{"id":3188,"date":"2019-01-20T23:53:14","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T04:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/?p=3188"},"modified":"2022-07-23T10:52:36","modified_gmt":"2022-07-23T14:52:36","slug":"the-wanderer-part-six","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-six\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Six"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Author\u2019s Note:<br>This is an unedited, ongoing serial that will  eventually be published in novel form. Plot\/characters\/elements are  subject to change as it is being written. It\u2019s currently in 1st  person\/present tense, but I may change it to past tense, excluding the first chapter which will act as an intro. <strong>Read at your own discretion and take note of story tags below<\/strong>.<\/em><br><br><strong>Genre:<\/strong> Post-Apocalyptic sci-fi <br><strong>Tags: <\/strong>prostitution, graphic sex, large age gap, violence, theft, drug\/alcohol abuse, depression, rape, gang rape, cannibalism, murder, incest, child\/infant death and abuse, general abuse, (more to be added as the story goes)<\/p>\n\n\n<ul id=\"menu-wanderer\" class=\"menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-4605\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4605\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-1\/\">Part One<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4606\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4606\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-two\/\">Part Two<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4607\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4607\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-three\/\">Part Three<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4608\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4608\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-four\/\">Part Four<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4609\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4609\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-five\/\">Part Five<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4610\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4610\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-six\/\">Part Six<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4611\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4611\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-seven\/\">Part Seven<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4612\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4612\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-eight\/\">Part Eight<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4613\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4613\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-nine\/\">Part Nine<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4614\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4614\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-ten\/\">Part Ten<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4615\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4615\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-eleven\/\">Part Eleven<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4616\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4616\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-twelve\/\">Part Twelve<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4617\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4617\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-thirteen\/\">Part Thirteen<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4618\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4618\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-fourteen\/\">Part Fourteen<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4619\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4619\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-fifteen\/\">Part Fifteen<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-4620\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4620\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-sixteen\/\">Part Sixteen<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m still in shock as he slumps towards me\u2014I easily catch\nhim and hold him against me. He\u2019s just skin and bones, light as a feather in my\narms, and he smells like he hasn\u2019t bathed in weeks. Weakly, his arms come\naround my waist, fingers scrabbling up under my jacket to clutch my shirt as he\npresses his face to my chest. I realize he\u2019s crying and I\u2019m just frozen in\nplace, wondering what to do. After his shaking subsides a bit, I pat him\nawkwardly on the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHey, <em>padre<\/em>.\u201d I\ntry to make my voice all gentle-like, but it comes out raspy. \u201cPytre?\u201d I say\nwhen he still hasn\u2019t come up for air. The knobs of his spine fit between the\nknuckles of my splayed fingers, and I can feel his heartbeat in my fingertips. I\nmove my hand and encounter a swelling over his ribs\u2014Pytre lets out a low groan\nlike it hurts. Frowning, I carefully dislodge him from my front. In the dim\nlight of the bar, I see he\u2019s got a few smudges of sickly greenish-yellow on his\nface\u2014healed bruises\u2014and a shiny pink scar on his cheek. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Padre<\/em>, you look\nlike shit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThanks.\u201d Pytre gives me a crooked grin, then wipes his\nteary face with his palms, leaving streaks of dirt behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I beckon to the bartender and the android slides towards me.\n\u201cWater.\u201d Turning back to Pytre, I notice his once-bald head is flocked by a short\nginger growth. \u201cSo, you\u2019re a redhead.\u201d I hand him the glass of water. \u201cI like\nredheads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He smirks and quickly drinks down the water, holding the\nglass with both hands like a child. His fingernails are dirty and ragged, and\nif I\u2019m not mistaken, his left hand looks like it\u2019s landed a punch recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve still got one hand at his waist, not really holding him\u2026\njust there in case he falls. He finishes the first glass of water and I order\nhim a second. It\u2019s more expensive than the whiskey I\u2019m drinking, but I don\u2019t\ncare. \u201cSit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pytre obediently sits down on the stool next to me and sags\nagainst the bar with a sigh. \u201cI\u2019m so glad I found you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know you were looking for me.\u201d Now that my surprise is wearing off, I find myself scrutinizing him for more signs of harm. I\u2019ve got a few things going on inside me\u2014bleak fury for whatever happened to Pytre along with knee-jerk self-rebuke and mockery over the pure joy I'm feeling at seeing the Rimer again. \u201cYou come to take back the bottles I stole? Too late\u2014they\u2019re all gone.