Beasts

By Vic James

Please donate to nifty: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real people.

You can see a list of my stories at http://www.nifty.org/nifty/authors.html#vicjames

Eleven

He was barely conscious, but he was alive! Some of his skin looked peculiar. There was an area on his side where his skin had the texture of fabric, as though it had been woven. I wanted to reach out and touch it, but I doubted he would appreciate it.

"This is his and Pan's house. I called Pan."

Pan came running out of the house.

Jock was very injured. His left arm ended in a stump right below the elbow. His left thigh had a chunk missing and the remains of his pants, as well as most of his body were covered with blood and—"

I turned and vomited. It was part of a finger stuck in Jock's hair. I turned back and saw Digger knock it off him with a twig. I wiped my mouth.

"Jock!" Pan cried.

He wrapped his arm around Jock.

"What...what happened?" Jock asked.

"A miracle," I said.

I looked at Pan and he was crying.

"We should call an ambulance," I said.

"I'm OK," Jock said.

"OK? Are you crazy! Look at your arm!" I said.

He looked at it. He didn't seem alarmed at all to find half of it gone. That was crazy.

"It's healing," Jock said. "Damn, I'm hungry!"

He started for the house. Digger and Pan helped him. We went inside.

"What do you remember, Jock?" Digger asked.

He looked confused for a minute.

"I went to Connie's with Stephanie and Joe." He paused. "Um, let's see. We were drinking. It was crowded. I went to the restroom. There was a line." He paused. "I opened the back door..."

"To piss in the alley, again!" Pan said. "Why do you do that?"

"It probably saved his life," Digger said.

Pan smiled. "That's true!"

Jock shook his head. "That's all I remember."

"Was Tim with you?" Digger asked him.

"No. He was going to join us. Is he all right?"

"I doubt it," Digger said. "There were bombs in Connie's bar and mine. That's what happened. Both you and Tim were listed as victims. We thought you were dead."

Jock closed his eyes.

"How many died?"

"It was sixty-three, but now that you are alive, sixty-two. They are still looking for remains though."

"Tim..." Jock sighed. "I feel responsible."

"No. You had nothing to do with it. Neo-Puritans bombed the bars and have killed at lot of other people.

"You must have been thrown by the explosion. You'd be dead if you were human," I said.

Jock looked dazed.

"Help me to bed, will you?"

"Of course!"

Pan picked Jock up.

"I feel like a battered bride," Jock said. He grinned, weakly. "Be gentle!"

We laughed.

"No. I don't want to get blood on everything. Help me into the shower, will you?"

"You need a hospital, not a bath," Digger said.

"I'm OK. I'm not bleeding. Humor me. I had a bad night."

I laughed, again.

Digger and I sat while Pan helped Jock.

"I can't believe it!" I said to Digger.

"They must have found some of his blood and maybe his arm."

Digger shook his head.

"It didn't occur to me before, but Pan and his neighbors probably have bits of people in their yards."

I remembered the finger and put my hand over my mouth.

"Come on," Digger said.

He led me to the kitchen. I rinsed out my mouth. I leaned over the sink to make sure I wasn't going to get sick again.

"It's so horrible."

Digger nodded.

Digger called their parents and gave them the good news about Jock.

Jock and Pan came into the room. Jock looked better without the blood. He showed us the stump on his arm. Skin had already grown over it.

"You won't have a left hand for weeks," Pan said.

Jock shrugged.

"We really should take you to a hospital," Pan said.

"What would they do, Pan?"

"Make sure..."

"Make sure I'm in an uncomfortable bed, eating lousy food, bored out of my mind?"

I laughed.

"Exactly!" I said. "You suffered. We want to wean you off it, slowly."

Jock and Pan laughed.

"Uh. Who are you?" Jock asked me.

"That is Eric. He is Digger's fiancé."

Jock smiled.

"That's great!"

"You can learn all about me and my strange family on the news."

Jock looked confused. He missed a lot while he was unconscious.

"Pan, I'm starving. Will you get me something?" Jock asked.

"Of course! What would you like?"

"Anything, and a lot of it."

Pan left the room and came back with bread, cookies, and other snacks. Jock began eating.

"Did you get a settlement?" I asked Pan.

He nodded. "They offered me fifty million."

"Wow!"

"Why?" Jock asked.

Pan explained it all to him.

"You may have to give it back, then" Jock said.

Pan nodded.

"I would much rather have you," Pan said to Jock.

They hugged each other.

