Kyle released the dead girl's neck and got off the bed again. "I'm gonna go to the cops, turn myself in, say it was a heat-of-passion thing. They'll throw me in a cell for a few days, dad will take care of the rest and that's it. No need to worry. I'll be back in circulation in no time flat."
"You're a good friend, man," Pete said.
"Yeah, I know. Now get out of here. The less DNA traces you leave behind the better. If they mention they found traces of you here, I'll let them know you tried to help me because I was high. That's all they need to know," Kyle said.
Pete lingered a moment longer, then nodded once and disappeared. And that was the last Kyle saw of him.
***
Back in the dark
Kyle woke up with a start and squinted at the low-glow interior of his new home. For a moment he was disoriented, tried to figure out where the hell he was, and then it all settled on him again. With a heavy sigh he sat up, pulled his knees up and rested his crossed arms on top of them. "Friend my ass," he growled.
Pete had left him high and dry to take the blame for something he hadn't done. The girl had been brutally raped and strangled after the act, the coroner had said, and Kyle figured he had the rest of his life to regret taking the blame for that one while Pete got to continue on his merry way and would probably do it again.
Then again, if he repeated that performance, the cops would get him unless he found another scapegoat. And that would mean that Pete the Albino would end up in LPC at some point. Kyle smirked coldly into the darkness. "Something to look forward to," he whispered, huffed with annoyance and stretched out on the bunk again. Yeah, if that was how it went, he would get his revenge then. Maybe he would feed him to the loonies in the dark domes. They would probably welcome some pale meat. That thought made him chuckle, but it was not without a certain level of discomfort. The idea of what these creatures in the dark domes might do to any one of them made his skin crawl.
For a long time he lay awake, staring into the semi-darkness of the room, while his mind idled. He had found out years ago how to do that, how to just switch it all off and stop dreaming or thinking. It was the most restful experience he'd ever had and he had perfected it since. It came naturally to him now. Whenever his mind was overburdened, he simply switched it off and let it idle. And he figured this had saved him from a good many panic attacks over the years. Certainly it had helped him deal with this situation. Any other man would probably have freaked out. But, when push came to shove, Kyle realized that he hadn't really expected anything else from his father. The thought that the old man may one day open up and show that he loved his son was a pipe dream. He just didn't care enough. All the times he had saved Kyle's hide over the years had been to protect himself, not Kyle. His reputation and his damned company had always been more important to him than his family.
Well, life had changed for him now; and radically so. What he would have to do now was to forget what had been, and focus on what lay ahead. Either way, there was nothing he could do right now to change the outcome of his misguided sense of chivalry. "Chivalry?" he asked himself aloud and couldn't help snorting at the word. "Misguided sense of self-preservation is more like it," he added and sat up. "Let's call a spade a spade, Kyle. There's no sense in hoping for snow in the desert."
He swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and planted his feet on the floor. It was time to start living whatever this new life of his had to offer.
With his mind firmly made up that he would make the very best he could of this situation, he got up, switched the light on and rummaged through the dresser that sat next to the closet. All the basic necessities were in there, along with underwear that was too big for him. He couldn't help a bark of a laugh when he held the underpants up. "They sure as hell don't go for sexy in this joint, do they?"
One thing he would miss big time was silk; both as underwear and bed sheets, which made him think about the greenhouse. If there were plants there, there would have to be insects as well unless these were hybrid plants that could pollinate themselves. He had never heard of that, but that didn't mean it didn't exist. If he could imagine it, someone had probably developed it.
He made it a part of his plan to find out how to get to the greenhouse. Somehow he figured that these so-called homicidal gardeners weren't all that bad. It was probably a rep created to keep others away. With a smile on his lips, Kyle grabbed the towel and left the room. It was time for a shower.
***
Bath-time
Although the shower facility wasn't exactly the nicest of places, it was fairly clean and the water was warm. It was big and there was a string of showerheads going all the way around the room. There was a half wall going down the middle of the room which did not quite manage to separate it into two washrooms. The floor was covered in some sort of worn black rubber and the walls were ash-grey stone. There were a few others around and nobody bothered him or gave him funny looks. Kyle was not self-conscious, never had been, and he assumed that was a part of why nobody so far had given him any grief. It did make him wonder though. His view on prisons had always been that if you weren't tough, you were prey. And if you were prey, you were likely to get beaten up, killed or raped. So far the people he had met were depressed or in denial. None of them seemed to fit the bill of being the scum of the earth. So where were all these bad elements that warranted sending them up here to keep them away from the 'decent' people in Pangaea?
He took his time in the shower, figuring that he would use the same clothes until he found something that would fit. Running around in something at least three sizes too big for him might inspire some to poke fun at him and he really wasn't in the mood for that sort of thing. There were two things Kyle didn't like. His biggest issue was if anyone had anything derogative to say about his mother. Even if they didn't know her or even knew him, he still reacted violently to anything in regards to her. He barely remembered her, but she stood out in his mind as a saint and the only person in his life who had actually cared about him. The second biggest issue was if someone poked fun at him. Most things in this life just couldn't get through to him if he didn't let them, but being made fun of or having someone doubt him ... that didn't sit well with him and had gotten him in more fights than he cared to think of.
