Tripod Beware

Scod sighed and ran a hand through his hair as Gatesy swiftly grabbed the guitar and plonked himself down beside Yon. Gatesy smiled up at him smugly and Scod looked away, glancing around the empty room before moving to sit on the opposite side to the other two. Now that Gatesy had the guitar he knew he wouldn't be able to get his hands on it for ages. Gatesy would be determined to keep it all to himself for as long as possible. Scod sighed and leant back against the wall. He wished he was at home playing Dungeons and Dragons.

PART EIGHT

Yon breathed deeply and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. Gatesy began playing the guitar and Yon hummed along quietly, but only loud enough for Gatesy to just hear, and for him to feel the vibration buzzing through his head. It was quite a soothing sensation and the softly strummed chords added to the calming effect. He felt the tension slowly begin to ease from his body, the music lulling him into a kind of trance where everything was okay. There was no worries or concerns. In his mind he was safe.

Gatesy watched Yon as he played. The previously tense and troubled expression slowly disappeared from his face and Gatesy heard him starting to hum along softly. It wasn't any particular song, he was just making it up as he went along, but Yon seemed to know the exact right tune to go with it. Gatesy kept playing and eventually started humming along in harmony, already thinking of lyrics that could fit the music. 'Well at least we're getting something out of being here' he thought wryly.

Scod ignored Gatesy for a while, determined not to talk to him if he could help it, but eventually he heard his faint singing grow slightly louder and more confident and he realised Yon was humming a tune and Gatesy was harmonising with him. Gatesy was watching Yon's face intently, frowning ever so slightly. Scod knew that look. He was writing a new song. Scod pretended to not notice what Gatesy was doing, but he actually tried to hear what exactly he was singing. He didn't like to admit it, but it actually sounded like a pretty good song. Eventually Scod decided to stop the childishness and he walked over to sit down next to him. Gatesy stopped playing and looked up at Scod, seemingly unfazed. To be honest, Scod didn't know what they were fighting about in the first place; maybe it was just the unusual situation they were in, but he felt that it just wasn't worth keeping up the act. Gatesy continued looking at him and Scod nodded and gestured towards the guitar. Gatesy smiled slightly and turned towards him, then began playing the song, singing louder than before, and sounding a little more confident as he went along. Scod watched his fingers, taking note of the chords and rhythm, and eventually Gatesy passed him the guitar and he began playing the song, varying some of the chords slightly to fit in better. Before long they were all singing along to the almost complete song.

Yon was a lot calmer because the song was taking his mind off what was happening, and he kept his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to see reality. He focused only on the feeling and the sound of their music. Suddenly there was a loud click from the top of the stairs. They abruptly stopped singing and Yon flung his eyes open wide, staring intently at the door. Jade and Jen entered the room and stood at the bottom of the steps. Scod and Gatesy jumped to their feet and stood awkwardly before them. Yon stayed where he was, not making eye contact with either of the girls. He glanced at Jade but then looked away quickly before he could let himself feel anything.

"It's shower time. Who wants to go first?" Jen asked, looking each of them over. Gatesy glanced at Yon, frowning slightly.

"I'll go." Scod said. Gatesy and Yon looked up quickly and Scod handed Gatesy the guitar. Before they got a chance to say anything he was led up the stairs and out of the room, the door being locked behind them. Gatesy turned back to Yon with his hand over his mouth and sighed loudly before sitting back down beside Yon. He tunelessly picked out a few notes on the guitar and then looked over at his companion. Yon was sitting with his head in his hands and one leg was shaking rapidly. Gatesy frowned and put the guitar down beside him.

"Are you okay mate?" he asked. Yon nodded slightly. Gatesy knew that his friend wasn't being completely honest with him, and the way he was reacting to the situation was beginning to worry him. "Mate, come on!" Gatesy said, a slight whine coming out in his voice "Talk to me!" Yon took a deep shuddering breath and then looked up at Gatesy. Gatesy became even more concerned when he saw the pained expression on his friends' face. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

"It's nothing. It's just stupid. Don't worry about me," Yon said finally.

"You know you can tell me anything Yonny. I won't speak a word, promise."

