Under Ivans Knout: The Gospel of Madness (Book 2 of 6) (The Gospel of Madness - (A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Series))

by Georg Bruckmann

  That’s how it’s balanced. My juice in him. His flesh in me.

  After Toni had shrunk out of Antoine, they stayed for a while and looked at each other.

  “That was good,” Antoine said softly and carefully touched the still bleeding wound. He looked at his fingers for a while. Then he shoved them into Toni’s mouth.

  “Yes. That was good. Turn over again, would you?” Toni said a little later and watched his red-coloured seed slowly flow out of his little doll.

  The bite will leave a scar. I branded you. You’re mine now.

  ***

  The next morning, Toni pushed Antoine away. They should watch out that the nature of their relationship did not become public knowledge in the boarding school. In a spontaneous room search, it could end badly if they were found naked in the same bed. Especially when that bed was full of blood and semen. This thought flashed through Toni. Spontaneous room search.

  What if the Director was frisking the rooms? Apart from all the trouble, Toni must not lose his leverage under any circumstances. He needed a place to hide it. First, for the camera. Way more important than the soiled bed linen. In his mind, he feverishly went through various possibilities. In a plastic bag in the water reservoir of one of the toilets, perhaps?

  No. Too dangerous. What if water got in?

  Mattress, pillow or blanket? No. That was no good, either. Too obvious.

  Taped under the table? Maybe he should ...

  While Toni grabbed his washing things, wrapped the camera with a towel and together with the slightly limping Antoine went to the common shower room, he thought further. He couldn’t hide the camera in his and Antoine’s room. Ideally, he would find a way to put it in another classroom so that - in case of discovery - someone else would be held accountable for his, no, for Antoine’s deed.

  Nice layer of double security here.

  To achieve this, however, he had to find a way to get into the classrooms aside the lessons. That should be possible somehow. And until then? Until then, he also had to store the camera somewhere safe. Under no circumstances he could keep it at his body for two weeks. Way too risky.

  Besides of him and Antoine there were three other boys in the shower room. They were busy brushing their teeth or drying their freshly washed hair. Toni looked around.

  The ceiling.

  White panels on aluminum rails. Plasterboard or something. Toni started showering and even enjoyed the hot water on his battered body after a while. As he washed the soap off his face and laid his head on his neck, his eyes fell on the ceiling panels again.

  Maybe ... Yes.

  That would work.

  If only the other three idiots weren’t here with them. As long as the guys were there, he could hardly tamper with the ceiling. He tried to show Antoine with eyes what he needed from him. At first he only got a what-to-hell-you-want face back from him, but in the third attempt and with the help of soundlessly shaped words Toni managed to transmit his command to Antoine.

  “Okay, you bum. That’s my towel you’re wearing.”

  The blond boy, about two years younger than Antoine, had automatically winced and opened his eyes during the aggressive words. Antoine pointed his finger at him as he slowly stamped towards him.

  “Don’t you understand? The towel. It’s mine. How did you get it? Out of my room, bitch?”

  Antoine managed very well to keep the following discussion going in such a way that it caught the attention of all those present, but without escalating it directly into a fight. Only when Toni had lifted a ceiling panel slightly and stowed the camera in the cavity between the actual ceiling and the panels did he resolve the situation.

  “Yours is here, you half-brain.”

  Antoine turned into Toni in a staged act of rage.

  “Don’t get involved, stupid fuck!”

  “Take a good look. It’s the same color. You were just mistaken.”

  Antoine started off red.

  “Shit, you’re right.”

  Thereupon Antoine began to apologize verbosely to his shaken victim. After the matter was settled and the three idiots shook their heads in righteous indignation and pulled away, Antoine and Toni grinned at each other. They were alone now and Toni helped Antoine to undress and shower as well. If Toni´s little doll was in pain, it wouldn’t let him know. Doesn’t look as spectacular as yesterday, Toni thought when he examined the bite wound. But a scar would still remain. Good.

