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   story codes: (Mb bb snuff anal oral ped) style: contemporary

   THE DUNGEON MASTER by Rafe Morgan (Copyright 2012)

   BOOK III: THE MAZE (Scott and Rabbit)

   Chapter 11

   It took me almost a week, working in odd moments, to edit those fight
tapes--and the boys were restless that entire time.  To drain off all their
energy I pushed them through a hard workout every morning and then either
let them play paint ball in the backyard during the afternoons, or else
gave them a long session of basement laser tag.  Despite everything all I
heard morning, noon and night was, "When we gonna get more kids so we can
like do it for real, Joe?"

   Two things aided me in holding the boys in check: letting the boys be
involved in the job of editing that I was doing, and making alterations to
the laser vests.  Every night I would let Scott and Rabbit screen the
editing results and my two boys would watch themselves, fascinated, never
tiring of seeing their own images in action.  Sometimes, afterwards they
would do photo sessions with me as well, another thing they never tired of,
and lying with me in front of the TV as we reviewed the results they would
argue over who's pose was better, demanding that I judge between them. 
These contests became even more intense after the boys got their new body
piercings and Scott sought ways to show off his tongue stud while Rabbit
chose poses that drew attention to the gold adorning the tip of his jutting
boner.

   Another helpful circumstance that kept the boy's occupied was the
alteration I made to the laser vests.  Examination of both the practice and
fight tapes had convinced me that more reaction was needed when players
sustained a hit.  In the basement sessions the boys supplied this with
their playacting, exaggerating the jerking of their bodies, competing for
dramatic effect.  But in the real thing, where continued unnecessary
exposure to fire cost precious lives, the jolts resulting from a hit were
not strong enough to prevent players from dodging into cover.  I wanted
something that would be at least momentarily incapacitating.  After some
thought I soldered an additional lead to the spark coil of each vest,
attaching a thin metal probe to the wire instead of an EKG patch.

   "This goes up your butt," I told the boys when it was time to test the
thing.  Scott giggled while Rabbit stared at the little metal rod with
curiosity.  They joked around, teasing each other as we applied KY for lube
and pushed the leads into their rectums.  Then, after helping them stick on
the rest of the wires and don the vests, I told them to go ahead and try
the new system out.

   With a grin Scott retreated a few steps, held his arm out and told
Rabbit, "Okay!  Shoot me!"

   The lanky boy got off a quick shot from the hip and Scott gave a loud
squeal that nearly drowned out the 'Zap!  Zap!' sound effect as his vest
LEDs flashed red.  The blonde boy's sturdy body gave a convulsive jerk as
he crumpled to the floor, hips bucking.

   "Ah...  Ah..." For an instant Scott's features twisted in a grimace. 
Then he was staring up at Rabbit, begging, "Again!  Do it again!  Shoot
me!"

   Rabbit squeezed off more shots and Scott heaved, writhing on the floor,
breaths coming in gasps.  His eyes closed as if in ecstasy.  I gestured for
Rabbit to stop and we both watched as Scott continued to squirm, arching
up, shuddering for a few more seconds before he finally crumpled onto the
workout mat, to lie there in a sprawl, panting.

   "Ohhhh...  That is awesome!  Like totally wicked rad!  Like shooting
right through you!"

   The blonde boy touched himself where the pouch of his thong was tented
way out.  When I knelt down beside him, Scott pulled the shiny cloth aside
to display his thick little boner jutting rigidly outward.  Then he turned
to look at Rabbit.  "You gotta' try this!"

   Lifting his gun he shot the lanky boy and a moment later Rabbit
collapsed onto the mat just as Scott had done, writhing in convulsive
jerks. As the blonde boy triggered more shots into him, Rabbit grunted in
little gasps of pain and pleasure, writhing, squirming on the mat.

   "Okay, that's enough." I pushed Scott's gun muzzle away.  Rabbit's hips
jerked a few more times and then he lay sprawled on his back, shuddering as
I crouched over him.  Wide-eyed he stared up at me.  Like Scott he drew the
pouch of his thong aside to show me his rigid little boner, jutting in
quivering rigidity with its gold stud sparkling at the tip.

