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front of Jay's head, it was followed by the sound of a gun being cocked.
    So much for Enforcer-only guns.   "How...?"
    "Pick.   Up.   The.   Bells."   A sigh.   "Bitch, go."
    "Catch me if you can!" a voice rang out.   'Bitch,' Jay guessed.   He had a kid's voice, early teenager or younger.   Running steps faded away.   Jay didn't move.
    "Losing sight of him is as good as a death sentence, my friend."
    Jay took a chance.   "I'll get you the Chief," he said.
    "Hunter."
    "...Yes, Hunter."
    "What's your name, Enforcer?"
    "Paul," Jay answered.
    The gun lowered, slightly.   "Take off your leggings."
    "The Chief trusts me."
    "I know the rules.   And you aren't fucking following them.   Your leggings."
    Rules again? Jay gave in, reaching to his side and unstrapping his leggings with shaking fingers.   He really needed to sit down.   The flashlight tracked his motions as the leggings came off.   Blood soaked everything.   You couldn't tell where the wound was without the tourniquet marking the spot.
    "Damn," came the amused reply, "like a pig."   The boy handed the flashlight to someone, someone Jay had not noticed or heard yet.   He walked right up to Jay, gun in hand.   "You killed Paul?"   It was only then that Jay saw how he had used the gun.   His hand wore a glove of human skin around it, still fresh.   "Who are you and what's your real name?"
    "I'm new," Jay admitted.   "My name’s Jay."
    "Ahh."   The boy nodded and sniffed as if satisfied.   "Compliments."   He gave Jay a big grin and held his gloved hand out.   "I'm Gamer ," he emphasized the word oddly, speaking slowly.   "Pleased to meet you."
    Jay reached out his hand, took the skin glove in a firm grip, and shook it.   It slipped a little as he did.   His legs were weakening.   "Hey!   What's the deal?" the one who had run off, demanded.   A scroungy figure stepped into the light.   He was short and skinny, shoeless and in rags.   His hair tugged wildly around his neck.   "Is he playing or not?"
    Gamer looked at Jay and shook his head, taking his hand away.   "No, I don't think so.   I'd have to say he forfeits."
    Jay blinked, relieved as he leaned heavily into the wall for support.   He was dizzy.
    "Fine."   The kid walked up and swept the bells off the floor and crossed his arms.   "But he's gotta pay the price."
    "Thought Santa was supposed to bring gifts..." Jay mumbled.
    They ignored him.   "I know that," Gamer said, stepping back and waved a hand at the bell-carrying boy.   "Jay, meet Bitch.   Bitch, meet Jay."
    "Pleased to meet you, Jay," Bitch said.   "The punishment, Gamer."
    Gamer shrugged, he put the gun to Jay's cheek.   "Rules are rules."
    He pulled the trigger.

    "Damn good shot, Gamer," the voice, Bitch's, spoke admiringly.   "Straight.   Right through the teeth, just grazing the tongue...it's fucking textbook."
    "Yeah, but I caught his cheekbone here.   Now it's in the way."   There was a taste of metal and a sliding, then a shove.   Jay's head jerked to the side, halting abruptly.   "See?   Hold on."   Pressure on his face.   Jay opened his eyes just in time to see the boot slam down on the side of his face.   Red light exploded through his vision and faded slowly, pulsating like a heartbeat.   The metal bar emerged from just under his opposite eye, a bit of chipped bone attached to it's rounding end.   Jay tried to scream, but only moaned.   Another shove, and a there was a click in his mouth.   His head slapped the ground and Jay gagged on the bar within his mouth.   "There.   Got it," Gamer said.
    Jay squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the bubbly numbness running through his body, the queasy need to empty his stomach.   The cold bar.   He moved his tongue around the bar where teeth used to be.   Chipped bone, pain, the taste of blood that kept filling his mouth when his tongue moved.   Through it, his mind sharpened and instead of fogging his thoughts the pain seemed to make Jay more