From Chains

Chapter 2: Hunger

The tiny human keeps glancing at a parbeing boy a few tables down.

A waitress soon arrives. "What can I get ya?"

"A steak and chips for me, and whatever that boy is having for her." I point where she was glancing, and she immediately perks up.

"Coming right up," the waitress says, then disappears into the back.

"Master? How did..." she trails off, unsure of herself.

"You've been looking at his food since we got here."

"Oh." She looks down again.

My phone buzzes. It's a message from Garry – or Guppy as I like to call him. He looks like a fish.

'Where the fuck are you?' it reads.

'In Hellenburg. I'll be in Markos tomorrow evening.' I reply.

While I'd love to call him Guppy to his face, I value my life. His group is not one to mess with. I'd rather not smuggle for them, but I already agreed to this one job, and he would be less than pleased if I backed out.

I do admit, I can't wait to get paid. Guppy's job is finally going to get me the money I need. It's just enough to pay for my sister's first school year... well, the first one since we dropped out when we were kids. I promised her that she'd have a chance to go back to school, and I'm going to make it happen. When she graduates, she'll finally have a shot at her dream career and will no longer be stuck in that dead-end packing job of hers.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as the waitress drops off our food.

I begin on my steak.

The little human is just staring at her food with her hands on her lap.

"Eat," I order.

"Which must I eat, Master?"

"The stuff on your plate." I roll my eyes and continue with my food.

"All of it?"

"Well I payed for all of it, so I sure as hell hope so."

She gasps. "Thank you, Master!"

She devours her food, taking one huge mouthful after another. Was she just waiting for permission to eat? Did she really think that I would be angry if she ate food that was put in front of her? Jeez.

I pay the waitress, and we return to the old factory.

She finishes unloading the truck, and I put her back in the cargo hold. One handcuff is sufficient. It gives her a bit more freedom, but also makes sure she can't get near my tools.

It's midnight, and I need a place to sleep. I park my truck at a crumby motel. I'd rather be somewhere else, but the girl was expensive. I need to cut back on my day-to-day costs for a while.

I head to the office.

"How much for a room?"

"Thirty a night. Fifty deposit," the old woman says with a hoarseness which could only come from smoking. "I'll also need to see some ID."

I hand her my phone.

"So, Robert, what ya doing around here?" she asks while copying the details into her system.

"Consulting," I lie.

"Don't see many consultants staying in a place like this."

"I've been a bit down on my luck, but I've got a feeling that things will turn around soon." I smile. "Life's tough sometimes."

"You don't gotta tell me twice," she laughs.

"I'm heading to Marko's tomorrow. Do you know of any good places to spend the night over there?"

"Oh, you poor dear, that's a long way away. I'm afraid everything in Marko's is overpriced. You're much better off here."

"Really? Damn. Well in that case, any chance of a discount if I clean the room on my way out?"

"You know what, why not? You seem like a decent fellow. Twenty a night."

"Thank you," I hand her the money, and she returns my phone with the room key.

I head to room five. It's right next to my truck. That reminds me, I don't want to wake up to a human popsicle. I quickly check my phone. 'Temperatures of 12°C (54°F) are not hazardous for humans.' Good.

I unlock my room, turn on the heater, take a shower, and crawl into bed. It's 12:30, so I set my alarm for 4AM. I finished early today, so I'll take an extra half hour over the recommended three-hour sleep.

This is nice. I think it's safe to say that I made a good purchase.

Published: 11 May. Edited: 08 Sept