by Leigh Harde
“Drop the gun,” he told him. The small man with the tattoos whirled towards Reid and raised his weapon. Brick stood frozen beside Juan. Kevin and Gabriel looked alarmed but stayed where they were.
Master’s first thought was that he didn’t recognized the voice of the man with the gun to his head. His second thought was that he had fucked up, just like when he was sixteen and killed his father with his car. Sloppy, he admonished himself. He should have gone back for reinforcements or at least sent Juan, but all he could think about at the time was getting his guys back and punishing Big T. Now it was too late. He slowly put his hands up letting the gun fall to the ground in front of T. Terrence snatched it up with his good hand and pointed it at Juan. Juan, never flinching, kept his bead steady on Mitch.
“I don’t think I know you,” Master said to Mitch in his best good ole boy accent.
“Mitch Reid,” the Mayor replied. “Tell your friend to drop his gun.”
“Jayson Master,” Master said turning around so that the barrel of Mitch’s gun almost touched his forehead. “I would shake your hand, but…” He shrugged his shoulders.
“You know,” he continued looking around past the beautiful blond man for other people and not seeing any. “Maybe this could work out for both of us.”
Master, Reid thought repulsed—the Camp’s leader. As far as he was concerned, Master was responsible for Elijah being shot and his friends murdered. He glanced briefly toward the darkened mineshaft. Good, he thought, no one was rushing to his rescue, at least not yet.
“Lower your gun,” Master cajoled. “And let’s talk a minute. I don’t know what your situation is, but we have supplies.” Master indicated the mine to his side. “Shelter. What do you owe this son of a bitch anyway?” He glanced with disgust at Terrence. “Let me take care of things out here, and we’ll go underground. It’s nice and warm inside.” He smiled showing teeth. It reminded Mitch of a fairytale about a wolf. “Hell, I’ll get you a beer. What do you say, friend?”
Reid frowned. “I say, tell your Scavenger to drop his weapon, or I’ll shoot you in the head.” Just like your gang shot Elijah, he thought.
Master’s good ole boy act slipped from his face, and his expression became cold. There was no way that Juan could take out Reid before he pulled the trigger, he thought. Master gave a sharp nod, and Juan dropped his weapon.
By this time, Peter had recovered his wits, and he scrambled for Juan’s gun. He brought it and the one that Terrence had dropped back to him. Terrence rose with Peter’s help and shoved them both into the waist band of his jeans.
Snow flurries swirled around as Reid considered the situation. Having Master as a prisoner complicated things. He didn’t feel comfortable bringing him to the Compound and that only left one choice. He and Terrence conferred for a moment then urged their group toward the Drifts. Any tracks they left behind were soon covered by the falling snow.
Chapter Seven
They made the tough four mile journey through the Drifts as quickly as possible, but the sun had already gone down by the time that Reid was punching his access code into the elevator at the Colony. His guests seemed amazed when the heavy metal doors opened electronically. He herded them inside the large elevator, and it began its decent underground. Peter was wearing the only other cold weather outfit besides Reid’s. Terrence had insisted that he bring it for Peter to wear on the trip back. Kevin, Gabriel, and Terrence had their extra clothes and coats, and Peter had given his coat to Juan since he was the only other person that it would fit. That left Master and Brick. They were both showing the effects of their exposure to the cold. Reid noticed that they were shivering with what appeared to be mild hypothermia. When the door opened, everyone stepped out of the elevator.
“Where are we?” Master asked. His voice stuttered slightly and his teeth chattered.
“Welcome to the Colony,” Reid said to all of them.
“You have power?” Master asked looking around. He could see offices and hallways, but he didn’t see any other people.
“Yes. Power, running water.” Reid knew that he needed to get everyone settled as quickly as possible and tend to any medical concerns. After all, he had brought them here and that made them his responsibility. “That way,” he said motioning the group along.
