place was brought to rowdy life by the constant smell of acrid smoke. ¡°You fucking cheated me you pissant!¡± These were the words that had started the fight, and the accuser had incessantly repeated the insult through the chaos as though he couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Tristan Fitzpatrick, a man in his late forties with a flat cap and dirty coat that covered his even grimier, white work clothes. Curly orange hair poked out from underneath his cap and muttonchop sideburns framed his rough face. He had just lost forty pounds in a game of poker, all the money he had left. His rock-hard fist mashed the nose of his intended target. Red blood burst forth and the man fell like a sack of potatoes. The man on the ground was Jimmy Byrne. He was a runt of a man in his late twenties. Thick, shaggy black hair and a pencil moustache did little to hide his juvenile face. His brown pants and white shirt were faded and much too big for his frame. The brown suspenders did little to help. He had just won forty pounds. Though the screaming match had been considered an entertainment by some and a nuisance by others, the hit was enough for the owner to step in. The music stopped. ¡°Tristan, that¡¯s enough. Any more of that and you won¡¯t be welcome back here for a long time.¡± The owner was an older balding man, and he looked like the type of person you didn¡¯t want to cross in a back alley. ¡°Trevor, this man cheated me. I¡¯m telling ya. I¡¯m the best poker player around here, and this guy fucked me over.¡± Tristan removed his hat and ran his hand through the curly mop of orange hair. ¡°Help him off the floor, will ya?¡± Trevor instructed two of the locals to lift the skinny man up. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°First off, you can¡¯t just blame someone for cheating just coz they beat you in poker. As good as you may be, someone better will come along. Second, you know I don¡¯t tolerate that kinda bullshit in here. You alright kid?¡± Trevor pointed a fat, chafed finger at Jimmy. ¡°Yeah, I am. Bit sore though.¡± ¡°Ah, of course you are. I been on the receiving end of a few of them punches myself. Hurt like hell. Fancy a pint?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you. A Guinness would be great.¡± ¡°Get this kid a pint and a rag.¡± Trevor walked over to Jimmy. ¡°You can give him an apology.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Jimmy walked toward Tristan with his hand out. Trevor gave him a hearty slap on the back and a few cards fell to the floor. ¡°Hold on.¡± Trevor picked the cards up and looked at Jimmy with a vicious snarl. ¡°I suggest you give the money back to Tristan, and you leave this place for good. Cheaters are not tolerated in my fine establishment.¡± He spat the last few words with such fire that Jimmy felt himself quake in his boots. Jimmy gave Tristan the money and walked out of the pub without looking at anyone. The putrid cold and hammering rain made the pulsing pain in his nose feel like razorblades. Jimmy pulled the collar of his coat and saw two shadowy figures standing across the street from him. Jimmy started to walk toward his rusted out buggy and noticed the shadowy figures started to move along the street with him. He picked up his pace and so did they. Just as Jimmy flung the door open to his car, a pair of hands wrapped around his throat and tossed him into the road. ¡°Hello Jimmy.¡± The scratchy voice heightened a spike of panic in Jimmy. ¡°Tell Mr. Walsh I will have the first part of the money by the end of the week,¡± Jimmy stammered. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that nice?¡± The first shadowy figure looked at his silent partner. ¡°The problem is, you¡¯re really far behind on payments.¡± ¡°Please. Tell him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I can pass on the message for you. But I have one I need to pass on to you. You see, Mr. Walsh is being a generous man. He¡¯s okay with allowing you to pay him in instalments, if you make them on time. But, you now owe an extra forty percent on what you already owe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. There¡¯s no fucking way I can pay that back.¡± ¡°Well then, it seems to me like your life is going to get very complicated. Very painful indeed, if you don¡¯t pay Mr. Walsh back.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve got nothing.¡± Jimmy slowly pulled himself up from the road. ¡°That¡¯s hardly mine or Mr. Walsh¡¯s problem, Jimmy. That¡¯s just something you¡¯re going to have to work out.¡± ¡°Alright, okay. Friday.¡± ¡°Oh, and Jimmy, one more thing. From Mr. Walsh.¡± He nodded at his compatriot and before Jimmy could react, a meaty fist slammed into his nose. Jimmy screamed and dropped to the road, huddled in a ball. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck up again Jimmy.¡± After ten minutes, Jimmy finally pulled himself up and managed to claw his way into his car. His head pounded like a knocking brick, and he could barely see. He pulled his clothes tighter in around him and fell asleep leaning against his window. Two Two Jimmy awoke the next day feeling about as good as smashed fruit. His head felt like it was about to burst at the seams and his teeth felt bruised. For a moment, he thought his nose was feeling better, but a gentle caress set off fireworks that worked its way up from the bottom of his spine. He fumbled around for his keys and prayed his car would start but it sputtered into nothingness. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake!¡± Jimmy took his frustration out on his steering wheel. ¡°Excuse me sir?¡± a knock at his window brought his fit to an end and Jimmy saw the police officer that stood there staring at him with a disapproving look. The copper¡¯s face was clean-shaven except for a hairy brush for a moustache that covered his top lip. ¡°Sorry officer, is everything okay?¡± ¡°You know you¡¯re not meant to be staying in your car, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sorry officer had a rough night. Thought it would be safer to stay here for the night.¡± Jimmy turned to face the officer and hid a smirk when he saw the officer¡¯s reaction. ¡°You look like absolute shit. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. You should see the other guy. Am I okay to go officer?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be alright. Take it easy though. I don¡¯t want to be hearing about any crashes coz you can¡¯t see.¡± With that, the police officer turned and walked away. He waved without looking back at Jimmy. After countless attempts, Jimmy¡¯s car finally choked into life, and he was on his way. The drive took close to two hours, but Jimmy finally pulled into the muddy driveway of his dilapidated chicken farm. It was an unwanted property and business that Jimmy had inherited from his father after he passed away. As soon as he was old enough, Jimmy moved as far away as he could from the farm. But the news of his father¡¯s rapidly declining health and a begging letter from his mother brought him back, internally screaming and kicking the whole way. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. His father made him promise on his deathbed that he would look after the business and take care of his mother. The word no was about to escape his lips, but one look at his mother¡¯s grave face made him change his mind and he said yes, again internally screaming and kicking himself for doing so. Jimmy was a far cry from being a handyman and farmer, relying on the few lessons he could recall growing up on the farm. His mother¡¯s health had taken a drastic downturn in the last eight months, and it took what little money they had to pay for all her medical bills. That, coupled with the slow business with the eggs and chooks, had brought Jimmy into a deadly whirlpool of drowning debt. Being turned away from all the banks, Jimmy turned to the dark and dodgy underground and took a loan from a mob boss. One Mister Walsh. As Jimmy pulled up to the heart crushing view of his cottage, he looked with disdain at the quality of his home. A constant fight with holes in the roof and rotten weather was his latest pain, and for a moment, he forgot about his burning nose. He opened the door with a sigh that turned into a hiss as he heard a slew of tiles slide from the roof and slap the mud. Thunder boomed in the distance and Jimmy¡¯s shoulders slumped as he walked in to check on his mother. Her withered body and sunken eyes were always a sad sight to behold. She sat on her frayed favourite chair and was covered in hand knitted blankets. Ever since her health started to plummet, she¡¯d knitted with a furious speed. Bankets, socks, coats, scarves, anything she could think of. ¡°Oh, Jimmy dear, are you okay? You look terrible.¡± The sickness still hadn¡¯t claimed her sweet and cozy voice. ¡°Yeah ma. Had a nasty accident last night, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t come home. Did Mrs Smyth come over this morning?¡± ¡°Oh yes, that sweet dear lady helped get me dressed and made me some breakfast. You know, her daughter is around your age, you¡¯d be a perfect fit for each other.¡± His mother broke into a soft smile. ¡°Come on ma, stop trying to set me up with everyone you can find.¡± No annoyance in his voice. ¡°I want some grandkids before I kick the bucket, Jimmy. Who knows how much longer I¡¯ll be here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that. You¡¯re gonna be here for a long time yet.¡± Jimmy approached his mother and took her gnarled, cold hand. ¡°Jimmy, come now. We know its going to happen sooner rather than later. I just want to be able to hold one little baby before I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°Okay ma, we¡¯ll see what happens.¡± ¡°Oh good, I¡¯ve set up a date this Friday night. Pick her up and take her into town. Take this to pay for it.¡± She pulled out a few notes and coins and put them in Jimmy¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been putting a little aside for a while now, for just this occasion.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that ma.¡± Tears welled in Jimmy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come now, I know things haven¡¯t been doing well around here. I may be old, but I¡¯m no fool. I¡¯m not about to allow my son to go on a date empty handed. Please, entertain this elderly lady, take it.¡± ¡°Thanks ma. Love you.¡± Jimmy leaned in and kissed his mother on the forehead. ¡°I love you too.¡± Jimmy quickly left the room and went into the chicken barn and made his rounds for the eggs. The money burned in his pocket and thoughts of Friday night clawed at the back of his mind. ¡°What do I do?¡± Three Three Jimmy tossed and turned all night as he tried to sleep. His nose hurt like an iron spike driven through his skull and he was covered in anxious sweat. Money. He needed money. How was he supposed to make more? He¡¯d already sold any of the farm tools he figured he could do without. He¡¯d done small jobs for his neighbours. One paid with money, though not much, and the other paid with a week¡¯s worth of frozen meals. Though nice, they didn¡¯t help his situation. The money his mother gave him, he knew that was his leverage. He had to turn a profit by Friday as well as pay for a date. The warbled cry of Jimmy¡¯s prized rooster woke him up the next morning. His head pounded a vicious rhythm and his eyes pulsed in pain. Jimmy dragged himself from bed and brought himself to the chicken barn and started his morning rounds. His rooster followed him around with his chest puffed out in pride. Jimmy then tended to his mother. He helped her change and brought her to her knitting chair. ¡°Are you going to work on the roof today? It seems like this gloomy weather might hold off for a bit. I was so cold last night.