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      JT crept through the liquid darkness. Every muscle in his body stood out as he moved through the firelight of the torches. His oiled body glowed softly in the orange, flickering light. Up ahead, he heard the low growl of an animal. Fear slithered down his spine, spreading through him with cold fingers.
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      Every corner JT turned held the promise of danger. The low animal growl echoed, bouncing off the walls, making it impossible to know where the sound was coming from.
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      All around him JT heard the sound of murmuring men. Only the richest of the rich could afford seats to watch The Maze in person. JT knew that millions of people were glued to their televisions across the country and around the world, watching The Maze, the Super bowl of the Gladiator Games.
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      JT already battled past the three other gladiators in the maze. All he had to do was find his way out and he’d be this year’s championship winner. The cat growled again in the darkness up ahead. The audience held its breath. From their vantage point above the maze, they saw both JT and the wild cat that was supposed to be drugged, for show only.
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      JT knew better. He turned the corner, realizing too late that the wild scent of the cat was suddenly all around him. Up ahead, not two feet away JT saw the feral gleam of yellow eyes. In a massive leap of sleek muscle and deadly claws, the Black Panther launched itself at him.
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      JT covered his face, backed away, and tripped over his own feet. Suddenly the hot flesh of the animal knocked him over and a loud buzzer was going off insistently, blending with the roar of the crowd.
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      JT shot up in his bed so fast he nearly hit his head on the top bunk. He wrestled free of the thin grey blanket wrapped around him in a tangle. The morning buzzer that woke the prisoners bleated again, filling the morning with ugly sound.
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      Kyle, who was reaching for his jeans, looked back at JT.
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      “You ok? You were mumbling and moaning,†Kyle said.
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      “Yeah?†JT said. “Come here baby.â€Â
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      Kyle thought JT would push him to his knees between his legs like he did some mornings. But JT pulled him into bed with him, and wrapped his big arms around Kyle. He ran his hands slowly up and down Kyle’s ass, pressing a finger gently into the crack of Kyle’s ass. Kyle pushed back against him.
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      “You’re a good bitch,†JT whispered into Kyle’s ear, trailing his calloused fingers through Kyle’s silky brown hair.
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      Kyle twisted around in JT’s big arms so he was facing JT. The boy ran his hands gently over JT’s hard muscled chest. His skin was dark and smooth as black velvet.
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      “What’s wrong?†Kyle said.
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      “What do you mean boy?â€Â
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      “I don’t know. You always have this worried look on your face,†Kyle said.
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      “We ain’t exactly at Club Med,†JT said, pushing Kyle to the wall and getting up.
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      “But how come - â€Â
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      “Get dressed,†JT said, turning his back on Kyle.
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      Kyle sat up on the edge of the bed. “But why are you so - â€Â
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     JT turned back to Kyle and grabbed Kyle’s hair, pulling his head back roughly. “Learn to do what I say, boy,†JT said quietly, and let go.
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      “Sorry,†Kyle said, dropping it. He didn’t want JT pissed off first thing in the morning.
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 ii.
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     Kyle liked the cool shadows of the prison library. Up here on the second floor, shelving books, he was in his own world. He thought back on the two months that had gone by since JT and Tyrone had dueled over him. Kyle knew that the fight had upset some delicate balance.
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      Before Kyle, there had been an uneasy peace between JT and Tyrone. Calvin had told him that much. Now, JT and Tyrone weren’t exactly enemies. They were more like hostile Kings, each with their own territories. From the little Calvin would tell him, Kyle understood that as long as JT and Tyrone stayed out of each other’s turf, there wouldn’t be trouble.
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      JT talked to Kyle about nearly anything, except that. The one time that Kyle had pressed him on it, JT had slapped him hard and threatened to belt him. Kyle knew it was a forbidden topic. That’s why he’d let it go this morning. When Kyle asked Calvin about it, he refused to answer any of Kyle’s questions. Which left Kyle wondering. What was the big secret in Purgatory?
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     Kyle grabbed his pack of smokes from a shelf and headed for the door on this floor. He wouldn’t smoke in the stacks. Bad for the books. Kyle used an old volume of Aquinas to prop the door open. It was quiet in this part of the prison. The library was separated from the main buildings. Kyle smoked, leaning against the cinderblock wall, thinking about all the things JT wouldn’t tell him.
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     The screams penetrated Kyle’s thoughts with the clarity of a cold stiletto to his heart. They stopped for a moment, then started again. Kyle knew where they were coming from. The basement. JT took him down there to fuck him sometimes. When Kyle asked about the screams, JT told him to shut up and close his ears.
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      The screams came again and this time Kyle noticed the metal grill in the floor next to his feet. There must be a stairway to the basement nearby. This was his chance to find out what the hell went on down there.
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     Kyle didn’t have to go far to find the heavy iron door that led to stone stairs. He looked back at the door to the library. The door was still propped open, letting a narrow shaft of light escape. JT had warned Kyle about going down there alone.
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      JT would never know. Kyle would be right back. He just wanted a quick look.
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     Kyle swung the heavy door open and closed it behind him. Mr. Derron, one of the prison guards, came around the corner just in time to see Kyle disappearing through the iron door. He thought it was strange the boy would go down there by himself, but he shrugged it off. Maybe he was meeting JT for a quick fuck.