He brought them first to what looked like an emergency room in a hospital. He asked Terrence and Peter to stay there until he came back. Terrence tried to insist on coming with him to help, but Peter practically forced him to sit down as he pressed gauze to his bleeding head wound. Reid continued down the hallway to another room. This one had a bed with straps and stirrups and an observation window high on one wall. He left Gabriel and Kevin there. Master held their frightened eyes as long as possible until Reid locked the door from the outside. Then they entered the next room which was like the one before it. Reid used a remote control on the bed, and it folded into a chair. He looked at the three men who were left and told them to remove their clothing. Brick’s eyes widened, and his mouth flopped open. Juan shouted an obscenity in Spanish, and Master just observed him with cold eyes.
“Relax,” Reid said at their reactions. “You need to get out of those wet clothes.” He threw three hospital gowns at them that he had taken from the medical room Terrence was in.
Master hated to do anything that Reid asked, but he was shivering so badly that he couldn’t deny his logic. He started undressing, and Juan and Brick followed suit. Once they were all wearing the hospital gowns, Reid had them strap Master into the chair. He locked the door, and repeated the same process for Juan and Brick in the next two rooms. Satisfied that everyone was secure for the moment, he headed back to examine Terrence.
“We should end him,” Big T demanded emphatically as Reid finished bandaging his hand. “You don’t know. If he escapes...”
“He won’t,” Reid said firmly, then changed the subject. He wasn’t comfortable talking about murder even when Jayson Master was the intended victim. “Do either of you want something to eat?” he asked. Reid knew that they had a few canned goods left behind from when he and his husbands moved to the Compound. They both declined, but he showed Peter to the supply room in case they wanted something later on.
When Reid opened the door to the first observation room, both of the men inside were huddled together on the floor. They looked a lot alike, but he knew which one was Gabriel. He had the dog collar fastened around his neck.
Mitch wasn’t sure about the other one. He had heard him plead with Master for Terrence’s life earlier which was the only reason that he hadn’t strapped him to a bed.
“I’ve brought you some things,” he said and laid out dry clothes, blankets, food, and water bottles. He looked apologetic as he sat down a bucket for them to relieve themselves in. “I’m sorry for the accommodations tonight,” he said attempting to relieve some of the nervous tension he felt coming from the men. “We’ll see if we can do better tomorrow.” He winked and started to leave when Gabriel said, “Wait. Please.” He and Kevin stood up but didn’t approach him. “Who are you? Why did you bring us here?”
“Mitch Reid,” he said. “I own this facility. And I brought you here because of my husband.” Gabriel seemed confused, and Mitch continued gently. “It upset him when he found out what Master was doing to you.”
“Who’s your husband?” Gabriel asked wondering why his relationship with Master was anyone’s business but his own.
“Elijah Frost.”
“Elijah?” Gabriel said sounding incredulous. He remembered seeing him shot and lying on the ground with the others when the Scavengers raided their bomb shelter. There was so much blood that day that the snow had turned red with it. But Reid’s gaze never wavered from his own, and it made him think that he might be telling the truth.
“He’s alive?” he asked and his light blue eyes lit up with hope. Mitch nodded.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” he said trying to reassure him.
Kevin started like h
e wanted to say something, but Mitch turned down the lights with a knob on the wall. He would have stayed and answered their questions, but he knew that he still had a lot to do that night. “Get some sleep if you can,” he told them kindly. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Reid entered Master’s room after gathering more supplies. Master watched helpless from the bed that he was strapped to as the blond muscle man laid everything out on a table. The straps that held him down were padded. There were two on each arm, two on each leg, and two on his torso. He was completely immobilized and at Reid’s mercy. He didn’t like someone else having control of his body, and his shivering wasn’t just from the cold anymore. This was too reminiscent of his childhood, he thought with fearful apprehension. David Master had been blond too. But he made sure to keep his expression carefully neutral.
Reid wrapped two blankets around him. “Would you like something to eat?” he asked. Master didn’t answer, but instead asked, “So, what’s the plan, Reid?” The warm blankets were starting to help with his shaking. “Why did you and Big T abduct my guys?”