  Towels wrapped around their hips, they went back to their room and slipped into their clothes. The rest of the day passed like everyone else. Toni liked that Antoine had publicly called him a stupid fuck. In this way he had not only simulated a false hierarchy, but had somewhat concealed their actual relationship. Toni found a thought that should be pursued further.

  Later that evening, after the two had finished their lustful games, which were less bloody today, and everyone was lying in his own bed because it was safer this way, Toni said:

  “Antoine. I think you should avoid me during the day in the future.”

  “Okay? I mean ... I ... but why?”

  For a second Antoine seemed deeply struck.

  “In pretence, of course. Make friends with the redhead and his gang of losers. Find out how this drug thing works exactly. From whom they buy and to whom they sell. I said that we would make them pay, didn’t I?”

  His face lit up again, then Antoine said:

  “Hm... I don’t think this is gonna work. They’ve seen us together before. They know we’re friends.”

  “That’s about right. However, they also know that we met right here. We’ve only been here a few days. They can’t possibly know how well we get along.”

  Toni smiled meaningful.

  “Tell them you were wrong about me. Tell them I’m nothing but a stupid freak. They will believe you right away, I bet. Insult me when we meet in the hall. We won’t be sitting next to each other anymore. Spit paper balls at me once in a while. Put a leg on me. Push me out of your way in the corridor. All that, you know the drill. Tell them you even asked for a new room but your request got denied. I want leverage against them. Then Mr. Feretti can’t use these guys to make trouble for us anymore.”

  Antoine remained silent for quite some time. Then he agreed.

  “Toni?”

  “Yes?”

  “I have one more question. Once we’ve done all that, what do you want to do?”

  “I want many things. For one thing, I want to be left alone here. Secondly, Mr Feretti must answer many personal questions which may just leads to new ones. On the other hand, I want to learn whatever comes to my mind and still finish with an impeccable Liceo. And last but not least: I’m here at the expense of the state. The payments will most likely stop as soon as I graduate. I have to make preparations for the time after that. That’s where redhead and his drugs come in.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I’ve got money enough. I told you what my parents do for a living, didn’t I?”

  “Now I’m a little disappointed in you. You have no pride at all? It’s disgraceful to live at the expense of others, don’t you think? Like a maggot in bacon, without a fight or victory? Without making prey?”

  Antoine didn’t say anything for a while.

  Toni turned away and grinned secretly as he in his mind’s eye saw the dismay and confusion that Antoine’s face had to express right now. The boy had to make a little more effort to continue to please him.Finally, Toni had almost fallen asleep, Antoine said:

  “Okay.”

  Nothing more.

  Tomorrow morning, before the school day would begin, Toni would make it up to him.

  Carrot and stick.

  ***

  The next ten days passed much faster and more pleasantly. There had even been a room search on the second floor of the boy’s wing and - as Toni had heard - even one in the girl’s wing, but since he had made the scarf with which Antoine had disguised himself disappear, no suspicion had fallen on him or his ally. Ever
y evening Antoine told him how things were in clique of red-haired Fabrizio. On the fifth day Antoine had finally made progress, and the redhead had sold him a few grams of weed and some amphetamine. An important step, because that meant that the redhead had developed some confidence in Antoine. Not enough to let him in on his business, but he trusted him so much that he didn’t think he would rat him out to the teachers.

  Toni praised and rewarded Antoine as he saw fit. Since Antoine, who had the money, agreed with it, they decided to buy about the same amount from Fabrizio every two days and also stash the drugs under the ceiling panels in the shared shower room.

  The camera was still there. Since Toni thought a second room search possible, it didn’t make sense to take the risk of hiding it in someone else’s room.

