FSE

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Chapter 21 :

A Dog Named Charlie

There was a quiet knock at his door, which was a bit of a surprise considering how early it was. They rarely saw clients at the Pretty Kitty before noon, and then it was usually scheduled in advance. Also a surprise was that the door started to open before he could respond. That sort of thing wasn't just rude, it was unwise.

"Charlie..." The voice was Fiona's. She was one of only a few girls working that were of the formerly-hoofed variety. A thin little sheep girl, mostly sheared save for a massive mop of curly white wool that started around where a human hairline would be, and ran all the way down her back to her tail, "Someone is here to see you. I think it's important."

He folded his arms, watching as the little sheep stepped aside to let a human woman hurry past her, then the door closed again leaving only Charlie and his guest alone.

"Megan." He said confidently, "I'd give my little speech about how I don't offer my services to the ladies, but I get the feeling that's not why you're here."

She was on enemy ground, but every bit as confident. Defiant even, "I need to know what happened to Millie, and Ranger says you're the only one that can answer that. I need to know how bad it was."

"Millie..." That caught him off guard. Only he and Agnes had ever heard her real name in this place, and it sparked a fire of anger in him,"You knew her before? You let him bring her here?"

"I didn't let him do anything!" She seethed it through her teeth, trying not to be too loud and draw attention from outside, "He stole her from us! She belonged with her family, and he... Sold her! Like an animal!"

There was a tense moment as he considered her words of the little woman staring him right back down despite the obvious mismatch. He approved of her phrasing, and that said a lot about her. She didn't see the changed as animals. They were people.

"It's a long story." He relented, satisfied that they were of the same mind to some degree, "You should sit down."

She watched him a few seconds longer, then moved over to claim a gaudy chair along the wall. He sat and scooted himself onto the bed, letting his back rest on the headboard with an arm resting on one knee casually.

"For my part in it... It started the night she arrived..."

The bonfire was needlessly large, but it was part of the ritual. Laika was standing nearby, stripped of all her clothes and crying as she tried to cover herself with her hands. She watched as one by one as Charlie's brothers threw everything she had on her into the fire. Her clothes. Her shoes. Even the little hair clip Cassidy had given her with the butterfly on it.

They all burned. Her old life was over. All ties to it were to be destroyed.

She didn't even fight as Charlie stripped her down. They usually didn't fight in situations like this. The pain of being sold off by a family member had that effect on the new additions they acquired this way. She didn't resist at all, that is until he started eyeing her collar. He and his brothers hated things like that. Pretending to be like the animals they once were was the most demeaning thing imaginable.

This was a place of changed prostitutes. Agnes would call them animals. Charlie... Would not. They were people, and should act with dignity.

She pulled away from him even before he reached for it, putting her hands over the collar, "No... Please. Not this. She gave me this."

He moved toward her and she took a few steps back, looking as if she was about to run. He wasn't immune to the panic in her eyes, but he had a job to do and it was just a silly trinket.

"Give me the collar." He said it calmly. She hesitated, then started to take another step back, "Stop."

She stopped. He found that interesting... And irritating. He wondered how far her conditioning had been ingrained. How much had the humans trained this one with their old commands.

"Sit."

Instantly she dropped to the ground, then gasped and tried to cover nudity again.

"Oh hell." One of the brothers had come up behind Charlie to watch this play out, "That's just pathetic."

"Can it, Mitchell." Charlie leaned toward her a bit, shaking his head, "You're not a dog anymore, sweetie. You don't have to act like one."

She sniffled, one hand still on the collar and eyes to the ground, "I'm a good girl. I do what I'm told."

Mitchell rolled his eyes, turning to walk off to the others. The response struck Charlie a little differently. He'd heard her say it before, just before the man that sold her had driven away. It had been just as innocent and honest then as it had been now.

"You're not pretending, are you?" He said, taking a few steps toward her to hold out his hand, "Give it."

She sniffled, but again did as he commanded. She reached up to undo the clasp at the back of her neck, cradling it in both hands before her at her chest to look at it one last time, tears filling her eyes as she then lifted it up to offer it to him.

