Flak spat out his butt end. “Trust me, they haven’t hurt you yet at all. They caused you pain, but they haven’t hurt you yet.”
These words, spoken in a voice that was so low and dark it almost sounded like a growl, made the hairs on his arms stand on edge. “But...”
“You still got all your teeth, buddy?”
Shrapnel ran his tongue involuntarily along his teeth. “Yeah.”
“Then do what they say if you wanna keep it that way. They can do a lot of harm to your body without rendering you useless for work. There’s a lot of smaller body parts you don’t need to do slave’s work.”
These last words caused Shrapnel’s belly clench in fear for a second. “I got you, buddy.” He swallowed hard. “I totally got you.”
“Good. Remember. Keep your head down and swallow everything. I got a plan. But to keep it secret, I’ve got to play that game, too. Whatever happens, I can’t help you. Once we’re on the way, I’ll get you out, but not before. Understand?”
“Yeah.” A shudder crept down Shrapnel’s spine, as much cold as foreboding, and the itch got a little worse. He watched Flak walk away again and settled back down on the hard, gravelly ground to wait for dawn.

x-x-x-x-x-x

When dawn came and the slavers unlocked the pen, Shrapnel had to use all the strength he had left to force himself up onto his feet again. He was stiff and sore from the beating and the night spent freezing rolled up into a ball on the ground, but despite the withdrawals getting worse he remembered Flak’s words clearly.

There’s a lot of smaller body parts you don’t need to do slave’s work.

And because he intended to keep them all, he stumbled after the other slaves, trying to stop his teeth from clattering.
“You! Raider!”
He stopped. Forty walked up to him and dropped something at his feet. “Put that on.”
Nothing he’d rather have done. A pair of coarse, grey and worn cotton pants and a likewise coarse and worn shirt, but at least they were clothes. No shoes, but he hadn’t expected any luxuries.
“Now listen.” Forty hooked his thumbs into his belt. “And look at me when I talk to you.”
Shrapnel forced himself to look at him. And because he wanted to get through this as fast as possible, he made no attempt at hiding the trace of fear he felt when looking at his tormentor. Forty seemed at least partly satisfied. “We’re selling you to Tenpenny. He’s a snobbish bastard, and if he’s dissatisfied with the goods, we get to hear it. And believe me, we don’t want to hear any such things.”
Shrapnel simply nodded.

“He’s your master. Once we deliver you, he owns you body and soul. You’ll call him master, and anyone else living in that snobbish bog of his. Or mistress, of course. You’ll do as they say. Otherwise...” A small, evil grin spread on his face and he reached for the device hanging at his belt. Shrapnel couldn’t help but flinch, but Forty never pressed the button. Upon seeing Shrapnel’s reaction, he emitted a coarse, grating laugh. “You’re a fast learner at least, despite being a fucked up raider. But there’s one lesson you gotta learn yet.” He straightened up and eyed Shrapnel, the grin growing a little broader. “And that is obeying orders. Kneel and suck me off.”
Revulsion hit Shrapnel like a wave. “What?!”
“Wrong answer.”

The jolt came fast and hard, making Shrapnel topple to his knees with a yelp of pain. Before he could even draw another breath, Forty pressed another button and the pain worsened, not so much in intensity but in quality. It paralysed him. He could hardly breathe anymore.
“The answer is always: Yes, master. Understand?”
Shrapnel managed a nod, but only just.
“Good. But to be on the safe side... Jenkins! The shears!”
The world spun, and Shrapnel had no strength to resist being thrown flat onto his belly again. The collar still held him almost paralysed, and while Forty now brutally sat down on his ribcage the other man behind him tore his pants down to his ankles. Cold sweat broke out all over his body when he felt something cold and metallic touch the tender skin of his nutsack. But he couldn’t even beg for mercy, he had no breath to spare. He tried to fight, but he was still paralysed, and one man was sitting on his torso while the other sat on his legs.