“We were there for Peter and to rescue Gabriel,” Mitch explained.
“Rescue?” Now that pissed him off. He took care of Gabriel, and Gabriel sure as hell didn’t need to be rescued by this son of a bitch and his bastard sidekick, he thought.
“Would you like something to drink?” Reid held up a warm cup of powdered milk with a straw in it.
“Fuck you,” Master said and scowled up at him. Reid raised his eyebrow in irritation.
“I’m going to have to catheterize you,” he told him bluntly as he set the cup down on a table. “I don’t want a mess, and I don’t know how long we’ll have to keep you like this.” Master’s face remained expressionless as Reid put the bed back into a reclining position with the remote control. He was professional as he pushed the blankets away from Master’s pelvis and pulled aside his hospital gown. After he put on latex gloves, he began to sterilize the head of Master’s penis with iodine.
Master was terrified the minute that the chair turned into a bed. Sweat popped out on his forehead and under his arms. Memories that he desperately wanted to avoid were coming faster than he could cope with, and he was struggling not to pass out even though he was lying flat on his back. When Reid reached for his penis to clean it, he had to stifle a scream. Instead, he made himself say sarcastically, “Hey, if you’re gonna play with my cock, at least tickle my balls.”
It had been a long day for Mitch, and he felt his normally calm disposition fading. He thought that he had been an exceptionally good host considering who his guests were, and Master’s rudeness annoyed him. Unacceptable behavior would have to be addressed, he thought to himself. He looked at Master’s smirking face then down at his exposed scrotum. Deliberately, he pinched one of Master’s big hairy balls between his gloved thumb and forefinger. It forced a painful grunt from his captive. When Mitch looked up, the smirk was gone.
“Maybe you were “Master” at the Camp,” Reid said and allowed a little darkness to creep into his tone. “But I’m in charge here at the Colony, and you will respect me.” He squeezed a bit harder. Master remained quiet this time, but his eyes bugged and his face strained. He had to grit his teeth. They stared at each other. Once Reid felt like he had made his point he released him, and Master’s head collapsed back onto the bed. His breaths sawed in and out of his chest. From the look that he gave him, Reid had no doubt that he would try to kill him if he were free. Reid sighed as he picked up the catheter. He lubricated it with lidocaine gel before gently inserting it.
Master was glad for the throbbing pain in his nut sack. It kept him distracted while Reid finished and covered him back up. The catheter was only a slight unpleasant pressure in his bladder.
“Do you want me to give you something to help you sleep?” Reid asked. Master didn’t answer just watched him with his fathomless black eyes. Reid sighed again before turning the light low and locking the door.
Juan refused to eat as well. When Reid told him that he was going to have to catheterize him, he thrashed about so violently in his straps that Mitch had to give him something to make him sleep first.
He didn’t know what to expect when he entered Brick’s room and laid out his supplies. Mitch covered him up with some blankets. Unlike the others, the larger man didn’t turn down food so Mitch ended up spoon feeding him.
“Is Juan okay?” Brick asked between bites.
“He’s fine,” Mitch said. “He’s sleeping.” Brick looked relieved. He didn’t ask about the others, and Mitch wondered what his connection to Juan was. Once he finished his food and milk, Brick asked, “What are you going to do with us?” He wouldn’t quite look him in the eye like he was afraid of what his answer might be.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Mitch said. “But don’t worry. No one’s going to hurt you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Reid. I appreciate all you’ve done for us. I know this could have gone a different way.” Brick knew that if the situation had been reversed that Master would never have allowed Terrence and Reid to live.
Mitch smiled at him as he sat the empty food bowl on a small table and put the bed into a reclining position with his remote. “It’s Dr. Reid, actually,” he said.
“You’re a doctor?” Brick asked. He was getting nervous again as the chair turned back into a bed.