\u201d Because why in the ever-loving <em>fuck<\/em> would he be looking for me for any other reason? Right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pytre\u2019s brows jerk up in obvious surprise and I feel a little tendril of hope break free. Before I can stomp on it the way I always do when optimism tries to take root, Pytre reaches up and cups the side of my face, his big hazel eyes on mine. There\u2019s suddenly not enough room to breathe around the planet-sized lump in my throat and it\u2019s like every tiny muscle in my skin contracts at once. The touch confuses my system and for a second my body doesn\u2019t know whether it\u2019s a fight-or-flight reflex that\u2019s been triggered or if what I\u2019m feeling is just acute happiness\u2026 all I know is that my dick is at half-mast, and I\u2019m dizzy and hot like I\u2019m about to pass out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I jerk away from his hand just so I can breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t touch me.\u201d But maybe that\u2019s not what I said at all\nbecause he nods and wraps his hand around the back of my neck to bring our\nheads together. Maybe I actually said, \u201cI missed you.\u201d I honestly don\u2019t know\u2014I\ncan\u2019t hear myself over the blood pounding in my ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou're a hard man to find,\u201d he whispers into the tiny private space he\u2019s created for us. His breath is foul\u2014I recognize the stink of hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Backing away again, I take a long look at him. I'm jittery like I've just touched a live wire so I down my whiskey, hoping it help. I clear my throat.  \u201cWhen was the last time you ate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He grimaces. \u201cDay before yesterday.\u201d His eyes are bloodshot.\n\u201cMaybe the day before that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh.\u201d I look towards the door. \u201cUh, there's a place on the corner...\u201d I doubt Pytre has a credit to his name. I've already eaten into our ticket money\u2014what's a few credits more? I figure I can make it back in two days. Wait, why do I suddenly feel weird about that? Is it Pytre?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all right,\" he says. \"I just want to sit here for a bit. I can eat later.\u201d He knuckles his eye and chuckles low. \u201cYou know, at first I thought you were a hallucination when I saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want to ask him a dozen questions all at once, the\nforemost being who hurt him, but I start with, \u201cHow long have you been out\nthere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI renounced my vows the day you left. I set off the next morning.\u201d He shakes his head again. \u201cI am so glad I found you,\u201d he says again, and there\u2019s a tremor in his voice I didn't notice before, the kind that sounds like frayed nerves and exhaustion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unease has completely overshadowed any joy I felt a few minutes ago. His words put me on edge. It\u2019s too much. Who the hell throws away their lives for a shitbag like me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy the fuck would you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His smile fades and he stares at me. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat makes you think I\u2019d want you here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The corner of his lip twitches just once as he fixes me with those big doe eyes. \u201cDon\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo what? I don\u2019t know what you were expecting here but\u2026\u201d I\nshrug. My heart\u2019s doing double time and my palms are clammy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou wanted me to come with you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The certainty in his voice just spooks me further. \u201cWhy the\nfuck would you assume that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not assuming anything.\u201d He\u2019s gone cold and serene\u2014I can\u2019t\nlook him in the eye so I turn back to the bar. \u201cYou were just too much of a\ncoward to ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCoward?\u201d I laugh, and it sounds forced, even to my ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou wanted me to run away with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow do you know that? You\u2019re a mind reader now? Is that some\nsort of secret power your fucked up Rimer drugs give you?\u201d I\u2019m babbling and I\nknow it, but he\u2019s got me backed into a corner. A few of the other patrons have\nturned to watch the spectacle. I lower my voice. \u201cYou think you know my mind? Well,\nyou don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStop that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStop what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhatever this is. You don\u2019t need to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou should have stayed with your fucking cult.\u201d I\u2019m angry\nnow. Angry that he would put this on my shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou felt it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I laugh again and look over at him with a sneer. \u201cWhat? My\ndick getting hard for your virgin ass?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s like a shadow passes over his expression and is gone again, and for some reason it chills my blood. What does it mean? I grab my glass of whiskey only to find it empty, but I can\u2019t really afford another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou felt it,\u201d Pytre repeats himself. \u201cAnd you feel it now.\u201d\nHe lays a gentle hand on my forearm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I could push him away. I could even hit him\u2014he\u2019s no match for\nme. Pummel him into the ground. Or send him off running to starve and die in\nthe desert. I could do it. I could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s right. I\u2019m a coward. Only a coward would do those things. I hunch forward, leaning on the bar and close my eyes, breathing deep. His hand squeezes my arm softly, and then he rests his forehead on my shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe <em>fuck<\/em> it\u2019s all\nright,\u201d I mumble. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to be here. You want me to be here. It\u2019s that\nsimple. Now\u201d\u2014he coughs and I feel him wobble against me\u2014\u201cI think\u2026 I might\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I catch him before he falls. This time, he\u2019s properly out cold. I get off my stool and scoop him up in my arms. I make eye contact with a woman at the end of the bar and she smirks at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGo to hell,\u201d I growl at her as I push my way past and out\nonto the street. Pytre moans. \u201cYou go to hell too,\u201d I tell him, but I clutch his\nskinny body tighter to my chest. Why the fuck, after years of being on my own,\nhave I suddenly started collecting strays? I frown. Shit\u2026 what\u2019s Apple going to\nsay about this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<ul id=\"menu-wanderer-1\" class=\"menu\"><li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4605\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-1\/\">Part One<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4606\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-two\/\">Part Two<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4607\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-three\/\">Part Three<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4608\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-four\/\">Part Four<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4609\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-five\/\">Part