Chapter Text
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Gavin cannot believe what is happening.
Heavily and at first at walking pace, the huge truck drives through the gate of the junkyard and out onto the road. Gavin, who has to watch in shock as he moves metre by metre further away from his home, is shaken to the core. Pain, fear and absolute powerlessness literally cause the little stray's heart to explode.
Outside the grounds of the junkyard, the truck picks up speed quite quickly.
No! Stop the truck! Let me out! Damn it!
As hard as he can, Gavin bangs on the windows of his prison with his paws. Of course, they don't give an inch. Helplessly, he continues to drum against them anyway, looking around in panic for another way to escape.
There is no alternative. The only way out is over the roof. Above him, the grey morning sky flashes into the inside of the car. He could make it. He could manage to squeeze himself through one of the cracks. If he were in top form. But he isn't.
Gavin's leg hurts like hell. Even worse than before.
Still, he tries to step up again, to put his weight on it. Instead of risking the jump, however, the injured leg immediately collapses out from under him. Whining, Gavin lets out a loud hiss.
Fucking hell!
Restlessly, his small chest rises and falls. Under his four feet he feels the vibration of the truck, around him the grey of the outside world rushes past him. Gavin's mind is working at full speed. At the same time he releases a soothing purr to lower the stress.
Come on! Think! Think! It can't be that hard...
The truck slows down suddenly, then stops without warning. The impact almost sweeps Gavin off the back seat. Hissing, he shakes himself once to collect himself. Flustered, he whirls around immediately afterwards. Indeed, they are no longer moving. Maybe...
Gavin!, he suddenly hears his name. Gavin!
His heart does an excited loop. Hope spreads through him as he recognises the voice as Tina. Gavin's senses instantly focus on it and in fact a dark spot jumps into his eye some distance away. No, two dark spots.
The relief that wells up inside him is hard to describe. Gavin meows this out loud.
Tina! Chris! Hell yes, he calls out. Unsteadily he hobbles around on the back of the seat. Here! Over here!
The two of them come closer and closer. Smoothly, his friends hurry along the road. Soon they are so close that Gavin can see the panic in Tina's dark eyes. Chris is no less worried. The expression on his good-natured face is tense.
Even though Gavin still has no idea how to get out of here, he feels a lot better. Now that his two best friends are at his side again in a moment. Together...
The roar of the engine interrupts Gavin's thoughts. And destroys his hopes. Tina and Chris have almost reached him when another jolt goes through the wrecked car. To Gavin's horror, it begins to move again. The silhouettes of his friends become smaller and smaller.
Then they are finally out of sight as the truck turns sharply left and heads for the city centre.
Detroit city centre. The outside world is big, loud, colourful and full of people.
It doesn't take long before Gavin is literally surrounded by all of this. The smell that hits his sensitive nose is strange and different from anything he knows. There is activity everywhere, huge buildings rise up around him and humans flow out of every corner. The city is alive. In his whole life, Gavin has seen maybe a handful of humans. Now they seem to be everywhere.
Knocked out by all the new impressions, the stray is literally frozen.
Instinctively, he hides under the back seat. Pain lingers in his left hind leg. The little cat clenches his teeth, tries to calm down and keep a clear head. Also, when he secretly feels like crying.
How did he get into this shit!?
To distract himself, he mentally kicks Connor, the stupid lapdog, in the ass over and over again. He doesn't know how long the journey will take. The truck slows down, then speeds up. Outside are crashes and rumbles. The sounds of traffic are unpleasant and Gavin's body is tense to the extreme.
The city is alive and dirty. It stinks.
At some point they stop moving. Gavin listens, waits to see what happens. There are voices outside. Footsteps too. In the end, curiosity is a little stronger than fear. Cautiously, he pokes his head out from his hiding place. Just at the wrong moment, because a shadow suddenly appears at the window.
"Of course, officer. I'll take care of it right away," he human named Perkins says. "I'll just be a second."
Gavin sees the man roll his eyes as he speaks. There is a dull crack as Perkins struggles with the old 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham. Fresh air blows inside as one of the back doors is opened a crack. The chance Gavin has been waiting for.
Adrenalin makes his body act on its own. Despite the injury, the little stray darts out from under the back seat in a flash and hurries towards freedom. This time he doesn't get squeezed in. He makes it outside.
Outside, and right into Perkin's arms.
A hand snatches at him and grabs Gavin roughly by the neck.
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