   "Awesome..." The boy breathed.  "Joe, this is like so awesome..."

   For the next two hours my young gunfighters chased each other around the
basement with results that were all I could have hoped for.  Any hit now
dropped the player to his knees or sent him staggering back, body arched
and jerking, without any need of exaggerated pretense.  Watching the
half-naked boys writhe and squirm under repeated jolts of electricity I
speculated about the effects prolonged exposure to such shocks might cause,
and then dismissed the thought as a waste of time.  Neither youngster would
survive for much longer, so the issue hardly mattered.  In the end I let
them keep playing for as long as they wanted.

   While working on this enhancement I made another vest modification that
the boys were not told about.  Our first real fight had demonstrated how
risky it was to rely on verbal instructions with players caught up in the
thrill of combat.  Examining the equipment on the day after I had
discovered that when my shout to Scott had stopped him from firing, his
life count was ten while Rabbit's had been down to three.  If Scott had
failed to heed me and squeezed off more shots, as he had clearly intended,
or if there had been additional players who had not heard or understood by
shouted commands, I might've lost more fighters than I had planned.  To
prevent this in the future I modified every vest with a simple gadget that
allowed me to arm or disarm the shoulder guns with a wireless signal.  With
this safeguard in and tested I was ready to set up for a new encounter.

   Halloween arrived and I let the boy celebrate with a paintball session
in the maze followed by a horror film DVD marathon.  But they were still
restless.  The first taste of competition "for real" had whetted their
appetites and by the time the editing of their fight tapes was complete and
their new body piercings had healed, I was getting bombarded day and night
with pleas for more.

   "When we gonna do it again?" Scott pleaded that night as he lay with his
arms around me in my bed.  With the insertion of his tongue stud he had
gained a new interest in oral gratification and we had just completed a
long 69 with my fingers in his butt, mouth sucking his boner and the blunt
head of my shaft locked in his gullet.  When Scott's skill with his tongue
stud brought me off, he had swallowed spurt after spurt of my creamy load.

   "Tomorrow we'll work up a plan," I whispered, breathing in the fragrance
of coconut soap and shampoo that rose from his heated flesh while I
caressed the boy's silky perfection with my fingertips.  As I hugged Scott
close he wiggled to slide his rigid little shaft on my belly.

   "For real, Joe?  You promise?"

   "Yes.  For real."

   "Awesome..." Arching to thrust against me, Scott pressed the full-length
of his firm compact body to mine as an offering.  The sensation of holding
his sculpted beauty in my arms, of knowing that he would surrender to
whatever I desired, kindled my damped passion.  I felt a stirring in my
groin.  Scott sensed it and his small hand darted in, rubbing and stroking
me to erection.

   "Fuck me, Joe," he whispered, tugging.  "Fuck me...  Hard..."

   I rolled him to his back so he could draw up his flawless legs,
spreading himself while I pushed lubrication into his boy hole.  When I
gathered his perfect body into my arms and entered, pushing through into
his moist hot sweetness, Scott's arms wrapped around my neck as he
whimpered with pleasure.

   The next day, after pushing the boys through a workout, I let them
accompany me to the spare room I used as an office where they leaned close
on either side, watching as I checked websites for paintball events.

   "There," I said, pointing.  "That's an area we haven't been to before.
Let's check it out.  They got a cool hotel there with an indoor water
park."

   "Wicked!" Rabbit's face lit up.

   "Yeah, Joe," Scott agreed.  "Water parks are like the bomb!"

   "How would you know?" I teased.  "You never been to one."

   "I seen 'em!  Like on TV!" The boy protested, laughing as I tickled him.

   "I guarantee you'll like it even better in person."

   Beside me Rabbit squirmed and I tickled him as well.  "Where we gonna'
like find new players?" he asked, giggling.

   "There's some likely places around there," I answered, showing him on
the map.  "We'll have a look around.  If we don't find anything we'll move
to another spot and keep hunting."

