Little Big Man

LITTLE BIG MAN – a serial novel by Travis Creel

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DEMOTIONS

Previously: Alex and Matti went through a perilous final day of Round Two, the loser in their group of six Tops to be demoted to a Bottom. They had begun the day in strong position but found their standing slowly eroding, eventually finding themselves almost certainly behind the rest of their group. In their last opportunity to earn points, they each picked up a little, but was it enough to save them? If either of them lost, they would lose each other's company, as Tops and Bottoms were kept socially segregated.

A parallel competition among Bottoms would result in the loser surrendering his balls to the surgeon's knife.

The competition has now ended and it is time to find out the results.

[Results of all competitions were determined by random simulation unless it would disturb the story arc of the two main characters.]

ALEX: FRIDAY, JUNE 10, EVENING – ATLANTIC OCEAN

When they called us to the gymnasium at 8:00, there was a sense of impending doom. Four of us would lose our status as Tops – and it was permanent. There was a queasiness in my bowels, wondering if this very night they would play host to an invading cock. And if I was indeed to be raped, it wouldn't be only once. Maybe six times, like Alabama was facing. [Author's Note: a penalty for speaking six words without permission – Ch. 13].

The contempt with which they treated the Bottoms – no compassion whatsoever – made me realize they would put us in our place, quickly and firmly. They would want to strip us of all dignity, of all hope, as easily and as thoroughly as they had stripped us of our clothing.

DMITRI: You have that correct, Alex. But that is only the means to an end. You have to break a man before you can rebuild him. We don't want the Bottoms to suffer a life of misery. We want them to happily serve their betters – but they must understand that their status is permanent.

The Tops that are about to become Bottoms will be better positioned to undergo that change than the ones who began as Bottoms. For they have experienced the power that comes from being a Top. I watched those 24 Tops as they went through this phase, with so much fucking. All of them, to one degree or another, grew to look at the Bottoms as objects, things to be manipulated against their will. And they all experienced the pleasure of fucking. They saw some of the joy of being a Top. That will help them transition to becoming Bottoms, though they would never acknowledge or even realize it.

As for the Bottoms: the threat of losing their testicles was the best way of getting them to comply with being fucked so often. I was amused at watching all of these 'straight' young men begging our enforcers to fuck them, so that they could keep their scrota filled. It was a good manipulative tool. Of course, we had to carry out the threat or we would lose all credibility. Four pairs of balls simply had to go.

ALEX: When we entered the gym they divided us: Tops on the left, Bottoms on the right. The Russian known to us as `Thomas' took center stage.

• I'm going to put some of your minds at rest, beginning with the Tops. I will reveal the names of those who finished in the top four within their group, sixteen in all. If you hear your name, you are safe. The remaining eight have reason to worry: Half of you will become Bottoms. I will name the sixteen in alphabetical order.

Alphabetical order. Curse the letter W – I'd have to wait until the end.

• Hawaii. Illinois. Iowa. Maryland. Minnesota.

Minnesota! Minnesota!!! Matti was safe! I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. A smile. So he had managed to finish ahead of two others – one of which was undoubtedly me. Matti's smile quickly turned back to worry on my behalf.

• Mississippi. Nevada.

Wait – Nebraska came alphabetically before Nevada. And Michigan hadn't been named! Did that mean – ? I looked at Matti. It had to be. I think I'm safe! But I wanted confirmation; I wanted to hear my name.

• North Carolina. North Dakota. Oregon. Puerto Rico. Rhode Island.

Oh thank heaven. Rhody had been so upset after the penalty in the last round.

• South Carolina. South Dakota. Wisconsin. Wyoming.

There it was. Wisconsin. Whew. I looked around at the sunken faces whose names hadn't been called.

Del. Oh, my God, Del. And D.C. I was so worried about myself and Matti I hadn't even noticed that the first name called was Hawaii, completely bypassing both of them. And Del and D.C. were in the same group, so one of them . . .

• Before I end the suspense, let's take the pressure off some Bottoms. Here are the names of the top four in your groups. Again, in alphabetical order. Alabama.

Hallelujah! I would never forgive myself if he were castrated and I thought it was because of me.

• Alaska. Arkansas. Connecticut. Idaho. Kentucky. Louisiana. Maine.