"How's the water?"
He frowned at the wall in front of him for a second before sending a look back at the speaker through the spray of the water. "Not warm enough," he countered and gave Daniel a smirk.
"You'll get used to that," Daniel promised and stepped under the showerhead next to Kyle.
While Daniel turned on the water, Kyle took the liberty of eying him from the corner of his eyes. Even though being attracted to another man was the furthest from his mind, Kyle had always appreciated a good physique. And Daniel was very much in possession of one. That again sparked other thoughts, because the guy had scars on his body that looked fairly new. "You get those here?" he asked.
Daniel gave him a brief look, glanced down himself and then shrugged lightly. "Yeah," he admitted. "They were part of my initiation into LPC, I guess."
The elongated scars on his chest and a few on his back could be knife wounds. But the big round one on his right side made Kyle wonder what had caused it. Daniel didn't seem comfortable about the subject, though, and he figured he would have to wait to get more information on that until he knew the kid better. "So ... where do I get clothes in this dump?" he asked instead.
Daniel took a moment to answer that one, merely stood there, hands braced against the wall, his head down, while the water pounded down over him. Then he glanced sideways at Kyle. "I'll show you once we're done here. There's a storage room with all the necessities. It's only open at certain times, though."
"Why's that? Are they afraid the prisoners will put on a fashion show?" Kyle asked and shut off the water.
Obviously Daniel wasn't really in a joking mood this morning, because he answered that with a frown first. "Doubt it," he
said. "Wait for me outside, will you?"
That request struck Kyle as a bit odd, but he shrugged, grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. "Sure," he said and left the washroom, noting that all the others had taken a hike.
He stopped just outside the door and considered this for a moment. Daniel was in there alone right now and his request for Kyle to wait outside could have two different reasons. One was that maybe he was afraid of being alone in the shower. The other was that he didn't want Kyle around for whatever reason. Kyle assumed it was more the first than the last and wondered if the kid had bad experiences with being in there on his own. Judging by his still rather youthful physique and the fact that he seemed to be a nice guy, Kyle could only assume that there were shitheads around here who would take advantage of that; gangs like in that movie The Shawshank Redemption.
Kyle dried off quickly, got back into his used prison garb and settled down on the bench just outside the door. After about five minutes, two men suddenly walked into his line of sight, towels wrapped around their waists, and both of them gave Kyle the sense that they liked to mess with others. For one, they were tall and powerfully built and both of them looked like they had only recently learned not to drag their knuckles along the ground. Both had various tattoos with skulls and snakes and crap like that. He had known men like this and he had never liked them. Usually, they sucked up to the likes of him big time, offered to be bodyguards for a handsome fee. In this place, though, Kyle doubted they would pay him much attention. He wasn't the type guys like this went after. Daniel, on the other hand, was.
He considered what to do. He knew that if this was some kind of routine and Daniel was at the receiving end of their ill intentions, he could cement their budding friendship by being the one who prevented anything nasty from happening.
It took very little consideration on his part when he rose and stuck his head into the washroom. "Are you about done in there? I'd really like to get something to eat today and I have no frigging clue where to get it," he called out to Daniel.
Daniel turned his head, noted the two goons who pushed past Kyle into the washroom, and quickly turned the water off. The look in his eyes, however brief, was one of deep concern bordering on fear. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around himself, wiped one hand over his face to remove residue water while never taking his eyes of the two newcomers.
The two pretended to ignore Daniel, but Kyle hadn't been born yesterday. He could clearly read in their body language what they had in mind. The fact that both had poorly hidden hard-on's under their towels only further strengthened his suspicion. Daniel hurried out of there while trying to look like he didn't, but his nervousness was almost palpable.
Kyle positioned himself between the door to the washroom and the place where Daniel had left his clothes and knew that if these two goons in there were really intent on getting to Daniel, there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop them. They were bulldozers compared to him.
A moment later, they both stepped out of the washroom again and gave Kyle a look that made him think he was going to meet his maker sooner rather than later.
"Morning."
Kyle blinked, then glanced in the direction that new voice had come from and saw Vinnie walking toward them. Both goons glanced at him and then did a comical double take. Vinnie ignored them, his attention solely on Kyle. "Morning yourself," Kyle countered in a jovial tone of voice. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to. I tried knocking on your door when I left."
"Yeah, I got up early ... whatever that means here ... and went for a walk," Vinnie said and came to a stop next to the two goons. He eyed them up and down for a moment. "Are you gonna shower or what?" he asked them. Kyle assumed that Vinnie was either too slow to understand what these guys were up to or he knew exactly and was standing up for Daniel. Whatever it was, Kyle was grateful for his timely appearance.
The goons glanced at each other, muttered something under their breaths and returned to the washroom. Kyle had noted that the very evident bulge on both their fronts had vanished and this made him grin broadly at Vinnie. "What about you?"
"Yeah, I gotta wash some of all this dust off," Vinnie said and sent a disapproving look down himself.
