Title: Dead Man's Hand
Author: Tigergirl
Rated: T (just for safety's sake)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Ronin Warriors. Just own the original characters starring in this fan fic.
Summary: Everything he knew fell apart in a single day. Life hasn't been the same since he was dealt the dead man's hand. Now, just when he thinks he has left his past behind him, he is pulled back to it. Follow along as he encounters old friends, new challenges, and unleashes a power not even he knew he possessed.
CHAPTER ONE
An Ace of Spades. An Ace of Clubs. An Eight of Spades. An Eight of Clubs. A Two of Hearts. He knew the sight well. It haunted him every time he played Poker. He always felt as though it defined his life.
The other companions looked up when he folded his cards face down and stood. Without saying a word, he swung his bag onto his shoulder, pushed his chair in and walked away. The guy that had been sitting the closest to him lifted his cards to look at them.
"What was that all about?" the only woman in the group asked.
"He has a dead man's hand," the guy said, placing the cards face down.
The other man nodded his head in understanding while the woman looked downright confused. He proceeded to explain everything to her.
"I've only known Sawyer for about a year now. He doesn't share much about himself, but I do know getting a hand like that bothers him," he told her.
Meanwhile, while the woman puzzled over this odd behavior, Sawyer left the building with his head up and eyes forward. He traveled across the campus to the bus stop where he jumped on it just before the doors closed. Sawyer walked down the long length of the bus to the very back. Most of the time he drove his vehicle over to the college, but some days he just felt like riding the bus.
He watched the buildings pass by as the bus departed from downtown. The bus headed up the road towards his destination, taking a few stops along the way. Finally, the bus stopped outside an apartment complex out past the interstate and near the woods. The complex consisted of several cabins spread out on the grounds.
"Thanks," Sawyer mumbled to the bus driver as he climbed off.
He jogged across the complex to his cabin which sat at the very back and closest to a large acreage of woods. He slipped his keys out of his jeans pocket, jabbed it into the lock and jiggled it open. The door swung open without a sound and he closed it quietly behind him.
"I'm home," he called softly.
He wasn't expecting a response. His companion was usually taking an afternoon nap around this time, but he always called out to him anyway. Sawyer placed his bag on the armchair as he passed through the living and disappeared into his bedroom. He pulled his shirt up over his head to throw it over into the laundry basket. He replaced it with his collared work shirt that he had laid out on his bed that morning.
After changing his shirt, Sawyer took his small-rimmed glasses off his face. He didn't really need to wear glasses but they matched his looks well. His dark colored hair was dusted with frosty, blended in white highlights that seemed natural. His eyes were an unusual autumn orange.
Sawyer put his glasses back on after cleaning the lens with his shirt. He called out to his companion as he grabbed up his helmet and headed for the door.
"I'm going early to work. I'll be back later tonight!" he shouted.
/…/
"Hey, Sawyer!"
"Hi, Marcus."
The two exchanged a small sideways high five as Marcus walked by. Sawyer finished folding up the towels and closed the dryer door. He placed the hot towels on the counter and walked over to the sink where he washed his hands thoroughly. He dried his hands before grabbing up a clipboard. He wrote his name, the name of the animal and the date and time.
Sawyer clipped a small hand sanitizer bottle to his belt loop and snatched up a key from beside the clipboard. Walking out into the open area, he walked over to the far wall. He unlocked the row and, grabbing underneath it, pulled it out. He was careful when opening the small enclosure and reaching in for his first animal of the day. Once it was in his arms, Sawyer closed up the row and locked it.
He handled the Inland Bearded Dragon with care by cradling it on its stomach down his arm with its tail hanging out from his hand. The head lay halfway down the length of his arm and pointed towards him. The creature was quiet and stayed mostly still as a weight on his arm. Sawyer smiled as a pair of boys, obviously brothers, approached him.
"Cool! Can we touch it?" asked the youngest.
Sawyer nodded, indicating with his other hand where they could pet the creature.
