Chapter 18 - Enter the "Dungeon"
The homeless man raised his head and looked to the jagged asphalt strip just in time to see an ambulance pass by. That was unexpected. The part of town where the Wolford docks were situated was almost always deserted, a ghostly remnant of memories that would never come back. Dishonorable exceptions were the occasional uneasy teens and crackheads looking for a cheap thrill in one of the abandoned shipyards. Having had a couple of run-ins with both, he was ashamed to say he preferred the company of junkies any day of the week. With bloodshot eyes, he followed the white vehicle's movements until it stopped in front of a warehouse. It was rusty and on the brink of ruin just like everything else and, as far as he knew, he was the only one sleeping close by that night. Curious, he left the warmth of the trash can fire and moved in for a closer look.
From a new vantage point, partly hidden behind a gray container, he saw a young woman exiting the vehicle followed by a charming man. There was something odd about the couple though. While her movements were spry and lively, filled with confidence from top to bottom, his were dull, lethargic, almost as if he was having trouble placing one step after the other without a direct command.
"Get a move on, slave!" She instructed, her powerful order carried by the breeze. The homeless man perked his ears and blinked twice. Either he was having the most bizarre waking dream of his life or some weird, kinky scene was about to go down. Both alternatives were appealing so he negotiated a path to an even closer position, the cold infiltrating his aching joints. He glanced at the orange radiance he had left behind, the flickering flames telling him it was not too late to return to their presence but he paid no attention to them
Finally settling in atop yet another container, this one dark brown just like the hole-filled raincoat he had salvaged one day from a landfill, he laid down, flat stomach, yellowish saliva dripping from the spaces between his crooked teeth.
"Kinky scene, indeed," he muttered. The man, dressed in paramedic scrubs, had a long IV line wrapped around his neck like a leash, the woman pulling it at whim with no regard for any pain she inflicted. Consensual BDSM was fun and all and yet, his glazed look suggested anything but.
Nick felt the sting as the plastic crushed his trachea and stumbled forward, unable to resist. Gail's trance was still fresh, her voice reverberating within his skull with each step. Being hypnotized was the strangest sensation he had ever experienced, but he liked it. She had said so and whatever she said was true. He stopped in front of the main entrance and watched her open the door. Beyond it, was a brand new world.
Warehouse 15 had once been the joy of Gail's deviant affairs. Rented on the cheap when the Docks were already run aground, she had used it as her own sex dungeon whenever she had the chance. While most of the equipment she had bought over the years was in poor shape or downright unusable, there were still some bright spots tucked away in a corner, her favorite being the replica of Berkley's Horse for a good old flogging. Turning on the lights inside the warehouse, the old BDSM apparatus came into full view under the entranced servant's mortified gaze.
"How's your pain threshold, Nick?" She giggled.
Poor, poorer than the poorest of poor people. That wasn't exciting but an invitation to horror. She tugged at his improvised collar and leash once more, bringing him to his knees.
"I see you're afraid," she continued. "Good. I want you to fear me but I want you to fear not obeying me even more. You will obey me, slave."
"Yes, Gail."
"Sweet music to my ears. When Angela and Jonah get here, the symphony will be even prettier. You have no idea how wonderful she is at moaning but you will soon find out."
"What... what are you going to do to her?"
"Take back what's mine. I want my happy hypnotized plaything back. A lot has happened today but I can still salvage the fun and I have you to thank for it. You're the break I didn't expect to get so soon."
"Happy to be of service," he declared, a lie so ingrained already he believed it without question.
"Glad to hear it. Let's spice things up around here to welcome our other guest then," she said. "There are some additional implements over there. Go get them for me."
"Yes, Gail."
He didn't notice a pair of eager eyes tracking him down. Aroused like he had never been before, the homeless man began to fap, wishing he was in his shoes.
* * *
"This is a trap," Jonah said as he read Gail's message for the third time in a row.
Angela frowned at his obvious remark. "Of course, it is. Also a sick joke, I'm sure."
"What do you mean?"
"Dad used to take us to the docks when we were kids, don't you remember?"
"No, sorry," he retorted, his thoughts hazy. "What are we going to do?"
"We have to go. We have no other choice."
"Nick really is in deep shit, isn't he?" Mary asked.
Angela grabbed her by the shoulders and whispered. "If you had any doubts about it... and yes, Gail is more than capable of bringing down the pain if we don't do as she says. Do you still want to call the police right now?"
"I do but what I want the most is to punch that bitch senseless and I don't even know her."
"If that's any consolation, that makes two of us."
