"Why Mini?" He seemed genuinely confused "you're not that small"

"There was a guy that...decided he was going to be my protector" I mumbled around the mouthful of food "Everyone said I was a mini version of him so they started calling me Mini and it kinda stuck"  

"Was he with you when you broke into that other house?" he asked making me feel uneasy.

"No...I avoided him after he wanted me to show some...appreciation...for his protection" I felt a shiver run down my spine from the memory.  The guy had been one of those types you could easily mistake as a corpse when he was asleep, pale skin, greasy hair, rotten teeth and either dried food or vomit stuck to his face. He had a reputation around the area for someone you didn't fuck with and his protection was highly prized by some of the smaller homeless people.  Although I 'm pretty sure I don't look much better myself right now, my hair was jaw length and matted and my beard was also matted and crusty with filth.

Wildcat pushed another fork full of food into my mouth, I was starting to feel full, all those months on the street with nothing to eat must have shrunk my stomach to the size of a wallnut.  He had a bottle of water with a straw in it and I found myself trying to remember if he'd had it when he walked in, he was holding it just at the right level for me to drink and it was easily the best thing I'd had for as long as I could remember.

"take it easy or you'll make yourself sick" he huffed, sounding like some of the parents I'd heard admonishing their kids down by the beach.  Not that I thought this guy cared one way or another if I made myself sick, I wondered for a moment why I wasn't feeling anxious at the moment. I was still in danger of being killed or worse, I mean there was nothing to stop any of them from doing anything they wanted to me.  I felt a prickle of familiarity, like deja vu, it wasn't a bad feeling but it picked at the edges of my memory which frustrated me. 

"what are you thinking about"Wildcat asked suspiciously as he put the bottle on the floor and started preparing another fork full of food.

"just felt deja vu for some reason" I don't know why I felt comfortable telling him the truth, it hadn't even occurred to me to lie or keep things from him "I get it a lot but never figure out why"   

Wildcat grunted, I could just make out his eyes behind the pig mask, the most intense shade of blue that seemed to be able to look directly into my brain, I had the impression that if I did try to lie to him he'd know and deal out some kind of soul destroying punishment. 

"How did you get in that house?  we've been all around it and never seen a way in that wasn't hooked up to some insane security system"

"There was a vent under the porch...it's really small though" I felt like my eyes where getting really heavy, was I really that tired already?

"we never found a vent" he didn't seem very impressed and he was looking at me very intently

"I can show you" I mumbled barely able to keep my head up and my eyes open

"You're not getting out of here...your ass belonged to me the second you stole from me" I felt his hand grab my jaw and he forced me to look up at him, he said nothing just watched me.  I jumped a little when he suddenly lent forward and wrapped one arm around my waist, he got to his feet just as quickly.  Lifting me clear off the floor I found myself being carried bridal style across the floor to the bed, he rolled me onto my side and started to covered me over with the soft cotton and blankets.

"I'm dirty" I grumbled as I tried to resist being tucked up in bed like an over tired child.

"The only time you are allowed to get out of this bed is to use the bathroom or if one of us come and get you up" He growled pushing me back onto my side "do as you're told and I will think about letting you shower tomorrow" I stopped fighting instantly, a shower would be like a dream come true for me and he seemed to be able to read my mind.  I must have been a lot more tired than I thought I was because I don't remember Wildcat leaving, the next thing I was aware of was the clanging of the locks on the door as a guy with an eagle mask and the hockey mask guy came in and proceeded to strip off all my blankets.

"Get up fuck boi" shouted the hockey mask as he pulled me out of bed and over to the chair where the eagle guy was sitting.  I was shocked at how cold it was outside the warmth of my blankets

"Jeeze Delirious let the guy wake up a little before giving a heart attack" the eagle complained as he stirred something steaming in a bowl. 

"He's a prisoner Moo, not a pet...just hurry up and feed the fucker I have better things to do" Delirious moved over to the door and lent up against the frame with his arms crossed, I wondered if this guy was just bad tempered or if one of the things I'd stolen was his.  I mean why else would he be so pissed at me.

Moo sighed and turned his attention to me "I hope this isn't too hot for you" He turned the spoon towards me with what looked like porridge.  I wasn't too sure about eating something that looked like mush but the glare I was getting from Delirious made me realize that refusing would not be a good thing.  I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't glue itself to the roof of my mouth and burn any sense of taste I had left.  it wasn't quite hot enough to be uncomfortable and the sweetness of whatever they had put in it made me realize that I'd never had a hot meal first thing in the morning, at least that I could remember.

It wasn't lost on me that I was living better as a prisoner than I had as a free man living on the street.  these guys had given me a bed and food, which was more than I had ever had in the last eighteen months. They also weren't abusing me, except for occasionally being a little heavy handed when handling me.  I knew this wasn't going to last and I'd probably be dead at the end of it but that didn't mean I shouldn't enjoy it while it lasted.

The three of us just sat in silence for the first few spoons full of food, Moo was obviously waiting until I was awake and not hungry before he began his questioning session.

"so your name is Mini?" He ask, he sounded kinda shy but that might be because he was slightly muffled under his mask.  I nodded and finished the mouthful of food waiting for either the next question or the next spoon full of porridge. "you know there was a  lot of money in your pocket yesterday...what where you going to spend it on?"  this question kinda surprised me, what kind of captures want to know the spending habits of their prisoner.

"some clothes...a shower...something to sleep in so I didn't get cold, maybe a room at a motel for my birthday" I slowly listed what I'd fantasized about the day before.

"When's your birthday?" he asked cheerfully as if he was genuinely excited about finding out

"I've been using the date I woke up as my birthday" I mumbled not really sure how much this guy had been told.  I watched as the eagle mask tilted to one side, I wasn't sure if he was confused or suspicious of what I'd told him.

"if you could chose one thing to do right now what would it be?"

"other than leave...of course" Delirious butted in, sounding more like a moody teen than a pissed off psyco.

"um...a  shower..." I answered truthfully, I mean it was the one thing I'd been fantasizing over other than a real bed.

"not with hair like that" Delirious half growled " water and soap in that rats nest you currently have on your head would moulder and stink"  he was right, and it felt like a slap in the face, why hadn't I thought about that.  

"I'm sure we can cut out the matting so he can shower Delirious" Moo sighed as he reached out towards my head. I forced myself not to move, I didn't want to give them a reason for their mood towards me to change.

"Fuck it" Delirious spat as he pulled a large machete out from under his hoody and moved up behind me.  Grabbing my hair and hacking out any tangled masses he found, I closed my eyes and tried not to resist as he yanked my head around.  The sound of the blade slicing through my hair was almost the only thing I could hear over the pounding of my own heart, more than once I felt the cold metal against my skin so I was fairly sure that I had a few bald spots now.  

"Delirious you're being an ass!" Moo was almost yelling as Delirious' frenzy against my hair slowed down, I wonder if Moo had been protesting all the time and I just hadn't heard him.