"Use one or two fingers. No, no, no! Don't touch up there. Down here," he pointed out softly.
"What is it?" asked the oldest of the two.
"This is called an Inland Bearded Dragon. His name is Koopa. He likes to eat crickets and worms," Sawyer told them.
The two boys petted the Bearded Dragon gently and carefully. The younger of the two brought up an interesting question.
"Why do they call it a dragon? It doesn't breathe fire," he said.
Sawyer chuckled. Kids had the most interesting thoughts. They moved on to look at the other small creatures in the building, but only after getting a drop of hand sanitizer each for their hands. Sawyer spent the next few minutes having people walk up to pet Koopa while he fielded their questions.
When Koopa started squirming around, Sawyer placed him back in his home and locked it back up. After thoroughly washing his hands, he took out his next creature, a small ball python named Nana. The snake curled around his right arm and snuck its head partially up the sleeve of his shirt. Sawyer chuckled quietly as he felt the body of the snake stop moving so it was gripping him tightly.
/I wouldn't be surprised if she went to sleep on me again./
Sawyer was brought out of his thoughts by the Director of Public Relations approaching him. She had another woman with her who was dressed professionally in a business suit.
"Mrs. Halloon, I'd like you to meet Sawyer Thompson. He's been with us for a few years now. Four, right?" the Director asked, diverting her attention to Sawyer.
"Five, mam," Sawyer politely corrected.
"What is it that you do, Mr. Thompson?" the woman, Mrs. Halloon, asked.
"I do a little bit of everything. I fix meals for some of the animals, assist the veterinarian, and travel off-site to schools. Mostly, I work here in the Education building. I clean the tanks and feed the animals before we open. Then I take out the animals to educate the public," Sawyer answered.
The woman praised him for his dedication to the zoo before moving on with the Director who flashed him a grateful smile. Sawyer went through the motions of work with taking out animals until it was time to call it a day. Someone else was due to close the Education building tonight, despite Sawyer having volunteered.
He finished signing the last creature back in on the clipboard and bid his supervisor a good night. Sawyer walked along the back roads of the zoo to the back clubhouse for employees. There were two employees standing near the checkout computer but their heads were up and their eyes on the television mounted in the top corner.
"What's up, guys?" Sawyer asked, moving around them to sign-out on the computer.
Neither one of them answered him as they stared up at the television. He shook his head with a chuckle as he typed in his employee number.
"Meteorologists are baffled by the sudden and strange formation of clouds that have descended upon the country."
Sawyer slowed his moves through signing-out as he listened in.
"Only within the last hour has the weather taken a turn for the worst in Japan. Dark clouds have descended upon the city of Toyama, despite the absence of activity on the Doppler radar."
Sawyer's hand froze just over the touch screen. Fear gripped his heart yet he kept his gaze away from the television.
"The dark clouds cover the entire area of Toyama. Witnesses say they appeared suddenly and quickly. There has been no rain thus far, only thunder and lightning."
Sawyer unfroze, quickly finished signing off, and zipped outside. As he shut the door behind him, he took out his cell phone and hit speed dial. He waited to speak until he heard the telltale click of someone answering.
"Are you okay?"
"…I'm fine."
Sawyer frowned as he started walking down the back dirt roads to where his vehicle was parked.
"You're lying," he said point blank.
There was a pause on the other side of the line then a sigh could be heard.
"You saw the news, didn't you?"
"Yes. What does it mean?"
"*sigh* I'll see you in the morning, Sawyer."
He started to protest, but the person on the other line cut him off.
"I have to make sure everyone here is settled. Please don't worry."
Sawyer whispered a farewell and good night before hanging up his phone. He let out a loud sigh as he stopped next to his vehicle.
"Easy for you to say," he mumbled.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
Author's Note: Here is the first chapter of "Dead Man's Hand." I have been working on this story on and off. I am curious to see if it will generate any interest in readers & reviewers.
