Mark Alders Pembroke Eve Chronicles 2 Light Of The Body

Light of the Body continues the adventures of Jacob,
Callum, Suzy, Zane and Mr. Barnaby in the town
of Pembroke Eve.

Jacob and Callum, now living together with

Jacob's parents, are disturbed by a dog barking in
the distance one night while getting intimate.

Jacob finally insists they investigate the reason

for the dog barking and a strange man confronts
them as they venture into their backyard. The
events that follow are completely weird to say the
least, even for Pembroke Eve standards. The man
bites Callum in the scuffle that follows, and as
Jacob soon finds out, that bite is a transference.

Callum is now pregnant!
In fact, the whole town has been infected, with

half acting like living zombies and the other half
in the hospital in the same condition as Callum.
What is causing this outbreak? Only Jacob and his
friends, Zane and Mr. Barnaby, seem to be
unaffected. But they need to find Suzy. She's
missing and the townsfolk that are the living
zombies have been saying Suzy the right one.

What is she the right one for? And what's more,

are these events all connected?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement, including infringement without
monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the author‟s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.

Light of the Body

ISBN: 978-1-55487-537-5

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

Look for us online at:

www.extasybooks.com

Light of the Body

The Pembroke Eve Chronicles Book 2

Mark Alders

Dedication

I dedicate this to my family

Chapter One

‟m Jacob Theison, a guy still haunted by what
happened here in Pembroke Eve two months
ago. So much so I can‟t sleep, or when I have, it‟s

been disturbed and broken. My nightmares are
filled with so many memories of aliens and
machines and of the whole town being farmed on
those tables, it‟s like I‟m haunted.

I can‟t believe we defeated them, gave them a

taste of what it was like to mess with the folk of
this town. Everyone had those alien rings attached
to them, permanent souvenirs, reminders of how
close we came to becoming their cattle. I shudder
to think about those events. Thankfully I had
Callum, Zane, Suzy and Mr. Barnaby to help me.
Thankfully the town had me, the one guy not
affected by their mind field. I don‟t mean that in a
smarmy way, either. Far from it. I love this town
and would do anything to keep it the way it has
always been. That much I know.

I sat in my chair near my bedroom window.

The room filled with the sound of Callum‟s gentle

Mark Alders

breathing and of the net curtain swishing across
the carpet. A slight breeze filled them. They
billowed around me. I looked down at my navel.
No, I wasn‟t contemplating the origins of the
universe or whether or not there was or wasn‟t a
God. I literally stared at my navel. The alien ring
wouldn‟t come off no matter how many times I
pulled or twisted it. I tentatively touched it, doing
so always gave me the shivers. It was cold.

I sighed. I caught the scent of rain even though

no clouds dotted the sky around the full Moon.
The view was so clear I could see right over to
Wilson‟s field. The place where the aliens had
landed. A dog barked in the distance, then a closer
one replied. I was about to get up, return to bed
and Callum‟s warmth, when I smelt something
else, something I couldn‟t place. It was sort of—I
dunno, it was like the odour of cupboards hardly
opened for years and cockroaches had reared
generations within it, kind of like how the kitchen
smelt in the cabin in the woods, but stronger.
Much stronger. I looked back down at my navel.

“You comin‟ to bed, baby?” Callum asked

sheepishly as he turned in my bed, the bedclothes
half-kicked off him. His navel ring caught the
light. That and the beautiful snail trail he had that
led down to the nice bulge between his legs.

I dismissed all the worry I had in my mind, my

thoughts consumed by him. My stomach turned in

Light of the Body

that beautiful way it did when pangs of desire
overtook me. I wanted him. My gaze wandered
down beyond my navel ring to my own cock. It
had become aroused, too. My foreskin had slid
back to reveal the tip of my ripe head, ready for
attention.

I looked at him once more. He had kicked off

the bed clothes. Yep. He was hard, too.
“Whenever you want me to,” I replied with a
boyish smile. I was willing to let him lavish plenty
of love all over my body. That‟s what having a
boyfriend was for, wasn‟t it?

Callum lived with me on my parent‟s

insistence—mine as well, of course. Mum was the
most enthusiastic. In fact, she was beside herself
when he accepted her offer. To her it was like
finding a super bargain at Mr. Barnaby‟s General
store and being the only one in town who knew
about it, too. She was livid with excitement when
Callum dumped his clothes and other belongings
he had in my room. I think she saw it as gaining a
son and having someone else to look after, but I
think first and foremost, she was happy I had
found someone. I was happy. I was happy for
Callum, for myself and for my parents. We were a
family.

It had only been a couple of months since the

episode with the aliens and then there was Derek‟s
funeral. Geez, Callum gave an awesome eulogy.

Mark Alders

So touching. I couldn‟t contain myself. I had let
the tears flow and my emotions overwhelm me. I
even hugged Suzy. Derek‟s parents were there. I
realized where he got his good looks from. I
missed Derek. He saved our lives and I wish I
could have thanked him for that.

I went over to the bed. Callum smiled and

opened his arms to welcome me. That smile of his
meant he wanted me as I wanted him.

I came over him, my lips close to his. I

whispered, “Do you know how late it is?”

His smile widened. “I don‟t care.”
“You know we have that meeting with Mrs.

Doherty tomorrow, don‟t you?”

He put his arms around me, rubbing his warm,

strong hands across my back. He pulled me even
closer so that our bodies came together, his skin
warm against mine, his erection pressed against
my stomach. “Just kiss me already.”

I pressed my lips against his, immediately his

taste overwhelmed me. Sweetness and cinnamon
spice, and something I haven‟t been able to
describe, consumed me as our mouths parted and
our tongues touched. He teased, letting his tongue
dance with mine for a moment, then retreating,
making me chase it. I groaned with pleasure. My
mind span. My body, immersed in his passion,
became numb. We were one, embracing each

Light of the Body

other tight, our limbs a beautiful tangle with the
bedclothes.

He forced me onto my back, coming over me

and sending in his tongue deeper. I had no choice
but to take it all into my mouth. He didn‟t do it so
that I felt he‟d forced himself into me, but made it
perfectly clear he was in control. He rolled his
tongue around mine more and more, then
delightfully, he tickled the frenulum underneath. I
caught his taste even stronger than before. I was
now completely and utterly his. I knew his moves,
his familiar dance and I succumb to him.

We parted for an agonising moment. I gasped,

my stomach did somersaults. My cock grew hard,
my balls ached.

“I want you, Jacob,” he said with so much want

in his voice I couldn‟t do anything else other than
nod.

Pangs of ecstasy welled up inside me from my

butterflies. I closed my eyes, waiting for whatever
he would do next. Anticipation built up to the
point I thought I was going to explode right there
and then. He kissed my neck. Warm and tender
was his touch. I gasped again, arching my back so
I could move closer to him.

Another dog‟s barking disturbed me. Involved

with Callum‟s wonderful touch over me, at first I
didn‟t take much notice. His efforts concentrated
on my nipples. The canine‟s clamour was a

Mark Alders

distraction I didn‟t need. I don‟t even know why it
interrupted me in the first place. I mean, geez,
Callum, my beautiful lover, was ravishing his
attention all over me. I wanted him. I was ready. I
was willing.

Then another dog barked, this one much closer

and somehow more desperate than before.

“Did you hear that?” I moaned, coming out of

my moment. A shiver travelled down my spine.
My body grew cold. Something about the barking
riled me on a deep level, even deeper than the
way I felt about my boyfriend.

Callum didn‟t reply.
The dog barked again, this time yelping and, if

there was such a thing, screaming with that bark.
A female‟s voice also pierced the air. The noises
were so close I could have sworn they came from
next door.

Both of us sat up in the bed. I devoted all of my

attention to the commotion going on outside.

“I heard that.” A mix of curiosity and

disappointment wavered in his voice.

“We‟ve gotta see what all the fuss is about,

Callum. That sounded too close for comfort. What
if someone‟s in trouble?”

“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
I had clambered off the bed, reaching down to

pick up a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. He did the
same. At first putting on clothing proved to be a

Light of the Body

little more difficult than I had anticipated
considering my body was still surging with my
arousal. Callum‟s boxers billowed out in front of
him. He had a raging erection. He adjusted
himself many times before he obviously became
satisfied he had done the best he could to get into
them.

“Ready?” I grabbed his hand and headed for

the window. No point walking through the house,
this way was quicker anyway. I always went out
the window when I was younger, avoiding any
unnecessary arguments with my Mum about why
I was out so late or whatever. Besides, I didn‟t
want to wake them. I helped Callum out of the
window.

“So, if it‟s an axe wielding maniac reeking

bloody havoc all over the neighbourhood, exactly
what are we going to defend ourselves with, our
boners?” In interesting timing, the button of his
boxers came undone. His cock slipped out of the
slit. He quickly adjusted himself again and I
helped him button up.

“I want to see what the fuss is. If there‟s

anything to worry about we‟ll run back to the
house and call the cops.” I had lost my stiffy the
moment I got outside. Only Callum could
maintain an erection under duress. But he was
right. What if we were confronted by some sort of
weirdo? What if that weirdo had a gun? I don‟t

Mark Alders

think we would stand much of a chance. We
gingerly walked toward the noise. Many horrific
thoughts rushed through my mind, including how
I was going to explain to the police why I was
outside chasing after someone in my boxers hand
in hand with my boyfriend. The dog continued to
bark, more intense and more aggressive than
before. We crossed the garden. I had to see what
all the commotion was about. I was compelled.

I had to admit the night air was cool. Perhaps I

should have spent a couple of extra seconds
putting something warmer on. Damn my
curiosity. Too late now, anyway. We were near the
back of the garden and at the side fence where all
the screams and barking had come from. Callum
clenched his hand tighter in mine and came
around so he was behind me. I peered over the
fence.

A dog, one I hadn‟t seen before, sniffed and

scratched at the ground near the fence, stopping
only to bark. I bet the stupid mutt had caught
scent of an echidna or some other animal foraging
around in the undergrowth beyond our
neighbour‟s backyard. Typical, I got out of bed—
no, I missed out on Callum‟s loving—for this? I
mean, there were always critters scurrying back
and forth, especially animals who had come from
Wilson‟s field, a native animals supermarket with

Light of the Body

all those vegetables and stuff growing there all the
time. I sighed.

“Who‟s there?” Callum asked from behind me.

“Can you see anything?”

“There‟s a dog scratching and barking at

something behind the fence. I don‟t think I‟ve seen
it before.” I tried to get a better view by standing
on my tippy-toes.

The dog didn‟t stop. I‟d say the barking and his

fretting got worse as I tried to get its attention by
whistling at it. Surely, there couldn‟t be anything
worthy of that much commotion behind the fence,
could there?

“C‟mon then, let‟s go. It‟s freezing out here and

I want to get back into bed.”

“Always thinking with your dick, aren‟t—”
The dog stopped dead, looked at me and

snarled, bearing his fangs and looking rather
rabid, if the truth be told. I was taken aback. Was
the dumb animal now sensing me? I stepped back,
feeling my heart pound loud in my chest. I could
have sworn the animal was about to attack me.

“What? What‟s the matter?” Callum‟s voice

trailed off as I looked at him, directly into his eyes.
Concern flashed across his face, reflecting my own
feelings.

The image of the dog, its teeth as white as the

moonlight, haunted me. I tried to gather my
thoughts. Had the dog been bitten by something?

Mark Alders

Why was it interested in me? Surely, the animal
was more concerned with what made it bark in
the first place. Dumb mutt.

“Something‟s not right here.” He pulled me

back, but I went to the fence once more. “Wait.”

I was determined to see what the problem was.

I knocked his hands away, peered over the fence
again. The dog was below me, hackles up, ears
back. It snarled once more, saliva dripping from
its fangs. I whistled again, adding a here boy,
before I realised my mistake. The animal jumped,
coming over the fence with one fluid motion. The
whole thing played out in slow motion. The dog
came at me.

The crazed animal cleared the fence. I reacted

by stepping back. Too late. Its clawed paws
thudded onto my chest, and my feet, caught on
wet slippery grass, gave way underneath me. Not
even with Callum holding my hand would I have
stood a chance. I was flat on my back, the dog‟s
snarling lips and white menacing fangs hovered
over my face.

Callum screamed.

Light of the Body

Chapter Two

couldn‟t move

My muscles didn‟t want to cooperate with

what my mind had instructed them to do. Then

again, I reckon that probably had something to do
with the fact my mind didn‟t know exactly what I
needed to do to get out of this mess.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Callum hit

the dog with his bare hands, slapping it on its
rump, to no avail. The dog stayed put.

Then, like a signal had been switched on, the

animal‟s ears pricked up. The dog took his eyes off
me and raised his head toward the fence he had
jumped over only moments ago.

I opened my mouth, wanting to scream out,

more out of sheer terror than anything else.
Callum was certainly doing a great job of that with
his yells. Me, I was frozen. My breathing had
become erratic and all I managed to pass over my
quivering lips was a stuttered whining sound. I
hiccupped. Yep. I was scared out of my brain.

Mark Alders

The dog jumped off me and Callum rushed to

help me up.

It took me a while to realise I was back on my

feet, the warmth of Callum‟s embrace soothing
me, seeping into my body, reviving me from what
I could only classify as a nightmare. Slowly, as my
thoughts became clearer, I pulled myself away
from Callum to see where the dog had gone. The
animal had begun barking at our back fence, but
his bark sounded different like a cross between a
seal‟s bark and a wolf‟s howl. I‟d never heard such
a thing. If I had to describe a panic bark, one filled
with urgency, then that was it. I don‟t know what
was scarier, the dog knocking me over, baring his
teeth and looking as though I was his next meal,
or the desperate noise he made.

That‟s when I saw whatever it was the dog was

barking at. Callum saw it, too, if his gasp was any
indication.

A man was crouched on top of the fence. I

assumed he was a man. I couldn‟t really tell. He
was silhouetted by the Moon and his face and
body were shrouded by a tattered cloak and hood.
How he balanced up there was anyone‟s guess.

I stared at the intruder, still couldn‟t find my

voice and my hiccups got worse. Callum once
more gripped me tight, but his voice had no
problem escaping from his lips. He hadn‟t been
jumped on by a frantic animal, had he?

Light of the Body

“Who the fuck are you?” he screamed, as

bravely as I had ever heard him even though I
knew he was as scared as I was, even more so.

The man jumped down into my garden. He

came down like he was flying, landing with no
sound as his feet touched the ground. The whole
thing looked surreal.

The dog snarled when the stranger was in my

garden proper, but unlike what the animal did to
me, it went straight in with his teeth onto the
man‟s leg.

Both Callum and I screamed when the dog

attacked the man. In the tussle and confusion that
followed, the dog yelped in agony. There was a
brief moment of silence, before a crack of bone
pierced the still night air. The dog slumped onto
the grass, not moving anymore. The stranger
brushed his hands, but never uttered a word, as if
what he had done was something insignificant
and without effort.

The man looked straight at us both, his eyes

catching the moonlight. I was held to the spot.
Callum gasped. We held each other, waiting for
the man to make the next move. My legs simply
didn‟t want to work. So much for our plan to run
back into the house and call the cops. Fat lot of
good we were now, standing like frightened
critters in high beams.

Mark Alders

“Suzy is ours,” the man said with a guttural

groan, “and you would do well to stay away from
her. I don‟t want her spoiled. You will all become
her drones as she will become our queen.”

Every emotion rushed through me, but above

all, I was as angry as hell. I didn‟t understand one
iota what the fuck he was talking about. This man,
this stranger, had killed an innocent animal and
was now sprouting gibberish. What did Suzy have
to do with all this? Why do we have to stay away
from her? But before I could open my mouth to
utter any words of protest, Callum let go of my
hand, stepped in front of me.

“Callum!” I cried out, all too late.
The man lunged at him, screaming, “I warned

you.” He bit him on the neck. No, not like a
vampire would, you know, like the way they do in
the movies or on the TV, all deliberate and
calculated. This was done lightning quick, more of
an open-mouthed jab than anything else, an
offensive attack if you will.

Callum fell, stumbling over his own legs,

landing on the wet grass square on his arse.
Again, his reaction had more to do with the man
lunging at him and causing him to flinch than
what he actually did. I went to him, without
thought or a moment‟s hesitation.

“Callum!” I yelled again as I knelt down beside

him. “Are you all right?”

Light of the Body

He rubbed his neck. The bite had drawn blood,

his fingers stained. I turned to look back at the
man, give him a piece of my mind, but he was
gone. The only thing encroaching in on me as I
looked around my back yard, to try and gather
any clue as to where the man went, was the crisp
cold night air. Callum‟s hands clambered for mine
so he could get up. I got him to his feet.

“You know, I think that dog was trying to

protect us,” he said groggily, using me for
support.

I nodded. “You may just be right.” I assumed

the man had jumped back over the fence and
found someone else to bother. A dog barked in the
distance, the sound coming from the direction of
the Westfell forest. Was that where he came from?
Or was that where he went?

My attention was drawn away by the outside

light being turned on.

“You both okay?” my Dad shouted.
I turned to look at him. He hurried toward us,

silhouetted by the outside light from under the
pergola, a dark heroic figure charging to our aid in
the night.

“We need some help here. Callum‟s

been…hurt.” My voice sounded desperate, which
in a way I suppose it was. My emotions rose up
inside me as Callum began to buckle under his
own weight. I had to use all my strength to keep

Mark Alders

him from falling back down onto the grass. The
bite must have affected his muscle control or
something, because he was like a dead weight.

“I‟m okay. Really.” Callum brought his arm

around my shoulder with a thump. To my
surprise, he let out a chuckle. “Geez, we must be a
sight, Jacob. I mean, we‟re out here in our
underwear in the dark, grass-stained knees and
dripping with sweat. Your Dad‟ll think we‟ve
been rolling around. You know, getting busy with
each other or something.”

“I don‟t think he‟ll think that at all. I think he

saw enough to know we‟ve been attacked.”
Typical Callum. Always thinking with his dick,
even when he‟s been bitten by a stranger who
trespasses, kills a dog and then offers weird
warnings to justify his actions. Who was that
man? I made a mental note to try and find out at
the earliest possible chance I got, after making
sure Callum was okay first, of course. Again my
curiosity piqued.

My dad came over to us. He was in his

favourite pair of flannel pyjamas. He must have
been woken by all the commotion going on
tonight, too, because he would have never worn
them outside. He would have changed first given
half the chance. Come to think of it, so would have
I. Wearing boxers and a T-shirt outside in the

Light of the Body

middle of the night was crazy. What was I
thinking? What were we thinking?

“Your mother is calling Sherriff Tucker and the

ambulance is on its way,” he said with an
authority I had never heard from him before.

I was about to explain what had happened, tell

him about the dog and the man, when he went to
Callum‟s other side and offered his support.
Callum could no longer walk, his legs unable to
lift, let alone support him. Had the bite paralysed
him? We walked him up to the house.

“Are you sure you‟re okay?” My stomach

churned with fear and anxiety when Callum‟s
eyes rolled around in their sockets, like he was
about to pass out or something.

He nodded. “Yeah. I just feel a little woozy, is

all. I‟ll be okay once I lie down for a bit. You‟ll lie
with me, won‟t you, baby?”

“Of course I will. I‟ll go with you anywhere,

you know that.”

He offered me a quivering smile.
We lay Callum down onto my bed, making him

as comfortable as possible. He closed his eyes
when his head touched the pillow, falling fast
asleep. Were we supposed to let him sleep? Or
was that for a different condition when you had to
keep a person awake? Oh, yeah, that was for a
concussion, right?

Mark Alders

Callum looked terrible. He was grass stained all

over, dirty, sweaty and yes, there was even a dark
patch at the front of his boxers. The poor guy had
been so scared he had pissed himself, yet showed
so much bravery, so much concern for me that he
overcame all his emotions and fears and tried to
protect me. God, I loved him. I kissed him on his
forehead, his warmth permeating my lips. That
was a good sign, wasn‟t it?

My dad patted me on my shoulder. “That mark

on his neck sure looks nasty. Hopefully the
ambulance will be here any second.”

Dad was right. The wound had festered. “It‟s a

bite.”

My dad reacted by taking in a breath. “I‟ve

never seen a bite like that.”

“The strange man did it.”
Before my dad could answer, those seconds had

passed. Two ambulance men entered my bedroom
without a word. One of the men nodded and I
stepped away from the bed, letting them do their
job. I was kind of dumbfounded I had to admit as
they lifted Callum onto the stretcher and began
carrying him away.

One of the ambulance men said, “This is the

tenth incident like this in the last two hours.
We‟ve had over fifty people admitted with bites to
their necks tonight.”

Light of the Body

“Um, can I come to the…can I be with my

boyfriend…I want to—”

The ambulance man lifted his hand

reassuringly. “Of course you can ride in the
ambulance with him, son. From what we‟ve seen
tonight, he‟ll need all the support of his loved ones
he can get when he wakes up.”

“I‟ll join you, too, Jacob,” my dad said.
“Sure, Dad. I‟d like that.”
My mum, phone in hand, came into view as we

went toward the front door. The blue and red
flashing of the ambulance lights danced along the
walls and ceiling. “Bob Tucker will meet you all at
the hospital. He‟s already there.” She pecked me
on my cheek when I passed. “Jacob, darling, I‟ll
bring you something warm to wear as soon as I
can, so don‟t worry about that. You just go, look
after Callum.”

“Thanks,” was all I said in reply, not in an

ungrateful way, not at all. I was so overwhelmed,
so numb with all that had happened I didn‟t know
what to think, let alone what to say. I hadn‟t even
considered what I was wearing. I didn‟t care. My
thoughts were only for Callum. Yet, I appreciated
everything my parents were doing right now.
They were fantastic.

When the men loaded Callum into the

ambulance, his eyes opened. “Suzy is the right

Mark Alders

one,” he said through parched lips before sinking
back into unconsciousness.

Light of the Body

Chapter Three

he hospital‟s emergency ward was filled with
patients with bites on their necks. Most were in
their pyjamas or various stages of undress,

depending on how they preferred to sleep. There
were nurses putting on hospital gowns on a lot of
them. Amongst the crowd there was Mrs. Foo Hue
cuddling her unconscious husband, tears
streaming down her face. He had been bitten, too.

Some patients were sleeping or unconscious or

whatever you want to call it. Others screamed,
white with fear and clawing at the air as if trying
to grasp onto the last remnants of their lives, their
relatives doing their best they could to calm them.
A few lay huddled on their beds, rocking back and
forth, gently nodding, being consoled and
encouraged to eat or drink. I was sick to my
stomach. Dad looked the same, as green as I felt to
be honest.

To my horror, I recognised more and more

people, the town only recently recovering from the

Mark Alders

alien ordeal. Now this, whatever it was, was
affecting us all once more. If I didn‟t know any
better, I‟d say the town was cursed.

After dad had filled in all the required forms

and we were all in the care of the hospital staff, a
man in a white coat approached while we were
shepherded into a cubicle. Callum was placed
onto the bed by two burly orderlies.

A doctor entered and flipped through the chart.

“Ah, a stage one case. Good. There‟s time, then.”

I found it hard to believe a doctor would attend

us so quickly. Seemed to me there were a lot more
people in the ward who looked a lot worse than
Callum.

I held Callum‟s hand. “What‟s wrong with him,

doctor?” I blurted, no longer concerned with the
result, only glad someone was here to help my
beloved boyfriend and find a cure.

He looked grim and a flash of what I could only

describe as disgust crossed his face. “Well, to put
it as directly as I can, he has been impregnated.”

“Say what?”
The doctor came over to me, looking down his

nose as only doctor‟s can, with an aura of
supremacy that reeked arrogance. Whether or not
that was his intention, I couldn‟t tell. I didn‟t get
an instant sense of annoyance from him as I did
with most medical practitioners. The man radiated
a warmth I was comfortable to be within. I liked

Light of the Body

him. I looked at his badge. Dr. Frederick Woolsey,
Obstetrician.

“Your boyfriend,” he continued. He checked

the chart once more, his eyes narrowed and his
lips tightened. He appeared to make sure he had
got his information correct as to who I was in
relation to the patient. “Your boyfriend is
pregnant.”

My dad swayed and grabbed me by my

shoulder. I felt a bit weird, too, my blood rushing
in my ears as the doctor‟s words swam around in
the numbness of my mind. I opened my mouth.
“How?” I said with a gasp.

Okay, I knew how women got pregnant, that‟s

what men were for. But how did a man get
pregnant? Were we even capable? I mean, men
don‟t have the equipment to carry a baby? Wait,
what was I thinking? I shook my head, dismissing
that stupid line of reasoning right out of my brain.
This was ridiculous. How could a bite from a man,
a stranger, make someone pregnant, let alone
another man?

I stood for a long moment in silence. Slowly but

surely jealousy crept up from the dark place we all
have within us. If that man had banged up my
boyfriend, he‟d beaten me to it. Callum was going
to father his child! Jealousy soon turned into
anger, then denial…then every other emotion I
could name and plenty I couldn‟t. Oh God, how

Mark Alders

stupid was I feeling that way? It was impossible
for a man to get pregnant anyway, so why was I
even thinking as if it were?

“….not what you‟re thinking, young man,” the

doctor said. In the storm of my thoughts and
feelings I had missed everything the man said to
me.

“Whaaaat?” was all I could manage in a slow

drawl. My dad embraced me, supporting me from
collapsing onto the floor. My legs felt weak.

The doctor smiled at me before he turned

serious again. “I can see you‟re a bit
overwhelmed,

it‟s

normal

reaction.

Unfortunately, what I am about to tell you isn‟t
normal at all, but has been going on for over a
week now. We have had some success and a lot of
failure, so time is of the essence. You
understand?”

I thought I understood—well, no I didn‟t, but I

nodded in affirmation anyway. “Go on. Hit me
with it, Doctor.”

“All you need to know for now is that some

creature…some sort of…and we think it‟s an
insectoid life form from the ultra sounds we have
performed, has been impregnating the people of
this town. Why, we don‟t know. All we know is
that the bite is the method of delivery. Those
people in stage one, as your boyfriend is right
now, they have been the easy ones to cure—for

Light of the Body

want of a better term. Some of the others, those at
a more advanced stage, they have become…Well,
don‟t worry about that now. Let‟s concentrate on
getting Callum back to you as soon as we can,
shall we?”

I smiled, or rather, let a nervous quiver cross

my lips. The thought of Callum giving birth to
another person‟s baby, insectoid or not, freaked
me out to say the least. How would he do that
anyway? Yeah, he had a big cock, but passing
anything but urine though it wouldn‟t be possible,
would it? Would he have to have a caesarean? I
hiccupped again, nervousness taking over every
other emotion that played out inside me.
Thankfully, we had come to the hospital in time.

“Thanks,” I whispered. Tears welled in my

eyes. Seeing Callum on the bed, helpless, dirty and
knowing

something…something

insect-like

and…and alien was growing inside him,
overwhelmed me. I began to cry.

Through my misty eyes I saw a nurse deliver a

tray onto the bed stand. On it sat a little white,
plastic jar. The nurse plucked the container off the
tray, opened it and took out a large pill.

The doctor said, “Just know that we‟ll be

administering Callum with medication used for
abortion procedures. The chemicals within these
sort of pills get into the bloodstream and cause the
embryo to dissolve. The life form grows quick, we

Mark Alders

only have about two hours to start this procedure
after the initial bite, otherwise the medication
becomes ineffective and surgery is required.”

She opened Callum‟s mouth while placing the

pill into kind of syringe. He stirred,
acknowledging they were helping him. “Ready,
Doctor,” she said with a voice so calm, cool and
collected I think I would have screamed at her if I
weren‟t so overwhelmed with emotion myself.
People like that, clinical and emotionless, get to
me, especially in situations like this.

The doctor continued his spiel without missing

a beat, “The surgery we‟ve done on advanced
patients hasn‟t been so successful. The insectoid
embryo attaches itself to the heart, sending feeders
into the stomach, lungs and aorta. At a certain
stage of development, the body lights up, the
embryo mature enough to—” The doctor cut
himself off, helped the nurse administer the
medicine into my boyfriend. “Nurse Goodchild
will give him one of these pills every hour until he
can pass the dissolved foreign material safely. You
will need to be with him when he begins to wake
from the induced coma the embryo imposes on its
host, in about six hours or so. Until then I suggest
you get some rest. He will be in pain and support
from those he loves helps greatly. I‟m sorry, but
there‟s nothing else we can do. Any other
medication taken now can reverse the effects of

Light of the Body

the abortion pill. It will be a rough night for you
all.”

My dad shook the doctor‟s hand as soon as he

had finished performing his duties on Callum.
“Thanks, Doctor. We‟ll be with Callum as long as
he needs us, won‟t we, Jacob?”

I couldn‟t answer. I fell onto Callum, hugging

him tight. My beautiful boyfriend, so helpless, so
vulnerable, I couldn‟t contain my composure any
more. My body shuddered with my emotions. I
cried and cried over him. He was my world,
without him I don‟t know what I‟d do.

How long I held him, how long I cried for I

couldn‟t say. All I know is that Sheriff Tucker was
talking to my dad, and that my mum had brought
clothes for all of us.

Nurse Goodchild came back, giving Callum

another tablet, her method quick and precise. He
was still in his coma, breathing gently, but like
before, receptive to what she did. He looked so
peaceful it broke my heart. All I know is that I
missed his quiet voice, his warm touch and his
caring nature. I wanted him back to normal.

I take it I‟d been sobbing over him for a least an

hour considering he was receiving another
dose…or was this the third treatment? If it were
the second administration, then that would mean
the sun would be up soon, about five or six in the
morning considering it was well past three when

Mark Alders

this all happened. Dad came over to me, his eyes
sad.

“Here, put some clothes on, Jacob.” He handed

me a pair of jeans and a shirt. Not my best clothes,
but wearing something other than boxers would
be a nice change, and warmer, too. I had only just
realised my scant covering, aware of something
other than Callum‟s welfare for the first time since
we got into the hospital.

Mum came up to the bedside. “Go home and

take a shower, get freshened up and come back in
a couple of hours. From what the doctors and
nurses have told me, Callum won‟t be conscious
until this afternoon at the earliest.”