"Can you walk?" Digger asked him.

Jock stood and walked slowly around the room.

"My thigh hurts, but I'm not dizzy."

"I guess you're OK," Digger said. "He's right about the hospital. They may keep him for days for observation."

Jock nodded and then Pan did.

"You need to let the Majoratum know about Jock," Digger said.

Pan nodded.

I thought about the money.

"You deserve some of it, for what you've been through. If you want to keep all of it, you could give the money to your parents," I said to Pan. "Your parents could easily refuse to return it to the Burkes, if they ask for it."

Pan nodded, slowly. He looked at Jock, who shrugged.

"What do you think, Digger? Return it or keep it?"

"Keep it."

"You can always give it back, later," I said. "If you change your mind."

"That's true," Pan said. "I like that idea. What do you think, Jock?" Pan asked.

"It's fine with me. I trust them a million times more than the people who did this."

"Keep a couple million and give your parents the rest."

"Do it now," Digger said. "We need to let the Majoratum know. There was...something on Jock."

Pan frowned.

"Part of someone else," I said.

Then Pan looked like he was going to be sick.

"Are you sure about it, Jock?" Pan asked.

"Yes. Easy come, easy go."

Pan closed his eyes. I assumed he was calling his parents.

"We are going to move into the Innstibble," Digger said to Jock.

"Wow!" Jock said.

"You have money, now," Digger said.

"It's hard to believe. All of it." He sighed. "Poor Tim."

I hoped for Pan's sake, Jock didn't keep saying that in front of Pan.

"I had decided to stop seeing him. I was going to tell him last night. That's why I was drinking so much. So I would have the nerve to break it off. He was so possessive."

"It's done. The money is transferred," Pan said.

"Call the Majoratum," Digger said.

Pan nodded and closed his eyes, again.

"Did you get settlements?" Jock asked us.

Digger laughed.

"Would you like to meet the wealthiest person in the Zone?" he asked Jock.

Jock grinned. "You?"

"No. Eric."

I shook my head. It was embarrassing.

"Eric was so mad when they called him about the settlement that he named an impossibly high amount," Digger said. "He expected them to reject it, but they paid it."

"I had just heard that you were a casualty when I spoke to them," I said to Jock.

"More than fifty million?"

"I got one hundred and five million," Digger said. "Eric got much, much more."

Jock stared and then laughed.

He scratched his arm. "Damn, this itches."

"Pan can get you some cream for that," Digger said.

"Yeah."

Pan said, "I told them what happened, and what you said you found. I told them I had already given the settlement money to my parents." He chuckled. "The person I spoke to said he wished he was my parent."

We laughed.

"You should give them some of it. Permanently, I mean," Jock said.

"We can talk about that later. Let's get you in bed," Pan said to Jock. "Or are you still hungry?"

"Bed sounds good. I'm tired."

Pan hugged each of us.

"I feel like you are the ones who brought him back to life."

Digger wiggled his eyebrows at me. I wondered why. Then I remembered one thing.

"If you want me to bottom for you and Jock, I'm willing," I whispered to Pan.

He smiled. "Thank you. I'll mention it to Jock. He may not feel like it for a few days."

I nodded.

"Bye."

We left.

"What were you going to talk to Lucius about?" I asked Digger.

"I was going to ask him to manage the club. He told me Visions isn't doing that well and he might want the job. I'm too rich to work."

I laughed.

"You aren't too rich to have sex, are you?" I asked him.

"I don't have that much money. You have to have one hundred and twenty million to be too rich for sex. Poor, rich Eric. No more sex."

I laughed.

"We will see about that! I bet Dack will loan me his cock, despite my money!"

"He might loan it to you. But it won't get hard once he removes it."

I laughed. I felt better. And then I thought of the finger in Jock's hair. I sighed.

"Don't think about it."

I looked at Digger and nodded.

"Do you want to eat or go to the Innstibble?"

"I can't eat right now," I said.

We headed to the Innstible. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was refreshing to my soul. I took Digger's hand and he smiled at me.

"You feel better?"

"I do. I have a lot to be thankful for, Digger."

"Well?"

"What?"

"When are you going to thank me?"

I laughed as I watched one squirrel chase another one.

"I love you, Digger."

"I love you, too. I can hardly believe we've known each other such a short time. Despite all that's happened, because of you, I'm happy."

I called Alek and told him the good news about Jock.

"I can't believe it! It's wonderful," Alek said.

"I know. Where are you?"

