The beast closest to them was a ferocious mastiff, and when it heard them, its eyes lit up, and it began to growl. Crystal could tell that it had been mistreated and that if it ever got out, it would kill whatever or whoever got in its way. A cold shiver ran down her back as they walked past the angry beast.

In the middle of the compound, they found Carlos. He was in a cage, curled up in a corner, and his eyes had a vacant look to them. He was no longer screaming, but the fresh wounds on his back implied that he had been recently whipped. Crystal whispered his name, and he snarled at her.

Crystal was dumbfounded. She thought - He doesn't even recognize me..

Eric turned to the closest guard. "Was this animal roaring just now?" he asked.

historical

"He was," the guard replied. "But we gave him an injection, and it has already taken effect, as you can see."

Crystal gave Eric a dirty look. "What dr*g did you give him?" she asked. "And why have you locked him up like some kind of violent beast?"

"That's enough of that!" Eric snapped. "Did you forget what I said? You are to be blamed for his suffering."

"I will not accept the responsibility for this!" Crystal shouted. "Don't be so fucking stupid! You did this! It is on you!"

Carlos flinched when he heard Crystal yelling, and it gave Crystal hope. She turned to him and said his name, but all he did was a growl. She said it again, and this time he tried to attack her. Just as he reached the bars, though, Eric thrust an electric baton into the cage and jabbed him in the midsection.

Carlos's body did the Jitterbug as Eric pushed and twisted the baton. The sound that came out of Carlos's mouth was unlike anything Crystal had ever heard. She grabbed Eric's arm and shouted for him to stop.

Eric stopped right away, but he seemed to be confused by her reaction. "I was protecting you..." he explained.

"That's bullshit, and you know it." Crystal glared at him hatefully. "He's in a cage. Even if he were a vicious beast, he would not be able to get to me. Now shut the fuck up and let me see if I can help him."

"Do what you want," Eric grumbled. "It's your funeral. Has anyone told you what an unappreciative bitch you are?"

Crystal ignored Eric's comments, and she knelt in front of Carlos. She looked him in the eyes and said, "Carlos, don't you recognize me? I am Crystal. You once loved me... Do you remember...?"

Carlos's face had a blank expression, and there was nothing there to indicate that he had even heard her. Crystal was not one to give up easily, though. She stretched her hand through the bars and touched his arm. "It's me.... Crystal..."

Still, there was no response.

Eric stood over her with his arms crossed.

"You see," he said. "He is not a man."

"He is still a man." Crystal ran her hands through Carlos's hair and gently touched his face. "I can reach him. You'll see."

Suddenly, Carlos turned and bit into her arm. His teeth dug into her flesh, and he tugged at it viciously. Crystal did not fight him, though. She just looked him in the eyes and said, "I am not a threat to you... I am your friend..." Carlos paused, and for a second, Crystal thought that she saw the light in his eyes. It was quickly extinguished, though, the moment that Eric pressed his electric baton to his ear.

Crystal was let go, and Carlos began to flail about you. "Bad dog!" Eric growled. "I will teach you to bite!"

One of the other guards jabbed his baton into the cage, and he pressed it against Carlos's genitals. Carlos's pelvic thrust forward, and he pissed himself. Then he began to vomit. Eric thought it was jolly good fun, and he laughed uproariously.

Without warning, Crystal slapped Eric across the face, and the baton fell out of his hand. She slapped him again. Then again; - three times in quick succession.

Eric's pupils dilated. "Darling, if you dare to slap me again..."

Before his words were finished, she slapped him again. His threats meant nothing to her. Finally, Eric grabbed her arms. He held them to her sides and smirked. Crystal was not to be deterred, though. She hocked a loogie and spat it into his face. Some of it went into his mouth, and he began to gag on a wad of hot, salty snot.

"You are a real bitch," He muttered. "Who does that?" He had two of his men hold Crystal for him so that he could clean his face.

Crystal had thought that the wad of snot would send him into a blind rage, and she found his calm demeanor disconcerting. She thought that she only had a chance if she could get him so angry that he could not think straight. Only then would he start making mistakes. She looked him in the eyes and said, "Eric, you are not a man! You are nothing but a pansy-ass little girl!"

Eric smiled wantonly. "Fine. I'm not a man. It's time to get this show on the road."

Crystal's brow furrowed. "I don't want to see a show."

"Too bad." Eric shrugged. "The show must go on. Isn't that what they say...?" Crystal began to tremble as Eric approached her. He had his baton pointed at her, and he was grinning. "N-No!" she pleaded. "No... please.... I'll be good..."

Eric sighed. "It's too late for that," he said. "Nobody spits in my face and gets away with it." He jabbed the baton into her ear, and she shrieked as the electricity passed through her body. Now it was her turn to do the Jitterbug. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she had wet herself, and then she lost consciousness.

****

On the opposite side of the zoo, there was a stadium, and this is where Crystal found herself when she woke up. She was sitting high up in the bleachers. Her arms were tied behind her back, her legs were tied together, and she noticed that her pants had been changed for her. For that, she was equal parts grateful and humiliated. She wondered who had seen her vag*na and if anyone had done anything to her. She did a quick body scan, and she could not tell. After being electrocuted, her entire body felt numb.

The place was very bright, and it took a second for Crystal's eyes to adjust. Once she could see, she looked around. There was a guard to the left of her, and Eric was sitting to her right. She realized then that the place smelled like death, like blood and guts and pissed and shit, and her nose scrunched up involuntarily.

"Where's Carlos?" she asked. As she asked the question, she noticed the shark-like Cheshire's grin on Eric's face, and she wished that she could take the question back.

"I will take you to see him," Eric replied. Then he stood up and threw her over his shoulder. Crystal hated it. Unfortunately, bound up as she was, she had no way to resist. She wanted to kill him, though, and she thought that if the opportunity showed itself, she would.

As Eric took the stairs two at a time, Crystal began to cry.

"What are you crying for?" Eric growled. "He hasn't been eaten by those beasts yet, so you have no reason to be so upset."

Crystal bit her lips hard. She knew that it was useless to cry..

Finally, they reached the ground, and Eric set her on the ground. He pointed to an entrance where the players would enter from if there were a sporting event going on. As it was, there was a gate over each entrance.

"They are electric," Eric explained. "It keeps the beasts from rushing the stadium."

Crystal shaded her eyes and squinted so that she could see the gates better, and then she gasped. Carlos was leaning against the cement wall. He looks like a dead man - she thought.. From this far away, there was nothing to suggest that he was actually alive.