¡± ¡°I plan to this afternoon. I¡¯ve got some errands I¡¯ve gotta do around town first. Hopefully they don¡¯t take too long, and I¡¯ll be back before you know it. Is Mrs. Smyth coming around today?¡± ¡°Oh, of course. She¡¯s anxious to find out the answer about this Friday. Are you going to get a nice hat or something?¡± Jimmy¡¯s mother looked at him with hopeful eyes. ¡°Yeah ma, I wanna spruce myself up a bit. Thankyou so much for the money. Tell Mrs. Smyth I¡¯m excited for this Friday.¡± Jimmy smiled and leaned in to give his mother a hug. ¡°Go do a good job of it Jimmy. See you when you get back.¡± Jimmy¡¯s mind raced a million miles a minute the whole drive into town. He was certain he¡¯d figured a way to make money in no time, and he knew who he had to see. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Jimmy pulled up near a local park and walked a short distance to a convenience store. It was the kind of shop that had everything and specialised in nothing. Jimmy beelined for the back of the shop and found Scott O¡¯Malley, the owner of the store and an old school friend. In school, Scott found any means necessary to make a quick buck. His father¡¯s cigarettes and his mother¡¯s whiskey were favourites among the schoolkids. Scott suffered from a harsh onset of early baldness and a crooked nose from getting into one too many fights. Everyone thought he looked like shit, but nobody told him. ¡°Oi, if it ain¡¯t me old mate Jimmy. What can I do for you on this fine day?¡± ¡°I need to do some moneymaking business.¡± Jimmy leaned in close and whispered as quietly as he could. ¡°Say no more. Oi dad, I¡¯m just going out the back with Jimmy for a sec. Make sure no one steals nothin, yeah?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± His old man had been beaten down to nothing working in the old steel factory. His back was forever hunched, and his hearing was shot. He was an older father than most when Jimmy was growing up, but he looked and behaved as though he were absolutely ancient. ¡°Daft prick.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Be back in a sec dad!¡± Scott¡¯s face had become beet red. ¡°Yeah, alright then I s¡¯pose.¡± Scott led Jimmy through the supply room and out the back door, into a dank alleyway that had many other doors back onto it. ¡°Yeah, so what is it you need mate?¡± Scott lit a cigarette and offered one to Jimmy, who took it in hopes it would calm him down. ¡°I¡¯ve got a little money from me ma. I need to make it a lot more by Friday. I¡¯ve got to pay someone off as well as a date.¡± ¡°Oh shit. That sounds like a bit of trouble. How much you got, and how much do you need by Friday?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got,¡± Jimmy pulled the money out of his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve got twenty quid, and I reckon I¡¯ll need about three hundred to cover both the date and Mister Walsh.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Scott broke into random and aggressive gesticulation. ¡°Are you shitting me, Mr. Walsh?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Is that who you owe money to?¡± ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± ¡°Are you a fucking mad man or what? You must have a death sentence on your head mate. Is that why you look like shit?¡± ¡°This? Oh no. Well, yeah. But it¡¯s the work of two people, not just him. Or his lackey really.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in for a real uphill battle if you want that much so quickly.¡± ¡°I know, I know. But come on, you know I¡¯m struggling for money. Ma¡¯s not in a good way and Pa left us in a bad spot.¡± Frustration began to show on Jimmy''s face. ¡°Look, I know. But surely there was somewhere else you could¡¯ve turned to for money?¡± ¡°Everyone else turned me away.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna hafta come underground for this. Come, I¡¯ll take ya.¡± ¡°What, right now?¡± ¡°Of course. We can¡¯t waste time.¡± Scott smiled. ¡°What about your shop?¡± ¡°Ah, dad¡¯s fine. He¡¯ll look after it.¡± Four Four Since having finished school, Scott¡¯s addiction to making a quick buck grew and he did a lot more than just dip his toes into murky waters. Scott hung out with some of the more dangerous crowds associated with moneymaking. People that placed bets. But it wasn¡¯t just bets on the big sporting events; it was on just about anything. And the people Scott knew, were the kinds of people that would make those events happen. If it was something people agreed money could be made or lost, it was done. Jimmy was led through a maze of back alleys, each one less inviting than the last. Scott finally brought him to an alley Jimmy was certain nobody could know existed. A singular rusted metal door was all that broke up the monotonous brickwork. Scott reefed Jimmy¡¯s arm from its socket and banged a curious pattern with his fist. ¡°You¡¯ll want to remember that, and this next part, if you ever wanna come in and I¡¯m not around to help you out.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± A small hole opened up on the door and Scott leaned in as he spoke. ¡°Through smarts or pain, I don¡¯t care how I make my gain. I need the money so I can get the honey.¡± Jimmy snorted back a laugh and Scott snapped him a mean look. The whole slid shut and after a few moments the door opened. Scott motioned for Jimmy to follow him and the two entered a dimly lit hallway. Jimmy turned to look at the bouncer, who was the meanest looking person he¡¯d ever laid eyes on. His neck bulged in muscle Jimmy didn¡¯t think was possible and his odour reeked of cigarettes and iron. The door slammed shut behind them. Raucous shouts and screams and a knockout, pungent reek of blood and sweat graced Jimmy before they even reached the room. He felt his pulse race as the deafening bellows of excitement slowly possessed him. ¡°Brace yourself Jimmy. You¡¯re about to step foot into a wild world. You might not like what you see. But just know, there¡¯s money to be made.¡± Scott ended his sentence with a banging crescendo of exhilaration and sprinted into the room ahead without a care of leaving Jimmy behind. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Jimmy awkwardly trotted into the room and was immediately smacked with a spike of energy he didn¡¯t quite understand. The room was huge and filled with more comfort than any pub he¡¯d ever seen. Ostentatious rugs and rudely loud tapestries lined the room, doing their best to distract any visitors from noticing the dark and stained cement walls and floors. Mismatching stools and high-backed chairs were arranged in countless ways and an immaculately hand carved bar stood in a corner of the room. A mezzanine level surrounded the room with a chain and guard blocking the stairs. Loud lights, countless candles and frightful fires lit the room well, adding to the relaxed feel that undermined the shattering energy of the people that filled the room. And the people. From what Jimmy could tell, people from all walks of life filled the room. Men and women of a wide range of ages scuttled about. Jimmy watched in awe as a man in a dapper suit with a golden-chained pocket watch handed money over to a woman covered in a pair of mismatching shoes and sweat stained clothes. A jaunty band played on a small handmade stage in another corner where some people danced a whirling jig with one another. A roar erupted from a gathering of people and Jimmy watched as they parted, a bloody person in a pair of shorts staggered in puppet-like movement and fell to the floor. ¡°And the winner is, Jackknife! Everyone, pay who you owe. You know the rules, if you don¡¯t, you won¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°Nope. No way. Ain¡¯t gonna happen. I¡¯m out!¡± Jimmy looked to another crowd where a wave of boos crashed through the crowd. Jimmy pressed in to have a look. A crude looking table with a bottle of alcohol, was set with a single chair, where a man now stood away from the furniture. Jimmy¡¯s jaw flew open when he realised a scorpion was sitting on the table. ¡°He pulled out altogether. You know the rules, pay who you owe. You know the rules, if you don¡¯t, you won¡¯t come back.¡± A yelp, bang, and clatter caught Jimmy¡¯s attention and he snapped around to look at the stairs for the mezzanine level. A young woman in an eccentric dress and an eclectic hat was being helped up from the ground by a bouncer. ¡°This poor young lady was the first sloshed person to fall down the stairs today. Drunk as a skunk and its only early morning.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here since last night.¡± ¡°There you have it folks. An absolute party animal. Pay who you owe. You know the rules.¡± Jimmy jolted when Scott slapped him on the back. ¡°What do they bet on here?¡± ¡°Pretty much anything. I just made a little extra because I also bet on the age group of the first person to fall.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do any of this stuff.¡± Jimmy gulped in fear. ¡°The beauty of it is, you don¡¯t have to do any of it. Just bet on someone, or something else. And hope you win.¡± Five Five Jimmy was charmed by all the kinetic chaos of everyone in the room. The cheerful and woeful cries caught him up in a wind of confidence, Jimmy felt like he had an inner understanding of how everything was going to play out and knew deep down within himself that he was going to win. ¡°Well, I¡¯m completely new here friend. What do you do to start off?¡± Jimmy¡¯s nerves started to kick in and he felt his right hand begin its usual twitch. ¡°First off,¡± Scott clapped and grabbed both of Jimmy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I get a drink. Do a round or two and really get a good look of what¡¯s on offer while I¡¯m visiting. Listen to whatever conversations are going on and take notes. I get another two drinks and then I join the fray. I tend to only bet on two to four things. Depending on what I see, hear, and have in my pocket. If you stretch yourself too thin, your winnings are too small to really make a difference.¡± ¡°Why the drinks?¡± Jimmy weighed the costs of the drinks against the little money he had. But Scott was the expert. ¡°It loosens me up a little and I stop overthinking. I find if I think too much, I generally have a pretty shit go of it. Look, I get it might not work for you, but you asked.¡± ¡°No, I know. But, I don¡¯t have a lot to go on to start with. Maybe I buy a drink with my winnings?¡± Jimmy showed Scott the little money he had once again. ¡°Oooh, lookie here. Hasn¡¯t even made a single bet yet, and he already believes he¡¯s gonna make a winning. I didn¡¯t make my first win until my tenth visit, and that¡¯s because I was desperate and competed myself. How about this, I¡¯ll shout ya all three. Being long time friends and all that, consider it a gift.¡± ¡°Thankyou, really. Don¡¯t trouble yourself, I¡¯ll just have the one or two. And what did you compete in?¡± ¡°Nah, its alright. Three¡¯s the magic number. Do you remember that time I had a broken wrist and those smashed up toes?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Yeah.¡± Jimmy had to think for a moment. ¡°I had to survive three minutes with a super pissed off donkey. I wasn¡¯t allowed to hit it or nothing, but I don¡¯t think that would¡¯ve done much to it anyways.¡± A burst of laughter was ended abruptly when a woman dressed in a high-end lifestyle dress stood next to Scott. ¡°This bastard cost me a lot of money because he wouldn¡¯t stay down.¡± ¡°Aisling, how are you?¡± ¡°Lovely darling, and how are you? You¡¯ve brought someone new into the fold I see. Can we trust him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going well. So far ahead this month its crazy. Oh him? Yeah, old schoolmate Jimmy. In desperate need of a bunch of cash by Friday, owes Mr. Walsh a bunch of money.