by Leigh Harde
“I didn’t want to leave Clint,” T said. “He wouldn’t come back after Earl died.” Terrence knew that he was going to have to sell the story he invented. His plan depended on it, and Master was shrewd. Black eyes watched him closely, waiting for him to continue.
“We headed north when we left out,” T lied. “Earl got sick after a few days.” He lowered his head. “We figured he wouldn’t make it much further without shelter so Clint broke into a house. He cut his leg climbing in through the window.” T appeared to reflect sadly on the event. “Earl died. Clint’s leg got infected. I tried to take care of him,” he said and opened his hands helplessly. “I don’t think he wanted to live anymore. After he died, I buried him next to Earl and came back here.”
Master studied Big T for a moment. He seemed upset, but Master didn’t trust him. When it came down to it, though, he supposed that it didn’t matter how he had survived.
“Well, shit T!” Master exclaimed and sat back in his chair. He clapped his hands together, and it echoed throughout the mine. “Sounds like you had an adventure.” Terrence thinned his lips, but lowered his eyes submissively.
“T!”
Terrence looked up at his name and saw Peter bounding toward him. He barely had time to react before Peter wrapped himself around his body, kissing him and crying. As Terrence happily returned Peter’s kisses, he noticed Kevin and Gabriel smiling at them.
Peter could barely wait for all the Marauders to go through the supper line that night. As he served the gang, one spectacular thought held precedence in his mind—T’s alive.
After he finished his duties, Peter planned to meet Big T deep in the mine for a picnic and some alone time. Now that T was no longer a Scavenger, it meant that they would have less privacy since they would be sleeping in the common area instead of in an alcove.
Peter was balancing their plates and a lantern as he walked through the mine. When he approached the small chamber ahead, he saw Big T silhouetted in the dim light of a lantern that was sitting on the ground.
Terrence rushed over to help him and took one of the plates from his hands. He noticed Peter’s blond bangs had fallen forward over his face in a way that was so familiar, it made his heart squeeze in his chest. “Hey, boo,” Terrence said and tenderly brushed his hair back.
“God, T,” Peter said his green eyes shining. “I missed you so much.” They sat down on a big rock while they ate and talked. T seemed tense and distracted. Peter had the uncomfortable feeling that Big T was keeping something from him, but he didn’t press him on it. He was just glad that he was back and beside him. After they finished eating, T took his hand.
“We need to leave here,” T told him. “Now.” Peter’s eyes went wide.
“How will we survive out there?” Peter asked, nervously licking his lips. He was more than happy to leave the Camp, but he was afraid, especially after finding out what had happened to Clint and Earl.
“Trust me, boo,” Terrence said and gave him a reassuring smile. “I got it covered. But there’s one thing I have to do first.”
“What?” Peter asked.
“I need to find Gabriel. He has to come with us.”
“Gabe? Why?” Peter asked confused.
“It’s part of the deal. I’ll explain later,” T said when Peter looked bewildered. “Will you help me?”
“Of course,” Peter said. “But Master, he’s not just going to let Gabe go. He’ll come after him and us.”
“I know,” T said. “But where we’re going, we won’t have to worry about Master anymore.”
Kevin was playing cards with Gabriel on the mattress in their alcove. Gabe’s light blue eyes were smiling when he told him to “go fish”. Kevin smiled back and drew a card from the deck. He thought both Gabriel and his step brother seemed happier and more relaxed since their time together the night before. He couldn’t pretend to understand the dynamics of their relationship, but it made him feel better knowing that it was consensual.
He felt a stirring in his pants as he looked at Gabriel. He was naked, of course, except for his dog collar. Jayson had insisted that anytime Gabriel entered their alcove, he had to remove his clothing. If he wasn’t so bruised from Jayson’s earlier attention, Kevin would try to make love to him. The thought had him adjusting his growing erection. Jayson liked to use Gabriel during foreplay to stretch Kevin out before they had sex. That usually meant that Gabriel was on top. While Kevin loved being penetrated, right now he was thinking that he might like to sink his dick inside Gabe’s tight little butt.
Gabriel noticed him adjusting himself and sat his cards down. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Kevin’s neck. Kevin jerked away.