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     Kyle followed the steps that twisted down a narrow stone throat, until he came to another door that stood open. The screams echoed again, much louder down here, making Kyle realize that more than one person was screaming. The sounds were coming from different places. Kyle looked back at the door behind him at the top of the stairs and nearly went back up.
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     Suddenly the screams came again from his left, a narrow pause, then they came from his right. Unmindful of the old saying about curiosity and the cat, Kyle shrugged, and went left.
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      Naked yellow bulbs barely shed enough light for Kyle to see the black stone walls surrounding him. The darkness was alive with the sound of heavy wheels of some kind rolling along the uneven cobblestone floor. What the hell? Supplies were delivered up in the main prison.
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      Kyle passed a big stone room brightly lit where men, big and muscled like gladiators worked shirtless, their hard bodies dripping with sweat, lifting big boxes, stacking them onto carts that were labeled with city names like “New Yorkâ€Â, “Port Huronâ€Â, “Los Angelesâ€Â. Other men rolled the carts away, making the noises Kyle had heard earlier. Kyle drew a little closer, hidden in the dark shadows of the arched doorway. His jaw just about dropped when he saw what filled the boxes on the ground, waiting to be sealed up and loaded onto carts.
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      Last time Kyle had been in a store, ugly bruised apples the size of his fist had sold for eight dollars a pound. Other fruit, like oranges, were downright impossible to get.
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      The boxes in the room were filled to overflowing with a fortune worth of oranges, apples, grapes, tangerines and one the most expensive black market item, white sugar. Other boxes were loaded with chocolate bars and pastries. Those boxes of chocolate alone were worth their weight in gold. Nobody could afford the price of chocolate with the war on. And there was hardly any sugar around anywhere. Kyle couldn’t believe his eyes. What the hell was going on in Purgatory?
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     The screams came again, startling Kyle. He’d nearly forgotten what brought him down here. He knew he’d been gone from the library too long. Seeing all that black market shit had soured his curiosity. Whatever was going on down here, he didn’t need to know about it.
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      Kyle turned to go back the way he had come, but the heavy sound of a rumbling cart heading his way stopped him dead in his tracks. He waited for the right moment, then darted across the wide doorway, stopping on the other side and looking back to make sure no one had seen him.
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      He walked down the dark corridor, away from the door that led back up to the library. Men with carts were heading that way with their cargo.
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      The screams came again, surprisingly close this time, bringing Kyle up short. He didn’t care who was screaming anymore. He had to get back to the library. If JT found out Kyle had come down here alone, he’d be the one screaming.
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      He needed to get back upstairs. Kyle followed the narrow twisting corridors, searching for a door that led to a stairway, but all he passed were solid brick walls unbroken by doorways of any kind.
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      Kyle rounded a hairpin twist in the stone corridor and suddenly he knew who was screaming and why. He didn’t want to know, but it was too late for that, wasn’t it?
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      The corridor ended in a wall. The screamer was pinned to the stone wall by a black man, who Kyle thought he’d seen in the yard training with the gladiators. The screamer was a boy about Kyle’s age. His jeans lay on the floor in shreds. The man holding him against the wall was fucking the boy’s ass hard.
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      “Yeah bitch,†the man said, pumping into the boy’s ass. “That’s it scream for us.â€Â
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      “Fuck that bitch,†the other man said. “Fuck his little ass real hard.â€Â
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      Shit. Kyle knew he would be in real trouble if the men turned and saw him. As quietly as he could, he backed away, praying. If they turned around, there was nowhere to hide. Only the turn in the corridor would hide Kyle from them. Kyle was so focused on the men in front of him that he didn’t think to look behind him.
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      “Who the fuck are you boy?†a deep voice said behind Kyle.
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      Kyle whirled around, his heart knocking in his chest. He was trapped between the two men in front of him and the man behind him. Kyle tried to inch past the man, but the man’s hand shot out and grabbed Kyle’s thin t-shirt.
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      “Where you going bitch?†the man said.
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      The man who’d been watching his friend fuck the boy, turned around.
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      “You brought us another bitch, Desmond?†he said.
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      “I found him,†Desmond said, pulling Kyle’s shirt harder.
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      The boy’s screams surrounded Kyle, making him wish he’d never left the fucking library. He was in real deep shit here.
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      Kyle said what JT had told him to say if this ever happened to him. “I’m JT’s bitch,†he said.
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      The men looked at each other. For a moment, blind hope leapt in Kyle. He’d count himself lucky to get out of this with a hard belting from JT.
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      “Yeah?†Desmond said. “Well this is Tyrone’s turf boy. That means you’re our bitch.â€Â
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       Oh fuck. Kyle tried to twist away, praying to every saint he knew. His shirt ripped, leaving a ragged hole across the top, and Kyle was free. He hauled ass down the dark corridor, hearing the men hard on his heels.
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      Endless dark stone walls flashed by. Kyle followed anonymous twists and turns in the darkness, becoming hopelessly lost. At every turn, he heard the men behind him. Finally, he came to a deserted cell, and dodged in there. He watched the men run by.
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      Kyle leaned over on his knees, breathing hard. How the fuck would he get out of here? He leaned back against the wall, wishing he’d paid more attention in church. Holy Mary, Mother of God, hear us now in our hour of need. Is that how it went?
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      Too late, Kyle heard the men coming back. They were only feet away from the cell by the time Kyle realized they’d crept back in near silence. Shit. Now what? He’d never make it past them.
