Chapter 38: A Series of Terrible Ideas

Thursday, September 17 Year 2

Kenny

"A revolution?" It was Bebe who spoke, her sweet voice filled with appalling disbelief. It fell heavy in the tunnel and wrapped around the group's feet sticking them in place.

"You heard what I said. It's our time to rule." The man forced them forward, blathering about big plans and the destruction of the corrupt system. Kenny wanted to call him crazy, and in a way he was, but he clearly believed all of the nonsense he was spouting. And everyone in these tunnels must have believed the same. Butters, Wendy and Red, they all died for this. For this joke. It made Kenny's blood boil.

"You're actually really fortunate-" The man was saying. "Not everyone gets to meet the patriarch."

He stopped at a metal door, nondescript from the rest of the tunnel but for two militia members standing guard outside it. The men gave a nod and one turned and rapped their knuckles against the metal. A moment later the door swung inward and a large man filled the frame. It was the fellow who moments before was spouting rhetoric to the masses.

"Ah, who do we have here?" He scanned the party, his eyes lingering on Ike and Kenny. Without the special attention Kenny would have never realized, but he knew this man.

Him! Shit. What was his name?

"It's you!" The man smiled, his face warm and welcoming. "This is perfect."

Ike pulled Kenny closer, adding another hand to the blonde's arm. "Staff Sergeant Wallace."

"So you do remember me," he bobbed his head. "You-" he pointed to the man that had lead them there. "Lock them up."

"Sir?" It was the woman militia member. "They're not with us. Why not kill them?"

"Do what you want with them, but leave one of those two-" He motioned to Kenny and Ike. "-alive, I have use for them."

"Yes sir!" The man saluted. "Do you need them now or…?"

"Later," Sergeant Wallace brushed off the question. "I'm headed for the surface." Without further ado he turned about face and headed down the opposite direction the group had come. Within the same breath they were all ushered deeper down the tunnel.

"Wait, you know that creep?" Kyle was beside his brother in an instant, worried orbs flashing between him and Kenny.

"He's in the army, at least I think he is." Ike kept his voice low. "I only met him because of Kenny, he's the one that let him train with the other soldiers."

The blonde could feel the weight of Kyle's stare as it bore holes under his skin.

"What?" He felt defensive. "I had no idea he was a nutjob, if the signs were there I was too focused on finding you to notice."

Kyle winced, his eyes falling away to the floor.

"He was well spoken," Ike argued. "He gave the impression he wanted to save the city."

"Shut up!" The woman barked. "We can kill you if we want, so don't tempt me."

A dungeon wasn't what Kenny was expecting, but that was what they were brought to. It was basically a standard prison, except the bars on the cells were clearly welded to the floor and ceiling, not part of the original construction. There were multiple cells, but as far as Kenny could tell none were occupied.

"You're with me."

Kenny glanced back to see the woman dragging Bebe out of the makeshift dungeon, back the way they'd come.

"Let her go!" The tunnel became deafening as Damien aimed to slug the woman. Threats were shouted on both sides and guns raised. It was Bebe's begging voice that got Damien to stand down. As soon as he did he was pushed into the nearest cell as Bebe was tugged out of sight.

"Bebe!"

It all happened so quickly. Kenny was still absorbing the situation when Ike was ripped from his side. The boy didn't protest like Damien had and instead allowed himself to be shoved into the cell. Kenny tried to follow but a hand clapped down on his shoulder and a chipper voice said, "You're over here."

"But-" Kenny sought Ike's expression. It was fierce but contained. Kenny walked the short distance down the tunnel and stepped into an awaiting cell. A moment later he was joined by Kyle.

"If you behave we'll send food in an hour. If you don't we'll do as Alisse wants and off you." With that the man was gone, taking the brightest light with him.

The world was cast in long shadows and all of the colors became dull and dark. Kenny could hear the low murmur of voices—most likely Ike and Damien—and a constant dripping, but otherwise it was pretty quiet. He gave the door a good tug but the padlock didn't budge.

The cell was fairly small with only a couple of barrels up against the back wall as furniture, which Kyle was quick to claim for a seat. As he got comfortable, Kenny took note of how the redhead wrapped his arms around his lower torso. He hid it well, but Kenny could tell he was in pain. I wonder if the fall busted his rib more.