“You’re killing me, Gabe,” he moaned. “We can’t do anything. You’re hurt.” Gabriel gave him a look as if to say, Really? He kissed him on the lips and pulled him forward so that Kevin was laying on top of him. He reached for his jeans and unsnapped the top button.
They both froze when they heard a throat clear. As they looked up, they saw that Peter was at the entrance to their alcove. He had his eyes averted. “Uh, sorry guys,” he said. “But I really need to talk to Gabe for a sec.” Kevin reluctantly moved off Gabriel so that he could get up. “Be right back,” Gabe promised and gave him a kiss.
“What’s up?” he said as he met Peter at the entrance. Gabriel didn’t bother to put on clothes or hide his erection. He was comfortable being naked now. Besides he thought, most of the men at the Camp had been inside him at least once.
“Um, I need to talk to you about something,” Peter said. He seemed nervous. “Follow me, okay?”
“What is it?” Gabriel asked.
“Um,” Peter started. “Just get dressed and follow me. Come on, Gabe.” Gabriel glanced behind him at Kevin lying on the mattress propped up on his elbow. His eyes followed the fine trail of hair that wound its way down his belly and disappeared into his open jeans. No way was he leaving now, he thought.
“Peter, just tell me,” he said growing impatient. He wondered if something bad had happened between him and Big T.
“No, forget it,” Peter said and turned to walk away.
“Peter.” Gabriel called out. He wanted to help him, but Peter didn’t stop. Gabriel watched concerned as he hurried off through the mine.
“Is he alright?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t know,” Gabriel said and walked back toward Kevin. He sat down beside him on the mattress. “He wouldn’t tell me.”
Kevin put a hand on Gabe’s thigh effectively drawing his attention back to him. Gabriel’s eyes landed on the outline of Kevin’s still hard penis inside his pants. He scooted down on the mattress and quickly freed him. Watching his face, Gabriel sucked his entire cock into his mouth until his nose was buried in his pubic hair.
“Oh, God. Yes!” Kevin gasped and grabbed Gabe’s head. Gabriel continued to suck for a moment before he released him with a popping noise. “I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too,” Kevin replied. Gabriel grabbed the bottle of vegetable oil next to the mattress and poured some into his palm to coat himself.
“Uh, Gabe?” Kevin interrupted and bit his bottom lip questioningly. Gabriel stopped and then smiled when he realized what he wanted. He applied the oil to Kevin instead. Then he turned his body facing away and squatted over his pelvis.
“Wait,” Kevin told him. “Be careful.” He was worried that he might hurt himself. Seeing the mottled bruises decorating Gabriel’s backside made him cringe. But Gabriel wasted no time lowering himself until he was flush with Kevin’s body. Kevin resisted the urge to thrust as Gabriel began to move up and down.
“Fuck me, Kev,” Gabriel pleaded when Kevin remained still. Kevin slowly started thrusting up with his hips. “Harder,” Gabriel whined. “Please.” Kevin knew that Gabriel didn’t want sweet and gentle. Finally, he gave in and held his hips while he rapidly fucked up inside his bruised ass. Each hard smack of Kevin’s pelvis on his sore butt had Gabriel biting his lip to k
eep from coming.
“I know the timing’s a bitch,” Big T said. “But we got to go.” Kevin and Gabriel scrambled away from each other alarmed when they heard Big T and saw that he had a gun pointed in their direction.
T was just inside the alcove. He had stopped short when he saw Kevin and Gabriel having sex. They looked so much alike that they could be twins, Terrence thought. It was damn hot watching them fuck. He could see why Master wanted them.
“What’s going on?” Kevin asked fearfully, putting himself away. He saw Peter in the background nervously keeping watch.
“Gabriel needs to come with us,” T said.
“What?” Gabe asked. “Where?” Kevin said at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” T said indicating Kevin with his gun. “We’ll have to take you too.” When Peter had come back and told him that Gabriel wouldn’t leave Kevin, T knew he only had a couple of options. If he tried to tie Kevin up, he could be found or escape before they had a chance to get away. He briefly thought about killing him and making it look like he was asleep on his mattress. But his conscience wouldn’t let him, especially after Kevin had gone against Master to save his life.
