Chapter 1 #3
Seriously? Wid was dumbstruck by the realization that he was going to be led around like some fucking pet.
He let the leash play out to its limit before he stumbled after his captor.
The alien pulled him out of the living quarters and into the hall.
The pace was so quick that Wid had no chance to slacken the leash to try to loosen the collar.
He rushed to keep up with the alien, solely to prevent himself from being choked.
There weren’t too many of the other crewmembers around, but those they encountered gave the alien leading Wid the same nod of respect as the previous night.
Wid was certain now the creature must be the captain.
Those same aliens also again shot curious glances at Wid, their nostrils flaring for a second before they looked away.
He glared back at them as best he could, trying not to show the embarrassment he felt being dragged around naked and chained.
Instead of taking a lift to another level, they continued down the hall until they reached a set of doors.
The alien captain ran his palm across some kind of electronic pad on one side of the entry and the doors slid open.
He pulled Wid inside before they shut again.
It took Wid a moment to take in his surroundings.
The first thing he realized was that the large room was warm, the perfect temperature, actually, for a naked human.
Benches lined one side and at the far end, there were a couple of alcoves that led to what appeared to be smaller rooms. A splash drew his attention.
Turning his head, he saw a small pool and more benches.
He and the captain weren’t the only ones in there, either.
Joel sat along the edge of the pool, as did another boy that Wid didn’t know but recognized from the transport ship.
The captain unhooked the leash and looped it through his belt.
Grabbing Wid by the chin, he forced Wid to look up at him.
“You will stay here until I come for you,” he ordered, again in accented English, not his own tongue.
Not waiting for a reply, he turned and left before Wid had a chance to ponder the reason why the alien bothered speaking in Wid’s language.
As soon as the alien was gone, Wid whipped the collar off his neck and tossed it on the ground. Noticing for the first time how full his bladder was, he surveyed the room once more, looking for a place to relieve himself.
“If you’re looking for what passes for a shitter in this place, it’s way down on the right,” Joel called out.
Wid rolled his eyes at the crude terminology.
His mother had always warned him not to hang around Joel.
He was a bad influence on Wid, she’d insisted.
God, had she ever been proven right. But damned if the guy didn’t have a point.
More than his bladder screamed out for attention.
Wid dragged his achy body down the length of the room and found something that looked enough like a toilet for him to use without trouble.
He gritted his teeth through the necessary process and didn’t feel much better for it.
On his way back to the pool, he stopped and slurped up water that bubbled from an opening in the wall.
The coolness of the liquid soothed his parched throat and made his empty stomach rumble.
Joel ambled up to him, dripping wet, his body marked much like Wid’s was, except Joel’s bruises were faded as if they’d been made days ago.
His face also bore evidence of being punched a few times, although again, the marks looked old. Joel caught him staring and grinned.
“Weird, huh? Looks like I got beat up when we were caught during the break-in instead of last night,” Joel remarked.
“Yeah, why is that?”
Joel gestured with his chin. “It’s the water, man. It’s like—I dunno—magic or something. I was a mess when I came in here and now after sitting a while in the pool, everything’s healing.”
“Huh,” Wid grunted. The Travians were far more advanced than humans in technology. It made sense that they would be in medicine too. “I guess I should go try it, although I’m starving. I don’t suppose they’ve left us any food?”
Joel just grinned at him and walked over to a small recess in the wall.
Inside there were piles of food. Wid raced over to join him and grabbed what looked like some kind of bread.
Too hungry to care what it might taste like, he bit off a large chunk and started chewing.
Not bad, actually. He stood stuffing his face, uncaring how desperate he looked.
Joel picked up something small and plump and popped it into his mouth.
“So far everything I’ve tried tastes okay,” the boy said around his mouthful of food. “I’ve never seen so much to eat at one time.”
Wid understood what Joel meant. Life on New World Colony Seven hadn’t been easy to establish or maintain.
While it beat staying on an overcrowded Earth with dwindling resources, it remained a hardscrabble existence.
No one in the colony worried about becoming overweight or ever complained that they were bored.
As miserable as he felt at the moment, given the night he’d suffered, he could still appreciate that at least he’d be able to fill his stomach.
