Flight 12

Flight 12 – a serial novel by Travis Creel

CHAPTER 24: MOVIN' ON UP?

Previously:

• Leo recruits Al, Theo, Piers, Stan, Paul and Dai to join his escape plan, made easier when Ian gives him the code to the room Percy uses to exit to the surface. Leo is unaware that the code works only on odd-numbered days; Ian has advised Stan not to join the plot.

• Stan is slated for castration on the 11th, but Hamish threatens to substitute Ian if Ian does not provide tangible proof of his loyalty.

• Jordan and Miles's arrival on the island prompts a reconsideration of the physics'; consultants determine that one of The Twelve' must now be sacrificed, and that the choice of victim should be entrusted to the Twelve themselves; the Board recommends that Lucas be allowed to decide.

• • • • • • • • MONDAY, DECEMBER 10 * * * * * * * *

[Author's Note: Events in this chapter, while concurrent with those of the previous chapter, take place entirely underground.

This chapter contains a development some readers may find unsettling, a by-product of the ancient myth which inspired this story; the linkage will be explained at the story's conclusion. Bear in mind this statement from my introduction to Chapter One: "As in any adventure story worth its salt, danger is an element and occasional casualties may be incurred. When they are, it is purely to advance the plot and heighten suspense."]

THE DORMITORY - DAI

• Paul, are you with me? We've got to do this.

• Dai, it's dangerous!

• Staying here is dangerous. You know they're castrating left-siders?

• . . . They are?

• They are. And the next day they disappear. Rumor has it they're . . . disposed of.

• Disposed of? You mean - ?

• Yeah.

• . . . Oh.

• Oh, indeed.

• Do we know that for sure? Maybe they're up with Seth and the others.

• If so, it's without their balls. That's why four left-siders have joined Leo. We should too, Paul.

• I'm scared, Dai. But I don't want to lose you. Count me in for now. I'll let you know if I change my mind.

Please, Paul, come with me. I want you, and I want to escape. Both.

THE DORMITORY – PAUL

Dai was so set on trying to escape. Leo said there was a room from which you could get to the surface. You needed a code to enter the room, but Leo claimed to have it. But I didn't like putting my fate in the hands of Leo. And I wasn't convinced by Dai's argument that they couldn't do much to us that they hadn't done already. I figure there's a lot they could do. I've seen Game of Thrones.

We didn't have much contact with left-siders, but I knew who they were. I sought out the one named Stan, who didn't seem to know me.

• Remind me, you're . . .

• Paul.

• Paul, yes. One of the ones Leo –

• That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

• Are you doing it?

• Why are YOU doing it, Stan?

• I'm not.

• Leo said you were.

• I changed my mind.

• (whoa, that was a surprise) Why? Dai – my friend – wants to do it. I think it's dangerous. But I don't want him to go without me.

• Tell him not to.

• Why?

• I . . . just tell him not to.

• Because?

• Listen, I can't really talk about it.

• You know something.

• . . . I know it's a bad idea.

• Leo has a code. As long as no one sees us –

• Paul. Talk Dai out of it. The code won't work. That's all I can say.

I had to convince Dai not to do it. I headed back to the dormitory to -

• And where do you think YOU'RE going?

Stefan. Shit.

• Has anybody fucked you yet today, Paul? I know I haven't, and neither has Lucas. It's time for a little double-stuffing, I think. Two cocks in your ass, and then two cocks in your mouth, then one in each end, and then we'll trade places. How does that sound?

It sounded like I was going to be busy for a while. I just hoped that when it was over I still had time to warn Dai.

THE THRONE ROOM – IAN

• Ian, if you're here to plea for Kowalczyk, it's no use. His balls go tomorrow. Or yours.

• Hamish, that's not why I'm here.

• Are you here with proof of your loyalty?

• Yes, actually, I am.

• I am astonished. Go ahead. Impress me.

• There will be an escape attempt today.

• An escape attempt. You know this because?

• Because they tried to recruit Stan. He refused, and told me about it so that you could stop it.

That is, he told me because he wanted me to escape with him. But why quibble over details?

• Why did he want to stop it?

• He thought it had little chance of success, and would only make things worse.