He took it, looking it over curiously. Such a stupid thing. Just a strap of leather with a little heart shaped metal tag, engraved with her name one one side, and on the other...

"For my best friend and sister... I love you."

"Please... Please don't..." She was weeping openly now, little more than a mess on the ground where she was still sitting.

"Just toss it in, Charlie." One of the other brothers this time, "She'll get over it."

He spent a long moment in doubt, which was something he wasn't familiar or comfortable with. Something was wrong here. Something was different this time, and different with this girl. Something he'd heard about, but wasn't sure he believed.

Something that was going to be a problem.

"You can't keep this. If Agnes sees, we'll all be punished." He quickly stuffed the collar in his pocket to hide it away, "I'll keep it with me."

Mitchell stepped back toward his brother again, "What the hell, Charlie?"

"I've made my decision." He snapped back, "Don't test me right now, Mitchell. Not this time."

They locked eyes. This wouldn't come to blows. Not now, not ever. Out of the four of them, he and Mitchell were always the most at odds. They were the quickest to argue, but just as quick to jump to each other's side when challenged. Nothing and no one dared come after any one of them without bringing the wrath of all four.

Charlie, Mitchell, Patrick and David... The Whippets all but ran the whorehouse right under Agnes' nose.

"Fine." Mitchell finally turned away again, "But this better not interfere. Don't forget why we're here, dear brother."

"It won't, and I haven't." Charlie turned away defiantly, striding past the little dog girl, "Laika... Come. Lets get you dressed in something sexy."

She hesitated only a moment... Then did as she was told.

A week later all of the more seasoned whores were gathered around the lobby, either on the main floor or up around the railings on the stairs and landing. Agnes was at the main desk down below, listing off the schedule for the day. Informing the workers of reservations made especially for them, or other activities they would be engaged in.

"We've had a lot of requests for Ranger at the stage show tonight. Too many to ignore."

Across the room, Ranger just shook his head. He knew what that meant. Agnes wasn't about to let him perform with any of the ladies. She wasn't about to let him devalue the goods with his massive member, and that meant he was working with other men.

"At least give me the Whippets." He said, a touch of annoyance in his voice, "At least they know how to make a good show of me not enjoying myself."

"Agreed." She snorted back at him, "You'll probably make their night, anyway."

"Don't worry, girl." Patrick called over to the massive horse. He was the most flamboyant of the lot, but this was hamming it up even for him, "We'll be gentle. At least with you. Just remember to look away when we go at each other, huh?"

There was a half chuckle from around the room. The rest were mostly sympathetic to Ranger's plight. Almost no one liked doing the stage shows. It was rarely on their own terms.

"On to the matter of Laika..." Agnes had already moved on, "Fiona, I want her to sit next to you in the cage tonight."

Charlie perked up at that, "She's not ready to serve clients yet."

"No, but I want her to watch the performances." She replied, "Make her watch. Don't let her look away."

Fiona just nodded. They'd done that to her once upon a time, but she was more concerned about what came next.

"It's time to break the girl in." Agnes continued, "Paulo..."

"Oh, with pleasure." Paulo was a dog himself, though he appeared to be some sort of mutt. A bit of Pitt Bull, a bit of question mark, "I do love the smell of first blood."

"The point is to break the girl in, not break her." Charlie cut in, looking across the room at Paulo in disgust, "This one is fragile. The last thing she needs is your particular brand of brutality."

"There isn't anyone else available, Charlie. You know that." Agnes started to move on to the next item, but Charlie stepped forward...

"I'll do it myself."

The room got real quiet for a few seconds. The Whippets never worked with ladies. They weren't interested in them. They didn't perform with them.

"You switching sides, Charlie?" Paulo folded his arms across his chest, looking mostly annoyed, "Or are you just a little softie at heart, for all your acting like you're king shit."

The other brothers all moved up, but halted when Charlie raised a hand, "Agnes?"

"Charlie then." She didn't even look up from her schedule book, "On to the next item..."