   "An' we don't like come back till we get some!" Scott declared, half
rolling onto my lap and grinning up at me.

   "Right you are, Sport." I stroked him.  "We don't quit until we have
some competition for you guys."

   Once we had selected an itinerary, the boys had lunch, then donned
goggles and denims for an afternoon of paintball drills in the backyard. 
"Stay sharp!" I warned as they rolled and tumbled about, taking shots at
each other.  "I don't want you guys losin' to anybody!"

   Afterwards they stripped and had wrestling practice, at which Scott
dominated as usual, although Rabbit was improving.  Then it was time for
dinner.  For a movie that night Rabbit chose 'Terminator II', one of his
favorites, and he cuddled close to me all through the film while I caressed
and petted the silky angular contours of his body.  I knew Rabbit craved
more than that, the boy was too self-conscious in Scott's presence to go
farther.  But the blonde boy lacked any such inhibitions.  He wiggled
against my other side, curled his small body across my stomach and slid his
mouth over my jutting erection to stimulate me with his studded tongue. 
After bringing me off he looked up with an impish grin and then slid over
to do the same to Rabbit, bobbing, tonguing and sucking until the lanky boy
arched up, shuddering in tension, jerking against my side, shooting off
into Scott's mouth.

   When the movie ended Scott did not want to leave and squirmed, hugging
arms and legs around me, pleading, "Lemme stay tonight, Joe.  Please,
please, please..."

   "You had me all to yourself last night," I told him, stroking his silky
blonde head.  "It's Rabbit's turn now.  He wants time with me, too."

   Scott wiggled some more, rubbing his boner against my hip.  "I won't get
in the way.  I promise."

   With a smile I slid a finger along the boy's flank, tickling him. 
"That's not very fair.  Rabbit didn't hang around to spy on what you did."

   "I won't look." Scott lifted his head to stare up wide-eyed.  "Please,
Joe...  Pleeeease...  I doan' wanna' be by myself."

   On my other side Rabbit stirred, shifting to rub his stiff boner back
and forth on my thigh.  "What do you think?" I whispered and without
looking up the boy shrugged.

   "Okay," I told Scott.  "You can stay tonight.  But remember, it's
Rabbit's time, not yours."

   The blonde boy hugged me, burying his head on my chest and after a few
caresses of his lovely sculpted perfection I turned out the light.  In the
darkness Rabbit kissed me, opening his mouth to admit my tongue and then
the boy turned over, pushing the hard jutting curve of his lean butt into
my groin so the blunt tip of my rod slipped between the mounds and into his
open ring.  The boy quivered as I entered him, pushing back in his
eagerness to be filled.  When the full length of my stiff rod was up in him
Rabbit squirmed, grinding the glossy mounds of his butt cheeks on me so he
could feel the movement of my shaft deep in his gut.  He gave a soft moan
as I slid my palm around the front of his hip, brushing my fingertips on
the quivering hardness of his thick little boner.

   Rubbing and stroking I began to pump him and the boy writhed again,
groaning in tiny little gasps of pleasure.  For a long time in the dark I
slid my fingers on him, taking the boy to spasm after spasm of bucking,
jerking convulsions until at last he hung limp in my arms, panting, head
lolling in a trance of pleasure.  Satiated, impaled on my rigid shaft,
Rabbit fell asleep with my arms wrapped around him.

   In the morning I awoke to find both boys huddled against me, their eyes
closed, the sweet warmth of their breathing soft on my skin.  Pale light
from the window glowed on their faces; Scott's striking blonde beauty, the
delicate loveliness of Rabbit's long black lashes, his spill of dark hair.
I had a sudden illusion of dawn in a legendary time.  I might have been
waking to find a young godling and sleeping faun nestled in my arms.

   * * * * *

   It was a Thursday when we left on the road trip and Saturday morning
when we arrived at the paintball event in the target area.  The long, two
day drive had bored my young fighters and their bottled up energy was ready
to fizz over by the time we got to the weekend contest.  After signing them
in and paying their entry fees I relaxed, watching them fight their way
through a few dozen other kid teams to a second-place finish in the
under-sixteen division.

