She regained consciousness to the sound of the truck's air brakes hissing. The chain pinching her narrow waist locked behind her. Attached cuffs held her hands against her belly. Her ankles were crossed and chained. A third chain drew her into a ball. Reinforced adhesive bandages covered her eyes and mouth. The air was rank, a combination of sweat, exhaust fumes and perfumes.

(What happened? Think, Elise! Think! We left the tournament. The girls were excited because they'd placed second. We were on the freeway when a tire blew out. The bus swerved and slowed to a stop. The driver got out to check the tires. We started getting sleepy. Then - nothing.)

She heard muffled moans and the road noise of the truck.

(Oh, my god, we've been kidnapped! Okay, Elise. Calm down. What should I do? Yes! Cooperate! Don't give them a reason to kill you. Wait for rescue. That's it. Cooperate and stay alive. At all costs, stay alive!)

She bounced against the wood floor of the truck as it slowed and turned.

(Who would do this? Miss Howard's fiancé? He's rich and powerful. Did he know she was having an affair with the football coach? But why all of us? Why?)

Her sweat flowed in the heat of the sealed truck. She fought the wooziness, the nausea. The truck stopped and a door opened.

(Remember, Elise, cooperate! Stay alive at all costs. Do whatever they ask, but stay alive!)

"All right. Let's get them unloaded," a harsh female voice said.

"There are nineteen," a male voice replied.

"Nineteen? The order was for seventeen. What happened?" the woman said.

"Two unexpected passengers. We didn't want to leave them, so we took them all."

"Which ones are the extras?"

A hand in Elise's hair yanked her face upward.

"This one," the male said. "Probably a mother. And that one there." Her head hit the floor with a thud.

"Oh, what a precious child, " the woman said. Elise heard tape being ripped off skin.

"Please don't hurt me."

(That's Lana! My baby! Leave her alone. She's only thirteen. Goddamn you, leave her alone!)

"I'll hurt you if I want to... and I want to. You'll learn to like what I do to you. You'll learn to enjoy the pain," the woman hissed. Her voice was evil, so cloying and cruel.

"Please don't," Lana whined in a pathetic sob.

(What kind of beast is that woman? What are you doing to my baby? Don't cry, Lana. Don't cry. I'm here, baby. Momma's here!)

Elise struggled against her bondage, her muscles tight, but she couldn't move.

"Doctor!" It was a different voice, a cold, commanding, male voice.

"Yes, Master," the woman replied.

(She called him Master. Who could be master of that devil woman? Oh, God, what's happening?)

"Have you identified the ones we've sold?" the male said.

(Sold? Someone's been sold? No. I didn't hear that. Not slavers! Not in this day and age! Not in California! I can't be living this. It's a nightmare.)

"Yes, Master. All of them. There are two unexpected arrivals. This child and an older one."

"Set them aside. I'll decide what to do with them. Separate the sold ones and let's start processing the keepers. We've got a lot of work to do."

Hands lifted her like a sack of sand. She smelled the pungent odor of the man who carried her and felt the wetness of his sweat-soaked shirt against her cheek. He grunted from her weight as he stepped off the truck, walked several paces and set her on the ground. A hand in her hair lifted her to a sitting position. The tape was ripped from her eyes. The man holding her hair said nothing. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she was staring into a cold, craggy face with ice blue eyes. She shivered.

(He's merciless. Merciless! Oh, God, he'll kill me! Don't panic, Elise. Cooperate. At all costs, cooperate. For Lana. For Lily. For yourself. Please, God, I don't want to die!)

"I'll ask questions. You'll speak only to answer them. Say anything else and you'll be punished. Do you understand?"

She nodded. He ripped away the tape over her mouth.

"Please don't hurt me," escaped her. Anger flashed in his eyes. With his left hand behind her head, he sealed her mouth and nose with his right.

(No. Please. I meant no harm.)

She felt fire in her lungs. Involuntarily, she struggled, twisting against the chains and his hands holding her head. Her bladder gave, the warm pee soaking her skirt. Her world began to darken.

(I'm going to die!)

When he released her, the fire in her lungs intensified as she gulped air.

"Next time be obedient," he said.

