Thanks guys. When I wasn't hearing anything for a while I was wondering if this story had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Thanks for the encouragement.
Chapter 4 - Discipline Training Begins“Mummy†Harris was puzzled. Buzzy and he were supposed to get together after school and smoke some joints at Anson’s house. But Buzzy never showed up and it was obvious that no one was at home at Anson’s house either. So Mummy – so nicknamed because he loved to mummify kids in duct tape before tormenting them – tried to contact his buddies on his cell phone. He got no answers and left them both messages. Then he left messages for Conrad, Hal (also known as “Horror Halâ€) and Bennett (also known as “Big Benâ€) as well. Now, a full four hours after school had let out, he still hadn’t heard back from any of them. This was not too unusual when it came to Buzzy, but all five going silent at the same time was a virtually unheard-of event up to now.
Concerned, Mummy began searching for them. None of them were home. No one he had asked (or interrogated) had seen any of them recently either, except for one older kid who thought he saw Hal and Ben walking into the football field an hour previously. Mummy went there to investigate but saw nothing to indicate whether they had been there or not.
Mummy was still standing there when his cell phone finally bleeped to indicate that he had a text message. He checked it; it was Buzzy’s phone number! About time! Hastily Mummy checked the message:
Need to meet!
Urgent!
Where are U?Buzzy texted back:
Football field.
Where meet U?He got back his answer quickly:
Go behind bleachers.
Stay there out of sight!
I meet U in 15.
Got big surprise 4 U!Mummy signaled his acknowledgement and waited behind the bleachers as he had been told. He wondered what the surprise was but, knowing Buzzy, it was certainly bad news for somebody!
It certainly was!
Mummy didn’t know he had been set up until several kids appeared at one end of the bleachers and began to run toward him. They were all smaller and younger than he was and singly would have been no match for him. But their numbers and apparent confident attitude as they approached him spelled trouble. Turning around, he decided to make a run for it – only to see several more kids approaching him from the other end! The space though the bleachers too impossibly narrow for him to escape through the side; he was boxed in and neatly trapped!
Nervous but putting on a bold front, Mummy watched as over a dozen freshmen and sophomores closed in on him – some of them holding baseball bats and others holding handcuffs, leg cuffs, and other implements for the evident purpose of binding and silencing captives... including one he was very familiar with: many rolls of duct tape!
One boy he recognized – Vincent, that was his name – approached Mummy. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,†he coldly said to Mummy. “The hard way would be more fun for us. However, we’ll give you a chance. If you pick the easy way, lie down on the ground face down and put your hands behind your back. You have five seconds.â€
Mummy was tough but he wasn’t stupid. He was down on the ground before Vincent even began counting to five. Before Vincent could have counted to five anyway had he bothered to, Mummy was already handcuffed, leg-cuffed and completely helpless. Then the duct tape was applied. Within ten minutes, Mummy Harris had become a mummy himself – just as he himself had done to so many of the kids with him at this moment. This was an irony that some of them apparently could not resist pointing out to him at least twice every minute; much to Mummy’s annoyance.
Mummy wondered if these kids were going to torment him in some of the ways he had done when he had them helpless, or if they had something else in mind. But all they did after mummifying him into immobility was to gag and blindfold him. Then several of them picked him up and carried him off into a waiting vehicle of some kind. He was slid into the cargo bay of a van, where most of his now-noisy and jubilant captors joined him. It was crowded inside the van by the time they had all climbed inside with him. They laid him on the hard floor on his back and he could tell that several of them were sitting on him, but his feeble struggles and protests did nothing except make them laugh and begin to slap him. Only when he lay there quietly and ceased his futile resistance did his captors desist in tormenting him (although several still sat on him).
Although he could not talk or hear very well, Mummy learned how these snotty kids had trapped him. Apparently they had captured Buzzy earlier in the day, and one of them had come up with the idea of using Buzzy’s cell phone to lure Mummy into a trap. Now he was being taken where Buzzy and his other four missing friends were being held captive!