Their eyes met and Kyle offered one of his trademark reassuring smiles. Kenny almost felt calmed, almost.

"Everything will be okay," Kyle said, the words passing through his lips with ease. He seemed to truly believe it.

"Were you always so optimistic, or are you delusional?"

The redhead found humor in that and laughed, grimacing soon after. "They were surprised by our presence, which means they didn't get Stan. Stan will figure out a way to get us out of this."

"If he even figures out what happened." Or maybe they already found him. "I suppose you've always seen him as the reliable sort." And he was. He was always coming through for them.

"Of course."

Kenny walked over and sat on the other barrel. It wobbled under his weight but held. One thing he hadn't noticed when they were walking, but it was really cold down here. He resisted the urge to cuddle with Kyle like they used to, like they never would again.

"When I was taken-" It was hard to say. "You searched for me and ended up saving me." He smiled at the memory before his expression fell. "If it had been Stan would you have done the same?"

"In a heartbeat."

"And if you had been in my shoes?"

"What do you mean?" Kyle turned to him, their knees bumping.

Kenny's hands picked at the fabric stretched over his thigh. Anything to avoid the scrutiny. "Would you have expected Stan to find you?"

"Well, I..." Kyle became quite as he seemed to contemplate this. "Yes. At the very least I would have held onto that hope. Why?"

"I was just thinking it's hard to rely on others." Kenny thought of Ike briefly and tried not to let himself get flustered. "I never once thought of you coming to save me as a possibility. My fate was in my own hands." He glanced at Kyle. "Do you want to just sit around waiting for Stan or would you like to try and bust out of here with me?"

"What did you have in mind?"

Kyle

I cannot believe I agreed to this. What if I mess up?

Kenny's plan was super simple, and yet riskier than licking a metal pole in winter. He only agreed to it because he lacked a better idea, but the doubts were piling. "Shouldn't you be the bait? You're smaller so you seem less threatening."

"That's just what the guard would expect. Besides, they should feel more comfortable having the taller one in sight."

"But my acting skills aren't that great."

"I beg to differ."

The ice behind his words stung, but Kyle didn't have a chance to defend himself. "Kenny I-"

"Shh! Someone's coming."

True enough they could hear the sound of approaching footsteps. Peeking through the bars revealed the guy from earlier balancing two trays of food. As he left the other cell Kyle rushed to the wall closest the door and slumped down. He groaned, not even needing to fake the pain as the movement jostled his still healing ribs. They were better than they had been, but running and falling had done them no favors.

He groaned louder as he reminded himself not to look up. Have to make it seem natural.

"What's your problem?"

Kyle hissed through his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut before fluttering them open. He just needed to be distracting, to buy Kenny an unguarded second.

The man peered in at him. His scowl made it clear he wasn't concerned but annoyed.

Kenny struck without warning. He latched on to the man's shirt and wrenched him forward without mercy. The man's face slammed into the bars and he yelped. The treys fell from his hands and two bowls of something grey and lumpy splattered the ground. Kenny threw a punch through the bars next.

Kyle could hear the crack as the man's nose careened sideways. His body lurched backwards, eyes no longer open. Kenny held on long enough to ease him to the ground.

"See?" He crouched, his hands searching the man's person for the key-ring. He pulled it free from a barely clenched hand and wiggled it triumphantly in front of Kyle.

"Is he dead?"

"Probably not, but we may be if he wakes up and we're still here." Kenny looped his arm through the bars and not even a second passed before he had the door swung open.

Without a word they dragged the unconscious body into the cell and locked it. Next they headed for Ike and Damien. The lighting was inadequate in the tunnels, but Kyle could still make out his brother's agitation. Crossed arms and tapping foot, classic Ike.

It was Damien who noticed them first but soon both men were at the door waiting for Kenny to unlock it.

"How'd you get out?" The awe in Ike's voice was unmistakable. Of course he'd be impressed.

"Kyle seduced the guard."

"Did not!" He smacked Kenny's shoulder. The man opened the padlock and skipped away from Kyle's next half-hearted punch. "I just distracted him."

