New Orleans, Louisiana, February 28, 1939.
Jackie was sitting on a box cheering on number two who was taking the lead on the race track.
"Come on...Come on," Jackie thought tensely, seeing the rat he bet on almost making it to the finish line. But by some cruel twist of fate, rat number two tripped and sent many of the other rats sprawling to the floor, leaving number seven to cross the finish line.
"No! God damn it!" Jackie roared out in frustration at losing his winnings. He jumped off the box and stormed over to the bar to drink his sorrows away.
"This sucks. I wish Charlie and Gavin were here." Jackie thought, feeling the booze and the depression sinking in.
Ever since Charlie was sent to the city pound and Gavin died in the bayou, things had changed. When Carface took over, nobody was able to win the races fairly and the slot machines didn't work right anymore either. It was like everything was rigged, but what the hell could he do about it. Jackie sighed and was about to order another glass of whiskey when he heard the front doors behind him slam open and everything became quiet almost instantly. Jackie looked up and saw the bartender staring at the doors in shock. Turning around to see what all the fuss was about, he saw what everyone was looking at, and his jaw dropped open in astonishment.
"Holy shit...it can't be." Jackie thought.
I was looking at the customers who were staring at me and Charlie with a stunned expression and I smirked in amusement.
"Hey fellas! What do you know, what do you say!" Charlie said loudly in glee.
"Why Charlie? Do we detect a look of surprise here?" I asked while putting my hand on my chin in mock thought.
"Why yes Gavin, I think we do." Charlie said with a grin and we gave a laugh before we walked over to a craps table where an elderly dog wearing a slightly torn top hat was staring at us.
After regaining some of his composure, the dog asked"Charlie, Gavin...aren't you two supposed to be dead?"
"Of course not Smiley, you know us better then that." Charlie replied.
"That's right. Because Charlie and I are just too stubborn for death." I said with a pleasant smile though I was feeling anything but pleasant.
"But how is it possible that you both are here?" Smiley asked while looking at us in awe.
"Glad you asked because we'll explain everything." Charlie said and gestured for me to start.
After our dramatic entrance and much hugging and handshaking, Charlie and I told everyone what had happened and Itchy pitched in with his account of the breakout. While we were explaining, I noticed that the casino looked like a shithole and I felt pissed at seeing the state of our establishment. By the time we were done, every dog in the casino was staring at us in awe.
"Holy shit! You three are lucky that you didn't get killed." A doberman said in shock.
"Well, we survived and that's what matters. But right now we have a little problem because we couldn't help but notice the casino looking so rundown," Charlie said sternly.
"He's right. So what the hell happened to our casino?" I said with an expression that demanded answers. The customers started looking understandably nervous from seeing us glaring at them. Even though Charlie and I had treated them well, we were people they didn't want to cross.
"Well? We're waiting. Is somebody going to speak up or are we going to have to make an example out of someone?" I asked menacingly. Most of the dogs started trembling in fear but one dog said timidly, "Things have changed while you two were gone. When Carface took over, he started mistreating us and things have gotten worse ever since. He's been rigging the races and sabotaging the slot machines." All the dogs murmured and nodded in agreement.
"So Carface is responsible for this. Why the hell am I not surprised." I thought, feeling even more eager to make Carface suffer. I looked at Charlie and saw that he looked like he wanted to tear Carface apart for having the gall to turn our pride and joy into a dump.
"So Carface is responsible for this? You better be telling the truth because if we find out that he isn't responsible then that means someone is lying, and if there is one thing I hate, it's liars," I said.
"C'mon Charlie, we'll deal with this," I said as I turned to go to the office.
"He's right," said Charlie, "but for now, drinks are on the house, courtesy of our return." Charlie grinned and all the customers started cheering which brought a smile to my face.
"Okay Itchy, you stay here and start planning to fix the place up, me and Charlie are gonna go see Carface." I said and Itchy nodded. Charlie and I headed to Carface's office ready to lay out righteous fury against the one who stabbed us in the back. As we headed down the hallway we saw Killer approaching us. When he saw us his eyes widened in fear.
"Hello Killer, long time no see." Charlie said with a smirk.
"Charlie! Gavin! Aren't you both dead?" Killer stuttered out in disbelief.