He unlocked the chain holding her in a ball. Without waiting for her aching muscles to respond, he forced her to lie flat. He tucked her skirt into the chain around her waist and pulled her panties down to her ankles. His hands were on her, testing, probing. He rolled her face down. His hands dug into the cheeks of her ass, traced the curve of her thighs. Strong hands. Demanding hands.

(How dare you! Someone will see me. My body's mine. Go away, you bastard, leave me alone!)

He rolled her on her back again. He pulled at the tuft of her dark bush. Effortlessly, he jerked her into a kneeling position and hunkered opposite her. She tried to close her knees, to be ladylike.

"Never take your eyes from mine. Spread your knees widely," he said very softly. She did as he instructed. A finger touched her knee and slowly traced its way upward.

(Oh, God, don't let me react to him. Go away. Please! Go away. Don't touch me there. Think of something else, Elise. Don't think about what's happening.) She looked at him, but she saw sights a thousand miles away.

"You act like you're enjoying a strange man playing with your pussy in public. Do you do it often? Oh. Cat got your tongue? Well, I'll help you get it back. But your dignity? I own that now. You'll have to earn it. Do you want me to make you cum?"

(He's toying with me. The bastard! The goddamned bastard! He's humiliating me and laughing at me while he does it. I can't react to him. I can't!)

He caressed her lower lips, tugged at her bush. Stroking. Gently. She quivered and her hips moved. Her eyes focused on him now. She saw his pleasure at her reactions. The lips of her mouth parted as he parted her other lips. She gasped when his finger entered her. She groaned as he moved back and forth. She couldn't stop her hips from moving. He sucked his wet finger clean, and grinned, if that intense and controlling expression could be deemed a grin.

She almost thanked him when he lowered her skirt again. He removed her jewelry: the wedding ring, bracelets, the diamond necklace her husband had given her for their anniversary. Someone raised her hair, leaving her neck exposed. Her eyes never left his.

"I have a new necklace for you," he said softly, but not gently. "See. It's a steel slave collar. It locks around your neck and will never be removed unless I sell you. You're mine. I own you now, like I own my dog. Like my dog, you'll obey me happily. Listen for the click of the lock. It sounds the beginning of your new life as my slave. Listen!"

The steel collar fit snugly. The lock click sounded like a rifle shot to her. She flinched and began shaking. She tried to be still and keep the tears from rolling down her face.

(Speak. Scream. Do something! No. No. Cooperate! He'll kill you if you resist. Stay alive! For yourself! For the girls! Do what he wants.)

"Be still," he said. He cut away her blouse and bra, leaving her naked to the waist. His giant hands felt hard and hot on her breasts as he played with them.

"Are they natural?"

She didn't reply. He slapped her face twice.

"Answer me!"

"Yes," she said stunned.

"You'll always call me master. Answer again."

"Yes, Master."

"Who plays with them besides your husband?"

"No one, Master. Oh, god, don't!" she screamed as he crushed the flesh of her breasts in his hands. It oozed between his fingers like bread dough.

"Don't ever lie to me!"

"There have been others, Master."

"How many?"

"Many, Master. Ten or twelve."

"You're a slut, aren't you?"

"Yes, Master," she sobbed. She didn't care who knew how many men she fucked, about her adulteries and dalliances. She didn't care about anything but staying alive.

"No wonder you liked me playing with you as others watched. You did like it, didn't you?"

"No, Master."

"You lied, but it makes no difference. You'll learn to love it with a hundred people watching you. Is the young girl yours?"

"Yes, Master."

"What's her name?"

"Lana, Master."

He turned to a man standing beside him. "Get me Sara," he said. He again looked at Elise.

"Which of the others is yours?"

"Lily, Master."

"Oh, yes. Sweet little Lily. I can tell the family resemblance."

(He knows her? How? Don't speak! He'll hurt you!)

"You have a very expressive face. I can read you like a book," he said. "Yes, I know Lily. I know them all. I know their IQs, their school grades, what positions they play and how many goals they've scored. I know a lot about them, but I don't know everything. You'll tell me what I want to know, won't you?"

"Yes, Master."

"What's your name?"

"Elise. Elise Johnson, Master."

"Pretty name for a pretty woman. If you're good, I'll let you keep it. Can you have more children, Elise?"

"No, Master," she replied, her expression quizzical.

He grinned again.

"Have you ever had sex with another woman?"

(Another woman? No. I've wondered... )

"Answer me!"

"No, Master."