“But I‟m not leaving him, Mum. He needs me.”
She ruffled my hair and kissed me on my

forehead. “Darling, I‟m telling you this because
when Callum does wake up, he‟ll need you to be
strong for him. We‟ll stay and watch him. Now go.
Get some rest.”

“But…” My protest was weak. She was right.

Callum would need me later.

“Go. That‟s an order, Jacob.”
I got up. She always had a way of telling me

straight what was best for me. I let go of Callum‟s
hand, missing him as soon as I did so. “Okay, I‟ll
go and shower, but I‟ll be back soon.”

She smiled like only a mother could to her son,

one filled with love and warmth. “Good enough

Light of the Body

for me. Keep your phone on you just in case, okay,
darling?”

I hugged her, then dad. They were great.
Clambering into my clothes, I kissed them both

before I left, giving Callum a peck on his lips, his
taste lingering on my lips as I walked out the
ward. My thoughts wandered to my friends. Was
Zane okay? How about Suzy? The man-thing had
mentioned her specifically. What did he have in
mind for her? What was the purpose of
impregnating the town anyway? Why was she the
right one? The right one for what? Then I thought
of Mr. Barnaby. If he had been affected, I don‟t
think he‟d last, the poor guy. He was old and not
able to fight off any sort of attack. He could be in a
coma on his shop floor right now, an embryo
inside him.

My stomach churned. The thought of alien

things growing inside people made me sick,
especially seeing as all my friends could be
affected, too. What did the doctor say, the body lit
up in advanced cases? I shuddered. I now knew
what to look for.

Then again, I didn‟t see any of my friends at the

hospital. Was that a good sign? Or had they
already been impregnated and it was too late for
them? I swallowed hard, all the thoughts going
around in my head not helping me think

Mark Alders

rationally. I snorted. What was rational about this
anyway?

I picked up my pace. I didn‟t head for home,

decided to see Suzy instead. I don‟t know why,
but I had to know if she was all right—well, okay I
did know. Whatever was going on, she had
something to do with it. What that was I didn‟t
know. Not yet. The first place to look would be
Zane‟s house. They had spent a lot of time
together over the last few days.

Light of the Body

Chapter Four

had to walk to Zane‟s. I didn‟t have the keys to
mum‟s car and I didn‟t fancy going back into the
hospital to ask for them. If I went back in,

chances are I wouldn‟t be so easily convinced to
leave. Mum was right. I needed a shower at the
very least. Perhaps I could grab one at Zane‟s
house.

The walk to his house would do me some good

anyway, give me some time to think, time to mull
over what had happened in the early hours of this
morning.

How wrong was I?
Have you ever had the feeling someone was

watching you? Or worse yet, someone following
you? That‟s the feeling I got when I reached the
top of the hospital road. I clutched my arms
around myself. I would have turned back, should
have turned back, but something pulled me on.
That awful odour invaded my nostrils again, the

Mark Alders

one that smelt like the musty cockroach cupboard
smell.

A cold wind brushed up and penetrated my

clothing. I shivered. My cheeks lost feeling and,
when I touched them with my numbed fingers,
they felt freezing. From the bushes that border the
sides of the roads in this part of Pembroke Eve
there came a rustling noise. I turned. A shadow
moved across the bitumen, but was gone within
an instant.

“Who‟s there?” I yelled. “Stop fooling around

whoever you are. I‟m not in the mood.” I really
didn‟t feel like any more hassles. In fact, I didn‟t
feel like any hassles for a long time. I‟d seen
enough to last me a lifetime.

The bushes no longer moved—well, other than

movement created by the gentle breeze that now
came from the east. I pondered this. The sea
breeze didn‟t come in this early. Not at dawn
anyway.

I turned my gaze away. I really, really, really

didn‟t need this right now. As I walked on, my
thoughts were once more filled with the image of
Callum lying on that hospital bed. Of how he was
before we went out into the night to see what that
dog was barking about. His lovely smile, his sexy
blue eyes that reflected his gentle soul and his
wonderful wandering hands and that dirty mind
that controlled them.

Light of the Body

I chuckled to myself, thinking of him like that

cheered me up.

A pebble then skipped across my path, as if it

had been kicked toward me. Again, I turned. Still
no one there. Now, I don‟t have to say how this
was beginning to annoy me. I didn‟t have time for
childish games or the patience.

“Show yourself or leave me alone!”
The bushes thrashed again. The sun slipped

behind a cloud and everything darkened, like
curtains had been drawn across the sky. Again a
chill knifed at my skin. I took a step backward. A
figure emerged from the undergrowth.

When the figure turned toward me and I

caught a glimpse of his face, I placed my hands
firmly onto my hips. Not impressed one little bit.

It was Suzy‟s ex-boyfriend. “Fuck, Corey, you

gave me a bloody heart attack with all that
sneaking around.”

Corey didn‟t reply. Instead, he sauntered up to

me and looked directly into my eyes. He was
wearing the clothes I had always seen on him, that
stupid red sports jacket with the numbers 89 on
the back and his best blue jeans.

Somehow he was different, like the shell of him

was Corey, but behind his blue eyes there was no
one there. He seemed empty and the result of that
was a pale and withdrawn look that clung to him
unnaturally. Certainly unlike how he normally

Mark Alders

looked with a smug, I‟m-better-than-you
expression, especially after the time I had given
him that blow job down at the creek all those years
ago. The smarmy bastard. I didn‟t like him one bit,
even more so now since Zane had told me what he
did to him. I‟m glad Suzy broke up with him.

He leaned over, still expressionless. He stopped

when his nose was only millimetres away from
my face. He hovered, taking in the air in great
volumes. Through flared nostrils, he said, “Keep
away from Suzy. She is our queen.”

I saw red. “Or what?” I questioned, folding my

arms. But those words he spoke sent ice-cold
shivers down my spine. I had heard them already
today. This was getting freaky, if such a thing was
possible considering what I had gone through
already. Corey‟s body glowed with a light coming
from inside his chest, visible even through his T-
shirt. He might have an embryo inside him. I
stepped back a few paces. But why wasn‟t he
unconscious or in the hospital?

This was all creeping me out, but before I could

add any more to the conversation, Corey fled back
into the bushes.

“What does that mean?” I screamed at him over

and over. I ran to where he had disappeared, not
thinking of my safety at all. What if he bit me? The
question had popped into my head once I realised
what I had done. I took a step back.

Light of the Body

Thankfully, I couldn‟t see Corey. In fact, I

couldn‟t see anything at all in the undergrowth—
not a bird or a bug or a critter. Nothing. How
could he have gotten away from me so quick?

I walked back onto the road. The clouds had

moved on and the ground was once more bathed
in sunlight. The cold had left me and for the first
time I was warm. I dismissed what had happened
from my mind. I had more important things to
worry about than an insect embryo-infested Corey
Harrington.

I worried about whether or not Suzy was at

Zane‟s. What the hell was I going to tell Zane
when I got there and everything was normal with
him? He might not even know what‟s going on in
the town. He had been holed up with Suzy the
past week, just as I had been with Callum. I could
hear his wisecracks now. He‟d have a good „ol
time cracking jokes until I convinced him
everything that was going on was real. Good thing
Zane‟s house was only a few doors up.

His house was a place that needed a good

measure of tender loving care, I had to admit. I
mean, there were car parts and bits of rusted metal
everywhere. Most of the scrap was submerged in
knee-high grass. A lawnmower would no longer
be adequate. You‟d need a flame thrower to
control the weeds and a neighbourhood busy-bee
to clean up all the crap scattered about his front

Mark Alders

yard. It wasn‟t Zane‟s fault, he only lived there.
His parents were…lets just say, not as fortunate as
some, deciding not to work and only having Zane
as a means to supplement their meagre income.
They didn‟t like him at all, referring to him many
times as the useless bastard. I felt for Zane. He was a
good man and deserved so much better. What
kind of parents tell their children that sort of
thing? Talk about selfish.

He told me on more than one occasion those

welfare payments for him had ran out last year.
He was now eighteen and a burden as far as they
were concerned. Luckily, he had applied for study
assistance so he could continue in school. Good on
him, I say. Then again, I bet his parents took that
money off him for living expenses or some such.
More like drinking and smoking money, I‟d wager.

Once at the front door, I rang the bell.
Moments later, the door creaked open. Zane

smiled once he saw me. The trouble was, other
than his bright green Garfield boxer shorts, that
was pretty much all he wore.

“Hey, Jakey,” he said lazily as he scratched his

stomach below his alien navel ring, his skin so
white and his hair so dark in contrast. Kind of
sexy. I could see what Suzy saw in him. Hey, I
could see what I saw in him!

Light of the Body

“Are you going to put something decent on?” I

offered, not really wanting him to get dressed, but
deciding my words were appropriate.

“Why? I‟m only answerin‟ the door. It‟s not like

there‟s a special occasion goin‟ on, is there?” He
grinned with a cheeky smile.

“What if I was someone important like the

Prime Minister or something?” I asked, my tongue
firmly in my cheek. I liked this sort of talk with
him and to be honest it took my mind of Callum
and everything else that was going on in the town.

Zane snorted, then said, “But you ain‟t anyone

important. You comin‟ in or what then, buddy?”

I patted him on his shoulder, accepting his

invitation. “Sure, you know I can‟t say no to good
looking men, especially half naked ones.”

Zane led me to his room. The way there was an

interesting one, that‟s for sure. If I thought the
front yard was a mess, inside his house was no
better. There was, for lack of a better word, crap
everywhere. I mean, it wasn‟t dirty, not by any
stretch of the imagination. It was cluttered full of
odd and sods and so many things, from books to
ornaments to furniture, that I couldn‟t walk in a
straight line. Nothing in this house was new, most
coming from council pick-ups, I‟m sure. All their
money going on smokes and booze—all of Zane‟s
money, too.

Mark Alders

“So what‟s up then?” he asked when he closed

his bedroom door behind me. “I know that look.”

I sighed. “You aren‟t going to believe the freaky

morning I‟ve had. Callum‟s…Callum‟s in the
hospital and I…I need someone to talk to.” My
throat tightened, my emotions rose up inside me.
“Seeing as you‟re a good mate, I decided to come
here while he‟s still in a coma, you know, to
freshen up, if I can.”

“He‟s in the fuckin‟ what?” Zane glared at me,

composed himself and then added, “Is he all
right?”

“He should be okay…from what I understand.

The doctor suggested I go stretch my legs—well,
Mum and Dad suggested I go get cleaned up and
then come back when I‟m all fresh. Callum‟s going
to need me soon. I want to be there for him when
he wakes up.”

Zane looked rattled, but tried to hide his

emotions by stretching, pretending he was still in
the process of waking up. The sight of him flexing
in front of me was…how can I say it? Attractive.
His armpits, with their little tufts of black hair
sprouting out of his white skin were so darn cute.
I had always liked how he‟d pierced his nipples.
I‟d never seen a man with pierced nipples before,
not in real life, anyway.

His demeanour changed, his glare intent on me.

He shrugged his shoulders, as if he‟d resolved

Light of the Body

whatever it was he was thinking about. “Sure, you
can do whatever you like to make yourself feel
better. I‟m here for you, buddy. So, is Cal okay?
Really, I mean, he‟s gonna be fine, right?”

I sat down on his unmade bed. He lifted up his

arms to stretch some more. I got the distinct
impression he was showing off for me. I didn‟t
mind. He was the coolest straight guy I knew—
well, I think he‟s straight. “I think he‟ll be fine,” I
repeated. “The doctor reckons he got to him in
time—say, you seen Suzy today?” I didn‟t want to
tell him everything yet. I don‟t think I‟d be able to
remain composed if I recounted the story so soon.
Besides, there‟d be plenty of time for that later.

“Nope.” His boxer shorts slid down off his thin

bony hips when he sucked in his stomach. I could
now see his thick, dark public hair above the
elastic. “Normally, she ain‟t over till after ten
o‟clock. Mainly „cause I don‟t get my arse outta
bed till then anyway and she don‟t see the point
prodding me into action.”

“I see,” I said, kind of half-heartedly. I didn‟t

mind his show, but I was also becoming
concerned with Suzy‟s whereabouts. An uneasy
feeling tickled at the nape of my neck. “You
spoken to her lately?”

“Nope,” he repeated. “I was about to go to her

place, seein‟ as I got woken up and all by the

Mark Alders

Prime Minister bashin‟ on my door this morning.
You wanna join me?” He winked at me.

“Yeah, that‟ll be good.” Having him come with

me was a good idea. I needed all the support I
could get. Besides, there was no way I was going
to get any rest now. My mind turned over and
over with all the things that had happened
since…well, I tried not to think about it. “After
we‟ve done that, we‟ll all go see Callum, see if he‟s
awake. Doctor says he should have his friends and
loved ones around him when he does.”

“Sounds cool by me. Anything for my buds. But

I think you should tell me everything that
happened with Cals. Sounds serious if you ask
me.” He wrinkled up his nose. “Say I‟ve gotta
change out of my old boxers first. I slept in these
ones and they stink. I kind of did a bit of
whacking off last night dreaming of…stuff. You
don‟t mind if I change, do you?” Right there and
then, he pulled down his boxers.

I gasped.

Light of the Body

Chapter Five

ane was…um, well Zane was well endowed,
that‟s for sure. He most certainly wasn‟t shy
about letting me know about it, either. I couldn‟t

take my gaze off him, yet I felt so dirty for doing
so. I was all for Callum, after all. He was my
boyfriend. Yet, seeing another man naked and so
close, too, was fascinating to say the least,
especially a magnificent specimen like Zane. Sure,
I‟d seen him naked before in the spaceship and the
cabin in the woods, but not this close and never
alone.

My cheeks grew warm as I studied him.
The skin of his cock was snow white, like the

rest of him, really. He had a nice blue vein that ran
from the base to the end. Something I hadn‟t seen
the last time I saw him with nothing on. Then
there were his testicles. My gosh, A lot bigger than
Callum‟s and even my own for that matter. What‟s
more, Zane‟s were a soft scarlet colour, like pale
rouge. I also noticed that the head of his penis, the

Mark Alders

bit that wasn‟t covered by his foreskin, was that
same shade of red.

I think I had my mouth open, although, I

couldn‟t be certain about that. My gaze roved over
his body, feasting on all he had to offer. Sure, I
could look, so long as I didn‟t touch. Callum was
the only one for me, but I was a gay man and
seeing dick was seeing dick. Men were visual
animals and the vision before me pleased me to no
end.

I did love Zane, but on a different level than

how I loved Callum. With Zane it was more a
brotherly kind of love. Still, that didn‟t stop those
little butterflies in my stomach as I studied his
beauty.

The room grew warmer. Or was it me? The

sunlight that streamed in through the window
certainly looked fierce, so I told myself. He moved
away. His genitals swayed hypnotically as he
waltzed over to his chest of drawers and
rummaged through them. I couldn‟t help but
wonder if Suzy had touched him in the same way
I touched Callum. Had she taken him into her
mouth? Had he been with her in the way only two
lovers can be? If she had, she was sure a lucky girl.
Then again, she also liked to play games, hard to
get being her favourite, especially when it came to
Zane.

Light of the Body

“I think we should catch up with Mister B, too.

Make sure the „ol dude‟s okay.”

“You like Mr. Barnaby a lot, don‟t you?”
Zane offered a crooked smile. “He‟s like the

grandfather I never had, so yeah, he‟s a winner in
my book. Better than my dead beat parents
anyhow.”

I believed we had enough time to see Mr.

Barnaby after we had established Suzy was okay.
Yeah, I agreed. It would be nice to see the old
man. He was a mate, after all. “You‟re a good
bloke, you know that?” I shifted my weight on his
bed. With the effects of all his attention, my
stomach slipped into overdrive with those flutters,
my cock going semi. I‟d never had a straight man
exhibit himself for my sole benefit before. It felt
kind of special in a funny sort of way. It was also
damn fucking alluring knowing I could never
have him but at the same time have him let me see
everything, including that beautiful tight arse of
his as he opened a bottom drawer and bent over to
get something within it. “So…um, you and Suzy,
you…you know…you both—”

He stood up, a bundle of clothes in his hands.

“You mean are we fuckin‟ like rabbits? No way.
She‟ll keep her legs closed forever, I reckon. I
don‟t think I‟m good enough for her. I—I‟m
certainly not good enough for most folk in this
godforsaken town.” His stare went beyond me for

Mark Alders

the first time since we had entered the room. His
thoughts were on other things besides showing off
for my entertainment.

“That‟s not true, Zane. You‟re good enough for

me and Callum, and well, you‟re more than that,
you‟re family. I don‟t want to hear such shit.”

He blinked, coming back into the moment. “It‟s

not like I haven‟t tried, you know. I‟ve done my
best to try and get her to want me in the way that
you and Cal want each other.” His voice sounded
sad and I felt for him. Why is it all the nice guys
always end up getting left behind? Suzy would
rather have that freak Corey than be with a
gentleman like Zane. Okay, so she dumped him,
but only because she had no choice. No one wants
to be with a paedophile. Sure, Zane was a little
different, but to me that made him all the more
special. He was unique and if Suzy didn‟t see it,
then as far as I was concerned it was her loss. I‟d
have him in a heartbeat—with Callum‟s blessing,
of course.

“What about…other stuff? Has she even kissed

you?”

“Nope.”
I was about to open my mouth to say

something, let him know that he wasn‟t the one at
fault, when he unexpectedly turned his back to
me. Why did he do that? He seemed to be in a
rush. A stark contrast to all that slow stretching

Light of the Body

and posing he had been doing only a few
moments ago.

Moments later, Zane turned to me, his eyes

intense. He blinked, offering a nervous smile.

I understood why there was a sudden change in

his demeanour. He was obviously feeling the
consequences of what we had been talking about.
He wanted someone to have him. He was naked
and he was parading around like the love drunk
man he was. His pinky-red head revealed itself
more and more as he got harder. His foreskin slid
back, retracting of its own accord.

Moments later, he had a full on erection. Fuck

he was huge when fully hard. I tried not to look at
him in that state. Sure, while he was flaccid it was
all fun and games, but erection territory meant an
entirely different thing. A red flag warning if you
will. I didn‟t want to ruin our relationship, not in
any way. Geez, it was hot in here, and I wasn‟t
referring to the temperature, either. Suzy was
nuts, fucking nuts if she didn‟t jump his bones at
the first opportunity she got.

He fumbled with a pair of boxers. A wonderful

bright red Cars pair complete with Lightning
McQueen design and the Boys in the Hood
catchphrase from the movie. I stared at him for the
longest while as he literally stuffed himself into
them. He certainly did have all the right
equipment under his hood. He clambered into the

Mark Alders

rest of his clothes. I couldn‟t help myself. I let out a
giggle behind my hand. I saw the funny side of
this even if he didn‟t.

“Easy for you to laugh. You can relieve yourself

all over Cal. I got no such luck. My hand‟s my
only friend, hey?”

“As I‟ve told you before, if you want to try out

the same team, I‟d be all over you like a kid licking
a lollypop. Just don‟t be so eager next time to
show me your cock, otherwise you may not be
able to control yourself.” I winked at him.

Zane smiled, then mumbled, “I think… um,

you might be right there, Jakey. I…I, I‟m um…
sorry. As soon as I finish gettin‟ dressed we can
get outta here, okay? Suzy‟s usually at the General
Store this time of day. She buys me a Mars bar and
then comes over once she‟s done the rest of
whatever it is she does.”

He looked uncomfortable and he seemed to

shudder, like he‟d eaten something sour, wincing
as he slipped on a shirt. “Are you all right?” I
couldn‟t help but ask. I knew he‟d hurt himself,
and I knew that feeling all too well. Putting away
that much meat before it was flaccid would have
hurt anyone. I also suspected he had blown his
load, too, but I wasn‟t one-hundred percent sure
about that. If he had, he‟d sure be uncomfortable
for a while. Poor guy.

He nodded, but didn‟t offer any other reply.

Light of the Body

I got up off the bed. As soon as he buckled up

his belt, he opened his door and dashed out of his
room. I followed.

By the time I caught up to him, he was well past

the front gate.

“Hang on, will you?” I said.
His pace was fast and he walked with his head

low, as if he were full of determination, full of
purpose. I think he was actually embarrassed he
had performed for me. As I had told him, I didn‟t
mind at all.

“We betta hurry if we‟re gonna catch Suzz at

the Store. She don‟t muck around—well, not with
stuff like that anyway.”

“Hey, what‟s the matter with you?” I grabbed

his shoulder. “I told you, I don‟t mind what you
did. I liked it to tell you the truth. I like how
someone is so secure in with their own sexuality
that they can do what you did without a second
thought.”

He stopped, looking intently with his beautiful

dark brown eyes. He looked hurt. Then, as he
stared at me, his expression softened. A nervous
smile quivered across his lips. “I‟m sorry, Jakey. I
shouldn‟t of done that.”

I frowned. “You haven‟t done anything to

offend me. And if you did, I most certainly would
have told you. It‟s nothing you wouldn‟t have

Mark Alders

done for Callum, with or without me there, now
was it?”

He slipped his hands into his jeans‟ front

pockets, looking more relaxed, as if what I said
lifted a weight of him. For all his awkwardness
and clumsy gestures, he sure had a sensitive side. I
liked that. Zane wasn‟t self-centred, prudish or
filled with hot air like most straight guys were.
Guys like Corey.

Actually, speaking of Corey, what happened to

him? A cold shiver ran through me when I
thought about those words he said. I had heard
them so many times today already. What did they
mean? My mind wandered back to Suzy. I hoped
she was okay.

We walked on toward the General Store, our

pace blistering. I know he wanted to see Suzy. I
wanted to see her, too. I‟m glad we both had the
same purpose.

As we walked into the main street toward the

shop, Zane said, “Well, I‟m certainly gonna pay
for being all cocky, that‟s for sure. I won‟t be doin‟
that in a hurry again. Not without a visit to the
bathroom straight after, I mean.”

“Oh,” I said with a smile. My suspicions were

confirmed. He had cum in his pants. I slipped my
arm around him so I could be closer to him,
reassure him I didn‟t really care. His smile
widened. I sure loved it how he trusted me. I

Light of the Body

trusted him. In fact, Zane and Suzy and Mr.
Barnaby and Callum and myself had been through
so much—probably go through a lot more, that we
only had trust. Zane had proved that today
without a shadow of a doubt. “I love you, you
know that, don‟t you?”

He stopped. Looked at me and replied, “Cum

spackle is a bitch to get out of pubes, you know?”
His voice was flat, as if what he was saying was
something ordinary.

I laughed. Not the usual reply to an I love you,

but for Zane, that was as good as it was probably
going to get. We walked on, the General Store in
sight.

Again he stopped. “So you really didn‟t mind,

then?”

I reached up and pecked him on his cheek.

“Not at all, you show off. You can do that any
time. Just know I won‟t let you leave without you
relieving yourself first, mainly because I would
like to see that, too.”

“You‟re the best.” We continued on our path.

“If you were single, I‟d give you one for sure,
make you beg for more until you gagged for it.”

I thought about that. Since when did being with

someone mean I had to miss out on a great fuck
from an adorable bloke? I knew Callum would
approve, especially if Zane were involved. If I
knew one-hundred percent that Zane was

Mark Alders

interested, I‟d do my damndest to try and get him
between the sheets, between both of us. “Hey, I
can take anything you give me, you know. My
arse is yours if you want it.”

“Yeah, but that‟s Cal‟s hole, and I wouldn‟t do

nothin‟ to break up our friendship. You mean too
much to me, both of you.” He let out a gasp of air
through his nose, then chuckled. The resulting
smile wrinkled his nose and revealed his eye teeth.
I liked him when he was happy. “Just my luck the
person who wants me is an attached bloke and the
girl I want isn‟t interested in me on any physical
level. Fucking geez, I‟m sure a magnet for the
wrong kind, aren‟t I?”

“You‟ll win her over, I‟m sure of it. If not, I‟ll

give her a piece of my mind just for you.”

“Thanks, Jakey.”
The rest of the time was spent telling Zane

everything that had happened that morning with
Callum.

* * * *

It was nearly 10:30 am by the time we got to the
General Store. I went straight to the counter. Mr.
Barnaby greeted us all in the cheerful way he
always did. I got straight to the point and the
reason we had come here in the first place. I told
him what had happened to Callum and probably

Light of the Body

the rest of the townsfolk, too. I also asked him if
Suzy had been in yet or not. She hadn‟t.

The thing about Mr. Barnaby is that no matter

what I say to him he always made me feel
important. Words like Oh, I see or That sounds
terrible for Callum and Are you all right, dear boy?
were uttered by him in between my natural
pauses.

He hadn‟t noticed anything weird, then again,

he said he had been stocktaking all this week and
really, what impregnated town member was going
to come in the General Store for supplies? From
what I had seen, those affected were in a coma or
flailing their limbs like people possessed.

Zane paced the floor like an expectant father

next to the massive display of Pine-o-clean—good
price, too, at a dollar forty-nine a litre, which I
would have to tell mum about at the soonest
possible moment. I knew he was waiting for Suzy.
He was right to do so. My concern for her had
reached a level of sheer panic. Where was she?
According to Zane she always stopped off at the
General Store before going to his place.

When I had finished telling Mr. Barnaby

everything I knew, he said, “Actually, now that
you mention it, I have noticed some strange
happenings going on lately.” He rubbed his white
goatee.

Zane came over to the counter. “You have?”

Mark Alders

“Yes, I have. Last night Aloysius started

playing up just as I was about to settle in for the
night. He was doing exactly the same as what that
dog did to you, Jacob. He was fretting, trying to
keep me away from the windows and doors. Yes,
he was.”

“Um, I didn‟t know you had a dog, Mister B,”

Zane said. “What breed is it? Bet‟cha got one of
those shitty dogs, one that sits on your lap and
all.”

Mr. Barnaby raised an eyebrow. “I think you

mean a shitzu, and no, I don‟t have one. Too much
hair all over the place. Not a good look for a shop.
I don‟t have any dog, never have, never will.”

“So, who‟s Aloysius, then?” I blurted. I placed a

dairy whip bar onto the counter from one of those
impulse displays. Mr. Barnaby waved his hand,
letting me have the chocolate without paying.

“My friend,” was the man‟s short sharp reply.

We all looked at each other. Mr. Barnaby turned
and fiddled with the newspaper stand next to the
counter, straightening them up.

Zane raised his thick black eyebrows when he

looked beyond the counter and into the back room
of the shop. “Who did you say Aloysius was
again? You hidin‟ some bit of fluff to rumple your
foreskin back there, or what?”

“Aloysius is a he, and no, I didn‟t mention who

he was. Did you want a free Mars bar, Zane? I

Light of the Body

know Suzy buys them for you all the time. Your
favourite, I believe.”

“Yeah, sure do,” Zane replied snatching the

confectionary from a shelf quick smart and
wasting no time unwrapping it and gobbing it
down. I think Mr. Barnaby mentioned the magic
word. Free.

Watching him eat that chocolate was even more

erotic than seeing him exhibiting his fine body in
front of me, if that was at all possible. Do straight
guys even realise how alluring something so
simple as eating a suggestively shaped object can
be?

Before Zane had finished, the shop bell tinkled.

We all turned to look at the door. No one was
there. It took me a moment to realise that no one
had entered the shop, even though the door had
been opened. I mean, my thoughts were still
wrapped around the idea that Mr. Barnaby had a
friend we didn‟t know about. Who was Aloysius?
Was he a cat? No, he had already said he didn‟t
like hair in the shop. Or was he something else
entirely?

The sound of a can or something falling off one

of the shelves came from the back of the shop. The
sight of a tin of Baked Beans rolling toward us
confirmed my initial thought. The can stopped at
my feet.

Mark Alders

“Who‟s there? Hello!” Mr. Barnaby called out.

“I have a great special on Baked Beans if you‟re
interested. Buy forty tins, get ten half price!”

“I‟ll go see who‟s there.” Zane picked up the

can, plonked it onto the counter and dashed down
the aisle to investigate.

As soon as he left me, the atmosphere inside the

shop seemed to darken and get close. In fact, it felt
like a storm was about to blow in and drop heavy
rain or something. The air was almost electric. I
got that smell caught in my nostrils, of rain and
stale insects.

I realised I was holding my breath, feeling the

urge to take in air. I gasped and worry consumed
me. Zane had been gone for a while.

“Zane?” I shouted.
There was no reply. The only sound was the

gentle purring of the refrigerated case that ran
down the centre of the shop and the whirr of the
heating fan above me. Even though warm air
flowed from that vent, a cold chill shot through
me. There was something in the shop with us. I
had sensed the presence before.

I was about to call out for him again, he

emerged from behind the end of the week‟s
specials bay—a display of soap powder and pretty
cheap, too, a dollar ninety-nine a case. He shook
his head. From that I gathered he hadn‟t seen

Light of the Body

anyone back there. But why didn‟t Zane reply
before? Surely, he didn‟t ignore me deliberately.

When he came up to the counter, another can

rolled toward me and from the same aisle, too.
This time a tin of spaghetti.

Mr. Barnaby tutted. “What is going on here?”

He lifted up the counter‟s access board. “If there‟s
someone in my shop, show yourself!”

I turned in time to see Corey Harrington step

over the clutter of stock next to the tinned food
aisle. He looked like he did this morning, pale,
gaunt and with a blank expression. He looked
frightening.

Corey barged past me and went to Zane. He

eyed him up and down and then took in a lungful
of air when he bought his nose close to his skin,
like what he had done to me earlier.

Zane recoiled. “What‟s up with you, man?”
In a voice cold and distant, Corey replied, “If

your filthy seed contaminates her sanctity, your
life won‟t be worth living, mortal. She is the right
one. She is our queen and not for the likes of you.
You are impure. You are nothing. Don‟t even
bother with your mateship ritual. You will come
to nothing if you proceed down that path.”

“What the fuck does that mean, jerkoff?” Zane

spat.

“I can smell it on you. You stink of your own

filthy excitement. I can smell you want her. If you

Mark Alders

so much as touch her, I‟ll kill you in the name of
my Masters and the honour of my Queen.”

Zane opened his mouth, about to reply, when

Corey‟s eyes then rolled into the back of their
sockets. He shuddered and his arms jiggled
violently at his sides. We all stepped back, like he
was a bomb about to explode. His body glowed.