  While Antoine worked Toni’s dick with great devotion, Toni thought of the director’s daughter. How much he was looking forward to seeing her youthful, beautiful, slightly arrogant face distorted by pain or lust. I wonder if she wears white panties. Would he find the dirt of the day in it if he had summoned her in the evening? He hoped so. Why does everything I do must become an obsession?, he wondered.

  His breath became faster and finally he poured into Antoine’s mouth. Today he didn’t feel like returning the favor.

  “Thank you,” he said to Antoine, drove a casual gesture through his hair and waited for his little doll to understand and distance himself. When they were lying in their beds and Toni had almost fallen asleep, Antoine began to speak.

  “I got him.”

  “Whom?”

  “The dealer. From whom Fabrizio buys.”

  “How’s that? We didn’t even have permission to go into town yet, and you didn’t disappear during night either.”

  “Right. I didn’t have to. Yesterday I was with them in their basement lounge. Actually I’ve been here all week at least once a day. Smoke some good stuff. Watch out. You won’t believe it! Suddenly the door burst open and Mr. Piras stood there. I jumped up immediately, but the others simply remained seated, as if this were completely normal. Then the red-haired bastard grinned and said that since I was already standing, he just should sit in my chair. The janitor gave me a look and asked if I was okay. Just nodding all around. I am now fully accepted there, it seems. Then they discussed the details of a delivery. Weed, hash and a few bars of pilot’s chocolate. You know, the one with the amphetamine in it. It’s going to happen soon. Is a lot of money on the table. The pilot’s chocolate is very popular with the poorer students, especially those who will soon be taking their exams. I’m guessing our red-headed enemy makes about a buck and a half with his dealing.”

  “Not for long, Antoine, not for long.”

  Toni Da Silva grinned.

  Slowly but surely the big day was approaching. The realization of his plan. He was proud of himself. He hasn’t even been here for two weeks and was well on his way to taking control of the damned shed.

  ***

  Toni, Antoine and the other newcomers who had arrived at the boarding school with them were sitting or standing in the hall in front of the director’s office. Toni didn’t feel any nervousness.

  It was the Director who was supposed to be nervous. A few days after the two-week acclimatization period, it was her usual practice to summon the newcomers for an individual interview. Toni caught himself touching the envelope with the photos in his jacket pocket all the time.

  All right, he confessed to himself, maybe I am a little excited after all. But that’s just anticipation. No reason to worry.

  When the pictures had been developed, he and Antoine had first made fun of them and then Antoine had noticed that Toni had become hard at the sight of them. Without comment and apparently without a hint of jealousy, he had helped Toni to relieve his pressure while he looked at the pictures with glowing eyes. Afterwards Toni had examined Antoine for a long time and finally said:

  “Yes. That’s right.”

  Antoine had smiled.

  “Love you anyway.”

  And now they stood here. For a moment they had considered pushing themselves into the Director’s room together, but in the end they had decided that it would be better if the Director did not know that it had been Antoine who had taken the pictures - or that he was involved in the whole thing at all.

  Antoine was called into the office just before Toni and winked at him before he disappeared behind the door. I need more dolls like him. Toni thought how he could manage to gather more henchmen around him. I can’t fuck them all, can I?, he thought with a dirty grin. Then he turned back to his current plan. When Antoine finally came back from the Director’s office and said:

  “Toni. You’re next to come in,” Toni had stopped tinkering with the pictures.

  Toni went inside. He noticed immediately and with some surprise how much the office differed from the otherwise sober overall picture of the boarding school. The central element was a mighty mahogany desk covered over and over with books and papers, behind which the director sat on an almost ridiculously huge office chair. But that wasn’t really the interesting thing - at least not for Toni.

  Each of the walls was almost covered with shelves and at first glance only a small proportion of the storage areas created in this way served to store files and papers. There were countless books and many small and also a lot larger, strange-looking sculptures.

  The director gave Toni some time to look around. Shelf by shelf he scanned with glances and only noticed, that there was another door in the wall to his left, when he had absorbed all the new impressions. Where does it lead?