"I am Dack's, buying clothes. Why?"

"We are heading to the Innstible. I was thinking it would be nice if our rooms are close to each other. How do you feel about that?"

"That sounds great. But as long as we are in the same tower, we will be an elevator ride away from each other. Whether it's two floors or twenty, it won't make much difference."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Yeah."

"OK. Bye."

We passed the Two Stones diner. It was mostly empty. We passed a dated driveway that led down into the ground.

"That's the entrance to the parking lot for the Instibble. Parking is underneath it," Digger said.

I laughed at the thought of my crummy zapper in the parking lot with expensive vehicles.

We arrived at the trail that led to the Instibble. We got on the trail and walked. The forest was beautiful, as always. The trail ended at an enormous tree. I knew it was artificial, but it certainly looked real. The door opened and we walked into the lobby.

"Hello, Mr. La Roche, Bs. Wilson," a Dog said to us.

"How did you know my name?" I asked him.

"Your interviews," he said, smiling. "How can I help you?"

"We were considering living here," Digger said. "We both got rather large settlements."

The Dog grinned. He held out his hand.

"I am Grex Terrier, the manager of East Tower."

I shook it. It was the first time I had touched a Dog's hand. There was tan-colored fur on the back of his hand. Like other Dogs, his fingers were about two-thirds the length of mine, and ended with round fingernails, not flat ones. He held his hand out to Digger, who shook it.

"I have a friend at the Majoratum. I heard your settlement made Stuart Burke very angry," he said to me.

"Oh, that's a shame, isn't it, Digger?"

"A tragedy. Such a nice guy."

"Let me show you around the resort. Depending on the room, the rates run from six thousand dollars a month to thirty thousand. That includes meals and housekeeping. All services are automated, including cooking and cleaning. Many guests prefer having robotic room cleaners, as they feel they are less intrusive than people, however if you prefer, we can arrange for people to perform those services for an additional cost. The restrooms are cleaned every time you lower them into the floor. There are also activities, organized by the staff. These include hiking through the forest, bird-watching, swimming, picnics, and so on. Since you live here, you may not be interested, but the activities are included in the price. I know your mother will be here soon, Mr. La Rouche. She and her fiance might enjoy some of the activities."

It was strange having people I never met know so much about me. I felt like asking Grex if she had decided on a day to arrive. She might have mentioned it in an interview!

"Is the view what determines the price?" I asked him.

"Not really. All the rooms have the same view, just the elevation differs. There are cameras scattered through the forest, as well as on the building. If you tire of the view from your apartment, the windows can display the view from any of the cameras. There are some under the lake, so you can enjoy the illusion of being underwater. There are cameras near otter and beaver dens, near waterfowl nesting sites, and more."

I grinned at Digger.

"The rooms have windows?" I asked. "I didn't see any from outside."

"Floor to ceiling windows. The glass looks like bark from outside. That's why you didn't notice it. It is only paint, but the illusion is impressive, we think. Each level has a three hundred sixty degree view. The lift blocks the view from some parts of the room, but there is room to walk behind the lift to see in that direction.

"Has Alek Bright been here, yet?" Digger asked.

"No! Will he be joining us?"

"Yes, I believe so. He is interested in getting a room here and it would be nice if we were close."

"My wife is a big fan of his. It is very strange to come home to find your hetero wife watching gay porn."

Digger and I laughed.

"Fortunately, she turns to me for...relief."

I looked at Digger and smiled.

Grex led us to a lift. We rose and stopped. The lift doors opened and we entered an enormous, empty round room. The round tube of the lift was almost against the glass.

"Furniture, a kitchen, four restrooms, four closets, and interior walls rise up out of the floor. Rooms and walls can remain up, but most guests like to leave to room open for the view. There are up to four bedrooms. On the backside of the lift, there is a door leading to a stairwells"

"Floor plan A1," Grex said.

I watched furniture appear throughout the large space. The walls rose up out of the floor, dividing the space into several rooms.

"Floor plan A2," Grex said.

The walls slid back into the floor, then the furniture. Different furniture rose out of the floor.

"There are a number of floor plans to choose from. If you wish, you can bring your own furniture."

We walked into the room. Digger and I walked to the window and faced the lake. The view was spectacular. We admired the view in other directions.

"It's like living in the most luxurious treehouse in the world," I said.

Digger nodded.

We walked to one side of the lift. There were two doors.

