Panting for air, her legs burning from the constant exertion of pulling the heavy wheel, Jessica whined softly as she noticed that the cattle-prod was no longer in view in front of her. She hadn’t been paying attention to it, and realized only now that she must have dropped her pace while her mind wandered and allowed it to get far enough ahead that it was now approaching her from behind. Groaning, she dug harder into the straps, forcing her aching muscles and burning lungs to pick up the pace. She tried to turn enough to see where it might be behind her, how close to catching her, but the collar on her neck would not allow it.
The imagined approach of the wicked prod gave her new energy for a time, propelling her legs forward on adrenaline and fear. It began to wane, however, after a few