• Well, he's right about that. Just how do they intend to escape? No one's ever managed it before.

• They know how Percy goes to the surface. He enters a code into the keypad for a room on the Sex Wing. Then he slides up a pole to the surface.

• . . . How do YOU know this?

• I witnessed it. Unfortunately, someone else did, too. And he launched an escape plot.

• How do they think they're going to get in there? They don't have the code.

• I'll tell you their plan. Here's the price: Stan's safety – and mine.

• Another Twelve is due tomorrow. I have to take a pair of balls or we'll be out of balance.

• So take them. Just not Stan's. Or mine.

• . . . Okay. Deal.

• Really?

• Really. But if you've spun me a yarn, I'll neuter you both with a dull knife.

• Understood. Okay, here's the story – they think they know the code. I gave them yesterday's code, which they saw work – yesterday – so they're confident. But they don't realize it won't work today.

• Cute, Ian. Who's involved in this pathetic little plot?

• I'm not telling you, because some of them might back out and shouldn't be punished if they do. But show up at 1:30 and you'll catch them red-handed. And if you need to take a pair of balls tomorrow, you'll have some left-siders to choose from.

• The conspirators are left-siders?

• Left-siders and Twelves, both.

• Very well, Ian. Kowalczyk will be spared – as will you. PROVIDED that your information pans out.

• It will.

I hope.

THE DORMITORY – LEO

It was time. We were in our window of opportunity, twelve-thirty to two, it was the perfect moment to slip unsupervised into the Sex Wing and slide up the pole to the surface. I had to hope the tower would be visible from wherever we emerged. If we could reach the tower before they caught us, we should be safe – Seth and the others would protect us.

I didn't look forward to a reunion with my father. He would excoriate me for leaving the group, supposedly for a call of nature, when in fact I was responding to the siren call of the amber dodecagon. Okay, I'll take the shit from the self-righteous Sir Edward, eat humble pie in front of Seth and Harry, apologize to Jasper and Vic and Cody for lying to them when I wandered off. Just get me the fuck out of here.

Running into Ian yesterday was a godsend. I was nervous about our ability to force the code from Percy – we'd have to go pretty far to scare him that badly. Now we won't have to. I hadn't trusted Ian until he showed me that the code worked. But it did. I guess life here isn't so great for lieutenants either.

I don't have the world's best memory, so I wanted a back-up. I couldn't count on Ian showing up, so I told him to give the code to Dai. Asians are smart; Dai would remember it.

I'd told Ian 1:30 but I still didn't trust him entirely, so I moved it up to 1:15. An extra margin of safety. With the code in Dai's brain, who needed Ian anymore? If he missed out, it was no skin off my back.

THEO'S CELL – PIERS

• Ready, Theo?

• As ready as I can be. Piers, I hope we're doing the right thing.

• We're doing the right thing. Look, they castrated Yiannis, and Curtis, and that red-headed guy whose name we never even learned. Stan says once you're a eunuch, the next day you're dead. And someone's to be cut tomorrow.

• I heard. Doesn't mean it's either of us, but still –

• Doesn't mean it's NOT either of us. Our ranks keep getting smaller, Theo – if we don't get out of here, it WILL be one of us. It will be BOTH of us.

• I know, Pyramus. I'm nervous, but I'm going.

• Deep breath, Thisbe. Pick up Al and Stan on the way?

AL'S CELL – AL

• Stan's not coming.

• What? I thought he was your friend.

• He IS my friend, Piers. But he backed out. He's scared.

• Of course he is. I'm scared. Theo's scared. Leo's scared. I imagine Paul and Dai are scared. But it's now or never.

• Yeah. Okay. Let's go.

THE DORMITORY – DAI

I didn't know where Paul was. a lieutenant had grabbed him for his personal gratification, but Paul should have been back in the dormitory by now.

It was nearly 1:15. I couldn't wait any longer. When last I spoke to him, he said he was in. He knew where to go; I had to assume he would meet me there. The worst thing would be if he showed up and I wasn't there.

Heart pounding. Paul – be there!