"We'll thanks," Damien was first out. "Couldn't stand being in there much longer."

Ike nodded. "They had terrible room service."

"Now we need to find my family."

Big problem though; none of them had seen which direction Bebe was taken. On top of that, the layout of the tunnels were branching with no clear mapping system. It was anyone's guess which way would lead to her. The hopelessness of the situation had the small group arguing from the first suggestion. It made sense to stick together, that way they could watch each other's backs and not have to go looking for one another later. Damien wanted them to split up, his reasoning being they would find her faster and she would be safe that much sooner.

"I can see you're going to be stubborn about this," Kyle was done with the circular reasoning and defensive remarks. Damien was going to do what he thought best and if agreeing with him meant they would actually make progress then he was willing to relent. "You and Ike take left, Kenny and I will go right. Let's meet back here in thirty minutes or so."

"What? Why do you get to pick teams?" Ike's face was morphed in a grimace, as if he was the one with an aching chest.

"Come on kid." Damien was already walking away, his steady footfalls lightly echoing in his wake. Ike stood there, lips flapping, before he rolled his eyes and went after the eccentric doctor.

It wasn't that Kyle had put much thought into the pairings, it had just naturally rolled off his tongue. He and Kenny had been close for so long that anything else would have felt wrong. But in a way, Ike's indignation was spot on. It would have made more sense for us to pair together and have Kenny go with Damien.

It was too late to take it back though and the blonde only bobbed his head as indication they should get a move on. Banking on speed over stealth, they made quick work of searching the small rooms branching off the main path. If they heard voices they would do their best not to be seen, listen to see if it was Bebe, and if not they would avoid the source. It was a very basic plan, but it worked for them as they wound themselves further into the maze.

They were lucky, but not lucky enough.

"She's not here." Kenny returned from the dead end their tunnel lead to. A small steady stream of water flowed through the grate into the unknown, but it clearly wasn't a place for humans.

Kyle checked his watch. It was hard to make out the hands, but already a significant amount of time had passed. They needed to turn back quick or risk having Damien and Ike waiting on them.

Twice during their return trip Kenny and Kyle had to duck into one of the alcoves and storage rooms for the sake of not being seen. They almost got caught the second time, as the group of armed militia seemed to be searching for something. Or maybe some ones. If their escape had been noticed it would be a lot harder to navigate the tunnels. Kyle was fully expecting to have to apologize for making the others wait, but when they got back to the divide point there was no scowling brother to contend with.

"Something is wrong." Kyle glanced at his watch for the fifth time. "They should have been back. Do you think they ran into trouble?"

"Maybe." Kenny poked his head out of the crevice they'd found themselves waiting in. It was close to the dungeon, but far enough away someone searching the area wouldn't notice them. He looked both ways before exiting the hiding space. "Let's go look for them."

The left side of the tunnel system was a lot more confusing and less forgiving than theirs had been. Lighting became less frequent the further in they went and soon the two of them were bumping into one another every couple of seconds.

"Sorry," Kenny murmured for the umpteenth time as his foot moved away from the back of Kyle's heel.

"Not your fault. We should-"

Blinding light encased the tunnel as a voice rang out, "Found ya! Bout damn time too."

Other voices cheered.

"Wait, there's only two of them."

"Shit, you're right."

Kyle couldn't see anything except for the blonde beside him. Kenny had taken a defensive stance with his fists raised. It wouldn't do any good though, as they most likely carried a multitude of weapons. There was certainly enough of them scattered around. Kyle still had his gun but it was strapped to his belt like always, useless. I'm an idiot!

"A lot of trouble over em. Why not just kill em?"

There was a sharp click from somewhere beyond the light and Kyle knew in that moment that this was it. They were going to die somewhere below the city where most likely their bodies would never be recovered. He imagined his mom would morn twice over. Once for losing a son and again for not getting to bring him home for a proper burial. Will she reserve a space for me in the family plot?

The gun rang out and Kyle's entire body flinched. The sound was deafening in such close quarters. His ears rang, stealing his mind back to that rooftop. Everything had hurt then. When you're dead you don't feel anything anymore, like pain. He didn't feel pain.

