***
“Come on, bitch.” Amy’s handler gave her leash another tug. It was just as uncomfortable and demeaning as before, but Amy was getting too tired to care. “Not too much further to go,” he said encouragingly. “You can do it. Then we’ll let you rest.”
Amy groaned. It required an enormous effort, but she took a step, and then another, and another. The soles of her feet felt like raw meat now. The muscles of her legs ached, and there was a constant dull throbbing in her shoulders and back from spending so much time handcuffed. She hoped desperately that they weren’t lying to her about not having much further to go. She wasn’t sure that she could make it, even if they were telling the truth. What would they do if she just collapsed on the trail? They might just drag her along by her chain u