THE THRONE ROOM – ABE

My ankles were in leather restraints. The restraints were connected to a foot spreader, forcing my ankles nearly a yard apart. My wrists were also in leather restraints, chained to the ankle restraints, both connected to long chains suspended from the ceiling. As a result, I was suspended in mid-air, legs splayed and asshole exposed. Percy had encased my head in a hood and I could see nothing.

My hole was slathered with lubricant and probed with an invading finger, readying me for the inevitable invading cock. This was one of Percy's favorite positions, fucking me while I was hanging in mid-air. The stress on my wrists and ankles was nearly unbearable, but as he had put me in this position almost every day, I was slowly getting used to it and adapting.

I felt myself lowered by a couple of feet. This confused me. My ass would now be only about a foot above the floor; Percy always drilled me while standing.

• (Hamish) Go ahead, boy. You've been a good doggie, you deserve a reward.

Barry! I was stunned. Barry – Flight 12's pilot who had been relegated to the role of Hamish's personal pet and cumdump – was being granted access to my ass?

I rarely saw Barry on two legs, so it made sense that I was being lowered to his level. I felt him grab my thighs as he scooched closer to me, apparently `walking' on his knees.

Aaaagh. In it went. He was thicker than Percy, and its thickness startled me. Barry made no thrusting motion – he pulled me back toward him, rocking me back and forth like a pendulum onto his dick, which equaled Percy's in length while surpassing it in girth.

The feel of his cock against my prostate and the rhythmic intensity with which he pummeled my innards sent me into a déja-vu moment. It felt like Sean's cock up my ass.

Sean, with whom I had cheated on Seth.

Why had I done that? I loved Seth – didn't I? I never loved Sean. Yet I had seen him for months behind Seth's back. The feel of Barry's cock – so like Sean's – as he fucked me sent shudders of guilt coursing through my body. They were both great fuckers – but so was Seth.

I think it was my fear of commitment. I wanted to settle down – and yet I didn't. Being with just one man was too terrifying to me. I had to hedge my bets.

• (Hamish) Go on boy, plow the shit out of him. Good boy, good boy. Make him your bitch.

Yeah, the double-entendre worked. Barry was a dog, and I was his bitch. The vigor with which he plowed into me was thrilling and I almost wished he was my master instead of Percy.

But the next time I heard Hamish, he didn't sound pleased.

• Seriously? You come barging in while I'm watching Barry mount this bitch? It better be important.

• (unidentified voice) I'm sorry, sir, but it IS important.

• Yes? Barry, pull out. I can't listen to this with you distracting me like that.

I felt Barry's long cock withdraw from my anus – to my regret.

• Sir, we captured one of the intruders.

Intruders?

• Really? Which one?

• King, sir. He wandered into a penis portal.

• How did that happen? Clothing is supposed to make them immune from capture.

• He wasn't wearing clothing, sir.

• He was naked?

• Apparently he had just had a sexual encounter with one of the Twelve. Victor Torrance.

• Where is he now?

• We stored him in Sex Room D. I'll take you to him.

• Perce, let's go. Barry, you come, too. You can walk on two legs.

I heard them leave the room while I hung there, suspended. Hoping they wouldn't be gone long. My arms and hamstrings were aching.

STAN'S CELL – IAN

I stopped by my room to check on Stan.

• I couldn't persuade them, Ian. I think I got through to Paul – he's going to stop Dai – but not the others. Al came by two minutes ago, hoping I'd still go with them. I said no. He left with Piers and Theo. I wished them luck, what else could I do?

• Wait – they left? Already?

• Al said they'd moved it up to 1:15.

• Shit. I told Hamish 1:30. Don't move.

THE DORMITORY – PAUL

Dammit, Dai was not in the dormitory. He must have gone with Leo. I had to stop him.

OUTSIDE THE EGRESS ROOM – LEO

One three eight. Five seven zero. Damn, what was next?

One three eight. Five seven zero. After zero was . . . three? I couldn't remember. Thank god I had Dai as a back-up. Only he wasn't here yet.

I should have had a second back-up. But who could I trust to remember it and show up? Al was a dumb grocery clerk. The two Blacks from the Bahamas – I don't think so. Paul I didn't trust. Stan was smart, but I wasn't sure he'd show up. Ian knew the code, and he MIGHT show up, but I'd told him 1:30, so he wouldn't come for fifteen minutes.