"Well considering how we're standing right in front of you, I am going to assume that we're not dead." I said sarcastically.
"Oh of course, what a stupid thing to say. Um, I've gotta go." Killer said and was about to run but Charlie grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back.
"Whoa, whoa, where are you going Killer? We're just old friends having a conversion, no need to be hasty." Charlie said with a look of amusement.
"Charlie's right," I agreed, "And speaking of old friends, have you seen Carface anywhere? Me and Charlie have some business to discuss with him. So do you think you could let him know that we want to speak to him?" I asked with a look of intimidation, showing Killer that it wasn't a request.
"Um, of course. I'll let him know that you two want to speak with him. So uh, I'll just go now." Killer said nervously before Charlie let go of his collar and Killer frantically scrambled away to Carface's office, leaving us alone.
"Remind me why Carface hired him again?" Charlie asked me while I was shaking my head at the pathetic display.
"Who the hell knows. Maybe Carface just wanted someone to push around. I wouldn't put it past that asshole to do that." I replied in a dark tone.
Charlie and I followed Killer toward Carface's office, taking our time and relishing the confrontation to come. We would make an example out of Carface for wronging us in the worse way.
With a grin of satisfaction, Carface was in his office, lazing around in a partially destroyed car, smoking a cigar and slowly counting a large stack of money.
Carface thought about how everything had become better for him since he had gotten rid of Charlie and Gavin. What was even greater was his little money maker that he had in the basement. With his golden goose, he was making a fortune and he became very successful because of it.
Everything was going perfectly. But past experience had taught him that nothing good lasts forever. A fact that was soon proven when Killer came busting through the door looking completely terrified.
"Boss! We have a serious problem!" Killer exclaimed in fear.
"Killer! You know I don't like to be disturbed like this! So tell me what kind of problem you're talking about or you'll wind up like the last person who disturbed me." Carface threatened with a look of displeasure on his face.
"I'm so sorry Boss but you're not going to believe this. Hell, even I can't believe it." Killer said in a panic.
"Killer! Get to the point before I lose my patience and decide to whack you." Carface snapped out in irritation.
"It's Charlie and Gavin! They're alive and right outside your office waiting for me to let them in!" Killer blurted out.
Charlie and Gavin were alive and standing outside his office? How is this possible? Charlie was on death row in the pound and Gavin died in the bayou months ago, so how were they here? But what Carface was really wondering was if they knew that he was responsible.
"I can assure you Boss that It's not my fault. I was sure that we got rid of them for good." Killer reasoned which did not make Carface feel any better.
"Useless moron. Why the hell did I even rely on him getting the job done?" Carface thought in irritation.
This was not good. Carface needed to deal with this situation now before things turned out badly for him.
"Killer! I do not wish to share fifty percent of the business with my partners Charlie and Gavin." Carface stated and gave Killer a dark look.
"Let me take care of it Boss. I could grab the pliers and pop off their heads." Killer offered. Carface didn't believe it for one second, if there was one thing he knew about Killer, it was that he didn't have the stomach for dishing out brutality.
"Killer. That's no way to treat old friends, Charlie and Gavin deserve a more fitting send off." Carface said sinisterly.
"They want to speak to you, and I mean like right now Boss." Killer said.
"Really? Then send them in. It wouldn't be professional to keep guests waiting." Carface stated. As Killer went to get Charlie and Gavin he decided to play dumb, praying that they didn't know that he was responsible for their "deaths" or things would not end well for him.
Charlie and I entered Carface's office and saw that there was a partially destroyed Ford and a movie projector, along with other stuff that made me realized what our money was being used for. Charlie and I saw Carface sitting in front of the car and he perked up when he saw us.
"Charlie, Gavin. Is it really you two?" Carface asked with a happy grin that I didn't buy for a second.
"Is it really us? Is it really you? Damn did you put on some weight? You know we told you to lay off those sweets, long time no see partner." I said and me and Charlie shook his paw with pleasant smiles though we were feeling anything but pleasant at seeing Carface's ugly mug.
After I told Charlie that Carface was responsible for setting him up and for trying to have me killed he was beyond pissed off that Carface had the gall to stab us in the back. So we had come up with a plan to lower his guard and ambush him when he wasn't expecting it.
