Preview: Excerpt from book two: Lost in the Mist
Mist crossed his arms. "First, though, we need to figure out what's wrong with your collar. So far, I've been highly impressed with your attitude." Words I really didn't want to hear. "I can tell you've had a lot of training with one, already. That's what you recognized. Isn't it."
I stared at him, and then looked away.
"Yep. What a good boy I have! I'm dying to know who your previous owner was. I doubt you'd tell me, not that you can speak, but I have ways around both aspects."
"For now, I'll spare you the torture of extracting such information. Once your Mark Six is working, it'll pave the way to a smooth acceptance of me as your owner, and along with that, comes everything I want to know. Everything."
He tossed a coiled up leash at me, it bounced off my chest. A small chunk of metal rolled free from it.
"Time to go for a walk." He reached forward and disengaged the braided hose from my muzzle. I couldn't breathe, again, but there was something else, nagging in my head.
I was disappointed at the hose's detachment. I didn't like the gas, I wasn't enjoying it's effects.
Lies.
That told me everything I needed to know about my growing addiction. Still, I couldn't breathe, and that was an addiction which would never go away.
Mist took the round piece of metal and clicked it onto the front of the muzzle. I was able to draw in a deep breath of normal air through my nose. I took in the scents of my surroundings. I hated that this was a new functionality, it meant that I could wear the muzzle elsewhere. lt meant I could, and probably would, wear it almost always.
He held the end of the leash towards me. "Clip it to your muzzle, Keman."
I stared. If he wanted it hooked up, he could fucking do it himself. I pretended not to hear, you're not so in control when I'm not hooked up to your system. The drugs had my mind in a state where nothing was serious, I laughed inside.
Mist flattened his ears. "OH. You want to be stubborn. Good, good. Better to get this over with indoors, where people can't see. And here I was, waiting for an excuse to teach you your next lesson. You think because your collar doesn't work, and you're not hooked to the system, I can't punish you?"
I finished exhaling, went to inhale, but couldn't. I wasn't hooked up, but he must have control over the metal block stuck to the muzzle. I reached up and tried pulling it off, to disengage it, prying my claws into it. I had almost no air left in my lungs. That meant panic would start only inches from my eyes, this time.
I let out a sharp whimper on reflex, and discovered that it would still let me exhale, but not bring any more air in. I realized how cruel that was, my eyes opened wide, yet what I could see only shrank as my heart started to race. I slowly brushed my hands over the muzzle, desperately wanting to try pulling it off, but I knew down that path only lay insanity.
I looked around, hysterically trying to think of what to do. I should beg, plead.
The euphoria I had felt earlier was gone.
I had only seconds.
My lungs were nearly empty.
I lunged at the leash he was holding, and clipped the end onto the "D" ring, under my chin. It beeped after I snapped the weird looking hasp onto it, it was electronic and probably locked. I jumped off the bed and hugged the floor, staring up at Mist, holding completely still. I knew my pupils were big by how bright the room had become.
Mist shrugged. "Hmm. I think you've got a few minutes left, to work out what I want to see."
Minutes? I had only seconds! I rolled over onto my back, and stretched my neck out, baring it to him. I would have peed myself, if I could.
"I see you, but I can't hear you. I wonder if I overestimated your intelligence."
I had only a tiny bit of air left in my lungs. If I used that for anything, and lost it... I would freak out, that's all there was to it.
But I was already starting to panic. So I fucking whimpered, loudly, for as long as I could. Every last bit of air came out with it. I paused, and drew in a deep breath, my body shaking in fear.
I shut my eyes. This can't be happening, that didn't just happen. My sanity had hung on a string for a moment, and now I have it back. It almost broke, I almost broke...
Mist reached down and rubbed my throat, above my collar, with his claws. My body stiffened, it did not feel good.
"Yes. This is all real, Keman. I know that right now you're wondering if it is, so I'm here to say: Yes. That did just happen. And it'll happen again, I'll take you so much further. I'll make you wait minutes past your last breath before I give you another. And I'll do it again, and again. I'll do it until you're unconscious, but you won't die. I'll wait for you to wake back up. I'll keep doing it. Understand?" His voice had been calm, matter-of-fact. Now he raised it.
"Think you want to test me again?"
I shook my head quickly, and stared at his feet. My games were over, the air entering my lungs was now precious. I had always taken it for granted, but never again.