   "We should'a won," Rabbit grumbled as the three of us enjoyed steak
sandwiches from one of the food stands during the lunch break.  "Those big
kids cheated."

   "Yeah," Scott told me through a mouthful of food.  "I think they're dad
was like one of the judges."

   I nodded in sympathy while keeping an eye on the crowd around us,
watching for any boys spectating who might be on their own.  "You know what
you should do?" I said to Rabbit after my scan had turned up nothing.  "Why
not ask those two big kids to join with you?  Then grab a few more so you
guys can enter the big fight in the afternoon?  I'll sponsor you.  You guys
could have an all kid team and see how far you go against the adults."

   "Yeah!" Scott exclaimed.  Rabbit gave me a fierce grin and then held out
a fist for Scott to tap.  "Okay," he told me.

   This plan was a success.  The two older boys were in eager agreement
when Rabbit went to them, and they quickly recruited several of their
friends.  I paid the entry fee and the boys called their team 'Mike's
Marauders' because the 15-year-old they chose as captain was named Mike. 
Their presence in the big competition made the afternoon very entertaining
because they did quite well, eliminating several adult groups who made the
mistake of underestimating them.  They ended up in third place overall and
both Scott and Rabbit were crowd favorites; Rabbit for his daring moves and
Scott because of his willingness to sacrifice himself, always finding a
spectacular way to 'die'.

   My boys were both in high spirits when, late that afternoon, we checked
into our fancy waterpark equipped hotel.  From the moment we hit the door
they were clamoring to get down to the pool.  Before going to dinner we
spent several hours on the slides and in the huge tropical heated
enclosure, then we went back again after eating.  With their flashy swim
shorts and bright gold chains Scott and Rabbit drew envious looks from all
the other kids that were there.  I saw more than a few adults give them
surreptitious appraisals as well.

   The boys would almost certainly have been willing to race each other on
the slides all night if I had let them, but at 10 o'clock, when all the
other youngsters were gone, I led my two fighters, both pleading for "just
one more time" down the slide, back to our room.  While we undressed they
were still talking in excited voices about the day's adventures, but once
we were under the covers, with Scott on one side of me and Rabbit's wiry
naked warmth stretched out against my other, they both fell asleep within
minutes of each other.  I turned off the light and lay awake for a time
listing to their soft breathing, luxuriating in the feel of their silky
lean bodies on my own before at last drifting off myself.

   Sunday brought more excitement and fun--target shooting events at which
my boys excelled and then a final big melee.  All the kids participated in
that one, 'every kid for himself'.  Rabbit survived all the way to the end,
the youngest by far in the final three, partly due to his own ability and
also because Scott gave him an advantage by sacrificing himself to take out
one of the most dangerous opponents.

   All the events were over by the early afternoon and as my two fighters
went with me to the van carrying their haul of awards, Rabbit asked, "What
we gonna do now, Joe?"

   "Yeah," Scott piped.  He glanced around and then whispered, "Who we
gonna' get to like do it for real?"

   I shook my head.  "So far I haven't spotted anyone.  All the kids here
today were with people.  We're not done though.  There's places around here
we can check out."

   The boys scurried into the van when I unlocked it and crouched behind
the driver seat while I started the engine, then joined the line of
vehicles leaving the parking area.

   "Remember those places I showed you on the map?" I asked.

   "Yeah... Uh-huh!"

   "We'll go look around there first."

   Scott giggled and I heard Rabbit snicker as well.  "We gonna' find
someone," the blonde boy declared with confidence.

   The wooded area where the paintball event had been held was several
miles from any residential developments.  Although I had hoped to spot some
prospects among the spectators, I was not surprised when none appeared. 
The distance was too far for a casual onlooker walking or on a bike.  With
the boys peering over my shoulder, I turned the van onto a two lane rural
highway that led back toward the more populated sections near the
interstate.  After a few minutes we passed a little strip mall and then a
convenience store that stood near a trailer park entrance.

