Kevin's eye lids blinked open. He expected to see the ceiling of his bedroom. Instead, he saw a path of ratty fake grass bordered by stones. Between each stone overgrowth was reaching through, eager to cover up the fraudulent greenery.
Along the path were three other rectangular stones staggered and at least two feet apart from one another. At the end the path, he could just make out a small hole.
At the beginning of the path was a large, bearded man in a golfer's hat, purple shirt, and plaid kilt bent over a putter, adjusting it for the perfect shot.
Kevin chalked up what he was seeing to a vivid dream and tried to speak to this odd golfer. However, his greeting was muffled by the duct tape over his mouth. He tried reaching up to take it off, but found that his arms, as well as the rest of his body, were bound to a large black golf bag on wheels.
The golfer heard him moving and looked over his shoulder at him. "So, yer finally awake," he smiled. "I figure ye would've woken up earlier with all the noise."
He looked back down at his golf ball and lined up his shot one more time before hitting it.
The ball bounced off the middle of each stone on the path and landed in the hole. It then exploded, leaving a six-foot crater in its place.
"The name's Killigan, Duff Killigan." Duff placed his putter back into the golf bag and started wheeling it to the next hole. "Super villain, mercenary, and world's most dangerous golfer."
Duff stopped at the 17th hole and grabbed a golf ball out of a pocket on the bag and placed it in the middle of a rectangle of a slightly lighter green color than the rest of the fake grass.
He looked down at the spiral path to the hole. "They don't make 'em like this anymore. Now all holes are jus' a couple props; a fake mountain, a dinosaur, or a windmill with moving blades if yer lucky. Where's the challenge gone?"
He looked through his assortment of putters. "Anyway, let's get down to business. Ye recently got a job at HenchCo, working security detail for one of the weapon depots." He selected a putter and returned to the ball. "I've been hired to steal something from the 23rd vault of that depot."
He took aim and hit the golf ball. It began gliding down the spiral. "Thing is, I can get past every security measure in that building, but I can't get past the vault i'self."
Duff pointed toward Kevin with his putter as the ball landed in the hole, resulting in a boom and another crater. "That's where ye come in. I need ye to tell me the code to the vault."
Duff put the putter back into the golf bag and took the duct tape off of Kevin's mouth.
"HEEEELLLP!" Kevin screamed.
"That doesn't sound like the combination to a safe."
Kevin paused before saying. "Look, I have a signed baseball back in my bedroom, it's worth… a lot, I'm pretty sure. I'm not a baseball guy, but my friend is, and-" Killigan began wheeling the golf bag. "Whatever, point is, I can't give you the combination. I could lose my job. What other job am I supposed to get with a bachelor's in Henchery? So, take my baseball instead. I probably have something else of value in my bedroom I can offer you-"
Duff stopped wheeling the bag and Kevin realized that instead of being at the start of the 18th hole, he was parked at the end, right next to the hole.
Duff began gathering the putters into his arms. "W-what are you doing?" asked Kevin.
"These are quality putters. The bag, well, she's jus' a wee bit too fancy for my taste."
Duff took the putters back to the beginning of the hole, stepping around a vertical loop to get there.
"You aren't going to-" Kevin began as Duff set down the putters.
"Well, ye ain't giving me the combination," Duff said. He walked back to the bag and grabbed a golf ball. He shrugged. "Maybe they'll glue ye back together."
"I'll give you the combination!"
"Too late." Duff walked back to the start.
"It's 25-17-01!" Kevin strained against the ropes.
Duff selected a putter.
"I swear!" his adrenaline gave him just enough energy to rattle the bag.
Duff took a golfer's stance and aimed.
"Don't-"
He hit the ball. It zoomed through the loop, straight down the path, and into the hole.
However, instead of an explosion, blue smoke arose. Kevin inhaled it and passed out.
Kevin's eye lids blinked open, and they saw the ceiling of his bedroom.
He sat up with a start.
It was just a dream he thought. He sighed and laid down on his side, facing his nightstand.
On it was a golf ball.
He let out a yelp and turned onto his other side, shaking.
I'm quitting tomorrow he thought.