Joel remained by his side, munching quietly for a few moments. Then, cocking his head, he said, “You don’t look so bad.”
Wid swallowed hard. “You mean considering that I was fucked up the ass all night?”
Joel snorted with his usual bravado, but an underlying vulnerability laced it. He made a circle around his own face with a finger. “Not so beat up.”
Wid rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, he never hit me. Just wrestled me and held me down while he…” His voice trailed off. What was the point of saying it again? Obviously they’d all suffered the same fate.
The doors to the room opened up, taking their attention.
Two more boys were dragged in by Travians, released and abandoned.
Each human was battered and bruised and wore a dazed expression.
Wid and Joel helped them find the facilities and showed them the food.
Once the most important needs had been met, they filed into the water to heal.
Joel hadn’t been exaggerating. As soon as the cloudy water lapped at Wid’s skin, the aches started to disappear.
Sitting down on the ledge built around the interior of the pool, he winced only for a second before sighing in relief.
The stinging of his abused hole let up in seconds.
He tipped his head back against the sloping edge of the pool and tried to relax.
He’d been given a reprieve, although for how long was anybody’s guess.
There was no use in fretting about the future, however.
He needed to rest and regain his strength.
He was a prisoner and all the stories he’d ever read about wars and POWs said that the first rule was to resist and escape if possible.
Well, resistance wasn’t going to get him anywhere given the Travian’s physical advantage.
Escaping from a ship patrolling space didn’t seem very likely, either.
Still, he refused to give up hope of getting home and had to do everything he could to increase his chances.
If all he managed to do was stay alive, it would at least be something.
The doors opened once more and a collective gasp forced Wid’s eyes open.
Stuart stumbled in, an alien hand shoving him from behind.
The boy would have fallen if another kid hadn’t reached out and caught him.
With a sneer, the red-headed boy’s captor marched out again.
Wid bolted out of the pool and ran to help.
While every boy there bore marks of hurt to one degree or the other, Stuart was a mess.
There were more bruises than skin showing, one eye had swelled shut and his lip was split in two places.
Three of his fingers were bent at an odd angle, and oh God, dried blood streaked the inside of one of his legs.
He whimpered as Wid and the boy who had first caught Stuart helped him over to the pool.
They waded in with him and set him carefully on the ledge.
Wid cupped water in his hands and dribbled it down Stuart’s face.
“See if you can find a cup and bring him some water to drink, will you?” Wid asked the boy who still hovered over Stuart.
Joel swam up and started to mimic Wid’s efforts on Stuart’s other side.
The horribly damaged boy seemed to breathe easier in just a few seconds.
When one of the other boys brought him water in a small bowl, Stuart was able to get some of it down.
Everyone forgot his own aches and pains and miseries in the face of Stuart’s horror show.
The boys were practically frozen in place, watching Wid and Joel try to help Stuart heal.
It took a while, but eventually, the swelling on his face diminished.
Stuart opened his eyes and gave everyone a weak smile.
“Thanks, you guys,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I feel much better for some reason.”
“It’s the water,” Wid explained. “It’s making us all feel better, at least physically.”
“Huh,” Stuart exclaimed in a soft voice. “That’s going to have to be enough for now.” Somehow he sounded years older than he had the previous evening, as if what he’d been subjected to had aged him quickly. He lifted his head more and scanned the room. “How’s everyone else doing, anyway?”
“We’re okay,” Joel assured him. “None of us were hurt as bad as you.”
Tears welled up in Stuart’s eyes, the vulnerable kid in him showing for the first time that morning. “He kept hitting me even when I stopped fighting him,” he said in a near whisper.
“Sadistic fucker,” Joel spat out, and all the others murmured their assent.
Wid stared down at his own body. His bruises had already turned yellowish and hardly any ache remained.
He’d been lucky. As brutal as the captain had been with him last night, forcing himself on and into Wid, he hadn’t gone out of his way to hurt Wid gratuitously.
Even as Wid had struck him, the alien hadn’t hit him back.
Funny how his standards had fallen. Funny as in fucked up.
To feel like he’d gotten off lightly having been only raped and not beaten?
His world had been turned upside down and for the life of him, he couldn’t see how he was ever going to right it again.