¡± ¡°Holy shit. You owe Mr. Walsh money?¡± Aisling clucked her tongue. ¡°You better make sure you pay back what you owe, he¡¯s a very dangerous man. Is it a one-off payment you owe him?¡± ¡°Payment plan.¡± ¡°Whoa, you didn¡¯t tell me that. That slightly changes the severity and desperation of the entire thing, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°My advice there, Jimmy, would be to make sure you bet on an easy win,¡± said Aisling. ¡°Sorry, but a bet can always be a loss. What¡¯s an easy bet?¡± Aisling and Scott looked at each other and laughed. ¡°Oh, sweet pea. The easiest bet has two steps. First off, you need to find something where there can only be a win or a loss. Don¡¯t get involved in other variables where you spend more to potentially make more. Secondly, whatever it is, you need to have as much information as possible to inform your decision. You may need to make money fast, and going down all of the different avenues seems appealing, but you need to get ahead first,¡± explained Aisling. ¡°Nope. You see, you¡¯re wrong.¡± Scott shook his head. ¡°Really?¡± Aisling scoffed. ¡°Well, kind of right. You do need to find something where an outcome can be a little more on the clear side. A win or loss. A pass or fail. But you need one that offers other things as well. Maybe it¡¯s a loss in the last round, or a win because the other forfeited. Unless you can make that money in three days, you¡¯re fucked. May as well go big with the little money you have, and hope you keep winning.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how that turns out for him, shall we?¡± ¡°Aisling, darling. I¡¯ve won more here than you have.¡± ¡°Only because you bet on literally anything. You¡¯ve even made up your own events. You know how to sway a crowd.¡± ¡°Its all a part of me charm.¡± ¡°Oh shit, look at the time. I¡¯m about to make some big money, or lose it. Need to go, goodbye and good luck there Gerald.¡± Aisling pecked the air next to Scott¡¯s cheek and hurried off. ¡°It¡¯s Jimmy.¡± ¡°Oh, never mind her mate. Come, I¡¯ll load you up on three drinks at once and we¡¯ll bet all of your money in one go. Its time to make you rich, my friend.¡± Six Six Scott and Jimmy sat at the bar, each had their three drinks lined up to hit one after the other and were getting a read on the room. ¡°Is there a way of knowing everything that¡¯s going each day, like a flyer?¡± asked Jimmy. He was already three quarters down his first drink and felt the courage start to creep up his spine. ¡°Nah. Things here change too often. Sickness, death, arrests.¡± ¡°Arrests?¡± Jimmy began to quake on his stool. ¡°Aw come on, you didn¡¯t think this was all legal, did you?¡± guffawed Scott. He slapped Jimmy like a bat to a fly, and Jimmy dropped his glass. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that mate, they¡¯ll be onto that faster tha-¡±. Before he could finish, someone had already come in and cleaned the mess. ¡°How often do people get arrested?¡± Jimmy grabbed his second beer and took a nervous sip. ¡°Eh, not too often, if you can believe it. Depending on the mood, most coppers get in on the action instead and then walk back out again. As long as it doesn¡¯t boil out onto the streets, should be right as rain.¡± ¡°Oh, good.¡± ¡°Though, there is Thomerson. He¡¯s a righto prick that one. He¡¯ll come in at random times with a squad and arrest a few of us. Most of the time, it doesn¡¯t really go anywhere though, there¡¯s a judge just up there.¡± Scott pointed to the most well-dressed man Jimmy had ever seen in his life. ¡°So, what should I bet on then, what¡¯s going?¡± ¡°Hmm, its hard to see everything with the crowds. Hey mate, mind telling me what we¡¯ve got going right now? My friend here is a little unsure of what he should do.¡± Scott asked a young man in cheap clothes as he walked by. ¡°Yeah, right. Well, right now, we got Rhys versus Tristan over there. Bare-knuckle boxing match that one. There¡¯s Pinchy Pathways, that one¡¯s always a lotta fun, ya know. Oh, and Iron Finger. That one gets pretty brutal. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up next though.¡± Scott handed the kid a coin and gave him a thumbs up. The kid walked off with a spring in his step. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Well, which one fancies ya?¡± chimed Scott. He had just finished his second and was quietly surprised to see Jimmy had finished all three. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what two of them are, so I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just have to go over there and find out.¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯d rather know what they all are before I commit any of my money to anything. You¡¯re an old hat, I¡¯m sure you know what everything is.¡± ¡°Sure. Pinchy Pathways sounds a bit dumb, and that¡¯s because it is. But its lots of fun to watch. People have to walk to the end of a path before the end of a set time limit.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the challenge?¡± ¡°Challengers are barefoot and all along the path are mad, crazy crabs. I¡¯ve never won that one. I can take a hit, but there¡¯s something about me toes getting mangled I just can¡¯t stand. I¡¯ve tried three times.¡± ¡°Does it pay well?¡± Jimmy thumbed through his money again. ¡°That sort of stuff really comes down to what you¡¯re willing to bet. Pay outs are always between people, not the ones that run the joint.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the other one, Iron Finger?¡± A strange grin played out over Scott¡¯s face. ¡°That one¡¯s a riot. Come over from Germany. Over there it¡¯s called Fingerhakeln. Get this right, two people hook a finger into a leather strap and try and yank each other across the table. Sounds simple, but fuck does it hurt. Remember when I had this finger here dislocated? That was it. There¡¯s blood and broken bones man. Should¡¯ve seen the German that got us all into it. His finger was as fat as one of them sausages they eat over there. Nuts.¡± ¡°Do you compete yourself very often?¡± ¡°Normally if I¡¯m really drunk. That¡¯s when I bet big. I get this confidence boost ya know, like, I earned that money myself.¡± ¡°How about I bet on you? You seem like you compete in most things.¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t reckon so. Because if I lose, then you¡¯d blame me for the loss of your money.¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ah, it would be one of them subconscious thingies. Look, we¡¯re best friends and all, but I don¡¯t want to be personally responsible for you making or losing money. I won¡¯t even offer advice or insight.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Hmm, I¡¯m really torn between two of them. Pinchy Pathways and Iron Finger. I¡¯ve seen boxing before, even bare-knuckle. Those other two sound pretty crazy.¡± ¡°Yeah, those are the ones I normally like to bet on. The crazier the better for me. Will you be the one to compete though? Or will you just bet on others?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet. I¡¯m kinda worried if I fail at whatever I¡¯m doing, then its on me. So I¡¯ll just get mad at myself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hear ya.¡± Seven Seven Three drinks down, Jimmy finally rose from his stool. Like a pneumatic press, anxiety crushed deeply on his shoulders. His stomach felt like it was still sitting at the bar and sure enough, the familiar, sharp tingles sparked around his fingertips. Jimmy felt like he was about to make the most important decision in his entire life. The future of his mother, his chicken farm, and even his own life depended on whether he could make any money today. Then continue to make money until he was even with Mr. Walsh. Each step was a strain against his rusted-out stubborn joints. Every fibre of his body was against him making this move, but he knew if he didn¡¯t, he may as well give up on his mother anyway. ¡°Which one are we going for?¡± Scott asked. ¡°I need to ask you a favour, and I really don¡¯t mean for it to be rude.¡± Jimmy walked as he talked. ¡°Yeah, mate. Anything.¡± ¡°Whichever event I go to, I want you to go to another one. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d react knowing you won money if I didn¡¯t. Its petty I know, and not fair to you, especially if you want to go to the one I want to go to.¡± ¡°Say no more, say no more. That in no way upsets or offends me. I completely understand. I would be the same if I was a newcomer under the same pressures you are for being here. So, where are you going then?¡± Scott brought up his third and final beer and took a long drag. ¡°I¡¯m gonna flip a coin for it. Heads I¡¯m going to Pinchy Pathways. Tails, I¡¯m going to Iron Finger. How¡¯s that sound?¡± Jimmy readied his coin and nodded to Scott. ¡°That sounds like a plan, and I support you one hundred percent, pal.¡± Scott gave Jimmy the thumbs up. Jimmy flicked the coin that weighed a thousand kilos. The continuous cries and cheers of the rabid crowds died away and it felt as though time itself slowed down. Jimmy was overcome with sweaty dread and his heart was about ready to strangle his throat. A hand snatched the coin from the air. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not leave it to chance. You might end up hating the coin if you don¡¯t win. You need to relax man; I can feel your energy crushing me. Take a breather and just walk toward one. That way is Pinchy Pathways, and that way is Iron Finger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Iron Finger.¡± The sound of surging confidence took Jimmy by surprise. ¡°Off to Pinchy Pathways for me then. I¡¯ll keep the coin as payment for the drinks I got ya. You¡¯ll never know the results.¡± Scott laughed and walked in the opposite direction. Jimmy approached his destination with bubbling fear. He slowly pushed through the gathered crowd and made his way against the log barricades to get a good look of the game. Two burly men stood across each other at a table. Their arms up in the air, they hollered and called to excite the crowd. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. A weedy, elderly man with bottle glasses approached the table and faced the crowd with a giant grin plastered on his face. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you your two competitors. Standing to my right, on the blue side, is Ludolf Althaus. He is the nephew of the mighty man that brought this tough sport onto our shores. He has won over four hundred official matches and is a favourite to make the finals back in Germany this year. He¡¯s twenty-eight years old, one hundred and twelve kilos and standing at one hundred and eighty centimetres.¡± ¡°Get a look at the size of his pulling finger. That thing¡¯s as thick as my wrist.¡± ¡°He¡¯s original, where it all came from. He¡¯s definitely got this.¡± ¡°A hundred quid says Ludolf wins.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet ya. It¡¯ll be the other guy for sure. Born and bred Irish fella. He¡¯s got the home ground advantage.¡± ¡°Three hundred says Ludolf will do it in under two minutes.¡± Jimmy did his best to tune everyone else out. One hundred. Three hundred. There¡¯s no way anyone would agree to bet his measly twenty. ¡°On my left, on the red side, representing the pride of Ireland, its Craig Flanagan. He¡¯s been a fierce competitor in this lovely sport ever since it made its way here. He¡¯s won just under two hundred matches, and plans on taking his expertise to Germany later this year. He¡¯s thirty-four years old, one hundred and eighteen kilos and one hundred and seventy-two centimetres.¡± ¡°I like my odds with him. He¡¯s a farmer. Got that old country strength they all seem to have. Four hundred says he wins in under a minute.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take you on.