"You will. You'll do it a lot and enjoy every minute of it. Won't you?"

"Yes, Master."

"Have you ever fucked a dog?"

"No, Master," she said emphatically, a blush returning to her face.

"I have two wonderful dogs. You can suck one off while the other fucks you. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

(Isn't he human? Doesn't he have any decency?)

"Yes, Master," she whimpered.

"Would you agree to anything I said?"

"Yes, Master."

He took her head in his giant hands. His thumbs pressed against the carotid arteries in her neck. The ring of darkness grew as she lost consciousness. He let her blood flow again and waited until she was fully conscious.

"Do you know what you need to do to stay alive?"

"Yes, Master," she said, her surrender obvious in her face and voice.

"What is it?"

"I must please you, Master."

"What a smart woman you are. I thought you'd understand. Now, it's time for training to begin. We're going to start with Stephanie Howard. Since she's their coach, she should be first. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, Master."

Master stood to talk to his assistants, leaving her exposed and trembling in the dirt.

"What are you going to do to us?" Elise whimpered.

Like a cat, he pounced on her. He jammed a jaw lever in her mouth and twisted the screw between its flanges, prying open her mouth to its fullest.

"When your jaw muscles spasm, you'll scream in pain. Maybe then you'll remember not to talk without permission," Master said.

"Rail this one," he said pointing to Elise. "Sara, I want you to manage the younger one. Here are my instructions."

As he talked to Sara, another man dragged Elise to a low rail. The man shoved her into position: kneeling with her chained ankles under her, head over the rail. A short chain looped over the rail and both ends locked to her collar ring, keeping the rail under her chin. The sun was hot on her skin. Her mouth was cotton. Jaw muscles began to quiver from the strain of the lever.

She faced a high crossbar with a hook and chain dangling from it. A woman dressed in a black catsuit stood by it. The woman was an Amazon, tall, broad shouldered and well muscled, but feminine. She stared at Elise and smiled evilly. Elise's blood ran cold when she started toward her. She knelt before Elise, her eyes foreboding.

(She's more evil than the man.)

The woman began to stroke her breasts. Her fingers felt like swarming ants. Elise tried to jerk away, to escape, to shake them off.

(Get the ants off. Please. Get them off me!)

"Well, well, the big titted cow," the woman said menacingly.

(It's her! The one who said she'd hurt Lana! She said she enjoyed hurting people!)

"See this golden collar around my neck. It means I'm woman number one. You call me Mistress. I'm in charge of training and discipline. When he lets me have you, I'll get inside you. In your mind. In your soul. Men think they can do it, but they can't. They can't get inside a woman like another woman can. Like I can. It won't take long. A week. Maybe two. You'll eat your own shit to please me."

(She can't do it. She can't get inside me.)

"Like now. There are ants on your tits. Ants that'll chew off your big tits. Oh, I see from your face I'm right, but I'm always right. What's that smell? Cow, you just shit in your panties, didn't you? Oh, my, you must be scared! I won't make you eat it - this time."

Like eagle's talons, her nails dug into Elise's breasts, drawing blood. She laughed at Elise's pathetic scream.

"You don't even know what pain is, cow, but you will. I'll teach you. I'll teach that precious little daughter of yours, too. I'll let you watch when I break her. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Like seeing your daughter beg me for mercy? She won't get mercy. Not from me. Neither will you."

Mistress yanked hard on Elise's hair. Elise screamed through the jaw lever.

"Bye for now, cow. Think about me."

She walked away, stopping to talk to Master. Master stepped to the girl on the rail next to Elise, yanked her hair and warned, "Talking will be punished." He ripped off her gag and blindfold. Elise heard him walking down the line of tethered girls, repeating that phrase. She heard screams and sobbing. Someone spoke, pleading to be released. Elise heard the crack of a whip and screams of agony. Five times Master called for a jaw lever.

Other men and women stood near the crossbar. The women all wore steel collars. No one spoke to the tethered girls on the rail.

Tears flowed freely down Elise's face. Her jaws spasmed and she screamed. It was high in pitch and weak in volume. At Master's direction, a very pregnant girl came and knelt before her.

"Blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?" the girl said. Elise blinked once. The girl smiled.

"My name's Heather. The jaw lever hurts, doesn't it?"

Elise blinked.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

Elise blinked.