Kyle forced his scrunched eyes open just as several more shots rang out. It was too late to be useful, but his body ducked to the ground. The surface of the this particular section of tunnel was cold and moist. He could feel the moss against his forehead, the springy vegetation a small comfort instead of the rusted metal below it.

A metallic tang filled the air and Kyle knew some of the bullets had hit their mark. Even as blood pumped through his ears and his heart rammed against his chest, he knew he was ok. He hadn't been shot. That, or adrenaline had him fooled.

He couldn't bring himself to look up, couldn't bring himself to look over at where he knew Kenny had been beside him moments ago. He couldn't. As sound trickled back in he could hear his own breathing, could hear shuffling, someone moving closer. He tensed, the muscles in his legs itched to move. Fight or flight? Fight or flight?!

"Kyle? Shit, did you get hit?"

All at once the redhead was scooped into an embrace, his face smooshed against an equally thrumming chest. He could feel hands search his person, could feel each finger pressing down. It was Stan of all people.

"I'm ok." Not even he thought he sounded convincing, but his body was unharmed.

"I'm pleasantly surprised you didn't shout 'lower your weapons' first or something."

Kyle whipped his head around so fast his neck popped. Sitting in the beam of a flashlight was Kenny. Unbloodied though clearly spooked. Thank God!

"Yeah, well I already tried that once tonight and nearly lost my head for it." Stan's face was hard set, the features of a cop. "They were ready to shoot and with limited lighting I had no other choice."

"Thank you, I appreciate being alive." Kenny patted his own body down, double checking.

Kyle was aided in standing, though try as he might his feet refused to cooperate. He nearly wobbled back to the ground, and would have, if it hadn't been for Stan's arms looped around his side.

Stan's hand passed through his unruly curls before he crushed their bodies together. The hug lasted only seconds, and admittedly hurt Kyle's already throbbing ribs, but it was everything he needed to clear his head and focus on the task at hand.

When Stan pulled away his hands hovered at Kyle's shoulders for a moment longer, most likely making sure he could stand, before he walked over to the flashlight and rescued it from the floor. He held the beam low, flashing their knees as he looked around. "Where are the others?"

"You mean you didn't come across them?" Kyle felt his anxiety from before return. With how much stress his body had been under lately he'd surely go into cardiac arrest.

"No, you two are the first of our group I've seen. I've come across other people, but they were very hostile. What is going on in this place?"

Whether conscientiously or not, Stan kept the light away from the bodies on the floor. Still, they needed to walk over them to continue their search. Kyle kept his eyes trained forward, not daring to look down as he began walking forward, "We'll catch you up on what we know, but first we need to find everyone."

Kenny

It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Stan was adamant about only firing his weapon in dire situations, which made sense. So the trio stuck to running and hiding to get through the tunnels. Only they stumbled onto a more populated area, and hiding became not only mandatory but trickier. In one of Stan's video games the main character hid under a box to escape detection, and there were dozens of large boxes to choose from, so when they needed to hide Kenny found one that he could squeeze into and pulled the cardboard flaps down.

His good idea became a bad one when his legs began to burn from kneeling. The bad idea turned into a terrible one when Kenny could feel the pallet his box was on being lifted. He could hear the mechanic beep of a forklift, could feel the world fall away and could feel his hiding spot be carried away to god knows where. It was a bumpy, agonizing ride. Twice there was a long pause in movement before he was finally set down.

He waited despite the urgency to stretch, his legs screaming to straighten. He needed the release of tension desperately but he had to wait. He had to wait for the voices to fade and for the sound of machinery to stop reverberating throughout the tunnel. He waited until he couldn't wait anymore and burst out of the top of the box. He was surrounded by towers of boxes, some cardboard like his, others bulkier plastic totes, very similar to most of the rooms he and Kyle had spotted during their search.

These revolutionists were well stocked with supplies. If they wanted to, they could besieged the city for months with all the comforts of the modern world. It was sickening, but Kenny didn't have time to lose himself to the anger. No sooner had he stepped out of the box did a hand clamp down on his forearm.