He and Paulo stared each other down for the rest of the meeting. After a few minutes, he heard Mitchell whisper in his ear.

"What the fuck are you doing, Charlie?"

"Ask me again later." He replied, not breaking eye contact, "For right now... Just trust me."

The lounge was where the shows took place. It was a big room with a round stage in the center and a bar off to one side. Lots of people were gathered tonight, almost all of them men come to see this particular attraction.

Laika was sitting next to Fiona in what they called the cage. It was part of the second floor, a long row of benches where the available whores would sit and flirt down at the crowd. She was practically trying to hide herself up against the little sheep girl. Fiona had been the only other person here that had gone out of her way to make friends with her other than Charlie, and she tended to cling to her for safety.

"You have to watch." Fiona said to her, though it sounded sad, "You have to, or I'll get in trouble."

Laika looked up at her. She didn't want to watch, but she really didn't want her friend to be punished either. She nodded, and turned to look at the show.

Ranger never bothered with showmanship. He walked up to the stage like he was going to get a beer from the fridge, plopping down in the cheesy throne they'd placed in the middle of it with a thud. Agnes could make him perform, but she couldn't make him enjoy it even with the half a handful of painkillers now dulling his sense of disgust enough to go through with the act. Heroin came later once the pills got harder to come by, but it was the only thing that made it worth it for him.

The crowd gasped as he shifted himself, his robe falling open to let more than a foot of half limp cock flop out to hang off the end of the throne. One good thing about the pain killers, they at least felt good enough to get him part way there.

Music started playing, some cheesy generic techno that was just meant to fill the silence as the brothers made their entrance. They came from the four corners of the room, converging on the stage and dramatically kneeling before the horse god before them.

It was really the only plot they could use what with how unwilling he was. Standard worship themes, but the crowd liked it. He would sit indifferent with his eyes closed while the four of them pleasured each other and themselves around him. He didn't like the Whippets much, if he was being honest. He wouldn't allow them to do more than fondle his massive member and lick it a bit. Other than Charlie anyway. He trusted him enough to respect at least some of his boundaries, so he was allowed to do more.

Charlie straddled him slowly after a few minutes of teasing, laying back against the larger man's chest. He didn't yet try to do more than that though, just tilting his head back to whisper at Ranger.

"Come on, sweetie. Open your eyes." Charlie said with a smile, "You're secret admirer is here."

That got his attention. Ranger's eyes came up to scan the room, finding her sitting near the back and catching his breath as he did so. He'd seen her a couple times before, and he was already infatuated. She was no delicate flower like the prostitutes he lived around. She was a strong woman in denim jeans and a worn work shirt, broad at the shoulders, with a long black braid down her back.

He didn't even know her name. They'd never spoken, but he was smitten.

"What say you, Ranger?" Charlie had reached down now to heft the weight of Ranger's shaft up against his own, starting to thrust his hips to rub them together, "Shall we give her a show?"

He didn't reply. He didn't need to. Charlie could feel him stiffening rapidly against him, unable to contain his excitement at the sight of the woman. She sat there almost motionless staring right back, all but for one finger she was idly twirling around the tip of her beer bottle without realizing.

"I think she likes you." Charlie had arched his back now, starting to grind his cock against the flare of Ranger's mushroom shaped glans, the hand holding it upright cupping and stroking the tip. He knew what he was doing. Ranger never came during the shows, but he had all two feet of him hard and almost all the way to completion now. All he had to do was keep the big man focused, "You want her, don't you?"

"She's beautiful." It was all he could really think to say. She didn't hear him, but she smiled anyway reading it on his lips. She dipped her snout and looked up at him with a little embarrassment, but happy as well.

The other brothers had picked up on the fact that this performance might end with what everyone really wanted to see, and they were all working hard for it. Licking and suckling... Stroking and fondling... Working his shaft and testicles with all the skills their profession had taught them. Charlie was thrusting quickly now, shaking the entire throne with the force of it, "Then let her see what you can do, sweetie. Look her in the eyes. Cum for her."

It was all he took. Ranger and Annabelle locked gazes, and he went off.

