The decoy

Chapt 10

Chapter Ten

            It was almost three years after Sebastian Clarke had begun to live with Deacon Hill that Hill took him back to Vegas.

            Sebastian had worked hard to ingratiate himself with Hill. Now he had moved out of the barn and was living in a small basement room in the house, although he was always locked in his room at night. There was no doubt that although he had played along with Hill, they both realized he would kill Hill if given the chance.

He also had full access to the library and limited access to the computer. These were wonderful luxuries and allowed Sebastian to educate himself and escape into written worlds far from his detention.

            Sebastian spent his days on the ranch caring for the dogs and horses. He also had buried many millions of dollars in drug money all over the ranch. The location of the money was only known to Sebastian and Hill and of course to Hill's partner the red headed cop. The cop would arrive about every five or six months. He would leave with the crystal meth that had been produced in the lab and he would give them money which Sebastian would bury in the exact location that Hill and the Cop told him.

            Hill treated Sebastian with a mix of cruelty and approval. He had quickly learned how smart Sebastian was. Hill thought of himself as much smarter than most people and he felt somehow that Sebastian and he were kindred spirits.

            Sebastian was no longer the chubby little boy that had been snatched off the streets. He was now a muscular young man of sixteen who had built his muscles working on the ranch. He tried to eat well and didn't mind the hard work which Hill assigned him. Building his muscles and exercising his brain were his focus during captivity and having these two objectives kept him from wallowing in misery. He knew that a captive needed purpose to maintain his sanity and Sebastian was able to avoid sinking too deeply into depression.

            For the most part, Hill trusted Sebastian now. He had purposely given him lots of opportunities to escape, leaving him alone throughout the ranch. Hill even gave him tools that could be used as weapons. Hill knew there was always a gun, stock prod or taser hidden close by but he assumed the boy would not know that.

Hill was sure he had broken him down and he now had a willing protégé. He often told Sebastian that he had become Hill's "Tyro" and that as such they would build a fortune and enjoy it together. Hill had trained horses and dogs and he enjoyed shaping the boy. Sebastian would become another guard dog.

But Sebastian waited.

He knew that when Hill handed him a shovel or an axe that it was a test. He realized that his captor would be prepared to defend himself. Sebastian knew that running away into the desert was likely a death sentence and that Hill would wait long enough for Sebastian to exhaust himself and then he would arrive on a horse and drag Sebastian back to the barn.

He knew that Hill was testing him then and he had to pass the test to survive this imprisonment. Hill was toying with Sebastian but slowly Sebastian was turning the tables. He would convince the man that he was a willing slave until he had grown and was strong enough and he played along ever mindful of the dangers of becoming drawn in like so many captives do. He would not let the desire to build a relationship with this monster, the need to get access to better food, and books, confuse his ultimate goal.

He would kill Deacon Hill soon enough.

            "We are going into the city. I'm going hunting," Hill said.

            Sebastian was splitting wood. He put the axe down and slipped on his shirt. This was news that was almost too thrilling to be believed but he reacted calmly.