Junesong55thunder: thank you for your words of encouragement! I'm glad you're liking my HP fic as well, but this one definitely won't match it in length. No need! I know exactly where this is going, and it won't take too long to get there, either! :)

Lycanbride: so glad you're loving it. The lack of pairings between 10K and Murph is the sole reason I'm writing this fic. We need more! I volunteer you to write one, too lol

Decepticonsniper: thanks for your review! Your appreciation keeps the inspiration flowing.

A/N: the upside of having only a few reviewers is that it gives me an opportunity to thank each of your for your feedback. So thanks! And enjoy.

WARNING: this chapter contains elevated levels of predatory slash. No sex, no hardcore. READER DISCRETION ADVISED. No like: no read. Also, some very light cursing abounds.

Chapter Three

"Too Much"

"Don't what?" The stranger hissed through his teeth, his breath warming 10K's neck. "Don't stop?"

10K leaned his face away as far as he could, but the chains around his wrists kept him rigidly upright, and there was no escape. He was stretched so tightly that his heels weren't even touching the floor, and he had a very difficult time keeping any kind of traction.

"Look at me, boy." Hot breath washed over 10K's skin again.

10K felt the man's hand leave his hip to clasp roughly under his jaw, yanking his face forward by the chin so that their cheeks were almost touching once more. His breath quickened, fighting the stranger's steely hold, but unable to turn his head away from his tormentor.

"I said, LOOK AT ME!" The stranger drew back his arm and backhanded 10K across the cheekbone, hard. A muffled half-shout left 10K's mouth as he felt himself bite down hard on his own tongue. Almost instantly, his mouth began to fill with warm, wet blood. 10K spat and coughed, spraying the blood down his chin and chest.

"Oh—god," snapped the stranger, standing back to avoid the spray. At the same time, he drew something long and thin from under his makeshift 'armor,' and held it out toward 10K. "You listen to me, boy," he ordered, and from the way he held out that metal rod in his hand, 10K knew it was some kind of weapon. "When I say it, you do it—got it?"

10K spat more blood down his front. He could feel it running warmly down his neck and over his collarbone, and he vaguely wondered if it might never stop… would this be how he went? One well-placed hit, and then zombification? In his state of shock, some part of him almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of that idea, but the stronger part of him took his mental reins and tried to set him in balance. He wasn't going to die, not here, not today. And neither was Murphy.

He met the man's eyes with a mixture of fear and defiance, trying to ignore the way his heart thundered in his chest. He waited for more blood to pool in his mouth, and then he spat it all as hard as he could at the stranger.

The man threw up his hands as he was showered in blood, glared at 10K for half an instant, and then went berserk. With a furious snarl, he lunged at the boy, the metal rod held out. He thrust the rod sharply into 10's stomach.

10K gave a strangled yell, his head jerking back against the hard pillar hard enough to make spots appear in front of his eyes. His feet left the floor as his legs lifted up under the sudden surge. The electricity that ran through him now was somehow much worse than before. It filled up 10K's entire body, shooting through his limbs and across his skin, accumulating at his wrists and shooting back down through him with the force of a bolt of lightning. After only a few short seconds, everything around him dropped out to blackness. He sagged toward the floor, his eyes rolling.

As came back to consciousness, the first thing he felt was the stranger's hand under his jaw, against his throat. He panicked inwardly for a split second, but the hand didn't apply pressure to cut off his airway. It just lifted his chin up, and 10K was looking into the man's face again. The tightness of the steely grip ensured that 10K couldn't move his head in either direction.

10K realized there was excess blood in his mouth from his moment of unconsciousness and he opened his mouth, sputtering and coughing up what had dripped down the back of his throat. He noticed that the stranger's face and chest were spattered with drops of his blood, and he experienced a short-lived sense of satisfaction.

The man tightened his grip under 10K's jaw and drew closer, his face only inches away from 10K's. He didn't seem to care that the blood was all over him now. "You got spirit, boy," he said in a low voice. "I like that. I like it a lot."