Five<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4610\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-six\/\">Part Six<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4611\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-seven\/\">Part Seven<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4612\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-eight\/\">Part Eight<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4613\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-nine\/\">Part Nine<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4614\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-ten\/\">Part Ten<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4615\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-eleven\/\">Part Eleven<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4616\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-twelve\/\">Part Twelve<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4617\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-thirteen\/\">Part Thirteen<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4618\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-fourteen\/\">Part Fourteen<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4619\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-fifteen\/\">Part Fifteen<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-4620\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-sixteen\/\">Part Sixteen<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m still in shock as he slumps towards me\u2014I easily catch him and hold him against me. He\u2019s just skin and bones, light as a feather in my arms, and he smells like he hasn\u2019t bathed in weeks. Weakly, his arms come around my waist, fingers scrabbling up under my jacket to clutch my shirt as he presses his face to my chest. I realize he\u2019s crying and I\u2019m just frozen in place, wondering what to do. After his shaking subsides a bit, I pat him awkwardly on the back. \u201cHey, padre.\u201d I try to make my voice all gentle-like, &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Six\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-six\/#more-3188\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Wanderer &#8211; Part Six\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[72],"tags":[815,814,316],"class_list":["post-3188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beys-tales-writing-2","tag-desert","tag-dystopian-future","tag-queer-sci-fi"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bar-yellow.jpg?fit=1200%2C918&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4sexs-Pq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3754,"url":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-fourteen\/","url_meta":{"origin":3188,"position":0},"title":"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Fourteen","author":"Bey","date":"April 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Apple is no longer straddling my lap\u2014we\u2019re sitting side by side on the bed watching Pytre as he slowly undresses in front of us. He\u2019s keeping his eyes averted and his cheeks are so red they\u2019re almost burgundy. After painstakingly folding his shirt, he places it on the other bed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bey's Tales&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bey's Tales","link":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/category\/writing-2\/beys-tales-writing-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/W14.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/W14.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/W14.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/W14.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/W14.png?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3402,"url":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-ten\/","url_meta":{"origin":3188,"position":1},"title":"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Ten","author":"Bey","date":"April 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Apple won\u2019t meet my eye as he moves around the room packing his few belongings. \u201cYou can\u2019t be serious,\u201d I say, laughing. \u201cTurk\u2019s just looking to make a few bucks off your ass.\u201d He stops and glares at me before resuming. \u201cHe says he loves me,\u201d he replies, his tone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bey's Tales&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bey's Tales","link":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/category\/writing-2\/beys-tales-writing-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W10.jpg?fit=1200%2C653&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W10.jpg?fit=1200%2C653&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W10.jpg?fit=1200%2C653&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W10.jpg?fit=1200%2C653&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W10.jpg?fit=1200%2C653&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3372,"url":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-nine\/","url_meta":{"origin":3188,"position":2},"title":"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Nine","author":"Bey","date":"March 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cSo, who is he?\u201d Finally. I look over at Pytre. He\u2019s lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling like I\u2019ve been doing for the past hour. \u201cRemember the Gulchtown boy-whore?\u201d I ask. Slowly, Pytre turns to face me, his hazel eyes wide. \u201cHow is he alive?\u201d I figure he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;My Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"My Life","link":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/category\/my-life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/W9.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/W9.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/W9.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3427,"url":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-eleven\/","url_meta":{"origin":3188,"position":3},"title":"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Eleven","author":"Bey","date":"April 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In the center of the room, a man is hanging upside-down, suspended from his ankles from a metal frame, his legs held apart. A woman in high heels is helping another man feed a big chain into the first guy\u2019s ass. I wince, watching the thick greased links slip into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bey's Tales&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bey's Tales","link":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/category\/writing-2\/beys-tales-writing-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W11.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W11.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W11.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.beydeckard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/W11.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3313,"url":"https:\/\/beydeckard.com\/blog\/the-wanderer-part-eight\/","url_meta":{"origin":3188,"position":4},"title":"The Wanderer &#8211; Part Eight","author":"Bey","date":"March 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By the time Pytre is done eating, his lap is buried under a pile of discarded plasti-form wrappings. Frankly I\u2019m amazed by how much he just put away. \u201cFull?\u201d I ask, thinking again about the dwindling credit situation. 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