Scavengers: July by K.A. Merikan

with a burning piece of metal in hand. “We cannot have you movin' away.”
    James tried to be strong but looked up at him with glassy eyes. “I’ll try my best,” he whispered, his heart pounding so fast it felt as if it was about to leap out of his chest. The other man dropped to his knees straddling James’ lap and immediately took hold of his jaw forcing his mouth to close. Firmly but gently he pushed his head into the wooden panel behind him. Without giving the aristocrat a moment to react, he simply pressed the burning rod to his face.
    James screamed out in shock and pain, grabbing at Ira’s arms with trembling fingers. His body was out of control. Tears he'd held back, where falling from his eyes. The smell of burning flesh filled his senses and he almost passed out, losing control over his shivering body, as the agonizingly hot metal touched him again and again. It felt as if long minutes had passed before it was taken away. Barely registering what was happening, James was pulled back to his knees and across to the water pump. Ira made him bend over beneath the broad faucet as a soothing splash of icy water caressed his body. James was gasping for air, not wanting to open his eyes. The burning sensation was still unbearable as he succumbed to the helpful coolness of water. The man’s muscles continued to tremble uncontrollably, but his mind was pretty much numb, as if it had tried to escape from the horror of what was happening. Even the hard, wet stones seemed comforting and soon, James realized that two large hands were stroking his bare flesh up and down. One hand held him upright, while the other slowly moved up the back of his thigh, stopping at his firm buttock, gently squeezing.
    He was gasping for air, as he let his eyes drop open. “What are you doing?” he uttered, “Is it finished?”
    “Thought you might fancy a little distraction,” Ira murmured, cradling him up into his arms, when James suddenly grabbed him in a strong, desperate hug, practically knocking the air out of his chest.
    “I hope it works...,” he uttered next to Ira’s ear.
    The man sighed, embracing him slowly and trailing James’ cheek with his warm tongue. “Hope they both do.”
    “I’ve never been this close to a man...” said James slowly, still shivering, but forcing himself to look up at Ira’s eyes. “I always tried to be a good person.”
    The other man breathed shakily and James saw his own reflection lighting up the dark gaze. “Aren’t you still?” he asked in a low voice...
    “No... I have these dark dreams, that no man of good moral standing should have, and now all I want to do is give in to them!” His eyes were obsessively fixed on Ira. “If I am to die, I want to taste you before that happens...”
    The other man stared at him unblinkingly for a long moment, before tracing the tip of his thumb over James’ open mouth. “I will let you taste me good,” he growled, continually squeezing his companion’s bottom in a gentle manner.
    James nodded, his breath coming in heavy gasps. He had never been in such a position and now he felt that all he wanted to do is simply give in to the lust he had built up for years. If the burning didn’t work, he knew he would die in a matter of days, though he would probably be killed before he transformed into a zombie. Once again he hugged Ira’s strong, muscular body, trying to forget his pain in the embrace. He could hear his heart thumping loudly as his face lit up.
    “You go upstairs, boy,” the man said finally, “Take our clothes and I will be right on to you.”
    James smiled slightly, even though the skin on his neck still felt tender. The ladder for the room upstairs was hidden by a latch in the wooden ceiling, but wasn’t hard to reach. After taking all their clothes and his suitcase, James crawled upstairs quite swiftly and stood up to look around the massive attic. It had belonged to the blacksmith, so the quality of the interior was better than