A cold wind blew through the shop. Well, not a

wind as such, it was more like a tornado or
something. I covered my face as newspapers,
magazines and flyers filled the air, some cutting
into my skin.

I yelled. By the time the wind subsided, Corey

had disappeared. Whether he went out the door or
simply vanished was anyone‟s guess. All I know is
that he was gone as mysteriously as he had
arrived. What had gotten into him? Was he
possessed or something? Again with the queen
talk. At least this time he offered some more
information, as cryptic as it was.

Mr. Barnaby came over to me. He placed his

hands onto my shoulder. “Are you all right, my
friend?”

“Well, that‟s somethin‟ you don‟t see every

day,” Zane said.

“What did he mean by all that don’t touch her

stuff?” Mr. Barnaby asked.

I looked at Zane, then at Mr. Barnaby.

“Whatever he meant, we can‟t just stand here

Light of the Body

doing nothing. We have to get to the bottom of
this.”

Zane smiled. “Now you‟re talkin‟.”
“So where do we start, then?” Mr. Barnaby

said.

“Corey‟s house,” I added. “We should have

enough time to do some poking around before
Callum wakes up and needs us all.”

“Let me call Mrs. Leary to look after the place.

I‟m coming with you.” Mr. Barnaby let me go and
grabbed his phone that was hiding under the
disturbed newspapers. He was dialling before I
could blink. The old man could move when he
wanted to.

Zane frowned. “I think Suzy may be in a bit of

trouble, you know that? Seems to me her ex-
boyfriend still has somethin‟ to prove. I bet he
knows why all the town folk are goin‟ all
possessed and shit. I bet he knows for sure.”

I agreed. “Yeah, and the key to all this seems to

be freak boy Corey. I bet if we find out where he‟s
been disappearing to, we‟ll find some clue as to
where she is.”

Mr. Barnaby placed the phone back into its

cradle. “It‟s done. We can all go and do a bit of
good „ol fashioned investigating. Mrs. Leary will
be here soon.”

I seriously think Mr. Barnaby enjoyed all these

mysterious goings on. Then again, I had to admit,

Mark Alders

I was certainly most curious to find out what this
was all about, too.

Light of the Body

Chapter Six

hen Mrs. Leary arrived, Zane came over to
me. Mr Barnaby was engaged in chit-chat
with the woman, handing over keys and

giving her contact numbers in case of emergency.

Zane decided the time was right for whatever it

was he needed to say. I suspected the freakish
encounter with Corey Harrington had something
to do with what was on his mind.

“Am I that obvious I have it bad for Suzz?”
I took his hand. “Sometimes. But there‟s

nothing wrong with that.” Yep. It was about
Corey Harrington. Then again, everything seemed
to be about Corey, lately.

“Aww, shit.” He screwed up his face. “So, you

reckon I should just come right on out and ask her
on a date? How about to the Spring Dance? When
all this stuff is over, I mean. Seems everyone
knows I slap my monkey over her pretty much all
the time, don‟t they?”

Mark Alders

“You do what you think is right.” I hadn‟t

thought of the Spring Dance. That was a couple of
months away now. Should I ask Callum to go with
me? Perhaps we should all go together, as a
group. Perhaps we may get to meet this Aloysius
person if I could convince Mr. Barnaby to come,
too. “But if you asked me out, I‟d be on my knees
before you could finish your sentence. That‟ll give
you some relief.”

Zane laughed. “You‟re such a tease, Jakey.

Gotta love you for that.”

I smiled, there was his return I love you, done in

a way only he could manage, as an off-handed
remark.

Mr. Barnaby had decided to take the General

Store‟s truck to Corey‟s place, because he lived at
the other end of town. Besides, I don‟t think Mr.
Barnaby wanted to walk that far. I didn‟t blame
him. As I thought about the events of the day, I
wished we had the field generator‟s knowledge to
tap into. Damn, I knew we should have kept it.
Perhaps it could have told us how we were
supposed to deal with people with insectoid
embryos inside them. How did insects get that big
in the first place? Were they mutants? The
chemical factory on the far side of the Westfell had
been abandoned for decades. No one ventured
near there. Was that where they had come from?

Light of the Body

My mind continued to turn over ideas while

Zane and I waited out the front of the store for Mr.
Barnaby. When the truck approached, I realised
Zane was staring at me, his eyes glistening. Gosh,
he was sweet.

“Will I ever have a chance with her?” he asked.
“I sure hope so, cause if you haven‟t I think

you‟re going to have to find another outlet to let
off some of that testosterone of yours.”

“Perhaps a threesome with you and Cal, hey?”
“Now who‟s the tease?”
“Who‟s teasin‟?”
I didn‟t know whether or not to ignore that.

Zane was sure hard to figure out. One minute he
was hot, the next as cold as ice. I shrugged,
deciding not to add any more to the conversation.

Saying that the truck was uncomfortable was an

understatement. It was a cabin thing for a start,
which meant that there was only a bench seat at
the front and someone had to sit with their legs
either side of the stick shift. I was given that
position. At least I didn‟t have to sit on Zane‟s lap.
I don‟t know how I would have handled having
him so close, especially after his performance
earlier on. We were squashed, but we were saved
any embarrassment.

In the end, the drive to Corey‟s wasn‟t too bad,

though Mr. Barnaby drove the truck like the

Mark Alders

apocalypse was upon us. I didn‟t know trucks
could move that fast.

We turned into Corey Harrington‟s street with

a squeal of wheels and me having to hold onto the
seat for fear of squashing Zane into the passenger
door.

“Here we are then,” Mr. Barnaby said as he

pulled into Corey‟s driveway. “And something
tells me we‟re expected.”

Sure enough, Corey was by his mailbox.
There were a dozen or so other people with

him, standing there on his front lawn staring at us.
All of them had that zombie-like appearance.
Their bodies glowed, even through the material of
what they were wearing.

I was about to ask Zane to get out of the truck

so we could confront Corey and ask him where
Suzy was, when everyone on the lawn started to
make their way toward us.

Zane caught my hand when I reached over him

for the door handle. “Are you crazy?” he
questioned, his face had gone from morose
disinterest to astounded horror within a blink of
an eye. “Haven‟t you ever seen a zombie flick?”

“Yeah, but this isn‟t a movie. Besides, these

people are from our town. Look, there‟s Mrs.
Weatherstone, and that‟s Mr. Wilson. Why would
they hurt us?” But as I spoke those words a
terrible feeling washed over me. I knew these

Light of the Body

people were not themselves. Sure, they had the
appearance of those I knew, but inside them, they
were different. Zane was right.

“Actually, they don‟t look all that friendly at

all,” Mr. Barnaby interjected.

I mouthed something incoherent as the

townsfolk surround the truck. Not only that, they
were beginning to pelt the vehicle with anything
and everything they could find scattered about the
road or around Corey‟s front yard.

A stone struck the windshield with a loud

thwack and a spider crack scratched up the glass. I
screamed.

“Quick, Mister B, get us out of here!” Zane

yelled.

Mr. Barnaby thrust the gear-stick into reverse,

nearly whacking me right in the balls. Thankfully I
shuffled up the seat in time. The truck jerked.
Before I could tell whether or not we had moved,
Corey jumped up onto the vehicle‟s windshield.
He looked right at me, like before, his eyes were
intense yet distant.

I must have screamed again, because Zane

cursed out loud, holding his ears. I was close to
him and he uttered many obscenities, but words
that more than adequately described my
experience as Corey‟s bloodshot eyes bored into
my soul from behind the glass.

Mark Alders

Corey punched at the window. After a few

attempts the glass gave way and I was showered
in shards. Blood splattered all over my clothes.
This time I didn‟t scream. I was numb with
disbelief.

Zane came over me, shielding my face with his

arm as best he could. His body pressed against
mine. Everything went dark. I can‟t remember the
next few seconds, other than having something
pull at me. My body was being yanked out from
underneath Zane and I screamed. The truck must
have been moving at a great speed and erratically,
too, because as I slid off the seat, unable to control
myself, I fell.

Zane come over me as I fell onto what I could

only imagine was Corey. My landing was softened
by something, but that didn‟t stop me from falling
into unconsciousness.

I opened my eyes and saw nothing.
At first I thought I was dead. Well, not dead as

in buried six feet under, but dead as in how I
imagined it would be because I was surrounded
by darkness. But then again, if this was death and
death is nothing, how would I know?

I then knew I wasn‟t dead. That was a relief.
I heard movement around me, like foot

shuffles. God, I hope the zombie people of the
town weren‟t here with me in this dark place.
That‟d be all I need to top off the freaky day I‟d

Light of the Body

been having so far. I thought of Callum. I wanted
him near me. To hold him. To touch him.
Anything.

My stomach tightened, my fingers tingled and

the adrenalin pumped through my veins. I was
ready to jump up and run away. But something
stopped me.

I thought Zane spoke.
Well, I didn‟t hear him speak as such. It was

more like a groan, and then a whine, which was
followed by more groans. Yep, that was him. I
hoped he was okay and not injured in the fall off
the truck. All I needed to top everything off would
be two people I loved in the hospital.

As I listened, I thought his groans had a

sarcastic undertone to them. Like a gee I knew this
would happen kind of tone. Yes, that was Zane. I
take it he wasn‟t feeling the best.

I bet he was feeling the weight of the fall ring

through his bones. I know I was. Which was
another reason why I didn‟t get up and run. I was
sore all over. I had this revelation when I tried to
move toward the sound of his moans. I think I had
been used as a punching bag. I winced.

“You okay, Jakey?” Zane‟s voice pierced the

darkness even though he was only whispering.
But his voice sounded a little different. As if it was
muffled by something. I thought I smelt that

Mark Alders

musty insect aroma I had been smelling all day.
Was there someone else here with us in the dark?

I dismissed that thought. If there was someone

else, surely I would be able to hear them. I sat up
as best I could, then replied, “No. Not really.”
Then another thought struck me. “Where are we
exactly?” Where was Mr. Barnaby? Where were
the other people of the town? Then again, if they
were here I would be able to see. Their glow
would at least give us some light.

Zane coughed. “We‟re in the storm water

tunnels that go under the Longmuir.”

Ah, that certainly answered the question that

had only just sprung into my mind. He shuffled
closer. Was he injured? I wished I could see. “Are
you okay?”

He didn‟t answer my question, but said, “It was

Mister B‟s idea to come here. And „sides we had
no other choice from what I could tell. The whole
fuckin‟ town are all zombiefied and kind of
wantin‟ our brains or somethin‟. Well, that‟s what
I reckon anyway. The folk of this town seem to be
all concerned with dead starfish boy Corey. I think
he‟s some sort of leader of them or some shit like
that.”

“I got that. What I want to know is the why and

the how.”

“Say, you think Suzz has somethin‟ to do with

all this, too?” Again Zane‟s voice sounded weird,

Light of the Body

even though he was closer to me. His voice had a
gruffness and murkiness to it I hadn‟t noticed
before. Was the darkness heightening my sense of
hearing? To me it didn‟t sound quite like him, like
I was hearing a recording of his voice played back
through the old tape deck my dad keeps in the
garage. I used to record my voice on it when I was
a boy, laughing at how silly I sounded. I wanted to
be a radio DJ back then, until my voice broke and
it lost any originality, that is.

Zane was now next to me. His breath wisped

against my skin and the heat off his body warmed
me. He placed his hand into mine. I didn‟t recoil.
Besides, I wanted his touch and being in complete
darkness made his company even more welcome.

“I‟m kinda scared. Mister B‟s been gone a

while. He took the only flashlight, too.”

“How long have I been unconscious?” But that

wasn‟t really the question at the forefront of my
mind. I wanted to know where Corey and his
army of zombie town folk were. Surely, they
would have followed us into these tunnels? My
mind span as I tried to concentrate. All I could
draw was a hazy nothingness from my conscious. I
simply didn‟t have all the information I needed to
formulate any hypothesis as to what happened
while I was out of it.

“A while,” he said. He pressed against the side

of me. I swore he moaned again.

Mark Alders

“Are you all right?” I found myself repeating. It

was then Zane took his hand away from mine.
Whether or not he did it to divert attention away
from himself and my question or not, I couldn‟t
tell. He placed his hand across my stomach.
Strangely, I liked what he did.

In fact, my insides fluttered as he moved his

hand across my shirt. He had a soft touch that was
sensual, too, and I couldn‟t help but become
caught up in the moment. “What are you doing,
Zane?” I pressed my eyelids closed, trying to think
of Callum. But the heat in the storm pipes and the
musty smell and the closeness of Zane made my
mind fuzzy and my feelings inside become alight
with desire. I shook my head.

“I can stop if you don‟t like it.” He ran his hand

under my shirt and up toward my chest,
concentrating his touch around my nipples. I
gasped. “I know you need someone to look after
you, Jakey. Cal can‟t do that now, can he? I can. I
can look after you real good.”

“Don‟t,” I snapped, sounding a lot harsher than

I had intended. I hoped I didn‟t dissuade, but I
also hoped I had made it clear I didn‟t want that
sort of affection, not from him and especially not
now. “Please don‟t.” What had gotten into him? I
thought he was straight? I thought he only wanted
Suzy?

Light of the Body

But he persisted. “You want somethin‟ more

then?”

Before I could answer him, he took his hand

away from under my shirt and placed it at the
inside of my leg. He rubbed me there. Again his
movements were perfect, and as he moved his
fingers over me, his breathing became quicker and
deeper. I gasped when he unbuckled my belt and
unzipped my jeans. My underwear was no
obstacle as he ran his fingers though my pubic
hair.

I became warm, even more so than when

Callum was intimate with me. I placed my hand
onto his, stopping him from exploring me any
more. I couldn‟t let him do this. Yet, how he
behaved was different than before. Sure, when he
flashed his cock right in front of my face that was
Zane showing off. Doing what he does best. This
was different. It was like I wasn‟t with him at all.
Something didn‟t feel right.

When I thought about what was happening, I

felt dirty. Then again, I wanted to know what he
would do next. Was that wrong? Of course it was.
I should be at Callum‟s side instead of letting a
straight guy feel me up.

Geez, that sounded stupid, even to me. This

wasn‟t Zane at all. As I was about to get up, let
him know this wasn‟t a good thing to be doing, he

Mark Alders

pressed his hot, wet lips onto mine. A wash of his
manly odour invaded my nostrils. I went dizzy.

I got hard.

Light of the Body

Chapter Seven

ane‟s kiss on my lips then became a whole lot
more and the next words out of his mouth when
he had finished kissing me, most certainly

revealed that. “I want to have you. I want to have
you so bad it hurts. I always have.”

“But…but what about Suzy? I don‟t think—”

But before I could finish my sentence, or even my
train of thought for that matter, he pressed his lips
against mine.

I was gagged by his silky, wet tongue invading

my mouth, trying to dominate the new territory as
quickly as possible. He tasted so different than
Callum, sweet and sickly all at the same time. He
tasted like forbidden fruit, which is what he was.
My cock went so hard it ached. I groaned.

He took that as a signal to continue. That and

the fact I placed my arms around him, pulling him
closer to me, sealed it for him. Why I did that I
couldn‟t even hazard a guess. Damn him. Why
did he have to do everything so right? Bastard.

Mark Alders

I had to admit, his kiss was sensational. Gentle.

Teasing. Warm. Deep. Every emotion poured
through me as I lost myself in his arms and I
became so rock hard with my passion for him I
didn‟t know how long I‟d last.

He broke his kiss. All I could do was gasp for

air as I tried to cool my thoughts and get myself
out of the erotic spiral that happens when I‟m
given this much attention. He fumbled with my
clothes, trying to remove my jeans and get me out
of my shirt all at the same time.

Even though I couldn‟t see a darn thing, I could

imagine the look on his face. It would be like the
time he paraded around for me in his room. I
could also imagine his beautiful cock as hard as
anything. Fuck! My pre-cum oozed from my own
dick. I was ready for him.

Moments later, the cool of the air stuck to my

skin. Zane had peeled my clothes off me. I‟m glad
there weren‟t lights on, that‟s for sure. I bet I‟d
look like some cheap, dirty ho as I lay on the
concrete, legs spread, ready for what would
happen next. Geez, I was pathetic. As I tried to
recall in my mind the events that led up to this, he
grabbed my cock in his hands, his grip tight.

He retracted my foreskin and rubbed his

fingertips over my head, letting my pre-cum
lubricate my cock. His tongue, his hot, wet,
sensual, magnificent tongue then licked me, teased

Light of the Body

me, before he plunged all of me into his mouth. I
let out a delighted whimper, being inside his
mouth felt divine as he rolled his tongue around
my head. He worked the length of my shaft like he
had done this sort of thing all his life, pulling
down at the root of my cock as he continued to
blow me. Sometimes he stopped so he could
concentrate his efforts on my frenulum, other
times he moved frantically over my length.
Everything he did was fucking wonderful. No
wonder Corey took him into the back shed and
got him to suck him off. Zane was an expert.

At first my fingertips tingled. Then my toes.

Then, as he worked himself up to a rhythm and he
increased the pressure of his touch, my stomach
began to tremble. And I‟m not talking about the
gentle tickle of butterflies either. My stomach
shuddered and in time with the movements of
him over me.

“My…fucking…God,” was all I could say. How

lame was I? I wanted to scream out, both with joy
and with disgust. I hated myself right now. How
could I let this happen? Tears welled in my eyes,
and my bottom lip quivered as Zane continued to
work on me, his free hand now gently cupping my
balls, massaging them.

I placed my hands onto his head, not caring if I

ruffled his hair. He groaned and continued, not
worried I did such a thing. Before I knew it I was

Mark Alders

helping him maintain my desired movement. His
actions were so much better than when I touched
myself, even better than when Callum blew me. I
mean, his tongue had the right kind of hardness
and softness and all at the same time, too. It was
just…fantastic.

I approached the point of no return. My legs

went stiff and numb and my cock ached. I arched
my back, forcing myself deeper into his mouth, so
deep he made gagging noises. Or was he teasing
me again? Whatever. I was in heaven. I let out a
moan. I had to blow my load inside his mouth.
Then I would be happy. He deserved everything I
could give him.

He stopped, letting me go. My cock slapped

onto my stomach.

“No!” I pushed his head down. Again my voice

sounded so harsh, but I didn‟t care. I had to finish
this.

“Shhh,” he said as he pulled my hands off his

head. “I‟ve got somethin‟ more for you.”

My cock tingled and the only sensation below

my waist was a dull throbbing that consumed me
and seemed to be ingrained in every fibre of my
being, every muscle, every bone. My body could
no longer delay. My mind yearned for his touch
and I was in the last throes of resistance before the
inevitable climax. Whatever he was going to do he
had better do it damn quick. I didn‟t want to

Light of the Body

waste all this effort and have to start all over
again. I don‟t think I could live with myself.

My wish came true.
After he spoke, he opened my legs wider,

pulling them up so he could access my arsehole. I
whimpered again. His warm, wet tongue licked
my balls before he moved down to where he
seemed to want to be. At first he teased, tickling
the rim of my anus. Fuck, even Callum never
licked me there. My thoughts became a whirl of
ecstasy as he stopped his light playful touch and
licked me like I were a girl, hard and wet with
long lashes of his tongue across my arse. I was his
pussy and it felt magnificent, special even.
Straight guys were awesome.

Harder and harder he went, sometimes piercing

me with his beautiful wet tongue. A wet slurping
noise filled the darkness around me as he made
me wetter and hotter and hornier. A gentle groan
finished off his licking, but the tingling sensation
remained.

I was ready to accept him. No, I needed him.

My cock throbbed as I realised what he intended
to do next. An intense pressure came over me,
deep inside, both painful and pleasurable as his
cock pierced my arsehole after all his attention.
What he gave me was indeed better than his
tongue. I had him. All of him. And I had given
myself to him willingly, too, if only to reach the

Mark Alders

peak I so needed right now. His lips once again
silenced any protest I may have had. But I
wouldn‟t have protested. I needed this more than
the air I breathed.

His love was welcome.
He kissed me, gently pushing in his tongue to

part my lips. I tasted myself. In that moment my
body convulsed. The build up of pressure, the
long climb up to where I was could no longer be
the reason for holding myself back.

I orgasmed, soaking myself in my own cum.

Warmth washed over me and I welcomed it. Fuck
it was good. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Zane moaned and his body shuddered. He

must have cum, too. I wrapped my arms around
him, pressing him close to me, letting him get wet
with my fluid as he continued to pump more of
his own inside me. He collapsed onto me, his heat
and mine stifling the air, but wonderful. I became
intoxicated by it. He panted and grunted more
and more as he kept on unloading himself into
me, music to my ears.

I came down off my high. Voices penetrated the

dark before an intense light flooded the tunnel. I
shielded my eyes.

“Holy fuck!” Zane screamed. But it didn‟t come

from above me. Rather, the voice came from the
light. “Get the fuck off him, you disgustin‟ mother
fucker!”

Light of the Body

In the confusion that followed, Mr. Barnaby

yelled at the one I had just given myself to. He
ordered it to get off me. When the thing I believed
to be Zane pulled out of me, emptiness consumed
me, so much so it was tangible. But I couldn‟t
think of that. What was going on?

“There, Zane!” Mr. Barnaby called.
“Quick! Get the fuckin‟ bastard! I threw the net!

I threw the net!” Zane yelled at the top of his
lungs. “Shoot, Mister B. Shoot!”

My eyes began to focus. At first I could only see

shapes or what I thought were figures,
presumably the real Zane and Mr. Barnaby,
moving about in the tunnel with me as I
scrambled to my feet.

A gun fired. My ears rang.
“Got it!” Mr. Barnaby shouted.
My eyes became accustomed to the flashlight

beam that roved erratically across the tunnel
walls. To my sheer and absolute horror, a cloaked
figure was lying in the dirt next to me. He wasn‟t a
man I had ever seen before. His face was insect-
like—no, it was cockroach like, yet also human. A
cross between the two. Its beady, dull eyes stared
up at me. It was dead.

A nauseous feeling overcame me.
I scrambled as quickly as I could away from the

man that had…that I… Oh my God, I couldn‟t
even say it let alone think about it. I dry heaved,

Mark Alders

forcing myself to try and not chuck up my guts. I
had been fucked by an insect man. No wonder I
thought Zane sounded weird at first. It wasn‟t him
at all. I was covered in dirt and cum, but I picked
up my clothes. I didn‟t want Zane or Mr. Barnaby
to see me like this. What had I done?

“Hey, Jakey, you couldn‟t wait to get your gear

off, could you?” the real Zane said, as cheeky as
ever.

I didn‟t answer him. In the gloom I could see

his painfully beautiful face complete with that
wonderful boyish smirk of his stare at me as if
judging what I had done. Guilt pricked at the back
of my neck as I clambered back into my jeans, not
even bothering to clean myself off.

Again I retched, this time at my own smell. I

felt ashamed. How could I have been so stupid?
What had gotten into me?

Mr. Barnaby came up to me. “If it‟s any

consolation, Jacob, this thing isn‟t the only one.
Corey was one of them, too.”

“Yeah, when we pulled you off him after you

fell from the truck, we saw the fuckin‟ bastard for
what he really was. Seems they can disguise
themselves, these things. Real freaky, hey?”

Mr. Barnaby patted me on my shoulder. “You

were fooled just as we all were.”

“Bet you thought you saw Cal giving you what

for, right?” Zane said as he wrapped up the net he

Light of the Body

had used to throw over my insectoid lover,
trapping it so Mr. Barnaby could shoot it. I‟m glad
the thing was dead.

My cheeks grew warm. “Yeah, that‟s it,” I lied.

“I mean, I thought it was weird how Callum was
out of the hospital so quick.” God that sounded
weak even for me. Why would Callum be out of
the hospital, and more to the point, how could he
have found me down these storm pipes? “Say,
how did I get down here anyway?” I added,
changing the subject. I didn‟t want anyone to
know I gave myself to what I thought was Zane,
even though deep down I knew I was being
affected in some way by the insect man.

“We both brought you down here, thinking

you‟d be safe while we called the ambulance and
got as many of the infected townsfolk into the
hospital as we could,” Mr. Barnaby began. “As
soon as that insect man disguised as Corey died,
the folk around him stopped dead in their tracks
and did nothing. I suppose you could say they no
longer had any purpose. I guess from that you
could say these things are controlling the infected
people of this town. I mean, the whole east side of
Pembroke Eve has been taken over according to
the ambulance men. This is spreading fast.”

Zane gave his trademark crooked smile. “To

stop „em we‟re gonna go bust some insect dudes‟
heads in. Mister B reckons they‟re using these

Mark Alders

storm pipes to get around the town unnoticed. We
only figured that part out when we saw you—
sorry, Jakey…but if you could see what we saw…”
he trailed off. I think he knew I felt bad enough
already. I nodded.

“The one on top of you was the fifth one we‟ve

seen down here already. Thankfully, I carry my
trusty shotgun in my truck,” Mr. Barnaby said
with a beaming smile, like Santa Claus at
Christmas he was, but twice as jolly. Yep. He
enjoyed getting out of the General Store and
hanging out with us.

I then felt pains in my stomach—well, the pain

was lower, more like my lower intestines. What
had the insectoid man-thing given to me when he
came? Dizziness struck me. The thought of having
anything inside me made me feel queasy. “What
happened to the real Corey, then?”

They looked at each other. Finally, Mr. Barnaby

said, “According to the ambulance men, he‟s in a
critical condition at the hospital. His whole body is
riddled with—what did they call them, Zane?”

“Neural cells or some shit like that, I think.”
“What?” I asked. I knew it. I was infected with

something, too.

Mr. Barnaby‟s face screwed up, probably from

the stench down in these pipes more than
anything. That insect smell was overpowering.
“From what they told us—and this is all

Light of the Body

conjecture, mind you, the host is taken over
somehow and their behavioural patterns, voice
and thoughts are transferred to these insectoid
men. That‟s how they can look so real, even to the
folk who know them. But that one on you, he
looked like—”

Zane coughed, cutting Mr. Barnaby off. “Well,

we know how they transfer it now we‟ve seen it
first hand. Seems they give the dude or gal they
want to copy a good fuckin‟.”

I threw up.

Mark Alders

Chapter Eight

fter I had wiped my mouth of my own filth, my
mind span with all sorts of thoughts and
feelings. Eventually, I said, “So let me get this

straight, I would have been copied had you not
come in and killed that thing?” But as I thought
about it, what they had said earlier didn‟t make
any sense. My insect impregnator sounded and
acted like Zane and he hadn‟t been taken over. Or
had I imagined the thing giving me one was Zane
because I had such strong feelings for him?

From the way Zane shifted his gaze away from

me every time I looked at him, I‟d say he knew
what that insect man looked like. I licked my lips,
more out of nervousness than anything else. Did
they see the fake Zane fucking me senseless?

I was knocked out of my reverie when Mr.

Barnaby said, “That about sums it up, dear boy.”

I looked at Zane and this time he kept his stare

upon me. He smirked. It was then I knew he
knew. Unable to help myself I went to him,

Light of the Body

hugging him. “What happens to me now? Am I
going to be taken over by…an insect brain?” I
gasped. I couldn‟t even think about it. The thought
of something growing inside me, taking me over
made me both angry and depressed.

Zane hugged me back, his embrace strong and

welcome, but brief, like a straight boy would have
done it, two slaps on the back and then the let go.
“Dunno, Jakey. But I know what‟s goin‟ on here is
somethin‟ more than what those ambos are sayin‟.
The dude ploughin‟ you looked like me.”

There. He had said it. I looked right into his

eyes and said with all the conviction in my heart,
“I thought it was you, Zane.” My shame washed
over me. “I‟m so sorry. I don‟t know what came
over me. I…Callum is in the hospital and I open
my legs at the first chance I get. You‟ve got to
believe me, something affected me, but I don‟t
know what. Geez, I‟m pathetic, aren‟t I?”

He laughed, patting me on my back. “You can‟t

help it. I‟m hard to resist, I know. Once you‟ve
seen Zane in all his glory, you can‟t go back, hey?”

Mr. Barnaby rolled his eyes toward the

heavens. “I think we should get on with things.”

A great sense of relief joined in my emotions

and I let out a lungful of air to celebrate that
feeling. Talk about a roller-coaster ride of feelings
lately. “As far as I‟m concerned that thing tricked

Mark Alders

me. I would never do such a thing under normal
circumstances, you know that, don‟t you?”

“I know you wouldn‟t, Jakey. You would have

done something in my bedroom when I put on
that show for you if you were like that. You‟re a
top bloke who got duped by a dirty fuckin‟ bug
thing, is all.”

Then it dawned on me. “You put on that show

to prove a point, didn‟t you?”

He looked serious all of a sudden. “You got that

straight. If I have to trust you with my life, I
wanna make sure I can trust you in the first place.
This town freaks the shit out of me as it is, even
more so lately. I need friends I can rely on. You
and Cals and Mister B and Suzy, you‟re all I got.”

He was right. Trust was the only thing we had

for each other, especially with all the townsfolk
either getting pregnant or being copied or
whatever it was these insectoid life forms were
doing to look like us. If he couldn‟t trust me, then I
wasn‟t any good to him. We all had to trust each
other.

Mr. Barnaby had walked ahead, shotgun

tucked under his right arm for easy access, the
flashlight‟s beam roving the walls as he checked
every nook and cranny. “Come on, gentlemen.
This isn‟t a men‟s meeting. We have work to do.”

Light of the Body

“I suppose we need to go kick insect butt as you

say, Zane,” I said as I went up behind Mr.
Barnaby.

Zane clapped his hands. “Now you‟re talkin‟.

The sooner this freak show is over the sooner I can
go home and do stuff all.”

Mr. Barnaby stopped, checked his shotgun and

loaded another bullet into it. “I believe we should
go deeper into the storm pipes. Theses old east
side pipes eventually lead to the chemical factory.
Perhaps that‟s where we need to go.”

My guts ached again and I grabbed myself,

wincing with the pain that shot through me.
“Whatever we‟re going to do, we‟d better do it
fast. I think the stuff that insect man gave me is
reacting inside me.”

