This is a work of fiction and the author claims full copyright to the entire contents under U.S.C. Title 17, The Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 and any subsequent revision and/or amendment thereof.
Part 01: The Indoctrination
She drifted . . . it was hard to think . . . so tired . . . nothing.
Still, no light or sound. Her shoulders burned. The balls of her feet and toes barely reached the ground. Her arms extended above her head. She felt the bindings around her wrists, holding them together and pulling her body upwards. Where was she? Light headed, tired, a strange smell . . . nothing.
Again, no light, no sound, just a deep burning sensation in her shoulders and arms that supported all of her weight. She pushed her toes and the balls of her feet toward the ground attempting to take some weight off the shoulders and arms. Her throat was so dry. She tried to swallow. It was so difficult. Her feet started to cramp and with a moan her shoulders and arms took the strain of her full body weight. The pain was becoming almost unbearable. Why was she here? Where was here? She tried to lick her lips and felt a strange material all around her lips and realized that her head was encased in some sort of hood. She also felt a rubber cap on all her teeth and she could not close her mouth.
She tried to spread her feet apart to maintain her balance. They were not restrained but if she moved them more than a few inches she started to lose her very limited contact with the ground that defeated her purpose. The pain in her shoulders was becoming a major issue. She wanted to scream but her mouth and throat were so dry and the ring gag limited her to a deep guttural moan.
She tried to think. How had she gotten here? The pain was making any thought difficult. She stood tip toes and experienced some minor relief but almost immediately she could feel her leg mussels start to protest. She remembered as if in a dream being at home and tired after a long week at work. Then she remembered going to the restaurant-bar just down the street. Too tired to cook but too hungry just to go to bed.
She tried to shift her weight and achieved a sort of weight balance between her arms and legs. A burger, fries and a light beer at a corner table. She remembered the crowds, Friday? Yes, Friday. Was it still Friday? How long had she been here? Where? Why?
The young couple had asked if they could sit at her table. She had simply nodded. What had they looked like? She couldn't remember. They were sharing a joint and offered her a hit. She had declined. As she was finishing her meal and paying when the couple had stood up and waved to someone in the crowd. As they started to walk away, the girl had said, "for later," and left a fat hand rolled on the table.
She collected her change and started to stand. Almost as an after thought she picked up the joint and dropped it in her shirt pocket. A series of mussel cramps coursed through her legs and arms. Fighting the pain she lost her balance dropping her full weight onto her shoulders, wrenching them and sending new waves of pain through her body. "Please God make it stop."
Tears flowed from her eyes, and rasping groans were wrenched from the dry throat and mouth. She must have blacked out, but as she came to the pain returned with a vengeance. It was so hard to think. Suddenly, the strain on her arms relaxed and she could almost get her whole foot on the ground. She could spread her feet about a foot apart. The strain on her arms relaxed again and her whole foot touched the ground. The relief poured through her.
She remembered arriving home and falling exhausted on the couch. She had been so tired but also extremely restless and decided to light up. She had drawn the smoke down into her lungs. It was so smooth, almost no bite she thought, as she drew another puff down. Then what? Nothing . . . there was nothing more, and she was just here. Where was here?
She felt the muscles across her shoulders spasm in protest against the recent strain. Her calves and thighs ached in commiseration. She was still so tired. All she wanted to do was lay down. She felt the floor beneath her bare feet. It had a cold metallic feel. She didn't care just let her lay down.
As the thought of rest echoed through the paths of her mind a searing shock drove up her legs, her back and into her head which snapped back as if yanked by the hand of God. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, her back bent and reflexively her feet came off the floor. Her body dropped only to be caught by her arms and shoulders. Her arms that had been out of position felt like they were being ripped from her body. Again, reflexively her feet dropped to the steel plate and met the same surging electrical current with much the same result. Only this time as her feet tried to escape the steel plate her arms were pulled upward until she was suspended about 2 feet above the floor. As the multiple forms of pain ripped a soundless scream from deep down in her chest, the device to which her wrists were secured separated and moved out from the center so that, within less than a second, her arms were stretched, as if she were being crucified. This sent a totally new series of pain messages coursing through her neural pathways.
The bar, she could now tell it was a bar, to which her wrists were fastened moved toward her back as her wrists continued to be pulled, with what felt like, hundreds of pounds of force toward its ends. Finally, with the bar firmly pressing across her shoulder blades it very slowly lowered her toward the steal plate. The movement was so gradual that at first she didn't notice it. Until she saw that her feet were only inches away from the plate. Fear caused her to pull her legs up but the downward movement was irrevocable and eventually her feet touched down.
Nothing happened and though trembling from the combined effect of fear and pain she started to relax gradually. As she did her wrists restraints started to return to the center as they did the bar move up from her until it was back in its original position. The tension on her arms continued to relax until her hands were just below her shoulders, but still too high for her to sit on the ground. She tried, but the most she could achieve was a kneeling position. Then remembering her recent experience, she decided to stand.