"It's just like…" Yon gulped loudly and looked down at the ground.

"Like what?" Gatesy asked.

"My dad…he used to…he used to lock me up when I was little. He used to lock me in the cellar…it was so like this, almost exactly the same." he stopped and rubbed his face with his fists. Gatesy couldn't believe it. Yon had never told him about when he grew up, and now he knew why. He wondered what else had happened that he didn't know about.

"Yon…" he whispered, momentarily lost for words. Before he could think of another thing to say Yon interrupted.

"I shouldn't have told you, forget it," he said shakily, waving his hand dismissively.

"No…Yon, you can tell me about this. We're mates, and even though sometimes it seems like I don't care about you, I do. You can talk to me, okay?" He reached out and rubbed Yon's head in a rare show of intimacy. Yon suddenly flashed a smile up at him. "Okay?" Gatesy asked. Yon nodded.

"Okay."

PART NINE

Scod was lead out of the room and upstairs to the bathroom, Jen and Jade each holding one of Scod's arms firmly. Lucille was standing outside the door waiting for them. She smiled mockingly at Scod and he frowned back at her. Jade opened the door and pushed Scod inside. He turned back as Lucille stepped into the doorway and the other two looked over her shoulder.

"There are towels, clean clothing and toiletries in the cupboard. Feel free to use what you need. The door will be locked. One of us will be standing guard outside. Knock on the door when you've finished and we'll take you back down to the cellar. Any questions?" Scod shook his head, completely baffled as to what was going on. In the beginning he hadn't believed it was real, but now it was becoming clear that it was. "Good. Don't try to escape; there's no way out. We know everything you do, so be careful." Scod looked around the room and the door slammed shut. He turned back as the lock clicked. He stood still for a moment and then began to explore the room.

Gatesy couldn't believe how many things he didn't know about his friend; all the pain and trauma he had gone through in his younger years. He felt like a complete prick for not knowing about anything, even though he knew it wasn't his fault. Yon had been physically abused for most of his childhood. His parents treated him like a slave and whenever they were annoyed at something, even if it wasn't Yon, his father would beat him and lock him in the cellar. His father did most of the damage, but his mother just standing by watching, not trying to stop it from happening, was enough to cause almost as much pain as the physical violence. When he was twelve he decided that he'd had enough, and ran away from home, away from the people who brought him into the world and seemed determined to take him out of it as well.

But the pain didn't stop there. For four years Yon lived on the street, stealing and begging in order to survive. He never hardened to the ways of the streets, and Gatesy guessed this was because of his parents' abuse. He got into drugs for a short time but got out of it before anything could come of it. Eventually he got caught stealing clothes from a surf-clothing shop and the police took him in to the station. They took sympathy upon him, obviously seeing he wasn't the type of kid who should live on the streets, and they found him a hostel to live in. He stayed there for quite a while and eventually got a few part time jobs and began making money. From then on things only got better, but he was still traumatized from the violence and suffering he had to endure in his earlier years. Gatesy was shocked by what he'd heard, but he was glad Yon had told him. After their talk he felt much closer to his friend, and he was sure Yon felt the same way. It had obviously helped him to have talked it through with someone, and he visibly looked more relaxed. He was acting more like the old Yon again, if a little more open than he used to be.

Scod stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with a towel from the cupboard against the wall. He wrapped the towel around his waist and then looked through the rest of the shelves, picking out some clothes to wear. He found that they each seemed to have their own shelf with their size and style clothing on it. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he realised that they had picked out the exact same after-shave, toothbrush and other toiletries as he used at home. How could they know that much? It was slightly eerie. Suddenly he felt as though he were being watched and he quickly got dressed into a shirt and jeans and brushed his teeth, then rapped loudly on the door. Almost immediately the door was opened and Jen took his arm and began to lead him downstairs. As they got to the bottom of the steps he suddenly tried to pull himself out of her grasp. She grabbed him before he had a chance to escape and she held a frighteningly sharp bowie knife against his throat. He froze as he felt the cold blade on his skin. He gulped and looked into her icy cold eyes. 'Fuck,' he thought 'This is more serious than I thought.'