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know what to think. They are both pretty evenly matched. Sure, four hundred wins and two hundred, but is it really that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I even want to bet on this.¡± ¡°One thousand says the German dislocates Craig¡¯s finger and wins in less than two minutes.¡± Jimmy¡¯s frustration had grown to new heights. He just wanted to think it through. All his options. He didn¡¯t want to hear anyone else. He wanted ten minutes. Maybe he should¡¯ve gone to Pinchy Pathways. He needed money. ¡°Twenty quid says Craig wins in under three minutes!¡± Jimmy opened his eyes as he spoke. ¡°Twenty? What are you on about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all I¡¯ve got. Sorry.¡± ¡°All right, lets see how you go.¡± The two competitors sat down at the table to uproar. They dug in deep with their battle-ready stances and gave each other a thumbs up. The referee placed the leather strap around the competitor¡¯s fingers and stepped back. A wild glee caused his eyes to bulge out of their sockets. He raised his hands and Jimmy felt the oppressive, tense excitement take its stranglehold over the crowd and Jimmy wondered if this really was the kind of place right for him to be. ¡°Ready, set, and. Go!¡± Both men pulled and strained with all their might. Necks bulged and backs straightened. Jimmy got a good look at their mighty fingers and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Ludolf pulled with the mighty power of a tank and Craig lurched forward, his body was almost lifted from his seat. The crowd held their breaths and Jimmy¡¯s chest seized. Just as it looked like Craig would lose, he pumped his body and heaved with the force of an avalanche. His corded muscles stressed and pulled in perfect unison as he brought Ludolf toward him. The powerful Ludolf caught himself at the last second and channelled the power of an ancient oak. The crowd cheered and jeered. They pushed and pulled at each other in excitement. Someone in the crowd got pushed over and others in the crowd began to trample them. Jimmy helped them off the ground and they immediately rejoined the crushing chaos of the crowd as though nothing happened. ¡°This is one exciting match!¡± screamed the referee. ¡°C¡¯mon Craig, I need a win,¡± Jimmy whispered to himself. Craig made another momentous pull, but this time Ludolf refused to budge. As Craig reached the tip of his pull, Ludolf drove himself back again and Craig let out a grunt and was pulled onto the table. ¡°And the winner is Ludolf!¡± Craig pulled himself from the table and held up his finger to show it had been dislocated. ¡°Pay who you owe, and have fun making money,¡± called the referee. Eight Eight Jimmy dragged his concrete boots away from the violence that had erupted among the crowd around the Iron Finger. A loud punch-on escalated from the pits and Jimmy watched in amazement at what happened to those that didn¡¯t behave. Three burly men as solid as statues approached the exchanging blows and pulled the two involved by their throats. The two men each received a bone-crunching slap across the face, which immediately turned red. The men went limp and were dragged out of the room by their feet. Jimmy lowered himself down onto a chair and patiently waited for Scott to return. ¡°I know that look. That¡¯s the look of someone who¡¯s suffered defeat.¡± Jimmy looked up to see Aisling from before. She sat down and looked at Jimmy with a soft smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t go well I take it?¡± ¡°No. I lost it all on a single bet of Iron Finger. Really thought Craig was gonna win.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad. What will you do now to make enough money by Friday?¡± ¡°I have absolutely no idea. I¡¯m freaking out about that and don¡¯t know what to do. My chest is starting to tighten. I¡¯ve got nothing Aisling.¡± ¡°Look, I could spot you a little money and you can pay me back what you owe when you make it back. And you don¡¯t even have to pay me any interest.¡± Aisling took a sip of her wine and put a small clutch onto the table. ¡°No Aisling, I couldn¡¯t do that. I already owe a bunch of money; I don¡¯t want to owe any more. Its not your fault I lost my money. And it can¡¯t be up to you to give me a chance to get back out of it again.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up and stop trying to be so modest. I know you¡¯re desperate for money, that¡¯s why you¡¯re here. The person you owe money to is not a nice man, believe me, I know.¡± Aisling pushed some notes across the table and then lit a cigarette. ¡°How do you know?¡± Like a mousetrap, Jimmy snatched the money, afraid it may be taken by somebody else. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve had a dally with him in the past. I used to date the man. We were an item for quite some time, and I¡¯ve seen the things he does to people that don¡¯t pay him back.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t work out?¡± ¡°No. He was a horrible man. He is a horrible man. He never treated me badly, mind you. I just got over all the sick violence he was involved in. Anyways, I must get going. Ta-ta.¡± Aisling rose from her seat and left her glass of wine on the table. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°But look at all the violence happening in this room,¡± whispered Jimmy. ¡°Well, hello there friend. How¡¯d you go with Iron Finger?¡± Scott slapped Jimmy on the back and sat down in Aisling¡¯s seat. He grabbed the wine and took a sniff before putting it back with a sour look. ¡°Not good. I lost it all. How¡¯d you go with Pinchy Pathways?¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t want to know.¡± Scott did his best to hide a smile. ¡°You won good, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Tripled my money. Made a thousand.¡± Scott ordered them both a drink. A twinge of jealousy tickled at Jimmy¡¯s stomach. ¡°You make a lot of money here?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Then why do you work at the shop? It seems like it¡¯d pay pretty shit.¡± ¡°A few reasons. One is boredom, not just for me but me dad too. Second, it helps me pay for this fun parade. Also, it makes me look like any other ordinary person with a job, keeps eyes off me ya know.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± The drinks were delivered, and Jimmy downed his and slammed the glass down. ¡°I take it you¡¯re out of here then. What are you gonna do?¡± ¡°Aisling gave me some money. Said I could pay her back with winnings I make. Says I wouldn¡¯t even owe her anything on top.¡± ¡°That¡¯s generous of her. What are you gonna bet on next?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m done for now. I¡¯ll come back tonight or tomorrow. There¡¯s no other way I can make the money I need in such a short time. Maybe my luck will change next time?¡± ¡°Better hope so. Sorry.¡± ¡°You staying?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m on a roll. Sorry buddy.¡± Jimmy made his way home. He called out to his mother and got a response from a sweet voice he¡¯d never heard before. ¡°She¡¯s just here doing some knitting.¡± The voice was light and sweet. Jimmy flattened his unkempt hair and walked into the room. His mother sat in her chair and knitted with a dogged ferocity that Jimmy had never seen before. She fought to keep a coy smile a frown. A woman in a blue dress with a heavy winter jacket and shoulder-length black hair stood and looked at Jimmy. ¡°Jimmy, this is Niamh, Mrs. Smyth¡¯s daughter. She came to help me today because Mrs. Smyth was busy.¡± ¡°Oh, hi. Thanks for looking after ma.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Niamh brushed her fringe behind her ear and looked directly to Jimmy. ¡°Is seven alright?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Where are we going?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got a few places in mind. We¡¯ll see how we feel on the day?¡± ¡°That sounds wonderful. I¡¯ll be seeing you Mrs. Byrne. Don¡¯t work too hard on that knitting, you¡¯ll make yourself too tired.¡± ¡°Thankyou so much for your help today, Niamh. You really are a wonderful lady. Take care.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll see you Friday, at seven.¡± One corner of Niamh¡¯s mouth turned up ever so slightly as she looked at Jimmy. ¡°Ah yes. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± Niamh walked out of the house. ¡°She¡¯s lovely, isn¡¯t she?¡± Mrs. Byrne chuckled. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± ¡°Thanks ma.¡± ¡°Did you get yourself anything for this Friday?¡± ¡°Not yet. But I was thinking of just keeping all the money for Friday. So I can show her a really nice time.¡± Jimmy gave his mother a kiss on the forehead. Jimmy walked out of the house and into the backyard. Full of frustration and anxiety, he kicked a metal bucket and screamed as white-hot pain exploded through his foot. The bucket clattered behind some firewood and Jimmy watched as his prized rooster darted out from where he was. An interesting thought crossed his mind. Nine Nine Jimmy woke Thursday morning in an anxious sweat. He needed his money by tomorrow and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was going to be possible. He had an idea, but what if it didn¡¯t work? ¡°Ma, I gotta duck out again today. I¡¯ve got some more errands to do with Scott. The roof will be fixed this weekend, I promise. It looks as though the weather should hold off, so it should all be okay, yeah?¡± ¡°Oh yes dear, that¡¯s fine. How¡¯s Scott¡¯s father doing?¡± ¡°You know him, old man O¡¯Malley. He¡¯s doing okay though.¡± ¡°Does Scott need help around the shop does he?¡± ¡°Yeah. He said he¡¯d give me a little pay at the end of the day. I was hoping I could have a little extra money for tomorrow night. You know, show Niamh a really good night.¡± ¡°I hope so. Oh, I¡¯m just so excited for you. Don¡¯t worry about me, Mrs. Smyth will be in again to help me today. Don¡¯t forget the chooks first though.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Thanks ma.¡± Jimmy leaned in and gave her a peck on her forehead. Jimmy ran out to the barn and collected all the eggs and stored them in a crate of straw. After looking for a few minutes, Jimmy found his big, proud, rooster, Norman. His mother had always hated pets having human sounding names, but it was the first rooster he purchased after his father passed away and so he insisted on naming it. He thought it was funny and would help him and his mother deal with life on their own. With a skip in his step, Jimmy ran to his car holding onto his rooster. Jimmy sped to Scott¡¯s shop with such blind excitement, he failed to notice the cop car that sat on the side of the street. The police officer blasted the siren and signalled for Jimmy to wait in his car. Jimmy recognised him as the man who had knocked on his window a few days before. ¡°I¡¯m sure its pretty obvious as to why I pulled you over.¡± The man left the sentence hanging, giving Jimmy a chance to respond. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Because I was speeding. Sorry, officer.¡± Jimmy did the same in hopes of catching a name. ¡°Thomerson. That¡¯s right. What was the reason for it. Oh hey, you¡¯re the guy that was passed out in his car the other day. How¡¯s the nose? Looks pretty ugly right now.¡± ¡°And do you know what sucks, I¡¯ve got a date tomorrow night.¡± Jimmy forced a nervous laugh. This was the guy, the one Scott warned him about. ¡°That¡¯s a damn shame. Hope she¡¯s happy enough to look past that ugly mug. Say, why do you have a rooster in the car with you?¡± ¡°Not long purchased him for the farm and was just taking him over to my friend to show off.