Zane came up beside me, his eyes flashing

concern. “Don‟t you dare turn into some sort of
weirdo that can control the banged up folk of this
town, you hear? I‟m never gonna flash my dick to
you again if you do. I swear to God.”

I couldn‟t help but let out a chuckle. “Then

we‟d better make sure we hurry. Seeing your old
fella is the highlight of my day. Say, next time,
when you want to twirl around with nothing on,
make sure Callum and I can take pictures, okay?”

He let out a guffaw. “Deal. Just don‟t put them

on the net.”

Mark Alders

“Oh? Don‟t you want anyone else to see you in

all your glory? A specimen like you should be
shared around,” I said in the cheekiest voice I
could muster, giving Zane a taste of his own
medicine.

He placed his arm around me. “Naw, it‟s not

that. I gotta keep the mystery goin‟ for all my web
fans. I wanna get paid for my skin vids and pics
and havin‟ stuff on there for free is only supposed
to act as a teaser. Heard some guys make a nice bit
of dough on the side jackin‟ off for people to see.
Say, you wanna help me set that up…when this
stuff‟s all over, of course?”

I wasn‟t surprised to hear that at all. I sighed,

resigning to the fact I would never beat Zane at his
own cheeky game. “Sure. Why the hell not?”

Mr. Barnaby tutted. “I‟ll never understand you

young folk. Why is it about what you‟ve all got in
your pants? When you get older, you‟ll learn there
are some things far more important.”

“Hey, don‟t worry, Mister B. We don‟t

understand you either.”

I laughed. Sure was great to have the real Zane

next to me. I wished Callum was here. I missed
him more than anything.

After walking through dirty tunnels filled with

rats and bugs and God knows what else, we came
to a chamber, a sort of junction where four tunnels
merged into one. The place was huge. The odour

Light of the Body

of stale urine and that ever present cockroach
smell hung thick in the air. I gagged, covering my
mouth and nose with my sleeve.

“What the fuck died down here?” I said, tasting

the pungent air in my mouth.

Zane handed me the net he‟d been lugging for

the last hour or so. “Here, take this for a moment,
will you. I need to take a slash real bad. Besides,
adding some more piss into the mix around here
won‟t spoil the ambiance, that‟s for sure.”

“Sure.” The net wasn‟t heavy, more like one of

those light weight throwing nets fisherman use on
the river Longmuir in the rainbow trout season. I
had watched my dad in the past try and catch
some of those prized fish as they come back from
their spawning grounds. I remember being soaked
to my bones and as cold as all hell while we
wadded in the river for hours, doing more
chatting than catching fish. It was great fun.

Zane unzipped. Seconds later, a squelching

noise came from above. Mr. Barnaby flashed the
light in my direction, momentarily blinding me.
“Get the net ready, Jacob. Get the net ready!”

Stars scintillated in my vision as I fumbled with

the net. I blinked madly, trying to restore as much
of my sight as I could. I needed to be able to see if
I was going to throw the net and capture whatever
it was that was behind me. Mr. Barnaby needed
me and I couldn‟t disappoint him. I cursed as the

Mark Alders

net fell onto the floor, slipping from my fingers as
I tried to unravel it. I stumbled as I picked it up,
unable to catch my balance, landing flat on my
face in the stinking dirt of the chamber.

“Fuck!” Zane screamed. But it wasn‟t because

of what I did. An insect man charged for him.

A shot rang out. Then another. Two bullet

shells fell beside me and I knew I had to get up. I
scrambled up to my feet, caught in the net, but
thankfully standing. The insect man was dead on
the floor. Zane stood above it, kicking its carcass
furiously and shouting obscenities, which
included questioning its lineage. The front of his
jeans were stained dark.

“That was a close call,” Mr. Barnaby said,

dabbing his brow with a handkerchief he pulled
from his top pocket. “I think it came from above
us from what I could tell.”

I swallowed hard, looking up. Above us was a

cathedral-like ceiling with a hatch at the centre.
The hatch was open and light flooded in from that
hole, bathed us in a strange orange glow. I
assumed that‟s where the insect man had come
from. Why hadn‟t we noticed the light before? To
me it didn‟t look like sunlight. It would seem the
hatch led into a room and a ladder along one of
the walls led up to the hatch. “Where does that go,
Mr. Barnaby?”

Light of the Body

“I believe we‟re under the chemical factory, if

my bearings are serving me correctly, that is.” He
loaded his shotgun with a haste I hadn‟t seen from
him before, his fat fingers nimbly placing the
bullets into their chambers. I think he must know
we‟ll soon face more insect men, and in greater
numbers than one or two here or there.

Zane came up to me, helping me untangle the

net from my legs. “You all right there, Jakey? That
was quite a fall.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” I let

my stare fall down to his crotch, letting him know
what he‟d done. I couldn‟t blame him really, my
priority would have been to get my cock back into
my jeans as quick as possible if I knew one of
those insect men were behind me. Poor guy
happened to be pissing at the time he shouldn‟t
have been.

He snorted. “Always when you‟ve got your

dick out your pants does somethin‟ go wrong.
Nearly got myself caught up in my zipper, too.
Damn fuckin‟ bug men. Now I‟m gonna stink of
piss until I can change. Just my dumb luck.”

At least he could see the lighter side. I glanced

down at the insect man Mr. Barnaby had smoked
with the shotgun. One of its legs twitched. I sure
hoped the thing was dead.

I looked up again.

Mark Alders

To my horror, more insect men clambered

down from the hatch with a sort of agile scurry
even though they only had two legs. Some were
already on the ladder. I let out a yelp, nudging
Zane.

He saw what I had. “Say, how many bullets do

you have left, Mister B?”

“About twenty or so. I brought plenty.” The

sight of more and more of these insect men
pouring out from the hatch above filled me with
dread. I don‟t think the net would quite cut it any
more. I dropped it. So did Zane. “Why do you
ask?”

“Because, Mr. Barnaby, we‟ve got company.

Look!”

Light of the Body

Chapter Nine

ane and I yelled at Mr. Barnaby to fire the gun.
He did so, letting off two shots in quick
succession before having to clamber with the

gun to get it re-loaded as soon as possible. All too
late. We were surrounded by hundreds of them.

“Jesus fuckin‟ Christ!” Zane yelled as three of

them grabbed him and pulled him away. He said
a lot more, but his voice was muffled by the many
hands that grabbed him.

“Zane!” I cried out before I too felt them claw at

me. I was being taken up the ladder, carried on the
back of one of the insect men, having no choice
but to look down at the chamber floor as I
ascended. Another shot rang out before the gun
went silent. Mr. Barnaby was swamped by insect
men. “Mr. Barnaby!” I added. But what happened
to him next, I didn‟t know. I was pulled through
the hatch and thrown onto the ground next to
Zane. The insect men surrounded us like a living
cage.

Mark Alders

We were in a hangar-like building. What made

me realise these insect men had been planning the
town‟s takeover for a long time, well before the
aliens invaded, was right before my eyes.
Probably well before the chemical factory even
closed down for good about five or ten years ago.
There was a huge central pillar, a pulsating
amorphous being with hundreds of vein-like
tendrils radiating out of it. At the end of each
tendril a mass, like a clump of living matter hung,
supported by more tendrils. If I didn‟t know any
better I‟d say I was looking at a massive living
organism. Was this the mind of the hive of the
insect men?

There was even the sound of a heart vibrating

the foundations of the hangar, but to my surprise
many of the townsfolk, the ones with the light in
their bodies, were walking among the insect men,
carrying things and doing what I thought looked
like work. Were they slaves? So many questions.

I nudged Zane. He groaned, but didn‟t speak.

Instead he got to his feet, pulling me up in the
process. “What‟s up?” I said. But he didn‟t have to
answer. What he pointed at filled me with more
dread than even the sight of all those insect men
charging at me earlier.

There was Suzy Gwendolyn Smith.
My mouth opened. Numbness radiated up

from my legs. I couldn‟t move. I couldn‟t think.

Light of the Body

Suzy was inside the central pillar, a part of it, and
all sorts of vein-like things came out of her body,
most from her head.

“What…what‟s happened to…you, Suzz?”

Zane questioned with so much pain and disbelief
in his voice it was tangible.

My throat went tight. I couldn‟t speak. I felt for

him. I felt for her. She was naked, immersed in
some sort of fluid. Was she a slave, too?

“Bring them to me,” her voice boomed, but I

couldn‟t see her lips move. Was she transmitting
her thoughts? Or was it not her at all, her mind,
soul and body now a part of the hive and any
thought or free will she may have extinguished
like the fragile flame of a candle against the wind.

We were pushed toward her, the insect men

making sure any escape would be met with force,
the force of their numbers that was.

“Suzy?” My voice sounded feeble as I finally

managed to say something, my throat dry, my
muscles still numb.

Standing in front of her made me feel

insignificant. I grabbed Zane‟s hand, somewhat
involuntarily. He didn‟t recoil. I think he was as
dumbfounded as me to find her here, especially
like this.

“Silence, Jacob,” she bellowed. “You shouldn‟t

have come here, either of you. You were warned.”
Her voice was loud and powerful, amplified by

Mark Alders

the living thing she was within, but in my mind, at
the very back of my conscious I heard a little
voice. A child-like voice, one I had to strain to
hear. It was saying, Help me. It was Suzy‟s voice.
Suzy‟s real voice. “I‟m the Queen of the new
human insect race and soon you and Zane will
serve me and our cause,” she continued.
Electricity zapped across the tendrils as she spoke,
making the insect men chatter excitedly.

Zane tightened his grip in my hand, something

Callum would have done when he was scared out
of his mind. He looked like he‟d seen a ghost, his
face drained of blood and his mouth agape. Tears
welled in his eyes. “What…what‟s happened to
you, Suzz?” he repeated, but this time disgust had
seeped into his words.

I wanted to know more, my initial reaction at

seeing her as a part of the machine of the hive no
longer at the forefront of my thoughts. If I was
going to help her, and indeed the whole town, I
had to know more. “What have you done to the
townsfolk? I know you haven‟t been a part of this
for long, we saw you yesterday.”

She smiled. “That was my double, created

purely to fool you. I have been with the
insectmans since the aliens left nearly two months
ago now. They have been waiting for me to take
my place as their Queen, as the one who has
calmed their thoughts and given them true

Light of the Body

purpose. Without me they are scattered, aimless. I
bring them order. I clarify their purpose.”

To me it sounded like Suzy was some sort of

central brain for these…what did she call them?
Insectmans? A weird name but accurate, I
supposed.

I hypothesized they had a sort of hive conscious

and that conscious needed many controlling
minds to function, with Suzy acting as the central
core. To control people they needed to have agents
out in the field, like the double of Corey
Harrington for one. From what Zane had told me,
the infected folk of his street stopped dead when
he was killed. He was controlling that group,
getting directions from Suzy. No wonder all the
doubles said she was the right one. She was. She
was organised and—well, Suzy was Suzy, and she
could be a cold hearted bitch when she wanted to
be. The insectmans needed someone like that to
help them sort out the real issues at hand without
worrying about insignificant details.

I let go of Zane, stepped forward. “What‟s

happened to your double, then?” I asked, trying to
buy some time as I wrestled with my own
thoughts as to how we were going to get out of
this mess.

“She has been reabsorbed into the hive.”
“I see.” That didn‟t help at all. Seems she didn‟t

want to humour me. “So what about the

Mark Alders

townsfolk with the embryos inside them, just like
my Callum? What happens to them?”

Inside my mind I heard that little voice again.

Oh God, I’m so sorry about Callum.

My concentration was broken by Queen Suzy‟s

bellowing voice across the hangar. “…we have
many out there helping transmit our will. We also
have a few out there inseminating humans to
increase our numbers. We need both, the control
and the advance, one not able to function without
the other. That is how we procreate. That is how
we survive. We will survive. We must.”

My suspicions were confirmed. First they sent

out insectmans to impregnate people, then they
sent out doubles to control those infected.
“Clever.”

You must help me, her voice said again. There is a

way, but you must hurry before their numbers get too

great and I am overwhelmed by their thoughts in my
head. I don’t know how long I can keep them from

taking me over completely. Help me, Jacob. Help me.

I didn‟t know how to answer the voice. I was

pretty certain I wasn‟t telepathic. “How?” I
blurted, wishing I hadn‟t the moment the word
passed my lips.

There was an agonising moment of silence

before the tendrils erupted in wave after wave of
electrical pulses. “I don‟t understand the

Light of the Body

question,” Queen Suzy said, her voice seeming
angrier than before, impatient even.

I could smell that cockroach smell again and, as

I took in the odour, something struck me.
Pheromones. They were using pheromones to
control those they intended to copy. Of course.
How simple. Such a tactic would give them time
to do what they needed to do. The scent the
insectmans released coaxed me into thinking that I
was with Zane instead of an insectmans wanting
to infect me or whatever else it had in mind. It was
an effective tool, seeing as Zane was still in the
forefront of my thoughts, that arousing private
show he did earlier saw to that. My mind would
have envisaged him acting out my desires.

Yeah, that‟s it. I was thinking about him and the

pheromones highlighted those thoughts to the
point of me being able to be controlled. It had
nothing to do with Callum or any other feelings I
had. The scent tapped into human desires on an
almost primitive level and projected it. I liked cock
and Zane sure had a fine example of one. The
insectmans became Zane—the Zane I desired.

“I…I…um, I was thinking out loud. As a mere

human I don‟t think I understand all that you‟re
telling me, that‟s all I was saying.”

“There is nothing to understand,” the Queen

spat. There was less and less of Suzy in her as our
conversation went on. Her words became more

Mark Alders

intense and harsh. “Just know that you will soon
become a part of us, your bodies used either as
incubators or as transmitters for your doubles. We
will stop at nothing, Jacob, to get what we want,
including fabricating someone of importance to
the one we desire to seduce and manipulate and
bend them to our will.”

I knew she was referring to the incident in the

tunnel where I couldn‟t keep my cock in my pants.
I flushed with embarrassment. They were using
Suzy‟s memories of her friends and her
knowledge to help control people, too.

You must fight fire with fire. Use their scent against

them. They communicate their orders from the
transmitters using various chemicals amongst each
other, that’s why they need me. I can see things they

can’t. I can direct them and help the transmitters guide
them better. But you must hurry. I can’t fight their will

much longer. As they grow in number more of what I
am is lost. They are taking me bit by bit. Help me. Help

me, Jacob. Help me.

How do I use smell against them? What sort of

smell would affect them? I wished I was
telepathic. I didn‟t ask. I didn‟t want the Queen to
get any more suspicious than she might already
be. Her stare bored into my soul. I shuddered.

This time Zane piped up. “Suzz, it‟s me, your

Zane. Talk to me, Suzz. Talk to me…please.” He
was becoming overtaken by his emotions, his

Light of the Body

voice like a broken whisper, rising and falling in
pitch as though he had just hit puberty.

“You will make a perfect transmitter, my Zane.

Hundreds of your copies will roam the lands we
conquer, keeping my will in my drones minds.”
She spoke his name as though it were poison,
spitting it out. “I will enjoy watching you being
turned into one.”

He looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot.

“You‟re not fuckin‟ Suzy! Suzy would never do
the things you‟ve done. I‟ve seen how you make
us your transmitters and I won‟t let you do that to
me. I don‟t take it up the arse…not for that…” his
words trailed off, and again his voice emotion
soaked.

“You will become a transmitter or die.”
Zane was about to be fucked real good, but not

in a nice way. I know, it‟s what happened to me.
“What are you going to do with me? You‟ve
already tried once and failed, your Majesty.”

Her cold, dark stare studied me and her brow

creased before she said, “You are right, turning
you into a transmitter failed, your double killed.
You will now have to be an incubator, just like
your boyfriend, if you are going to serve us.”

“Callum?” I swallowed hard. “I thought the

doctor said he was going to be okay? I thought the
abortion pills were given to him in time?”

Mark Alders

100

She laughed. “So long as the transmitter is alive

who controls the group of incubators Callum is a
part of the embryo will mature.”

What the fuck did she mean by that? Who was

the transmitter in the hospital? The only people I
saw were in various stages of pregnancy. There
was the doctor and a couple of nurses and that
was it. Oh God! It couldn‟t be, could it? The
doctor? I grabbed Zane‟s hand again, a sense of
urgency overtaking my doubts and fears. What
could I do to stop them from harming anyone else
I cared about? How could I save Callum from
giving birth to one of them? A question popped
into my mind, one I didn‟t want to know the
answer to, but had to ask. “What happens to an
incubator once they have delivered an
insectmans?”

“They become our slaves, their bodies giving

off our light,” she replied. The insectmans
chattered joyfully all around us. Many humans
without the light inside them walked zombie-like
around the hive, tending to the tendrils. I take it
those were the people who had already given
birth and were now mindless slaves. I recognised
a couple of people, Mrs O‟Doherty one of them.
My heart sank. We were supposed to be meeting
with her today. Who would run the Food
Emporium now? Two months ago Mr. O‟Doherty

Light of the Body

101

was murdered by the aliens, now it looked like she
was a vegetable, a puppet of the insectmans.

I tried to swallow in my dry mouth. Anger

boiled up within me, calming my stomach but
making me seethe with disgust for these things.
Being gay, I had seen my fair share of hate. But I
now hated these things and I needed to know how I
could free our town of them. I wondered what
weapon I could use to wipe them from this place. I
then thought about what the real Suzy had said to
me.

Mark Alders

102

Chapter Ten

hat smell could I use against these bastards? I
thought as I looked around, trying
desperately to see if there was anything in

here I could use against them. Other than lots of
insectmans and living human zombies, there
wasn‟t anything else in my vicinity. Damn it.

Phenol, Suzy said with a pained voice. Was she

able to hear my thoughts?

Phenol? What the hell was phenol supposed to

mean? Was that something I could use against
them? What smell was Phenol? Then again, I
supposed the more important question would be,
what contained Phenol?

I can distract them one last time, to give you a

moment where they will become confused. Don’t worry
about Mr. Barnaby, I will protect him for as long as I

can. You must run, Jacob. You must run so you can
help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. Her voice
trailed off, now so distant I couldn‟t hear the
words she spoke anymore. I imagined she was

Light of the Body

103

finding it more and more difficult to defy the
living thing she was hooked up to. Again I felt for
her.

Before I could think of the meaning of her

words a shot rang out, echoing throughout the
hangar. All the insectmans around us scattered,
frightened by the weapon‟s sound.

“Hey, Mister B!” Zane said, twisting around,

looking for the old man.

But there wasn‟t any time to worry about

anything other than getting the hell out. Suzy—the
real Suzy—gave us a chance and I was going to do
my best to make sure we utilized it. I pulled on
Zane‟s hand to get him to go with me, yanking his
arm out of its socket. I didn‟t care. I ran for the
nearest door.

Zane began pulling me back.
“Hey, we‟ve got to get out of here, Zane!” I

snapped, more angry with him than I would have
imagined considering he had no idea Suzy had
been talking into my mind.

“But Mister B. He‟s still in there.”
“Listen. If we don‟t get out of here, we‟ll be no

good to anyone. Suzy has told me how to defeat
these insectmans and that‟s what we‟re going to
do, clear? Now hurry the fuck up!” I could feel my
panic rise up—my blood pressure increasing as I
glared at him.

Mark Alders

104

Thankfully he didn‟t argue with me. As soon as

I mentioned Suzy his frown softened, his eyes no
longer pleading. He relaxed his grip and let me
lead him toward the door. We ran with all our
might, dodging frightened insectmans as I took
advantage of Suzy‟s distraction.

We got out of there as quick as we could,

coming to the exit door far quicker than I had
thought considering we were quite a way away
from one.

As a few insectmans gathered in our path, no

longer stunned by the first shot being fired,
another shot pierced the air. They cowered,
scattering before us like cockroaches startled by he
kitchen light being turned on. Seemed Mr.
Barnaby had been able to re-load the weapon. My
thoughts went out to him. I hoped Suzy could
protect him. I hated the idea of leaving him
behind.

The sight of daylight out those doors spurred

us on and we bolted toward it, not stopping until
we were clear of the chemical factory and well into
the streets of the east side of Pembroke Eve. Sweat
poured off me, my breathing laboured. We made
it.

Zane pulled his hand out of mine. There were

stains under his armpits. He was panting,
grabbing at his side. “Stop…Stop, Jakey…I‟ve got

Light of the Body

105

a stitch!” He doubled over, coughing and gasping
for air at the same time.

I looked around, not familiar with this part of

town. “Okay, we stop. But only for a little while.”
I gasped. Running blindly like that had left me in
the same state as Zane, but also a little bewildered.
The east side of town was sometimes referred to
as, the golden mile. I could see why. The views of
the ocean were at the doorsteps of huge
Mediterranean-style houses with sweeping
balconies and lots of glass windows. I knew a
couple of the folk who lived in this part of the
town, and to say they were well off would be an
understatement.

The house nearest us wasn‟t a house at all it

was a church. Perhaps the rich felt guilty and
needed to know they could have their sins
forgiven right on their doorstep. Funny place to
have a church.

Come to think of it, Thomas, the freckle-faced,

funny-toothed straight boy who made me jack off
thinking of him and the boy who helped me
realise I loved Pembroke Eve and that this town
was worth fighting for, used to live in the golden
mile. I wonder what happened to him after High
School graduation. Perhaps he met a button-nosed
girl and had freckle faced, buck-toothed, button-
nosed kids. Perhaps he still lives here. Who
knows?

Mark Alders

106

I contemplated the past and became amused by

the array of buildings in front of me, an action that
helped me gather not only my bearings but my
breath as well.

Zane called out, knocking me from my reverie.

“Stuff the stoppin‟, we gotta go, Jakey! There‟s one
of them insect dudes comin‟ this way. Look!”

“Fuck!”
The only choice we had was to get inside one of

the pretty houses and pray we hadn‟t been seen.
Zane grabbed at my hand. His palm was sweaty
and it took us a couple of times to get our grip
sure. We both ran to the church.

We approached the sand-coloured rendered

building, complete with modern stained-glass
windows, ones that soaked up the view, and no
visible roof other than an oversized cross above
the entrance door that seemed to reach up to the
heavens. I sure hoped the insectmans weren‟t
religious.

The door was open and the church was

deserted. I sighed relief. Both of us charged right
in and ran up the aisle, past hundreds of pews and
the large alter, toward the door that led to the
living quarters. When inside the priest‟s home, we
locked up everything we could think of behind us
and drew the curtains. I hoped out of sight meant
out of mind for these insectmans. If Zane saw one
as he said he had, then perhaps it wouldn‟t figure

Light of the Body

107

things out and come searching for us without a
transmitter drone near by. He did say he saw one,
right?

We stumbled into the kitchen. Zane let me go.

He went straight to the fridge and without
hesitation opened it, rummaging inside searching
for God knows what. The light from the fridge
highlighted the beautiful sheen on his skin from
all the exertion we had endured. His shirt was
soaked. The top of his jeans at the back had a dark
patch of perspiration, near his belt. No, I wasn‟t
checking out his arse, although I had to say, I was
now. He smelt manly, too. A combination of store
bought deodorant and perspiration and the musty
odour he had.

“You wanna drink, Jakey?” he asked as he

handed me a can of coke, a smile on his face
beaming victorious as he closed the fridge.

“Sure.” I opened the can, the click and fizz

echoed throughout the kitchen. Admitting that a
drink would be a good idea right about now, I
guzzled the contents.

Zane decided to use the can to cool his

forehead, doing so with a relieved sigh. He ran it
along his face, slowly, seductively, rolling it across
his cheek bones, his chin, his jaw line until he
found his neck. He let out a delighted moan as the
can touched his Adam‟s apple and he rested it
there for a moment before continuing to use it to

Mark Alders

108

cool himself all over his exposed skin. Fuck he was
sexy and he knew it. I stirred. Why is it straight
men are so fucking hot?

If Callum were here, I‟m sure he‟d agree by

ravaging me at the sight of Zane cooling himself. I
needed something like that right now. I needed a
good roll between the sheets. Geez, I missed my
boyfriend.

I smiled, before I said in a voice as cheeky as I

could muster, “Why don‟t you just make love to it,
hey? My God, Zane, you know you work me up
real bad sometimes, mate.”

He had closed his eyes, relishing the cool touch

of the metal over himself. Opening them, he
pressed the can against his lips before he lent over
and kissed me tenderly, right on my mouth, too.
His touch cold and salty and so sweet, sending
shivers down my spin, not helping my growing
erection and the discomfort I now felt as my
clothes restricted me. “Would you like to be the
can, then? Would you like me to fuck you red raw,
my Jakey boy?”

I opened my mouth, more out of shock than

anything else. “Stop teasing, you bastard. What
was that for anyway?” I finally managed, a pang
of annoyance shooting up inside me to quell any
more erotic thoughts I may have had. My cock
softened.

Light of the Body

109

“For getting me outta there, Jakey, what else?”

He winked. Did he want something from me? Or
was I reading too much into it? Was he really
showing me his appreciation or something
deeper? “So, what‟s this all about? You know,
with what Suzz said and all,” he added, stopping
my train of thought.

I touched my lips where he had planted his

affection. My skin was still cold but also wet. I
resisted the urge to lick the remnants of his kiss off
me. Instead I wiped any sign of him off my mouth
with the back of my hand. “She spoke to me into
my mind somehow. I don‟t know how. I just…she
said she knew how to stop the insectmans.”

He came close to me. “Do you know why I

kissed you?”

The question threw me for a moment, and

again for the second time in as many minutes I
was stunned. “Not really. No.”

He let out a chuckle. “You like cock, Jakey, no

doubt about it, and I know I‟ve got one to bait you
with. I can read you like a book, you know?” He
turned serious, his eyes intense. “If you were lyin‟
to me, I‟d know it, you‟d flinch away from
anythin‟ I did if you were hidin‟ somethin‟. You
never flinch away normally.”

I laughed, too, but not a laugh filled with joy.

More curious and cautious than anything. God,
was I that predictable? But he was right. If I had

Mark Alders

110

used false pretences to get him out of the hanger, I
wouldn‟t be able to face him, not straight away
anyway, not without building up enough bravery
to do so. “Yeah, I didn‟t flinch and you‟re
absolutely right.” You know, if Zane were gay I’d let

him fuck me until I begged him to stop. Then I’d gob
him down until he was so dry he’d beg me to stop. I’d

do that just to show him how much of a slut I could be
for him.

Zane must have known how I felt. I was

obvious, I know it. “I know. Pity Suzy don‟t feel
the same way as you. My cock‟d look awesome
with her pussy wrapped around it.” He winked
again. “So, what did she say?”

“She said that the insectmans don‟t like Phenol.

It interferes with their communications processes
or something like that. I suppose it inhibits
transmitter messages, too. She was quite adamant
I should get some. There‟s only one problem?”

“What‟s that?”
“What the hell is Phenol? And what‟s it in so

that we can use against them?”

Zane came over and patted me on the shoulder.

“It‟s Pine-o-Clean. What else?”

“Disinfectant?”
“Yep. Just like how I used to kill ants when I

was a nipper. They hate the shit. That and a
magnifying glass.” He chuckled and a sparkle

Light of the Body

111

ignited his eyes. He was relishing past victories
with insectoid life forms.

I cocked an eyebrow. “You know, you may be

right. We‟ve got to get to the General Store. I saw
some on special, tonnes of the stuff, right up at the
front near the first display case. I don‟t think Mr.
Barnaby would mind if we took some.”

“And we gotta get a dispenser, somethin‟ to

spray it over the bug men real good. Soak „em in
it. That‟ll teach „em for messin‟ with us.”

“Great, that‟s settled—” A loud bang stopped

my words. It sounded like a door was being
forced open. My heart skipped a beat when I
realised it was the front door of the priest‟s
quarters we were in.

I froze.

Mark Alders

112

Chapter Eleven

ane grabbed me, pulled me out of the kitchen. I
dropped the can of coke. “Let‟s git the fuck
outta here,” he said with fear in his voice.

As we came into a lounge, a shadow moved

across the wall. We weren‟t alone anymore.

“Hold it!” I blurted.
“What?”
“We can‟t go in there. There‟s something in the

room, I‟m sure of it.”

Zane pulled me back. “Then we git upstairs.”
“But we‟ll be trapped.”
“Not if I can help it, we won‟t be.”
“But—” Before I could continue my protest, he

had led me halfway up the stairs. The sounds of
heavy objects crashing and thumping onto the
floorboards and that terrifying chatter of
insectmans came from behind us. Zane pulled me
harder. My heart thumped loud in my chest, from
both exertion and fear.

Light of the Body

113

On the second floor landing we dived into the

first room we came to—a large library sort of set-
up, with views of the ocean and wall to ceiling
windows to take advantage of that view. The
priest here sure had it good.

“Who says there‟s no money in religion,” Zane

quipped, but his voice lacked that endearing
cheekiness he usually had.

Another loud bang sounded out from the floor

below us, then another and another. Dishes or
something similar were being thrown against the
walls. I take it that these insectmans were
searching the cupboards for us and clearing them
out in the process. I swallowed hard as Zane, now
with an added measure of frantic determination,
was checking the walls along the library. What he
was searching for I had no idea. Beads of sweat
trickled from my brow and numbness crept up
from my stomach to consume me.

I was about to question him, tell him that

finding anywhere to hide in this room was a
complete and utter waste of time, when there was
click. A section of the wall, filled with bookshelves
and uncountable books, slid open.

“How the hell did you know that would be

here?” I questioned as he shoved me into the room
beyond, a room about the size of a phone booth.

As soon as Zane joined me, he pulled a lever

above his head and the wall slid shut, blanketing

Mark Alders

114

us in darkness. As my eyes became adjusted, a
dusty beam of light illuminated us. Its source a
small spy hole in the wall located between a gap
in the books. At least we could see out.

I had to say, this was one cramped little room.

Basically, there was enough room for me and—
well, me and that was it. Having Zane with me
made for an interesting experience. There was a
small bench on which I sat, my knees pressed up
against the sliding wall, causing me great
discomfort straight away. My lower back ached.

Zane then sat on me. Yep. He sat on my lap.