   "Let's walk around here for a while," I told the boys, pulling in at the
next strip mall and parking the van near the end of the row of storefronts.
As we got out I noted that more than half the storefronts had 'Available
For Lease' signs in the dusty windows.  The sidewalk was littered with
empty cans.  A careful check around revealed no cameras.

   The boys followed me to the rear of the strip mall where more beer cans
and cigarette butts littered the service area around empty dumpsters. 
Beyond, a narrow track led into a tangle of brush and second growth trees
that were all covered in kudzu vine.  I gestured and the boys preceded me
along the path, which took us through a maze of other little cross trails
that showed that someone had been using this undeveloped jungle as a play
area.  The woods ended at the boundary of a rundown little cluster of
apartment buildings on one side and the Trailer Park on the other, so the
trail makers had undoubtedly been kids, but none appeared as my boys and I
explored.

   Both Scott and Rabbit had brought their paint guns and they had fun
target shooting while we traipsed around.  By the apartment buildings we
found discarded furniture, several old sofas and a chair, rotting away amid
the trees.  Next to the trailer park was the rusting hulk of a car.  A few
candy wrappers, sun faded and not recent, were strewn on the front seat.

   "Nobody been here for a while," Rabbit told me.

   I nodded.  "Guess we better try someplace else."

   Scott said he was thirsty, so we followed a path that came out of the
woods near the convenience store by the Trailer Park entrance.  I was
giving some thought to where we should hunt next when Scott nudged me.

   "Joe, look..."

   The convenience store was an old one - peeling paint, windows so
cluttered with advertising I could not see inside.  A cracked stained
sidewalk in front was half covered with plastic bags of pre-cut firewood or
cases of bottled water draped with crudely lettered 'SALE' placards. 
Sitting on one of the bottled water piles were two young boys--about
eleven, I judged--both slender, one towheaded, the other dark haired,
sharing a small soft drink.

   "Hold up," I murmured to Scott and Rabbit.

   It was a warm fall day and like my two boys, these kids were dressed in
tee shirts, shorts and Nikes.  But unlike the loose comfortable things I
had bought for Scott and Rabbit, the clothes of these two were tight and
faded from many washings.  Sitting as they were, the shorts rode halfway up
their thighs, revealing slim well-formed legs with smooth skin that flashed
in the sunlight.  The blond boy, the one nearest to us, seemed a bit
sturdier than the other and his tight shirt had been ripped up the sides to
show off a tantalizing glimpse of lightly tanned upper body.

   "Listen," I said to Rabbit, digging into my pocket and handing him two
$10 bills.  "You and Scott go into to the store.  Make sure those kids see
your paint guns.  If they follow you inside, talk with 'em.  Buy 'em
whatever they want.  Let 'em see your neck chains.  See if they'll go with
you into the woods."

   "Yeah!" Scott breathed.  He was leaning close to hear what I was saying.
Rabbit's eyes had locked on mine.

   "If they don't follow you, just come back to the van.  But if they
do..."

   "We, like, mess around a little.  Like shoot the guns an' stuff.  An'
then bring 'em to you," Rabbit said.

   "Yeah..." I nodded.  "I'll wait in the van.  If they want drugs, tell
'em we got weed and eight balls."

   "Do we?" Scott asked, his face lighting up.

   "Yeah, Sport, we do." I gave his firm little butt a pat.  "Bring these
in, and you can have whatever you want." The blonde boy giggled, bouncing a
little on his toes.  "Cool!"

   "All right guys.  Let's see what you can do."

   With a glance at each other my two fighters started across the crumbling
tarmac of the convenience store parking area while I faded back into the
trees.

   It took me some time to retrace my way along the trail we had followed
from the half deserted strip mall.  Emerging at last by the dumpsters, I
heard faint popping noises in the woods behind me; almost certainly the
sound of paint guns being fired.  I hurried to the van, unlocked it and
after digging out vials of crushed OxyContin, a pack of rolled joints and
another vial of cocaine from my duffel bag, I settled down to wait.

