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Troy' condition worsens as Victor prepares for the next day... |
âHow are you liking day four of your new life, kid?â Victor said as he unlocked the door to Troyâs cage. Victor had come up with the idea of passing out coupons to see his show (which he simply called âthe showâ-- Victor wasnât terribly creative) to get the word out, and thatâs what heâd been doing all day. Troy grumbled. Victor had threatened to wipe his memory to get him to cooperate for the filming of the commercial. Troy kept persisting, and, unfortunately for him, Victor had given Troy a small dose of whatever it was that would brainwash him. It didnât do much, but it caused Troy to be constantly bombarded by animalistic impulses. It was not a pleasant experience. However, the instincts were more annoying than scary. At the most, Troy would be overcome by a rush of thoughts-- most of them telling him to hunt or kill. Fortunately, they werenât that difficult to control. Although, it was getting harder not to claw Victorâs face off with every passing second. âAre you ready to blow some minds tomorrow?â Victor said, his voice dripping with malice. ââCause if you donât, you know what happens.â He gestured to a bottle filled with pill-like objects. Troy growled. He hated how he couldnât respond directly, how he could only communicate through the form of growls and roars. Oh, the things heâd say if he could speak! He wouldnât let Victor hear the end of it. Somebodyâs mind is gonna be blown-- blown up. Troy thought, gritting his teeth. Sure, he could probably kill Victor, but then heâd lose all hope of ever becoming human again. With all the strength he could gather, Troy tried to talk. It came out in a voice that was not his own, sounding very rough and deep. âI hhhhate you, Victorrrr.â Victor stumbled backwards, caught off guard. He instinctively grabbed for the bottle of pills, but stopped. He thought for a moment before replying. âA talking dragon? Well, thatâll really rake in the dough.â âShut up, you greedy moron,â Troy said. Although he didnât exactly say it-- his ability to speak had suddenly disappeared, and he returned to the standard snarls of a beast. Victorâs expression grew disappointed when he realized that Troyâs voice was gone once more. Sighing, he walked back to Troyâs cage. âAh, nevermind. Itâs not like talking would make the act any more believable than it already is.â Victor finally opened the cageâs door, allowing Troy to get out and stretch. An overload of sensations hit Troy as he moved his wings. He hated how he could feel them-- his tail, too. It felt strange to have so many extra limbs, let alone wings. Then, Troy suddenly had an idea. He could injure Victor. Not kill him, of course, but cripple him. The dirty room they were in was empty. No one would hear him scream. Without giving it a second thought, Troy gathered a fire in his throat. It burned, but he continued to build it up. He would wait until Victor would least expect it. âYouâre being rather quiet,â Victor said, breaking the silence. âWhen are you going to tell me Iâm--â Victor was unable to finish his sentence, because Troy had already leapt into action and shot a plume of fire at Victorâs left leg. It hit him square in the thigh, and he toppled over, shouting curses. It was almost painful to watch. Troy was already rethinking his decisions. He never would have thought heâd hurt anyone this badly. Victor reached for a fire extinguisher and sprayed the contents all over his leg. His thigh was terribly mangled, muscle exposed, bleeding all over his expensive pants. Troy almost felt sorry. Almost. Much to Troyâs dismay, Victor shook off the injury like it was a mere papercut. Regardless, his eyes burned with rage, and his face told Troy he was about to undergo a major punishment. Laughing maniacally, Victor snatched the bottle of pills. âYou want to play that way, mate? Iâm not afraid to make every minute of your life as miserable as possible.â He unscrewed the lid. âHereâs whatâs gonna happen. Iâm gonna wipe your clean, Troy. Bit by bit until thereâs nothing left.â Troy backed into the cage. This wasnât what was supposed to happen. No, no, it was all going wrong. Troy had lost almost everything up to this point, and now he was going to lose the one thing he had left: his humanity. âOh, and I wonât make it quick.â Victor continued, shaking the bottle, causing many pills to spill into his palm. âOh, no. Itâs gonna be slow, kid. Youâre gonna notice it all slipping, and Iâm gonna enjoy watching you suffer.â He jammed the pills into Troyâs throat. Troy gagged. This couldnât be happening. He wouldnât forget. He couldnât forget. But he knew, deep down, that Victor would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. âOh, and this?â Victor added, gesturing to his disfigured leg. âThis wonât even get in the way of our little event tomorrow.â He stormed out the door, limping, not even bothering to lock Troy in his cage. Troy lay down on the floor. He couldnât feel the pills taking effect, but the fear of forgetting consumed him as he desperately clung to his memories. But as he lay there, helpless and alone, he couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling that tomorrow's show would bring even more unimaginable horrors. |