Speak Up

“I’m not a dog,” you try to tell them.

“Shut that mutt up,” Robert’s angry voice carries from the other room.

“Please, just tell me what’s going on,” you plead from the ground. They don’t seem to care about your nudity but you’re afraid to move and expose what little you’ve been able to hide with your hands and legs. “I just want to go home.”

Your body tenses in pain, as an electric shock shoots through your body. It hurts all over, your muscles tensing. Robert walks back into the living room with a small black remote in his hand. “No barking,” he grunts. As he releases the button, the pulsing electricity stops coursing through you and you slump to the ground.

“What the hell!” you growl, only for the shocking to restart.

“No barking,” he repeated with a snarl, “You’d best behave, mutt.” You piece together that you must be wearing a shock collar, and the remote is in Robert’s hands. You rub at your neck, but remain quiet not wanting to give him any reason to shock you again.

“What’s his name?” Sofia asks as the family reenters the living room. You’re about to answer, before seeing the remote still grasped in Robert’s hand.

“We’ll have to pick one for him,” Camila says.

“What about Steel?” Luis suggests.

“Oooh, that’s fun. What about Lucky?” Camila says.

“Kind of looks like a Buddy to me,” Grandpa Jack says, caressing your face.

Robert grunts, “He’s nothing but a stupid Mutt.”

“Boo Daddy, how about Max?” Sofia says, hugging you tight once again, ruffling your hair.

The family goes back and forth suggesting a whole slew of names without reaching a consensus. Fido, Rocket, Gizmo, Peanut. And the whole time you sit there, trying your best to hide your exposed genitals, being pet by Sofia and occasionally one of the others.

“Nicky, you’ve been quiet. What do you think?” Camila says trying to pull her daughter into the conversation.

She looks up from her phone, “Oh, um whatever Sofia said.” Her focus quickly returns to the phone.