Instinctively Kenny whirled, throwing a punch to where he estimated the person's face would be. His knuckles skimmed past Ike's cheekbone before he registered who he was attempting to punch. He pulled his hand back, nearly back handing the kid in the process. Both of them tried to speak at once and it came out a garbled mess.

"I'm so s-"

"-should have known-"

"Are you-"

"-another black eye."

They held each other's gaze for half a second before they burst into contained laughter, muffed by hands. Ike was right, if that had hit he could have had another black eye courtesy Kenny. Though, the kid was equally right that he should have known better.

"God, if I wasn't ready to kill someone I would find this disgustingly cute." Damien sucked all the amusement from the air where he stood a few feet away. His teeth were barred, his arms folded across his chest where they seemed to be holding him together. The man looked ready to explode. "Where's Kyle?"

"We got separated, but we met up with Stan and they should still be together." He climbed out of the box, made possible thanks to the boxed food weighing the bottom and a hand from Ike. "Any luck finding Bebe? We couldn't find a trace of her on our end."

He didn't think it was possible, but Damien's face got even scarier. He looked like a Halloween mask depicting a demon.

"Actually, we overheard some hotshot is throwing a-" Ike lowered his voice, "pleasure party. I guess these people are being entertained by a bunch of women. Bebe's pregnant, so we're not certain she'd be taken there, but it's the best lead we have."

"Spare me your consideration. Let's not mince our words worrying about hurting each other's feelings." Damien's scowl turned to the ceiling. "These bastards want sex, I say we fuck them up."

"We can't go in guns blazing." Rarely was Kenny the reasonable one in their friendship.

"Why not? There's plenty to go around." Damien's arms swept over the boxes. "We could bring this entire place down on their heads."

"I really want to argue the whole 'not the judge, jury and execution thing,' but I'm kind of with Damien on this one. What's stopping us from blowing this joint?"

"Is this before or after we rescue Bebe?" Kenny saw Damien's scowl grow. "What if there are other innocent people trapped in these tunnels?"

"We can rescue them too." The words rolled off the doctor's tongue without pausing for thought.

"I hope so, I do, but I'm so sick of people dying. Even the bad guys. Like, this is all really messed up. I think they all deserve to be thrown into prison and made to live with their terrible choices."

"That's another thing," Ike reached out and secured Kenny's hand in his own. "The hotshot I mentioned is the Rocky High Penitentiary warden, some fellow named Reese."

"So?"

"So-" Damien continued for him. "At the start of all the chaos they released the prisoners. I bet half the people down here are inmates."

Oh.

Rocky High.

That's where he was sent to serve out his time. He could be out, free to do whatever he pleases. The man is crazy! What if he decides to stalk me again?

Will I ever be free of him?

What if he's escalated and he goes after Kyle for saving me? Does he know about Stan and Damien? Will he go after Ike?

"Kenny, Kenny it's okay, I promise."

With each blink the world came back into focus, like wiping the rain off a windshield. It took Kenny a moment to realize he was staring up into Ike's face. The kid wasn't that much taller than him. It took another second to realize he was lying prone on the floor, his head resting in Ike's lap. For all the calming words Ike was spouting he sure didn't look the part. Beside the boy was Damien, his face equally painted by worry.

"Just take slow, even breaths," Damien encouraged. "You're doing fine. You began to hyperventilate and blacked out. Ike caught you before you hit the ground so you shouldn't be hurting anywhere. Can you hear me?"

Unable to muster a sound Kenny nodded.

"Good. Breathe with me now." Damien demonstrated a nice simple breathing technique. Kenny struggled at first. All of his hard work over the summer mastering his panic attacks seemed to go right out the window in a real emergency. As he breathed his eyes scanned the room. They were still alone, safe in the city of boxes. Most of them had some kind of labeling. Surprisingly, several of them indicated clothing of some sort.

He allowed himself to be coddled a little longer before sitting up. Ike tried to convince him to rest more but they didn't have the time to spare.

"Sorry for that."

"Don't be," said Damien.

Kenny brushed away the hands. He didn't want their help, because that meant he needed it, that he was vulnerable, and that was the last thing he needed right now. "I have an idea. You said Bebe was with a bunch of women? Well if it's women they want then it's women they'll get."

Damien followed his line of sight, "What are you thinking?"