¡± Jimmy¡¯s mind was screaming. Was this guy already onto him? ¡°Okay, not a problem. I¡¯m still going to be writing you a fine for speeding though.¡± Thomerson wrote on a small notepad, ripped it off, and handed it to Jimmy. ¡°Sorry officer, I¡¯ll take better care next time.¡± ¡°See that you do. Good luck on your date tomorrow night.¡± Thomerson walked over to his car and Jimmy waited a painstakingly long time to watch him drive off. ¡°Scott, I¡¯ve got something. I think I have a way I can make money.¡± Jimmy raced through the aisles of the store with his rooster held out in front of him. ¡°Oi then, what you got?¡± Came a familiar voice. ¡°Remember Norman, my rooster?¡± Jimmy rounded a corner and just about ran into Scott. ¡°Fucking watch yourself there. Yeah, I remember him. Why are you walking around with him in my store?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my moneymaker,¡± beamed Jimmy. ¡°He¡¯s a big one, I¡¯ll give you that. But he ain¡¯t exactly gonna stop a full-grown human, is he?¡± Scott stared at the rooster and reeled back when Norman snapped at his face. ¡°Not against people, dumbass. Look at him. He¡¯s a perfect specimen. I want him to fight against other roosters. He¡¯s the best around, he¡¯ll win some fights for sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna get into cock fighting hey?¡± ¡°Yes. Cock fighting.¡± Jimmy watched as a stupid grin painted Scott¡¯s face. ¡°Grow up.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t my fault its called that. It ain¡¯t my fault its funny.¡± ¡°Its your fault how you react though, ain¡¯t it?¡± Scott shrugged his shoulders. ¡°When can you take me underground?¡± ¡°We can go right now.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Excitement cranked up inside of Jimmy. ¡°Course I¡¯m sure. It never closes and I¡¯m always welcome.¡± ¡°Not you dickhead. Leaving the shop again with your old man.¡± ¡°He¡¯s old and mostly deaf. He ain¡¯t dead. Oi dad!¡± ¡°What?¡± called the crotchety voice. ¡°I gotta go out again today. You right with the shop?¡± ¡°Yeh. You place some bets for me?¡± ¡°He knows?¡± snapped Jimmy. ¡°Of course he does. He got me into the whole thing. Anything special dad?¡± ¡°Nah. You know what I like. Just make sure you make me a profit.¡± ¡°Yep. Its my inheritance anyways,¡± laughed Scott. ¡°Piss off, greedy asshole.¡± His father¡¯s chuckle rattled between a violent fit of coughs. ¡°Oh, um. I came across Thomerson today. The copper you warned me about?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°I think he bought my story about why I had a rooster in my car.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the third time he¡¯s been floating around here in the last three weeks. He¡¯s probably sizing me up to pounce.¡± Ten Ten Scott brought Jimmy back to the wild world of gambling. The crushing atmosphere was just as intoxicating as it was the previous day, and Jimmy found a new load of confidence surge through his body. ¡°Does it ever slow down?¡± ¡°No way. Too much money man.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they ever run out of events?¡± ¡°Have you seen how rabid the people are here? They¡¯re willing to bet on anything.¡± ¡°Dammit Scott, you just lost me ten pounds.¡± A random squat man with chest hair poking out the top of his shirt slapped Scott on the back. ¡°Oh shit, how?¡± ¡°I bet Gertrude you wouldn¡¯t be in today, after your big winnings yesterday.¡± The man walked off shaking his head. ¡°Like I said, they¡¯re willing to bet on anything. Follow me, and we¡¯ll get everything sorted for you and Norman.¡± Scott led Jimmy tucked behind a partial wall in the back corner of a room. He knocked a rhythmic pattern, and the door was partially opened. ¡°Scott O¡¯Malley here. I¡¯ve brought someone that needs to set up a¡­rooster fight. It needs to be done now, as the guy¡¯s a little on the desperate side for money.¡± ¡°Gimme a minute,¡± replied a low growl of a voice. ¡°Sounds promising.¡± Scott smiled to Jimmy. ¡°Come in.¡± The door creaked open halfway and Jimmy and Scott entered the fanciest room Jimmy had ever seen. There were sculptures of things that Jimmy couldn¡¯t begin to even understand. Paintings of famous people and paintings of world events. There were many paintings of horses. Things covered in gold, others, made of gold. The carpet was a velvet red, and a tiger lay on a leather lounge in the corner of a room. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Sitting on a throne of iron, timber, and gold was an elderly woman covered in gold jewellery. Her lipstick a vibrant orange and her hair looked like a beehive. ¡°Good morning, Scott. How are you this fine day?¡± Scott stood across from the lady and bowed. He beckoned for Jimmy to do the same. ¡°Good morning your highness. I¡¯m very well today.¡± ¡°Who have you brought with you today?¡± Scott looked at Jimmy and nodded. ¡°My name is Jimmy Byrne, your highness.¡± Jimmy bowed again. ¡°Why have you brought him in to see me, Scott?¡± ¡°He brings a rooster and needs to have a rooster fight today. He can¡¯t wait, as he needs the money for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Who do you owe money to?¡± she didn¡¯t sound amused. ¡°Mr. Walsh.¡± ¡°Oh, good heavens boy. Do you have a death wish on your head?¡± ¡°No, your majesty.¡± ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t care for just any person to barge in and demand an event be immediately made just so they can make some money. But, seeing as though this is a friend of yours, Scott, I¡¯ll make an exception.¡± ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± Scott bowed and backed away slowly. ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± Jimmy also bowed and backed away. As they left the room, an explosion made them jump as the door was slammed behind them. ¡°Who was that?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°She is simply known as The Queen. Who she really is, who knows. But its your ticket out of here. If you win.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± Jimmy only now realised he was still holding his rooster. ¡°We can do whatever we want, but we stay here. Your fight will happen, and soon.¡± Jimmy approached a table and sat Norman on top. He told his rooster not to move and ordered a drink. Scott sat with him and ordered two drinks. ¡°Just who exactly is Mr. Walsh?¡± Jimmy asked when their drinks arrived. ¡°Seems like every bloody person knows who he is, and they all seem scared when I mention his name.¡± ¡°Mr. Walsh is a powerful man. A kingpin who has his hands in everything and eyes everywhere. A lot of people in a lot of different things owe their start to him, and many act as though they are on his payroll. I don¡¯t know all he¡¯s done, but I assume he¡¯s done just about everything that a person can do. From what I can tell, you¡¯re lucky he¡¯s even giving you a second chance. You really fucked up with going to him to get your money.¡± ¡°I had no idea. I really hope I can get enough money for tomorrow.¡± ¡°How much money did Aisling give you?¡± Scott downed a second beer and stared hard at his friend. ¡°She gave me.¡± Jimmy pulled the money out and gave a quick count. ¡°Two hundred. Wow, that¡¯s a lot of money.¡± ¡°Not to her it ain¡¯t.¡± ¡°If I double this money, I¡¯ll have enough to cover my first payment to Walsh. I can take Niamh on a nice date and pay you back for those beers from yesterday. With some left over. Oh, and I¡¯ll pay Aisling back on my next win.¡± ¡°Look at you,¡± Scott chuckled. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a true gambler.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already planned out how you¡¯re gonna spend all your winnings, and you haven¡¯t even gotten anything yet. ¡°Are you Jimmy Byrne that wanted the rooster fight?¡± asked a voice laden with a country twang. Eleven Eleven A surge of both uncertainty and confidence spiralled within Jimmy as he registered what the voice had just said. It cemented the wild thoughts he¡¯d been having into reality. Jimmy hopped off his stool and turned around to see a man who towered over him. A man of bulk and muscle and no neck. A patchy, blonde beard sat uncomfortably on his face and his denim overalls barely contained his physique. His nose showed signs of multiple past breaks and he had a few missing teeth. However, his eyes and demeanour screamed a deep friendliness that would easily be missed. ¡°Hi. Yes, I am. Jimmy Byrne, pleasure to meet you.¡± Jimmy offered his hand to the towering monolith. A friendly ham-hock returned the gesture and Jimmy winced at the bone-crushing return. ¡°The names¡¯ Cian Dunne. Good to meetcha. Is that your fighter there is it?¡± Cian leaned in close to get a good look at Norman. He gave his chin a good scratch before he stood back up. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s Norman. Stormin Norman as I like to call him.¡± Jimmy let a small chuckle escape as he stared nervously at Cian. The giant¡¯s belly bounced as he let out an uproarious guffaw. ¡°Stormin Norman. Love it. This ere is Pecker.¡± Cian pulled at his overalls and fetched a scrawny looking rooster from somewhere near his chest. Poor Pecker was missing both an eye and a few feathers. ¡°Oh, he looks pretty beat up,¡± commented Scott. ¡°Don¡¯t let the looks fool ya. Pecker¡¯s been fighting a while and has made me a lot of money. Gets real psyched up when fighting the young ones, like he¡¯s got something to prove to em.¡± Cian brought his rooster forward to meet Norman. The two locked eyes and Pecker suddenly went berserk. He craned his neck and pulled back and screeched and launched forward, beak first at Norman. He was cut short by a mighty hand. ¡°Now now, Pecker. The fight hasn¡¯t started yet. You know that ain¡¯t good sport to be like that. We¡¯re ready whenever you are, Jimmy.¡± Cian and Pecker walked off. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this, buddy?¡± Scott asked. ¡°No, but what choice do I have? I need the money.¡± Jimmy rubbed Norman¡¯s head to calm him down. The rooster quaked in his hands. ¡°None, I suppose. A drink first?¡± Jimmy nodded. After he smashed his drink, Jimmy approached a pen made of timber. Cian stood on the other side. The giant man gave his pet a pep-talk. ¡°Scott, do me a favour?¡± Jimmy looked at his friend. ¡°Can you make the bet for me? All two hundred on Norman winning. No specifics, just a win. I can¡¯t seem to bring myself to do it.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. Are you ready?¡± Jimmy nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go grab a ref.¡± ¡°Hey Jimmy, no hard feelings on whoever wins. But I¡¯ll give you a warning, coz it seems like you¡¯re new to this whole thing. It can get pretty ugly for the roosters. Hope you don¡¯t mind seein your pet get hurt.¡± ¡°No hard feelings, yeah. But know, I hope we win, coz I want the money. Thanks for the advice.¡± ¡°Of course. Their medical bills can suck. And sometimes, it just ain¡¯t worth it, if you know what I mean.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jimmy gave Norman a pat and waited patiently for Scott¡¯s return. He wanted the whole thing to be over already. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be getting a crowd shortly. I¡¯ve told a few people, plus the ref will get it going. You still good to go with all this?¡± ¡°Yep. Like I said, I¡¯ve got no other options. Unless you can get me out of debt with all the money you earn in this place.¡± Jimmy looked at Scott with raised eyebrows. ¡°A lot of me money is tied up in investments. If my old man kicked the bucket tomorrow, I¡¯d pay it off with whatever money I got from him. I¡¯d still get you to pay me back, but I wouldn¡¯t be as harsh as Mr. Walsh,¡± Scott chuckled. ¡°No, I¡¯ve gotta do this on my own. I got myself into it, I can get myself out of it.¡± ¡°Unless you don¡¯t. Which probably means you¡¯re dead.