Although, he didn‟t straddle me. He sat so his legs
come across mine, his arse resting on my right leg.
He had no choice and couldn‟t do it any other
way. You see, the spy hole was at a perfect height,
too low for someone standing and too high for
someone sitting. When he was on my lap, that‟s
where its perfect placement became useful.

“I know who lives here, is all,” he said.
I was taken aback. Not understanding his

statement until I realised he was answering a
question I posed to him earlier. “Um…who?”

There was a tangible moment of hesitation, as if

what he was about to reveal was something he
had never told anyone before in his life. “I know
the man from…he‟s a priest my family knows.
He‟s a…he‟s a corrupt mother fucker, as the size of
this house and its fancy contents will tell you.”

Light of the Body

115

I ran my hand across his back, trying to show

him that I understood if he didn‟t want to tell me
any more. “You don‟t have to go on,” I whispered,
the pain in my voice surprising me. I had heard so
many stories about the priesthood, some from
close friends, about what they did to boys. I
shuddered and that pang of anger returned.

Zane was hot and his shirt damp. In fact, I

could smell his muskiness, his manly odour
mingle and mix with the air around me. I became
so intoxicated with his scent I could almost taste
his tang when I licked my lips. The temperature
inside the room began to rapidly rise as our
breathing and the heat off our bodies had no
where to escape to. I became quite giddy. Add that
and the weight of him against me and I could
safely say I was beginning to regret having found
this hiding place. I tried to shrug off any erotic
thoughts by concluding it was a lack of oxygen
that was making this whole experience a little too
close for comfort.

“Naw, it‟s okay, Jakey, I can tell you about

him.” Zane shifted his weight, having difficultly
getting comfortable, too. He looked out of the spy
hole in between glances my way.

I began to sweat more, my fringe now dripping.

As I sucked in more air, trying to cool myself, I
caught the scent of stale urine and something else.
I took in another deep gulp. Yeah, that was it. The

Mark Alders

116

other odour was a hint of cum, from which one of
us I couldn‟t tell. Both of us hadn‟t changed out of
our clothes. I dreaded to think of what he thought
of me. I stank, too.

He added, “He‟s actually a pretty cool dude, for

a man of the cloth, that is.”

“You mean he didn‟t molest you?”
“Fuck no. He was the only guy who gave me

the time of day when I was growin‟ up.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I don‟t understand.”
Zane went stiff for a moment before pressing

his eye up to the hole. I tried not to breathe for fear
of giving us away. Could the insectmans smell us
even though we weren‟t visible to them? For that
matter, could they detect our body heat, even
through walls? If so, then there was no point in
trying to hide, was there?

My mind toyed with the many questions

popping into my thoughts, Zane seemed to relax a
little, his attention back on me. “You‟re one lucky
bastard, you know that?”

He grabbed my hand, the sweat making his

skin slippery. Nevertheless he held me tight. “Is
there something you want to tell me, Zane?”

“You‟ve got folks that care for you. I don‟t.

Never have.”

“What are you talking about? I care for you,

more than you can ever know. You‟re more than a

Light of the Body

117

friend, you‟re a brother I‟ve never had, so don‟t
talk such crap.”

He froze once more. Again there were

agonising seconds as he studied the outside
world. Again I tried not to breathe, although such
a thing was becoming harder and harder. The
priest hole was like an oven. Sweat poured off me,
getting into my eyes. I had to wipe myself all the
time.

No longer could I smell. Everything

overwhelmed me. Having Zane so close wasn‟t a
good idea. I wanted to take off all my clothes
and—well, I could dream of what I wanted to do
with him if I got him naked in such a small space,
but suffice it to say, such a thing would make this
room even hotter. I thought of Callum and how
we had been trapped on that spaceship in a
similar situation. Callum was scared out of his
mind, and I had to admit, having Zane with me
was sort of reassuring. He was definitely a take
control kind of guy. I admired that.

After what seemed an eternity, he turned to me

and said, “The dude who lives here, the priest, his
name is Father Young. He kind of took me in and
showed me I wasn‟t a waste of space as my
parents told me pretty much every day. He would
fly kites with me, play cricket, that sort of shit. He
was awesome. I was only a kid when I was with
him…but he was also a rotten fucker, too. He got

Mark Alders

118

into trouble with the clergy or some shit like that
and had to go away for a while. I hated him for so
long for abandoning me.” He paused, stopping to
wipe away sweat off his brow or tears disguised.
His fringe had become plastered to his forehead
and he flicked it away from his eyes. “My parents
are fucked up real bad. They only had me „cause I
was a welfare payment, I told you that already.
But what I haven‟t told you, besides the fact that
Dad‟s spent more time in the dole queue or
drinking until he couldn‟t move and Mum‟s a fat
lazy fuckin‟ bitch, is that I do everythin‟ in that
house. And not once have they ever said that they
loved me. Parents are supposed to love their kids,
aren‟t they?” His voice broke when he spoke the
last sentence.

I squeezed my hand in his. “Go on.” I knew he

had to let this out. I knew he also wanted to tell
me more. I was there for him.

“You‟re a champ, Jakey, you really are.” In the

gloom of our sweat box he smiled, one full and
one that revealed his eye teeth. “You know I‟m
eighteen now, and well, I‟ve got two weeks to get
the fuck outta my house. My parents kicked me
out onto the street, they did it yesterday. No
goodbyes, just a git-the-fuck-out-you-freeloading-
bastard and that was it. They don‟t give a flying
fuck where I go, so long as they don‟t have to feed
me or whatever. The government money dried up

Light of the Body

119

and I‟m no longer any good to „em. I was actually
thinking of comin‟ here, to shack up with Father
Young, but he said I couldn‟t do that.”

“Why not?”
“He‟s under investigation again. He‟s out of

town and in his last email he was—well, he was in
the shit real deep. Won‟t be back this way for a
couple of years, I‟d say.”

“So who‟s looking after his house? Why is there

food in the fridge and stuff?”

Zane shrugged. “I dunno. Perhaps some other

priest dude is lookin‟ after it. The place is exactly
how I remembered. Nothin‟s changed, even the
pictures on the walls are the same. Maybe the
church has taken it over. Whonose.”

“And this…this room, how did you find out

about this hiding spot?” I was full of questions,
but I also wanted to hear him let it all go. Good for
the soul getting rid of secrets.

Zane checked the spy hole before answering.

“He used to hide me in here when my Dad came
around to collect me. This was my safe house and
I would spend months here sometimes. Fuck, I
would get a whippin‟ for bein‟ outta the house
after dark or when I never came home. Dad didn‟t
care I was gone. It was just a fuckin‟ excuse for
him to take out his frustrations on my arse „cause
he couldn‟t git his fat wife to suck him off or
whatever. He‟d hit me until I couldn‟t scream no

Mark Alders

120

more. Jakey, he beat…me…bad…all the time.
Sometimes with a metal pipe he called the
punisher. He punished me for anythin‟. Even if I
spilt a drink or some other thing like that. I hate
him and I hate her. I know kids aren‟t supposed to
hate their parents, but I do.”

“Oh…God.” Tears welled in my eyes.

Helplessness took me over. I couldn‟t do anything
to change his past, but at the same time I was
thankful he found the strength to tell me, too.

“That‟s how I know…Father Young,” his voice,

too, was weighted with emotion, his shoulders
began to heave, and his sweat could no longer
hide his tears.

“Father Young sounds like a top bloke.”
Zane‟s stare became distant for a moment. “He

sure is. Hey, you know what‟s funny?”

“No? What?”
“The fact that my parents actually had sex once

to produce me. I shudder to think of „em slappin‟
skin and touchin‟ uglies, you know? Dad probably
got so shit-faced one day they forgot to take
precautions. I‟m a fuckin‟ accident. A worthless
piece of shit accident.”

Again I let him know I understood by running

my free hand over his back. “You‟re no such thing,
mate. I‟m glad they had you, because in my book
they produced one fine example of a man. The
only true gentleman I‟ve ever met in my life.”

Light of the Body

121

“Thanks.” He hugged me. I became engulfed in

everything that was Zane, his warmth, his smell,
his caring. I closed my eyes, taking him all in,
letting him know I cared for him on a far deeper
level than anyone else had in his life.

“You can come and stay with me, okay? I insist.

The spare room is yours to move into whenever
you want, you hear?”

Now it was his turn to protest. “But I don‟t

wanna—”

An object falling onto the floor made us both

jump. Zane didn‟t check out the spy hole, instead
he planted his lips onto mine. He kissed me, but
not like he did in the kitchen. This time he sent in
his tongue.

Mark Alders

122

Chapter Twelve

tasted him on an intimate level. My mind
clouded with confusion. His kiss was perfect, not
too soft, yet commanding enough to know he

was in control. He ran his hands over my face,
brushing away my hair as he continued to
conquer me.

I couldn‟t let out a moan. I didn‟t want to give

our position away. I didn‟t want the insectmans to
discover us. Not now. Not when I had Zane‟s
tongue dancing in my mouth.

He continued his kiss and his heat, his sweat,

his spice, his sweetness all mingled with my own
saliva in my mouth. I was in heaven—no, I was in
hell. Fuck. I didn‟t know what to think. All I know
is my body had suddenly come alive, my nipples
ached, my cock hardened and my vision became
blurry. A good kiss is always accompanied by not
being able to see. And Zane gave one fucking
good kiss.

Light of the Body

123

I thought of Callum as he continued to explore

me, his tongue chasing mine, going underneath to
tickle, then on top to let me know he didn‟t want
this to end any time soon.

My sweat continued to pour off me, adding to

the taste of our passion. I couldn‟t describe it any
other way. Zane wasn‟t teasing, wasn‟t testing me
in any way, he wasn‟t even doing such a thing out
of expectation. He kissed me because he damn
well wanted to. Plain and simple.

Then it was over.
He let me go and the second he did I missed his

touch. My lips tingled from his attention. I stared
at him, because there was nothing else to do or
say. He checked out the spy hole.

He hugged me once more, tighter this time. He

touched his face onto mine, our stubble rasping,
breaking the silence in our priest hole. I
shuddered with delight.

“They‟re gone…for now,” he whispered into

my ear.

I opened and closed my mouth, unable to form

the words I wanted to say to convey my disbelief
such a thing had happened. All I could manage
was an exasperated, “Urrrmmmm.”

He placed his finger onto my lips. “Shhh. I

know you‟re with Cal, and that‟s all
good…and…and I respect that more than

Mark Alders

124

anythin‟, but I had to do that, Jakey. I want more,
you understand.”

I was still stunned.
Zane continued, “That wasn‟t just a kiss. I

meant so much more than that. You mean so
much more than that. I gotta show you how much
more you mean to me, Jakey. Please. I don‟t
wanna be untouched anymore. I don‟t wanna be
unloved. I‟m fucking sick and tired of being
unwanted. I want…I need you to touch me,
Jakey.”

I realised how he felt. He was lonely. Truly

lonely. No one other than a corrupt priest ever
took notice of him, and that was only when it was
convenient for him. Zane wanted affection, and
for him, for most of us—no, all of us—affection
meant something physical. Being physical,
hugging, touching, or just plain old sharing your
deepest feelings with someone you loved, no
matter the sex, had nothing to do with sexuality.
My Grandpa used to tell me stories of his mates in
the war, soldier mates who would touch each
other to reaffirm that they all cared for one
another, right until the end. I never understood
what he meant when he sat me on his knee and
told me those stories. I did now.

Zane wasn‟t gay, not in the sense he only liked

men. Then again, perhaps I was wrong. Zane
wouldn‟t under any other circumstance be

Light of the Body

125

interested in being with another man. But now,
after he had opened up his heart and revealed
how he felt, he wanted the experience to come to a
logical conclusion. He wanted finality and
affirmation. The only way we, as humans, could
do that was to be with someone on an intimate
level. He wanted me to be the one who would heal
the wounds of his past.

“Answer me one thing,” I whispered.
“Anythin‟. I‟ll do anythin‟ for you, Jakey, you

know that.”

“This will be our secret. No one is to know.

Whatever we do here right now with each other
will stay with us both forever. You are more than
my brother, Zane, but I know you‟ve been hurt
many times in your life. I will do anything to heal
you, you know that. You‟re not useless or
worthless, you‟re fantastic. I love you so much,
but no regrets, no guilt and above all, no more
sorrow. I‟m here for you for as long as you need
me. But after this, it‟s Zane as Zane has always
been. Clear?”

He came over me, smiling. “Thanks. I just

gotta…do this. To see what it‟s like to be with
someone I care for so much. I want for Suzz so
bad, you know, but Jesus, it‟s real…lonely. I need
you to…do this for me. I…really…do.” He was
crying, his hot tears dripping onto my face. I
reached out and hugged him, feeling so close,

Mark Alders

126

closer than I had ever felt with anyone. I never
wanted this to end.

Unlike before, when the insectmans disguised

as Zane wanted me back in those tunnels and I
rejected his advances at first, I had no such desire
this time. As I embraced him I couldn‟t help but
think I was in some sort of weird dream, but at
least I now understood him. I wanted him, too. I
was going to do my damndest to make sure he got
all of my love, enough to last him for the rest of
his life so he could get on with being the
wonderful human being he was.

“I‟m ready for you,” I said.
Nervous butterflies sprang up inside me. I

wanted to make sure I got this right for him. I
didn‟t want to hurt him, not at all. He stood up,
taking off his shirt and unzipping his jeans as
quickly as he could. I stood up, too, also disrobing.

“You can tell Cal about this if you like. I don‟t

wanna cause any friction between mates. I love
him just as much, too.”

I came up to him, running my hands over his

chest, concentrating my touch over his pierced
nipples. “Callum and I aren‟t exclusive to each
other, you know. If I said I was bringing you into
my bed, he‟d be in there, too.”

He kissed my forehead and embraced me,

roving his hands across my back, using his nails. It
felt good, and contrary to the fake Zane that

Light of the Body

127

fucked me earlier, the real Zane‟s touch was full of
deliberate movements, reflecting his feelings and
his need to be with me. “I‟d like to be with you
and Cal. When he‟s better, I can show him how
much I love you both, all at once.”

You know, I wasn‟t surprised to hear this at all.

Zane wanted someone to love him, and by God, I
was going to do that. If he had his way, I‟m sure
he‟d like to make love to all of us, including Suzy.
A foursome. How kinky! “We‟d love to be with
you, too, my Zane.”

Before I could contemplate this new

arrangement, he kissed me again and his taste
burst in my mouth. His hands had roved down to
the small of my back, massaging me there. He was
like someone who wanted to experience
everything all in one go. I couldn‟t blame him. I
wanted all of him, too. He felt my arse, pulling me
closer to him. Our heated bodies touched,
lubricated by our sweat, the experience was
fantastic. I tingled all over. My cock was now as
hard as it was ever going to be. I was ready.

His hands continued to explore me. I pulled

away from his kiss and he moaned with
disapproval. “Don‟t worry, I‟m going to show you
something special.”

His deep brown eyes, innocent, wanting and

staring, as I moved down as best I could onto my

Mark Alders

128

knees. He placed his hands onto the top of my
head, running his fingers through my wet hair.

I kissed his navel ring, bringing my hands onto

his stomach at the same time. He was quivering, I
could feel it. I looked up at him and smiled, before
I grabbed his cock. He was huge, bigger and
thicker than Callum, no question. I pulled back on
his foreskin so I could get to his beautiful head.
Pre-cum dripped from his piss slit, and I licked
him clean, the tang so strong in my mouth,
stronger than anyone‟s I had ever tasted. At first I
was taken aback by the sensation, but soon let it
wash over me enjoying it.

I slid my mouth over his length. Zane let out a

delighted yelp. I couldn‟t take all of him into me,
his cock that big and hard. But I did my best. I‟d
choke on him first rather than let him down. His
stomach moved more erratically. His breathing
became excited and he seemed to begin to swim in
ecstasy. Cupping his balls, those magnificent ripe
red hangers, I found my rhythm over his beautiful
cock. About thirty seconds into the blow job, the
taste of him grew stronger and stronger in my
mouth with each push on him.

He yelled out, “Fuuuuccck!” Gasping for air, he

added. “Stoooop! Please, I want to have you! I‟m
not gonna last much longer.”

I came off him, a slurping sound filling the

priest hole. My saliva and his pre-cum made his

Light of the Body

129

magnificent cock shine with our passion, the vein
that fed it bulging, pumping more and more blood
into it to make him harder and oh, so fucking
desirable. He looked awesome. His foreskin was
retracted, revealing his head, a big and beautiful
sight to behold. I yearned for him to take me. I‟d
love to take all of his cock inside me, the ultimate
way to show his affection.

I turned around and bent over as best I could in

the confined space, ready to take his pounding,
but to my surprise he twisted me back around.
“What‟s up?” I asked, genuine concern in my
voice.

“First I wanna suck you off, then I‟m gonna

fuck you until you see stars!” He took command
and pushed me against the sliding wall.

“Oh…my…God!” I yelped out. I shuddered

with pleasure. Those wonderful butterflies
consumed me.

A split second later, he was on the bench, his

beautiful eyes taking in the sight of my erection.
Before he began, he touched my body everywhere,
exploring every inch of my skin from under my
arm pits to the sensitive place between my balls
and arse. I let him. I loved it.

Without warning he took me into his mouth.

My cock throbbed as he made his way down my
length. He slurped and sucked and I knew he
relished everything I had. His hands continued to

Mark Alders

130

explore, but concentrating on my arse, fingering
my hole, getting me ready for his magnificence. I
spread my legs as wide as they would go so he
could do whatever it was he wanted to do. He was
good.

He moved his mouth over me, he used his

tongue, slipping it into my foreskin so he could
roll it around my head, taking in all of my taste.
He also moaned delightfully while he worked. He
did it so right and he did it with so much love it
took my breath away. He had come out and he
was beautiful.

Then he came off me, stood. I smiled, knowing

what he wanted next. Before he moved around so
he could take me, he kissed me again. The taste of
myself mingled with his own inside my mouth.
My thoughts became consumed with him and
what he did to me. Pangs of ecstasy rose up in fits
and jolts, like electricity coursing though my
veins.

He shuffled so he was behind me. I closed my

eyes, waiting with baited breath and gasps of joy
for him to take me. He did. His hot, wet cock
pressed against my arse. He forced himself inside
me. I gasped. That initial jolt of pain dissolved
once I let myself be taken away. He touched my
prostate moments later, sending tingles of
pleasure up through my body.

Fuck!

Light of the Body

131

He hurt and gave me so much joy all at the

same time. He sank himself deeper and deeper
into me. I yelped and shuddered all over. I wanted
to take all of him and I arched my back and
pushed my buttocks against him to let him know
he could give me more. He was against the wall,
having no choice but to sink himself deeper into
my warmth. I was more than satisfied.

Zane lent over so he could nibble my ear, kiss

my neck and tickle my cheek with his lips. The
sensation of his breathing against my skin sent
more shivers of delight through me. He pushed
his cock in deeper and deeper, so deep I gasped. I
knew my arse wouldn‟t explode, but fuck, he
filled me up real good. No sooner had I recovered
from his penetration, he moved his hands. They
came to touch my own erection, jerking me off. I
loved it. He wanked me slowly at first. His fingers
played with my foreskin, rubbed my frenulum,
felt my length. Then with movements more
forceful and rhythmic, reflecting his own actions
as he continued to make love to me, he gained
more speed and desperation. I could tell he was
close to climax.

He kept on ravishing kisses all over my neck

and face. Our heat and sweat and passion poured
off us both. Our bodies became one. I moaned
more and he did, too. I gasped for air, the warmth

Mark Alders

132

intense between us, yet welcome. I could no
longer breathe through my nose.

“You should have done this with me ages ago,”

I said between shudders of delight and
overwhelming emotion, unable to hold off any
more. I came. My whole body shuddered with my
climax, my arsehole tightening around his cock
with each wave of elation I experienced as my
cum splashed all over the priest hole‟s wall.
During my ejaculation, Zane continued to touch
me, catching some of my fluid in his fingers,
feeling my silkiness and using it to lubricate me.

“I…was….scared.” He let go of my cock,

pushed himself against me, going inside me with
all of his length and embracing me tight, so tight I
couldn‟t breathe, before his whole body trembled.
He came, too. He convulsed with each pulse of his
ejaculation. More and more he gave me, planting
more heated kisses all over my face as I twisted
my neck to let him.

Zane cried out when he finished his final shot.

But he didn‟t pull out, deciding he would keep
himself within me until he was flaccid. I liked that
touch. It showed me he never wanted to let me go.
I wasn‟t just a fuck tool, a release for him. I was his
love in physical form and he needed me.

I couldn‟t wait for the moment when Callum

and I could share our love with him, too.

Light of the Body

133

Chapter Thirteen

hen we parted, he let me sit on his lap. We
stayed naked. His hands, those wonderful
wandering hands of his, kept on exploring

my body, like he wanted to keep reaffirming to
himself that this love was real, as if his touch over
me solidified that in his mind. I straddled him, my
now flaccid cock touching his navel ring. It was
cold.

“I sure want to share more of those experiences

with you, Zane, you were awesome. But promise
me you won‟t ever shy away from me or Callum
or any of us ever again. We all love you, you know
that?” I kissed him, then added, “Say, when you
paraded around for me and then when you kissed
me back there in the kitchen, you weren‟t testing
me at all, were you? You were testing yourself.
You wanted to see how far you could go.”

He rubbed me tenderly across my chest,

planting more meaningful kisses over my face and
neck. “I‟m so sorry for leadin‟ you along, but I had

Mark Alders

134

to be sure you‟d accept me. I‟ve been…rejected all
my life and…well, I had to make sure, is all.”

“I wouldn‟t lie to you ever. If I said I wanted

you with all my heart, then that‟s how I really feel.
I‟m so glad you came out to me and we shared
what we did together.” I kissed him again, chased
his tongue with my own, experiencing his wet and
wonderful warmth. After we shared our passion
once more and his taste became a part of me, I
parted. Our breathing so deep, but in unison as we
touched each other in all of the places that were no
longer secret.

“Suppose I‟m a fag boy now, hey?” he said, his

eyes sparkling with joy.

“Yep, and I‟m glad.” I giggled.
He laughed, too. “Suppose it‟s time we kicked

some bug dudes heads in, too. That way I can fuck
you some more without worryin‟ about „em no
more.”

“You‟re such a charmer, but you‟re right. We‟ve

got work to do. I tell you what, I‟d kill for a
shower and some fresh clothes right now though.”

“Yeah,” he said with more delighted giggles. “I

hear that.”

We both dressed, helping each other and

continuing to feel each other up in the process.
Zane was getting hard again. “You really do mean
so much to me, Jakey.” He pulled on the lever that
opened the sliding wall.

Light of the Body

135

Cool air hit me like a slap on the face. Cool,

fresh air. God, I must have looked a sight,
dripping wet, stinking to high heaven and so
lovesick for both Zane and Callum that I could
hardly walk. I was a mess, but in the best way
possible.

“Although, I don‟t fancy being chased all the

way through town by insectmans, you know. The
General Store is too far away for us to walk.”

“Then we drive.”
I looked at him and yep, he had that trademark

cheeky grin, that sexy smile that lit up his face and
revealed the true measure of his soul. He was back
and better than before. “The church has a ute. I
used to drive the utility vehicle around the farms,
doin‟ errands for Father Young. Then again, he
wanted me outta his house so he could gamble or
whatever the fuck he did to end him up in
trouble.”

I wiped my brow. He slipped his hand into

mine and squeezed. A joy oozed out of him I had
never seen before. “I would have let you ravish
me all over the moment I met you,” I said.

“I know. I had to stop myself so many times.

You were the result of many night-time jack offs, I
have to say. Plus, I didn‟t want Suzz to think I
wasn‟t interested in her. I didn‟t want to put her
off and ruin my chances.”

Mark Alders

136

“I think she‟ll think it‟s marvellous that you‟ve

opened up and showed me how you really feel.
Girls love that stuff.”

“They do?”
“Hell, yeah. You‟ll be in for sure.”
“Thanks, Jakey. I‟m so lucky to have you.”
“I‟m lucky to have you, you mean.” I planted a

kiss on his cheek and in that moment I knew I was
the most loved man on the planet. I smiled, full
and beaming as we left the priest‟s library.

Soon, we found the ute Zane had mentioned

and we were driving out of the streets of the
golden mile. A place I think I‟ll remember for the
rest of my life. I let him drive, he was the man,
after all.

One thing I noticed as we made our way into

town, taking the Westfell road that seemed to tour
the forest in this part of Pembroke, was that there
were no townsfolk about. Even in the town centre
the streets were deserted.

I thought I caught glimpses of movement in the

shadows, but other than that, nothing. Not even a
bird or ground critter stirred.

Zane parked the utility right in front of the

General Store, a feat in itself. Most times the
parking bays at the front of the shop were full,
more so when Mr. Barnaby had some bargains on.
Pine-o-clean at that price a litre would have the
town in a frenzy, spring was approaching fast and

Light of the Body

137

so was the traditional cleaning season. Mr
Barnaby sure knew how to capitalise on the
whims of the town. Good on him, I say.

Zane pulled on the handbrake.
“So we all going to the Spring Dance together,

then?” I asked. “When this is all over, I mean?”
Funny I should have said that, the damn thing
never interested me before. I hated the dance. Not
now. I couldn‟t wait to get dressed up, receive
corsages from the two men I loved and dance and
drink and show the whole world I was as happy
as I had ever been in my life.

“You better believe it. I‟m there.”
He came around and opened the door for me. I

blushed, no one had ever been such a gentleman—
well, okay, Callum had been, but it was such a
nice feeling being treated as though I were special
by two beautiful men.

Zane grabbed my hand once more, leading me

into the store.

The echo of the shop bell was our only

welcome. The place was deserted, too. Where was
Mrs. Leary? Why had she left the shop open and
unattended? I looked at Zane.

He must have been thinking the same thing.

The worry in his eyes matched my concern. But
that didn‟t stop him from doing what we came
here for. He started pulling bottles of pine-o-clean

Mark Alders

138

off the display. I joined him. No time to worry
about that now.

“Better grab a sprayer or somethin‟, you know,

the pressure bottle type, ones that can hold a heap,
too.”

I knew the ones he was talking about. Dad used

a pump action bottle to spray the roses of aphids
at our place. I went to the back of the shop, the
place where all the garden knick-knacks were
kept. On the bottom shelf, there they were, an
assortment of bottles perfect for what we needed.

I lent over to grab two of the biggest bottles. A

sort of shuffling noise came from the storeroom. I
froze, stunned by the realisation that we may not
be alone as I had first thought.

Fuck, I hoped it wasn‟t an insectmans, not yet.

We weren‟t ready. We hadn‟t even poured any of
the disinfectant into the bottles yet. Talk about
being caught with our pants down. Why was
nothing ever easy?

I picked up the bottles and began to step away

from the garden display, trying not to make any
sound.

The floor boards creaked and I cursed myself

for being so clumsy. I froze again, the sound of
blood rushing through my veins filled my ears.
Other than that, silence haunted the store.

Light of the Body

139

Silence until there was that noise again. A

shuffle. A scrape. A long drawn out rasp along a
surface. I swallowed hard.

“Hey, there you are,” Zane said, scaring the

living shit out of me. I held my chest, catching my
breath.

“Shhh.” I glared at him, but not in an uncaring

way, no way. I wanted him to know I was
worried.

He picked up on my message. “Where?”
“The storeroom.”
“Here.” He handed me a couple of bottles of

pine-o-clean, unscrewing the lids as he did so.

I opened one of the pressure pump bottles and

poured in the contents. Once a few bottles of the
disinfectant had been emptied into the container, I
sealed the lid and pumped on the handle to fill the
bottle with pressure.

Seconds later, I couldn‟t push down the handle

any more. The weapon was primed. Zane had also
prepared his own. We were both ready.

“Follow me. We got some nasty bug to squash.”
I loved his attitude. With Callum—well, he

would have been behind me, cowering as I took
the lead. Not that there was anything wrong with
that. Callum was Callum. But Zane, well he was,
as I have said, a take control kind of guy.
Sometimes, just sometimes, that sort of guy was
perfect to be around. This was one of those times.

Mark Alders

140

I was scared out of my brain. So much so, I

think I would have dropped everything and ran.
That was the logical thing to do when confronted
by an insectmans, one who could impregnate me
with a single bite to my skin. I could quite easily
turn and run. But I couldn‟t. Zane needed me.

We stepped into the storeroom. Together. Spray

bottles at the ready. Zane went to the left and I
went to the right. The room was illuminated by a
single incandescent bulb, the old fashioned type.
It‟s wattage low. Perhaps Mr. Barnaby didn‟t want
intense light destroying any of his stock that he
stored back here. And when I say stored, he
certainly did. The storeroom was packed to the
ceiling of boxes and bundles of wares.

That shuffling noise rang out again, this time

accompanied by a noise that sounded like foot
falls onto the floor. I had never heard any
insectmans sound like that. They scurried, light on
their feet, able to climb up walls and stuff. This
sounded like it belonged to something heavy.
Something big and heavy.

“Who‟s there?” I called out, being as brave as I

could and putting on my most manly voice.

“Yeah, show yourself,” Zane added.
A large crate in front of me moved. I raised up

the spray bottle, making sure the nozzle was
pointed in the direction I wished to fire it.

Light of the Body

141

Zane came close to me, flanking me. Together

and one step at a time, we moved forward. If we
were going to be attacked, then we would fight
the thing—whatever it is, together.

“Who are you?” I repeated.
A hiss and another sliding, scraping noise

disturbed the silence after my words. Then, a
voice, like nothing I had ever heard before in my
life, pierced the air. It was harsh, yet evened out to
a velvet silkiness, as if each word was passed over
sandpaper, then smoothed out, like wood worn
from years of use. “Is that you, Jacob? Zane?”

Mark Alders

142

Chapter Fourteen

ane looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. I
was confused, more so than when I found out
he wanted me on an intimate level and that my

fantasy of being with him had come true.

“Yeah, I‟m Jacob. So who the fuck are you,

then?”

Again the hiss and the elongated words, this

time the voice said, “And Zane. You there, too?”

Zane stepped forward. “Sure am. Now you

gonna show yourself, bug man, so I can test out
this spray and see what the fuck it does to your
mother fuckin‟ ugly face?”