Hell, I wasn't sure anyone was showing up.

To my relief, I saw Al, Theo and Piers rounding into the corridor. Thankfully, being nude – and therefore in bare feet – meant walking could be done quietly. I waved, finger to my lips, and motioned them down the hallway to the door with a keypad.

• (Al, whispering) Stan's not coming.

• Dai and Paul?

• (Al) So far as we know.

• We need Dai. He has the code.

I heard something down the hall. I looked up: Dai, in something between a walk and a run. Whew!

• Dai, the code. One three eight. Five seven zero. What's next – three?

• (Dai) Nine. Nine one two three five four.

• Yeah, yeah, that's right. I remember now.

• (Dai) But wait – Paul's not here.

• That's his problem.

• (Dai) We can't leave without him! Can't you just hold up for a couple of minutes?

• I've already started the code. If I stop, it might time out. Nine one two three five four, right?

• (Dai) Yeah. But –

• Shh. Nine one two.

• Wait!

Three. Five.

One number left. I lifted my finger toward the four.

OUTSIDE THE EGRESS ROOM – DAI

Not without Paul! I reached to grab his hand before he could enter the last digit, four. I failed. Leo had completed the code.

And nothing happened.

• (Leo) What the fuck? It's supposed to open! I saw it open. It works.

• (Al) Maybe you entered it wrong.

• (Piers) You were nervous, Leo. You might have hit a wrong button.

• (Leo) I told you I wasn't good at numbers.

• (Al) Dai, you try it.

• I will – when Paul gets here.

Just then I heard footsteps – rapid, soft footsteps. Like someone running in bare feet.

It was Paul. Thank God – now we can both get out of here!

• Paul, you made it!

• (Paul) Don't enter that code. It won't work.

• (Leo) I SAW it work. Dai, you press the buttons.

• (Paul) Dai, don't.

• Paul, it'll be fine. Stop fussing. We've got to leave – NOW.

• (Leo) One three eight five seven zero.

• Yes, I know. (pressing buttons) One three eight five seven zero.

• (Paul) Dai, don't.

• (Leo) Nine one two three five four.

• (Paul) DON'T!

I stopped. Something in his voice convinced me that he was acting on more than fear – he KNEW something.

And then I heard more footsteps. These were made by shoes.

THE CORRIDOR NEAR THE EGRESS ROOM – PERCY

Ian had told Hamish 1:30; we wanted to catch them in the act, so we didn't want to show up early. But then the news came about Miles King and we headed off to the Sex Wing to check it out – and there they were. All huddled around the Egress Room, trying to enter in the code Ian had given them – the code that only worked on odd-numbered days.

The Japanese boy – Omi – was pushing buttons. Two other Twelves were with him – Eton and young Niemann, along with three left-siders: Casey, and (it broke my heart) my sexy Bahamians. Kowalczyk was not present, just as Ian had said.

The interrogation of Miles King would have to wait. First we had to interrogate those in the hallway.

OUTSIDE THE EGRESS ROOM – DAI

• (Hamish) So you actually thought you could escape? Fools. No one escapes. Ever. You'll have to be punished. (to me) Are you the leader of this little rebellion?

• What? Me? No.

• Then who is?

Oh, fuck. I didn't want to rat on Leo. On the other hand, neither did I want to take the rap. And MY fingers were on the keypad when they arrived.

I hesitated. And then I was rescued.

• (Paul) He is. Leo. He's the leader.

• (Leo) The hell I am. Didn't you see who was entering the code? I didn't want to do it, Dai pressured me into coming.

• (Paul) You fucking liar!

• (Leo) You're the liar, Paul. Of course you want to protect your boyfriend. Go ahead, blame me, I'm easy to blame, I'm the rich kid, son of a British knight – sure, blame Leo for all your troubles, when it was your boyfriend who started this.

• (Hamish) You! Casey. Who's the leader?

• (Al) I – I'd rather stay out of this if you don't –

• (Hamish) You're not out of this. You're dead in the middle of this. You have two options – answer my questions or I turn you over to the Trio and tell them to go as far as they like – and beyond.

