would be their very last and she wished she could offer them something more than stale bread and day old porridge. Meanwhile, Ryker ate greasy meats, rich breads, and fresh fruits. While Allegra served him, she would watch him gorge on dinner as if he were a bear preparing for hibernation, eating half portions of everything and throwing away the rest. She thought of smuggling out some of the food once, but when one of the other slave girls was caught red-handed, Allegra decided that the punishment was not worth the risk. Ryker made the slave girl eat the scraps of food on all fours while he caned her in the ass. The poor girl couldn’t sit for days.
She continued to walk at a brisk speed as the tunnel forked up ahead. Allegra took the left path towards her destination and stopped outside the entrance to the dungeon, where the guard skimmed her from head-to-toe before letting her in.
There was always a sadness that drowned Allegra every time she stepped foot in the holding cells. She felt as if she were in a zoo with malnourished children as the caged attractions. Some of the boys cried when they saw her while others were so tired that they could only sit and stare as they drew laboured breaths from their mouths.
She scooped fresh porridge into the empty bowls waiting at the foot of each cage. The sight and smell of food made many of the boys clamour to the bars and devour it in seconds. As Allegra broke off pieces of bread from the stiff loaf, she wondered when was the last time they had anything to eat or drink.
She noticed that Dog didn’t touch his bowl, though he did have his water. When he finished drinking, he sat back down in the corner of his cell and glared at her. He was a boneheaded mule, Allegra decided.
She walked over to his cage. “You should eat.”
“No,” he replied.
He was proving to be difficult, but Allegra was patient. No one deserved to live like a slave and die like livestock. He deserved better. They all did. Dignity was at a premium in this place.
“You’ll need your strength,” she said to Dog. “Eat the food.”
Dog remained adamant. “No.”
“It’s really not as bad as it looks.”
He shook his head. “The last time I took food from you people, I ended up here. I find the meals you offer me now a little hard to swallow.”
“I’m not one of them,” she promised.
Dog smirked. “You’re not in chains and you’re not in a cage. You’re not one of us either.”
Allegra took a deep breath. “I might not be physically imprisoned but believe me, I’m a prisoner here, just like you are,” she said.
“I thought I told you the next time I saw you, I would kill you.”
“Haven’t you had your fill of killing yet?”
Dog shook his head. “I do whatever I need to do to live.”
“Your survival isn’t dependent on my death,” Allegra said. “It’s the opposite. I’m the one that tends to your injuries and makes sure your wounds don’t fester. I’m the one that gives you antibiotics so a fever doesn’t take you because of infection. If it weren’t for me, you’d probably be dead.”
Dog laughed just before rising to his feet. He trudged over towards Allegra until only the iron bars and several inches of space separated them.
“You should just let me die then,” Dog said. “You’re keeping me alive just so I can go out there and kill another person. That doesn’t make much sense does it?”
Allegra shook her head. “You’re not to blame for any of this,” she said. “It’s an impossible situation. I will also never turn my back to anyone who needs medical help.”
“I enjoyed it,” Dog said. “I enjoyed killing Sunny.”
Allegra was in shock and she recoiled from him.
“Now leave me alone.”
She did as he requested but not before putting a final word in.
“You really are a dog.”
Chapter Six.
The next visitor Dog received was a man named Ryker. He walked and talked with an air of importance to him that made Dog