It was a long and uncomfortable ride. It was a nightmare when it got very bumpy toward the end, because every time the van hit a bump the kids sitting on him wound up unintentionally bouncing on him too! Mercifully, they didn’t elect to begin doing that to Mummy on purpose, even though he clearly heard one boy suggest it! Apparently as long as he didn’t try to resist they wouldn’t make him suffer unnecessarily; which was the only bit of encouragement Mummy got for the entire ride.
Finally though, the van came to a halt and everyone got out of the cargo bay. Buzzy was hauled out and carried to the inside of a large barn out in the seeming middle of nowhere. He was taken to a horse stall modified into a jail cell, released from his mummification, compelled to strip, and given a set of Speedos and nothing else to wear. Then he was shackled hand and foot to a wall and left alone for a while, locked inside his dark, silent, and lonely cell.
He was left alone for an unknown time when two of his youthful captors returned. Instead of the usual clothes they had been wearing when they had captured Mummy, they now all wore military uniforms – either U.S. Army or the Marines, Mummy thought. One boy had a dog’s choke collar and leash in his hand and tied it on him. “We’re taking you outside to get fed and have a restroom break,†one of the boys told him. “Behave and you’ll be okay. We won’t hurt you if you co-operate with us. Try to be a tough guy and resist and you’ll be punished. Nod if you understand this.â€
Mummy nodded his head; seeing no point in doing otherwise under the circumstances. At least they hadn’t actually hurt him at any time yet like he would have were their relative positions reversed.
The other boy unlocked the shackles holding his wrists to the wall, but leaving them locked onto his wrists. Mummy’s wrists were held in front of him when a chain was run around his middle, looped through his legcuffs, and then through his wrist shackles. The chain was pulled taut and padlocked shut, preventing him from moving his wrists away from his middle. His ankles were then also released from the wall but still hobbled together so closely he could not move much more than a foot at a time. He was now able to move to where he was compelled to go, but only slowly. He was still entirely helpless.
Mummy was led out of his cell, where he could see several other boys in military uniforms standing around, all apparently alert for trouble from him. Two of them were with Anson, who was being led into the barn as Mummy was led out. The two exchanged quick glances and gave muffled cries through their gags but were given no chance to attempt any communication. Mummy’s captors hustled him out as fast as he was able to move his feet along.
Mummy was taken to an outhouse, where he was allowed to do necessary business with one hand freed (the other still locked to the chain around his middle. The outhouse had no door but he was given the semi-privacy of having his guards stand to either side out of sight while he did what he had to do. As there was no chance he could get away anyway, they allowed him this simple courtesy more out of a desire not to be grossed out than because they cared what he thought. Although standing there and watching him would have been more humiliating for their captive, it was decided that such unpleasant things as making it harder to use the outhouse (physically as well as psychologically) could be reserved for special punishments only.
After stepping out of the outhouse, Mummy was taken to a water pump where he could wash himself with a small wet towel. Then he was given a small cup with which to drink all the water he wanted and a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich to eat; not exactly high cuisine but he was hungry enough (and just smart enough) not to complain. He was offered no seconds and was just proud enough not to ask for more. Once he was finished, his briefly freed hand was shackled again.
Mummy was then taken for a short walk around the barn for exercise. Just about the time it was getting dark outside, he was taken back to the barn. Inside, he saw all five of his fellow captives assembled there. All five were kneeling upright on the hay covered floor facing the front of the barn, with their wrists and ankles locked together and with a guard on either side of each captive to force them to remain in this position. Mummy was taken to a position next to Anson (at the right end of the line), where he was compelled to kneel as well and face the front of the barn as the others did. His bonds were adjusted so that he was soon unable to rise from his kneeling position, and his guards stood to either side of him to keep him upright.
Mummy scarcely had time to wonder what this was all about when Vincent, accompanied by several other uniformed boys, entered the barn from the main entrance and faced them all. Vincent was also dressed in a uniform, but his was decorated with medals of some kind and he wore a bright blue sash on his arm – making him stand out from the others.
