Page 18 of My Wild Pet

“I know. I pointed that out, but he said it was different for women.”

Her eyes reflectexactlythe same way I felt when he told me too. That look that says, ‘How is it that some men can live side-by-side with women and still not see us as human beings?’

Then she says, “He deserved what was coming to him. It was God’s will.”

“I’d call it rage,” I reply.

She’s looking at me, but it’s clear she’s remembering something terrible. “Before you, we watched him murder three other men. He made them give him blowjobs and he sodomized them. Then, when they began to refuse to… service him… he killed them. And to my shame, I couldn’t look away. Some craving inside me made me want to watch. And I mean, watch everything.”

“Did you watch me too?”

“Yes, we did. In our own sinister way, we were all hoping you’d do it—bite it off to protect yourself from that monster.” Rebecca looks ashamed.

“I don’t think it’s sinful to watch. I mean, I’m no expert on scripture, but there’s that bit about ‘an eye for an eye,’ right?”

“True. But it still felt… wrong somehow. Like we crossed a line. I’m afraid I’m going to be punished for it now, byhim. This grey human looking man who has us on leashes.”

I grind my teeth against the muzzle, remembering my mania in that moment. “Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t feel respectable at all, but then again neither does taking out the garbage. You always have to wash your hands afterwards.”

Rebecca is not impressed with my attempt at humor and she looks off into the distance ending our conversation.

I break the silence after a few minutes. “I’m grateful to be with someone who at leastlookshuman even if he’s got grey skin. He could have a lizard tongue for all I know, but at leasthe doesn’t look like an actual lizard. Or an octopus-man. Just a well-fed zombie.”

Rebecca doesn’t respond. Instead, she turns her back to me, her shoulders shaking as she starts to cry.

I tentatively place a hand on her shoulder. “I wish I could say it’s going to be okay,” I say softly. “But... I don’t know if it is.”

She whirls around, her face wet with tears. “We’re naked, Briar. With leashes around our necks. We have lost all of our dignity and you’re just sitting there, letting it happen to you. This is only going to get worse! Why aren’t you worried about what’s going to happen next?” Her voice cracks as the words spill out. Then she presses her hands together and begins to pray.

“Pray with me, Briar,” she pleads.

I hesitate. “I’m sorry, Rebecca. It’s been years since I entered a church.” A memory from my time at a Catholic orphanage pops into my mind and I push it down as fast as I can. “And... being here? This only makes me surer God doesn’t exist.”

Rebecca’s hand flies across my face before I can register what’s happening. The slap stings, and the muzzle digs painfully into my skin. “Ow! What the hell?”

She looks more shocked than I feel, her hand trembling as she pulls it back. “I’m so sorry, Briar,” she whispers. “I didn’t mean to, but God exists. We can’t lose our faith now. God created the universe, not just Earth. He’s testing us. He was working through you when you saved yourself and others from that bad man. Now we must pray for guidance.”

“Maybe God wants us to see the galaxy,” I say. “Maybe He wants you to meet the aliens He created too.”

Rebecca’s brown eyes narrow. “God didn’t create aliens,” she says with absolute certainty, as though the very idea is blasphemous.

“You don’t know that,” I counter. “Why wouldn’t He have created aliens? If He made the universe, wouldn’t that include everything in it?”

“Becausewewere created inHisimage,” she tells me, her expression turning reverent as she bows her head and begins to pray aloud.

“Dear God, if You’re listening—please, I beg of You—help us. Don’t let us lose ourselves in this place. Give is strength. Strength to survive. And if there’s a way out of this, show us the way. Give us a sign, a chance, something we can hold onto. But if there isn’t—if this is all we have left—then allow us into Your Heavenly Kingdom no matter how far we are from Earth. Amen.” Rebecca looks up at me expectantly.

“Amen,” I say for her.

Then, I step away, giving her space. Her whispered prayers continue, her voice soft and pleading.

Now it’s just the two of us left here, in this strange little space filled with colorful balls and soft mats. With nothing to distract me, I’m trapped with my own thoughts, and the realization that this is my new reality.

I’m an alien’s pet.

Maybe I should be praying too.

The grey man who bought us comes to the back, seeking out Rebecca. I can see it on his face, the concern. I hear him make a strange hushing sound as I slowly join them.

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