???
I was numb when he put me back in bed. He talked. Soothed. Coaxed. Calmed.
My tears were gone, along with my mind.
I stared at the wooden beams, blinking slowly. One. Two. Three.
His face tried to block my path, but I stared through him.
He called my name.
But that wasn’t me anymore.
He lifted my eyelid and flashed a bright white light.
I was proud that I didn’t flinch.
Didn’t move.
Didn’t think.
I closed my eyes.
Sleep.
???
He came and he went.
Poked and prodded my limbs.
Horns.
Sucked and touched.
I didn’t respond.
I didn’t care.
Day, night, week or month.
Drugs. Pain.
Nothing mattered.
I was no longer human.
Chapter 10
Vadik
I hadn’t accounted for dissociation to this degree. I anticipated resistance. Tears. Even a suicide attempt. But this was…vacant. A limp puppet who blinked on command and drooled during stimulation.
Unacceptable.
Still, while she floated somewhere behind her eyes, I made use of the time. I re-read a few case studies on trauma-induced catatonia and dissociative stupor. Refreshed my memory with some monographs. Efficient. Necessary.
And during that window, I installed her tail.
