The First Strike

Fourteen years old and full of swagger, his whitewashed jeans evincing a unique brand of skinny virility, Toby Fischer thumbed at the scoreboard and smiled.

“That’s a turkey, gentlemen. Bear witness to my glory.”

The Eider twins, Gary and Evan, were beside themselves. They hollered as Toby did a spin in his two-toned shoes—a god among boys among men. It was closing time at Button’s Bowling, and the best Saturday night of Toby’s young life.

But a sudden scream pierced the jubilation—thin and high and desperate—and Toby held up his hand for silence.

“I think it came from the private lanes,” Evan offered.

“Let’s go look,” Toby said.

The boys crossed the empty lobby without another word, the browning carpet muffling their steps. On a typical Saturday, Button’s was host to motley drunks, dropouts and deadbeats, but even they had cleared out by this time of night. The boys were alone. From around the corner, brutish grunts and pitiful whimpers came tangled and faint to their ears.

When the girl came into view, khaki shorts around her ankles, Toby recognized her immediately from school. Her arm looked hurt and tears were streaming down her face. The two men, tattoos coiling about their bare arms and calves, turned as the boys entered.

“Fuck off, kids,” one demanded, hastily zipping his pants. The other let the girl go, and she crouched, shivering against the wall.

“Leave her alone,” Toby warned, and the leading thug smiled wickedly.

“Get a load of this little shit,” he said with a light laugh, and he moved to grab Toby by the scruff.

Toby was too fast: He grabbed a bowling ball from the rack and brought it up with all the force he could muster, caving the man’s skull and sending him to the ground with a crunch and a spray of blood.

“Holy shit,” Evan squeaked. “That was Jimmy Covington.”

The other man stared, shaking with anger, and slowly backed out the door.

This is my story for this week’s Trifecta Writing Challenge; the word was Turkey. I wish I had a little more space to firm up the ending, but this’ll have to do. Let me know what you think in the comments below!