This story is just that, a story. And as such, it is purely fiction. Any similartiy to actual persons or events is way cool and I'd love to hear about it! Feedback is always appreciated.
BJ
Department of Indenture Control -- Part 4 by BJinNAtl
After a couple of hours training, Bill had me feed and water boy and put him back in his kennel. Then we broke for lunch.
When we got back, the kennel was standing open and the slave was nowhere to be seen! Flames flew from Bill's eyes as he turned on me and let me have it with both barrels!
"You stupid fuck! Even a new trainee should know enough to check the cage door and make sure it's locked! Eighteen years of working here and I've never lost a slave. You sure as hell aren't gonna ruin that record. We don't get him back here pronto I'll see to it you get to replace him!"
I followed Bill into the office where they activated the tracer chip they injected the first day. Immediately a green blip showed up on the map.
"Fortunately for you," Bill snarled, "the signal is coming in strong. I bet I know where he's going. Come with me!"
I knew anything I said would be the wrong thing, so I just kept my mouth shut and followed Bill out the door.
In the meantime, boy was running scared. He'd stolen a pair of coveralls from maintenance so he wouldn't stand out. People might notice a naked man running through the streets, but they wouldn't notice a workman heading home for lunch.
Eventually, he ran to his old home, letting himself in the back door.
His wife looked up, startled. "Bill!" she exclaimed.
"Brenda, you gotta hide me. They'll be coming after me and I have to get away."
Thinking quickly, Brenda took him down to the basement.
"You'll be safe here. Let me get some of your old clothes. Those coveralls look out of place."
Leaving her husband in the basement, Brenda went up to the bedroom and pulled out some of his old clothes. Taking them down to the basement, Brenda sat on the steps and watched him dress while they discussed what he would do now.
We were just pulling into the subdivision when we got a call saying a woman reported a runaway slave in her house. As we pulled into the driveway, we saw the front door was open.
We went into the house and it looked empty. Calling out, we heard an answer from the basement.
"Down here. I've got him down here!" she yelled.
"Brenda! Baby, what are you doing?" asked the slave. "How could you do this? I'm your husband!"
Brenda slapped him full across the face.
"How dare you!" seethed Brenda. "My husband is dead! You're nothing but an escaped slave!"
"Mrs. Peterson," Bill said, "We want to thank you for you assistance. I know it had to be difficult, but you did the right thing."
The slave just stood there looking at the woman who used to be his wife. Bill and I walked up to him and ripped the clothes off him.
Cuffing his hands to his collar, we started to lead him up the stairs.
"Just a minute, officers," Mrs. Peterson said.
Looking at the slave with tears in her eyes, she told him "The man who was my husband is dead. If I had helped you escape I would have been enslaved myself. Haven't you done enough to me already?"
Spitting in the slave's face, she turned to Bill and said "Get this slave out of my house!"
We led the slave out to the car and locked him in the back seat. He just sat there with a stunned look on his face.
Bill was still fuming. He didn't say a word all the way back to the induction center.
When we got back to the induction center, Bill yanked boy from the vehicle and drug him by the collar into the training room.
"You know what happens to runaway slaves, boy?" he asked.
"Sir, runaway slaves are punished by the whip, Sir", boy meekly replied.
Releasing the slave's hands from his collar, Bill tied them together and attached the rope to a hook suspended from the ceiling. Flipping a switch on the wall, the rope started to rise higher and higher until boy's arms were stretched as far as they could go above him and his feet were barely touching the floor.
Grabbing a whip from the equipment closet, Bill walked behind the hanging slave.
He turned to me and said, "If I had my way, you'd be right up there with him. That would teach you not to be careless."
Bill turned to the slave and let him have it. Ten lashes across the back.
"That should teach you a lesson," Bill said, releasing the slave from his ropes.
"Sir, Yes Sir it did, Sir", gasped the slave.
"And what lesson did you learn?"
"Sir, I think I finally understand. The person I was before doesn't exist anymore. There's nothing out there for me now. My wife, my home, my family and friends. It's all gone. I'm nothing more than a worthless slave to be sold and used to satisfy my Master's needs, Sir."
"Good boy," Bill said. "The sooner you accept that, the happier you'll be."
Handing me a jar of ointment, Bill said "Rub this into the slave's wounds. It'll relieve some of the pain and help it heal."
Bill turned and walked out of the room, leaving me to take care of the slave and put him away for the night.