“I will get right to the point,†he told his six prisoners. “You are now residents of our rehabilitation farm. You have been brought here to learn how to be productive and socialize with other people. To this end, you will now follow all orders given to you by anyone in uniform. Obey and be productive and you will be given privileges; including better food, warmer clothing, recreational items such as a radio to listen to, real rooms with decent furnishings; you get the idea. Disobedience, disrespect, and rebelliousness will be punished. With minor infractions by any of you, only the guilty one will be punished. Major offenses such as escape attempts by any of you will lead to punishment for all of you; particularly offenses committed by your leader.â€
Vincent fell silent. The six prisoners simply knelt and stared at him. As they were all still gagged, there wasn’t much else that they could do in any case.
“I think a little demonstration may be in order at this point,†continued Vincent. He nodded quietly to the two boys who flanked Buzzy. They immediately hoisted their captive up the shoulders, dragged him forward, and set him kneeling down in front of Vincent. At a silent nod from the deputy commandant, Buzzy’s gag was immediately removed as well.
Buzzy did not appear to be very grateful; he began swearing and threatening Vincent.
“Be quiet, and do not speak until ordered,†Vincent told him firmly.
Buzzy simply ignored him and began to swear even more loudly.
At a nod from Vincent, one of Buzzy’s guards abruptly grabbed the captive by the shoulders and forced him down kneeling low to the ground in a forced salaam. This action caused Buzzy’s buttocks to rise a foot or so into the air, leaving it fully exposed and vulnerable when the second guard took what appeared to be a riding crop and began to beat Buzzy’s posterior with it. Buzzy yelled and tried to struggle, whereupon two guards who had no prisoners of their own to be responsible for rushed forward to aid the two already flanking Buzzy. With their aid Buzzy was rendered hopelessly immobile and totally vulnerable to his punishment as the guard continued his vigorous strokes.
Finally Buzzy’s yells of hatred and outrage became whimpers of fear and pain, and the guards ceased his beating at a gesture from Vincent.
“Behave and do as I say and I’ll leave you be,†said the younger boy. “Otherwise I’ll make an example out of you as a lesson to the others.â€
Buzzy glared up at Vincent, regained some of his bravado, and unwisely told Vincent an impossible thing to do to himself. This defiance cost him another round of whipping on his already sore and bruised bottom.
“Normally, the rest of you will not be asked to anything more onerous than to perform a full honest day’s work doing ordinary farm chores,†Vincent loudly announced to the other five prisoners assembled there. “Unless you are being punished for a valid reason, we will not tell you to do anything outrageous or degrading; unlike what you have done to us from time to time. But you MUST learn discipline, and so for now Buzzy will be an exception. Watch, and reflect what happens to those of you who are disrespectful and do not immediately follow orders.â€
Vincent walked over to stand directly in front of the still kneeling Buzzy. “Kiss the tops of my feet,†Vincent commanded the bully, pointing to his polished black shoes.
Buzzy refused in no uncertain terms – uttering as many more profanities as he could. Then two of his guards began to whip him with riding crops; not just on his behind but his back and legs as well. Buzzy remained defiant for as long as he could, but in the end he realized that any moral victory he could possibly achieve was as fruitless as it was impossible. After a full five minutes of relentless beating, Buzzy finally gave in and did as he was told.
“Now you all share the punishment for Buzzy’s defiance,†announced Vincent to the others. “Each of you prisoners will kiss the feet of each of your two guards. Those that do will be immediately taken back to their cells for the night and left alone to think and sleep on it. Those who do not will remain out here for more discipline training…â€
No one else wanted any more of that! Within five more minutes the five remaining prisoners had followed their orders and were put back into their cells for the night. This time however they were not forced to stand as they were before. All were shackled in such a way that they could lie down on the hay lining the floors of their cells and try to get what sleep they could. Most were too afraid to sleep for a long time. Despite the thick wooden walls of their locked cells, they could hear some of what was happening outside them.
Buzzy had remained outside his cell for further disciplinary training.
To Be Continued ---
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...