10K didn't answer, he just stared lividly at the man's face, so close to his own. After a prolonged moment, a dark, twisted grin curled the stranger's lip, and he leered down at his captive. "You know a funny thing about electricity?" He asked lightly, moving back a little, but only a little. "It has all kinds of effects on the human body. Neurons firing, muscle spasms, heart beat increases… and another thing—this is the best part, bet you never heard it before—sometimes it can, you know… wake the snake." He looked extremely amused. "Yeah, you ever hear that?" His eyes traveled slowly down 10K's front. His grin faded as he looked back up, and his breathing was faster. There was sweat standing out on his forehead and neck.

10K was still and quiet. A sense of dread was filling him like he'd never felt before. There was no question anymore what this man was after, and he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't move, he couldn't fight back. His heart hammered madly against his rib cage and his breathing matched the leering man's own.

The man moved close again, and this time, pressed his chest right up against 10K. The boy pushed backward against the pillar, his chin still in the stranger's grip. He fought for better traction with his feet as the stranger pressed harder against him. "Yeah… this is what I've been missing. I've waited a long time for this, I've been here all alone… no one but zombies, and they're no company at all.." he gave a short laugh.

10K shut his eyes tightly as he felt the man's free hand come up against his chest, touching lightly against his skin through his shirt. The hand ran along 10K's collar bone, over his shoulder, and then brushed across his chest again. 10K let out a gasp when he felt the man pinch his nipple, and he pulled harder on the metal chains, his desperation growing exponentially. The man tweaked him again, a lot harder this time, and 10K couldn't hold back a quiet whimper. The strange sensation shot down through his stomach, making him feel weak and tingly.

The man laughed, removing his hand from 10K's chest. He trailed his fingers downward across the boy's navel, skimming over his belly button and making 10K's muscles jump. This made the man laugh; he seemed to enjoy it immensely. Without looking down, 10K felt the fingers come to a stop at the front hem of his pants. He shook his head weakly, trying to hold back the hot sensation behind his eyes. He would not cry, he wouldn't let a single tear fall. He couldn't give the man that satisfaction.

"Son of a bastard…" Murphy's rasping voice issued from the floor. "I'll tear you apart, you sick bag of shit…"

The man looked over at Murphy, rolling his eyes in exasperation. He let go of 10K's jaw and reached for the remote, holding it out toward Murphy. "Don't you ever shut up?" He hissed, pressing down on the button.

10K didn't look but he heard splutters as Murphy was hit again by the electricity.

"Please…" he begged, despite his anger, "You can't kill Murphy. We need him, the world needs—"

"You too, kid!" The stranger growled, shoving the remote back into his belt and covering 10K's mouth with his hand. "Shut your mouth, or I'll prod you again. That thing would kill you faster than that collar could kill your friend over there. Those manacles? They're metal. Every shock I give you is magnified a dozen times by those things. So shut it, fella. We're just getting started."

His hand left 10K's mouth, allowing him to breathe again, and reached down to his lower stomach once more. 10K ground his teeth together as he felt two fingers slipping across the front hem of his pants, sliding under the waistband and moving across the skin underneath it.

"No!" Yelled 10K, filled by a sudden surge of energy. He swung himself loose on the chains above him, kicking out with his legs, trying to land a blow on the man's shins, his kneecaps, anywhere—he just needed to get him off. But his shaking legs slid past the man's knees on either side, and before he could make another move, the man had angled his body back in to push against 10K again. He shoved his knee between 10K's thighs, forcing them slightly apart.

10K gasped, still trying to fight, shaking his head back and forth, and trying to pull his legs back up in front of him. But the man was leaning into him too forcefully and all he could do was swing there by his arms, trapped between the stranger's bulk and the cold, hard pillar.

The man whipped out the metal rod, which he quickly swung forward into 10K's stomach. It was a short jab and then it was over, but it left 10K shaking again; his legs went limp and his head rolled forward, but this time he didn't black out.

The stranger kept his knee between 10K's thighs, using his own body weight to restrain the boy's movements. 10K could smell thick, pungent sweat on the man's body, and all he wanted to do was to shut his eyes and sink through the floor. He heaved for breath, not able to do anything more than that as he recovered from the brief electrocution.