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      “Hey,†he heard a voice say. “Here’s the bitch.â€Â
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      The three men came into the cell, closing a tight half circle around Kyle. With his back pressed against the wall and the three men between him and the only door, one thought pounded through Kyle’s mind over and over with terrifying clarity – I’m fucked. Oh God, I’m fucked.
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      A loud scream echoed down the deserted stone corridor. The three men facing Kyle acted as if they heard nothing.
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     “What you doing down here?†the man closest to Kyle said.
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     No excuse, Kyle thought, just stupid. “I heard screaming,†he said
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     High pitched screams of torment twisted wildly through the darkness again, completely unnerving Kyle.
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     “Screaming?†the man in front of Kyle said. “I don’t hear nothing. You hear something Desmond?â€Â
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     Desmond was dark as midnight with muscles so hard he looked like stone come to life. He shrugged his big shoulders, the movement of a giant.
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     “All I hear is a bitch getting fucked,†Desmond said, looking into Kyle’s terrified eyes and rubbing his bulging crotch.
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     “Yeah,†the man on Kyle’s right said. “Sounds like some bitch’s gettin’ it up the ass. Real hard.â€Â
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     Desmond hooked a giant finger into Kyle’s jeans and pulled hard. The worn denim ripped with a loud, ugly sound.
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 iii.
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      Very few people knew that the Church was the only incorporated religious organization in the world. Every church was actually a corporation, as in, ‘St. Mark the Martyr, Incorporated.’ With elections suspended because of the state of emergency caused by the wars, a religious zealot had sat in the White House for the last ten years.
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      During that time, prisons had become the private property of the Church. Through their corporate arm, the Church had bought up and privatized every prison in the country. Reforming wayward souls was a very profitable business.
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      They worked closely with Homeland Security to make sure there were enough televised whippings bringing men back to God to feed the masses all the electronic heroin they needed. The prisoner gladiator games was the most brutal reality television ever produced. And it was the biggest seller with the highest ratings in history.
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      Father Matthew stood at the window of his office. The stone chamber was small and narrow, with a high ceiling. A small window let in a thick bar of yellow sunlight. He was waiting for JT. Before the Monastic Reform Law, Father Confessor Matthew would have been called Warden Matthew.
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      JT was Purgatory’s biggest money maker. He fought like an animal, the public loved him and most important, JT’s finely honed fighting skills lined Matthew’s deep pockets with gold. But as lucrative as the games were, the black market was the real money maker in a country at war where supplies ran scarce.
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      Until two months ago, JT had been uncontrollable. Jimmy, the last boy Matthew put in JT’s cell had been a miserable failure. Kyle was another story. His considerable spy network told him that JT was head over heels for Kyle.
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      Matthew knew all about the dark game between JT and Tyrone. A duel between two men over a boy wasn’t unusual. The strange thing about the game was the way it ended. From everything Matthew had been told, JT barely stopped himself from killing Tyrone. Excellent. JT’s days of running wild and ignoring Matthew’s offers of better things were over.
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      History tells us that many men refused to sell their souls to the devil. The most famous man who refused died on a cross for his mistake. JT was about to learn that every man’s soul had a price. Fortunately for JT, Matthew, Father Confessor of Purgatory Prison, was an excellent teacher in matters of the soul.
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      Matthew heard the door open behind him.
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      “Undo his cuffs,†Matthew said without turning around.
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     “But Sir, I’m not supposed to - â€Â
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     “Mr. Remello?†Matthew said in a low voice.
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     “Sir?â€Â
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     Matthew turned from the window and looked the guard in the eye. “Why do you insist on speaking when you have nothing to say? Undo his cuffs. Now.â€Â
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     The guard uncuffed JT, being rougher than he had to be.
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     Matthew waved lazily. “That’s all Mr. Remello. In the unlikely event that I think of something useful for you to do, I’ll call for you.â€Â
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     Preston Remello flushed bright red. He wasn’t used to men talking to him like that.
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He stalked out of the room.
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      Matthew looked at JT across his small desk. Even though JT stood three or four inches taller and Matthew knew the gladiator could pick him up and throw him across the room without breaking a sweat, he smiled into JT’s hard eyes.
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     Matthew took a red apple from a basket of fresh fruit on his desk. In an age where every migrant worker was overseas fighting America’s wars, fresh fruit had become as impossible to find as diamonds lying in a field and nearly as expensive.
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      “I hear you’re enjoying your new bitch,†Matthew said.
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     JT said nothing. Even though JT didn’t know it, the gladiator’s silence had always infuriated Matthew. But those sad days were over.
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     “Temptation has always been the downfall of mankind,†Matthew said, holding up the red apple to the light streaming through the small window.
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     “You know the story of Adam and Eve?†Matthew said, looking up at JT.
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     “I heard it before,†JT said shortly.
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Matthew was unbothered by the hard look in JT’s eyes.
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      “God was generous to Adam and Eve. He gave them everything,†Matthew said. “Except one tree. If they hadn’t fucked it up and taken a bite of that apple, we’d all be in Paradise right now.â€Â
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      JT looked at Matthew the way a man looks at a poisonous snake that’s too close for comfort.
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     “Care for an apple, JT?â€Â
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     JT shook his head. “I ain’t hungry.â€Â
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     “Of course not,†Matthew said, setting the apple on his desk. “But some fruit is just too good to resist, isn’t it?â€Â
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     Matthew turned back to the window. His office was in the east tower, overlooking the yard where the gladiators trained. Men were down there now, sweating in the early morning sun.
