The Caged Boys

By Matthew Stephens

When William's family is driven out of their village by Mr. Black and his evil band of "Dark Men", he is forced to live off the land to survive. Years later his son, Junior, is kidnapped and taken to Mr.Black's cave where he is forced to fight to the death in the epic "Cage Battles"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Stephens
• Release date: Feb 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465804716

Matthew Stephens

I'm an avid reader and love to write. I am married with two boys and reside in Minnesota. Some of my favorite authors are Stephen King,Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Peter Straub, Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, Thomas Harris, Dan Brown, Cormac McCarthy, My new favorite- Bentley Little, and many many more. I'm willing to read any author who has a great idea and is able to express his ideas in a way I can relate(at least with the characters) and understand clearly. I revise constanly and still don't end up satified, but i guess that is something that will come in time, hopefully. I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. I am currently working on a novel, but I will try to upload new short stories from time to time, mostly free to read. I believe if I'm going to charge anything it should be at least 4,000 words or more. A lot of the stories I post are old and had been written years ago, but I think they still have good potential (After endless revising and I know they're still not perfect). P.S. you can find my newest stories under M.D. Stephens. I will no longer be posting stories under this pen name. I am taking a different approach and trying to appeal to a broader audience. I thank all of you who have read these stories, and I urge you to check out my other profile where there is some exciting stuff to come. My attempt from now on is to write stories without all the sexual situations and extreme graphic violence. I believe if I'm a good enough writer, I should be able to entertain without being so gritty and explicit. I'm not going to completely abandon the darker side, but for now, I'm going to tone it down. the link for my new profile is below. Thanks for your time. Matt

Book preview

-1The Caged Boys

A Novel By

Matthew David Stephens

Copyright 2012 by Matthew Stephens

Published by Smashwords

Chapter One

Junior woke up to his father bent over him and shaking his shoulder lightly. He knew the reason for being awoke at such an early time and got up with no objections. It was the same everyday for the Smith family. A day full of chores that was necessary for their survival. He met his father outside and wished him a good morning. After his father returned the greeting, they grabbed four steel pails and headed for the river.

William Smith had settled his family just far enough from the Silver Snake River not to be noticed from what the old townsfolk call, The Dark Men. He had built their humble home with his bare hands and the rare essentials available- just as many of the other non-believers had done. It wasn’t the life he had envisioned for his wife and two children, but as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. He could have folded under the pressure and been a lot better off, but he was a strong believer in what was morally right, and the people who conformed to Mr. Black and his Dark Men didn’t seem to have morals, and they definitely were NOT right.

William walked with Junior through a large hay field, both lugging the pails at their sides. It was a beautiful day with a light breeze to keep them comfortable from the heat that would otherwise have them sticky with sweat. The breeze would not be able to compete with the boiling summer sun that was peaking over the horizon, and in a couple of hours they would be drenched. So for the time being, they reveled in the comfort of the early day and found themselves in rather good spirits. As they marched through the tall grass, a conversation began that led to a question William had feared Junior would eventually ask.

Dad? Does everyone live this way?

William stopped in his tracks and turned to his boy. He smiled at the curious look in Junior’s eyes. He knelt down in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure what to tell him, or how much to tell him for that matter. The boy was only ten, and there are some things that virgin ears don’t need to hear until their old enough to completely understand it. So he decided to answer with a question in an attempt to deter him from hearing the awful truth.

And what is so wrong with the way we live? He knew that Junior knew better than to complain about the work. If there was one thing he tried to instill in his son, it was the fact that a man doesn’t get anywhere unless he works hard for it.

Well, nothing I guess. Junior looked down from his father’s eyes-afraid to upset him. I just wonder where everybody else is, and why you always seem to be scared, or hiding from people.

There it was. There was no possible way to dance around it now. He should have known that his son would eventually want to know why every time a person came by their hut, he would hurry the wife and children inside while he talked to the stranger. He decided his boy had earned the right to know.

It’s complicated my boy, and your father should have probably told you earlier of the reasons for his actions, but you see, not everyone out there is a good person. In fact, some are down right dangerous, dangerous to you and our family. I tried to hide it from you because I don’t want you to think that everyone out there is a bad guy. But it is very necessary in this day and age to treat everyone like a bad guy until you get to know them. William stopped and lifted Junior’s chin to look in his eyes. He wanted to make sure the boy understood, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure he wasn’t scaring him.

It’s hard to tell you this. But to answer your question, No…not everyone lives like us. In fact, there are people just across the river that live in big nice houses and never have to fend for food like us. They have places to go and get meals that are already prepared and way more delicious then anything you ever tasted. He studied Junior’s face for any sign of tears or hurt. He felt he might be being a little harsh with his words, but it was the reality of things.

Why can’t we live there? Junior asked not seeming hurt, just curious.