A chuckle filled the air and if I didn‟t know any

better, I‟d swear it was getting warm in here.
Funny, I wasn‟t even thinking of Zane or Callum.
“You‟ll find that I‟m no bug, man or otherwise.
I‟m Mr. Barnaby‟s dearest friend, just as you both
are, too. I finally get to meet you face to face. How
wonderful.”

Light of the Body

143

“Aloysius?” I uttered through parched lips, my

heart beat returning to normal. I lowered the
bottle.

“The very same,” the voice hissed.
The crates moved, and to my complete and

utter surprise, the biggest reptile I had ever seen
came into the dim light. Its scales were a fiery red,
its body so massive most of it was in darkness.
Wafts of smoke curled around its mouth and
nostrils. In the haze, the dim light of the
storeroom, its piercing reptilian eyes, huge and
bulbous blinked impatiently. I stared, mouth
agape.

Zane grabbed my hand. “I thought you were a

dog. You ain‟t no dog.”

“Indeed, I am not. And I am glad you both have

discovered your love for each other. Mr. Barnaby
told me you had an eye for Jacob, Zane.”

“He did?” Zane‟s cheeks flushed.
How could I miss such a thing like that? If Mr.

Barnaby had seen Zane eyeing me off, then why
hadn‟t I? I smiled. I knew why. Callum. I was so
involved with him I didn‟t see anything else. Here
was me thinking Zane was a straight man. No
wonder I was confused by the way he acted. I
wasn‟t deciphering the signals properly.

“Yes. Now go, do what you must. I can only eat

so many of those bug men as you call them. They
give me bad heart burn. Oooh, I can feel the one

Mark Alders

144

who attacked Mrs. Leary sit right in my craw. The
poor dear‟s in the hospital now. I called the
ambulance. You know, it‟s not a nice feeling at all
having food stuck in your throat, not when it‟s so
close to supper time, anyway. I do really want my
supper. Whole sheep and minestrone tonight.
Yum.”

I didn‟t know how to answer Aloysius. He

seemed so unreal to me. Then again, these past
few months I had seen aliens, living zombies,
insectmans and Suzy wired up to a hive mind.
Heck, a dragon was nothing. Geez, even a talking
dragon was somewhat…dare I say it? Normal and
oh, so right. Mr Barnaby‟s friend was awesome
and I couldn‟t wait to see more of him.

Zane pulled me away, obviously eager to get on

with his bug hunt. As I was led out of the
storeroom, I yelled out, “I‟ll catch up with you
later, Aloysius. Nice meeting you. We‟ll make sure
Mr. Barnaby gets to make you that dinner.”

But I didn‟t get an answer. If I did, I didn‟t hear

it, Zane had pulled me clear out of the shop. “We
get Suzy first. Hit „em where it hurts. Then we get
to the hospital and rescue as many of the folk as
we can. Okay?”

“I agree. Lead on, beautiful.”
“We go by ute. I can‟t wait to spray some

serious shit all over their insect arses. They‟re
gonna pay for what they‟ve done.”

Light of the Body

145

Coming out in front of the shop once more, the

street wasn‟t as deserted as it was when we first
arrived. Corey Harrington was waking toward us,
his chest ablaze with the light of the insectmans.

“Let‟s get out of here if we‟re going to. Look!”
Zane, opening the ute‟s door for me, twisted

around. “I thought that fucker was dead?”

“Nope. They must have created another

doppelganger of him.”

“A what?”
“Never mind. Let‟s just go already.” I

scrambled into the car and Zane soon joined me.
The doors slamming. From the side mirror the
image of Corey running toward us haunted me.
About fifteen or so insectmans in their real form
poured out on the street to come behind him.

Then more came.
Zane fumbled with the ignition keys. After a

couple of agonising seconds, time where my life
slipped by in my mind and a sudden sorrow at the
possibility of not being with either Zane or Callum
ever again struck me, the engine turned over. A
puff of black smoke remained where we were
parked as Zane floored it.

I was thrown into the back of my seat.

Unfortunately, in the rush, in the desperation that
had consumed me at the sight of Corey and his
creepy posse, I hadn‟t put on my seat belt. I soon

Mark Alders

146

fixed that. I didn‟t feel like experiencing this ride
from a crash test dummies point of view.

Zane clicked in his belt, too, having to take one

of his hands off the wheel. I wished he hadn‟t
chosen that particular moment to do so, because
right in front of us more and more insectmans
came out from alleyways and shops and every
other nook and cranny along the street. We were
surrounded.

“Fuuuuccck!” he screamed as he tried in

desperation to do about six things at once.

He did well. Gaining control of the vehicle, but

also deciding that he needed to go faster, we
charged right through the first barricade of living
insectmans. The ute took a battering and I
shielded my face as a couple of them found the
windshield, the glass shattering but thankfully
holding solid.

“Go, Zane!” I shouted, more for encouragement

than anything else.

Many insectmans came under the wheels,

sending us airborne before we crashed down into
even more of them. The windshield came away
and we were showered in glass. I could feel many
shards nip at my skin. I could taste my own blood.

Zane kept his foot to the floor, continuing to

curse, but amazingly able to keep the path of the
vehicle as true as he could considering we were
surrounded by kamikaze bug men.

Light of the Body

147

“Use the fuckin‟ spray, Jakey! Use the fuckin‟

spray.”

“Right!”
Without a windshield we were vulnerable. I

tried to reach down and pick up one of the bottles
between my feet, but the seat belt made life
difficult considering it had decided to take the
inopportune moment to lock. A couple of
insectmans landed on the bonnet.

I yelped and watched with horror as they

clambered up toward us. Zane did his best to try
and shake them, unfortunately he had to keep the
vehicle on the road as much as possible. I didn‟t
fancy becoming intimate with a fire hydrant or a
telegraph pole. There was enough to worry about.

The wheels squealed from all the swerving and

a few more insectmans had joined their comrades
on top of the ute. One fell off, but that didn‟t
matter, plenty more were there to replace it as we
continued to charge at breakneck speed through
the winding streets of the town.

I hoped with all my heart we wouldn‟t get a

blowout, not with what I had in mind. I had
decided, probably out of insanity and partly out of
desperation, that it was a waste of time trying to
release the seat belt from its lock, so I undid it.
Without it I was able to pick up the bottle.

Mark Alders

148

Seconds later, as many insectmans hands

reached into the cab and tried to yank us both out
of our seats, I let the contents of the bottle rip.

I sprayed the stuff around like I was a trainee

fire-fighter on his first day. It was a beautiful sight,
soaking the bastards in disinfectant. When the
chemical hit them, they froze, stunned if you will.
Hopefully, if what Suzy had told me was correct,
their link to the transmitter—in this case, Corey
Harrington—was cut off. They had no direction
and no purpose and they fell off the ute like
aphids do on the roses when dad gets out the
citrus spray. I had a ball and laughed as they fell
by the wayside.

“Fuck! Git this one, quick!”
My laughter stopped. I turned to look at Zane.

Next to him, clinging onto his door, was an
insectmans. I had been so caught up in the
moment I hadn‟t noticed the ones on the drivers‟
side. The window was smashed and the
insectmans had one of its hands on the wheel,
trying to steer us off the road.

Zane looked stressed, his eyes wide with fear.

But he never took his eyes off the road or his
hands off the wheel. He was brilliant, keeping the
ute on a straight path, despite the insectmans best
efforts.

“Ready!” I pointed the nozzle at the bug man.

Light of the Body

149

I pumped the handle a couple of times,

building up the pressure inside the bottle I had
lost. I pressed the trigger. The spray struck the
insectmans true. A magnificent sight, for sure.
Strangely, the thing screamed when the chemical
hit it, perhaps it was disappointed it was unable to
complete its orders from Corey. Whatever. I didn‟t
care. So long as the thing was off the ute, I was
happy.

Unfortunately, Zane received some splashback.

Droplets of the disinfectant must have found its
way into his eyes, because he blinked furiously
before deciding he needed to do something a bit
more drastic. At first he tried to wipe off the
disinfectant with his arm, while at the same time
keep his hands on the wheel. The vehicle swerved,
more out of control than before.

The extent of the disinfectant getting over him

didn‟t become apparent until he screamed out, “I
can‟t see!”

Many more insectmans began clambering onto

the ute. I panicked. I didn‟t know what to do first.
That wasn‟t true. I knew what to do. I had to take
the wheel and drive. Zane needed me and he was
in no condition to do anything as he tried to clear
his eyes of the chemicals.

“I‟ll take the wheel.”
But because he couldn‟t see he had no idea

what I was doing. His hands left the wheel for a

Mark Alders

150

split second, thinking I was there, ready to drive
straight away. He was wrong. I scrambled to try
and get to the wheel, unable to get my hands into
position in time. But before my mind could even
register the series of events that happened next,
and all within a split second, too, the ute‟s wheels
screamed as we veered off the main road and
headed down an access way. We struck a road
sign, causing us to swerve to the other side of the
road, taking out more insectmans in the process. I
was thrown from my seat, landing over Zane‟s
lap, my head now jammed between the wheel and
his legs.

We became airborne before striking something

with a loud bang and a splash. Water sprayed all
over me. Fuck, we had crashed straight into the
Longmuir river.

Light of the Body

151

Chapter Fifteen

managed to pull myself up, un-clicking Zane‟s
seat belt as I did so. His eyes were bloodshot.
“You okay?”

He nodded and gave me one those beautiful

smiles. “Yeah, I‟ll be right. Let‟s just git the fuck
outta here. Say, don‟t forget the bottles.”

I grabbed his hand and together we climbed out

the vehicle where the windscreen would have
been, but not before I did as he asked. One of the
bottles, the one I had been using to ward off our
attackers was already half empty. We should have
filled up at least another two bottles. I mean, how
many more insectmans were we going to
encounter before we reached the hive?

The ute sunk lower into the river, gurgling and

spluttering as water flooded into the spaces
normally reserved for air. I didn‟t panic, because I
knew the Longmuir was shallow here and we
could both swim. What concerned me—no, what
scared the living shit out of me—was the fact the

Mark Alders

152

insectmans didn‟t mind the water either. Sure,
they had been flung from the vehicle because of
the impact, but that only delayed the inevitable.

They swam toward us.
Together we jumped into the water, using the

bonnet as a spring board, trying to get as much
distance as we could from the sinking vehicle. The
less distance we had to swim the better, these bug
men seemed to be as fast on the water as they
were on the land.

We hit the water. For a moment I was blinded

by the splash. Zane tugged on me and when I
gained back my sight, he was under the water.
Perhaps he lost his footing. I pulled on his hand,
helping him up, not wanting to let him go as I
began making my way to the Westfell side of the
Longmuir. The water was up to my neck.

When he came up, he gasped for air. “Thanks,

Jakey.” He squeezed my hand. “At least that
disinfectant‟s outta my eyes now.”

“Good. C‟mon, we‟ve got to get to the Westfell

bank.”

“But we‟ll have no car. We‟ll have to walk to

the factory.”

He was right. But we were also half way across

the river. No turning back now. I stole a glance at
the sinking ute. On the shore, Corey stood there
with his hands on his hips, staring at us as only a
transmitter could, cold and calculating, the light of

Light of the Body

153

his body intense. Two insectmans were right
behind us.

“One problem at a time, Zane. It‟s hard enough

pulling along these bottles as it is let alone trying
to move as quickly as possible through water.”

“Then gimme one. I‟m okay now, I promise.”
He was right, he pushed through the water as

though he were a man possessed after I handed
him a spray bottle. Moments later, Zane was
pulling me. Then again, the water had receded as
we moved closer to the shore. It was now at waist
height, and I‟m sure if it weren‟t for our clothes,
we would have made better time.

I turned again. The insectmans who pursued us

were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Corey. I
thought that rather weird. Seemed these guys
were determined sons-of-bitches, so why would
they give up so soon? I dismissed that thought.
The sight of the shore approaching gave me hope.

The only reminder we had ever crashed into the

water soon faded. The roof of the ute sunk under
the water with a final gurgle. Zane and I fell onto
the shore. I was exhausted, but also thankful we
had made it.

“Well, at least we got cleaned up,” I said.
“I had no problem with gettin‟ dirty with you,

but you‟re right. Pity we‟re saturated to the bone.”

“I think we‟d better take off our jeans. They‟re

only going to burden us, and besides, I don‟t fancy

Mark Alders

154

getting a rash all over from the wet cloth rubbing
me all the way to the chemical factory as we try
and evade more of our bug men friends.”

“If you want me to git me gear off you don‟t

have to be so polite about it,” he said with a
chuckle, unzipping himself. “I‟d git naked for you
in a heart beat, you know that.” He was right
about that. I smiled.

I had already started to peel off my jeans after I

had taken off my shoes, thankful when I was out
of them after a lot of tugging and hopping on the
spot. “I really do like the real Zane, you know?”

“I do, too.” Zane took off his shirt, throwing it

onto the ground, but not before wiping his face
with it. I decided that was a good idea. The less
burden the better. We had a long way to go on
foot.

Both of us now stood in nothing else but our

boxers. I smiled at him, his bulge just as
impressive even when hidden by silk and he had
been submerged in cold water. Lucky fucking
bastard.

“You ready?” I grabbed his hand, feeling secure

once more as he tightened his grip in mine.

He came over and kissed me on the lips, his

tenderness clear, a hint of his tongue and lots of
saliva accompanied it. I missed his intoxicating
taste. “Ready as I‟m ever gonna be,” he replied
once he had finished his kiss, a kiss I never

Light of the Body

155

wanted to end. But I couldn‟t think of that now.
We had work to do, and as my dad always said,
play time is the reward of work. I couldn‟t wait to
play with Zane and Callum. A thought struck me.
I had two boyfriends. I was the lucky bastard.

We ran up the bank until we were underneath

the canopy of the Westfell, bottles in hand, ready
to tackle the whole hive if we had to. We hadn‟t
gone far when Zane stopped.

“What?” I asked with a whisper.
“I saw somethin‟ over there.” He pointed with

the bottle to his right, toward a massive thicket of
undergrowth clinging to the pine trees, dark and
unwelcoming.

“Insectmans?”
“Dunno. Seemed too large to be one of „em to

me.” He took a couple of steps forward with great
care, the leaf litter crunching under his bare feet,
echoing throughout the forest.

I swallowed hard in my dry throat. “What was

it then?”

A crash of a tree, a thunderous snap of wood

being torn from its roots made me jump and Zane
yelp. I was ready to run back to the river, take my
chances with Corey and the insectmans he
controlled, when he moved forward.

After the leaves and dust had settled, Aloysius

sauntered over toward us.

Mark Alders

156

“Fuckin‟ hell,” Zane said. “That‟s no bug man.

It‟s that lizard thingy we saw in Mister B‟s
storeroom.”

Zane‟s description, although lacking in

eloquence, summed up what we saw. A red
dragon, scales as bright as Zane‟s Cars design
boxers, came over to darken the already waning
light underneath the canopy.

“I have such a stomach ache, Jacob and Zane.

You wouldn‟t believe how many of those bug men
I had to eat just to get out of the store. They‟re
everywhere, you know. Say, you both look a little
different since the last time we met. Why are you
all dripping wet and in your underwear? Is that
some sort of human custom I don‟t know about?”

“Um…we kind of had an accident,” I replied,

aware of my state of undress. My cheeks flushed. I
was a bit embarrassed to say the least.

“Those bug men decided that they wanted to

stop us from doin‟ what we‟re supposed to be
doin‟. The bastards. The church ute is trashed.
Gonna be payin‟ for that one, I bet.”

A lick of flame curled around the dragon‟s

mouth. “I‟m sure all will be forgiven when the
folk all know you were only trying to help.” The
beast then belched and a foul smell nearly
knocked me over.

I waved my free hand—the one holding the

bottle—in front of me to try and get some air.

Light of the Body

157

Zane was coughing, too. Dragon breath was
deadly, especially when it held no fire. “Geez,
you‟re not wrong when you said you had a guts
ache, Aloysius. Your breath stinks to high heaven.
No offense intended, but damn.”

“Oh, none taken. And please excuse me. I‟m so

sorry, but that last one I ate, the one disguised as
young Corey Harrington—well, he tasted the
worst. Most upsetting. I fear my sheep and
minestrone supper tonight is going to have to be
cancelled.”

Zane snorted. “Well, that explains why those

bug men disappeared and stopped chasin‟ us.
Their transmitter got eaten.”

“Please explain this transmitter you speak of,”

Aloysius commanded, more flames bellowing
from his lips.

“Sure, but it may take a while and we‟re in a

kind of a rush,” I said.

“Yeah, we don‟t wanna be rude, not to a dude

like yourself. I mean, you saved our lives, I reckon,
but we gotta get to the hive and rescue a damsel in
distress.”

I laughed. Zane was right. We were two knights

charging to the rescue. We even had the dragon.
“You‟re certainly my knight, Zane.”

“And I gotta say your lance is one damn fine

weapon,” he said with a giggle.

“So‟s yours.” I winked.

Mark Alders

158

Aloysius coughed. “Freudian analogies aside,

tell me all you know on the way to where it is
you‟re both going. To make it easier, climb up on
my back. I‟ll give you both a lift.”

“You fly?” Zane questioned. He must have

been curious seeing as the dragon didn‟t have any
visible wings.

“Oh, heavens no. I…well, you‟ll see. Let me just

tell you, you‟re in for the ride of your life.”

I have to say, right here and now, that wearing

boxer shorts, even though a good idea at the time,
made no sense whatsoever when trying to get
comfortable on a dragon‟s back.

Zane must have had the same problem, because

through gritted teeth, he shouted, “Fuckin‟ Jesus,
my ball sack feels as though it‟s burst!”

I couldn‟t get comfortable. To sit back so I

wasn‟t squashing my family jewels into my
stomach meant I couldn‟t hold on to Aloysius‟
scales. I needed to hold on. When the dragon had
said this would be one hell of a ride, he wasn‟t
kidding.

Aloysius ran and at breakneck speed, too.

Dodging tress, jumping over creek beds, dashing
through the undergrowth. Zane clung onto me,
embracing me tight as our bodies pounded against
the dragon‟s back as he charged through the
forest.

Light of the Body

159

A few insectmans came at us, bounding out

from vantage points within the forest. Aloysius
snapped them up in his jaws, all without letting
up his speed, unfortunately or fortunately. I
couldn‟t tell, I was in so much pain.

Any relief from my ball pounding would be

welcome. Zane‟s fingernails dug into my stomach,
and I didn‟t have to look at him to know he was
hurting, too. Dragons may be magical creatures,
the one we were on may be the only one on Earth,
but as far as I was concerned, this was no magical
experience. The thing that helped me the most was
to place the spray bottle as close to my groin as I
could without losing my balance and falling off.
The smooth plastic a far better option banging
against me than hard dragons scales.

Zane had done the same, but didn‟t stop

cursing in my ear.

Perhaps I should have taken the chances with

my wet jeans. The thicker cloth may have
provided a better cushion. A rash a more pleasant
experience than having my testicles hammered up
into my throat. Then again, perhaps not.

With water in my eyes and my knuckles white

from the pressure of having to hold on for dear
life, I realised we were slowing. We crossed the
main road that went from the town to the golden
mile, travelling for a few moments more before the

Mark Alders

160

canopy thinned and the few trees scattered about
meant Aloysius didn‟t have to run so fast.

A clearing soon dominated the view, the light

from the sun more intense against my skin, no
longer filtered by the canopy.

Aloysius stopped. “The chemical factory is just

beyond the trees and bushes that line the clearing.
Go, but for heaven‟s sake, be careful.”

I clambered off the dragon as best I could

considering I could no longer walk and my legs
wanted to go in two directions at once. It took me
a couple of minutes to even stand up straight.
Zane had his arm around me, using me as support
as I used him.

“Aren‟t you coming with us?” My throat felt as

though it contained all of my insides.

Zane coughed and coughed, still doubled over.

I sure hoped he wasn‟t going to puke. “I don‟t
ever wanna do that again,” he said with a gasp.

Aloysius belched again and that foul air swam

around me. I coughed, feeling green all of a
sudden. I hoped I wasn‟t going to puke.

“I can‟t, my friends. I think I‟m going to lose my

lunch. Those bug men just aren‟t sitting right. I
think I‟ve eaten too many.”

Before I could answer, the dragon had bounded

out of view. Seconds later, birds took flight in the
distance with a cacophony of chirping and
squawking, upset they had been disturbed. I

Light of the Body

161

guessed that‟s where Aloysius threw up. I
shuddered at the thought of how disgusting
dragon sick would look, especially bug man
induced vomit.

Zane picked up his spray bottle. “Let‟s git this

over with.”

We marched toward the chemical factory,

expecting to see a million or so insectmans greet
us. From the outside, the building looked
deserted. I didn‟t like this one bit.

A cold wind kicked up around us and dark

clouds blanketed the sky, making me wish we
were back in the forest. An ambulance was parked
near one of the exit doors.

I nudged Zane. He acknowledged me by

saying, “You know, I wouldn‟t be surprised if it‟s
the ambulance men who are the transmitters, too.
I mean, think about it. They have access to
anywhere and they bring the people into the
hospital. Who‟s to say the folk were infected
before they were taken to hospital?”

“I think there‟s a lot more than that to this,

Zane. I think the doctor is also involved.
Remember that the transmitters need to be close,
otherwise they can‟t control the infected folk or
keep the embryos viable.”

Zane shuddered. “Maybe they‟re all involved.

Maybe all the hospital staff are transmitters. I
reckon they‟re probably doin‟ weird experiments,

Mark Alders

162

shipping chemicals to the hospital from here and
usin‟ them on the everyone, to keep „em from
rejecting the embryos or some shit like that. What
if that‟s it?”

Two ambulance men got into the van,

accompanied by a nurse. What was her name?
Nurse Goodchild, I believe? There was someone in
the stretcher. Who, I couldn‟t tell. Not from this
distance, but their body was glowing just like
Corey‟s and every one else who had been affected
by the insectmans. I bet the person was about to
give birth. “I think you may be right, but we‟d
better get a little closer to make sure. But do it so
we‟re not seen. We‟ve got to make this disinfectant
last.”

“Easy for you to say, bet you‟ll be eatin‟ your

words when we‟re confronted by a zillion bug
men ready to give us one so we can be their
bitches.”

“Well, if we could have carried some more

bottles we would have. We‟ll just have to make
do. Okay?”

I stepped forward, making sure I stayed as low

as I could, using the undergrowth to keep me
covered, hopefully. Zane crept beside me. The
ambulance drove away. The air was still. The
gathering storm above us growing in intensity.

It began to rain.

Light of the Body

163

Great pelts of water trickled down my back.

“C‟mon, let‟s go now that the ambulance is out of
sight.”

We got up and ran toward the chemical factory.

When we were about to reach the building, hide
amongst the many barrels and crates scattered
about near the exit doors and find shelter from the
storm, a couple of insectmans came into view.
From where I had no idea.

“Fire, Jakey!”
I lifted up my bottle, pumped the handle,

aimed, and before the insectmans could react by
getting any closer, I doused them in the
disinfectant. They froze. Unable to receive
communications from either the transmitters or
Queen Suzy, having no direction or purpose, they
became statues. Ugly statues.

It was a beautiful sight to see them in such a

state. I smiled, but the smile was soon wiped off
my face when Zane charged over to them and
twisted their heads off their bodies. He pulled and
yanked with all his might, shearing the insectmans
major arteries. Yellowy-white puss-like fluid
sprayed all over him. The sound of tearing sinew
and breaking cartilage filled the air.

The bodies slumped onto the ground. He was

covered in insectmans filth, and it even dripped
from his eyebrows and fringe. He had a gleam in
his eye I had only ever seen once. When he

Mark Alders

164

wanted me. Seemed blood lust and sexual desire
are pretty much the same thing—or at least similar
in emotional weight. I shuddered. I‟m glad I
aroused Zane. I wouldn‟t want to get on his bad
side.

After he had dispensed with the insectmans,

and he had gone back out into the rain to wash
away the gore of his kills, he came up to me and
pecked me on the cheek. “I was kinda worried the
rain might wash away the disinfectant and they‟d
come to life again. We don‟t want them bastards
creepin‟ up behind us, now do we?”

He was right, and I hadn‟t thought of that. I

embraced him, making sure I got a grope of his
arse in the process. “I told you. You‟re my knight
for sure.”

“Thanks.”
We snuck around the building until we could

find a way of getting inside. I didn‟t want to go
barging in the front door, having to ward off God
knows how many insectmans and all at once, too.
That wasn‟t my idea of bravery. More like
foolishness.

My plan was to get in unnoticed and try and

reach Suzy without too much trouble. I knew it
was a long shot and it would fail miserably, but
we had to try.

Toward the western side of the chemical factory

we found a small window at ground height. The

Light of the Body

165

hinges and handle were rusted shut and wouldn‟t
budge no matter how much we pulled. I‟d say the
window hadn‟t been opened in years. Zane
pushed the nozzle of his spray bottle onto the
pane, cracking it. The glass must have been brittle.
Thank God. We were in.

“Fuck!” said Zane.
“What?” I answered as I began taking away the

broken shards of glass from the frame so we could
crawl in.

“I broke the nozzle. That little directional

thingy has snapped off. I won‟t be able to adjust
the stream now. Shit. Sorry.”

I looked at his bottle. Yep. It was broken. Damn

it. “Here. Replace your nozzle with mine. I don‟t
have much left and what I‟ve got we can use for
reserve.”

He did as I instructed. We now had one full

bottle in working order and one about half empty
and useless for the task ahead. I had a bad feeling
about this.

Mark Alders

166

Chapter Sixteen

nce inside the building, the room we had found
ourselves in was a laboratory. A huge
laboratory. All sorts of tubes and vials and

containers filled benches and shelves. There were
numerous charts everywhere, most detailing
human anatomy. Some even mapped out
insectmans physiology. If I understood what I
read, it looked to me as though the experiments
were combining insect and human DNA to create
a kind of super human, one resistant to radiation,
cold, heat and various other extremes. What I
think they were trying to do was breed people
who wouldn‟t drop dead within seconds if
exposed to conditions most insects take for
granted. But what was the purpose of breeding
these sorts of people?

Whatever they were doing, it seemed to me

they had succeeded. Although, I wouldn‟t call this
new species super. It scared me to death to be
honest.

Light of the Body

167

Zane whistled. “Whatever‟s goin‟ on here, it‟s

some nasty shit.”

I picked up a file and flicked through the pages.

It was a hospital report. They were administering
drugs to the townsfolk. Zane was right again. The
hospital staff were giving drugs to help the
embryos. My heart skipped a beat when I scanned
down the file to see the name of my boyfriend.

Patient 574
Callum Wilber Burrows, 19, male.

Stage two of insectmans gestation.
No rejection from the patient.

Type four anti rejection drug trial positive.
Birth in 14 days. Caesarean scheduled.

I stared at the page for the longest time, feeling

the deepest sorrow I had ever felt for someone.
My Callum, my beautiful, beautiful Callum lay
helpless with a thing growing inside him. The
words on the chart confirmed to me that the
doctors and hospital staff were all in on this. I felt
anger, so profound and so poisonous that it
stained my soul. No. I hated them. I wanted to kill
every single insectmans and anyone who had
anything to do with them.

Zane nudged me, a concerned look drawn on

his face. He had seen what I had. “Cals‟ll be okay,

Mark Alders

168

mark my words. He‟ll be right…and…and I‟m
here for you, Jakey, you know that.”

“I‟m glad I got you, too. I really am. I just hope

we can get to him in time.”

“Well, from what I can figure out, if we get rid

of the transmitters and get Suzz outta that
machine thingy, then Cals will have a chance, as
will everyone else in this town.”

I closed the file and proceeded toward the

doors that I assumed led out into the hangar, Zane
at my side. Before I got to the far side of the
laboratory, something caught my eye. Four huge
cylinders filled with liquid and going from the
floor to the ceiling were tucked away in an alcove.
There was so much machinery around the
cylinders, mostly stuff that looked like it belonged
in a hospital, that it was hard to see what was
inside them.

When we got closer, Zane gasped. I did, too.

There were people inside. They must be on some
sort of life support, because they were breathing.
Well, not breathing as such, seeing as they were
immersed in liquid, but their stomachs rose and
fell and one of the machines next to each tube had
a heart monitor that let out constant beeps. They
were alive. Covering their noses and mouths was
an oxygen mask kind of thing, only one that
looked a hell of a lot more complicated. They also
blinked.

Light of the Body

169

I touched the plastic and a moment of disbelief

struck me. Inside the cylinders were the hospital
staff. The real hospital staff, the originals. They
were naked, too. The whole alien abduction vision
came flooding back into my memory. I went
woozy and Zane caught me as I stumbled.

“You all right, Jakey?” Zane asked as he

grabbed me tight around my shoulders, being my
strength at this trying time. “This is some serious
shit, isn‟t it?”

There was Dr. Woolsey. Then I recognised

nurse Goodchild. The two others I didn‟t know,
but one was a man and the other a woman.

“We‟ve got to get them out.”
“Sure. So, how do we do that without killin‟

„em?”

I didn‟t have the first clue how to switch off the

machines, but I went back into the laboratory
proper and opened the emergency fire cabinet.
Inside, an extinguisher, an axe and a red button
behind glass that said, break in event of fire. I take it
the button was a link to the fire station. Only one
thing interested me. The Axe.

I grabbed it.
“Say, now you‟re talkin‟” Zane said in excited

tones. “I could have used that outside when I
wasted those two bug men. I‟ll grab it when
you‟ve finished destroying some shit, okay?”

Mark Alders

170

“You‟re welcome to it.” I swung at the first

cylinder, the one that contained Doctor Woolsey.

The glass or plastic or whatever you want to

call it smashed and fluid gushed out all over the
floor, drenching both Zane and me in the process.
The doctor fell onto the floor like a dead fish. Not
moving.

Zane went to him, checked his throat after he

took off the mask. “I‟ll see to „em, you free „em.”

I didn‟t need to be told twice. I continued to

smash the cylinders. By the time I got to the last
tube, Zane had woken up Doctor Woolsey and
nurse Goodchild. It was good to see them alive. I
had a feeling we‟d need the real hospital staff
before the day was over.