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     “Is Kyle a good boy?†Matthew said, looking out the window.
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     “He’s a good bitch,†JT said, staring at Matthew’s back.
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     “You know why Eve took the apple from the serpent?†Matthew said without turning around.
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     “No,†JT said, looking around at the ancient cinderblock walls. He crossed his thick arms over his wide chest. “Why?â€Â
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     “Pride,†Matthew said. “She thought she knew better than God.â€Â
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     “You want something from me Mr. Matthew?†JT said.
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     Matthew whirled from the window. “It’s Father,†he said in a low, dangerous voice.
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     “Right,†JT said, making no attempt to hide the mockery in his eyes. “I forgot. You’re a real religious man.â€Â
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     “That’s right, JT. I’m a man of the cloth,†Matthew said, recovering his composure. He smoothed his black frock coat, pushed back the wisp of hair that had fallen across his face.
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      Matthew’s voice went back to the smooth tones of a benign teacher. “In many ways Purgatory is my Garden of Eden. I decide who’s rewarded for virtue and who will be punished for their sins.â€Â
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      “What sins?†JT said. “Ain’t we all sinned in here? That’s why we’re here right?â€Â
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      JT looked around the small room. His eagerness to be far from the strange look in Matthew’s cold eyes was written all over his dark face.
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     “Tyrone’s been slipping in the games lately. I thought a little reward would inspire him to try harder. But when you won the Statewide Championship, I decided that you deserved a hot little virgin bitch,†Matthew said. “So when Kyle was assigned to us for redemption, I gave him to you.â€Â
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      Matthew sat in the high backed leather chair behind his desk, looking up at JT. He picked up the apple and took a bite.
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      “I’ve given you a delicious fruit, JT,†Matthew said. “When the time comes, I’ll ask for something in return for what I’ve given you. Do we understand each other?â€Â
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     JT nodded, feeling like a man caught up in the middle of a whirlwind. He hated this man. He would have gladly served another life sentence for the sheer pleasure of killing Matthew.
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     “Good, excellent,†Matthew said, breaking into a smile that had all the warmth of a grinning skull. Matthew raised his voice and called for Remello.
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iv.
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      “Hey boy. Where the fuck you been? JT’s looking for you.â€Â
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     Kyle nearly fainted with relief at the sound of Calvin’s voice. The men turned, opening a hole between their bulky bodies.
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     Calvin was as big as the men there. He wore a sleeveless t-shirt that stretched tightly across his heavily muscled chest. His arms were thick slabs of deadly muscle. His face was deadly serious and his hands hung loose by his sides. He looked like hell’s advance scout, scooping up souls for the Devil. The way he stood in the doorway, his body tense and ready to move at a second’s notice, told the men all they needed to know.
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     “Get over bitch,†Calvin said, ignoring the way the men were glaring at him. “You know JT don’t like it when you keep him waiting.â€Â
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     Kyle didn’t hesitate. He darted through the hole that had opened when Calvin walked in. As soon as he was close enough Calvin grabbed Kyle’s arm and pushed the boy behind him.
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     “Go on,†Calvin said, not taking his eyes off the men. “He’s waiting for you.â€Â
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     Calvin shoved Kyle roughly toward the open door. The whole thing had happened so fast that the men had been silent and unmoving. Until now.
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     Desmond took a step toward Calvin and said, “Hey Calvin. Tell JT not to let his bitch go wandering around. It’s dangerous.â€Â
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     “Tell him yourself,†Calvin said and grabbed Kyle’s arm, pulling him back through the open door.
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     Calvin walked fast, without running, pulling Kyle along. They turned a corner and Calvin stopped so suddenly that Kyle ran into him. Calvin shoved Kyle to the wall and peeked around the corner, looking back the way they’d come. Nothing. Good.
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     He turned to Kyle. “Next time I tell you to go, get the fuck gone.â€Â
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     “I didn’t know my way out,†Kyle said in a quiet voice.
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     Calvin ran a shaky hand across his forehead and wiped away sweat. He gave Kyle a stupefied look of utter puzzlement.
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     “What the fuck you doing down here boy?â€Â
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     “I heard screaming,†Kyle said, feeling lost and afraid.
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     “Shit,†Calvin said, shaking his head. “Let’s go.â€Â
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     “Why didn’t JT come?†Kyle said.
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     Calvin looked back at Kyle as though the boy had turned incredibly stupid.
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      “Boy sometimes you just dumb as a stone boat. If JT came down here into Tyrone’s territory, he’d start a turf war.â€Â
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      Kyle hadn’t considered that.
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      “Is he really waiting for me?†Kyle said.
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      “Yeah,†Calvin said, guiding Kyle down the dark stone corridor. “And he’s gonna kick your dumb bitch ass.â€Â
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     Kyle’s mind returned to its old familiar theme – I’m fucked. Oh God. . .
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     He followed Calvin through the gloom of the narrow corridor, spooked by the phantom echoes of their footsteps.
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     “You sure they’re not following us?†Kyle said, glancing over his shoulder.
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     “No,†Calvin said, not bothering to waste time looking back at Kyle.
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     After that, Kyle followed Calvin in silence, trying not to feel the way the dark stone walls seemed to press closer with each step.
