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    Once the tears dried I looked around. This area once had been bustling. there were the foundations of innumerable buildings. A crumbling wall


    surrounded the entire area. I wandered toward the only building with a roof. There was no door, just an opening in the wall.


    I reached out and touched the pink brown stone and it crumbled a little under my fingers, this ce was falling apart. I stepped into the doorway and


    immediately stepped back out. A skeletony against the far wall. It was most certainly humanoid.


    For a while I just stood and hyperventted. The rational part of my brain decided to take over at some point. I tried to remember how long it would


    take for me to die. Theck of water would kill me first. If I was going tost I would have to find water here.


    As I walked around the rocks on the ground dug into my feet. The smooth cobblestones I was used to were cracked and broken here. I tripped and


    stepped hard on a broken piece and it went deep into my left foot.


    I sat on a stump and examined the wound. Blood seeped slowly from the broken skin and dripped to the ground below me. The injury was deep and


    touching it hurt. With nothing to clean or wrap it with, I ignored it.


    I had to find water, so I walked around looking. The gouge was leaving bloody tracks where ever I went. I wandered all over and didn''t see anything


    that looked like a well or a water source. Except for my sticky little footprints this ce was bone dry.


    It was hot, warmer than the vige I had called home. I was sweating profusely. The dust I kicked up was sticking to my damp skin and felt disgusting.


    Limping I moved back to the building with the skeleton. I crouched inside the doorway out of the sun and watched the bones. I wondered what she


    had done to get left to die out here.


    I looked around the room and saw there was a small alcove off to the side. Wandering around the room I nced into the recess, inside was a small


    jug that bore my owners’ insignia. I hadn''t been this thirsty since I was in the ocean. ncing down I noticed several small bugs swimming in the jug.


    Picking up the dirty pitcher I looked closer inside and saw there was a small amount of water.


    The water teased me. It was dirty, I could tell just looking at it. The container was filthy and there were little silver things swimming in it. I ced the


    jug carefully down and looked for something I could pour the water into. If I had a cup I could pick the bugs out.


    I walked everywhere in the crumbling vige, but there wasn''t a cup or even another jug to be found. I did find more bugs. Swarms of the nasty silver


    things were everywhere. At some point I thought about the funny nts that lined the walls to thepound. They obviously had been ced


    purposely.


    When I returned to the building I went straight to the jug. I was parched and dry, bugs or not I''d drink the water.


    The jug was covered with the little silver things. The water was thick with them now. I sobbed and choked down the water, drinking a handful of bugs


    with it. They tasted disgusting. I wanted to scream and cry, but that wouldn''t do any good. In fact, it would dehydrate me faster.


    I sat in the room with the remains and watched the sun''s rays move across the floor. My foot was throbbing and I tried to ignore it. There was really


    nothing else to do.


    Just before sunset I heard the hum of a transport pad outside. I jumped up and ran out the door. My eyes locked with those of a massive blonde


    haired man. I ran back into the building and backed into the far wall. I couldn''t stop watching as the men came toward me. Most of them wererge


    and well armed, obviously Warriors.


    Five of the men entered the building


    and stalked toward me. I screamed


    for my Mastérs and jumped outa .


    . NN =


    window onthe wall. They were ons


    top of mre before I got ten feet away.


    > . we


    t was pointless struggle and they


    aughied heartily at me as they


    dragged me, by my hair, back into


    the building.


    ~


    "Who are you screaming for ve?" one of them asked me. "Your owners left you here. I''m not sure why they left their mark on you though," he


    patted the mark on my stomach. "Do you think you are worthy of theming back for you?"


    "Why would theye back?" another man spoke. "This thing has no sense, it looks right at us and dares the consequences. It doesn’t learn. What


    would make such proud men take this stupid creature back?”


    I continued to writhe and cry for Master Damien and his brothers. The men held me tight and fondled me everywhere. They even took the chance to


    fully examine my marked leg


    I heard rustling as new feet came into the room. The Warriors currently man handling me held me so I couldn''t see the new participants. When a


    sharp pain came from my tender left foot I shrieked and started to struggle anew.


    "We will beat you if you make that sound one more time," one of the Warriors warned me.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    The piercing pains in my foot continued and there was nothing I could do to stop them. It took every ounce of control I had to not cry out. Master


    Damien and his brothers had never treated me like this. I wanted them toe back for me desperately.


    I guess the new men didn''t want me either. The nasty fondling stopped and they threw me into a corner of the room and left. Huddled on the dirty


    floor, I panted for several minutes.


    When I looked at my foot I was shocked. It was wrapped tight in a clean bandage. The top of the bandage had my owner''s mark on it.


    Gathering myself I moved out of the


    corner and loeked around. A small


    dirty wate pitcher with my owner''s


    symbol on itwas just beginning tox


    attract tke bugs. Crawling across


    the flogrI downed the con ents”


    befare it attracted anymore insects.


    A bowl with their mark contained


    séveral worms crawling around in


    the slime. I was hungry and ate


    quickly, bugs and all, sucking down


    every bit of the liquid in the bowl.


    Expectantly, I waited by the door and watched the moon rise into the sky. Part of me was sure my owners woulde for me. They never did.


    Exhausted, Iy down on the floor.


    The floor was hard and grimy, even worse than awn chair on the front porch. The temperature dropped and I curled into a tight ball trying to stay


    warm. My foot was throbbing. To make matters worse the bugs found me interesting and crawled all over me when Iy still


    All during the night I heard the hum


    of transport pads outside. Each time


    one passedit woke me up. My terror


    was two,fold, when they weren''t <


    there I fedred sometning p owling i


    the night. When I could hear the’


    tranSports, I feared the menthat


    would be on them. I s eptalittle, bu


    was wide awake when thé pad


    landed the next morning.


    a)


    +


    I peaked out the doorway hopefully. It wasn''t Master Damien and his brothers or the men fromst night. Again, I looked right at them and that


    seemed to infuriate them.