CHAPTER 7

Abbey

YELLOW-BROWN EYES stared curiously at the animal standing several feet away. An unfamiliar scent clung to it. That was good. The dog's experiences with others like her were mostly unpleasant. A few, however, had been kind, so she knew all of them weren't bad for her.

*  *  *

Twice a day, for almost two years, Abbey was released from her cage and taken to the outside training area. She loved the multitude of smells assailing her nostrils. Warm, sunny mornings eased stiff joints brought on by the confinement of being caged. Cold, snowy afternoons made her feel alive. She would run wildly around the pen, barking and howling until she was commanded to heel. Then her work would begin.

When she performed well, she was rewarded. If she made mistakes, she was punished. An object attached to her ear caused her pain, although it was tolerable. The mental effects were more problematic. Whenever the device was activated, she felt confused and disoriented. Once the effects subsided, the training process started over again. Abbey learned how to please and anticipated what was expected of her. The punishments stopped.  

*  *  *

Her day started like every other. Commanded to heel, Abbey walked calmly between the two men, listening and watching.

"I heard Abbey's going to be transferred to Sector 6 next week. I'm going to miss her," her handler, Bruce, said.

"Sector 6? I thought they were going to put her in the field. Why go through all of this just to have her brain dissected?" his companion replied.

"Beats me, Willie. I get paid to train animals, not ask questions."

"Well, I think it sucks. She's a nice dog; the best we've had yet." 

"Yeah, a shame, but there's nothing we can do."

"I guess not." Opening the gate leading to the training area, Willie signaled Abbey to stay. "It's a waste of time, but we might as well run her through the drills. We'll give her some free time afterward."

Abbey performed each task flawlessly.

"Great job, Abbey. Free!" Willie said and motioned for Bruce to follow him. "Let's get something to eat. She'll be fine."

"Works for me."

*  *  *

Abbey sniffed the ground next to the fence. Every day she searched for a way out. Before today, freedom was her sole motivation for escape. Now, her life depended on it. She had understood most of her masters' conversation. The word 'dissected' was new, but she sensed it wasn't good.

"She's thinking about escaping," a voice said over a loudspeaker.

"She's always thinking about escaping," Bruce said. "If she really wanted to, she'd have tried it a long time ago. Even dogs have dreams, I guess."

Sashaying toward the trainers, Abbey swung her head from side to side happily. Two feet from them, she sat down and gave both men a toothy grin.

"Not yet, girl," Willie said. "Stay here and we'll bring you back a treat."

"Arr... rahhh... rahhh."

Willie laughed.

"Always the talker."

Opening the gate, he motioned Bruce through.

"She's going to run," the voice on the loudspeaker screamed. The warning came too late.

Abbey seized the opportunity and charged past her trainers, darting between the gate and Willie. Yells for her to stop were ignored. Within minutes, she was charging through the shadowy forest that surrounded the enormous complex.  

For hours, she ran. Once it was safe, Abbey stopped to rest... and to rid herself of the thing attached to her ear. If her masters found her, they would use it to control her. Scratching and digging at the object with her hind leg, she eventually managed to dislodge it. Blood ran down her furry cheek and dripped onto the ground. Abbey sniffed at it and sneezed. Using her right front paw, she scratched at the area until the scent disappeared. Then she trotted off into the darkened woods. Whatever her future held, it had to be better than her past.