The once-grand group of 18 has dwindled throughout the days into an exhausted and bloodied triad. Only the Squid, the Turkey, and the Dog remain alive to fight another day.
“How much longer?” the Squid cries, throwing up his hands in despair.
“Surely it’s almost over?” the Turkey responds hopefully, pleading eyes cast to the Trinity.
“You’re right about that.”
The Dog’s voice takes on a cool, sinister tone as he laughs coldly and without mercy under the mask.
At this, the Hummingbird’s ears perk up as he beckons the Dog to his side with a swish of his signature feathered cloak. The two whisper together for several minutes chatting excitedly, with the Dog rummaging through his pockets to present several things to the Hummingbird. The Hummingbird’s eyes light up with glee and his face contorts into a positively feral grin. Meanwhile, the Squid and the Turkey mutter among themselves with fear and dismay…
“Go on,” the Hummingbird urges- waiting with bated breath.
“Happily.”
TW HERE, BLOOD AND GORE
Summary
Immediately the Dog springs into action. He pulls out several feet of what appears to be…a vine? The Dog wastes no time, using the shock of the Turkey and the Squid to back the former into a corner and wrap the vine around his neck. It’s only when the Turkey cries out in pain and rivulets of blood pour from her neck that everyone realizes the vine was covered with large, pointed thorns. The Turkey’s agonized screams of pain fall on deaf ears as the Dog mercilessly throttles her with the thorny vine. After several moments, the Turkey falls silent and goes limp in the Dog’s grasp.
“Gooseberry vine,” is all the Dog offers in response to the Squid frozen in fear.
The Squid backs up and raises his hands in surrender frantically, rivers of tears pouring down his face.
“I surrender! You win! Please don’t do this…” he sobs loudly.
The Hummingbird’s reply burns with a manic ferocity.
“You knew the stakes.“
The Dog takes this as license to continue and removes his vine from the Turkey’s mangled and broken form. Blood cascades off it as the Dog whips it around in frenzied circles around his head, splattering the two competitors. He raises the hellish whip and brings it down on the trembling Squid. Unnoticeable to anyone but the Dog and the Hummingbird were small red seeds painstakingly embedded on a few of the gooseberry vine’s thorns. Down went the whip as the Squid was struck for a second time, embedding the shattered seeds within his system. Satisfied at last, the Dog steps away…much to the injured Squid’s confusion. He opens his mouth to question the Dog’s masochistic mercy, well, tries. The Squid starts to convulse on the ground as his system quickly goes into organ failure. He vomits a spray of bright red blood onto the Dog, and collapses. All is still.
“And those’ll be the rosary peas,” the Dog finishes with a smirk.
“Bravo! Congratulations to our final competitor, the last man standing! Everyone give it up for…the Dog!”
The irony of his words is not lost on the Hummingbird, gesturing grandly to a nearly empty room.
“Wealth beyond your wildest dreams…this will be yours my green-thumbed friend. Follow us, we have much to discuss.”
The Trinity walk away into the hallway, the Dog eagerly following behind.