Time passed, how much she didn't know. Again, there was no light, no sound, except her ragged breathing. The nerves and muscles in her shoulders and upper arms were continually spasming from the remembered pain and strain. Her jaw held open by the hollow ring was beginning to ache and she had difficulty swallowing. Exhausted, wracked with pain she again kneeled down and fell into a fitful doze. Each time she stated to fall asleep the strain of her increasing weight on her arms would wake her. This process was seemingly repeated for hours. Then she noticed that it felt like her arms were gradually being pulled upward. They were, until she was returned to a fully stretched, arms up, feet flat on the floor, posture.
No sooner, did her body reach that position than the electric shock ripped through her again and the whole process started over and over again but without the intervening respite. She lost count, her conscious blanked out while her body continued to act based on pure animal instinct. Her bladder and bowels voided, ropes of mucous hung in strands from her lips and nose, her eyes bulged and rolled in her head unable and/or unwilling to focus. She had no control over her muscles or thoughts and everything faded to black.
She gradually returned to a conscious state cold, wet and shivering Lying curled up in a ball on the floor. There were no ropes, chains or other bindings and her movements were unrestricted. A fine mist of cold water fell from what she supposed was the ceiling and multiple currents of very cold air blew across her body. Her shivering became uncontrollable.
She cried out, "What do you want? Please Stop." But the gag in her mouth made it sound garbled almost not understandable. She tried to pull the gag from her mouth but it was securely fastened.
Again, mumbled and garbled, "I will do anything. Just Please, I'm begging you, stop." Her throat was becoming raw from her inability to swallow. Her distended jaw affected the motion of her throat muscles, and when she tried she choked.
A single low watt spot light came on highlighting a stool with what appeared to be a large dog collar on it. The cold air blasts faded away as did the cold misting spray. She stared at the stool and collar but made no move toward it. The light went out and the mist and cold air immediately resumed. The cold, which ate into her flesh, did too.
"What, what?", her mind cried out!
The light returned and the air and mist stopped. She stared, then tried to stand. However, the extreme shivers coursing through her body made her unsteady on her feet and she dropped to her knees. The light went out.
Almost immediately she cried out, "No wait, please."
The light returned and slowly she crawled to the stool. She reached out and touched the strange collar. As she touched it a short blast of warm air hit her body. She jumped almost as if hit with another electric shock and then relaxed. She examined the collar closely. It was 1/4" thick leather, about 11 inches long and 4 inches wide, lined with a closely trimmed fleece. Attached to the leather about every 2 inches were 1 inch long straps ending in heavy gold rings. At one end was a 2½" by ½" heavy gold buckle and at the other fastened about 1 ½ inches in from the end was a 2 1/4 inch wide strap pierced down the center about every 1/4 inch for the buckle's tongue. The tongue itself was different from a normal buckle tongue. Its point was a ring large enough to accept a small lock. Also, on the stool was a small gold, open padlock. There was no key.
Even in her shivering, mentally comprised state, it was obvious. Whoever had brought her here wanted her to put the collar on. As she examined it another puff of mild air hit her body like a warm soft blanket. Slowly, with trembling hands, her body still racked by shivers, she brought the collar to her neck. Wrapping it around her neck, with the buckle to the front, and fed the strap through the buckle engaging the buckle's tongue. She had initially thought of leaving the collar loose, but after some hesitation had drawn it snug, but not tight. After much thought and with some trepidation she fed the hasp of the padlock through the ring at the end of the buckle's tongue and snapped it shut. Lastly, she took the swivel bolt snap attached to a long, thin metallic looking cable . . . Ok she thought it's a leash . . . and snapped it onto the swivel eye just behind the buckle and rotated the collar until the buckle was at the back of her neck.
For a few seconds nothing happened. "Was there something else?", she thought.
Then she noticed that the spot light was very slowly dimming. "What have I done wrong?", she thought.
Her body tensed and the thought, "Please No, NO More.", echoed through her head.
Nevertheless, then a strong blast of warm air hit her body. It was so strong and sudden that it almost felt like a physical blow and the breath that she had been holding escaped as if she had been punched. Then she felt a tug and slight pull at the back of her neck. She realized that the leash was starting to pull her. Without standing she moved slightly in the direction of the pull and felt the pressure increase.
She stood on shaking legs, the warm air had raised the overall temperature and her shivers had deceased exponentially. The pull was moving her out of the now dim circle of light, where the collar had been, into the dark. As she continued to move, the leash that had been pulling straight away, across her left shoulder, started to both raise and pull to the right. Within a few steps the leash was extended almost straight up into the dark and the pull ceased. She stood trying to peer into the darkness the light that had been dim was now completely gone. She continued to wait. How long she could not tell. Her stomach rumbled. How long had it been? No food or water and she had to pee, and new that she would soon need to defecate, again. Her legs ached, shoulders burned, and she was so tired.
Still she stood, but now it was more difficult. As time had passed, the leash had increased its upward pull. Now unless she went up on tiptoe, she had to stand perfectly erect with her heels touching or the pull on her collar made breathing difficult. The inability to move her feet apart coupled with the disorientation caused by the absolute darkness and lack of sound-made keeping her balance problematical. She constantly had to catch herself to keep from falling. This placed constant strain on her legs and torso. Cramps started in her calves and thighs increasing her fear of falling and choking.