"I was certain that you two were dead after what had happened." Carface said in relief, though I could tell he was faking.
"Yeah, it was a close call, but you know that neither of us go down without a fight. We're pretty sure that fact is more clear then ever." Charlie replied with a fake smile.
"No kidding. Death certainly ain't claiming you both anytime soon. Sorry to skip the big reunion, but why have you two come to see me? I would think you both would be celebrating your return." Carface questioned us, smiling insincerely.
"I'm afraid we need to talk to you about how you've been running this place since we've been gone. The customers are miserable, the meat quality is much lower then when we last saw it, and what's this Charlie and I hear of the races and the machines being rigged?" I asked while idly fiddling with the radio. Seeing a lead pipe on the floor, I casually kicked it in Carface's direction to send a subtle message to dare him to try to kill us.
"Gamblers are never happy Gavin, you know that." Carface reasoned. But I knew he was lying and it took everything that I had to not kill him.
"True, but you see the fact of the matter is that everything has gone downhill since we've been gone. That's not something we're happy about, because the key to keeping a business afloat is to insure that the customers stay happy. The customer is always right. Right?" I said menacingly through my fake smile. "So we have to make sure we don't let this happen again or we're gonna have a problem. Understood?" I warned.
"Yes, I completely understand. It won't happen again." Carface said. I felt no small satisfaction at seeing Carface being knocked down a peg but hid it behind a pleasant facade.
"Oh Carface. Your suffering hasn't even begun yet." I thought darkly.
"Okay. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about Gavin and I being co-owners again." Charlie said and Carface shook his head.
"I'm sorry but there's a problem with that." Carface said which caused me and Charlie to start looking at him in suspicion.
"What's your game Carface." I thought, hoping that this was another attempt to get rid of us so that Charlie and I could have all the excuse we needed to kill him.
"I'm sorry. What do you mean a problem? If there is one thing me and Gavin don't like, it's problems." Charlie asked pleasantly, but with narrowed eyes.
"The problem is that you've done time Charlie, and that's not good for business." Carface explained.
"Wait a minute. What about me? I haven't done time so why can't I go back to being a co-owner?" I questioned, wondering where he was going with this.
"Well it's because of your association to Charlie that no dog in this city will do business with you." Carface told me.
"So what are you saying?" Charlie asked and we tensed up.
"As much as it pains me to say this, unfortunately we need to split up the partnership and you two need to leave the city and start a new life. I don't like it either you two, but it's for your own good." Carface said in feigned sorrow. I might've believed him if I didn't already know that he was the one that betrayed me and Charlie.
As much as I hated to admit it, Carface's explanation had a certain amount of logic. If Charlie and I got our revenge on Carface, would the other dogs in this city not want to get involved with us? The casino could go out of business and me and Charlie would have nothing. On the other hand, putting Carface out of business could be the best thing that ever happened to this town and Charlie and I would be heroes. I suppose there could be some risk involved in getting our revenge.
"Damn it. Well played Carface." I thought in frustration.
"So you're telling us that we need to leave the city and start off some place fresh. Where the hell are we gonna go then? Most of my contacts are in this city, so where do you suggest we go?" I questioned, feeling pissed that Carface made some good points.
"How about Las Vegas?" Carface offered, "I hear they legalized gambling there so it would be perfect for you two. I could buy your shares of the casino and you could use that money to get started in Vegas. Just think about it."
To tell the truth, it sounded tempting and we could make more money in Vegas then Carface ever could. But the problem was that if we accepted this deal then we would be indebted to Carface, and if there was anyone I didn't want to owe a debt to, it would be Carface. But who knows, maybe me and Charlie will get our revenge by making more profits while Carface runs his dirty operation into the ground and winds up with nothing.
After weighing the pros and cons of this deal I exchanged a knowing look with Charlie. We both nodded and turned to Carface, who was waiting in anticipation.
"Okay, we have thought about this deal and we've decided to accept it." I said with conviction.
"Good to hear, now let talk business you two." Carface said with a grin and although I knew none of us really planned on going through with it, I still had a feeling that somehow we had made a terrible mistake.
Itchy finished fixing a slot machine and stood up, nodding in satisfaction.
