Once it was built, the shed was a source of wonder. Ransey and Hillyard had even managed to drag out a rickety bedstead from the hold, and this was taken over to it as well. Furnished with that, a mattress, a couple of old tea-chests for chairs, and a camping-stove to make tea on, the shed was pronounced to be utterly splendid. The door at the back opened straight onto Joby’s allotment.
Bardin had joked that it would probably fall down the moment anyone sneezed near it, which caused Hillyard to remark testily that “this isn’t one of your old comedy sketches you know!”
Joby was allowed full use of it at first, whilst he got down to some serious work on his allotment. He would take Kieran out with him, and install him on the bed, securing his foot to the end-rail with a loose piece of rope.
“Though I dunno why I bother”, he said, doing this one afternoon “You could easily slip out of it!”
“Ah but it’s symbolic”, said Kieran, who was naked again this hot day “Not that I’d try and escape anyway”.
“Right, now lie there”, said Joby “Until tea-break time, and then I’ll come and sort you out, you little divvil”.
Joby worked hard on the removing all the rocky debris from the soil, and then came back into the hut, where he put a battered old kettle on the camping-stove to boil.
“That thing’ll take ages to boil”, he said, releasing Kieran’s foot from the rope holster “Give me plenty of time to give you a seeing-to”.
He sat down on one of the tea-chests in the doorway, put Kieran across his knees, clad as they were in a pair of rough gardening trousers, and smacked his buttocks with a work-calloused hand, until Kieran’s bottom was a rather fierce red shade. Once he was satisfied with the colour, Joby put him back on the bed, clambered out of his trousers, and then rogered him, relishing the feel of Kieran’s hot behind. Kieran was almost dizzy with euphoria at the end of it all.
“I don’t think I can move”, he said.
“God, you in a garden shed”, said Joby “Talk about one of my ultimate sexual fantasies! We’ll be moving in here if the others aren’t careful”.
“You smacked my arse good and proper there, Joby”, said Kieran.
“So I should hope”, said Joby “Only what you deserve. Gotta keep you in line somehow”.
The lid on the kettle began to rattle noisily.
“Good timing”, said Joby.
He pulled his pants on and ambled over to the kettle. As he was attending to it, they heard Hillyard calling out as he and Ransey approached the shed.
“Blimey, you must’ve heard it boiling”, said Joby.
“Knew it must be getting to that time”, said Hillyard “Wotcha Kieran!”
Kieran had carefully rolled onto his back, and gave languid wave. When the tea was made, Hillyard and Joby ambled outside with theirs. Ransey came over and lay down next to Kieran on the bed. Kieran wrapped himself around him.
“You’ve got something on your mind”, he said.
“Your psychic skills are working hard today”, said Ransey.
“I think it comes from knowing you so well”, said Kieran.
“Been fiddling with the wireless”, said Ransey “Myself and Umbert. We’ve picked up some news from the City. Sounds like any pretence at civilisation has completely broken down. There’s no government, no law and order. About the only positive thing I can say about the situation is that at least it doesn’t seem to be spreading now to other places, as we had initially feared. Is that down to you?”
“How can it be?” said Kieran.
“Well I was just wondering if perhaps you had done something”, said Ransey “Put some kind of psychic force-field around it, something like that”.
“I’ve been praying for that area”, said Kieran “For quite some time now. I have no idea if that’s contained it. Would be nice to believe it. Would be even nicer if it would all stop completely”.
“The City’s always been a cursed place”, said Ransey “There has never been a time when it hasn’t been … except for when you were in charge. Those few years … for once things seemed to work out then. They had somebody positive to look up to”.
“I can’t do it again, Ransey”, said Kieran “I’m not cut out for politics, it nearly destroyed me. Went clean off me bonce at one point”.
“I wouldn’t expect you to do it again”, said Ransey “Just saying that for a while you put things right. Anyway, I wouldn’t want you doing it again. Political systems …”
“Are not for me”, said Kieran “Anyway, we’re a religious order now, and we have to do what we can with that. One of the things I hated about being president was being separated from the rest of you so much. I felt isolated. And it didn’t Joby any good either. He was unhappy. Used to hide in his shed, drinking”.