His heart almost stopped beating when he felt the man's hand at the hem of his pants again. The stranger's face was pressed against the side of 10K's cheek as his fingers slipped under the hem, slowly, like he was teasing.

He hissed sinisterly into 10K's ear. "Let's see if that old wive's tale about electricity is true."

10K felt the fingers push down past the hem of his pants, and he shook his head. "No…" he said again, but his voice cracked and it sounded more like a rasp than a word. "Don't!"

"Enjoy it while you can," the stranger ordered. All of a sudden, he pushed his hand deeper, cupping his palm around 10K between his legs and applying pressure with his fingers.

10K snapped his head back against the pillar at the sudden movement. He tried to protest but only a fearful groan escaped his lips, and he could barely hear anything except for the loud ringing in his ears.

The man pressed harder with his hand, and his fingers moved around between 10K's legs, causing the boy to jolt against the chains again, his eyes shut tight. "Stop!" He managed to gasp, roughly shaking his head from side to side. "Please…"

"Not too bad, for a kid your size," the stranger murmured smugly, ignoring 10K's pleas as his fingers continued to explore.

10K felt extremely hot in the face, and his cheeks were flushed red as he gave another hard struggle against the chains. The man's hand was cold, but another sort of unfamiliar warmth was growing in his navel at the man's unwelcome ministrations. The strange sensation started rising into his stomach, and down his legs, into his toes.

10K's stomach muscles contracted sharply and he gasped, opening his eyes. "I—I think I'm gonna be sick—"

"Shut up," said the man in a raspy voice, rubbing 10K harder.

10K felt like he was losing consciousness again. The unbidden feeling was shooting from his navel to the rest of his body, a lot like the electricity from the rod. It was too much; his body seemed to lose authority over itself. Every muscle shook and trembled visibly, and his head fell forward onto the man's chest. All he could do right then was hang rigidly from the ceiling, fighting to regain control of his body.

He felt fingers gripping in his hair, pulling his head back up, pushing him upright against the pillar. He tried to swallow past the feeling rising in his throat, but he couldn't stop it. He retched hard, and retched again, but he hadn't eaten since yesterday. There was nothing left in his stomach to return. He gasped and gave a sharp groan when he felt the man pull sharply on him between his legs, rubbing him up and down in a more feverish way.

"That's it," the man breathed, leaning into 10K, but looking down between their bodies at what he was doing. He forgot all about holding up 10K's head, which dropped limply down again onto the man's shoulder, but the stranger didn't seem to notice. The feeling in 10K's stomach was still growing, spreading, heating up against his will.

"Seems you're in good working order," the stranger said in a low, unrecognizable voice. His own face was quite flushed, too. "You'll do fine. But you definitely need to learn how to have a little fun. Once you've crested that wave, you'll want it more than any waking thing under the sun." At that, he withdrew his hand abruptly from between 10K's legs, causing the boy to let out another weak gasp. 10K didn't look at him, only drew in sharp breaths of air, trying with all his will to banish the heat in his stomach.

When the man released the manacles from around his wrists, 10K wasn't ready, and his legs collapsed out from under him, sending him sprawling across the floor. He scrambled to turn over and get back to his feet, but that same instant, he felt a weight bearing down on him from behind. The man was on top of him, forcing him face-first against the floor, yanking both his arms out to the sides and bending them backward, holding them tightly across each other so that 10K was once more unable to move. 10K struggled for all he was worth, kicking his legs out, bucking his shoulders and hips, but the man had planted himself, and no amount of fighting could budge him.

"Shhhhh, calm yourself," the stranger advised, and 10K could hear that sick smile in his voice. "This'll be a lot easier on you if you relax."

"Get—off—me!" 10K growled breathlessly, his face pressed into the cold floor, his breathing restricted by the stranger's heaviness.

He felt the man lower himself down on his back, so that his full weight pressed down on 10K. "I said… RELAX!"