"They say if it's left on long enough the muscle spasms crush your jawbone and your teeth spew out. The pain drives you mad. Do you think it could hurt that much?"

Elise blinked.

"It sounds horrible, but I'll never know. I'll obey Master rather than find out. That's what he wants, you know. Eager obedience. Would you like for me to leave the lever in your mouth?"

Elise blinked twice.

"I see you're paying attention," Heather said with a smile. "Can you obey?"

Elise blinked.

"Can you not talk?"

Elise blinked.

"He doesn't expect you to be silent. He knows you'll scream and beg for mercy during training, but you can't talk without permission. Do you understand?"

Elise blinked.

"Your pain's worse since I've been here. I can see it in your eyes. Would you like for me to make it stop?"

Elise blinked.

"All right, but remember you promised to obey and to not talk. Hold still. I'll put an ice pack on your jaw. It'll stop the spasms. See? Feels better already. I'll unscrew the lever now. No talking, not even a thank you."

Heather unscrewed the device as she continued to rub Elise's jaws with the ice pack. Tenderly, Elise moved her mouth the few inches her bondage allowed. Heather sat back on her haunches.

"He's very strict. Training's very painful. After it's over, you'll receive no punishment if you're obedient, cooperative and very eager to please him. I'm all three, Elise. I'm a very eager, cooperative little slave. It's wise to be that way."

Heather kissed her on the cheek and laboriously stood. "See you later," she said before walking back to her Master.

(Obedient, cooperative, very eager to please. That's what she said. That's how to live through this until I'm rescued. Like the kidnapping experts said: cooperate at all costs. I can do it. I must do it!)

Elise tried to see her daughters, but to no avail. She wasn't even sure who was next to her on the rail. Master walked a few paces toward the rail where the girls were bound.

"Silence," he roared. "You are slaves! You'll be treated as slaves and used as slaves. Look at the women here by me. They wear my collar and serve my purpose. So shall each of you. We shall begin training with your coach. Watch! Don't look away from her punishment. If you look away, you'll be punished more harshly."

"Bring her," he commanded. Two men carried Stephanie in front of the crossbars. Still bound and gagged as she was transported, Stephanie struggled to free herself. Stephanie, twenty-five, was proud of her blonde hair which hung almost to her waist. Master wrapped the hair around his hand and lifted her off the ground.

(Look at him. Look at those muscles. He's lifting her like she was a sack of potatoes. He could do anything he wanted to us.)

Master's harsh eyes surveyed the girls at the rail. Each was staring at him.

"You've been given a collar. You'll be given water and a cage. All else you must earn by good behavior. Food, clothes, and shelter are all earned by good behavior. Earned by behavior pleasing to your master, for slaves have nothing except what their master gives them. Slaves have no right to adornments except what they earn. Hair's an adornment."

In a few short strokes of the shears, he removed Stephanie's hair as a herdsman shears a sheep. He ripped off her blindfold and gag, slipped a hood over her naked head and locked it around her throat.

The girls were silent. Stephanie was catatonic as Master removed her chains. Two of the collared girls locked leather restraints around her wrists and steel restraints with chains around her ankles. Mistress roughly pulled Stephanie's wrists together and slipped the dangling hook through the rings of the wrists restraints. The hum of a hoist motor could be heard. Stephanie was dragged under the crossbar, then upward until she stood upright, hands above her. The collared girls attached the ankle chains to the crossbar, spreading her legs slightly.

"Slaves must earn clothing. You'll be naked until you earn clothing."

Master cut away Stephanie's clothes. A man handed Master a whip. It was a strip of leather about four feet long and a foot wide, attached to a handle like that of a tennis racket.

(Oh, God. Poor Stephanie. Mistress is watching me. If I close my eyes, I'll be punished.)

"Watch closely, little slaves," Master ordered. "Slaves are punished unless! Are you listening? You'll be punished unless you're obedient, cooperative and very eager to please. Do you understand? You! Slave! Answer me!"

He was a few feet from the rail, pointing at a specific girl.

"Obedient, cooperative and very eager to please," she sobbed.

"Yes! Everyone say it!"

"Obedient, cooperative and very eager to please," Elise said, chanting with the others.