Well, that’s where it gets a little more complicated, and some of it you’re just too young to know. What I can tell you is, your father did live there at one time and so did you, but you were just a baby. Your mother and I had a nice house and you even had your own room. We thought every thing was perfect and we would be able live like those across the river. But then one day a very bad man had decided he wanted to take our town under siege. William stopped when he saw Junior’s face wrinkle in a gesture that clearly meant he was having trouble understanding.

What I mean is…that very bad man wanted the town for himself and if you didn’t want to follow his rules, then you were abolished, which means forced to move out and start a life without help from others.

Why is he so bad?

Now we’re getting to some of the parts you’re too young to hear. I’ll tell you what, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me anytime and I’ll answer the best I can, but for now we got get back to work. Daylights burning.

They walked to the river and filled their pails with water. To William’s surprise, Junior asked no more questions about the past or their current living conditions the whole way back. William didn’t know if he would ever be able to work up the courage to tell his son of the real evil that Mr. Black and his men possess.

William had never seen the infamous Mr. Black in person. He just got vague descriptions from the people that used to be his friends and neighbors. It all started with what the town thought were just a couple of troublesome cowboys who liked to raise hell on their beloved community for shits and giggles. At first, they would appear in the saloon and heckle the patrons that were too drunk to defend themselves. It mostly consisted of smashing a few glasses and giving a few people a nice beer shower before riding off into the night laughing and cackling like a bunch of loons. Sure, it was a pain in the ass for the bar keeps, and the ones who were just trying to have a good time after an honest days work. But compared to what was coming, the people would have much rather gone home with a hurt pride and a beer soaked shirt.

It didn’t take long before more and more of these outlaw trench coat wearing cowboys came strolling into town on their horses. They would trot their stallions up and down the streets in broad daylight harassing the men and feeling on their women. Eventually, the rowdiness stopped and it seemed they were on a more serious mission. They actually were trying to become chummy with some of the locals.

William was not much of a drinker, so the first time he ever laid eyes on a Dark Man was when he was on his way into Eddie’s market to pick up a loaf of bread. He stopped when he heard the words being said to his neighbor, old man Henry.

A change is upon you. The scruffy long-haired cowboy said standing next to his horse and holding the old man’s arm. You have a choice to either change with it, or suffer your own fate.

William felt he had no choice but to try and step in and help his old friend.

You want to get your hands off of him. William was standing behind Henry and pulling him away from the stranger. The cowboy jerked his head up at William like a snake that feels threatened.

You ought to mind your own business, partner! William felt that if looks could kill, he would be one dead man. The smell of stale whiskey wafted from the man and William knew that he had gotten himself into more than he bargained for.

I’m not looking for any trouble. I’m just concerned for the old man’s heart. William patted Henry’s chest. And you seem to be pressing him a little.

I’m just trying to explain that change is upon you. You’d be best not to cross me Mr.- The cowboy moved in a little closer. I’m sorry; I didn’t catch your name.

Well, seeing how we’re not exactly becoming friendly here, I think it’s best if I don’t say.

The stranger gave an amused smile and hopped on his horse. It’s okay; we’ll be talking very soon. Then he took off down the street as if he were trying to win a race. Henry thanked William and they went about their day. He didn’t like the fact that he got involved in the altercation because a part of him knew, deep in his gut, that the stranger would make good on his word. It was a week later that his gut would prove him right.

Chapter Two

There had been talk around town of the cowboys that the town referred to as, The Dark Men, but no one really knew what to make of it. They couldn’t understand what these vigilantes were actually threatening, and they weren’t sure if the situation should be taken seriously. Men started planning to get a group together in order to drive these hooligans out of town the next time they showed their ugly faces, but before they could actually get it organized, the whole town was taken by surprise.

It was well into the night and William had been in the middle of a pleasant dream when the sounds of trampling hooves and panicked screams woke him. He sat upright in bed and stared at his wife who was awakened by the commotion as well. He climbed out from under the warm blankets and drew back the curtains of the bedroom window. He motioned for his wife to come over. They watched in horror as hundreds of horses, with the dark men propped on top, galloped up and down the street. Some were off their horses and ransacking their neighbor’s homes. Betty, the always reliable neighbor when you need a cup of sugar or a good conversation, was being dragged down her front steps in her nightgown against her will. She struggled to get away, but the men held firm and seemed to be enjoying themselves. William’s wife gasped as the man on the left of Betty squeezed her breast with what seemed like painful force. The two Dark Men laughed as Betty pleaded for them to stop. Shortly after, two more came out holding Betty’s husband. He was motionless. They dragged him down the front steps and threw him on top of a horse like a sack of potatoes.

William’s newborn baby began to wail in the next room, and that sent him into motion. He grabbed his wife by the wrist and pulled her into the baby’s room. He scooped the boy up with his free arm and headed for the back door. He was just thinking they might get away unharmed when the back door was kicked open and two men stepped in front