“He still likes hiding in sheds”, said Ransey “But at least he doesn’t cut such a sad figure these days”. “I should bloody hope not!” said Joby, appearing in the doorway “Come outside, and sit on the rocks”.
“They’ll see my sore behind if I stand up”, said Kieran.
“We have seen it before”, said Ransey “Plenty of times”.
Kieran picked up his dressing-gown (the only item of clothing he had taken over to the shed), and scrunched it up into a ball so that he could sit on sun-scorched rocks comfortably. Hillyard was cock-a-hoop that the shed was going down such a storm with Joby and Kieran.
“Yeah”, said Joby “We could move in here, ‘cept it’d be a bit grim in Winter, and eerie at night”.
He pulled his gardening-trousers back on. His skinny torso was sweaty from where he’d been working and sorting out Kieran. It was obvious that he was revelling in his horny-handed son-of-the-toil-taming-wild-ethereal-creature act.
“You’d better make the most of these Summer afternoons then”, said Hillyard.
They sat in a row on the rocks. Hoowie was seen ambling along the beach. Like Kieran, he was also stark butt-naked.
“He looks like a tribal primitive”, said Kieran.
“Primitive’s the word!” said Joby.
Hoowie came up to them. He wagged his long, floppy penis at Kieran.
“Hey, I dangle a lot more than, Kieran”, he exclaimed.
“If I dangled like you Hoowie, I’d be dragging it along on the ground between me focking legs”, said Kieran.
“Sit down, Hoowie”, said Ransey.
Hoowie nudged in between Ransey and Hillyard.
“Let’s hope we don’t get any unexpected visitors”, said Joby “Mind you, one look at us lot and they’d soon scarper again!”
“Bit of alright all this though innit”, said Hoowie.
“These rocks are playing havoc with my arse though”, said Kieran, standing up.
“God Kieran”, said Hoowie, admiringly “I hope Julian doesn’t see you like that or I won’t get a look in”.
Hoowie was fiddling with his penis. Ransey slapped his hand.
“I was just straightening myself”, said Hoowie.
“I think we should put another hut further along the beach”, said Hillyard “One with an open side. Not quite so garden shed-y. We’ve got enough materials for that”.
“Julian was hoping you’d suggest that”, said Hoowie “Said he wanted like a beach boudoir-cum-bar, but something more salubrious than the shed”.
“What’s wrong with the shed?” said Joby “Stuck up old git!”
“I suspect Julian wants something more exotic to spank Hoowie in”, said Kieran.
“Yeah, I get it more hard-core than you or Bardin, I can tell you that”, said Hoowie “I have Julian doing it after all!”
“I’ll get me violin out”, said Joby.
There was a faint growl in the far distance, although the landscape remained as featureless as always.
“Bloody hell”, said Joby.
“What the hell was that?” said Hoowie.
“A wild animal of some sort I expect”, said Ransey.
“Quite some way off”, said Kieran “Noise will travel a long way here”.
The three-sided “beach boudoir” was flung up in the space of one morning, and a couple of old mattresses were dragged ashore to equip it, along with a spare mosquito net. Umbert had picked up news of storm warnings on the wireless set, which pressed them ahead to make the most of it. Even if Bardin was utterly convinced both huts would fall down immediately at the first hint of inclement weather.
“I suppose we should celebrate by having a beach barbecue”, said Adam.
“How revoltingly suburban”, said Julian “What a complete waste of a sultry afternoon”.
Julian was desperate to christen the hut with Hoowie, whilst Joby took Kieran back to the shed at the other end of the beach, ostensibly to get in some urgent work on his allotment before the storms arrived. This time he smuggled over a bottle of brandy in his work-bag, and promised to use it at tea-break time.
“The clouds are massing in the west”, he said, coming into the shed after a through spell of seed-planting.
“The storm’s on its way then”, said Kieran “Hope it’s not too squally. Might undo all the work we’ve just started”.