Good for Kentucky. And Rhody would be happy for Maine.

• Missouri. Montana. New Mexico. Ohio.

New Mexico and Ohio both. Good.

• Pennsylvania. Tennessee. Utah. Virginia. Washington.

I felt relief over Utah. He was an asshole, but I still felt guilt over the way we had double-crossed him. And Pennsylvania was good, he was Del's friend.

Who was missing? West Virginia, who had been such a generous cocksucker. Arizona, who had lost the rock-paper-scissors contest with Nebraska. And – no surprise - Florida. Some others. But 'Thomas' was continuing.

• The following Tops come forward: California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey. Four of you will become Bottoms from this moment forward, and will be shaved immediately. Your initiation will occur tomorrow and will be conducted by six - repeat, six - enforcers. Just so there is no doubt what your status is now. California, take one step forward.

• (California) No! No, please, no!

A maroon stepped up and slapped him on the face.

• California, you will receive twenty strokes with the strap for that offense. A light sentence, considering the disrespect exhibited in that outburst. Kansas, step forward.

The muscular, black-haired man went slack at the mention of his name, but complied.

• Delaware, step forward.

My heart sank. Not Del. Not my friend Del.

• Nebraska, step forward.

I felt sad about this one, too. Though I didn't know much about Nebraska, I respected him.

• These four will remain Tops. The rest of you are now Bottoms for the duration of this voyage.

It was the old Chorus Line trick. At the end of that show, the director called out the names of those who had NOT made the cast, making them think they were winners. The Russians had played it in reverse – naming the winners and making them think they were losers.

I felt glad for Del, but heartbroken for D.C. Michigan started to cry. I didn't really know New Hampshire or New Jersey, but I knew they were crushed.

But - zero-sum game. Somebody had to lose. And it wasn't Matti or me or Del or Noisy or Rhody. Empathy can only go so far.

The four demoted Tops were taken to the side and dumped onto the tables, face up. Then maroons began the process of removing their hair, everywhere except their eyebrows. This continued even while `Thomas' was addressing the fate of the Bottoms.

Which was the truly scary part. Balls were at stake.

• The following Bottoms step forward: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.

I had had sex with Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and West Virginia, but of those, the only one I had any affinity toward was West Virginia. The others I didn't know. Arizona had been one of Matti's overnighters - he and Georgia were white brunets. Louisiana and Oklahoma were Black, the former light-skinned, the latter dark.

• Remember that you are to maintain silence. You will take the news with dignity, with composure, and above all with obedience, or you will suffer consequences far more severe than what California earned. New York, step forward.

The Long Islander took a nervous step forward, not sure if he should be relieved or not. Was it the Chorus Line trick again – or was the trick that it WASN'T the trick?

• Georgia, step forward. Oklahoma, step forward. Florida, step forward.

The four men stood in front of the four who had not been named, all eight unsure of what this separation meant for them personally.

• You four finished last in your group. The others may return to the back wall.

I was watching Florida to see what his reaction would be. He had been so rebellious early in the week, threatening to throw himself over the side. Until they made him drink the piss of sixteen enforcers, gang-deep-throated him, and threatened him with worse. He had seemed complacent since then, but how would he react now, facing the imminent loss of his balls?

Florida stayed still.

But five seconds later, Oklahoma made a mad dash for the door. To my surprise, the Russians did nothing, and none of the maroons made a move. Oklahoma got to the door and ran out of the room, unpursued.

The Russians had self-satisfied smiles on their faces. Barely ten seconds later, Oklahoma reappeared, wriggling in the arms of four beefy maroons who had been posted outside. Two of them had hold of his arms, and two had his legs. They carried him back into the room, the Black dude cursing and struggling the entire way.

• (The Russian named `Peter') Stand him up, spread legs.

With Oklahoma so positioned, `Peter' walked up to him and kneed him in the groin. Oklahoma screamed.

The whole thing was a nightmare, for Oklahoma and for the rest of us having to watch. The brutal reality of it was hitting us all hard, making me ever so more grateful that I had escaped demotion. When you were a Bottom, things like that happened to you – and worse. Far worse.

• (`Peter', leering) How was that? Is that feel good, when I kick balls?