¡± Scott clapped Jimmy hard on the shoulder. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Jimmy¡¯s fearful anxiety began to claw at the base of his skull. ¡°Mr. Walsh kills people, Jimmy. If they fuck him over.¡± ¡°Oh, great.¡± Jimmy felt his body tighten and his throat go dry. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let it get to that, if I can. You¡¯re me best mate, I won¡¯t let you die because of a fuck up.¡± A small crowd had started to gather around the pen. ¡°Okay people, listen up. Roll up and watch the ensuing fight. Two roosters will fight, and I¡¯m sure their owners hope not to the death. In this corner, we have Pecker, a veteran in this place. In the other corner, we have newcomer Norman.¡± An elderly woman with a walking stick projected her voice to surprising levels. ¡°The fight will start in two minutes. Place your bets now!¡± ¡°Hello sweetie. You nervous?¡± Aisling came up beside Jimmy. ¡°A little. No, a lot. Very much so. What if I lose and he dies? What if Mr. Walsh kills me? I¡¯m absolutely fucked. What am I doing?¡± ¡°Relax,¡± replied Aisling. Twelve Twelve ¡°The match is about to begin!¡± the elderly lady¡¯s war cry spread its desired effect through the rallied crowd. Bets were alive like wildfire and soon the crowd was well over a hundred people. ¡°I¡¯ve lost money twice on Pecker. But I prefer those odds over the newcomer. Twenty quid says Pecker wins in less than a minute.¡± ¡°Twenty-five says one of them dies.¡± ¡°Did you want to be specific?¡± replied a voice. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you on.¡± ¡°Seventy-five says the newcomer wins inside two minutes.¡± ¡°Two hundred says Norman wins.¡± Scott offered the bet, and someone quickly snatched it up. ¡°This is it Norman, there¡¯s no backing out now. Don¡¯t die. Don¡¯t get too hurt. Please win.¡± Norman gave a sharp response. ¡°Can the owners please place their roosters within the pen?¡± Jimmy and Cian each lowered their roosters. ¡°Go!¡± Jimmy and Cian each released their roosters and within moments, Pecker had closed the gap and swung in for a peck at Norman¡¯s chest. Beak clipped at flesh and Norman let out a startled cry. Jimmy swallowed a yelp and looked away from the fight. ¡°I know it ain¡¯t pretty, but you owe it to Norman to watch the fight,¡± said Scott. He stood next to Jimmy, fixated on the fight. ¡°Is he winning?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Hard to say. Just watch.¡± Jimmy fought against the rusty creaking of his neck and brought his eyes back on the fight. Blood and feathers were strewn across the pen. Pecker chased Norman around the pen like a rabid animal. The noises coming from the rooster were like nothing Jimmy had ever heard before. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Come on Norman!¡± Jimmy heard himself scream. ¡°Get him Pecker. That young shit thinks nothing of you.¡± Norman tripped over himself, and Pecker seized the opportunity and leapt into the air. He landed on top of Norman and immediately began to peck and pull at Norman¡¯s feathers. A warbled scream blasted from Norman and Jimmy felt his heart sink. It was over. Jimmy ripped at the crowd to get at the ref; he was going to forfeit. He wasn¡¯t about to let his prized rooster die. ¡°This thing is more brutal than I thought a fight with birds would be.¡± ¡°Yeah, look at them go.¡± ¡°This show would put some boxers to shame.¡± ¡°Oi, lookit. That new one has just gouged the one eye the skinny one had left. Aw shit, look at the mess.¡± Jimmy stopped himself and craned his neck to get a better view. It was Pecker¡¯s turn to run from Norman. Ooze trickled from where its eye was. Pecker¡¯s body was sticky with blood, and he looked panicked. Norman pulsed with power and brought himself behind Pecker and ripped flesh from his flank. Pecker stumbled in his steps and Norman closed the gap and drove his beak into Pecker¡¯s neck. ¡°Ref, I¡¯ve had enough.¡± Cian vaulted the pen and lifted Pecker into his humongous hands. Norman pecked at Cian, but the giant ignored him and let himself out of the pen. ¡°And the winner is Norman! You know the rules, pay who you owe, or you may never come back.¡± The crowd murmured and yelled with each other and quickly dispersed. Jimmy entered the pen and watched as Norman shrieked and danced around in a fit. ¡°Congratulations on the win there. Give him a few minutes, soothe him a little. He¡¯ll let you pick him up soon enough.¡± Cian approached Jimmy and offered a handshake. Jimmy noticed the sorry state of Pecker and felt a twist in his stomach. ¡°Thanks. Sorry about Pecker there. He looks pretty banged up.¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s fucked. I¡¯ll see what the vet can do, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to save his eye. Think its bout time the little bugger retired, and I train up a new one. Bye.¡± ¡°We won, we won.¡± Scott ran over to Jimmy. He pulled out Jimmy¡¯s hand and slapped the cash into it. ¡°That you two did.¡± Aisling joined them. ¡°That was quite a show and a stroke of luck you had out there. Good job.¡± ¡°Oh Aisling, is it okay if I pay you back next time?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat. Whatever money you have left over from those winnings will be needed to treat him.¡± They looked to Norman to see the fire had finally burned out in his eyes. ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Jimmy picked his rooster up and gave him a hug and pat. ¡°What are you gonna do now?¡± Scott asked. ¡°Get him sorted. Go home and finally fix my roof then go to bed. I suddenly feel so drained.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the relief kicking in. You two go rest, you¡¯ve earned it. I¡¯ll organise another fight for Norman next week.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Jimmy found it hard talking to the vet about Norman¡¯s injuries. He couldn¡¯t help but feel the vet didn¡¯t believe him. Thankfully, there were no run-ins with Thomerson, and Jimmy was home and fixing the roof before he knew it. Jimmy cooked a basic dinner for he and his mother and brought Norman to bed with him. Thirteen Thirteen Jimmy¡¯s dreams were filled with graphic images of Norman being ripped apart by countless roosters. When Jimmy awoke, he was left with a pit in his stomach. The violence on Norman was disgusting, he was more disgusted with himself. In the dream, Jimmy was being showered with money and he liked it. Jimmy left Norman to sleep on his bed and entered the kitchen to prepare a breakfast for himself and his mother. ¡°Oh, this smells like the nicest breakfast you¡¯ve ever made for me.¡± Jimmy turned and watched as his mother toddled into the kitchen. ¡°Is that mushrooms I smell?¡± ¡°Yea ma.¡± ¡°How did you get all of this?¡± she asked. She walked along the kitchen table and took it all in. ¡°I got a little bit of extra money yesterday, and so I decided to spoil us a little.¡± ¡°Did the eggs go well?¡± His mother took a mug of tea and sat back at the table. ¡°Uh no. I took on a few extra jobs yesterday. That¡¯s why I was late. You¡¯ll notice the roof is fixed too.¡± ¡°Oh wow. Thankyou. Are you excited for tonight with Niamh?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Where are you taking her?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t worked that out yet. I can¡¯t remember the last time I¡¯ve gone on a date. I wouldn¡¯t even know what to do, or where to go.¡± ¡°You better get your act together young man. You¡¯ll want to make sure it¡¯s a good one, so you can have a follow up.¡± ¡°Hold your horses on that one ma,¡± Jimmy chuckled. ¡°I may not want another one. What if she turns out to be a horrible person?¡± ¡°Oh, tosh. Niamh is one of the nicest people I¡¯ve ever met. Possibly nicer than you,¡± laughed his mother. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Hey ma, I¡¯m gonna duck into town again today, I won¡¯t be long. I just wanna scope out what I¡¯m gonna do with Niamh.¡± ¡°Not a problem. I didn¡¯t hear Norman this morning, did you?¡± ¡°No.¡± A spike of worry rose through his body. ¡°I¡¯ll check on him.¡± ¡°Good, I think you should.¡± Jimmy made his rounds outside with his chickens and then ducked into his room to check on Norman. The rooster looked to him with indifference. Jimmy inspected his wounds and felt the guilt drill through him. He gave a light pet and Norman rubbed his head into Jimmy¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for last night mate. But we need the money, and I think you¡¯re our best way of doing it. You did so well against Pecker. I¡¯ll give you some rest before your next one, but there will be another one. And another. If you can keep winning, I¡¯ll make sure we get the money fast and get you out of there.¡± Jimmy lifted Norman from the foot of his bed and carried him outside. He made sure his mother didn¡¯t see them. ¡°Just, go and relax.¡± He watched with bubbling sadness as his rooster limped inside. Jimmy took himself back to town to visit Scott. Before exiting the car, Jimmy scanned the area. He couldn¡¯t see Thomerson anywhere, and so made his way to the shop. ¡°Hey Scott.¡± ¡°Oi, there he is. A winner. How you going?¡± Scott lurched around the scattered stock and shelves and clapped Jimmy¡¯s hand and gave a harsh shake. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. Oh yeah, I didn¡¯t see Thomerson. Maybe he¡¯s giving you a break?¡± ¡°Nah, dad said he came in yesterday looking for me. Dad said I¡¯d gone home early. He¡¯s working on something. Where are you taking Niamh on your date tonight?¡± ¡°I was thinking of taking her to The Fishtrap. Their chowder is great, and they have darts there too.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Hope you have a great time. What time do you have to give the money to Walsh¡¯s boys?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna go see them now. Get it out of the way.¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity, Jimmy. How much do you owe Walsh?¡± ¡°Six and a half thousand now, because I owe extra on top.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± Scott winced. ¡°Hey, can you set me up another fight for Norman, maybe Monday or Tuesday? He should¡¯ve had enough rest by then.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Jimmy said bye to Scott¡¯s dad before leaving, and made his way to where he could hand over the money. ¡°Did you happen to acquire the money, Jimmy?¡± Jimmy¡¯s head had been such a violent vortex of thoughts and emotions, he failed to notice the men approach him from the front. ¡°Yes, yes, I did. Here, all three hundred. Plus, another fifteen, because I¡¯m thankful for Mr. Walsh giving me another chance.¡± ¡°Would you look at that. The little blighter has gone and done it, and given some extra. Mr. Walsh will be pleased. As long as people pay him the money they owe, Mr. Walsh is a very happy man indeed. We¡¯ll hopefully see you here again next Friday. Same time do you Jimmy?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Goody.¡± The two men walked away as quickly as they had come, and Jimmy let out a deep sigh of relief. He was good for now. Fourteen Fourteen Jimmy arrived ten minutes early to pick Niamh up for their date. She wore a green, long sleeve top, beige, ankle-length skirt and a red, woollen cap. Jimmy felt severely underdressed in his usual garb. He had put in the effort of making sure everything was stain-free and he did put on one of his father¡¯s brown, tweed jackets. ¡°Wow, you look.¡± Jimmy paused, stunned. He suddenly struggled to speak. ¡°You look amazing.¡± Jimmy vomited the words with such ferocity, it sounded like a single sound. ¡°Thanks. You scrub up nicely yourself.¡± Niamh cracked a tiny smile and looked away. ¡°Aw, don¡¯t you two look lovely tonight. Don¡¯t come back too early, you hear? But don¡¯t make it too late either, just so I know you¡¯re safe.