He drew back the whip, which spread menacingly across the ground. With a mighty swing, the whip flashed, striking Stephanie across her breasts. Her scream filled the air. He waited until Stephanie was still before whipping her again. Slowly he worked, letting Stephanie feel each blow as he covered her body.

Her screams penetrated the psyches of every girl at the rail. Her unanswered pleas for mercy burned into their memories forever. Her agony became their agony. She wet herself on the third blow. On the tenth, the hoist immediately lowered. Four girls released her legs and arms. She lay in the dirt, moaning in agony.

A man dragged her to a short stake located so all on the rail could see it. Stephanie's wrists were attached to it. She was on her back with her head toward the rail. Regally, Master knelt between her legs. He popped open the codpiece on his trousers. A huge angry cock sprang into view.

(Oh, my God, he's going to rape her. We're all going to be raped.)

Two collared girls ran and fell in the dirt by Stephanie. They pulled her legs back, widely spread, knees straight, toes touching the ground.

Master wasn't looking at Stephanie. He was looking at the girls on the rail. Each of them. His eyes seized theirs, one by one. He'd rape them all, using Stephanie as their surrogate.

Master lodged his cock head in her slit. They all could see exactly what was happening. Master watched the others as he slowly forced his cock into her. He raped her, grunting, slamming, pounding, but when he withdrew, his cock was hard and red, coated with Stephanie's lubrication. Master had not cum. That was not his purpose.

Mistress rolled Stephanie over and fastened her wrists behind her back. Two men brought a cage and forced her in it. Her sobs could be heard by the girls at the rail.

One by one, girls were taken from the rail. Master or Mistress sheared, hooded, and whipped them. A man raped them. They were bound, caged and left in the sun to listen to the screams and sobs of the others. Only once did the routine vary - when Master pulled Lily from the rail.

(What's wrong with you? He's going to rape your daughter. Scream at him. Stop him. No! Are you mad? We're all going to be raped. I can't stop it! Cooperate and wait! Lily! My precious Lily!)

Elise heard her daughter's pleas for mercy as she was shorn, whipped and hooded. She watched as he raped her in the dirt. As others bound and caged Lily, Master walked to Elise.

His cock, angry and hard, was covered in Lily's juices. He rubbed it on Elise's face, on her lips.

"Most slaves are dry when I rape them the first time. Sweet Lily was soaking wet. She enjoys being a slave, or maybe she's a slut like her Mother."

He slipped a hood over her head and locked it.

"I've something special planned for you," he said.

The hoods were not discipline hoods, which are tight to bind the slave's face. They were transport hoods, fitting loosely and allowing airflow, but not sight. Elise could hear and speak, but she was silent as she waited.

She'd counted the girls they'd processed. She knew they'd soon come for her. Sweat, urine, and shit soaked her clothes. Air inside the hood was heavy with those odors and the smell of Lily. The sun burned her back. Her muscles screamed from her bondage. They didn't come for her. Time crawled as she waited tied to the rail. She was wondering whether she'd been forgotten when she heard footsteps and the tinkling of a bell.

"Be still," a woman said. "I'm going to release you."

"Who are you?"

(My voice! It doesn't sound like me.)

"I'm Sara."

"Sara? Sara? You're the one who took Lana. Where is she? Please. Where is she?"

"Hold still," the woman said as she released Elise. Elise fell back, moaning in pain. Someone rolled her on her side and rubbed ice on her back to quell the spasms. Someone removed the chains from her hands and feet.

"Who's with you?" she asked.

"Kitten. Master's pet. She only makes cat sounds. Say hello Kitten."

"Meow," a voice softly said.

"Oh, god, I'm thirsty," Elise moaned. "I need water. May I please have water?"

"In a moment. Your pain could be worse, much worse. To end that pain you must be obedient, cooperative and very eager to please. That's our creed. Obedient, cooperative and very eager to please. Do you understand?"

"Yes I do. May I have water please?" Elise whispered through her parched lips.

"You don't fit in here, but Master likes you," Sara said with a laugh. "He likes short, small boned women with narrow waists and huge breasts. Master sent me to talk to you. I'll remove your hood if you'll control yourself. You must listen to me and follow my instructions."

"I will."

"Get in a kneeling position. Look only straight ahead when the hood's removed."

Elise kneeled. Hands removed her hood. Elise cringed from the sun, even though it was shortly before dusk. Sara waited with a water bottle in her hand, but when Elise reached for it, Sara slapped her across the cheek.