• (Al) Well, it was Leo who asked me to join.

• (Leo) Of course it was. Dai made me his messenger. But it was his idea. I don't even know the code. He made me recruit the others. You know those Asians – they're manipulative.

• (Paul) You fucking, fucking liar!

• (Hamish, slapping Paul hard) ENOUGH! (to Piers) What say you?

• (Piers) I thought it was Leo's idea, but – I don't know, it could have been Dai's, I guess.

• (Hamish, to Theo) What say you?

• (Theo) Well, like they said, Leo asked us. But Dai was the one with the code. Leo didn't know it.

• (Hamish, to Al, Theo and Piers) All right, here's what we're going to do with you three. Two of you are going into permanent bondage – you'll be restrained twenty-four hours a day. The third will be castrated tomorrow and executed the following day.

• (Percy) Which one, dear?

• (Hamish) You decide.

• (Percy) Well, I wouldn't want to lose my charming two Bahamians. They're so pretty, even though only one of them is gay. So let's take the balls of this little one here. Casey.

• (Al) No!

• (Hamish) Shut up or we'll take your cock, too.

He then turned to those of us from the right side of the plane.

• As for you three, you're coming back to my quarters. We have a decision to make about you as well. Atticus – fetch Heidekker. We may want to involve him in this process.

Heidekker? Why would Lucas be involved in any decision about us? If he was – that wouldn't be good for Paul.

THE THRONE ROOM – PERCY

We gathered in The Throne Room: Hamish, myself, several lieutenants, the three insurrectionists, and Heidekker, plus Barry and Abe, currently kneeling between the legs of Hamish and myself, respectively. Hamish liked to have his cock sucked while making a decision, and I liked having mine sucked at any time.

Hamish had naturally alerted Switzerland; even though it was the middle of the evening over there, Jesús was attentive. Yesterday they had informed us that King and Murdock's presence on the island had altered the physics and that we would have to sacrifice one of the Twelve. This news had, of course, stunned us, as the plan all along was for all Twelve to be intact at the moment of launch. But now it appeared that one of them would miss that opportunity.

Unlike the left-siders, the Twelve existed only within Betaworld. Were they to expire here, there would be no version of them left alive to either revert to their Alpha-existence or continue on to Alphaworld's replacement. Terminating a Twelve was permanent, a real death. Thus, not something to be taken lightly.

The most surprising thing about the edict from St. Moritz was the recommendation that the choice not be made by Hamish – or even myself – but by one of the Twelve. Of course, the obvious choice to make that decision was Heidekker – both because of his reliable service as a sadistic top and because he alone had not been part of the escape.

Hamish addressed the petrified prisoners:

• We are gathered here to determine your fate. Of course, you will all be fucked for several hours. We are each capable of several more orgasms today, and they will take place in your asses prior to the execution of your sentences. I use that word deliberately – one of your sentences will, indeed, be execution.

There was a gasp from the three defendants. Heidekker broke into a sly grin.

• One of you – only one. That is our instruction. Logic would suggest that it be the ringleader of this pitiful escapade, but there is no consensus as to whether that is Niemann or Omi. That being the case, there is an argument for choosing neither one of you and letting the axe fall upon Eton.

Eton hadn't been expecting that. But he was worried about it being Omi. He wanted to protest Omi's innocence, that was obvious – he had done so in the corridor – but, a giant penis gag having been rammed into his mouth, no protest or argument was possible.

• The recommendation from my boss – yes, I have a boss, as omnipotent as I may seem to you – is that the choice be made by one of the Twelve. As three of you are guilty of the crime of attempted escape, and the fourth has served me faithfully, it seems only fair to let him decide.

I saw panic overtake Omi and Eton, and – did Niemann look relieved? But then Heidekker peered deeply into his eyes, and his facial muscles tensed. `No, I'm not safe', I could see Niemann thinking.

• (Heidekker) Sir, may I ask a question?

• (Hamish) What an absurd thing to say. You just have. Go ahead.

• The victim – can I do it?

• You want to execute him yourself?

• It would give me great pleasure, sir.

• No. Sorry. I cannot allow that.

• Can I watch?