Kyle glanced back at Daniel, who was now fully dressed and looking a little pale. "Dan and I are gonna go get some grub. You know where the mess hall is?"
Vinnie nodded. "Yeah. No need to wait for me. I've eaten already," he said and made a face. "Not the best food I'd ever had, but it'll do."
It seemed that Vinnie had gotten used to his surroundings already and wasn't half as freaked out as he had been the day before. That was really good news in Kyle's book. If the guy presented himself with this sort of confidence in future, neither he nor Daniel would ever have to worry about anything again. "Well, we're gonna go check out the shopping mall afterward. The clothes in my room aren't my size."
For a moment the big guy mulled that over, then he nodded. "I'll come back to the mess hall when I'm done. I could use a change of clothes as well." Then he blinked and focused sharply on Kyle. "There's a mall here?" he asked.
Kyle couldn't help a chuckle. "No, big guy. That's just what I call what I don't know shit about," he said. "Apparently there's a storage room where we can get new clothes, but it's not open all the time."
Vinnie sighed. "Right. I'll meet you at the mess hall then," he said, stepped up to the bench and started to undress.
"Let's go," Kyle suggested to Daniel, who took the lead back out of the changing room.
"Thanks," he said a little hoarsely once they were outside.
Kyle arched an eyebrow. "For what?" He wasn't sure Daniel would share, but the kid kinda looked like he needed to. He was actually so jittery right now, his hands were shaking lightly.
Without looking at him, Daniel started walking and Kyle fell in step next to him, keeping his eyes on his surroundings rather than the younger man. "You have no idea what you've just saved me from," Daniel said after a moment, his tone so low Kyle almost couldn't hear him.
"Oh, I think I do," he confessed. "Those two gave off some pretty primal vibes. Wasn't hard to guess what they had in mind." They walked on in silence for a while. "I take it this has happened before?" he then asked and briefly glanced at Daniel, noting the tightening of his features, the way he pressed his lips together into a thin line. All he got in ways of an answer was a slight nod. "Man, I'm sorry. What about this Garry guy who took you under his wing? Couldn't you strike up a deal with him to keep an eye out for trouble?"
Daniel's gait hitched and he came to a stop. With shoulders slightly hunched and both hands balled into fists, he just stood there for a moment. Then he focused on Kyle. "Garry's dead," he said quietly. "Those two apes were part of the gang that killed him." He sent a brief look back over one shoulder and sniffed. "And they're not the worst of it. Not now. When I first got here ... things were ... bad. There was more ... upheaval. There was this guy, a real bastard, and he kinda ran things. He got offed a while back and things have simmered down since. But those two, they were his enforcers and they haven't really been able to let go of that role yet." He chomped down on his lower lip for a moment, his cheeks blooming with hot embarrassment. "Their idea of welcoming newbies was ..." he tried, but broke off again and cleared his throat.
Kyle raised a hand. "I get the picture, man. You don't have to tell me," he said. "But that guy getting offed hasn't really put a break on those two, has it?"
The grimace slipping over Daniel's face was almost painful to watch. "They're a small part of it, believe it or not. I'm kinda safe here. Most of the time they leave me alone. But ... sometimes they ..." He shook his head, his face burning now.
There really wasn't anything to think about. Daniel knew things and Kyle had the means of protecting him in the form of Vinnie. It was a done deal for him. "Well, you don't need to worry about these two goons anymore. Vinnie will be more than happy to put them in their place. You saw
the way they responded to him, right?"
Daniel eyed him for a moment, uncertain. "If he gets in their way, they'll kill him," he said.
"If they get in his way, Dan, he's going to hammer them into next week. The guy is a human sledge hammer. He killed a guy just by slamming a fist into his face," Kyle countered. He wasn't entirely sure if that was how it had happened, but right now it was important to make Daniel feel at least a little safer.
"You think he would ... do that?" Daniel asked doubtfully. "He doesn't strike me as the hit-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy."
"If he gets pissed off, he gets dangerous. And he's the type who gets pissed off if his friends are threatened," Kyle offered. "I'll talk to him. I'm pretty sure he's gonna stand up for both of us if we need it."
Daniel drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment and then let it out in a sigh. With it, he seemed to relax a little. "I'd really appreciate that," he said quietly.
"Let's go get some grub and put this behind us. If we stand together, we'll be better protected," Kyle said and grabbed Daniel's shoulder. The younger man offered him a grateful smile in return and Kyle felt a little better for having helped someone who would help him in the end.
***
The grand tour
Daniel took Kyle and Vinnie around to all the important spots, which didn't amount to much. He also pointed out the connecting corridor to the third dome and, like Maya before him, warned them against going there. Obviously, the domes got progressively worse with the last two being a metaphor for Hell and Purgatory. Kyle found that comparison a little too harsh, but Daniel insisted it was true.
"So, where's this greenhouse dome?" Kyle asked while they stood peering into the corridor that led to the third dome.
"That's dome 3," Daniel said. He looked like he was uncomfortable about being this close to the corridor, which looked perfectly normal and very straight to Kyle.
Dark Side of the Moon Page 5