"The one on the left is for dirty clothing. The one on the right is for deliveries. Clothes are returned there after they are cleaned. Other deliveries, such as items ordered from our shops are also delivered there."

"Is food?"

"No. Food is delivered on tables that come up the lift. The tables are robotic. They will leave on their own, once you remove your food or drinks.

"Room cleaning occurs at eleven each morning, unless you prefer a different time. It is robotic and no tipping is necessary. You will never need to tip anyone. The live staff, like me, work in the office, or oversee the machinery. All deliveries, cleaning, food preparation, and so on are done by machines."

The window was also a view screen. He showed us how to display a menu and order food.

"An apartment can consist of more than one floor, like this.

"Stairs up," he said.

A set of moving stairs descended from the ceiling. He walked over to them. He stepped on the stairs and then we did. We rose up into another identical room/floor. The ceiling and floor that separated the two levels was about three meters thick. That had to be where the furniture, walls, and restrooms for that floor were located. He turned around, facing down, and the moving stairs changed direction. We descended.

"How does food work?" Digger asked.

"All meals and snacks for residents and up to two visitors are included in the room rate, although you will have to pay for visitor meals if more than two are dining with you."

I nodded.

"What about liquor?" Digger asked.

"House liquor, wine, and beer for residents and up to two visitors is included. Call drinks are subject to a monthly ceiling which varies by room size, except in the most expensive room. That is a four-floor apartment near the top of the building. To order food or beverages, order verbally or on a display. To see a display, say 'Show Display'. You can say 'Help Help' to speak to one of us at any time, if you are unsure how to do something. If you forget how to do something, you can also say Help Services. That brings up automated help."

Digger nodded.

"How much is this room? One level," Digger asked.

"At this elevation, a floor is ten thousand a month. Half floor apartments are six thousand. In those you would share half the floor with another resident or guest. A wall divides the floor into two units."

"What do you think?" Digger asked.

"I like it. What are the upper floors like?" I asked.

"Many of them look down on the forest and lake. The entire Zone, in fact. The restaurant is on the roof of the building. All your meals are free there. You can eat there, as often as you like. You can decide if you like the view from higher up. You can always change rooms at any time."

"Do you want to live high up?" Digger asked me.

"No. Not particularly. You?"

"No."

"We like it."

"If Alek Bright takes the floor above you, you can use the stairs to travel back and forth between apartments."

I grinned at Digger and he grinned back.

"Any other questions?"

"Does this tree have branches?" I asked.

"Yes. Short ones to complete the illusion. There are no needles, but the branches do have mosses and ferns growing on them and they attract wildlife."

"I love it!" I said.

"We'll take it, Digger said."

"Wonderful. Welcome to the Innstible family. Most residents call it the Inn," Grex said. "This is East Tower. There is also a West Tower, which is identical to this one." He pointed it out to us. "You can dine at the restaurant on the top of that tower, too. The view is different. You might enjoy it. There is a walkway to it near the entrance to the tower. The door is labeled West Tower."

I gave him my bank account number. While I was in my account, I deposited a million dollars in Em's bank account. She had given me the number, so I could pay her back for the things she had bought. I wondered if I should have given her more. Not only was she a friend, but she had helped us in the middle of the night. I transferred another five hundred thousand and promptly forgot about it.

I invested half of my money in various low risk ways. I wanted to see how it performed. I was considering forming a charitable foundation. I researched what needed to be done to do that. If I pumped a large enough initial sum into the foundation—maybe five hundred million, the returns on investments of that sum could be donated. That way the foundation could continue to operate indefinitely. The principal would remain untouched.

I checked the time in Shanghai and then called my mother. She picked up immediately.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hello, dear. Is it true about the settlements?"

"Yes. I got one. A rather large one."

"Oh, how wonderful!"

"How many million?"

"A thousand."

"Not a thousand for the settlement, I hope! You lost your home and every possession!"

"No. You asked me how many million. That's how many."

I was grinning.

"You aren't serious?"

"I am. I was very upset when they called to make an offer. Stuart Burke's law firm is handling the settlements. My lover's, brother's lover was in one of the clubs. I had just heard he was a casualty."

"Oh, Eric! How horrible."

"Anyway, I was mad and told them I wouldn't settle for less than a billion. Then I hung up. When they called back a few minutes later, they offered nine hundred million. I said no, and they agreed to pay a billion. I was shocked."

"I should say so!"

"So I already have it. I feel strange about the gift from Chun."

She laughed.

"Do you want to return it?" she asked me.