“I hold several doctorates,” Reid told him. “But you can call me Mayor if you like.”
“Mayor, why?” Brick asked.
“It’s my college nickname,” Reid answered as he rolled a table closer to the bed. “I’m going to have to catheterize you,” he told him. Brick instantly looked alarmed. “It’s just temporary,” Mitch said trying to soothe him. “Until we figure out a more comfortable situation for you and your people.”
“Oh,” he said and stared at the catheter lying on the table. The Mayor pulled his blankets to the side and pulled up Brick’s hospital gown exposing his penis. Brick watched him as he put on gloves. His heart belonged to Juan, but he couldn’t deny that the Mayor was gorgeous. Maybe because of the bondage games that he and Juan played together, Brick was mortified to discover that he was becoming erect.
Reid noticed too, and his eyes flicked to Brick’s. Brick turned his redden face toward the wall. “Don’t be embarrassed, Brick,” the Mayor said. “It’s a natural reaction. But I won’t be able to put the catheter in until you’re soft.” Brick was afraid that him talking about it was just making it harder. He wasn’t very big, but his stubby little member was standing at full attention now.
The Mayor looked at the tall big boned man strapped to his table. He had a slopping brow, and his blond hair was cut in a mullet that was shaved over his ears. He wasn’t at all handsome in the classical sense, but he had a natural earthy sex appeal that the Mayor was finding more and more attractive as Brick’s penis grew even harder under his gaze. He pulled his gloves back off.
“The way I see it,” the Mayor began. He leaned down close to Brick, and let his words whisper across his ear. “Is that we have two choices here. And it’s completely up to you how we proceed,” he added. Mitch wanted to make sure that he understood that.
Brick turned his face toward him and was caught by his different colored eyes. “What choices?” he asked and swallowed.
“We could talk for a few minutes and wait this out, or…”
“Or?” Brick asked, breathing harder.
“Or I could take matters into my own hands so to speak.” He glanced down toward Brick’s nether regions. Both of Brick’s eyebrows shot up. He couldn’t believe that this perfect specimen of a man was coming on to him.
“Yes.” he said quickly before he realized the word was out of his mouth and even tacked on a plaintive “Please.” The Mayor smiled at his quick response. He rested one arm above his head and spat in his other hand. He kept eye contact with Brick as he wrapped his hand tightly around his penis. Brick gasped, and the Mayor watched his face while he masturbated him.
The Mayor’s big hand felt so good as it played up and down his cock, Brick thought. He maintained eye contact as best he could through half closed lids. Unconsciously, he thrusted his pelvis up into the tight grip of the Mayor wanting more. When he came, he shot an embarrassing amount of sticky white cum all over his stomach and the Mayor’s hand. The Mayor kissed him lightly on the lips.
“Good job,” he told him as he pulled back. It made Brick’s heart skip a beat at the praise. While he slowly recovered, the Mayor cleaned his hand and Brick with a soft cloth from the table.
Even with the Mayor’s approving words, Brick felt his old self-recriminations creeping up on him. He hated how much he enjoyed being with men sexually. Irrationally, he didn’t want the Mayor to think less of him because of it.
“I’m not gay,” he blurted. The Mayor had just finished putting his catheter in and looked up startled. Brick glanced at his face then turned his head to the side. “I just wanted you to know.”
The Mayor took his gloves off and covered Brick back up. “That’s important to you, isn’t it?” he asked. Brick nodded.
“Why?”
Brick shrugged as much as the straps would allow. The Mayor continued to stand silently beside his bed. After a moment, Brick said, “My father.”
“He didn’t approve of homosexuality?” the Mayor asked. Brick shook his head again.
“But he’s not here anymore, right?”
“No,” Brick said.
“You know that’s one of the advantages of being a survivor,” the Mayor told him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You get to help create a new world. Maybe it shouldn’t matter what your father thought.” He said and raised his eyebrow. “Maybe it only matters what you think now. What makes you happy.” Brick immediately thought of Juan.