   Nearly an hour went by.  I spent the time listening to the radio, tuning
through stations that aired country music or Sunday talk shows that bored
me.  I was thinking about getting out to stretch my legs when I heard
Scott's laughter and then the scuff of Nikes on the littered tarmac.  All
four boys dashed around the end of the dingy building where I had parked
and before I could even turn in my seat Rabbit had the panel door slid
open.

   The youngsters scrambled in behind me bringing with them the smell of
paint balls, dank vegetation and the unmistakable sweet scent of heated
boy. Scott was grinning at me, eyes sparkling with excitement, while behind
him Rabbit slid the door closed and then turned to say, "Joe, this is Mike
and Eddie."

   "Yeah," said Scott.  "We told `em they could like do stuff with us."

   The new boys had been looking at him and now they switched their gaze to
me, the dark haired one hopeful and the other, the sturdier blond member of
the pair, with a sly expression on his sharp features.

   "It's all right?" I asked Rabbit.

   The lanky boy nodded.  "Yeah, they're okay."

   After pretending to hesitate for a few seconds, I smiled and then dug
the vials of drugs from my pocket.  The sharp featured boy took the one I
handed him, uncapped it, sniffed at the crushed OxyContin and then turned
to his companion.  "This is like way better than that shit your brother
gets."

   Both boys held the vials to their noses and snorted the contents while
the rest of us watched.  Then, with another grin at me, Scott inhaled the
cocaine I had passed to him.

   "You want anything?" I asked Rabbit.

   As I had expected the lanky boy shook his head.  We exchanged glances
and he gave me a fierce look of triumph.

   "Mister, you got any weed?" The sharp faced boy's eyes were already
dulled from the drug and I could tell he was beginning to drift.

   "Sure." I pulled two joints from the packet, lit then and handed one to
each of my new acquisitions.  "Which of you is Mike?"

   "Me." the blond sturdier one, said.  He sucked in a lungful of smoke,
held it, staring with eyes unfocused, and then let the smoke out in little
puffs while his companion beside him settled back against the side of the
van, taking a similar drag.

   "You're Eddie?" I asked and he nodded.

   Studying them I saw their clothes were even more ragged than I had
thought, but I was sure that my estimate of their ages was correct. 
Neither one could have been older than twelve, and my bet was still on
eleven.

   The sturdier one, Mike, was slender and well-formed with scuff marks on
his knees and fluffy dark blond hair long enough to cover his ears.  The
sharp features gave him a foxy look that persisted despite the relaxing
effect of the OxyContin.  There was a light coat of tan on his smooth skin.
The other boy, Eddie, was slimmer, darker, and altogether prettier.  His
raven dark hair was curly, framing a delicate face with bright brown eyes.
Silky skin of arms and legs, displayed by the tight fit of his outgrown
clothes, appeared more deeply tanned than his friend's, but I suspected
that part of the coloring was due to some degree of mixed race in his
heritage.  Up close the boy's young body had a taut lean quality, like a
naked sword blade, and I wondered if he were not every bit as sturdy as his
larger companion.

   "Don't let `em set fire to anything back there," I told Rabbit and
turned to start the engine.  As I backed the van there was movement behind
me and Mike asked, "Hey!  Where we goin'?"

   I looked over my shoulder.  The boy was sitting up, staring around. 
"It's okay," I said.  "I'm just takin' us to a place I know about that's a
little more private.  That's all."

   It's okay," Rabbit assured him.  After a moment the boy's expression
grew dull again and he settled back onto the foam pad.

   My eyes met Rabbit's, there was an excited giggle from Scott and then I
went back to maneuvering the van out onto the highway.  By the time we
reached the Interstate both our captives were in a half-stupor, neither one
putting up any resistance when Scott rolled them onto their stomachs.  I
passed Rabbit pairs of handcuffs from my duffel bag and, with Scott
helping, he locked Mike's hands behind his back, then did the same to
Eddie.

