Thread: The Ruin of Mankind

With the shock collar finally being disabled, Cali experienced the cool rush of air filling her lungs as she gasped desperately for it. The collar wrapped tightly around her throat caused her a considerable amount of discomfort, though not nearly as much as the lingering effects of the electricity still coursing through her system, making her feel hot, numb and tingly, as if there was an entire colony of ants crawling around beneath her skin. Doing what she could to pry the leather collar away from the front of her throat, trying to grant herself at least the tiniest bit of relief from its pressure, Cali could only lay there in her cage for several seconds until she began to recover physically. Mentally, however, the shame of having been forced to submit and to admit that the raider was her 'master' would leave a far longer lasting scar. Cali hated herself for breaking instead of continuing to resist, for being too weak, but at the same time, she realized that she was better off living to fight another day in this particular case. Trying to rationalize it to herself, she figured that she was better off telling her captor whatever he wanted to hear and avoiding any further injuries for now so that she might have a better chance of eventually turning the tables. Much to her own irritation, Cali couldn't keep from panting and groaning heavily for some time after the electrocution, her heart still beating a million times per minute even as she struggled to raise herself back into a kneeling position. Without any hesitation, she reached through the bars to grab the cup that Red had just placed on her tray, gulping the entirety of its contents down in a single go. To hell with that motherfucker's advice, she ignored it out of spite even if it did make some sense. Regardless, the strong hit of the alcohol burning down her throat was a welcome distraction from the pain and numbness everywhere else in her body. Having spent way too nights after a long day of hunting in various bars, saloons, casinos and pool halls that could be found in every settlement of the wastes, even the most shoddy and impoverished ones, Cali had enough of a resistance built up that a single glass of Jack's wasn't going to get her drunk, but she'd at least get a slight buzz out of it. She hoped that it might make swallowing her pride a little bit easier, but she doubted it. Cali. My name is Cali, she said, a dejected expression upon her face as she placed her hands in her lap and looked down at the boar steak to avoid having to look at Red while speaking the next words. I'm... It was even harder to say than she'd imagined. Cali would probably have had an easier time pulling her own teeth out by hand. I'm your...I'm your bitch, she finally forced the words out through gritted teeth, a slight flush creeping up her chest, neck and cheeks even as she did so. I was just a goddamn kid before the war, I don't even fucking remember, Cali spat bitterly. She'd been old enough when the war broke out that she should have been able to remember, but the whole experience had left her so traumatized that her whole life before that point had pretty much been erased, a fact which had bothered her greatly ever since. I probably liked playing with dolls and hated doing homework, your guess is as good as mine. Wisely, whoever had prepared the meals hadn't included a knife on her tray, not even a plastic one, so she was forced to grab the steak with her hands and pull it through the metal bars to take a bite out of it. Manner weren't exactly a priority in the post-apocalyptic world, however, and having to eat like an animal wasn't nearly as humiliating as having to kneel there naked in that metal cage, so Cali didn't let it stop her from filling her empty stomach. The comment about her resembling the woman in one of the pictures on the nightstand came as a surprise to her. The thought hadn't crossed her mind, although they did both have dark hair cut to a similar length, and there was maybe a slight resemblance in their facial features. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Cali had no clue yet. I bet they'd be real proud of you, she said to him, referring to the people that she presumed were Red's son, wife and father as she nodded towards the photos behind him. I'm sure your wife's rolling in her grave. Cali regretted her words as soon as she'd spoken them, expecting that the brute would make her regret them even more very soon. Fuck... Apparently, holding her tongue and telling the bastard what he wanted to hear wasn't quite as easy for her as she'd anticipated.