• . . . You may watch.

• Can I fuck him first?

• Yes. After everyone else has had his turn.

• Then, I've made my decision.

• Yes?

He was clearly enjoying the drama of the moment, like the detective in a drawing-room mystery pausing before revealing the identity of the murderer. His gaze passed from Omi to Eton to Niemann, and then back down the line, his face inscrutable. I had absolutely no idea which of them he was going to choose.

• I choose Paul.

Omi collapsed.

THE THRONE ROOM – PAUL

I hadn't expected my life to end like this. I knew that trying to escape was dangerous – and dammit, I had tried to prevent it! Of the three of us, I was the only one who wasn't trying to escape. But Lucas – Lucas chose me just because he wanted to enjoy fucking me and watching me die. How can any man live with himself after choosing for someone else to die?

Hamish stepped down from his seat – call it a throne if you will – and walked in front of me. He motioned to one of the lieutenants to remove the penis gag from my mouth.

• Just because I'm removing this doesn't mean you can speak, boy. Nod if you understand that.

• (nodding; I understand)

• You understand that Lucas has just chosen you.

• (Yes, he made that plenty obvious.)

• He's decided you should be the one to die.

• (tears forming in my eyes – you don't have to keep saying that, dammit)

• But that's not what he has chosen you for.

• (wait a minute – huh?)

• You're not going to die. Unless you want to.

• (I don't want to die. Please. I don't want to die.)

• But here's what you ARE going to do. You're going to choose who does.

• (WHAT?!)

• The responsibility of life and death has been put upon your shoulders. For Heidekker it was an easy choice. He wanted to fuck you and watch you suffer. You're not like that. You don't enjoy watching people suffer. That's why this is your punishment. You're going to have to choose.

• (I can't even nod my head.)

• You understand?

• (Yes.)

• You have to choose. Which of your fellow captives should we execute?

I looked him in the eye. I didn't think he was going to accept my answer, but I had to try.

• Lu-

• Not Heidekker. Omi or Niemann – one of them. Which?

O god, this was indeed punishment. I couldn't possibly choose Dai, he knows that, everybody in the room probably knows that. And yet I don't want to say a word.

• Name one of them or I kill them both. I want to hear a name.

I took a deep breath, and rasped out the name.

• Leo.

God forgive me.

They fucked me for three hours but I was not tortured. When I returned to the dormitory, I was alone. Dai had been in a different room; I wondered what was happening to him. And Lucas wasn't there either; who knew what nefarious activities he was up to.

There is a person missing from that paragraph. A person who wasn't coming back to the dormitory. A person I had condemned to death.

Hamish was right. This was true punishment. I lay alone in the dormitory half-wishing that Lucas had gotten his wish and that I was the one that . . . and not Leo. I tried, unsuccessfully, to console myself with two thoughts:

The first thought was how unjust it was: I had tried to stop the escape, not aid it. But maybe I deserved to be punished – for the entirety of my existence. For allowing Anthony to manipulate me all through high school. For being weak and timid and allowing myself to be used even by the guys I met at bars, rather than standing up for myself and saying `you're not good enough for me'. For being a wimp my whole life.

The second thought was that my death would have devastated Dai. But would it? For how long? Dai was exactly the kind of guy I should have found back in Richmond, a real, genuine person. But I've known him for exactly ten days. Ten days. That was long enough for me to fall in love with him – and, I think, for him to fall in love with me. But a ten-day romance was far from a long-term relationship. He would get over my death and move on.

Dai returned hours later – or perhaps I should say `WAS returned'. Lucas and Stefan carried him in. He had casts on both arms and legs and his chest was full of stripes as if he had been whipped and it had drawn blood. I couldn't see his back side, but I was certain it was brutal. He was conscious, but barely.

• (Stefan, grinning) We gave him a pretty good workout. You we went easy on.

• (Lucas) Unfortunately.

• (Stefan) We had other things to do. The left-siders, to be precise.

Stefan had also omitted a name. A critical name. If they had done THIS to DAI . . .

• (Lucas) You're wondering about our roommate, aren't you? Well, they didn't do him the way I would have. It was quick. He didn't suffer.

• (Stefan) Not during the execution.