"Fold your hands in your laps. Wait until I offer it," Sara said curtly. Sara saw Elise's tears. She sympathized, but she had her orders. When she was ready, Sara smiled and offered the bottle of precious liquid. Greedily, Elise drank before Sara yanked the bottle away from her.

"Please let me have more."

"In a few minutes. Too much too soon and you'll vomit."

"Where's Kitten?" Elise asked, suddenly realizing the other person was missing.

"Behind you."

Elise started to turn. Kitten yanked her head forward as Sara slapped her again.

"Why?" Elise gasped, rubbing her cheek.

"You were disobedient. I told you to only look forward."

Elise's head bowed and she sobbed. Kitten softly rubbed her back. Sara wiped her face with a damp cloth before handing her the water bottle.

"You must be obedient, cooperative and very eager to please, Elise. Your safety and health depends on it and so does that of your daughters."

"I saw what he did to Lily. He raped her."

"Someone was going to rape her. She'll be raped by different men several times a day during training."

"But he did it! Then he... he... "

"...rubbed her juices on your face. He made you a participant in your daughter's rape."

"Yes! The bastard!"

"Yes, he's a bastard. A cruel, demanding bastard -- if he needs to be. He doesn't enjoy hurting you. Mistress does. He wants you to eagerly obey. That's all."

"The way to stay alive."

"What?"

"That's what the articles say to do if you're kidnapped. Cooperate."

"That's right. Cooperate, but do it eagerly."

"I don't know if I can."

"You must. Your life depends on it."

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked no one in particular. No one answered. Sara and Kitten waited as Elise cried. She asked through her tears, "What's he done to Lana? Did he rape her, too?"

"No, he didn't. There are only two women here who aren't breeding slaves. Mistress is one and even she'll have his children when he desires it. Lana's the other. If he allows you to stay, you'll be the third."

"Allowed to stay? You mean I might be released?"

"Don't be silly. You might be sold to someone who'd put you in a harem or put you out as a whore. Didn't you hear him say some of the girls on your daughter's team have been sold? They're already gone. No telling what lies ahead for them. There's no release, Elise. There's no escape. A few have tried. They were given to Mistress with no restrictions. She broke them. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, but... "

"No buts. Do you want Mistress to get her hands on you?"

"No. She frightens me."

"Then you must please him."

"Yes. Cooperate with him."

"Not just cooperate. Eagerly please. Do you understand the difference?"

"Eagerly please. Yes. I understand that, but what do you mean about breeding?"

"This is a farm. He raises babies for sale on the black market. He's sold two of mine and I'm pregnant again. That's why we're here. To produce babies."

"God, no," Elise whispered.

"I don't know about God, but the answer's yes. We're breeding slaves. He picks beautiful and intelligent women, athletic women like this team, so the babies will have the physical characteristics desired by the buyers. The girls sold today didn't meet his criteria to remain here. That way he gets top prices for the babies. Yes, our children are sold. Each of the girls taken today will bear his offspring. That includes Lily. That's why you don't fit in. You told him you can't have more children."

"Lana, too?"

"I don't know the answer to that. Not now, at least."

"Where is she? Please, Sara. Tell me. I beg you."

Sara had a soft, sweet smile when she answered. She took Elise's hands in hers. Elise felt Kitten's hands in her hair, holding her head to look at Sara.

"He changed her name. She's not Lana anymore. She's Kitten."

"Lana!" Elise screamed, trying to turn. Kitten grunted trying to hold her in place. Sara slapped Elise again.

"Stop, Elise," Sara implored. "You'll be punished if you turn."

"Let me talk to her!"

"She can't answer. She's a kitten. All she can do is meow."

"Meow." It was an urgent, warning sound.

They heard footsteps. Master appeared from the growing darkness. Without a word, he yanked Elise's head back and snapped a leash on her collar.

"Follow me," he said.

Elise stumbled and scurried after him. Her legs and feet ached and cramped. Sara and Kitten followed willingly. As they approached a small barn, they heard a woman screaming. The sound became louder when he opened the door. He led them to an open center area. Master sat in a wide, armed, wooden chair. Elise, as ordered, knelt by it. He attached her leash to a hook. The pressure on her collar made her sit with her back erect. Sara knelt on the other side.