Charlie had him pointed straight at the ceiling, squeezing his tip tight to constrict the flow and maximize the velocity. He was not disappointed. The first shot launched nearly straight up, but a little bit away from them. It hung high in the air for what seemed like seconds, and then came splattering down over the three brothers at his feet like a they'd been sprayed with a hose. He adjusted for the second shot, knowing it would be bigger. It fired off even higher, a bit of it catching the chandelier that was more than twelve feet above the stage and sticking to it, dribbling off even as the bulk of the load started to come back down again. It didn't quite make it as the third shot struck the second, sending both splattering out all over and around them.

Charlie couldn't help himself. He pulled the massive cock up against his chest, letting the remnants of the big man's blasts hit him square in the face. A couple more quick thrusts of his own member against the base of Ranger's was all it took to set him off too, his own cum shooting straight back all over his belly and chest, his canine seed mixing with the horse semen that was dribbling down his body.

Anyone in the audience with two free hands was cheering and clapping wildly. Everyone except the only person Ranger cared about. She bit her lip as she watched it all happen, and when it was finally all over, neither of them could help but notice that she was breathing heavy.

The brothers all stood and bowed. Some of the girls came out to clean up and remove the throne, one of them eyeing the chandelier and wondering how they were going to reach it. Ranger stood up off it and walked off stage in a daze.

Annabelle watched him go. She watched as he turned to look at her one more time before leaving the room, wishing he would stay. She sighed when he didn't, leaned her arms on the table to collect herself for a couple of minutes, then finished her beer and started to stand.

The clunk of a second beer in front of her caught her attention, and she looked up to find Charlie there with a towel around his neck and a glint in his eye.

"Hang out a bit." He said, giving her a wink, "I think something can be arranged."

She settled back down, but shook her head, "I can't barely afford the gas to get here. I can't pay what they're askin'."

He had to smile at the lovely southern drawl that came out of the woman. Ranger was going to like that, "Don't worry, sweetie. It'll be on the house."

It took a while to get himself cleaned up. Getting her in to see Ranger was no easy task either. He frittered away what money he could, as they all did. Tips from clients that they weren't supposed to take, mostly. He waited for Agnes to be needed elsewhere and took over front counter duties for a bit, making sure to fill Ranger's schedule for the night and make sure it was paid up. Once Agnes returned, he went to fetch Annabelle from the bar and snuck her up the back stairs where she wouldn't be seen, and quickly over to the big man's room.

It all took about a half hour before he finally opened the door to let her inside, smiling as she gasped to find him lounging there in the pose he always struck when seeing new clients. He closed the door behind her and folded his arms, standing in the hallway proudly grinning to himself over a job well done.

"Charlie! There you are!" Fiona came running down the hall toward him, "I've been looking everywhere!"

He furrowed his brow. She wasn't prone to outbursts, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"It's Laika!" She said, out of breath, "Paulo! Paulo, he..."

"Son of a bitch..." For a moment a look of absolute rage crossed his face, and Fiona took a step back from the force of it. He went really quiet. The way he always did when he was sorting out a plan.

"Run a hot bath in the staff bathroom." He finally said to her, controlling his anger now, "No one goes in or out of her room until I get back."

She nodded, and he turned away to stride off. He made his way back down the same stairs, working his way into the lounge. The show was over and the lights were on now, and most of the performers were here flirting with clients.

"Brothers!" Charlie called to them, striding straight through the middle of the room, "We're going for a walk!"

The other three didn't even hesitate, leaving a couple of confused patrons in their wake as they quickly moved to fall in step behind him.

The other workers knew what was going on... Someone was about to get fucked, one way or another.

He knew where Paulo would be. He liked to hang out in the lobby. He didn't get much work being a straight male, so he spent most of his time flirting with the other girls on display. He found himself awfully alone though once those girls saw the Whippets coming in force, darting off to the corners and out of the way.

Agnes just sat at the desk, working on the books.

Charlie grabbed Paulo by the collar of his shirt, shoving him back against the wall with more strength that was expected from the smaller dog.