"Should I? I don't know anything about returning gifts. Is it tacky, expected, sensible, or what?"

"I'll talk to Chun. Normally, I would say return it, but he did mention it could be a wedding gift for you and Digger. That you should not return."

"OK. You know better than me. Just let me know."

"I will."

"Anyway, I am considering using half of the billion for charity. I think I will set up a foundation."

"Oh, how marvelous!"

"Would you be interested in running it?"

Mom gasped.

"What an idea! Hmm."

"I thought about hiring a lady I used to work with, but I really don't know how honest she is."

"Why not?" she said. "I don't like my job that much. It sounds like a challenge."

"We can talk about it when you get here. I have a new address." I sent it to her. It's a wonderful place. I took pictures around the room and sent them to her. I sent a picture of Digger. "That's Digger, my lover."

"I am so happy for you, dear. Your new home is magnificent. I am trying to get Jib to consider moving. I'm rather tired of China. It is so crowded. People are constantly bumping into each other. And I mean constantly. It's hard to walk down a sidewalk without part of your body touching someone." I wouldn't like that. "After an hour of it, I'm ready to scream. And forget about carrying a purse. You're lucky to get home with both arms."

I laughed.

"It would be nice to have you here."

"If the foundation was based there..." she speculated.

"You would have to spend a lot of time, here," I finished for her. "What does Jib do?"

"He is a bouncer at a gay bar."

I laughed. That was the funniest thing I ever heard. 'This is your new stepfather. He works at a gay bar.'

"Very funny, Mom."

She laughed.

"Actually, he did do that for a while, when he was younger. But he works for the city in the Water office."

"Oh. Does he look Chinese?"

"No. There aren't any Beasts who do. None of them originate here, so it isn't surprising."

"Well, I'm hungry, so I'll let you go."

"Are you sure about the foundation?"

"Yes. I don't know how much money I will put into it, though."

"But you are setting one up?"

"Or you could handle that, too."

"Or Jib could," she said.

"I wouldn't mind that, at all," I told her.

"I'll talk to him."

"OK. I love you."

"I love you. Bye, dear."

Grex left us.

I walked up to Digger and wrapped my arms around him.

"You and me, alone in the forest..."

He laughed. Then he kissed me. He carried me to a bed and threw me on it. I bounced, laughing. He pulled his clothes off, so I did, too.

He lay on top of me and kissed me. I ran my fingers through the thick hair on his head.

"We don't have any lube. We really need to go shopping," I said.

"I know."

"Let's sixty-nine."

We did. Digger is taller than me, but I am pretty limber, so we made it work. I stroked the shaft of his cock with one hand and his balls with the other. I came fairly quickly, and as soon as I began shooting in Digger's mouth, he ejaculated in mine. We swallowed each other's spunk and sat up grinning at each other.

"I love you, Digger."

"I like you sometimes."

I laughed.

"I take it back. I was mistaking lack of hatred for love," I said.

He grinned at me.

"I wonder how Jock is doing," I said.

"I'll call."

A moment later, Digger said, "Pan says he is asleep. He asked me if you were serious about bottoming for both of them."

"Can you think of a reason I shouldn't?"

"If you are doing it because you want to help their relationship or because you think it will make me happy."

"I like Pan very much. His cum tastes better than yours."

I was getting revenge for that 'like you sometimes' statement.

"It does not!"

"I didn't mean to upset you, Digger. His cock is nicer, too."

"It is not!"

"And Jock is bigger and sexier than you."

"He is not! You're getting even aren't you?"

"What? For being liked, sometimes?"

"Yes!"

"No. I just realized that I like your cock, sometimes. What will I do the rest of the week?"

Digger kissed me. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and put a lot of heat into the kiss. He pulled away.

"What were you saying?"

"We need lube," I said.

Digger grinned.

"Right!"

We got dressed and left the Inn.

"We were talking about Pan and Jock," I said. "The thing is, I'm a little worried about being involved. I don't want to be another Dogboy in Pan's mind."

Digger sighed.

"I can understand that."

"I don't want him being jealous. Also, I could end up falling in love with one or both of them, and either of those could be a problem."

Digger nodded.

"How does Jock feel about Pan? Does he think of him as a lover, or as a best friend?"

"Alek would disagree, but I think Jock is in love with my brother. I think he would have left long ago if he wasn't. I know they suck each other a couple of times a day."

"I'll give it a try. Maybe it will work out."

Digger nodded.