10K felt a short, sharp jab as the electric rod pushed briefly into his side and he went still again, his whole body tingling and shaking. He waited for further assault, feeling numb and foggy, but after a minute of nothing, he tried to turn his head sideways to see what his tormentor was doing.

The man had straightened up, and was staring at the closed door, the excitement on his face replaced by a look of angry caution. 10K gave a sharp experimental struggle and it was met by a forceful hand to the back of his neck, shoving his face back into the floor. "Stop moving…" the man ordered, his eyes fixed on the door.

10K felt the man's weight lift off his back, and his arms were released. Blood rushed back to his fingertips, and he scrambled to turn over, trying to pull himself across the floor on arms that hadn't felt any blood flow for a good while. His eyes locked on the stranger, but he found himself facing the barrel of a gun. The man glared at him darkly from behind the pistol, curling his upper lip. "You move while I'm gone… you make any attempt to escape or you pull anything foolish…you'll wish you were dead. Both of you." He turned carefully toward the door.

"What-what're you doing?"

"Shut up! And don't move." The stranger cocked the pistol and opened the door, looking both ways before slipping out into the hall. When he quietly closed the door behind him, 10K heard the click of a lock falling into place. He stared at the white plastered door for what seemed like an eternity, his heart pounding in his throat as his chest rose and fell rapidly in the sudden, unexpected silence.

"Kid..."

10K jumped, throwing an arm out toward the voice and trying to move away from it, pulling himself haphazardly to his feet using the pillar. His eyes fell on Murphy, who was lying on the floor against the wall, his eyes half open as he stared at 10K, his jaw clenched.

10K was frozen in place for only a moment more as he tried to regain his senses. "Murphy!" He muttered under his breath, moving forward toward the man and falling to his knees beside him. He held out trembling hands, not knowing where to put them. Not sure of anything anymore. "Murphy! Are you okay?"

"Kid…get me…up."

10K pushed down an instinctual reluctance to touch Murphy at all, his mind racing a thousand miles a minute. He forced himself to reach under Murphy's arm and help him to sit up, trying to ignore the foreign thoughts invading his mind at their physical contact. He gave his head a sharp shake, forcing back hot tears as he let go of Murphy quickly, sitting back on his heels. He didn't realize he was staring at Murphy's face until the man gestured weakly at him, using his chin to indicate the ropes binding his arms.

Swallowing another wave of nervous discomfort, 10K bent forward again and got to work on the rope. The knot was a piece of work, but he finally felt it come loose in his hand, and he pulled the rope out from behind Murphy, casting it aside to the corner of the room.

"Murphy…" he began, his voice shaking. "We—we have to get out of here. We c—can't be here when he gets back, I don't know where he went—"

"He heard something downstairs. I heard it, too…" Murphy took a weak, rattling breath, then met 10K's gaze. "Don't worry, kid," he ground out, the darkness flaring sharply and angrily in his eyes. "If he comes back and we're still here… no amount of electricity… will stop me from tearing his head off… with my bare hands."

As 10K crouched there, Murphy's words flooded him with an unexpected surge of hope. His heartbeat slowed imperceptibly, and his breathing evened out a little.

"We're getting out of here, 10K," growled Murphy. 10K looked at him, registering a small amount of shock. It was the only time he had ever heard Murphy call him by that name. "We'll get out, we'll be okay. You'll be fine. You better believe me right now, kid. Right fuckin now."

10K didn't say anything as he slowly sat back on his heels again. With a great effort, he tried to push all the unwelcome feelings, all the fear, all the confusion, and the sickening humiliation into the depths of his mind, trying to let Murphy's words replace them in his thoughts. He had never liked Murphy very much, he had never trusted him—not even a little. But at this moment, he felt nothing for Murphy but trust and gratitude. He held onto the man's words like a lifeline, and gave a tremulous nod, not looking away.

After a long second, 10K glanced down, reaching a hand into one of his pants pockets. He drew out a small pin, and looked back at Murphy. "I… I can get us out of this room," he said quietly, his eyes flickering over to the handle of the locked door.

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