"You were told no." He seethed it through his teeth, "You disobeyed me."

Paulo might have tried to fight back, if not for the other brothers crowding in close as well, staring him down, "What's it matter? She needed to get broken in, so I broke her in. Big fucking deal."

"The deal, my dear Paulo, is that you don't seem to understand your place around here." Charlie shot his free hand into the other man's pants, digging all of his thick nails into the base of his penis painfully, "You do what I say, or I fucking swear..."

"Either rip his cock off or don't, Charlie." Agnes didn't even look up from her work, "But hurry it up. We've got more clients coming."

Paulo was in a lot of pain, practically whimpering and panicked as he realized whose side the old hag came down on. The side she would always favor. Charlie had the power here, and now it was finally clear to him.

"If you ever go near her again... If you ever so much as look at her... I will tear you apart." He gripped even tighter, feeling skin break under his nails, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes!" Paulo grimaced, writhing against the wall in pain, "Yes, just let go!"

Charlie finally relented, loosening his grip on both the man's member and his collar, drawing his hand back from his pants to lift it up and show him the blood under his nails. He reached the other hand up to grab Paulo by the snout, and wiped a red streak right across his nose.

"I know how much you like the smell of first blood." Charlie turned away, walking back toward the lounge, "How does that smell, Paulo?"

The brothers lingered around the other dog, staring him down for a moment longer, then turned to follow.

Patrick and David peeled off once they were back in the lounge, returning to the confused men they'd abandoned moments before with smiles and excuses. Charlie made his way past it to the little room behind the bar, moving to a sink to start washing the blood from his hands.

"What the fuck was that?" Mitchell had followed him in, "I hate that little shit as much as anyone, but Jesus, Charlie."

"He defied me. I can't allow that." He was washing angrily, and making a mess of it. Once he was done he snatched a hand towel from a hook nearby,"That's more than enough reason."

"But it's not the only reason, is it?" Mitchell snorted back at him, "What is it with you and this girl?"

"She shouldn't be here!"

The towel hit the far wall. Charlie stood there facing the sink, fists balled at first, then slumping toward it to grip the counter and lean in.

"She's not like us. She... She's not as changed as we are. She's still a dog... Loyal, kind, obedient... She doesn't understand what is happening. She doesn't understand cruelty." He sighed, letting his eyes close, "She shouldn't be here."

Mitchell moved toward him, brushing up against his back to place a little kiss on Charlie's shoulder. For all their fighting, it was a gesture that said more about their relationship than any words ever could. They'd been through far too much together not to love each other, and that always came first. Charlie turned into it, and let their heads rest against one another other for a short moment before pulling away.

"It is kind of your fault, though." Mitchell said as he moved off, "You care too much about people. You wasted all that energy setting Ranger up with that cow, and Paulo used that time to make his move on her."

"If we let assholes like him get away with shit like this... If we don't try to take care of people like Ranger... Then we're no better than Agnes." He looked up into the mirror above the sink, shaking his head at the sight of himself, "It's not enough for us to take over. The others have to want us to. They have to know that we'll protect them, otherwise they'll just work for the next human that shows up to claim ownership."

"Well... At least we agree on one thing." Mitchell said quietly, then turned to walk back out of the room, "It hurts seeing you like this."

Charlie sighed, then moved away from the sink. It was easy to be the hard-ass... Easy to be the enforcer. What he had to do next was anything but easy. He made his way back up to the second floor, working around the upper landing to the room they'd set Laika up in. Fiona was outside, looking like she had been crying. He put a hand on her shoulder as he passed to help reassure her, and then knocked gently on on the door before stepping inside.

Laika was still in tears, curled up in a ball on top of the sheets. There was blood smeared across them just below her, and her back was covered in Paulo's seed. It was a small relief, but at least it was less likely that he had gotten her pregnant now. That never ended well.

It was like she didn't even know he was there as he went to her, wrapping the sheet around her to cover her nudity and taking her up in his arms.

"It's alright, sweetie." He said, carrying her out into the hall, "Lets get you cleaned up."

