Chapter 19~ Subnapped!
The first stop was Norfolk Virginia. Thresher felt it when the truck slowed down and a few minutes later, daylight flooded the trailer. Her eyes blinked as they adjusted to the light, iris glowing luminous in the half dark.
She felt her cage being lifted and squealed in surprise, not quite expecting that.
"Ah, still kicking in there are you?" It was the hot dog man.
Growling, Thresher took aim at him through the bars.
"Feisty one aren't ya?" He pulled his hand back, checking to ensure all his fingers were still intact. "Just remember our deal. Do your part."
He set her on the ground and after some wrestling and a few near misses, got a muzzle on her which he then yanked her out by after opening the door. Thresher's fins scrabbled for purchase on the pavement to no avail. A collar with a rudimentary tag was placed around her neck and a leash clipped onto it.
"Heal Sub." Hot dog man growled and reluctantly and with little choice, Thresher followed.
The familiar smell of the sea filled her with nostalgia and she whimpered, longing to reclaim her place as queen of its depths.
"Eager to get wet eh? Well if you're good we can always go swimming at a pool." He said.
Thresher shuddered, recalling the only time she ever spent in a human swimming pool. She'd vowed never to repeat it.
Her time at this festival was spent entertaining the numerous guests who'd showed up at the hot dog stand. With the promise of food if she did well, Thresher did her part and was fairly well compensated. A plate of various meats given to her at the end of the day.
2 weeks after she was first stolen Thresher began to feel ill. It was an odd feeling at first, barely noticeable. It began with stomach cramps that appeared on occasion but soon Thresher found herself throwing up at every opportunity. Anything she ate she just spit back up and the constant smell of food didn't help. She spent most of her days curled up under the table, trying to hide her dry heaves, fins plastered over her mouth.
The hot dog man didn't understand what was wrong and punished her severely.
"What's wrong with you eh?" He asked, swiping a hand across her back.
Thresher squealed, fins scrabbling as she tried to get away. For her attempt she got a boot to her keel. It was the first time she'd been kicked and it hurt a lot. Her cries turned to screams that didn't abate for some time. When they finally did she found herself being carried into her cage and encased in darkness.
Her stomach in knots, sleep was impossible for Thresher and she listened until the hot dog man's snores sounded across the small apartment. Her eyes fell on the little silver key that hung by the door. Little fins peaking out on either side of the cage, Thresher dragged herself stealthy across the carpet. Jaws parted in a pant and sweat glinting on her hull, Thresher used the last of her strength to knock the key down. She grabbed in her jaws and just lay there for a few minutes. The snoring, having briefly stopped, resumed again and swiftly, Thresher undid the lock and slithered out of the cage. It felt good to be on soft ground for once, free of the cage and any restraints. Well most of them anyway, the muzzle still existed around her mouth and her jaws ached from it.
Flopping across the floor, Thresher squeezed her bulk through the dog door and vanished into the night.
The sights and sounds of the big city were difficult to bear but Thresher was used to it by now. She focused her senses on the nearest body of water. She detected one a few miles to the south and began to flop her way there. The rain was coming down by now and the lights from buildings and cars made unusual halos as they reflected off the wet pavement.
After a mile, Thresher's stomach churned again. Feeling sicker than she ever had before, the submarine found a bush to puke in. Bile rose in her throat and some flowed into her lungs. Coughing up a storm, she collapsed on her belly, hacking up loads of phlegm. Once finished, she just lay there. Too exhausted to go anywhere else, she slipped into darkness.