Doctor Woolsey spluttered something, unable

to form words. His face a twisted mask of horror.
He held out his hand to me, gesturing something,
sort of pleading. What was he trying to tell me? I
struck the last cylinder and the man inside fell
onto the floor. He began moving straight away.

“Just relax, okay?” Zane said to the woman. He

helped her sit up, satisfied everything was okay
with nurse Goodchild. “Everythin‟s gonna be all
right. We‟ve got the disinfectant.” She looked at
him, a cross between confusion and sheer
admiration reflected in her eyes.

“The…what?” Doctor Woolsey croaked.

Light of the Body

171

“That stuff‟s the only thing we know that‟ll stop

these bug men. Makes „em freeze „cause they can‟t
communicate with their transmitter,” Zane
explained. He helped the doctor to his feet.

The doctor was still trying to clear his throat,

but managed, “That‟s brilliant. Phenols, right?”
Zane smiled, a look of pride washing over him.
“But…you‟re making a…terrible…mistake.”

“We are?” I went over to Doctor Woolsey. He

was young as far as doctors go. I‟d say middle
aged. His body was toned, even though there
were a few grey hairs at his temples. The rest of
his hair, including those on his body, were a nice
rich brown.

By now, all four were standing up, trying to

cover their nakedness while at the same time
recovering from their experience, still wobbly on
their feet.

“They‟ll be all right,” Zane said.
I tried not to let my gaze wander, seeing

doctors naked seemed to be taboo or something.
They were only ever supposed to see their patients
with nothing on, not the other way around. From
the glimpses I did catch, I‟d say whoever Doctor
Woolsey and the other guy were with, they were
lucky. Both had nice…equipment.

Zane on the other hand had no such worry

looking at any of them. He was smiling with that
cheeky grin of his and I had to wonder what he

Mark Alders

172

was thinking? No. I didn‟t have to guess. He was
bisexual, I now knew that with certainty, and cock
and pussy appealed to him in equal measure. He
was taking in his fill. I caught myself smiling, too.
But my affection was directed at him.

The doctor cleared his throat again, but before

he could utter a word, Zane yelled out, “Say, that
dude‟s got no navel ring!”

I turned. He was right. I remembered seeing on

a chart near some of the equipment saying that
they had been placed into the cylinders the day
after we defeated the aliens. That meant he wasn‟t
abducted, because the aliens only wanted human
bile and the rings helped them access that. It also
meant he wasn‟t human. So who was he then?

Once again the doctor tried to speak, but in the

seconds that followed, I found myself careening
across the wet laboratory floor, stopped by one of
the work benches scattered about the place. The
man—the stranger—had pounced on me,
grabbing me by my throat and constricting my
neck so I couldn‟t breath, couldn‟t call out for
help. I grappled at his arms in panic, trying to pry
his grip away from my throat.

I struggled to get to my feet, my legs thrashing

about, unable to get any grip on the wet floor. I
was pushed back again by the man‟s sheer
strength and the weight he had against me. I fell
back against the bench, all the instruments and

Light of the Body

173

glass vials fell down over us, showering me. Many
cut me and all of those cuts caused pain to shoot
up through my body. But I couldn‟t yell. Instead,
my vision became blurry and my lungs felt as
though they were going to explode.

Nurse Goodchild screamed. Zane charged at

the man, trying to yank him off me. Whoever he
was, whatever he was, he overpowered me and I
wouldn‟t say that I was a weakling. My nails
scratched his skin, drawing blood, but his hold on
me didn‟t relent. All that confronted me was his
sinister smile.

I grew dizzy from the lack of oxygen and I

found my body no longer wanted to support my
weight. I went limp and as the man came over me,
his knees buried into my chest, I feared it would
be my last moment on this Earth. I gasped, my
final plea for help, when a thud pierced the air.

I was showered in blood.
The man was thrown off me. I reached up to

grab at my throat, more out of instinct, gasping for
air and thankful I could take in another lungful.
Standing over me was Zane, bloody axe in hand.
“I told you I needed this after you‟d finished with
it, Jakey.”

I clawed my way up to my feet as my strength

returned, using anything I could find to support
me, including the helpful hands of my beautiful
Zane. Doctor Woolsey helped me up, too. I

Mark Alders

174

hugged them both, making sure I paid special
attention to Zane, planting many, many wet and
wonderful kisses all over his cheeks and lips.

“Easy now, save some for later,” he quipped.

But I knew he loved it, both being the hero and
having all of my attention lavished all over him.

“That‟s what…I was trying…to tell you. The

man in the last cylinder was a plant. Someone who
would make sure any attempt at rescuing us
would be met with failure.”

Zane snorted. “They didn‟t count on me and

my trusty axe, now did they?”

“You certainly did save the moment with your

quick thinking, but I‟m afraid it may be all too
late. We‟re riddled with neural transmitters.
Whether we‟re conscious or not, we‟re helping
them. They know you‟re here.”

That much I had already figured out, but my

curiosity rose up again. I had a question. “Say,
Doctor Woolsey, what exactly is going on here?” I
continued to rub my neck, a dull thumping pain
emanating from where the stranger had his hands
around me.

The doctor looked thoughtful for a moment.

“I‟m sure you‟ve figured out the drugs made here
stabilize the embryos within their human host, but
what you don‟t know is that this experiment, all of
this, is about colonization.”

Light of the Body

175

Now I was confused, and it wasn‟t because I

had just been deprived of a minute of oxygen,
either. “I don‟t understand.”

Nurse Goodchild stepped up to us. “Perhaps I

can explain it better.” She smiled. She sure was
pretty, for a woman. Long black hair, legs straight
guys wolf whistle over, and tits—well, tits that
would look at home on the cover of Ralph or FHM.
“They‟re creating monsters that will be able to
withstand conditions on other planets. Everything
you see here is monitored by the government and
backed financially by them—”

“So what went wrong?” Zane asked.
Doctor Woolsey cleared his throat again. “There

is another one like the one you just killed from
what I know. Two insect men hybrids were
created. They were the first viable test subjects, the
original of the new species if you will. The ones
who took to the genetic alteration and became the
templates for production.”

I raised my hand. “Wait, let me get this straight.

Everything was going smoothly until one of these
hybrids or whatever you want to call them got out
and began infecting the general population, is that
it? One of them was that man who bit my Callum,
wasn‟t he?”

“Yes, that about sums it up,” the doctor replied.
Nurse Goodchild added, “Once the experiment

got out, as you say, nature took its own course.

Mark Alders

176

Within six months the factory workers, all 250 of
them, became infected. As time went on, they
developed, grew, and now…now they are
spreading. Now they are what is commonly
known as an infestation. One we may not be able
to control.”

Queasiness consumed me again.
Zane came over and took my hand. I needed

that right now. I needed to feel his strength. “Say,
where‟d that other nurse chick go?”

Light of the Body

177

Chapter Seventeen

don‟t know. I know she‟s a nurse at the
hospital—although, for the life of me I can‟t
remember her name.” Doctor Woolsey said,

scratching his head as he looked around the
laboratory.

“She had a navel ring,” Zane said. “That‟s a

good sign, if you‟d ever believe it.”

I concurred with Zane. The navel ring was a

permanent feature on all of those who lived in
Pembroke Eve during the alien incident. I never
would have thought someone not having one
would be like a red flag, warning us something
wasn‟t right. No one came into Pembroke Eve
unless they were a tourist, and the season didn‟t
start until the week of the Spring Dance. It would
be safe to say only townsfolk had them.

“Her name‟s Nurse Smith,” nurse Goodchild

said. “She‟s usually on night shift, the graveyard
roster as we like to call it.”

“I

Mark Alders

178

Doctor Woolsey separated from us, looking

around the lab for the missing nurse. I was about
to pick up the spray bottle, the one that worked,
when nurse Goodchild began fussing over me,
checking out the numerous lacerations I had
across my chest and stomach.

After she had looked over me, deciding she

needed to find a first aid box, I looked around the
laboratory, too, Zane in tow. The longer we
couldn‟t find the missing nurse the more concern
crept up like fingers across my skin. The nurse
couldn‟t have gone far. I didn‟t see the doors open
and she wasn‟t wearing any clothes. I crossed that
last thought from my mind. Being naked never
stopped me from doing anything. To be honest,
I‟d spent more time out of my clothes than in them
over the last few months, and I don‟t mean that I‟d
been having a lot of sex either. Look at me now. I
was in my boxers.

“Here she is!” Doctor Woolsey cried out, his

voice sounding desperate.

We all ran to him. The doctor was on his knees.

On the floor next to him, legs splayed and arms
twisted at terrible angles, lay nurse Smith. She had
blood all over her and her neck looked like it had
been…it looked as though something had ripped
away all the flesh revealing her spine and sinew
and…I turned, hiding my head in Zane‟s chest.

Light of the Body

179

The sight of all that gore made me feel a little
woozy for a second.

Zane hugged me. “I think there‟s somethin‟ else

in here with us.”

As he spoke those words the sound of

smashing glass rang out. I jumped. Zane tightened
his grip for a brief moment, but let me go when
the

doctor

screamed

out

something

incomprehensible.

Zane pushed me away, but I slipped and fell to

the floor, right into the pool of nurse Smith‟s
blood. I screamed, but I knew as soon as I looked
up why Zane had done what he did.

On one of the benches there was a man,

cloaked, darkness across his face. I recognised
him—no, I remembered his presence. He was the
man who came to our backyard. He was the one
who bit Callum.

Zane readied his axe, standing like a warrior

between me and the strange man. “Keep away
from us, you mother fucker or I‟ll slice you in
two.”

Nurse Goodchild rushed to Doctor Woolsey‟s

side while I scrambled to my feet. I picked up the
spray bottle once more, but as I lifted it, ready to
aim, a feeling of complete uselessness
overwhelmed me. This wasn‟t an insectmans—
well, not how they were now. This man, this thing,
was one of the initial experiment that went wrong.

Mark Alders

180

Would disinfectant work in slowing him down?

Hell yes. Zane couldn‟t see when a little bit
splashed into his eyes. I came next to Zane and
pressed the trigger as the man jumped off the
bench and began gliding in mid-air toward us.
Whatever they had done to him, however they
changed him, I didn‟t know of any man who
could sail through the air like that.

“Zane!” I yelled as I kept my aim true.
Disinfectant sprayed all over the man‟s face, but

his momentum brought him crashing down onto
us. Zane was flung onto the floor, the axe
careening over to Doctor Woolsey. I was pulled
down, too. In fact, the disinfectant did nothing,
and as the cloak came off the man, I knew why.
He had no face at all—well, when I say no face, I
meant his mouth was a tiny slit, his nose two little
holes and his eyes, also tiny, were covered by a
protective shell. He looked, for want of a better
word, alien. Was this the result of the experiment
on humans so they could survive on other
planets? I shuddered. What a fucking nightmare.

I screamed again, but the man wasn‟t interested

in me. He wanted Zane.

“Git the fuck off me!” Zane yelled, his legs

slapping on the concrete and his arms clawing at
the man‟s back as he struggled with all his might
to get the man off him. Zane was pinned. The man
lowered his head down to take a bite out of his

Light of the Body

181

neck. That tiny mouth slit a gaping huge hole
filled with rows and rows of teeth, like a sharks.

I got up and pulled at the man, desperate to get

him off my Zane. He wouldn‟t budge. He must
have the strength of a hundred men because even
when I scratched his skin and drew blood, he
didn‟t even notice. Didn‟t even flinch.

Zane writhed and cursed and a deep sense of

failure coursed through me as I heaved and
pushed with all my might.

“Help us!” I yelled at Doctor Woolsey.
Sweat poured off me. The man inched his way

toward Zane‟s neck, my efforts to stop him
proving fruitless. Zane was only seconds away
from being bitten. My thoughts became a jumble
of fear and panic and despair. I didn‟t want Zane
to become impregnated, or worse, end up like
nurse Smith. What could I do?

I screamed out again. In an absolute and final

measure of my desperation, I sunk my teeth into
the soft spot on the man‟s shoulder and forced my
mouth closed as hard and as tight as it would go. I
didn‟t know what else to do. Doctor Woolsey and
the nurse were frozen with fear and Zane couldn‟t
move. I had to do something, and inside me,
something deep down and primitive, told me that
biting him was the only option I had left.

The rancid, coppery taste of blood filled my

mouth, but I didn‟t let go. I dug my teeth in

Mark Alders

182

deeper, clinging onto him as I continued my bite.
The man let out a yell, a wolf-like howl. He
thrashed, trying to buck me off him. I didn‟t
budge, wrapping my arms around him, squeezing
tight. I sunk my teeth in even more, feeling his
tendons and sinew snap in my mouth.

I went dizzy when the man‟s blood flowed

down my throat. Unable to take his taste any
more, I let go. The bite looked terrible, but more
importantly, the man was off Zane.

His attention was now on me.
I stepped back. Not bothering to wipe my chin

which dripped with blood. I stumbled, but didn‟t
fall, thankfully. My back found the bench with a
nauseating thud. I had nowhere to go.

The man‟s little mouth became large again as he

came closer and closer to me. It was filled with
sharp teeth. The cold, dark look in his beady little
eyes completed the picture of horror before me,
filling me with dread. This man wasn‟t human by
any stretch of the imagination. He was a monster.
A created monster.

I opened my mouth, too. An action that would

remind him that I could play his game. He
stopped. Studied me, but must have decided that I
posed no real threat whatsoever. He was right. I
didn‟t possess his strength for one.

As he came within a few feet of me, Zane

screamed, but not a call out of fear, oh no. He was

Light of the Body

183

yelling out a war cry. A split second later, I
understood why.

The axe cleaved the mutant man‟s head clean in

two. I was splattered in more blood and bits of
stuff I could only imagine were the monster‟s
brains.

“I told you to git the fuck off me!” Zane didn‟t

bother retrieving the weapon from the mutant‟s
body. He went to me and embraced me tight.
“You okay, Jakey?”

“Yeah. I‟m okay…my hero.”
“Cool.”
Again Doctor Woolsey yelled something I

didn‟t quite catch. What was the man jabbering on
about now? I know he‟s a doctor and all and saves
lives every day, but as far as someone who‟s
needed in a crisis, he‟s useless.

“Oh, my stars!” Nurse Goodchild screamed.
“I think you‟d better see this.” Zane moved

away from me so I could see what all the
commotion was about.

Through the laboratories main doors there

poured into the room uncountable insectmans.
Amongst them walked Suzy. She commanded
them by gesturing where her minions should be
and they fell into place quickly. Moments later we
were surrounded. Unfortunately, Zane didn‟t
have time to get the axe out of the mutant‟s body.

Mark Alders

184

“Oh, shit!” I don‟t think a three quarter full

bottle of disinfectant was quite going to be
enough.

Light of the Body

185

Chapter Eighteen

ell me, how many times do you both have to
be warned?” Suzy sauntered over to us. There
was nothing behind her eyes and I knew in

that instant she wasn‟t the real Suzy. This was a
copy. The real Suzy must still be hooked up to that
machine.

“Who are you?” I asked, my tone acidic.
“The voice of the insectmans personified.”
“Where‟s the real Suzz?” Zane asked. The pain

was clear on his face.

Many hands grabbed at me. The bottle was

taken and before I could raise my voice in protest,
the fake Suzy said, “You have done a lot of
damage to our cause, Jacob and Zane. Perhaps I
underestimated you both. Maybe we will be able
to find a much more useful role for you to fulfil
besides becoming transmitters or incubators.” She
looked down at the mutant, now at her feet.

I was pleased to note she said that we had

affected them. What concerned me was what she

“T

Mark Alders

186

planned to do with us. She wasn‟t going to kill us,
that much was clear. She would have done it by
now. No, she wanted much more from us. But
what? “Whatever you‟re going to do, get it over
and done with,” I blurted.

“You will become carriers. It only seems fitting,

seeing as you have disposed of the previous
carrier.” Again she glanced down at the mutant.

I swallowed hard. Was I going to be turned into

one of those freaks? “There ain‟t no way I‟m going
to be turned into one of them.” My stomach
turned at the sight of the thing on the floor, still
quivering.

“It‟s either that or death.”
I was about to answer, about to make it clear in

no uncertain terms death was a far better option
than going around impregnating innocent people,
when Zane stepped forward. “Can I have one last
request before you turn me into a mutant mother
fucker?”

Her face became blank, that smug smile she

wore wiped from her features. There was a
moment of pause, like she was not only thinking
but receiving orders from the hive mind or
something. Her eyeballs did that sort of rapid
movement thing for a split second before her smile
returned. “What is it you request, Zane?” Her
voice had a softness I hadn‟t heard since the real
Suzy was with us.

Light of the Body

187

“I wanna fuck you real good. Split that pussy of

yours „till you beg me to stop.” And with that he
dropped his boxers.

I gasped. My initial reaction was more out of

curiosity rather than surprise. Why would he do
such a thing now? I know for a fact Zane would
never, ever, ever talk to Suzy like that. Sure, he
made jibes with her about getting into the sack,
but not once would he be so blunt and to the point
and quite frankly so rude about it, too. But this
wasn‟t the real Suzy. He was up to something and
I think I knew what it was.

The fake Suzy was taken aback, but her gaze

roved down his body to rest at his genitals. The
front of Zane was blocked, my view of his cute
behind, but I knew he would have had a raging
boner, one wet with his own pre-cum. Her
expression, that smug smile, turned to one of lust
and that confirmed it for me. Zane had touched a
nerve, a weakness of the hive mind. He was a
genius.

Everything was clear to me now. I smiled. No

matter how much they think they can control
someone they cannot completely wipe out a
person‟s innate desires, their instincts or their will
for freedom. Zane was testing the theory. From
the look of it, the real Suzy, transmitting her
thoughts through the hive mind into the
transmitter, could not hide her feelings for him.

Mark Alders

188

Suzy, even though she never showed it as I did,
had feelings for Zane and he was going to use that
against them.

He came closer, reaching out to embrace her.

She let him, falling into his arms, exposing her
neck so he could lay ravishing kisses all over her
skin. What I saw fascinated me at first. Then pangs
of jealousy shot up to consume me. Emotions
overwhelmed me. I knew what he was doing, he
was creating a distraction, using the real Suzy‟s
feelings to gain us some time. But why did he
have to be so…so good at what he did? Why did
he have to be so beautiful? He was magnificent
naked and I wanted to be that fake Suzy. I wanted
to be in his arms, taking all of him into me. I
wouldn‟t cry out like a girl. I‟d growl like a man in
the heat of the moment as he sunk his cock deeper
and deeper into my arse, just as I had done before.
I knew he liked me when I did that. But this
wasn‟t about me. I blinked rapidly, trying to
dismiss those unproductive thoughts from my
mind. Zane had bought us the time. It was now up
to me to use it to full advantage.

The hands of the insectmans were no longer

around me, a distracted transmitter meant no
orders were given. Fine with me. As I moved
away, trying not to push my way too hard
through the wall of insectmans that had
surrounded us, she whimpered. But worst of all,

Light of the Body

189

he moaned with delight. The noise he made was
like a dagger to my heart. As their cries became
more intense, and she began to sing out with
ecstasy, I couldn‟t help but look. Their yelps of
passion begged for my attention.

I turned, twisting my neck, only to see her

naked and Zane‟s hands explore her body with an
eagerness he had shared with me in that priest
hole. He pressed himself tight against her as he
pushed her toward the bench and lifted her up
onto it. She spread her legs for him and in that
moment I closed my eyes, turned and
concentrated on what I had to do next. I hoped
Zane could last longer than when he was with me.
I needed all the time I could get to free the real
Suzy.

Before I left the laboratory I glanced back. It

was then I noticed Doctor Woolsey and nurse
Goodchild surrounded and being taken over to
the stasis tubes. I know they were transmitters.
They knew it, too. Perhaps the insectmans were
going to hook them up again, reinsert them back
into the hive mind. I swallowed hard. I didn‟t
want to think about that right now. I had to get the
real Suzy and Mr. Barnaby out of here. I had to
break the insectmans hold on the town.

Once I was clear of the insectmans I made my

way to the laboratory doors. Silence welcomed
me. I came into the main hangar. As before, the

Mark Alders

190

structure around me was daunting, not only by
the size, but by its complexity, too. I paused for a
moment to get my bearings. Thankfully, there
wasn‟t an insectmans in sight. They must all be in
the laboratory watching Zane give himself to their
physical voice. Queasiness consumed me as I
thought about what he was doing. He was indeed
a knight in shining armour, giving himself,
sacrificing himself for the greater good. My
jealousy and concern and every other emotion I
could think of and some I couldn‟t, gave way to
pride. Yep. I was proud of Zane.

Suzy came into sight as I walked toward the

central column of the hive mind. I climbed up
onto the tendrils, desperate to get to her. The
organic structure around her, feeding her, keeping
her alive was a massive living being, pulsating,
breathing, planning, and worst of all, enslaving
humans to procreate. Doing all of this with Suzy
as the control, the needed calm amongst the storm
of their plans. My determination grew as I
clambered up the structure. I had to get her out.

I arrived, finding myself on a sort of platform in

front of the structure she was encased in. Unlike
before her eyes were closed and I didn‟t
experience her voice in my mind. I supposed she
was concentrating all her efforts on the events
transpiring in the laboratory. A great sense of
satisfaction come over me. I made it.

Light of the Body

191

Her eyes opened. Again, unlike before, her gaze

was distant, as though she weren‟t even in the
hangar with me, which I suppose she wasn‟t in a
way.

I reached out and touched an organic panel,

hoping one of the buttons would release her. A
painful eternity later, just as I was about to give
up, Mr. Barnaby came into view.

“Jacob!” he called out.
His arms were open to greet me. He looked a

little worse for wear, but his spirits were high.
“Mr. Barnaby! You‟re all right, thank God.”

“I most certainly am, dear boy. I‟ve had an

experience, let me tell you. I fought them off as
best I could before I was overwhelmed and placed
into a cell. I was left alone for ages, managing to
get out by sheer persistence and good old
fashioned determination. “ I embraced him and he
returned his warmth in kind, like a father would
to his son. It was good to see him.

“How did you get out?” I said with genuine

curiosity.

Mr. Barnaby let out a chuckle. “Thank goodness

they didn‟t take the bullets from me, probably
thinking they wouldn‟t do any damage without
the actual gun. With a bit of luck on my part, I
found a panel that controlled the door mechanism.
I pried it open and inside I noticed it was warm.
You could say it was hot really. I jammed a few of

Mark Alders

192

the bullets into it and re-sealed it as best I could. I
then waited. How long, I couldn‟t tell you, but it
seemed like forever to me. Anyway, dear boy, the
bullets eventually exploded and the door was
released and here I am.”

“I‟m so glad you got out, and in such a cool

way, too. You‟re amazing, Mr. Barnaby, you really
are.”

Mr. Barnaby blushed, but a smile found his lips.

“I only did what anyone else would have done.”

I turned my attention back to the structure Suzy

was encased within. “We‟ve really got to get Suzy
out of here. I don‟t know how much…longer Zane
can…distract them.”

Mr. Barnaby let me go, a puzzled look on his

face. “What in heaven‟s name is he able to do that
could distract these things? From what have
experienced they are a tenacious lot if nothing
else.”

I opened my mouth, about to explain, when the

laboratory door burst open and hundreds upon
hundreds of insectmans entered the hangar, all of
them coming toward us. “Never mind. I think he‟s
finished.” I hoped with all my heart and soul Zane
was all right. “C‟mon, Mr. Barnaby, give me a
hand here. I don‟t think we‟ve got much time.” I
pressed buttons again. Many lights ignited and
Suzy‟s gaze fixed on me. That cold, almost evil

Light of the Body

193

stare, the one the fake Suzy was so good at, was
reflected in her eyes.

“Wait a minute.” Mr. Barnaby grabbed me by

my shoulder. “I heard them say something about
neural connections or some such thing and how
she‟s now a part of them. I‟m sure you just can‟t
pull her out of the hive mind.”

I looked down. The insectmans had begun

climbing up toward us. A few were only a couple
of metres away now. “Fuck it! We don‟t have that
much time.”

I stopped pressing buttons and did the only

thing I could think of. I charged at the structure
with all my might, smashing my shoulder into it.
Seconds later, I was engulfed with fluid and tubes
and God know what else as the organic perspex
shattered.

The force of everything coming out of the

container, including Suzy, was too much for me to
withstand. I was thrown off the platform.

Mark Alders

194

Chapter Nineteen

landed on a few insectmans who broke my fall.
But I didn‟t have time to worry about that. There
was shouting. Actually, there were many voices

shouting. In the confusion that followed I tried to
scramble to my feet to see what the hell was going
on, punching and kicking my way past many of
the insectmans.

Hundreds of them ran about everywhere, but

they weren‟t doing anything with any purpose.
They were aimless, now devoid of the voice of
reason that had calmed their thoughts. I looked
up. Mr. Barnaby was tending to Suzy. She was
coughing as he tried to remove the parts of the
hive mind that had invaded her body. Thank the
Lord above she was alive. Although, I hoped we
could save her from all of the hive‟s doing,
including what they had done to her mind.

Those voices I had heard earlier rang out again.

They were war cries, and one of them was so clear
now I could now tell it belonged to Zane. I turned

Light of the Body

195

to see the most beautiful sight I had ever seen in
my life. Zane was charging through the hangar,
axe in hand, chopping at anything and everything
in his path, including the structure of the hive
mind itself. He was naked, spattered in blood and
gore and grinning like a man possessed. As he
destroyed everything in sight, that feeling of pride
welled up once more. As far as I was concerned he
was poetry in motion and quite hypnotic.

Knocking myself out of my reverie, I ran over

to him. He acknowledged me by pausing for a
moment, giving me one of his cheeky smiles. “I‟m
gonna fuck „em up real good now! Here, Jakey,
grab somethin‟ to help me smash this place up.
The doctor and the nurse are in the lab destroyin‟
shit, too. You should join us!”

He was right. Glass was being smashed from

within the lab. I looked around, noticing a metal
pole near some containers. I grabbed it and joined
Zane in his frenzy. Moments later, I was working
up a sweat with him, beating the crap out of the
organic structure of the hive mind and knocking
away any stray insectmans that crossed our path.

The floor was soon stained with blood and I

was soaked in sweat and filth, as was Zane.

An explosion rang out from the laboratory, one

that shook the foundations of the hangar. Zane
caught me from falling, before he returned to his
destruction, not even batting an eyelid as he

Mark Alders

196

hacked tendrils from their adjoining modules.
Thick black smoke billowed into the hangar and
angry red and blue flames licked at the laboratory
doors. Two humans emerged from the carnage,
shielding their eyes.

I was delighted and somewhat relieved to see

Doctor Woolsey and nurse Goodchild stagger up
to us, both of them supporting each other.

The doctor was the first to speak. “We‟ve got to

get to the heart and destroy it before they can
gather their thoughts and unite again.”

“Why?” I asked. “I thought they were useless

without Suzy controlling them?”

Nurse Goodchild, her body covered in grime

and blood, looked even more concerned than
normal. “Yes, that‟s true, but without the control
they‟ll soon revert back to their most basic
instincts. And for insects that means defending
their territory. We‟re in their hive, remember.”

Before I could add anything to the

conversation, Zane grabbed me by my hand and
pulled me off the tendril we were butchering. The
doctor and the nurse had disappeared from sight
beyond a huge tendril with a massive nodule at
the end of it. We followed. Or rather, Zane
followed and I was taken along for the ride.

When we came around the ganglion, the scale

of what the hive mind was hit me like a slap in the
face. The whole back half of the hangar was chock

Light of the Body

197

full of organic matter. There were hundreds—no,
thousands of tendrils and modules and ganglions
all joined and all pulsating with life. At the centre,
where a massive module hung, there beat the
heart of this beast. At first glance and at my best
calculation, I would say the heart alone was about
five times the size of me.

“Whoa!” was all I could manage. Again, I don‟t

think an axe was going to quite be the weapon of
choice here. Then again, what choice did we have?

“We‟ve got to cut off the supply veins to the

heart,” nurse Goodchild called. “But we‟ve got to
hurry.” She and the doctor were already
scrambling up to their goal.

“Zane, Jacob, you take the left side where the

veins feed from heart. We‟ll take the right and the
oxygen rich arteries. Do whatever you can, but try
and do as much damage as you can,” the doctor
added.

Unfortunately, I could now see hundreds of

insectmans within the structure of the hive mind.
It looked to me like they had their new purpose, to
get us away. Many had begun clambering down
the structure toward us. “Look out!” I called out,
all too late.

The insectmans had grabbed the doctor, pulling

him in all directions. The man screamed out. I
turned away as they ripped his limbs from their
sockets. Nurse Goodchild became hysterical as all

Mark Alders

198

the surrounding insectmans charged for the
doctor‟s carcass, like vultures at a feeding frenzy.
All sorts of whooping noises rang out as they tore
the man to pieces. They had reverted. They were
now primitive and that scared the spit out of me.

The nurse screamed out again, but her

commotion drew their attention. She fell to her
knees, soon to be surrounded by them, too. I
couldn‟t bear to watch.

Zane pulled on me. “C‟mon, here‟s our

chance.”

“But…but…the nurse…the doctor…we.”
I was up on the structure of the hive mind

before I realised. Zane was not only strong as all
hell when he wanted to be, he was determined,
too. “They‟re gone, yeah, but we‟ve got to make
their sacrifice matter. We‟ve got to destroy that
fuckin‟ heart once and for all.”

I hated to admit it again, but he was right. As

soon as we reached the heart, he began slashing
away at the veins and arteries, severing the
connections with the life of the hive mind as best
we could considering we were trying to knock
down a house with a toothpick. There was a huge
vein above us. I gained Zane‟s attention by poking
him in his side. To shout at him wouldn‟t have
done any good, he was a man with a mission as he
hacked away with his axe.

Light of the Body

199

He got the message and concentrated his efforts

on that vein. I helped by pulling it down, letting
him get to it easier. The flesh of it was warm in my
hands, an icky kind of warmth, slimy and sticky.