"There. All done. Now to find Charlie and Gavin." Itchy thought and headed down the hallway. When he approached a corner he stopped when he heard voices bickering in hushed tones.
"I don't want to feed it tonight, you feed it." Itchy heard one of the voices say.
"Hell no, you go and feed Carface's little monster." The other voice argued back.
"Monster? What are they talking about? What is this monster that's got them so scared?" Itchy thought, feeling nervous. He was about to leave when one of the dogs said something else that caught his attention.
"Damn it, will you just suck it up and do it before the Boss comes back? I don't want us to end up like Charlie and Gavin," the voice said in irritation.
"What! Carface is trying to kill Charlie and Gavin again?! Oh God, I have to find them now!" Itchy thought in horror and frantically ran off to search the casino, hoping to find and warn them before it was too late.
Unable to find them anywhere, he realized that Charlie and Gavin had left and could be anywhere in the city by now. Itchy left the casino and started tracking them down by scent, hoping that they were still alive.
Inside an abandoned parade float in a quiet part of town far from the noise and chaos of tonight's Mardi Gras parade, Carface, Charlie, and I, along with some of the casino employees, were celebrating our new deal. Carface had offered to buy out our shares so he could keep the casino, and Charlie and I would use the money to start our own place out in Vegas. We were all praising each other and making a lot of toasts. Without us noticing, someone kept refilling our beer mugs, so before we knew it, Charlie and I were completely drunk off our asses.
I was sliding off my chair and grinning drunkenly while Carface proposed another toast.
"...I'm sure I speak for every dog among us in wishing you both the best of luck in your new venture. To Charlie and Gavin's new casino!" We all raised our mugs and drank again. I drained my mug and put it down on the table. When Carface stood up a second later, I reached for my mug which was mysteriously full again.
"And now as a token of our esteem we are presenting to you both this lucky gold watch." Carface said while presenting a pocket watch. I stood up and grabbed the watch and kept right on going until I hit the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Charlie tried to stand up and joined me in a heap on the floor a second later.
"Takes a licking and keeps on ticking." Charlie slurred out, grabbing the watch from my hand and putting it around his neck. Still laughing, I was lifted off the floor by two dogs and they guided me to a car outside. While we were leaving the float I saw Charlie being taken in a different direction.
"Wait...where are they taking Charlie." I slurred out in confusion.
"Don't worry Gavin. They're just taking him home." The dog on the left replied.
I should've been alarmed that Charlie and I were being separated but I was too drunk to care. When we reached my house, the dogs assisted me to my front door. I fumbled for my keys, unlocked the door, falling inside, taking the two dogs with me.
"You guys...hic...are the greatest friends a man could ever ask for." I barely said with a goofy grin as the dogs stood up and brushed themselves off.
"Why thank you Gavin. And while we're here, we wanted to show you a surprise," one dog said with a smile.
"Oh really? What kind of surprise?" I slurred.
"Oh nothing, just this," the dog said before pulling out a gun and shooting me twice.
The shock and the pain sobered me up quick. I was gasping and groaning in agony. The dog that shot me walked up to me and stared at me coldly.
"...You son of a..." I groaned out weakly.
"Sorry McCall. It's just business. Oh, and Carface Caruthers sends his regards. He wanted me to tell you that this is nothing personal." The dog said condescendingly before he and the other dog left me to die.
"Oh God Charlie, I can't believe you're dead." Itchy thought in horror at what he had just seen. He had tracked Charlie down to the docks and had seen two dogs blindfolding Charlie and leaving him alone at the end of the dock. Moments later Itchy watched helplessly as a car careened down the dock and struck Charlie, sending him flying into the water. In shock, Itchy ran as fast as his short legs could carry him to Gavin's house, praying that he was still alive.
"Please God, just let me make it in time." Itchy thought and suddenly smelled smoke coming from the direction of Gavin's house.
"Oh God no, please no, not Gavin." Itchy said softly. When he reached Gavin's house and saw the fire, he felt something inside himself break and started sobbing uncontrollably.
Gavin's house was fully engulfed in flames. As the firefighters struggled to put out the blaze, the house collapsed to the ground. Itchy turned around and headed back to the junkyard with his head hanging low, feeling complete despair at the loss of his closest friends, not knowing that he was going to see Charlie and Gavin again very soon.