Hell's Bayne

Part 1

It was Thursday. That meant Mom would be coming home from Blackbeard's with Dave. Dave was a piece of shit like the rest, but a bit more tolerable when he was sober, which was less and less often.

Gordon stopped thinking about what would happen later that night, and focused on the task at hand. He had the rat pinned. It struggled, trying to bite him. If it had more time, maybe it could chew through the thick leather glove, but time was something this rat didn't have. Gordon brought the hammer down on it's head with a sickening crunch. Blood splattered as if from a popped balloon. They always had more in them than you'd think. He'd have to clean that up before they got home. The rat got wrapped in a plastic bag and put in the freezer. He almost had a hundred. When he got the rest, he could take them into the processing center and get paid for the meat. Nutripaste wasn't as good as the stuff it was made out of, but they needed coin more than more rat meat.

Just as he was finished wiping up the worst of the blood, Gordon heard yelling. They were home, and they were already fighting. Gordon knew how that would go, so he slipped out the back to go hang up his hammock in the storage shed. Nothing good would come of getting between them.

Morning came, and Gordon awoke to a spider crawling down his cheek. He stayed as still as possible, holding his breath until it crawled off and dropped to the floor. He looked as it skittered away... a Red Widow. It's bite probably wouldn't kill him, but it would make him very sick. It had happened before, and he wasn't interested in letting it happen again. Just as he was checking his boots for other nasty creatures, Dave barged in.

"C'mon kid. You're too old to be sitting around the house waiting for us to feed you. You're coming to work with me today. Get your ass in gear." And then Dave turned and left, expecting Gordon to follow him, which he did after pulling on his boots.

Mom was just finishing breakfast when they walked in. If you mixed in some submilk, Nutripaste was almost like runny eggs when you cooked it, kinda like tofu in a tube, but a bit less gelatinous. Dave took the big serving and handed a smaller bowl to Gordon. It didn't leave any for Mom, but he expected her to make more for herself after he got what he wanted. Mom had a bruise along the side of her cheek, but there was no way to know if it was the result of anger or romance, so Gordon didn't say anything. It's not like anything he said would change anything, except maybe to get himself a matching decoration. He was big for a ten year old, but not big enough to fight a grown man.

That day at the pit mine, Gordon worked as a gopher, mostly carrying things for other employees or cleaning up trash in the areas management cared about. At the end of the day he got a coin for his efforts, about what he expected from a bushel of rats. More work, less time, and less blood. Gordon could get used to this. Dave sent him home alone at the end of the 12 hour shift. He had other plans, and couldn't be bothered "escorting the brat home."

Unfortunately, on the way home, Gordon was thinking about how he'd spend this easy money he'd made. He wasn't paying attention. He wasn't watching the shadows. Pain erupted in the side of his face and the world started to spin. He fell to the ground and then the boots were kicking and stomping him. He recognized the attackers - Spike, Troll, and Jimmy. Spike and Troll were kicking him, and Jimmy was ready to throw another brick. When they had their fun, they searched him and found his coin. Jimmy held it aloft in a gesture of victory, then the three of them ran off.

Gordon went back to the mine with Dave the next day. He was determined to be more cautious from now on. He'd recover from the beating, but earning another coin would make it worthwhile.