“Gotta expect it sometime”, said Joby “If the huts fall down we’ll put ‘em up again”.
“No gloomy forebodings, Joby?” said Kieran.
“Nah”, said Joby, putting the kettle on the primus “I wonder why that could be!”
He had bound Kieran’s wrists together this time.
“What a sexy afternoon for it”, he said, helping Kieran off the bed and leading him, still bound, to the shed door.
“At least we don’t have to worry what the neighbours think”, said Joby, putting Kieran across his knee again “We know they’re up to it as well!”
“I’ll give Hoowie bloody hard-core”, said Kieran.
“Behave”, said Joby, smacking his behind “It’s only the same way you’ve been winding Bardin up all the time. Anyway, he’s right. He has to put up with Julian. You gets it easy with me. I’m a pussy-cat by comparison”.
He tucked Kieran more firmly under his arm, and spanked him briskly. Kieran, whose behind was still sore from the day before, yelped.
“I’ll put some cream on you when we get home”, said Joby.
Kieran, his penis almost rubbed raw as it rubbed against Joby’s work trousers, ejaculated.
“Oh God, Joby”, he panted “I’m throbbing all over, so I am!”
Bardin walked across the beach, and stood silently in the entrance of the “beach boudoir”. He watched as Julian and Hoowie, both completely divested of clothing, were engaged in the same kinky activity as Joby and Kieran.
“Here! He’s watching!” said Hoowie, grabbing hold of Julian’s legs so that he didn’t fall off.
“So what?” said Julian “You’ve watched him enough now times now!”
“I should’ve brought a hairbrush with me”, said Bardin “I’m disappointed Julian. Only your hand?”
“Less of the lip”, said Julian “If you’re not careful, I’ll have energy left to do you as well”.
Bardin sat down on an old beer-barrel and put his chin in his hands, watching intently.
“How that great lanky buffoon ever manages to feel a thing I’ll never know”, he said.
Hoowie by now was too breathless and fizzing all over to speak coherently.
“He’s a delight isn’t he?” said Julian, pausing to caress Hoowie’s hairy behind appreciatively “He’ll be as good as gold for the rest of the day now”.
He grabbed a handful of Hoowie’s wild, tousled hair and tugged it playfully.
“I think I’d better get back to the ship”, Bardin smiled.
“No stay there, and have a drink with us”, said Julian.
He helped Hoowie to his feet, and then instructed him to go and stand in the corner for a moment. Hoowie obediently did so, standing with his head lowered, and his hands cupping his genitals in a submissive pose.
“I can’t get over it”, said Bardin, shaking his head “You’ve worked miracles”.
“All he needed was lots of love and tenderness”, said Julian “And a firm hand liberally applied at regular intervals”.
Joby and Kieran ran over to them.
“Helluva storm coming in by the looks of things”, said Joby.
“Yes, we’d all better get back to the boat”, said Julian.
“Good”, said Bardin “I’m starting to feel like a spare part at a Dom and Subs gathering!”
“Dinner’s ready, Bardy!” exclaimed Bengo, bouncing into their cabin a couple of hours later.
“I’ll be in in a moment”, said a subdued Bardin.
“What’s up?” said Bengo “Did Umbert find something on the wireless?”
“Got it in one”, said Bardin.
Umbert had been playing with the wireless, trying to see if he could find any weather reports.
“Something awful?” sighed Bengo.
“The violence in and around the City is not containing itself, as we thought it was”, said Bardin “It is spreading, and spreading rapidly. Idiots storming through the countryside, setting fire to everything they can find. It’s utter madness”.
Bengo flopped into an armchair and looked at his hands helplessly. For a moment they listened to the rain hammering on the window.
“Are they heading up here?” Bengo asked.
“From what we can gather, it’s heading everywhere”, said Bardin “North, south, east and west. It’s as if something’s pulled up all the barriers. Anyway, it’s not contained anymore”.
“But it won’t come up this far surely?” said Bengo “We’re on the edge of the Demon Lands, everyone else seems to be really superstitious about up here”.
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