   "Take their shoes off and tie their ankles, too," I said, passing a set
of leather ties back to them.  "Don't make it so tight that you cut off the
blood to their feet."

   My two boys busied themselves at this task for a while and then
scampered into position behind my seat to look over my shoulder.

   "What we gonna' do with `em when we get to a motel?" Rabbit wanted to
know.

   I shook my head.  "No motels.  We drive home straight through."

   Both Scott and Rabbit groaned.  "That's gonna' suck," Rabbit complained.

   "Yeah!  Boring!" Scott chanted, giggling.

   "You guys got your videogames.  Plus when these two wake up, you can
tell them all about the movies we're gonna' make.  Let `em know how the
rules work."

   "Shit," Scott said.  "That's like just gonna' scare `em."

   "Well, make it sound nice.  Dream something up."

   "We'll tell `em it's like a contest," Rabbit said.  They can win stuff."

   "An' do more weed," Scott added, nodding.

   "There you go.  Play it up.  Make it sound good."

   The boys laughed and after a while I heard their excited voices
exclaiming over a videogame they were playing head-to-head.

   We made good time on the Interstate and in the late afternoon I watched
for an exit where we could get off for some food.  The one I selected was
in a built-up area that had, in addition to several fast food franchises, a
shopping mall anchored by one of the big discount stores.  I looked over at
it while we were in the drive-through at Burger King and then, while Scott
and Rabbit munched on fries and burgers I cut over into the huge parking
area and put the van into a spot far away from the crowded spaces near the
store entrance.

   "Think you can keep an eye on these two while I go get some stuff?" I
asked Rabbit, gesturing at the two handcuffed boys who were still half
stuporous lying face down on the Ensolite pad.

   "Yeah." My lean fighter gave a confident nod.

   "You can't let `em make any noise."

   "I won't."

   It was a risk, but only a small one, and there were odds and ends we
needed that would make the trip home easier.  I nodded to Scott and leaving
Rabbit to stand guard over our prizes, Scott and I hiked the distance to
the store entrance, detouring around lines of parked cars glittering in the
rays of the setting sun.

   It was that time in the late afternoon when people were stopping for
last minute items before driving home so the store was crowded with
hurrying shoppers.  My intention was to grab a cheap cooler, ice and a pack
or two of bottled water and soda, but once we were inside Scott begged for
a chance to cruise the electronics section so he could investigate
videogames and after giving him an indulgent pat on the shoulder I let him
go.

   I grabbed a shopping cart, loaded it with what we needed, then went to
the back of the store where the aisles of video and electronic offerings
were protected by a barrier of display counters under the watchful eye of a
store cop.  Leaving my cart in an out-of-the-way spot I entered past the
checkout register and found Scott in front of the glassed in case of
videogames, having an animated discussion with a handsome boy of Rabbit's
age and height.  The youngster was slender with a graceful build and a
spill of fine-spun light brown hair that fell across his forehead.  Like
Scott he was dressed in baggy new-looking clothes, a loose white tee shirt
with a rock band logo, and khaki cargo shorts.  On his feet were a pair of
clean white Air Jordan's.

   Scott turned to grin at me when I approached, but the other boy, whose
face had been alight with excitement as he pointed to something behind the
glass, stopped talking and after darting a shy glance at me stood with his
head lowered.

   "Hey, Joe," Scott said.

   I gave his shoulder a squeeze.  "See anything you like, Sport?"

   "Yeah!  There's this new one - It's called `Mega Fighter.' It's like
totally rad!  Todd's played it!"

   Scott glanced at the boy next to him and then back at me.  "This is
Todd."

   I smiled and nodded.  "Hi, Todd."

   "Hi..." The boy's eyes lifted for another quick little glance at me and
then lowered again as he shuffled his feet.

   "You like video games?"

   There was a tiny nod of his head and Scott tugged at my arm gesturing
for me to lean down so he could whisper, "He likes playin' laser tag, too!"