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     After endless corridors, twisting around too many turns to count, Calvin stopped in front of a giant black iron door with square rivets. He took a big key out of his pocket and let them into the darkness beyond.
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     Suddenly Kyle looked back the way they’d come. He was sure he’d heard something.
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     “Calvin, I think - †Kyle started to say.
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     “I know,†Calvin said, pulling Kyle through the door. “Shut up and get in here.â€Â
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     As soon as Kyle was through the door, Calvin banged it shut and locked it. There were two stairways; one going up, the other leading down. Kyle headed for the steps leading up, but Calvin pulled him back, pushing Kyle to the stone stairway leading down.
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     “Where are we going?†Kyle said.
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     “Shortcut,†Calvin said.
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     By the time they reached the bottom of the stone steps, Kyle heard banging on the door behind them.
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     “They have a key Calvin?†Kyle said.
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      This was really fucked up. All he’d wanted was a smoke. What the hell?
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     “I don’t know,†Calvin said, pulling Kyle along.
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     “You don’t know?†Kyle said. “What do you mean you don’t know?â€Â
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     Calvin stopped and looked down at Kyle. His impatience with the boy boiled over.   “It ain’t my fucking day to guard the keys, alright? Now shut up and let me find my way out.â€Â
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     “Are we lost?†Kyle said before he could stop himself.
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     They both heard the ratchety sound of the door behind them banging open.
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     “Fuck,†Calvin said. “Now you know. Yeah. They got a key. Come on.†He grabbed Kyle’s arm and led them deeper into the darkness.
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     Suddenly Calvin pulled Kyle into a corridor that seemed to lead nowhere. They ran up the stone steps at the end two at a time until they came to another iron door. No locks here. Calvin banged through the heavy door, pulling Kyle behind him.
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     Kyle’s knees didn’t buckle when he saw what waited for them on the other side, but it was a near thing.
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     Calvin looked at the five gladiators facing them, blocking their way with a wall of solid muscle.
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     This isn’t happening to me, Kyle thought.
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     “Go on C.,†the man closest to them said. “We got these assholes.â€Â
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     Kyle and Calvin slipped through the men, leaving the sound of running footsteps echoing on the stone stairs behind.
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     Kyle recognized the opposite end of the cell block where he shared a cell with JT. He stopped suddenly, pulling away from Calvin.
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     “What is it boy?†Calvin said, looking back past Kyle.
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     “What is it?†Kyle shouted, looking at Calvin with wide eyes. “I can’t go back there,†Kyle said, pointing toward the end of the cell block.
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     “You got no choice boy,†Calvin.
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     “I can’t. I’ll end up like Jimmy,†Kyle said, voicing his worst fear.
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     “He ain’t gonna do nothing like that to you,†Calvin said.
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     “How do you know?†Kyle said, his voice cracking with fear. He looked back at the distant sound of fighting. “Look what I caused. I’ll be in traction for weeks when he’s done with me.â€Â
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     Kyle’s lips trembled, his knees threatened to buckle again. He was the picture of a man with one foot over the edge of a roaring volcano.
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     “You like being JT’s girl?†Calvin said.
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     The unexpected question sideswiped Kyle.
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     “How can you ask me that?†Kyle said. “What do I look like?â€Â
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     Calvin shrugged. “A bitch.â€Â
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     Kyle shot him a furious look. “Yeah. That’s all I am to you and him.â€Â
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     Kyle tried to walk past him, but Calvin caught him easily and pushed Kyle back.
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     “I don’t mean nothing by it boy. I talk straight, like I see things. You’re a bitch. You like getting it up the ass. You like JT being your man?â€Â
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     Kyle shrugged. “He’s not so bad when I do what he says,†Kyle said. He looked down at the floor, a blush of shame rising to his soft cheeks.
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     “Alright then,†Calvin said, as if he’d reached a sudden decision. “I’ll help you.â€Â
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     Kyle looked up at him. “How?â€Â
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     “Do exactly what I say. He’ll probably still beat you, but you won’t get it so bad if you do what I tell you.â€Â
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     Kyle nodded. “What do I do?â€Â
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     After Kyle had listened for a while, Calvin said, “Remember boy. No matter what he says, don’t mouth off to him. Keep your mouth shut.â€Â
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 v.
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     Kyle walked into the cell, with Calvin just behind him. JT sat on his bunk, his legs spread, his killer hands dangling between his legs. He looked up past Kyle when the boy walked in.
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     “You had any trouble, C.?†JT said, ignoring Kyle.
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     “Nothing I couldn’t handle,†Calvin said.
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     JT looked down at the floor again. “Get over here boy.â€Â
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     The three steps that separated Kyle from JT were as wide as the Grand Canyon to Kyle. His heart pounded painfully with every step, filling his head with too much blood. Every instinct in Kyle shouted at him to run the other way. But he put down his instincts and drew closer to JT.
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     Kyle stood in front of JT, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans.
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     “Where you been bitch?†JT said, still looking down at the floor.
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     Kyle wished he could see JT’s eyes. His body looked completely relaxed. The only sign of his anger was the barely restrained fury in his voice.
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     “I was in the library, then I went out for a smoke, then I heard this screaming and I thought - â€Â
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     “Fuck that,†JT said, finally looking up at Kyle. “What the fuck was you doing down there? Ain’t I told you not to be down there by yourself?â€Â
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     JT’s hard eyes, filled with unborn violence, lay heavily on Kyle.