  “Yes, Mr. Da Silva. I am very interested in archaeology, especially when it comes from the Orient. The cradle of humanity, they say. But that over there you are looking at...”

  She pointed to a small, finely crafted stone sculpture, a female archetype with broad hips and large breasts.

  “... is of Celtic origin. I’ve been thinking about sharing some of my knowledge in the voluntary afternoon hours.”

  Toni said nothing about it. He continued to look at the different, often multi-headed figures. They seemed mysterious. Some of them even slightly threatening, and some seemed outright silly. But most of them, the menacing and the mysterious especially, radiated a strange kind of sublimity. Toni had to try not to let his fascination take over. He had to focus on his plan.

  His gaze detached itself from a depiction of Pan, at least he believed so, touching some of the spines of the books, many of which were titled in English and many in fracture font.

  Then he stepped forward without a word and sat down on the chair intended for the director’s visitors. Funny, he thought for a moment. When she sits, she is hardly smaller than when she stands on her little piggy feet. The Director’s smile was friendly. Professional. Just like someone would smile who wants to make a boring routine matter pleasant for everyone involved.

  “Tell me, Toni. Have you settled in well with us? Do you like it?”

  Wordlessly, Toni took out the envelope with the pictures. He twisted it between his fingers. He had rehearsed what he would say now countless times.

  “Yes, thanks, I’ve settled in very well,” he cleared his throat. Then he had complete control of his voice.

  “However, there are a few points I wanted to talk to you about. I have some... suggestions for improvement that I really would like to see implemented. There’s a boy. Red hair. His name is Fabrizio. He sells drugs in your boarding school. When we finish our conversation, you will immediately search his premises. You’ll find quite a deposit of marijuana, hashish and amphetamines there. The same applies to a room in the basement, which I will be happy to show you. Furthermore, you will leave your daughter to me at least twice a week. I want to use her like a little bitch like her needs to be used. Don’t get concerned, she won’t break. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s gonna love it. That goes for you, too. Your holes are mine now, not Mr. Feretti’s.”

  While Toni continued to speak, concentrated and careful not to s
how his tension, he watched the director’s face very carefully.

  “In fact, not only do I own your holes, I own you. Entirely.”

  Toni took a little break and looked at her invitingly. Finally she reached for the envelope and opened it. While she looked closely at the pictures one by one, Toni continued talking.

  “Furthermore, the following will happen. This red-headed drug dealer and his friends are coming into the punishing circle. For a week. Every day. After that, you will expel them from school. I also have some questions for Mr Feretti regarding a symbol that he wears publicly on his clothes in the form of a pin. He’s gonna tell me all about what I want to know. Apart from that, I from now on am free from class and have access to all the information and books I am interested in. From time to time I may write lists of writings and books and give them to you. Not only will you provide me with access to these works, no, you will also pay for them if they have to be purchased first. In fact, you’re gonna have a lot more to pay for than that. Firstly, I will take over the flourishing drug trade here at the boarding school and you will not take action against it. Then you will open an account in my name and deposit two million lire a month. I don’t think I need to mention that no matter how I act, what I do and what you think about it, I will leave this boarding school with the best possible degrees.”

  Once again Toni took a dramatic break.

  “That’s all I can think of right now. If that changes, I’ll let you know. Now come over here and lift up your skirt, please. I want to see what I’m about to fuck.”

  The Director’s face was frozen to a mask.

  “Come on. Come on, you stupid whore. Otherwise copies of these pictures will be sent to all parents, the entire teaching staff and not least to your husband. Also, the janitor admitted that you very well knew about the drug dealing. He’s willing to testify to the police.”

  The part about the janitor’s statement was a bluff, but Toni didn’t think she’d notice. Thoughts had to turn her inside out. Not only had her secret relationship been discovered, but she also had to deal with the monstrosities he had just thrown at her head in a machine-gun-like manner.