Friday, September 18 Year 2

Ike

I am not okay with this.

Considering the type of people that kept company in the sewers, Ike wasn't at all surprised to see rooms filled with weapons and supplies. The belly dancer costumes that Kenny pulled from a tote, however, were unforeseen. They were all made with bright colors; canary yellows, ruby reds and baby blues. They jingled and jangled as the blonde struggled to pull the tops free from the skirts.

The most shocking bit of the whole situation was Kenny's brash plan to dress in drag so he could be lead to wherever Bebe was being kept while the others followed. Sure, his facial features were soft enough he could pull off a woman, a very boyish woman. It was hard to remember that Kenny was older, and not some teenager. Ike did not doubt he could pull off the look, he was just wholeheartedly against it.

Only minutes ago he was cradling the man in his arms after he passed out from fear. Now he was sashaying around in a skimpy outfit. The fabric of the skirt clung to his legs and the bikini top sat flat against his pale skin. Kenny had no cleavage, but Ike was pretty sure he didn't need it to pass.

A sheer scarf, light pink to match the rest of the outfit, completed the disguise by hiding his Adam's apple.

"I can't believe they have dozens of belly dancer costumes." Kenny twirled, making his shirt and top shimmer and clack together.

"Bebe better not have been forced into one of those."

"I'm just lucky I have light hair," Kenny was looking down at his tummy, where light blonde strands grew. Ike couldn't see them at the moment, but he knew they were there.

Ike volunteered himself to go instead, but both men out right agreed he'd make an ugly girl. Kenny softened the blow by adding "you're too manly." In any other moment Ike would have taken that kind of praise and ran with it, but not today, not with Kenny dressing as a sheep to enter a wolf's layer.

"I'm still against this."

"We know, and we out vote you," Damien grumbled.

"You really are like your mother," Kenny teased. He liked to hide behind humor, for his own sake or others' it was hard to tell. "You and Kyle both."

"Maybe for good reason."

"I'll call for you guys if I need back up."

"And what are we supposed to do? Blow the place up like Damien suggested? Go in guns blazing despite the fact that we're probably shitty aims."

"Good point," The blonde was currently tangling with his hair. "That was just a cliché anyways. I wasn't really going to call for you."

This was happening, whether Ike wanted it to or not. He sighed, trying to let out his frustrations, and went over to help the man make his hair look presentable. Because God forbid a "girl" looks anything less than perfect even while trekking through underground tunnels.

"Missed a spot," Ike tucked the loose strands back behind Kenny's ear, revealing the ear cuff he'd gifted him all those months ago. Elation swept over Ike at the realization that Kenny still wore it. He could feel the man's eyes on him, could imagine what he was thinking. He bit back the last plea for a change of plans, opting instead for the next best thing, "No heroics."

"That's easy, since I'm no hero."

"I mean it." His hands moved from Kenny's hair to his shoulders where thumbs brushed exposed skin. "Please."

Even in the darkness Ike could see the blush that bloomed across the man's face. He huffed, averted his eyes and mumbled, "I'll be cautious."

"We'll be close. Cliché or not, if you need us just holler."

Kenny

With heart racing a mile a minute Kenny stepped out under the yellow glow of the tunnel lights. He planned to meander, to be found so he could be taken to wherever Bebe was being held. Sure he was nervous, but it had been Ike's intensity that sent his heart into a workout.

I wonder if he's aware of it, or if that's just normal Ike. The blush returned as Kenny amended his own thoughts with: normal Ike when it comes to me. He was not blind.

Damien and Ike were somewhere hiding, most likely behind a pile of boxes. Kenny wasn't sure which ones, but he felt better knowing they were around. If the plan went awry he'd most likely need their help getting free again.

The whole idea was desperate, one that both Kyle and Stan would have equally protested, but Bebe was one of his best friends. He loved her and wanted no harm to come to her, or the baby. He couldn't imagine these revolutionists harming a pregnant woman, but the world was filled with sickos. Like Dale.

Don't think about it. Head on the mission.

