John Watson the slave, Sherlock Holmes the master.

Chapter 7

The cab pulled up in front of 221B and an icy coldness spread through my body as I felt the blood drain from my face. I knew more punishment was coming I just didn't know what. That thought alone made my muscles stiff and unmovable, as hard as I tried I couldn't get my body to obey what it needed to do. I had to get out the car or the punishment would be worse but still, I couldn't move. I was filled with dread, I didn't know what punishment awaited me inside and I wasn't anxious to find out.

Eventually I managed to get out the cab and walk inside. I felt myself switch into autopilot and I became unaware of my surroundings and as a consequence of this, I found myself inside the apartment, in the living room, with no recollection of how I got there. I looked around for Sherlock and he was nowhere in sight. Walking further into the apartment I noticed Sherlock walk out the bathroom and come over to me.

"Stay here John, I have to go out, I will be back soon and I will punish you then," Sherlock said striding past me and out the door. I stayed looking after him for a few minutes then decided to get some sleep. I would need my strength for whatever Sherlock had planned. I walked to my bedroom, laid down, shut my eyes, and tried to sleep.

As much as I tried, sleep wouldn't come. Ideas and thoughts tormented my mind making it impossible to clear my head enough to sleep. What would Sherlock do? Would he go too far? What would my punishment be? Ideas of the most ludicrous punishments crossed my mind making me laugh because I knew it would never happen but contrary to those thoughts where the most realistic ideas that were so terrifying it brought tears to my eyes and made the blood drain from my face making my skin as cold as ice, as if the weather had betrayed me turning summer into winter making my room feel cold.

After 30 minutes of uneventful rest, I decided to go back downstairs, staying in my room was doing nothing for me. I sat down in the chair that had its back to the kitchen and rested my head in my hands. I stayed like this for what seemed like forever. The dread that filled me seemed to slow down time giving me more of a chance to think about what could happen to me. It turned seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days. I would have been doing something to distract me but once again my body refused to more so I stayed how I was until I heard the door open and I saw Sherlock walk into the room.

"Follow me," Sherlock ordered stiffly walking through the living room and kitchen to the bathroom not bothering to look at me or even tell me off for breaking his rule. I felt my body comply and felt my legs drag me to the room.

Once inside Sherlock shut the door behind me and said, "Remove your shirt then stand to face the door and raise your arms above your head so your wrists are level with the manacles," Sherlock ordered in a definitive voice; there was no getting out of this. I looked to the door to see what Sherlock meant and was surprised to see steel manacles hanging from the top of the door as if it was a removable peg rack for clothes where it hooked over the top of the door lodging it between the door and the frame.

I shut my eyes and took in a deep breath to try to calm myself, it didn't work, then with shaking fingers I undid the buttons and pulled off my shirt leaving me naked from the waist up. I walked over to the door and did as Sherlock said so my arms were raised slightly above my head, ready for me to be restrained. I knew I had to remain standing or I would be in even more pain from the bullet I took to the shoulder. Although it had healed it would hurt if I hung solely from my wrists. I felt the metal snap and I gave them an experimental tug only to find they were very secure; there would be no escaping now.

"Alright, you will get fifty lashes from my whip, then you can deal with a pain setting of 10 for a while and try to keep the noise down, I would hate to get a headache," Sherlock said. I tried to turn to see him but before I could I felt Sherlock pull me away from the door so my arms where straight and my back was exposed at a slight incline to make hitting me easier.