“Get dressed,” he told them. “Put on two layers of clothes and bring your coats. We’re going above ground.”
“Why?” Kevin asked trying to understand. “T, it’s not too late. We won’t tell anybody about this,” he said truthfully. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew that he didn’t want to be the cause of Terrence and Peter’s deaths. Without a doubt, that’s what would happen if his brother discovered that Big T had pulled a gun on them. “Look, if you and Peter want to leave,” he said. “I’m sure Jayson would be fine with that. Just go,” he pleaded.
Big T knew that they could be caught at any moment. No one had walked past yet, but it was just a matter of time. Both he and Reid had guns that they had stolen from the small armory at the Compound, but he knew that they wouldn’t stand a chance against Master’s Scavengers. The only way that this was going to work is if they could make it out of the mine without anyone noticing.
“Get your cracker asses up and dressed!” T ordered making his voice sound harsh and threatening. Kevin’s eyes widened, but he stopped trying to reason with him. Both he and Gabriel put on extra clothes and draped their coats over their arms. Big T motioned with his gun, and they walked past him to stand beside Peter who looked at them apologetically.
“Okay,” Terrence said. “We are all going to walk, slow and easy, to the trolley locomotive. Nobody needs to get hurt, but I won’t let Master take me alive.” He knew that if Master found out that he had abducted Kevin and Gabriel, a quick death would be the best outcome that he could hope for.
“If you call for help or bring attention to yourselves—this Beretta holds 15 rounds,” he said tilting his gun sideways so that they focused on it. “I’m not the only one who’s gonna have a bad day. You feel me?” He looked Kevin and Gabriel in the eye, and they both nodded gravely.
Terrence let out a long breath and covered his hand and the gun with his coat. “Let’s move,” he said. They left the alcove and walked a little way down the mine shaft until they entered the main chamber. Terrence kept them close together with Peter in the front and Gabriel and Kevin sandwiched between.
“Why do you care if I go with you?” Gabriel asked Big T in a whisper.
“I don’t,” T said. “It’s the deal I made to get Peter out.”
“Who made the deal with you? How do they know about me?” Terrence ignored him. He could see that Master was watching them across the chamber. He felt sweat start to drip down his face and between his shoulder blades.
Chapter Six
Master was talking with Juan Ramirez, one of his Scavengers, about a security issue. They had been lucky enough a few months back, to have raided a liquor store. And while Master had been happy to allow a little gluttony in the beginning, he had soon begun rationing their supply. Apparently, that hadn’t been good enough for one of the Marauders who had stolen a bottle of vodka that Master had personally been saving for himself.
Master studied the small man in front of him as he relayed the bad news. His dark brown hair was shaved close to his head, and his almond shaped eyes were pretty even with the tribal tattooing around the outside of his left eye and the three tear shaped tattoos under his right.
He caught sight of Kevin and Gabriel walking with Peter and Terrence through the main chamber. Nothing unusual about that, he thought. His guys, especially Gabe, had become good friends with Peter lately. Then he noticed that they were carrying coats and heading toward the trolley locomotive. It would be dark soon which was bad timing for them to go above ground. The conditions on the surface became harsher once the sun went down.
More curious than concerned at the moment, he decided to find out what they were planning. He interrupted Juan mid-sentence. “With me,” he ordered and started walking. Juan answered, “Yes, Master,” and fell into step slightly behind him and to his side. His Scavengers were his loyal soldiers. They kept order within the Camp, and besides him, they were the only ones he allowed to have firearms.
Once Terrence’s little group exited the main chamber, he hissed, “Move!” They all practically ran until he spotted the trolley locomotive up ahead. Brick Tulley had several bags of trash that he was loading into one of the open cars on the back of the trolley. It was his job to collect the trash each day and dispose of it on the surface. He froze with a bag in each hand as they rushed up to him. T moved his coat so that Brick could see his gun.
“What’s going on, T?” the stocky blond man asked confused. His eyes darted to Kevin and Gabriel who seemed afraid. He dropped the bags that he was holding and cautiously raised his hands. He and Terrence had never really interacted with each other for all the time that they had spent trapped together in the mine. He knew that T and his secret lover Juan were on friendly terms. Juan had been Terrence’s mentor when he had first became a Scavenger for Master.