Kenny wasn't kept waiting long. Someone patrolling spotted him, gave him a lecture, but otherwise acted like he belonged there, like it wasn't unusual to see someone waltzing around in such flashy clothing. The man told Kenny he was "escorting him back," and to "not cause more trouble."

They marched quiet the distance through the tunnels before they came upon a set of stairs. As they ascended it dawned on Kenny that they were going above ground. The man struggled to get the trap door open, but once it was they both climbed into some kind of basement.

It was like stepping into one of Karen's bedtime stories as a child, Arabian Nights to be exact. The large space was covered in rugs of various shapes and sizes. There were mountains of pillows throughout with small groups of people clustered around them. The walls were covered in gaudy paintings and curtains of gauze, their only purpose appearing to be decorations for there were no windows. As far as Kenny could see, the only exits were the trap door they'd just come from and several doors in the back.

The air was pungent with body odor and something like jasmine. Small pots with burning incense lined the walls and smoke clung to the room like a thin veil. It could have also been thanks to the fat cigars that rested between the fingers of half the occupants.

As Kenny was lead further in not a soul batted an eyelash at them. But all Kenny could do was gawk. The men sitting atop the pillow towers were well groomed, dressed to show off wealth — clearly none of these people were the rabble from below. Kenny would have been hard to believe they were even associated except for the fact that here he was being lead to a pillow tower.

There were lots of women, many young faces that couldn't be older than their late teens. Kenny thought they would be scared, or angry, but they were all languid in their actions, calm. Like a buzz in the background Kenny could hear moans and thumping. He knew that somewhere these women were being taken advantage of more than just being forced to serve food and drinks.

He was brought to a group solely made of blondes. Their costumes varied in styles, but they were all similar to Kenny's own. The militia who'd brought him there didn't get a chance to speak, as the man being pampered noticed their approach. His smile was warm and welcoming as his eyes raked Kenny over. He practically purred as he spoke, "Another one to add to my collection. And aren't you a pretty looking thing, though a bit sharp." He waved a hand at the other man as a dismissal. "You-" He gestured to Kenny, "Feed me grapes."

There were numerous bowls on the floor with various food items. A lady in a scarlet mini dress offered him the right one. He nodded in thanks, not prepared to offer a false soprano. He waded through the pillows, nearly losing his footing in the cheap sandals, before perching close enough to offer the asshole a grape. Hope he chokes on it.

One grape. Two. Kenny's eyes searched the room as best they could. Lots of women, but no Bebe. As he fed the man another grape, he envisioned the sound of Karen's voice and attempted to mimic her sweet sound. He was off the mark but the man made no indication he noticed.

"So you like blondes?"

"Strawberry, dirty, between my sheets." He winked and Kenny fought the urge to gag.

"What happened to the pregnant one? She's blonde."

"No fat girls in my harem."

Kenny picked an over ripe grape and offered it to the man. "Oh? Then who did she go to?"

"Someone into weird shit."

Kenny risked another glance around the room. Most of the women appeared calm, but they were all clearly miserable. He could see it in their eyes.

This isn't just about Bebe, this is about saving everyone. About saving the city.

Kenny tried a new approach, asking, "You are clearly a man of power here. Are you close with the leader?"

This caused the man to pause while one of his groomed eyebrows arched high above the rest. "Babe, no need to suck up."

"It's just that I'm new here, I was hoping to learn about this place… and about the man I'll be serving." Kenny offered up another grape only to see tightly closed lips.

"I prefer my blondes to be air headed." To a nearby armed militia the man called, "Trash this one."

Shit! Movies always make it look so easy.

He froze, every muscle stiffening as fear traced the familiar pattern down his spine. He could run, but he'd never get far. I need a plan. I need-

Kenny was jerked to his feet. His bowl of grapes spilled onto the pillows, bouncing and rolling. He was being dragged along towards a set of double doors. Did trash mean to kill, or was he to be assigned a new job? Noticeably no one in the room would look at him. Every woman had her eyes cast down, lips pressed tight. They all knew what was going to go down.

Kenny was two steps from finding out what was beyond this room when a voice called out, "No need to trash a cutie like this. Jacob doesn't know good ass when he sees it. Bring her to my room."

Kenny swung his head to get a glimpse of his savior. All hope died.

This was a terrible idea.