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     “I heard screaming,†Kyle said, through numb lips.
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     JT shot to his feet and grabbed Kyle hard. Before he knew it, Kyle was slammed into the wall, trapped between JT and the bed.   ÂÂ
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      “You what?†JT said, standing inches from Kyle, towering over him.
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      “There was this screaming and I -â€Â
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      “And what?†JT said, through clenched teeth. “You thought was gonna rescue some bitch who was getting fucked?â€Â
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      “I didn’t know -â€Â
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      But JT wasn’t interested in anything Kyle had to say. He slammed a fist into the wall next to Kyle’s head. Red dust sifted to the floor. Kyle flinched, squeezing his eyes shut.
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     “What the fuck didn’t you know, bitch?†JT said, shouting at Kyle.
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     Kyle pressed into the cinder wall behind him. Calvin stood off to the side watching.
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     “Come on JT,†Calvin said quietly. “He didn’t mean nothing.â€Â
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     JT looked at Calvin as if he’d forgotten he was there.
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     “You know what this bitch cost me?â€Â
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     JT looked back at Kyle. “I had to call in favors because of you boy. You know how I knew you was down there?â€Â
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     Kyle shook his head, looking up into JT’s furious glare.
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     “Mr. Derron, he asked me how come my bitch was going down there by himself,†JT said. “If nobody didn’t say nothing to me, this wouldn’t be the only thing you got ripped down there,†JT said, pulling at the tears in Kyle’s jeans and his t-shirt.
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     “I’m sorry,†Kyle said.
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     “Sorry?†JT shouted at Kyle. “You don’t know nothing about sorry, boy.†He grabbed Kyle’s face. “But I’m gonna teach you,†he said in a quiet voice that utterly terrified Kyle.
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     “Come on JT,†Calvin said in a quiet voice.
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      JT looked back at Calvin, letting Kyle go.
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      “He ain’t shown you no disrespect,†Calvin went on, looking at his friend. “He’s just a bitch. He don’t think like a man. He didn’t know better.â€Â
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      Calvin had been friends with JT for over twenty years. He knew JT was more scared about what could have happened to Kyle than he was pissed off. Now that Kyle was back in one piece, Calvin saw the tension easing from his friend’s body. Now was the time to try and save the boy.
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      “Why don’t you go easy on him?†Calvin said, keeping his voice low and calm. “Look at him. He ain’t nothing but a scared boy.â€Â
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     JT turned back to Kyle, who was huddled against the wall, looking small and fragile in his ripped clothes. For the first time, JT took in the terror on Kyle’s pale face, saw how scared he must have been down there alone.
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     JT grabbed Kyle’s face again. “You ever do anything that fucking stupid again, I’ll belt your ass so bad you’ll walk sideways.†He slapped Kyle’s face viciously, whipping his big calloused hand hard across Kyle’s soft cheek.
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     JT stormed out of the cell, stopping only long enough to say, “Take care of him,†as he walked by Calvin.
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     “How come he left?†Kyle said, rubbing his cheek. An ugly bruise was already rising there.
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     “Cause he’s pissed off and he don’t wanna hurt you,†Calvin said.
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      Kyle stood against the wall for a moment, looking as if he’d been dropped into the cell out of a tornado, then he sank to JT’s bunk, trembling all over.
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      “Thanks,†Kyle said. “I thought I was dead.â€Â
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     “You want to watch yourself with JT boy,†Calvin said.
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     Kyle nodded. “I know. At least if he beats me when he gets back he won’t be so mad. He’ll fuck me hard tonight and make me scream,†Kyle said in a low, matter of fact voice.
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     “You want me to help you with that?â€Â
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     Kyle looked up at Calvin and nodded, but there was no real hope in his eyes.
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 vi.
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      When JT came back, he found Kyle on his bunk, his ass up, his legs spread, his head pressed to the mattress.
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     The lights out buzzer sounded and the guards made their way down the tier.
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     JT knew Kyle heard the guards coming. He expected the boy to get up. Kyle hated more than anything for men to see him acting like a bitch. But Kyle surprised him.
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     “That’s a hot piece of ass you got there JT,†Mr. Remello said as he locked the cell door. He looked at Kyle’s ass with admiring eyes. “He’s just begging for it.â€Â
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      “He’s hot and tight,†JT said, stroking Kyle’s ass, letting his finger slide into the boy’s hole.
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      Remello smiled, looking at JT’s finger sliding in and out of Kyle’s round ass. “Have yourself a good night,†he said, and walked on.
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      When JT looked back at Kyle, he couldn’t help but laugh a little. Kyle had been so embarrassed by Remello’s words that his ass was a light pink.
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      “Damn boy,†JT said, stroking Kyle’s ass lightly. “I ain’t never seen nobody’s ass blush before.â€Â
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      Kyle said nothing, praying Calvin was right.
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      “Come here boy,†JT said, slapping Kyle’s ass lightly.
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      Kyle hurried to scoot back on the bed, lifting his ass higher to JT’s black cock, spreading his legs wider, showing JT his pink, ready hole.
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      “No,†JT said, “come over here.â€Â
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      Kyle turned around and knelt on the bed, looking down at the stone floor. His face was beet red. JT took Kyle’s face and looked down into the boy’s eyes filled with unshed tears of shame. He looked at the bruise on Kyle’s cheek and touched it softly. Kyle flinched, but didn’t pull away.