Others had gathered. Other girls looking worried as he passed by with the little dog in his arms. Some just worried for her. Some had been in her place once or twice. None of them said a word, but all of them knew one thing...

Charlie would always be there to take care of them.

Lowering her into the bath seemed to help. At the very least she relaxed a bit, but remained sitting in the water with her knees up and arms around them. The rim of the tub was wide, and Charlie moved to sit on it with his back to the far wall and his feet on the other side, hovering over her protectively in silence.

They stayed like that for several long minutes, but eventually she spoke. Still crying softly, hurt and confused, "What did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve this?"

"You didn't deserve this. Don't ever think that you did." Charlie sighed, "He wasn't supposed to do that."

"But that is what happens here, isn't it?" She said quietly, "Someone was going to do it eventually."

"It was going to happen tonight, no matter what." He said, looking down at her sadly, "I was going to do it myself."

She sniffled and looked away, but stayed quiet.

"I would have been gentle. I would have held you, and told you it was alright. I would have stayed with you." His face crunched up a bit. He was about to say something he never said, and that struck him as significant, "I'm sorry."

"You don't... You don't like girls." She still didn't want to look at him, "Everyone says that."

"I'm not attracted to them. I don't want to perform with them. I won't take them as clients." He said, shaking his head, "But I would have done it... For a friend."

She looked up at him again. The tears welled up, and she started crying once more.

He lowered himself down next to her, still dressed and not caring one bit. He put his arm around her shoulder and held her there, stroking her cheek with the other while she cried in his embrace.

"It's alright, Millie." He whispered. He used her real name, and that meant everything to her. One last person who would accept who she used to be... Who she wanted to be.

"You're a good girl."

A month and a half had passed...

It was still fairly early in the day. Only a few customers had arrived yet, and most of the workers were still asleep or lingering around in the lounge area where the stage and bar was set up. Paulo had been removed from the premises a couple weeks before. He had gotten worse and worse after finding out where he stood in the pecking order, and he had made the mistake of getting too rough with one of his clients. Agnes had made an example out of him in response. He lived, but wherever he was now it was with a heavy limp and a few less teeth.

That did leave them with a problem though. Not many of the whores were straight males, since not many clients were female. But what clientele they did have required at least one male dog around that liked women. Charlie had picked out the replacement himself. A friendly young sheep dog by the name of Saxon. He was bigger than the brothers, and covered in an absurd amount of curly grey and white hair that made most people wonder if he could even see out of the mess. He was clean though, and he was kind. It was a major improvement.

David was working the bar this morning. It never closed, so usually one of the brothers would tend to it until the prime time bartender woke up. Charlie was sitting on a stool across from him, leaning on the bar casually and admiring his match-making handiwork.

Fiona liked Saxon.

He watched them for a while, talking and laughing together at the far end of the bar. It seemed almost silly. A little sheep girl and a big old sheep dog, hitting it off so completely well. Silly... But a little bit beautiful too.

"You know..." Charlie finally wandered down toward them, grinning slyly at the pair, "You're supposed to be flirting with the customers. Not each other."

"Oh, uh... Sorry sir." Saxon was always polite, "I didn't mean to take her away from anything."

"It's alright." He said with a chuckle, "Tell you what. I'll give you both the night off, but on one condition."

Fiona and Saxon looked back at him quietly.

"Take her up to your room." Charlie leaned in to give them a wink, "And I don't want to see either of you again until tomorrow morning."

Saxon started to stammer something, but went quiet again as he felt the Fiona's hand on his. He turned to look at her, finding her gaze practically pleading with him to accept.

Fiona really liked Saxon. A lot.

They'd pretty much forgotten all about Charlie by that point, and he had to laugh as he watched them practically dash toward the exit of the lounge. Mitchell had been watching from a table nearby, feet up on it and rolling his eyes.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" He said with a snort.

Charlie couldn't help it. He was in a good mood. He walked over to his brother slowly, putting a hand on his shoulder to lean in close and whisper in his ear, "Come to my room tonight. I'll show you hopeless."

