From Chains

Chapter 5: Trust

Pip climbs into the cargo hold. "Where's the next compressor, Master?"

"That's all of them. Have you finished your food?" I need to make sure she's eating properly if I ever want her to gain some muscle.

"Uh-huh."

I lead her to the metal bar and cuff her hand in place.

"Is it a long trip?" she asks as I'm about to close the door.

"It's five hours to Rosslin, and maybe two hours to search for the batteries." I pull the door closed.

"Wait," she calls right before it closes. "I wanted to ask you something, but I don't know if it'll make you mad. I'm not sure if I can ask-"

"Just spit it out. We need to get going."

"Can... can I sit in the front... with you?"

"No. I'm not going to risk you having an episode and trying to grab at the wheel." No offense, Pip, but I'm not taking any chances when I'm this close to fulfilling my promise.

"You can chain my hands, then I can't do anything bad."

I rest my head against the truck with a hand on the door.

"Please."

"Fine." I step back into the truck and uncuff her. "But you better be invisible. I don't want to hear a word out of you." The last thing I need is annoying human jibber-jabber in my ear.

"Thank you, and I will."

I'm annoyed with how long it takes for her to climb up into the passenger seat. I hop in the driver's side and cuff her hands to her door handle.

My eyes land on her legs. She could lean back and try kicking the wheel... or my face. I reach for the clothes bag behind my seat and grab one of my ties.

I straighten it out and lean over to tie her legs, but I stop early. She's looking at me with big eyes. Maybe this is overkill? I doubt she'll try anything, and I'm pretty sure I'll notice before she does.

I throw the tie back in the bag. She doesn't flinch away when I reach for her seat belt. She's finally starting to understand that I'm not going to purposefully injure my own slave.

I start the engine, and we leave Craddeck.

It's not long before we're deep in the wasteland.

Her face is plastered against the window, but I don't see why. It's just savanna for miles.

"What's so interesting?" I ask.

"I-" She turns back to me, but she cuts herself off and recoils back into her seat.

I sigh. "You can speak to answer my question."

She perks up. "I didn't know the world was so big. Look how tiny those trees are." She tries to gesture with her head, unable to point. "And as we move, they disappear and there's even more. This place is gigantic."

She's never seen the wasteland before? "How long have you been owned?"

"Owned?" She looks confused.

"Had a parbeing in control of your life."

"I think I always have."

Her whole life? I guess it has been eight years since the war, and she's not that old. "Have you always been locked up?"

"No. Back at the shop, I was allowed anywhere in the sleeping room and showers. I was only in a cage during the day."

That still counts as being locked up, but I won't burst her bubble. No wonder she's so impressed by the wasteland. Her world is tiny.

"And... when I was very small, I used to go outside a lot. I think... I can't remember very well."

It's not long before her face is glued back against the window.

She gasps and looks back at me with a huge grin. My gaze lands on her and she quickly turns away.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's got you so excited?" I ask.

"Look. There's a big animal over there. It's eating the grass. It's beautiful."

I lean forward and peek around her. "Ah, a deer."

"It's so pretty. Have you ever seen one so close?"

"I have... all the time."

"Wait, where? This is the first one I've ever seen."

"Pretty much every time I drive on the highway."

"So, I'll get to see more?" She looks at me with excited eyes.

"I'm sure you will."

"That's so cool!"

I cringe at the volume of her voice.

"Sorry," she whispers.

* * * * * * * *

I turn off the highway onto an old human road. It's not long before human city ruins come into view. I keep an eye on Pip to gauge her reaction.

She notices my staring and smiles at me. Smiles?

The truck shakes as we drive along the dilapidated city roads. There's not a soul in sight. We pass decaying buildings with shattered windows. No matter how many times I see these cities, they never get any less creepy. I haven't spotted any scurrying humans yet. Our soldiers must have cleaned them out.

Wild humans don't concern me. They know better than to mess with a parbeing. It's the human-hunting soldiers who I'd rather not run into.

I soon spot what I'm looking for – an old laptop repair store. I hop out the truck and grab my crowbar. The windows are boarded up, so I make quick work of the rusty metal door. I force it open just enough that I can slip through. Everything in here is covered in a brown layer of dust.

I pick out a box and fill it with old laptop batteries. I'm careful not to just chuck them in. They're old, and I don't trust them. Using my phone as a flashlight, I wonder deeper into the store. There's a second room at the back, and it could be filled with even more stock.

A girl's scream echoes through the store. It came from just outside. The truck. Pip. Shit.

I bolt to the exit, only to find that the metal door has been jammed. It won't open more than a few inches. Fuck. I look out the crack to see two wild humans. They're climbing into the driver side seat of my truck!

"Get lost!" I whip out my handgun and fire a warning shot into the air.

The humans scatter, and I let out a breath of relief. I grab the crowbar and force the door open. I run over to the truck and jump inside.

"Master! They came inside. They-" she's interrupted by her own coughing.

"Did they touch you?" My eyes run up and down her small frame. Her hands are still cuffed to the handle. She looks no different from how I left her.

"N-No. I was just scared. So I screamed."

"I should've locked the doors. That was too close for comfort."

She nods.

I step out the truck. "I'll be back in a second." I lock the doors and grab the battery box from the store. I hide the batteries under the compressors in the cargo hold and return to the driver's seat.

"Ready to go?" I ask.

"Yea." She looks rather shaken up.

Author's Note:

I'm sorry for taking two weeks to update. I was a bit fatigued after posting the first four chapters. The next chapter will be out much sooner.

It's so cool to see all the readers from when I wrote 'Human Pet' return. Hello! I see familiar usernames each time someone votes.

I'm changing my profile name to "Cre". Though I'll leave my actual username alone so I don't lock myself out of my account or something.