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      JT grabbed Kyle’s arm and pushed him to his knees in the corner between the bed and wall. He stood in front of Kyle, his legs spread, looking down at the scared boy.
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      “You know what I feel like doing to you boy?â€Â
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      Kyle shook his head, even though he had a pretty good idea.
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      “I feel like taking you downstairs and belting your ass real hard ‘til you can’t scream no more, then cuffing you to the bars and fucking you hard and dry.â€Â
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      Kyle swallowed, looking down at the floor. He’d guessed pretty close.
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      “But if you swallow my piss and beg me to let you suck my cock like a real horny bitch, I might not do it,†JT said.
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      Kyle closed his eyes. He’d never swallowed another man’s piss. Oh God, now what?
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     “I ain’t heard you begging boy,†JT said, rubbing his crotch, looking down at Kyle.
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      Kyle fought the revulsion rising in the pit of his belly and put his hands behind his back. He pressed his face to JT’s crotch and started by nipping at JT’s flesh softly through the soft cloth of his worn jeans. Kyle followed the outline of JT’s hard cock, pressing his lips close, kissing him through the cloth.
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      Then Kyle pressed closer and undid JT’s zipper with his teeth. He pressed his soft lips to the thin cloth of JT’s briefs, nuzzling his hard cock.
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      “Please, JT,†Kyle said, looking up into his eyes. “I need to suck your cock like a bitch.â€Â
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      Kyle ran his tongue along the thin fabric inside JT’s pants, moaning softly, begging JT with his hot tongue. Kyle’s heart hammered hard, knocking against his chest as he ran his tongue along the outline of JT’s hard cock. His lips trembled. I can’t his mind gibbered. I can’t swallow his piss. Ohmygod, ohmygod.
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      “You’re such a fucking hot bitch,†JT said, undoing the button that held up his jeans. He kicked free of his pants and stood before Kyle, his legs spread, his hard black cock jutting up.
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      Kyle nibbled at the inside of JT’s dark, muscular legs, alternating between little nips and the tip of his hot tongue.
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      He was intoxicated by the scent of JT, the smell of his balls and his sweat. Kyle ran his tongue around in tiny spirals all up and down the inside of JT’s hard legs, licking the sweat from his dark skin.
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      JT moaned in pleasure when he felt Kyle’s hot tongue move from his legs to his balls. Kyle took JT’s balls into his mouth gently and ran his tongue around the soft, tender flesh, then he let them pop out of his mouth and ran his tongue across the sensitive flesh just below JT’s balls.
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      JT grunted in pleasure, and his thick cock twitched. “You’re driving me crazy, bitch,†JT said.
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      Kyle dreaded the moment when JT would force his cock into his sore mouth. The inside of his mouth was cut where JT had slapped him.
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      JT watched as Kyle pressed his soft pink lips to his black cock. The sight of his dark cock stretching the boy’s pretty mouth made his heavy balls ache with need. Over and over Kyle kissed JT’s cock up and down the length of it, sometimes swirling his tongue along his thick cock. JT’s muscular body shuddered in pleasure.
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      When Kyle took the thick head of JT’s cock between his lips, JT groaned with need, feeling the heaviness in his balls. Kyle ran his tongue around the dark head of JT’s cock in slow circles, looking up into JT’s eyes. Then he let JT’s cock slip from between his lips and ran his hot tongue all the way down to JT’s balls and back again, encircling JT’s cock head in the heat of his mouth.
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      “Oh fuck,†JT said, grabbing Kyle’s hair. “I can’t take this. I never had a boy as hot you. Open your mouth bitch. I’m gonna piss in your mouth.â€Â
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      Kyle hung his head and tried not to cry.
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      “I can’t,†Kyle said in a whisper nearly too low to hear.
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      “Alright,†JT said, taking a step back. “Let’s go. Don’t think I can’t get out just ‘cause it’s lock down. I’m taking your bitch ass to the basement.â€Â
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      “No,†Kyle said in a shaky voice filled with panic. He looked up at JT. Unshed tears filled his eyes. “I’ll do it.â€Â
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      JT smiled down at his bitch. “You sure, boy? ‘Cause it ain’t nothin’ to me. I told you. I feel like ramming my big black cock up your tight little hole real hard and making you scream.â€Â
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      Kyle nodded, his eyes on the stone floor. This couldn’t be happening to him. “I’m sure,†he said quietly.
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      JT caressed the bruised side of Kyle’s face, tilted the boy’s head back.
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      “Tell me what you want me to do, boy,†JT said, looking down into Kyle’s scared eyes.
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      Kyle could barely bring himself to say it. But the thought of a night in the basement with JT’s hard cock up his ass forced the words from his trembling lips. “I want you to piss in my mouth,†Kyle said.
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      “Open your mouth, then,†JT said.
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      Kyle opened his mouth, and closed his eyes.
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      JT slipped his hard cock into Kyle’s mouth and slapped the bruised side of Kyle’s face lightly. The pain made Kyle’s eyes fly open.
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      “I wanna see your eyes while I piss into your mouth,†JT said.
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      Kyle held JT’s hard cock in his mouth for what seemed like forever. The bruised side of his face was a misery, especially with JT’s thick cock stretching his mouth.