"Don't try to escape," she snarled, pressing the blade firmer against his neck "Got that Scoddy?" Scod gulped and nodded ever so slightly.

"Y-yes," he whispered. Instantly she put the knife away in its sheath on her belt which he previously hadn't seen, and began walking him towards the door to the cellar. She unlocked the door and pushed him in. He stopped and took in Gatesy and Yon talking to each other quietly. They certainly looked very cozy. Jen pushed him so he was forced to walk down the stairs and the two guys stopped talking and looked towards them. Gatesy said something and Yon looked at him and nodded. Jen nudged Scod down the last step and towards his friends. Gatesy reached out and squeezed Yon's shoulder briefly and then Yon got up and took a step towards Jen.

"I'll go next," he said.

PART TEN

"What happened?" Gatesy asked after Yon had left with Jen. Scod outlined the whole process to him and Gatesy listened intently.

"I don't know how, but they know more about us than they should," Scod said, sitting down where Yon had been. Gatesy plonked himself down next to him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one thing, they know what clothes we wear. Well that's fair enough really – they might've seen us around town wearing those kind of things, but then they know other things. Personal things. They know what deodorant we use, shavers, even what underwear we wear. It's freaky."

"Do you think they've been stalking us?" Gatesy asked.

"Well I don't know. I suppose they could've. We don't live very private lives I guess, I just never would've thought this could happen."

"Me neither," Gatesy said, looking down at his hands which were firmly clasped between his legs. Scod and Gatesy were silent for a few minutes, then Scod spoke:

"They could kill us if they wanted to," Scod said quietly. Gatesy looked up at him questioningly. Where did that suddenly come from? "Jen had a knife. I tried to get away and she pulled it on me."

"Did she hurt you?"

"No, but she could've. We have to be careful with these girls Gatesy, they aren't sane."

"You're telling me," Gatesy muttered under his breath, leaning back against the wall.

Yon finished his shower and got dressed as quickly as possible. He didn't particularly want to go back down to the cellar, but he wanted to be near his friends. He didn't want to be by himself. He opened the cupboard and froze when he saw all the clothes and toiletries identical to his own at his place. He quickly pushed it to the back of his mind and got dressed. He tapped lightly on the door and it opened to reveal Jade. He blushed involuntarily and looked away from her. She took his hand and began to lead him along the hall. He looked up to her face as they walked slowly down the stairs.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"We want you to be happy."

"But we were happy." Yon frowned in confusion.

"You'll be happier with us. We want to make you happy. We're the only ones who can make you happy."

"Is that what you think?"

"All those other fans and people you spent your time with are worthless. We're the best thing that's ever happened to you." Yon wanted to ask some more questions but by then they were at the door to the cellar once more. She opened the door and Yon willingly walked down the stairs to join his friends.

"How'd it go?" Gatesy asked in a hushed voice. Yon shrugged.

"It was okay. You'll be right." He smiled his encouragement.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Scod added. Yon turned to him and frowned as Jade called for Gatesy to come.

"What did you mean by that?" Yon asked after they had left the room.

Before his shower, Gatesy searched the room more thoroughly than Yon and Scod had. He looked through all the drawers and cupboards, trying to find anything that could be of any use to them, but to no avail. There was nothing other than the necessities. He figured the only thing they could do now was behave until they got moved upstairs like they were told they would be, and hope that they would have more luck there. It would definitely be better to have a furnished room than a cold empty cellar anyway.

He had his shower, grabbed a towel and began rubbing his hair with it. Without warning the door swung open. He quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and then looked up as Lucille closed the door behind her. A slow smile spread across her face. Gatesy squirmed uncomfortably.

"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked as Lucille began to move towards him. She stopped in front of him and then pulled her top off over her head. Gatesy couldn't help but stare down at her naked chest. He cursed himself for becoming aroused so easily. He never could control his hormones, ever since he hit puberty.