   For an instant our eyes met.  Then I straightened up to stare at the shy
slender boy.  "Have you got this `Mega Fighter' game, Todd?"

   "Uh-uh..." A shake of the head.

   "His parents won't let him have it," Scott told me.  "It's gotta teen
rating and they still wouldn't do it.  He has `ta like play it at his
friend's house.  That's dumb, right Joe?"

   I looked around but did not see any adults in our immediate vicinity. 
Then I gave a shy, brown haired boy another smile.  "Are your parents
around, Todd?"

   There was another tiny shake of the head and Scott giggled.

   "He sneaks over here by himself."

   "Tell you what..." I came to a quick decision.  "I'll buy you this game,
but I can't give it to you here.  There's too many people.  You know the
exit from the parking lot near the Burger King?  Go wait there.  We'll come
by and you can get the game, okay?"

   The boy gave me another shy glance and Scott held out a fist.  "Told you
he'd like get it for you."

   They exchanged knuckle taps, then with a final quick look at me Todd
hurried off, merging with the shoppers heading toward the front of the
store.

   "You gonna get him for the game?" Scott asked as we watched him
disappear.

   I bent down to whisper to him, "You'll have to get him into the van
somehow."

   My sturdy blonde fighter nodded.  "I'll get him."

   I did not want to follow Todd out too closely so Scott and I took our
time, first buying the videogame and then loitering in the aisles looking
at DVDs before picking up my cart and going to pay for my other purchases.

   Outside it was getting dark and streams of cars were exiting the parking
lot.  Our van was all by itself in the far corner where we had left it, and
I could see the pale blur of Rabbit's face in the window where he was
watching for our return.  He slid the side panel door open, Scott climbed
in, and I heard him announce in a low voice, "We gonna get another one."

   "What you mean?" Rabbit exchanged whispers back and forth with him as I
handed in the cooler, ice bags, soda and water.  When I slid into the
driver seat both Scott and Rabbit crouched behind it, waiting.

   "Where is he?" Rabbit whispered as I started the engine.

   "He should be waiting at the exit.  Scott, you gotta get him inside. 
Then Rabbit, you get him down and put the cuffs on him."

   I dug another pair of handcuffs from my bag and passed them back to the
boy behind me.

   "I see him!" Scott's voice came from my other side and he leaned
forward, pointing.  As I turned the van toward the exit our headlights
swept across a lone figure standing near the corner.  I caught the gleam of
a white tee shirt.  "Get ready.  Scott, open the door as soon as I stop."

   There was no one around us.  All the other cars were leaving by exits at
the other end of the parking lot down by the entrance to the huge discount
store.  Todd stepped forward from the curb as I stopped close to him.  I
heard the side panel door slide open.

   "In here!  We got it!"

   Scott was gesturing to the boy.  I held my breath, peering around to be
sure we were unobserved.  But there was no need to be anxious.  Todd
climbed up into the van without any hesitation.  I felt the van sway a
little, there was a soft cry of 'Hey!' followed by a thump and a momentary
scuffle.  Then Scott had the door slid closed and I put the van in motion,
flipping on the turn signal for the merge into highway traffic.  I heard
the metallic clicking of handcuffs being fastened.

   "You got him?" Glancing over my shoulder, I could just make out Rabbit's
hunched over form in the dark.

   "Yeah," the boy assured me.

   "There's another leather strap in the bag for his feet."

   My two fighters took care of it and by the time we were up on the
Interstate Scott was at my elbow, crouched behind my seat.

   "He's cryin', Joe."

   "Tell him not to be scared.  Tell him you guys are gonna make a movie,
earn lots of money and that he'll have a good time.  You know what to do."

   "Uh-huh." Scott giggled.  "This gonna be awesome, Joe."

   "Let's hope so.  You guys need some competition."

   "Paint ball for real, too, this time." Rabbit's voice came from my other
side and I felt the wiry boy's breath on my cheek.  "You promised, Joe."

   "For sure," I said, nodding.  "I won't forget."

   -------------------- End of Chapter Eleven --------------------