This Other Country

of course, but that seemed a little extreme and, besides, he was on the third floor. His options were limited.
    The lights went out.
    Before his eyes had adjusted and he’d had a chance to find his lighter, he heard the door open. He started to speak, but something was dragged over his head.
    In one second, Nikolas had to decide whether to stay in character or react. Bizarrely, he felt no particular threat. If this were real, he’d have been disabled before being hooded. After all, what point did removing his vision serve as it was dark anyway? He hadn’t been punched or kicked or hit—all things he would have done to a victim before hooding them. He let them take his arms, let himself be led, staying silent, but listening to a great deal of protest all along the corridor of the accommodation. He couldn’t hear Ben but assumed he was staying stum, too. He ventured a quick, “Justin?” as it was entirely credible Nigel would think to ask, and was extremely relieved to get, “Yeah, I’m okay,” back from Ben. They were led, arms pinned to their sides, down the stairs and out into the cold night air.
    Finally, his hands were bound behind his back. He still wasn’t unduly worried. It was a loose tie, and he could have worked free quickly had he wanted to. It was unnerving though, and he was very used to being tied, both in fun and for real. He felt genuine anger on behalf of the other men, some of whom were clearly having a harder time accepting what was happening. He could hear fear, outrage, and bewilderment in their voices.
    Engines started up, and they were herded to the back of a truck and loaded on. They fell on one another as the truck started and began to bump away from the house over the driveway.
    “Nigel?”
    “Here.”
    He and Ben had their bindings and hoods off very quickly, and most of the other men were doing the same, helping whomever they were closest to. Nikolas peered out the back of the truck, which appeared to be a standard army 4-tonner. He could only see trees. They were climbing up the hillside at the back of the house. Ben came to his side. “You wanna get out of here?” They could have easily jumped, as the vehicle was moving slowly over the rough terrain. Nikolas winced at the question. He did. He had a feeling some kind of campfire and singing might be coming on. He glanced at Ben. “I hope you know the words to Kum Ba Yah.”
    Ben didn’t seem to be finding this as funny as he was. He was looking decidedly mutinous. Nikolas smiled privately and put a hand on his arm. “You complained you wanted adventure…Justin.”
    Before Ben could apparently think of a suitable reply, they shuddered to a halt, everyone falling forward at the unexpected jolt. They jumped out of the back of the vehicle. When the headlights went off, it was very dark, the trees overhead not letting in any light from the tiny, cloud-covered moon. It was cold. Most of the men were only dressed in the clothes they’d worn that day. Samuel was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, apparently ready for bed. Nikolas counted with the small illumination of his lighter—only the nine men they’d been with that day. They clustered around the small flame until the lighter became too hot to hold, and he had to click it off. The only sound was the engine of the truck.
    The 4-tonner lurched and began to drive off.
    They were left in the small clearing.
    There was a great deal of consternation for a while.
    Nikolas dragged Ben off to one side and pressed his lips to a warm ear. He’d been planning to press other parts of his anatomy to other parts of Ben that night so he was beginning to lose what little equanimity he had. “I’ve no doubt we’re being observed and listened to, no?”
    Ben nodded and reversed their positions, pressing his mouth to Nikolas’s ear. He nuzzled it lightly, kissing it and biting the lobe before murmuring, “Exactly—stay in character…you don’t kill anyone…you don’t torture anyone…in