UNDERGROUND

told Par he had killed a woman - and then written the names

of the aliens who had commanded him to do it on the walls of

her apartment in her blood.

The jewellery heister tried to warn Par to stay away from

Kentucky, who continued to liaise with the aliens on a regular

basis. But it was too late. Kentucky decided that he didn't like

the young hacker. He started shouting at Par, picking a fight.

Par stood there, stunned and confused. How should he deal

with an aggravated serial killer? And what the hell was he

doing in jail with a serial killer raving at him anyway? It was

all too much.

The jewellery heister rushed over to Kentucky and tried to

calm him down, speaking in soothing tones. Kentucky glowered

at Par, but he stopped yelling.

A few days into his stay at Rikers, Faggot Killer invited Par

to join in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. It beat watching

TV talk shows all day, so Par agreed. He sat down at the metal

picnic table where Faggot Killer had laid out the board.

So it was that Par, the twenty-year-old computer hacker from

California, the X.25 network whiz kid, came to play Dungeons

and Dragons with a jewellery thief, a homophobic murderer

and a mad serial killer in Rikers Island. Par found himself

marvelling at the surrealism of the situation.

Kentucky threw himself into the game. He seemed to get off

on killing hobgoblins.

'I'll take my halberd,' Kentucky began with a smile, 'and

I stab this goblin.' The next player began to make his move,

but Kentucky interrupted. 'I'm not done,' he said slowly, as a

demonic grin spread across his face. 'And I slice it. And cut it.

It bleeds everywhere.' Kentucky's face tensed with pleasure.

The other three players shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Par looked at Faggot Killer with nervous eyes.

'And I thrust a knife into its heart,' Kentucky continued,

the volume of his voice rising with excitement. 'Blood, blood,

everywhere blood. And I take the knife and hack him. And I

hack and hack and hack.'