“Get in the trolley,” Terrence told his group. They entered the enclosed front trolley car and sat down inside. Peter left the door open for Terrence. Big T had been a career criminal his entire life. He had been forced to kill before, but he had never shot anyone in cold blood. He knew that if he didn’t take care of Brick before they left that he would alert the others. As he wrestled with what he needed to do, he heard Master shout from down the mine shaft, “What the shit?!”
Juan and Master saw Big T at the same time. Juan’s blood froze at the sight of Big T holding a gun on Brick. Both Master and Juan reached for their weapons and raced forward. Terrence wasted no time jumping into the trolley and starting it up. It was already moving as Master and Juan approached. Brick figured that Terrence must have kidnapped Gabe and Kevin. He didn’t think about it before he jumped into one of the open cars. Master and Juan reached him running, and he lent a hand to pull them both inside with him.
Master was beyond furious. He and Juan still had their guns drawn as they sat with Brick and several bags of trash making the ascent to the surface. He stared at the back of the enclosed car in front of them and went to that cold place inside his head. Juan and Brick exchanged nervous glances, but didn’t speak.
This was bad, T thought to himself as he pushed the trolley as fast as it would go. He was certain that Master had alerted his gang by now. They would only have a short head start before Master and his Scavengers made their way to the surface. He looked over at Peter who seemed terrified with good reason. Terrence was kicking himself for not listening to James. He and Peter might not have been together, but at least Peter would be safe. He had put everyone in danger. Kevin and Gabriel had their arms wrapped around each other like they knew what was coming.
When the trolley stopped at the entrance of the mine, they all exited the enclosed car. T still had his gun out, but was pointing it toward the ground. He heard a loud bang, and the gun flew from his hand. At first, he thought that he had been stung. He grabbed at his
wrist just as Master stalked toward him from the shadows at the back of the trolley. He didn’t have a chance to react before Master viciously struck him across the temple with his gun. Terrence fell to his knees in the snow bleeding from his head and hand. Peter cried out and sank down beside him.
“Please, Jay,” Kevin said crying and begging, but he knew that it was too late. He and Gabriel were clinging to each other keeping their distance from the unfolding scene. “Don’t hurt them. Please. Just let them go.”
“Please,” Gabriel pleaded. He was crying too, watching Peter holding onto T.
Master heard Kevin and Gabriel talking, but it sounded far away like background noise. His focus was on Big T and how he was going to relish making him pay. There wasn’t much that scared him, but endangering his guys and trying to take them away… Tsk tsk—T, he thought and aimed his gun at Peter’s pretty blond head.
“No!” Terrence said desperately. Peter seemed to be in shock as Big T tried to cover his body with his own. “Peter didn’t have anything to do with this. It was me. Kill me,” he begged. “Please!” Terrence’s eyes were wide with fear and dread. Master’s smile was cruel as he looked down at him.
“I just want you to know,” Master told him bending closer. “That I’m really going to enjoy this.”
Juan was confused by the sad drama that he saw playing out in front of him. He had never thought of Big T as particularly dumb before. As a matter of fact, he seemed to catch on quick during his training period. Juan liked him. They had worked well together. He wondered what had happened to him on the surface that could have prompted his recent suicidal behavior. He glanced at Brick beside him. His head was bowed, and he seemed to be overly interested in his boots. Juan sighed. That was the difference between the two of them, he thought grimly as he watched Master aim his gun at Peter again. Unlike Brick, he didn’t hide from the tough stuff.
There was a long ditch to the side of the entrance of the mine where Mitch Reid had concealed himself while waiting for Terrence. He was wearing his cold weather wear—one of two outfits that his team had created before the Impact to withstand freezing temperatures—so he was comfortable even with the sun waning. He watched T and his group exit the trolley, then he noticed three more men approached them from the mine shaft—two had weapons. He knew that he needed to act fast, and fortunately, everyone’s attention was on Terrence. He crept stealthily up behind the fierce looking man who seemed to be in charge.