the ground in a dank cellar , the silhouette of another figure on the ground a few feet away . I tried to yell for help , but acid burned the back of my throat and my head pounded like it was being squeezed with an iron glove . As the world around me began to focus , I turned back to the light and saw him standing in a doorway : The cop .
“ Well , well , well . My lurcher and soon to be , right where I left them . Don ’ t worry ,” he shook a brown bag in his hand , “ I brought dinner .”
Now that I could see the chains , I scrambled to set myself free . But the cop kicked my foot , and pins and needles came alive , dancing in pain up my leg . “ You have such potential . Don ’ t ruin it , you haven ’ t even started the change yet .” “ Let me go .” I could barely get the words out . “ You need to get the taste first .” He stood in front of the figure next to me and it sat up . Her long scraggly blonde hair fell across a sports bra and yoga pants . She couldn ’ t have been more than twenty years old but there was no mistaking the bags under her eyes and the yellow in her skin .
“ Dinner and a movie , that ’ s how you get the taste .”
He bent down and began to unpack the brown bag . She squealed and shouted , “ The Yes man comes , the Yes man .” My brain scrambled to catch up , but I was dizzy from the dark , dizzy from the smell , dizzy from the rag he had held over my mouth .
I saw each item as it touched the cement floor : A lighter , a pipe , a baggie , and a fastfood burger . He used his
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