Page 7 of Rat

“Nothing,” Captain mumbled. He looked down at the table, then lifted his head. “I’ve trained many young men for battle.They come to me like you, and I toughen them up. This time ahead is going to be a war, and I’m only going to be with you for a few years of it. The quicker I toughen you up, the longer you’ll survive in here.”

They ate their breakfasts in silence, then Captain left to unpack his things into his cell.

“I take it back,” Ollie blurted.

“What?” Rory said.

Ollie looked longingly at the cell Captain had disappeared into. “I bloody wish he was my cellmate.”

They’d spent the day learning about the prison routine and the other inmates. Rory avoided Pauly’s glances but couldn’t stop seeking out Sebastian, doing his best to get a read on his new cellmate. As far as he could see, Sebastian spent most of his time prowling the top landing, watching the inmates below.

A fight broke out over pool, a small scuffle that ended as soon as Sebastian yelled down at them to ‘cut it out’. The two quarrelling men backed away from each other, and calm was temporarily restored.

It was half past seven when the officers started calling out, “Lock up.”

The officers waved them to their feet. Rory exchanged a nervous look with Ollie, then they both went to their respective cells. Ollie was on the bottom, Captain on the first, and Rory right at the top on the second floor.

When he walked inside the cell, Sebastian was scrubbing his teeth by the sink. He didn’t turn to Rory, and he snuck inside before heaving himself onto the top bunk.

Sebastian paused with his toothbrush in his mouth and linked eyes with Rory in the mirror. A few tense seconds passed. Rory held his breath, expecting something to happen, then the scrubbing resumed, followed by Sebastian spitting in the sink.

“If you’re worried about me forcing myself on you, that doesn’t interest me.”

Rory was hit by a wave of relief, then his stomach soured, and he picked at the mattress.

“What about Teddy?” he whispered.

Sebastian spun around and snapped, “Speak up!”

His tone and words hit Rory like a whip, and he stopped picking nervous holes into the mattress and sat up straight. “I said what about Teddy?”

Sebastian snorted. “You’re worried about your new friend, are you?”

“Yeah.”

“Young, good-looking… How old is he?”

“Eighteen.”

Sebastian tugged off his T-shirt, and Rory raked his eyes over his defined chest, the dark hair that trailed down, then looked away with a dry mouth.

“Only a kid.”

“Teddy’s not going to hurt him, right?”

“I doubt it.”

Rory closed his eyes and sighed in relief. “Good.”

“Teddy, he looks hard and has this crazy side, but he’s a softy. He gets attached to his cellmates, feels responsible, gets protective. Your friend’s lucky to end up in a cell with him, luckier than you are at least.”

Rory swallowed. “What does that mean?”

“Means I’m not going to hurt you in this cell, but outside of it, I don’t care what happens to you. Some guy wants to use your teeth as dice, not my problem. Some guy wants to see how painaffects the pitch of your voice, don’t come crying to me. Some guy wants to see how quickly you bleed out, don’t stain my bed. Understand?”

“I understand.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he smiled. “Good, now get ready for bed.”

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