"Touch me," she demanded huskily. Gatesy didn't move. She frowned slightly and grabbed his hands, placing them on her breasts. Gatesy's lips parted slightly as he felt his desire rising against his will. She slid her fingers under the top of his towel and let it drop to the floor. He panicked momentarily and moved to get it, but then Lucille's hand closed around him and began to stroke lightly up and down his shaft. His breathing became shallow and he closed his eyes as he ran his fingers over her hard nipples and felt himself pulsing in her hands. He mentally slapped himself and fought against his body until finally he pulled away from her, ignoring his unquenched desire. She stared at him in confusion as he finished drying off and tugged on his clothes. He avoided looking at Lucille in case she tried to seduce him again. He wanted her, but he couldn't betray his friends. It certainly wouldn't help them to escape any if he acted on his desires in a situation like this. Gatesy walked over and knocked on the door. After a minute Jen opened it. She caught a glimpse of Lucille buttoning up her top over Gatesy's shoulder. Looking slightly pissed off, she took Gatesy by the arm and closed the door, then took him back to the cellar. A few minutes after the three boys had exchanged stories once more a tray of pizza was brought down for them, which they devoured greedily. They hadn't eaten for hours so they were grateful to finally have something to fill their stomachs. They didn't think that the girls might have put something in their food.

PART ELEVEN

Scod's eyes flickered open to reveal pitch-black darkness. For a moment he forgot where he was, but then he remembered. They'd been kidnapped. He sat up but then a searing pain shot through his head and he groaned, flopping onto his back again.

"Scod?" a voice whispered.

"Yeah," he replied, still groaning under his breath as he rubbed his head. Everything seemed all hazy and distant.

"You okay mate?"

"I don't know, I feel really weird."

"I'm gonna turn on the light, okay?" Before he could answer, dim light flooded the room and he shielded his eyes with his arm. When his eyes had adjusted to the light he looked over at Yon who was sitting next to him with his legs crossed, studying him worriedly. "You don't look too good." Yon reached out and put his hand on Scod's forehead. "Mate, you're burning up. I'll have to get help." Scod tried to object but no sound would come out. Yon had gone and pressed the button beside the door and returned to where he was before Scod could get a word out.

"No…" he protested weakly, grabbing Yon's arm.

"Mate you're sick. You need to be in a warm dry place. You can't stay down here the way you are, believe me."

"Wh-where's Gatesy?"

"He's still asleep." Yon looked over to where Gatesy was slumped against the wall, half-sitting but dozing peacefully. Scod frowned. It was unusual for Gatesy to be the last one of them to wake up. "I think they put something in our food to make sure we stayed asleep. Gatesy ate more than we did. Were you feeling strange before now?"

"I felt a little off the first night we came here, but then I was okay until now." Scod's stomach turned and he groaned again, biting his lip and curling up on his side.

Scod looked absolutely terrible. Yon frowned as he took in Scod's sweat stippled upper lip and the shiny sheen covering his skin. In places the sweat was seeping through his clothing. He was shaking as though he was cold, even though his skin felt hot to touch. The door opened and Jen walked in.

"What is it?" she asked, then she saw Scod "What happened?"

"He's sick. He can't stay down here like this," Yon explained. Jen leant over and felt Scod's forehead.

"You're right. He'll have to be moved upstairs."

"C-can't they move up w-with me?" Scod whispered.

"No, not yet. We don't know if you can be trusted yet. You might try something."

"We won't," Yon said.

"Not yet," she insisted "A few more days then we'll think about it, but right now it's just him. It's only because he's sick." She walked over and pressed the button. The door opened again and Jade walked in. Jen told her what the situation was and then they got Scod to his feet and put his arms around their shoulders. Yon felt so sorry for his mate. He was almost doubled over in pain and it was clear that he was having trouble walking. The two girls wordlessly left the room, half carrying Scod out the door, and once more locking it behind them.

Gatesy had woken up to the sound of Scod and Yon talking but had pretended he was asleep the whole time. When the two girls and Scod had left the room he opened his eyes. Yon was facing away from him rubbing his face with his hands.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" he asked. Yon jumped and turned quickly towards him. "Sorry," Gatesy said, unable to keep a slight smirk from appearing on his face.

"I don't know. To me it looks pretty serious, but I guess I might be biased."