Moments later, we were showered in the

contents of the vein. I couldn‟t see. I couldn‟t hear.
All I knew was the simple fact we were being
drowned in blood. As I tried to hold my breath, I
felt Zane lose his footing. I yelled out as I
managed to keep him from falling. How? I have
no idea, but I didn‟t want him to fall into the
waiting clutches of the insectmans who had most
certainly finished devouring the doctor and the
nurse and were at this moment climbing up
toward us. I only knew I held onto him with all of
my might, as he held onto me.

When the blood flow from the wound slowed

to a trickle, I could no longer hear the beat of the
heart. I spat blood from my mouth and wiped my
eyes as best I could. My stomach turned in a sickly
way. I must have swallowed some of it.

Zane‟s smile greeted me. He was plastered with

blood, as was I. “I think we‟ve done it,” I said with
great relief. We hugged, an interesting experience
considering our current state, let me tell you.

An eternity later, Zane whispered, “Hey, look,

there‟s Mister B and Suzz.”

Mark Alders

200

Mr. Barnaby was coming toward us, helping

Suzy walk. “You‟d better get down from there,
boys,” he called out.

The structure of the hive mind was beginning

to disintegrate and the heart had slumped. It was
now well below us—a dead, dark mass of organic
matter and just as useless.

I became aware of our precarious position,

because when I separated from Zane there was
nowhere to place my foot. We were on a module,
one that began swaying wildly as it began to
collapse, no longer fed by the heart. A split second
after my realisation, the tendrils that supported
the structure we were on snapped.

We fell.

Light of the Body

201

Chapter Twenty

fell on top of Zane and thankfully he landed
onto the dead heart itself. Well, I thought it was
a good thing until we were soon surrounded by

dead flesh as the structure of the thing collapsed
around us from our weight, like a punctured
jumping castle with too many kids on it.

Both of us struggled to get out of it as we were

engulfed. I cried out. Panic struck me as I found it
difficult to not only move considering I was
slippery from all the blood and couldn‟t get a hold
on anything, but because I found it difficult to
breathe, too. I was helpless as we sank deeper and
deeper into the heart.

Soon I couldn‟t even hear Mr. Barnaby scream

at us to get out—well, I thought that‟s what he
was doing. I had never heard him say the words
he shouted before. It sounded as though he was
calling out for someone, but I didn‟t hear our
names, rather it was like he was speaking in a
different language. Then, as we sank deeper and

Mark Alders

202

deeper, all I could feel was Zane‟s laboured
breathing as we became cocooned in flesh. A
strange sensation overcame me as everything
echoed, like listening into a shell at the beach. Our
hearts beat loud, our breathing, our wild thrashes
as we tried with all our might to get out of our
predicament, surrounded me. I went numb.

I went hot, too. A heat that overwhelmed me,

made me feel weak, as though it were draining
away my life force. Zane no longer struggled. He
grabbed onto me, holding me tight.

“If I‟m gonna go, I‟m glad it‟s with you, Jakey.”
I couldn‟t answer him. My face was pressed

against the dead flesh. I became dizzy and my
mind conjured up images that were dream-like
and fantastic. I imagined myself running naked
through a field of flowers. Zane and Callum ran
toward me. Then I came to my house. My parents,
also coming toward me, waved to beckon me on.
Was my mind telling me that this was the end?
My brain‟s way of letting me know that I should
be thinking of the people I loved as my life ebbed
away from me.

Zane squeezed me tighter. I welcomed his

embrace. I could no longer hear anything. I shut
my eyes and darkness, a deep and welcome night,
came to me.

* * * *

Light of the Body

203

I opened my eyes. Above me was Sheriff Tucker,
his moustache grin unmistakable. “Well there,
young Jacob, seems you‟ve not only got yourself
into a predicament, you‟ve saved the town in the
process. You gave me the time and the break I
needed to do what I had to with my friends.
Thanks.”

“What?” I asked, my voice groggy. My head

pounded and all I could do was rub my forehead
to let myself know I was alive and this wasn‟t a
dream.

I was on a stretcher, sheltered under a sort of

huge makeshift tent. Beyond the tent there was the
hangar. All around, many of the Sheriff‟s men and
his friends, too, milled about. They all had guns.
On the bed next to me was Zane. His eyes were
closed and I assumed he was still unconscious.
Next to him were townsfolk, the ones we saw
inside the hangar, the ones who had finished their
duties as incubators. Mrs. O‟Doherty was on the
far side of the tent. She was sitting upright, her
hands over her face. We were in a triage sort of set
up. A few of the hospital staff tended to the people
on the beds.

“I‟ll let one of your friends explain,” Sheriff

Tucker said, knocking me from my thoughts. “I
just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He
patted me on my shoulder before he made his way

Mark Alders

204

toward the tent‟s exit. I supposed from him that
was as good as a thank you got.

In walked Mr. Barnaby. I smiled. I was sure

glad to see him.

“Well, my boy, good to see you awake. We

were worried there for a moment, you know.”

“Where‟s Suzy?” I said.
“She‟s in the hospital. She‟s going to be fine, but

it‟s going to be a while before she‟ll fully recover
from the effects of the hive mind. Anyway, cheer
up, there‟s someone here who‟s dying to see you.”

From behind Mr. Barnaby, Callum come into

view. Before I could even sit up, he was embracing
me tight, laying kisses all over my face. His
warmth, his touch, his smell and his familiarity all
overwhelmed me to the point where I could no
longer contain my emotions. I began to cry. “I love
you so much, Callum.”

He kissed away my hot tears from my cheeks.

“I love you with all my heart, too, my Jacob.”

We kissed. My salt water and his taste mingled

in my mouth. I wanted him to kiss me and hold
me forever. It was so good to see him.

Mr. Barnaby coughed into his hand, showing

his manners and Callum broke away his kiss. I
missed him the moment we parted. “The sheriff
tells me they‟ve got most of the critters now. He‟s
called in some of his army buddies to help remove
what‟s left of the hive mind. It‟s all hush, hush, but

Light of the Body

205

thankfully he did. I think the hangar will be
destroyed…that‟s what they‟re talking about out
there anyway.”

“You know, I have so many questions,” I said.

“What happened to you, Callum?”

He sat beside me, taking me by my hand. “As

soon as the hive mind died, all of us in the
hospital woke up. It was like a miracle. I could see
through my own eyes and hear my own thoughts
again. It was like I had come out of a dark room or
something.” The joy and relief in his eyes was
tangible and I could only imagine what he went
through as that thing grew inside him, consuming
him. “After the doctors checked us out, it was
discovered that our bodies had begun fighting off
the embryo that grew inside us. They reckon we‟ll
absorb them or something like that. I don‟t
understand exactly, but at least I‟m here with you
now, Jacob. I suppose I‟m one of the lucky ones,
though. A few folk in the advanced stages didn‟t
make it. When their embryo lost the link to their
transmitter and the hive mind, they took the host,
too…” His words trailed off and a sadness
overcame him.

I swallowed hard. I wondered how many of the

townsfolk didn‟t make it. That thought made me
shudder and I reached over to hug him.

For the longest time we held each other. Even

Mr. Barnaby joined in.

Mark Alders

206

“Hey, save some of that for me,” Zane said.
I hadn‟t noticed him wake up, but I‟m glad he

did. I needed the two men I loved and now was
the perfect time to let them both know how much
I wanted them. “Callum, Zane has something to
tell you,” I said with a smile on my lips I didn‟t
want to remove.

“What is it?” Callum asked, his curiosity

seeming to get the better of him. His eyes got that
flash of interest that made him look damn sexy.

Zane got up off his bed, coming over to us. He

was in a hospital gown and all cleaned up. He
looked as beautiful as ever with those deep
brooding eyes of his and those thick sexy lips. “Let
me just show you instead, Cals.”

With that he knelt down, coming between

Callum‟s legs so he would be in the perfect
position to place his lips onto Callum‟s. He kissed
my boyfriend. There were tantalizing glimpses of
their tongues as they both explored each other. At
first Callum was taken aback, although he didn‟t
recoil, rather he sat there frozen. Seconds later,
Zane embraced him and deepened his kiss so they
were both open mouthed. Callum seemed to
become swept away. He returned Zane‟s embrace
and soon they were both in the throes of their
passion, all roving hands and delicious noises.
Fuck it was hot watching them kiss. I stirred.

Light of the Body

207

It was then I noticed I wore a gown, too. How

long was I unconscious? Why didn‟t the sheriff
and his men arrive sooner? Oh, wait, I think I
knew. This was a government experiment, so
bringing attention to it wasn‟t a good idea. Sheriff
Tucker organised this in secret and I suppose
when he saw that the insectmans were no longer
controlled by the hive mind, running about
aimless, he acted. Then again, knowing this didn‟t
answer the other question that sprang into my
thoughts. How did we get out of the heart? Then
another rose up. Would Suzy be okay? So many
questions wheeled around in my mind, I forgot for
a moment there were my two beautiful men
showing their affection for one another right in
front of me.

Mr. Barnaby coughed again. Beside him was

Mrs. O‟Doherty. She looked haggard and
withdrawn, her usual feisty demeanour gone.
Even her normal regal posture had slumped. She
looked like she was in pain, almost doubled over.

“Jacob, Mrs. O‟Doherty has something to tell

you and I think Callum and Zane should hear it,
too,” the old man said.

Zane broke away from Callum, coming to sit

next to me. The makeshift bed creaked. “You‟re
next, Jakey,” he said with that adorable smile of
his as he looked down at me with hungry eyes.
“And so‟s, Cal.”

Mark Alders

208

“Please,” she began, “this is important and I

must say it now.”

Callum asked, “So what‟s going on, Mrs.

O‟Doherty? I know you wanted to have a meeting
with us today…but you know…considering
what‟s happened…”

“That‟s all part of the problem, Callum dear. I

love Pembroke Eve, I really do, but considering
everything that‟s gone on of late, I can no longer
stay here. I‟m sorry to say I‟m leaving. For good.”

The first words out of my mouth weren‟t the

obvious. I was concerned about her. I‟d never seen
her like this. “Where will you go?”

“My sister lives in the city. I am going to stay

with her.” Her stare became intense. “Jacob,
Callum…and Zane, I want you three to take over
the running of the Food Emporium. You can live
in the house and do with the place as you see fit.”

To say I was stunned would be an

understatement. “But…”

She leaned over and pecked me on my

forehead. “Make me proud.” She placed the
shop‟s keys into my hand. I held them tight. No
longer was I concerned with how things had
transpired since I was rescued. I only felt for her.
That shop meant everything. I looked up at her.
Tears had welled in her weary eyes, but before I
could add anything, explain that she would be all
right and we were there for her, she turned away

Light of the Body

209

and left. Mr. Barnaby went with her. All three of
us sat in silence as we watched the world outside
the tent. The Sheriff‟s friends were rounding up
the last of the insectmans, making sure they would
no longer bother the town. Life would soon return
to normal…I hoped.

I opened my hand, staring at the keys for ages.

Mark Alders

210

Chapter Twenty-one

allum, Zane, will you both help me run the
Food Emporium?” I asked, not really quite
sure how I was going to go about such a task.

Sure, I was the fry cook and the clean up guy, but
not once had I been shown the books. I didn‟t
want to let Mrs. O‟Doherty down.

“Of course we will, Jacob. You know that,”

Callum said, then kissed me, his touch warm and
welcome and so reassuring.

Zane kissed me, too. “I‟m with Cals. „Sides, I

gotta get outta my place anyway. Shacking up
with you both will be perfect. We can all start
fresh. It‟ll be cool.”

I giggled. “You just want to be with us for the

sex, don‟t you, Zane?”

“Fuck yeah.” Zane hugged us both. “But I

wanna check out Suzz. Make sure she‟s okay. You
both comin‟, or what?”

A nurse, drifted over to my bed, a gentle smile

on her lips. “I couldn‟t help but overhear,

“C

Light of the Body

211

gentlemen. No one‟s going anywhere without
being discharged. Sure, we‟re in a triage tent, but
doctor‟s orders are doctor‟s orders. Clear?”

We all looked at each other.
“So who‟s the doc and when can he come and

check us out to make sure we‟re right?” Zane
questioned.

“I‟m the doctor here,” a man said as he

extended out his hand. I shook it. “The name‟s
Charles Auger, pleased to finally see you awake,
young man.” He was huge, at least seven feet tall.
I couldn‟t imagine any patient defying him. I
wouldn‟t. There was a military uniform under his
white coat, another one of the sheriff‟s friends, I
assumed. “I‟ve examined you both. You‟re fine to
leave so long as you take it easy. You‟ve just
suffered bumps and bruises and a mild case of
oxygen deprivation. Everything should be okay
now that you‟ve rested a while.”

“How long was I unconscious?” I asked.
“Four hours. Your parents were most

concerned.”

“Mum? Dad?” I had forgotten about them.

They would be worried sick. “Where are they?”

“They‟re waiting for you in the visitor‟s tent.” I

sprang up to my feet. The moment I did so, I
wished I hadn‟t been so enthusiastic. The tent and
everyone in it spun around me. The doctor tutted.
“I told you to take it easy. Now, if you‟re not

Mark Alders

212

going to listen to me, I‟ll have you stay here
longer.”

“He‟ll be careful, Doctor. We‟ll make sure of it.”

Callum helped me up. Zane came around to the
other side. I didn‟t see the reaction on the man‟s
face. My beautiful lovers escorted me out of there
as fast as they could without it looking like they
were doing so. God, I loved them.

When we were out of the tent, Zane smiled and

said. “I gotta go. I‟ll meet you at the Food
Emporium‟s house in two hours, that‟ll give me
plenty of time to get my shit together and check
out Suzz, okay?”

“I‟ll give you a hand, Zane. I think Jacob needs

some time with his folks.”

“Sure. Just keep your hands to yourself. We‟ve

got all night for some fun,” Zane said.

Callum laughed. “I was going to say the same

thing to you.”

“I got in first. Now, gimme your hand, I‟m

gonna go see the sheriff so we can get some
wheels. I don‟t fancy the walk into town.”

Zane and Callum walked hand in hand toward

a tent surrounded by unimpressed looking army
folk and a few of the sheriff‟s men. I turned. A tent
marked visitors was to my immediate left. I made
my way to it.

Inside there were many people, most relatives

of the folk in the triage tent. By the back wall there

Light of the Body

213

were mum and dad, a sight for sore eyes. As soon
as they saw me, they ran, arms outstretched. I was
soon covered in their affection. I loved it, and took
them in with everything I had within me. But
something nagged deep down inside me. I had to
tell them I was leaving home. I had to tell them I
was going to make Mrs. O‟Doherty proud. I also
had to tell them about Zane.

I swallowed hard. “Mum, Dad, I‟ve got

something to say.” And with that the words just
flowed. I told them everything. From the moment
I left them at the hospital with Callum to the here
and now. All through it they didn‟t utter a word.
They let me talk.

When I finished, they hugged me tight. Dad

then said, “All you need to know is that we love
you. No matter what, you‟ll always be our son.
Go, do what you must do, our door will always be
open for you.”

I cried tears of relief and joy. Mum‟s face

reflected a sadness I hadn‟t seen in a long time,
more from the thought of me leaving them I
supposed. I reassured her I had to do it. I was my
own man and I had responsibilities now. I think
she understood. It‟s not like I was leaving
Pembroke Eve.

Three hours later, suitcase in hand, I met

Callum and Zane at the steps of our new home.

Mark Alders

214

“Hey, I‟m not servin‟ no one. I‟ll do all the back

of house stuff, you know, clean up and cook for us
all. I don‟t like dealin‟ with the public, „specially if
my dead beat parents come into the shop. I think
I‟ll kill „em.”

I patted Zane on the shoulder. “I understand.

You do whatever you want. Callum and I both
love you, you know that.”

There was a moment of silence as we all looked

at each other. “Are we goin‟ in or what? It‟s
fuckin‟ freezin‟ out here.” Yep. That was Zane at
his all time best.

Callum laughed.
Inside, the house was huge if a little old

fashioned for my liking. Mrs. O‟Doherty had left
everything. The furniture, the crockery, even the
pictures on the walls. Everything. She really didn‟t
want to be here in the end. Again, I felt for her.

I turned to see Callum taking off his clothes. I

mean, we hadn‟t even warmed the doorstep yet
and he was thinking of his dick. “Last one into the
bedroom,” he yelled out as he dashed away, a blur
of nakedness down the hall.

Zane looked at me and that cheeky smile crept

over his lips. His eyes reflected that wonderful
hunger of his again. “You first,” he said. I lifted up
my shirt. “Oh, and Jakey?”

“What is it?”

Light of the Body

215

“Suzy‟s goin‟ to be fine. In fact, she wishes us

all well. I told her about us, you know. She‟s
happy for me and in a way I feel even closer to her
than I have ever done. Thanks, Jakey for being
there for me.”

“Say, did she tell you how we got out of the

heart?”

He nodded, then winked. “Let‟s just say a

certain friend of Mister B‟s decided he liked the
taste of heart more than insect and leave it at that.”

“I thought I heard Mr. Barnaby call out some

strange stuff. I thought I was hearing things. Now
I know he was calling for Aloysius. We owe that
dragon a lot. He helped us so much today.”

“Shhh. He doesn‟t want anyone to know.”
I understood. A dragon would raise too many

questions, especially with the army poking about
town. “You know, I‟m glad you had that chat with
Suzy.” He slapped me on my buttocks. Something
I wasn‟t expecting. I jumped. “Zane!” I added with
a girlish giggle.

He let out a growl. “Now get in that bedroom,

mister. I‟m gonna plough you both red fuckin‟
raw.”

“Promises. Promises.” I took down my pants

and followed Callum, my heart beating fast and
my loins stirring as I ran down the hall, knowing
full well Zane was close behind.

Mark Alders

216

Chapter Twenty-two

allum and I sat on the big, beautiful bed Mrs.
O‟Doherty had in her—I mean our—bedroom.
Both of us eager and ready for Zane. Seconds

later, he entered the room. I patted the bed,
encouraging him to come and sit between us. I
wanted to show him once more how much I loved
him and I‟m sure Callum did, too.

Zane was wearing that beautiful smile and

those sexy boxers. But not for long. Before he came
closer, he pulled them down, revealing his
magnificent cock, erect and ready for our
undivided attention. His foreskin had relented
and retracted of its own accord and his head
swelled so large I couldn‟t wait to have it in my
mouth.

Callum gasped, his cock also as hard as I had

ever seen it. Well, I had to admit, this was going to
be one experience I wasn‟t going to forget in a
hurry. I was hard, too. Pre-cum already dribbling
from my piss slit.

Light of the Body

217

As Zane sat, I began to run my hands over his

body, concentrating my efforts on his chest, as did
Callum. Zane‟s nipples became hard in no time.
We then, the both of us, kissed him at the same
time, both of our tongues touching his as he
opened his mouth to take us both in. The
sensation was electric. Experiencing two
distinctive tastes all rolled into one and in
combination with their warm wetness, too.
Callum was distinctively cinnamon in taste, but
also spicy, and Zane was tangy and sweet. Mix
that with my own and I was in heaven. The heat
between us was already intense, but the feel of my
two lover‟s tongues and lips over mine, the
sensation of having so much pleasure running
through me made me feel giddy. Zane had
grabbed Callum‟s cock in one hand and mine in
the other. As we continued to kiss him, he jacked
us both off.

My cock dripped with pre-cum, showing my

excitement.

We pushed Zane down onto the bed,

continuing to share our passionate kisses, letting
our hands rove all around all of our bodies. My
stomach quivered and those beautiful butterflies
soared inside me. Soon Zane‟s face became wet
with all the attention we lavished on him. But I
wasn‟t finished with him yet.

Mark Alders

218

Callum was the first to break away our kiss. He

giggled, and it became clear Callum must have
decided he didn‟t want to play games anymore.
He went straight down to take Zane‟s cock into his
mouth, hesitating momentarily to feel the weight
of it in his hand. Before I knew it, Callum‟s lips
were working Zane‟s shaft. I felt a little cheated. I
wanted to taste him first, experience that
wonderful tang of the first droplets of pre-cum as
he writhed with passion on the bed.

“Suck me off, too, Jakey,” Zane whispered. His

eyes deep with an intense look, like the look he
had given me twice today.

His hands were on my head, pushing me down.

I didn‟t need any more encouragement than that. I
knew what Zane liked. It was pretty much what
every guy liked. A good blowjob. No teeth, just
plenty of attention and good tongue action.

Callum, having heard Zane, came off him for a

moment to hold his wet with saliva cock up for me
to take him. His piss slit dribbled more pre-cum,
so much so a great droplet of it rolled down his
head toward his frenulum. I licked him. He tasted
wonderful and I didn‟t regret for one moment
Callum wanted to get right down to action.

Together we licked and slurped and sucked

Zane‟s beautiful cock. I pulled down on the root of
it, making sure all of his magnificent head was
exposed to our attention and the sensitive inside

Light of the Body

219

skin of his foreskin was all exposed. I caught more
of that tang as I licked around the rim of him,
Callum‟s tongue touching mine as we worked.

I had begun massaging his balls, gently

cupping them, and he must have liked what I did,
because he was arching his back, moaning and
groaning as he flung his head back. His toes were
even curled.

“Fuck me!” he said with a shuddering whine.

One filled with the cry of a man reaching climax. I
don‟t know whether or not he meant that, but
Callum and I both came off him, letting his cock
slap onto his stomach. We were ready for the next
step in showing Zane that we loved him so much.

I parted his legs, the sight was a wondrous one,

his arsehole framed by beautiful black hair.

Callum smiled at me. “You go first.”
Again, I didn‟t need any encouragement. I came

down and licked his balls, then the space between
his genitals and his rectum. A musty yet manly
taste filled my mouth, spurring me on. I loved it
and rolled my tongue forcefully across his skin so
he knew I wanted to go to the next step. Zane
gasped as I parted his legs wider, my goal now
known to him. I licked around his rim, teasing
him, before I went in and lavished the whole of
me all over his arsehole.

He couldn‟t gasp any more. Callum kissed him,

deep in his mouth, muffling any protest or any

Mark Alders

220

show of delight he may have had. Zane‟s stomach
moved and his cock pulsed with every wave of
ecstasy that washed over him. I continued to lick
him all over, getting him ready for my love.

Callum grabbed Zane‟s cock, jerking him off.

Now was the time. I got up, took Zane‟s knees
firmly into my hands and manoeuvred into place.
My cock was so hard and wet with my own
excitement that when I plunged myself into him I
was consumed with pleasure and relief beyond
words. I knew this was right. I pushed myself into
him.

I moved myself within him. Zane‟s whole body

shuddered and even Callum‟s lips sealed over his
own didn‟t stop him from crying out. At first I did
it slowly, letting him relax his muscles, then, as I
was able to move easier, I pushed myself in
deeper. Zane was not only arching his back up
higher so he could take more of me in, he was
quivering, every muscle of his being shaking with
delight.

Callum broke his kiss once more and said, “You

want to suck me off, now, beautiful?”

“Yeeesss.”
Callum came alongside Zane, inching himself

closer so he could feed Zane his cock. I got a great
view and watching them made me hornier.
Nothing better than seeing a guy getting a
blowjob. I pushed myself in deeper. Zane‟s mouth

Light of the Body

221

took in all of Callum, his nose deep in his pubic
hair. He reached over and began fondling
Callum‟s balls. Callum moaned with pleasure.

I continued to fuck Zane, more than happy to

watch, but Callum had other ideas. He wanted my
attention, too. He leaned over so I could kiss him. I
did. I teased him with my tongue.

The room was filled with the beautiful sounds

of our love. Of my body slapping against Zane‟s
buttocks, of Callum‟s lips locked with mine and of
Zane, taking in all of Callum, moaning as the back
of his throat welcomed his cock.

Ecstasy rose within me. I finished our kiss,

Callum‟s lips moist and sexy after my attention. I
was in heaven and I didn‟t know how much more
I could take.

“Oh, fuck!” I was about to say I could go much

longer when Zane pulled Callum out of his
mouth, holding his cock like it were his prize.

The next words he spoke delighted me. “I

wanna suck you both off. I want to taste you both.
I want you to cum in my mouth, okay? “

We didn‟t answer. We both wanted the same.
With great reluctance I pulled myself out of

Zane. A couple of moments were then spent
manoeuvring around the bed so Zane could do as
he wished. Callum and I both watched, standing
on the bed as Zane, kneeling below us, took us
into his mouth, jerking us both off in the process.

Mark Alders

222

He nibbled at our foreskins with care, retracted
them, rolled his tongue around our heads and
then, one after the other, took us into his mouth
before starting the process all over again.

If what had happened before was heaven, then

this was sheer paradise. Zane was fucking good.
He rolled his tongue around my cock with such
perfection that I blew within minutes, my cum
filling his mouth. I cried out and continued to give
him everything I had.

But he didn‟t swallow.
He then gave Callum his full attention, and as

my body cooled and my cock became flaccid—and
Zane continued to play with me—Callum closed
his eyes tight and shot his load into Zane‟s mouth,
too.

Zane smiled, our cum dribbling from the corner

of his mouth as he tried to hold onto all we gave
him. He stood up. I knew what he wanted to do,
so I went down and finished what we had started
earlier. Callum caught on, too.

We both sucked him off again. As his stomach

began to shudder and he scrunched his fingers in
my hair, I knew he was going to ejaculate, too. The
signs so obvious and so fantastic to witness. That
moment before cumming was the best feeling in
the world. Callum let me take him, so I did. I took
Zane‟s cock into my mouth but not too deep. I
didn‟t want him to shoot down my throat.

Light of the Body

223

He trembled, his end swelled so large I thought

I‟d choke, and then, with a delighted yell, he blew,
his hot sticky cum exploded into my mouth. He
tasted fucking awesome. It was unlike anything I
had ever tasted. Sharp and bitter and salty, yet
subtly sweet, too. He came in a great globules.
More than a mouthful and some trickled down the
back of my throat.

I tried with all my might not to swallow either,

keeping Zane‟s cum in my mouth as best I could. I
so wanted to taste all of our love, a fitting finale to
an experience that was all about sharing what we
had for each other. An experience that was all
about showing Zane just how much we both loved
him. Nothing meant more to a guy than taking his
load, the ultimate sign of wanting everything he
had. The ultimate gesture of love.

He helped pull me up once he had finished

unloading.

We lay down on the bed, Zane between us.

Then we kissed. Our cum, all of it, mingled in all
of our mouths. I was unable to comprehend how
such a simple thing meant so much. I never
wanted this to end. I wanted to taste Zane and
Callum and myself forever and ever. I wanted our
love to last as long, too.

Once we had shared the rewards of all our

effort and our kisses moistened our faces with our

Mark Alders

224

own cum and saliva, I swallowed what I had in
my mouth, licking my lips afterwards.

“That was fucking amazing.” Callum wiped his

face with his hand and licked his fingers,
seductively, one by one.

“You guys…thanks so much,” Zane said, and I

swear there was a tear in his eye. A tear of sheer
unadulterated joy.

I kissed him. Then I kissed Callum. “Time for

some sleep. It‟s been a hell of a day.”

We continued to touch each other, tickle and

laugh as we climbed into the bed.

“You‟re in the middle tonight, Jacob,” Callum

said. “Then tomorrow we swap. Oh, and I bags to
have Zane‟s arse next time. I can‟t wait to plough
that.”

Zane smiled, his lips and face still wet with our

love. He didn‟t wipe it off, either. He wanted to
keep it on him, savour our taste all through the
night. “Deal. And I so wanna lick out Jakey‟s man
pussy as well as yours Cal as soon as we wake up,
okay? But yeah, I‟m beat…been a day all right
fightin‟ bug men and shit.”

“I can‟t wait for morning then,” I said.
“Yeah, I get a stiffy no one can tame when I

wake up.” Zane reached over and pulled himself
closer to me. I kissed him, more of our wonderful
taste exciting my tongue. I missed everything we
did already.

Light of the Body

225

“I‟ll give it a good go.” Callum hugged me, his

hands wandering all over my body. He then
grasped Zane‟s hand and together they locked
their arms around me. I kissed Callum. “Next time
I‟d love to gag on you, Zane. You, too, Jacob.”

“Deal,” Zane said.
“Goodnight,” I said.
“Nite, Jakey. Sweet dreams,” Zane said. “Nite,

Cals.”

“Goodnight,” Callum chimed in.
The clock read 12:30 AM. Moments later, I fell

asleep in the arms of the two men I loved. Before I
wandered into my dreams, I thought about what
tomorrow would bring to Pembroke Eve.

About the Author

My name is Mark Alders. I live in a house. This
house has a street in front of it which is a good
thing because if it didn‟t I wouldn‟t be able to
drive down to the shop and purchase the
chocolate I need on a daily basis. *chuckle*
Seriously, I am a mild mannered post office
worker by day and an erotic romance writer
(mainly male/male) at night. Not much else to say
other than, like everyone else, I have bills to pay, a
mortgage and family that I love and drive me
crazy all at the same time. Oh, and I have a dog,
too! See? Average Joe…except when I get down
and write…then I let my imagination go to places
I never knew existed and my characters invade
my mind.

Wyszukiwarka

Podobne podstrony:
Mark Alders Pembroke Eve Chronicles 1 Shadows of the Mind
Eve Vaughn Descendants Of The Light 4 Finding Eden
Lumiere du monde Light of the World Hymn Światowych Dni Młodzieży Kanada Toronto 02
3 By the light of the Moon Gasq Dion, Sandrine
Gabrielle Evans Moonlight Breed 2 By the Light of the Moon
OPIS 2X11 BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
Jażdżewska, Iwona The Warsaw – Lodz Duopolis in the light of the changes in the urban population de
Wyniki oglądalności By the Light of the Moon
Eve Vaughn Descendent Of The Lights 04 Finding Eden
Zane Grey Light Of The Western Stars
Hustad A M The North Russian Lament in the Light of the Religious Songs of the Old Believers 1981
Eve Vaughn Children of the Dust 1 The Zoo
Lista utworów z 2x11 By the Light of the Moon
Julie Plec o By the Light of the Moon
Nina Dobrev o By the Light of the Moon
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
Eve Vaughn Children of The Dust 2 The Factory
Quiz Ile pamiętasz z By the Light of the Moon
Eve Vaughn Descendent Of The Lights 03 Hope s Heart

więcej podobnych podstron