¡± Mrs. Smyth beamed at the two of them. ¡°Ma, don¡¯t embarrass me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mrs. Smyth, I¡¯ll look after her and bring her back at a reasonable hour. You can count on me.¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯t be surprised if I¡¯m still awake waiting for you to come back dearie.¡± ¡°Ma.¡± Niamh hugged her mother and the two left her standing in the hallway. Jimmy and Niamh sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Jimmy racked his brain in a constant panic to think of something, and he couldn¡¯t get a read on Niamh. ¡°So where are we going tonight?¡± Niamh finally asked. Her voice was soft, comforting. ¡°I was gonna take us to Fishtrap for some food. It¡¯s a quaint little pub. You ever been?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°They do an amazing beef stew, and their salmon chowder is the best in town.¡± ¡°I bet their stew isn¡¯t as good as ma¡¯s.¡± Niamh chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Maybe you can give them your ma¡¯s recipe?¡± Jimmy felt proud of his remark as he watched Niamh smile at him. ¡°They also have darts, you ever play?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll teach you. Hopefully we have a good time and stay out for a while, then I¡¯ll bring you back home.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Sounds lovely.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± laughed Jimmy. They reached The Fishtrap with minimal small talk, but this time Jimmy felt better about himself. He felt more relaxed around Niamh now they¡¯d broken the ice. They¡¯d made their way into the pub and sat down quickly. Niamh was happy with Jimmy¡¯s suggestions for food, and she asked for a glass of brandy. Their conversations drifted between topics of growing up, how their farms were performing, favourite movies, favourite music and their deceased fathers leaving them farms to worry about. They eventually moved onto darts, and they were both impressed with how quickly Niamh picked it up. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Jimmy right, owner of Norman?¡± Jimmy turned to see a middle-aged man leaning on a walking stick. He didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°Yeah I am.¡± Pain exploded lightning fast from Jimmy¡¯s nose and he blacked out a moment and hit the floor. ¡°You cost me a lot of money last night. And you¡¯ve ruined Pecker¡¯s career.¡± ¡°Alright, get him outta here!¡± called the owner. Niamh helped Jimmy from the floor and sat him back down. ¡°Fuck, that hurts.¡± ¡°Let me get a look at that. I¡¯m almost a nurse.¡± ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°I need to set it.¡± ¡°That sounds painful.¡± Jimmy winced even though Niamh hadn¡¯t done anything yet. ¡°Do you have a belt you can bite into?¡± ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± ¡°Screaming into that may help.¡± Niamh gently placed the tips of her fingers on Jimmy¡¯s nose. Jimmy bit into his belt and held onto his chair as tightly as he could. ¡°Get ready. On the count of four.¡± Before Jimmy could retaliate, Niamh set Jimmy¡¯s nose with a stomach-curdling crunch. Jimmy screamed into his belt. ¡°And its done. We need to get some ice on that.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± A single tear rolled down Jimmy¡¯s cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s go hey?¡± Niamh held onto Jimmy¡¯s forearm, and they walked back to his car. ¡°What was that guy on about?¡± Niamh asked after a few minutes of silence. ¡°I. Hmm.¡± Jimmy was unsure on how he should approach the question. What would she think if he told her everything? He decided he would be honest and told her everything. ¡°Huh. Well, that certainly sounds interesting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What for? You haven¡¯t done anything to me to apologize for.¡± ¡°What are your thoughts on all of it? Do you think differently of me? Are we gonna have another date?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a big fan of gambling. My father did a lot of stupid things because of it. Animal cruelty isn¡¯t the best either. I¡¯m gonna be honest, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Well, thank you for tonight though. I had a great time.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jimmy, so did I.¡± Jimmy got out of his car and opened the door for Niamh. He walked with her to the front door and said goodbye. ¡°I think I¡¯d still like another date.¡± ¡°Oh, ok then. Yeah, great. How¡¯s next fortnight sound?¡± ¡°That sounds good to me. By the way, the chowder was great.¡± Niamh smiled and walked inside. Jimmy launched himself into the driver¡¯s seat and drove back home with a warm smile on his face the whole way home. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get away with sneaking through the house and not tell me about tonight.¡± Jimmy¡¯s mother flicked a light on. The smile on her face changed to a frown when she saw his nose. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face? You didn¡¯t get in a fight while on the date, did you?¡± ¡°No. No, I fell over. Niamh helped set it back into place though.¡± ¡°Oh good. Now, tell me all about your date." Fifteen Fifteen Jimmy attended the underground with Scott almost every day leading up to his and Norman¡¯s next big fight. He needed to make money, fast. Scott explained if Norman proved to be popular, less and less people would bet against him. Sure, that¡¯s where the finite bets could take place. Like if a rooster would lose an eye, or be killed, but Jimmy was planning on the win or loss. Despite his initial bad luck before Norman, Jimmy had a few wins and broke ahead. Scott even participated in an event, and Jimmy won big. For Norman¡¯s second fight, Jimmy had made a thousand pounds on bets, and another eighty pounds from the eggs. He hadn¡¯t yet repaid Aisling, but she was okay with that. She encouraged him to get out from under Walsh first. Jimmy¡¯s mother had noticed the pep in her son¡¯s step, and put it down to Niamh. She wore a goofy smile almost every time Jimmy walked past, and show him the latest baby clothes she had knitted up. Jimmy would just chuckle and roll his eyes. In whatever down time Jimmy had, he spent the time outside with Norman. He wanted to build a stronger bond with his rooster. To treat him more than just a potential moneymaker, but a friend. Jimmy had this idea that if he built some kind of trust and respect with Norman, Norman would perform better in his fights. The moment of the next fight was upon them. Jimmy stood on one side of the pen and held Norman. Norman was a little twitchy in his arms, but otherwise seemed normal. Across from them stood a lady of high class. Her hair was long and layered, it reminded Jimmy of all the movie stars rocking Hollywood right now. She wore an elegant yellow dress covered with a large, brown-fur jacket. She wore white gloves and an intricate golden necklace. Her name was Joan Nolan. Her rooster¡¯s name was Big Q, and to top it all off, he wore a fine gold chain. ¡°I should have this one in the bag. Her rooster looks as though he¡¯s never even seen dirt. At least Pecker looked like a fighter.¡± ¡°Looks can be deceiving honey. That rooster there is bred from a fine family. Joan¡¯s daddy was known for raising fighting roosters, and Big Q over there, he comes from the best. It¡¯s a whole world and a fine science out there when it comes to rooster fighting.¡± Aisling gave Norman a pat. ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s great. So, we¡¯re still rookies, and we¡¯re going against champions.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Get ready!¡± screamed the announcer. ¡°Before we start, I would like to make a bet with the fine gentleman who will be our opponent.¡± ¡°Okay, sure. Be warned though, I¡¯ve only got just over a thousand pounds. I can¡¯t bet big.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite alright. It¡¯ll be a different kind of bet. We¡¯ll bet with all of the cash we have on us this moment. So, you¡¯ve got just over a thousand, and I have.¡± She paused to count, and Jimmy could feel the nerves run down his arms. ¡°I¡¯ve got four thousand.¡± Roars of excitement rumbled through the crowd. ¡°Are you serious? That doesn¡¯t seem fair for you, if we win.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Are you an idiot? Take the bet. You¡¯re gonna bet your whole amount anyways. You¡¯d be stupid not to,¡± Scott hissed. ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious. I have that much confidence in my beautiful Big Q, I just know we¡¯re not going to lose.¡± She hugged her rooster and gave him a big kiss on the neck. ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll take your bet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so unfair. Why doesn¡¯t anyone ever offer me a bet like that?¡± cried someone from the crowd. ¡°They would if you said it first.¡± ¡°I bet three hundred that Big Q will win in under a minute.¡± ¡°I bet one hundred that Norman will lose an eye.¡± ¡°I bet sixty that Jimmy will stop the match.¡± ¡°I bet thirty that Norman will land the first hit.¡± ¡°Get ready.¡± Jimmy drowned out all the voices around him and whispered words of encouragement into Norman''s ear. They were about to win an insane amount of money. They¡¯d be free from Walsh a lot faster than he thought. ¡°Go!¡± The owners threw their roosters into the pen and the match began. Big Q flustered his wings and made a beeline for Norman, and Norman, having seemingly learned from his previous fight, flapped his wings to take a few steps back. Big Q went in and bit into Norman¡¯s flesh. Norman let out a short cry and pulled himself from Big Q. Blood dripped to the ground. ¡°And Big Q has drawn first blood.¡± Cheers and boos rang through the crowd as people already exchanged money. Big Q went in for the same spot, and even though Norman tried to dodge, Big Q¡¯s beak hit his target. He pulled flesh and feathers from Norman, and Norman let out a shriek. As Big Q went in for the attack yet again, Norman thrust his sharp beak down and grabbed onto the high red comb on top of Big Q¡¯s head. He ripped at it and spat out a chunk of flesh. Within moments, the two roosters were locked into a violent frenzy that was much bloodier than Norman¡¯s previous fight. Jimmy¡¯s heart sank when he watched as Big Q drove his razor-sharp beak into Norman¡¯s eye. He knew they were done for. Jimmy was about to call it quits, when Aisling stopped him. ¡°Hey, what gives? I don¡¯t want him to die out there.¡± ¡°Look.¡± Jimmy looked to see that Norman had Big Q¡¯s neck pinned to the ground. Norman repeatedly pecked at his victim and Jimmy watched in horror as he saw just how violent rooster fights could get. ¡°Stop the fight!¡± Joan cried. Tears ran down her cheeks. She jumped the fence and made to grab Big Q, but Norman pecked at her fingers. Jimmy then jumped in and grabbed Norman. ¡°Control your pet,¡± Joan¡¯s words were laced with venom. ¡°You wanted the fight, and you were so confident you¡¯d win.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t pay. That bet wasn¡¯t official.¡± ¡°Uh-uh. You don¡¯t get to back out of the bet Miss Nolan. We all heard the bet, and you must honour it,¡± called the ref. ¡°No way. It wasn¡¯t an equal bet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that made the bet,¡± argued the ref. Jimmy watched as two towering muscles of men made their way over to the pen. ¡°Alright, fine. Take the stupid money.¡± Joan handed him the cash and stormed off. ¡°No way. You just made a killing.¡± Scott slapped Jimmy on the back as he walked out of the pen. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°If you bet with that much next time, you¡¯d be able to pay Walsh off. You may not be able to bet it all in one big go though. You may have to get us to help you make smaller bets. Start betting on specifics or something.