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      “Here comes my piss boy,†JT said. “And if you don’t want my cock reaming your hole tonight, you better swallow every drop.â€Â
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      A stream of warm, bitter liquid suddenly filled Kyle’s mouth. The stench of piss surrounded Kyle as he struggled to control his gag reflex and swallow the bitter, salty fluid filling his mouth fast. The tiny cuts inside his mouth exploded in pain as soon as JT’s piss flowed into his mouth. Kyle tried hard to keep up with the flow of piss, swallowing convulsively, fighting his rising gorge with every breath.
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      JT looked down into Kyle’s eyes, seeing the boy’s fear and disgust. “See? You ain’t nothing but my bitch,†JT said while he pissed into the boy’s mouth. “You suck my big black dick when I say so, you take it up your ass, and you swallow my piss if I say so.â€Â
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      Just when Kyle thought he couldn’t possibly take anymore, the stream slowed and finally stopped. JT pressed his cock deeper into Kyle’s mouth and starting fucking his bitch’s pretty face.
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      It hurt Kyle horribly to have JT’s thick cock in his mouth. The side of his face where JT had slapped him was alive with throbbing pain. But the boy gave no sign of how much it hurt him. He wanted JT to be pleased. He was desperate to stay out of the basement tonight.
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      “That’s it boy, †JT said, sliding his thick black cock in and out of Kyle’s pretty mouth. “You little cock hungry bitch.â€Â
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      JT grabbed Kyle’s hair harder and pulled Kyle’s head back, looking down into his eyes, filled with shame and anger. The look in Kyle’s eyes made JT crazy with lust.
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      “You’re making me so hot, bitch,†JT said, fucking deep into Kyle’s mouth. “I feel like coming up your hot little ass.â€Â
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      Fear came into Kyle’s eyes. He sucked JT’s cock, struggling to take his thick cock deep down his throat, gagging. The pain in his mouth pulsed with every beat of his terrified heart. Kyle was sure that any second JT would pull out of his mouth and make him put his ass up.
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      “Soon I’m gonna make you my wife,†JT said, slowing down and fucking slowly in and out of Kyle’s mouth.
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      He slid almost all the way out of Kyle’s mouth, leaving just his cock head between the boy’s lips. Kyle ran his tongue slowly around the thick head in his mouth, driving JT crazy with need.
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      Kyle couldn’t believe it when JT grabbed his hair tighter and pulled Kyle closer to his crotch, forcing his throbbing cock deep down his throat again and again.
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      “Fuck,†JT said, moaning and bucking against Kyle’s face. “That’s it bitch, swallow my come.â€Â
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      JT pulled Kyle’s hair hard and ground his muscular belly into the boy’s face, filling Kyle’s throat with hot come, then he pulled out of Kyle’s mouth, looking down at the scared boy. Kyle didn’t know what to expect. JT could make him get his cock hard again and then fuck his ass. He would take forever to come up his ass, the second time.
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      “What you looking at bitch? Go to sleep,†JT said, looking down at Kyle, stroking the side of his face that was bruised.
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      That sent Kyle into a panic. Maybe JT was taking him down to the basement to belt him tomorrow night.
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      “Am I getting a beating?†Kyle asked quietly.
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      “Why?†JT said, stroking Kyle’s bruised face. “You want one?â€Â
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      Kyle knew better than to say no. “I’m sorry,†Kyle said in a low, trembling voice.
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       “I ain’t beating you,†JT said. “Go to sleep.â€Â
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      He turned his back on Kyle and got into his bunk.
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      Kyle got to his feet and stood against the wall a long time, looking at JT’s strong back, outlined in muscle. Kyle’s cock was hard and he wanted to come, even with the taste of JT’s piss still strong in his mouth.
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      Kyle knew that JT had controlled himself and fought the urge to bend him over and rape him in sheer rage for disobeying him. A part of Kyle realized that tonight, JT had been the best a man like him could be.
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      When JT felt Kyle slip into his narrow bunk next to him, he turned to the boy and took him into his strong arms, holding him gently.
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      “I’m sorry,†Kyle said.
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      “It’s over boy,†JT said, caressing Kyle’s wet cheeks.
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      The horrors of this long, long day finally caught up to Kyle and he lay his head against JT’s strong chest and cried softly.
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      “You seen anything down there boy?†JT said suddenly.
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      Kyle thought immediately of the boxes filled with black market gold. For some reason, he didn’t want to tell JT he’d seen that. It might ruin JT’s forgiving mood.
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      “No,†Kyle said. “Just men pushing carts around. I couldn’t see what was inside the carts.â€Â
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      That wasn’t exactly a lie. The boxes in the carts were sealed up already. But Kyle had seen plenty in the big warehouse like room.
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      “Go to sleep,†JT said, pulling Kyle closer.
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      JT lay awake, listening to the low cries and whimpers that had long ago become the background of his life. JT would do anything for Kyle. In any other place, that would be his strength. Here in Purgatory, it was his weakness. He wondered how long it would be before Matthew demanded payment for his fruit in Purgatory. He turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
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      Long after JT had fallen asleep, Kyle lay awake, listening to the whimpering moans that never seemed to stop at night in the dark cell block. He knew he’d gotten off lucky tonight. If Calvin hadn’t helped him, Kyle knew he would have ended the night screaming in the basement.
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Please let me know what you thought of part two: pennandquill at yahoo.com (replace "at" with "@")