He rolled his eyes again as Charlie walked away, but even he couldn't suppress a little grin. He was going to take him up on that offer.

Laika entered right as the young couple passed her by, and Fiona gave her a giggle and a smile, squeezing Saxon's arm as she did so. The little dog girl curiously watched them leave. She and Fiona had become something like friends, and she knew the little sheep had taken a liking to the young man. For the first time since she had arrived here, Laika did something she had wondered if she might ever do again.

She smiled.

And then she did something that would forever cement everyone's opinion of her in one way or another. Without even knowing she was doing it, her backside started to wiggle of its own volition.

"Oh for the love of... She's actually... She's wagging her..." Mitchell gave up, standing quickly and throwing his hands in the air as he walked the back way out of the room, "I'm done. I'm just done."

Charlie had to cackle at his brother, but it quickly faded into a more friendly smile. The Whippets all hated things like this. They hated when the changed pretended to be like the things they weren't anymore, even though that was the very thing people came to this place to be with. Mitchell, David and Patrick would never budge on that opinion... But Charlie was coming around.

Maybe it was alright sometimes. Maybe when it was genuine.

"Laika, come here." Charlie called to her, waving a hand to beckon her over. He had asked her to come down this morning. She never came to the lounge unless told, "There is someone I want you to meet."

She walked over to join him, and he led her to one of the corner booths. She quickly took note of the man sitting inside. An older gentleman in a nice suit. Fit but balding, staring at her with his mouth slightly open. He'd come here a few times before, but he had never left the lounge. He never intended to pay for sex, because he was here for something else. He was here trying to find someone to help him make peace with what he'd lost to the Change. He was here trying to find some kind of closure, and so far that had seemed foolish.

Charlie had convinced him to come back and try again... Just one more time.

"Laika, this is Conrad." He said, putting his arm around the girl comfortingly, "I think you two have a lot to talk about."

Silence had fallen over the room. Megan had been listening silently the entire time. Her eyes were red from crying, but that had passed a while ago.

"I'm sorry, Megan." Charlie was still leaning back against the headboard, "I would have loved to have protected her from everything, but I did my best to give her what happiness I could."

She shook her head slowly, "If everything you say is true..."

"She used to come see me when she was scared." Charlie cut her off, "She'd sleep here in this bed with me, and I'd tell her everything was going to be okay. I'm going to miss that."

Megan looked up at him.

"The one person who has spent more time in my bed than any other..." He smiled over at her, "And I never had sex with her. Not once. Isn't that odd?"

Megan sighed. There was a sense of sadness from him that she couldn't deny. She wanted to say more, but it didn't seem like it would do any good. She stood instead, and started to make her way to the door.

"You're not going to ask?" Charlie stood as well, "Why we put up with all this?"

"No." Megan said, turning to look at him again, "It doesn't really matter, does it? This place is never going to change."

"Yes... It is... And soon." Charlie took a step toward her, "You must understand... Agnes doesn't have long. She doesn't even know she's sick, but we can smell it on her."

"And then what? You take over?"

"Yes. Remember what I said. It's not enough to just take over. The others have to want us to. We have to do better than she did." Charlie smiled at her, "There won't be another Laika."

Megan shook her head sadly, "There shouldn't have ever been a Laika. Only Millie."

Charlie watched her a moment, then moved away to the closet. He opened it and reached up above the door frame to fiddle with something a bit, and then turned to come back to her. He held out his hands, a little strap of leather with a heart shaped tag cupped within them, just the way the little dog girl had offered it to him that first night so many years ago.

"She was always Millie to me."

Megan took it from him gingerly, and he turned to walk back to the bed.

"Tell her I love her. Tell her I miss her." He said, rolling back onto the mattress and letting his eyes close, "Tell her never to come back here again."

Megan nodded, though he couldn't see. Then she turned and left.

Once she was gone, he couldn't hide it any longer. A mist came to his eyes and he sighed, reaching a hand out to stroke the sheet beside him where she had slept so many nights before.

"Be a good girl."