¡± ¡°I know, its pretty awesome. Norman did amazing.¡± Jimmy finally took a moment to assess his rooster and was shocked to see how injured he was. ¡°I gotta go and get him patched up. Can you set up another fight for next week?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± As Jimmy walked toward his car, his heart sank when he saw Officer Thomerson was walking in the opposite direction. ¡°Hello the-Oh shit what happened to your rooster?¡± Thomerson narrowed his eyes and inspected Norman, ¡°Oh, he got attacked by my two older roosters. Jealous of the new kid on the block.¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re not near any vets.¡± ¡°I just,¡± Jimmy felt his mouth go dry. His throat tightened and Norman suddenly felt as though he weighed a tonne. ¡°I sure hope you¡¯re not up to any funny business, Jimmy. I know you¡¯re best friends with Scott O¡¯Malley, and he¡¯s not exactly the best kind of person to be friends with.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of doing anything stupid, officer. This is my prized rooster and I¡¯m hoping he brings new life into the farm.¡± Jimmy looked dead straight at Thomerson. The officer met his gaze for a few moments before tipping his hat and continuing to walk. On his way to the vet, Jimmy couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the money. It was exhilarating. Sixteen Sixteen The next meeting with Mr. Walsh¡¯s men, Jimmy gave them four hundred pounds. They were visibly impressed, and Jimmy promised there¡¯d be more on the next payment. The days leading up to Norman¡¯s next fight, Jimmy noticed that Norman was becoming aggressive. He¡¯d attacked the elderly rooster and drawn blood. Jimmy had to take him to the vet, and now the vet decided to start asking questions. In a fit of panic, Jimmy mentioned the gambling and rooster fights. The vet just said he hadn¡¯t been there for a while, and figured he should watch Norman¡¯s next fight, and hope to make some money. The vet offered a discount, and Jimmy¡¯s thoughts ran wild on the sorts of connections he could make with powerful people. ¡°I went outside today. I haven¡¯t seen the chickens in such a long time. Silly Norman kept chasing after me, like he didn¡¯t want me to be there. He didn¡¯t do anything to me, but I didn¡¯t know he could be so aggressive. We need to be careful with him.¡± Jimmy¡¯s mother sat in her usual chair and had knitted three more baby outfits. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. He just flapped his wings and clucked as he kept running and jumping at me. Keep an eye on him Jimmy, you know what happens to animals when they go wild.¡± ¡°Of course, ma, I¡¯ll be careful with him.¡± Jimmy and Niamh¡¯s second date went well. They went to the movie theatre and watched a crummy horror movie about a killer bear that attacked campers. Jimmy didn¡¯t think much of it, but Niamh loved horror movies. She explained the tension and the scares made her feel alive. For dinner, they had fish and chips and walked along a river. ¡°These fish and chips are good, but have you ever been to Burdock¡¯s in Dublin?¡± Niamh asked. ¡°Never even been to Dublin.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me. You¡¯ve never been? Why?¡± ¡°Never felt the need.¡± ¡°How much do you still owe Mr. Walsh?¡± Niamh finally asked after a few minutes of silence. ¡°Just under six thousand. I¡¯ve got four thousand on me that I want to double in Norman¡¯s next fight. That¡¯ll be more than enough to pay him back and leave me a little extra to hold onto, in case something else crops up.¡± ¡°Will Norman keep fighting after that?¡± ¡°What? No. Lucky for me, he¡¯s getting us out of this stupid debt. He¡¯s earned a peaceful life for the rest of his days after this, for sure.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Good.¡± Jimmy drove Niamh home and the ride was filled with light conversation. Jimmy felt at ease with Niamh, and hoped she did with him. ¡°This is my stop. Thank you for a lovely night. I had a great time.¡± ¡°So did I. How¡¯s next fortnight sound?¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± ¡°I was thinking, what if we went into Dublin and you can show me how good Burdock¡¯s is.¡± ¡°Sounds like a date.¡± Jimmy noticed that Niamh was leaning in closer to him and looking him in the eyes, but was unsure of what it all meant. ¡°This is the part where you can give me a kiss.¡± Niamh smiled and leaned in. Jimmy met her lips and felt firecrackers light up through his body. She exited the car. The day had come for what was hopefully Norman¡¯s last fight. Jimmy needed the win. He could taste the pride of victory and visualised holding the cash in his hands. In his hands, Norman twitched and clucked. He threw his neck around to see everything, and when he caught eye of the rooster on the other side, he tried to leap from Jimmy¡¯s hands. ¡°Easy there, buddy. Save it for the ring. Victory means the most right now. Are you ready?¡± Jimmy felt Norman¡¯s racing heartbeat ready to explode in his hands. Across from him was a middle-aged man Jimmy recognised. His hair was going grey, and he sported a fine moustache and goatee. He wore a grey suit with a black undershirt. He was an actor from Hollywood. Jimmy couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet whatever you want. I can see you¡¯re a desperate man.¡± He shot Jimmy a curt grin. Jimmy eyed his rooster and gulped as he took in the feral, fighting machine. ¡°You that confident you¡¯ll win?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Fine, four thousand.¡± ¡°Are you that confident you¡¯ll win?¡± the man laughed. ¡°Not a problem. Rocky will beat you.¡± ¡°Get ready! Place your bets!¡± ¡°One thousand says Norman dies.¡± ¡°Three hundred says Norman wins in under three minutes.¡± ¡°Go!¡± Both roosters jumped from their owner¡¯s hands. Norman sped toward Rocky. His neck was stretched, ready for an attack. His beak sliced through the wind. Rocky sidestepped and bit into Norman¡¯s neck. Norman let out a cry. He flicked his foot up to scratch at Rocky, but missed. Rocky pecked at Norman¡¯s comb and tore flesh. Norman let out a cry and Jimmy watched as fierce fire burned in his eyes. ¡°Win you bastard. We need this,¡± whispered Jimmy. ¡°Whoa, Norman looks wild,¡± said Scott. ¡°He¡¯s taken on a fierceness that makes Rocky look normal,¡± said Aisling. Rocky flapped down on Norman to pin him down, but Norman scuttled out of the way. Norman snapped around and plucked a few of Rocky¡¯s tail feathers. Rocky let out a small noise. Rocky contorted his neck in a strange way and was able to bite into Norman¡¯s chest. Blood dripped from the wound. ¡°You sure you still wanna go ahead with the fight?¡± asked the actor. ¡°You¡¯re fucking kidding, right?¡± Jimmy screamed. Scott was taken aback by the fierceness of his timid friend. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The actor waved his hands at Jimmy and laughed. ¡°Rocky, quite playing around. Finish him.¡± Rocky looked at his owner as though he knew what he was being told. Rocky exploded into a flurry of scratches, flaps and pecks. Most hits connected with their target and Jimmy knuckles went white as he gripped the wall of the pen. Was he about to lose? ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, Norman. Kill him!¡± Norman managed to break free from the onslaught and after a few precise pecks, was able to pin Rocky. Norman ripped at the flesh of Rocky¡¯s throat. Blood sprayed everywhere and the crowd looked on in feverish support. ¡°Cut it,¡± said the actor. He looked at Rocky in horror. Norman had cleaved through the flesh and managed to decapitate Rocky. ¡°Ha! Bet you wish you hadn¡¯t made that bet now,¡± jeered Jimmy. ¡°Eh. Its all a part of it.¡± The actor shrugged and walked over to Jimmy and paid him the money. ¡°You¡¯re not even upset?¡± Jimmy asked. ¡°Nope. Like I said, its all a part of it. You can¡¯t be making your animals do stuff like this and have attachments to them. Good fight.¡± The actor extended his arm and Jimmy shook it. Seventeen Seventeen Jimmy had been waiting anxiously for Walsh¡¯s men. He¡¯d organised an early meetup and promised it was all going to be over. ¡°You¡¯ve got the rest of it then, hey?¡± Jimmy whirled and was greeted by the two henchmen. ¡°Yeah. Yes, I do. Here.¡± Jimmy thrust an old leather briefcase at them. ¡°Check it, Holden.¡± The smaller of the two threw the briefcase at the hulking brute. ¡°Its all here, Judge. And he¡¯s given a little extra on top too.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry, I should¡¯ve said so. Mr. Walsh was incredibly nice and understanding and gave me a lot of chances. I gave a little extra as a thanks. I hope it isn¡¯t rude or anything.¡± Jimmy started to tremble. ¡°Oh, not at all mate. I reckon you¡¯re one of four people that have paid extra back to Mr. Walsh. I can tell you he¡¯ll be more than pleased, and you will be left alone. Mr. Walsh is true to his word.¡± The smaller one known as Judge extended a hand and Jimmy shook it. ¡°Word is you got the money from cockfights.¡± Judge stared at Jimmy. ¡°Ahyup. I got really lucky.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say. I made money off Norman.¡± Judge smile and he and Holden left Jimmy where he stood. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Jimmy made his way to Scott¡¯s and was pulled over by a cop car. Jimmy¡¯s heart sunk as Thomerson stepped out. ¡°Surely this isn¡¯t a coincidence by now,¡± Jimmy whispered to himself. ¡°Hello there Jimmy.¡± Thomerson took off his pair of sunglasses and stared at Jimmy. ¡°Hi there officer Thomerson. How can I help you today? I wasn¡¯t speeding, was I?¡± Jimmy gulped as he stared at Thomerson. ¡°I know what you¡¯ve been doing. I know why you had a rooster in your car.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Jimmy continued to stare Thomerson down. ¡°I can¡¯t get you for anything. Right now. My higher ups warned me away from you. Its an uphill battle for sure. But I will get you.¡± Thomerson put his sunglasses back on. ¡°Have a good day, Jimmy.¡± Jimmy found Scott in the back supply room of the store. A small radio played the horse races, and he circled names on a piece of paper. ¡°Thomerson just straight up threatened he was coming after me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s done that to me too. You¡¯ll be right. You pay Walsh back?¡± ¡°Yep. Debt free.¡± ¡°What are you gonna do now?¡± ¡°Make more money.¡± Jimmy and Scott both cracked a smile. ¡°With Norman?¡± ¡°You bet! I¡¯ve just lined up another fight for him.¡± When he got home, Jimmy was shocked his mother wasn¡¯t in her usual chair. ¡°Ma!¡± He stormed through the house as he screamed for her. He found her locked up in a supply shed outside. ¡°That rooster has gone bad. He¡¯s missing an eye. What¡¯s happening with him? Jimmy?¡± ¡°Ma, what happened?¡± Jimmy grabbed her hand and led her into the house. ¡°He attacked me. Look at my legs.¡± Trembling, Jimmy¡¯s mother lifted her dress and showed her shins. ¡°He needs to be put down.¡± ¡°Okay ma.¡± Jimmy went out to the shed and grabbed the shotgun. He found Norman in the barn. He¡¯d killed three hens and the elderly rooster. Jimmy looked at his rooster and was shaken by what he saw. The once proud rooster with a large chest was balding and withered away to almost nothing. Sores covered his legs, and his comb was all but gone and his face was matted with blood. Jimmy took him around the back and chained him up. Norman looked at him, and Jimmy felt weak. In that moment, it wasn¡¯t a rooster looking at him, but a soul in pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mate, it was all my fault.¡± Jimmy pulled the trigger, and the deed was done.