Don't Go Into The Woods

Chapter Two – The Shack

The inside smelled of stale smoke and it was very messy but it was not as makeshift as it looked from the outside. As you entered there was a very large room with a good kitchen tucked into the far corner. One cabinet door was missing and another one was hanging down from a broken hinge. They were made of the cheap orange stained looking wood. The floor was a wide rough-hewn oak plank oak.

The sink was stainless steel and had dishes, pots and pans all stacked up. The counter tops were plain white, well now faded and chipped, Formica.

A round dining table sat sectioning off the kitchen/dining area from the rest of the room with eight captain chairs surrounding it. The table had a ceiling light with fan above covered in dust. One of the bulbs was burned out. On the table was an ashtray filled with butts. There was also a mason jar with what looked like tobacco chew spit.

However, the inside of the house seemed to have been ready for all seasons since there was both a huge fireplace in the living room and an air-conditioner through the wall to the left of the fireplace.

Dick had me take off my backpack and then handed me one of those plastic handcuff things you see on crime shows. Once my wrists were in the loop and I had pulled the plastic tight with two fingers Dick checked with one had while he held the gun with the other to make sure the plastic strap was well secured. Next he had me get down on the floor and roll onto my back. He knelt over me putting the gun down.

I so wanted to escape but I wouldn’t be able to either get him off me or get the gun, which was out of my reach. From somewhere he produced a metal collar that was lined in the inside with a soft padding. He got it around my neck and then he snapped it close. It connected on the side.

When I got up he told me about the collar.

“Pussy,” he said, “there’s a ring on the front and on the top for a leash but more important is where I snapped it shut is a small cylinder about the size of a Vick’s Inhaler.”