Oklahoma just glared at him, not answering.

• (`Richard') Answer, boy. Do you like when he kick you?

Oklahoma was full of rage.

• No, I didn't fucking like it, assholes!

I cringed, waiting for more blows to rain down on the naked African-American. But they didn't.

• (`Richard', with a smile) This one need more train.

I saw why the Russians let `Thomas' do the talking. These two were not that fluent in English.

• (`Thomas') Attitude adjustment. (to Oklahoma) Are you saying it was painful when he kicked you in the balls?

Oklahoma held his tongue this time, but nodded.

• (`Thomas') Well, if you lose your balls, you won't ever have to feel that again.

A pulse reverberated throughout the room. He had said 'if', lingering over the word as if to suggest that it wasn't a certainty. Was he dangling the hope that Oklahoma could escape castration? Had it all been a hoax to give the Bottoms incentives to want to be fucked? Or – as was more likely – was it just a mind-fuck, to taunt Oklahoma?

• (`Richard') But you still have balls at moment, so maybe you need remind of what it feels when they kicked. Perhaps you not so sorry to lose them. If that happen.

There was that word `if' again. Definitely deliberate. New York had clearly picked up on it – he seemed to have renewed hope that perhaps his manhood could survive intact. Poor devil. Surely they were just toying with him and the other losers.

Richard' nodded to Peter' who kneed Oklahoma in the groin a second time. Oklahoma doubled over, which the maroons let him do, loosening their grip on his arms. While he was down, `Peter' kicked him a third time, with his booted foot. Oklahoma let out a wail of pain so pitiful, it was like that of a wounded animal you wanted to shoot to put it out of its misery.

• You may return to your group for now.

Really? A suddenly hopeful Georgia, New York, and Florida did so. Oklahoma remained crumpled in a heap. After a couple of minutes, he managed to crawl back to the others.

The man named `Richard' took over, even though he had lousy English. But the others seemed to look to him – was he more important than the others? To date, he'd stayed mostly in the background.

• Boys, most of you do good. You have many sex, we enjoy. So we give you break, most of you. Is no more sex tonight – except Oklahoma and Alabama, who earn gangbang punish. New Bottoms will be break in tomorrow. New Eunuchs we surgery tomorrow. But all other Bottoms and sixteen remain Tops, is three days no sex.

This was such an enormous relief I could have kissed him. I knew I could not sustain the level of activity I had engaged in the last few days, even with the aid of the injections. That last blow job, from Massachusetts, had taken a long time – I just didn't have much juice in me.

Three days! Three blessed days. But then what? I remembered Latronius' smug implication that Round Two was not the end of the competition. What came after the three days? More sex? Another competition? What would be at stake - more Tops becoming Bottoms? They had said no more Eunuchs after tonight, but could we trust them?

I felt Matti tracing something on my left thigh. There was a row of guys in front of us, and I don't think anyone could see him. But I hadn't noticed what he was `saying'. He surreptitiously repeated it. It was the number 16.

Sixteen. Yes, he had said sixteen. Sixteen remaining Tops.

There were twenty of us. Surely it was a slip of the tongue. Wasn't it?

• (`Richard') Tops, you are permit ask questions if have. Bottoms have no right, you may not ask question. Tops, raise hand to be recognize.

I looked at Matti and he looked back. And then his hand went up. My heart was pounding. Any time you spoke with one of the Russians it was a risk. But they had invited it, maybe it was okay.

• Minnesota.

• I have a question, sir, if I may.

I was pleased to hear Matti call him sir', and so was Richard'.

• Sir, I noticed a moment ago that you said the sixteen remaining Tops. Beg your pardon, sir, but there are twenty of us. Was that – please, sir, I mean no disrespect – but was that a mistake or did you intend to say sixteen?

• (`Richard', smiling) Minnesota is bright boy. You notice he use proper respect in address superior. And he ask very question I was hope someone ask. No, Minnesota, I do not mistake. There are twenty now, but at end of evening only sixteen. Four more bodies will be shave. Four more asses will be fuck tomorrow.

• Round Two over, but Round Three coming up. Now.

[COMING UP NEXT: CHAPTER 15 - THE SPANKING CONTEST]