• (Lucas) Well, yeah, before then he did, just a little. We –

• Please! No details!

• (Lucas) Ah, you're like the three monkeys. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil? Well, my friend, face it: there is evil in the world.

I knew that, and I was looking at it.

• (Lucas) In exchange for our sparing you the details, you have to do us a little favor.

• (Stefan) We each have at least one load left inside us. And Dai here isn't in shape to take it.

• (Lucas) On your stomach, boy.

• • • • • • • • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11 * * * * * * * *

THE DORMITORY – DAI

I'm not going to tell Paul what they did to me. He could guess, by looking at the casts on all four limbs, that bones were broken. I won't go further than that. They injected me with some kind of pain-killer so that I could sleep – I guess that was an act of kindness on their part.

I had heard Lucas and Stefan taunt Paul and then fuck him. I drifted off while that was going on, so I didn't have to deal with Paul's questions. I'm not sure he would have wanted to know what they did to me any more than he wanted to know what happened to Leo. Knowing Paul, he would have waited until I brought up the subject. Which I probably never would.

When I woke up this morning the casts were gone, my bones were healed, and my ass – which I wasn't sure had any skin left on it – was unblemished. I felt perfectly fine. Given the way that my bruises and stripes had healed in days past, I was hoping that might be the case, but impact marks are different from broken bones. This place was, indeed, magical – which was a double-edged sword: Whatever they did to me, I could recover from. Which meant they could torture me as much as they liked, setting me up for more brutality the very next day. Like Bill Murray in the worst remake of `Groundhog Day' ever.

I looked over at the other beds. There was Lucas, in bed with Paul. But when I looked closely, I was shocked: My casts were not the only thing that had vanished overnight – so had Paul's jockstrap. Perhaps his reward for the unjustifiable task of naming a person to be killed was to finally be freed from that jockstrap. He was now as fully nude as the rest of us.

He will be so overjoyed when he wakes up.

THE CAFETERIA – PAUL

I was thrilled to see Dai uninjured, even more than I was to see myself finally freed of the jockstrap I had been imprisoned in for over a week. We went to breakfast together, sitting with some of the left-siders and away from Lucas.

Al was there, looking desolate but uninjured; Theo and Piers were absent. Hamish had said they would be in some kind of permanent bondage, whatever that meant. It seemed that had already begun.

I sat several inches away from Dai – I knew that if our bodies touched, my cock, so long trapped inside that jock, would spring up to full attention. I got hard anyway. Being within two feet of Dai's naked body, there was no way my cock was going to get soft any time soon. Eventually I had to get up, provoking laughter from the left-siders, who probably needed the laugh.

Al didn't laugh. It was a painful reminder that soon he wouldn't be able to achieve an erection, assuming that Hamish was true to his word, which all indications were that he was. I didn't know what to say to him, and didn't try.

I was approached by a squadron of lieutenants, who ordered me to come with them.

Now what? I had thought my punishment was over. We returned to Hamish's abode.

• (Hamish) Eton, you have no jockstrap.

• Yes, thank you for that.

• You need to wear a jockstrap.

• (What? No no no no.) Why?

• When I tell you something, you do not question why.

• I'm sorry, sir.

I was, but only because I didn't like what I was hearing. Why had he removed my jockstrap only to scold me for not wearing one?

• Fortunately, we have a replacement for you. Better than what you were wearing before.

He signaled to one of the lieutenants, who opened the door. In crawled Barry, in full canine mode, a tail protruding from his rectum, which he was apparently required to `wag' by swerving his buttocks left and right. In his mouth, like a retriever, was a tan object, which he dropped at my feet.

• This is your new jockstrap. Put it on.

I picked it up. I wouldn't characterize it as `better', but it was different, not made of cloth. It was more like a soft leather, some kind of animal skin. And surprisingly comfortable.

• It is, as you can see, not made of fabric. It is made from an animal hide. It is lion skin.

Lion skin? There are lions on this island?

Hamish studied my reaction, correctly interpreting my question.

• You are wondering how we got lion skin? It's simple. Leo' means lion', doesn't it?

[COMING UP: CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – HEADIN' ON DOWN?]