A Fate Worse Than Death

Chapter Six

     Preston led the group down to the end of the corridor, past the door he'd said was his mother's.  The hall took a right turn and led to a big, garage style door.  Preston put in a code and the door slid up.  He closed it again once everyone was inside, and he led the way to a bunch of large box stalls.  A big, dark brown horse head poked out of one, and a smaller black head from the one beside it. 
     "Hi, you two," Preston said as he approached.  "Breakfast is coming." The smaller horse began kicking the stall door in excitement.
"Trouble," Preston told him. "Stop it. I said food is coming." Trouble kicked the door again.
"He's excited," Jordyn said. "He likes food."
"He's a pooka," Preston countered. "He's a mischief maker. But he does like food." The other horse kicked her door once.
"Luna," Preston said. "Don't you start. You're supposed to be the chill one." The mare kicked her door again.
"Maybe they're just excited for new people," Jordyn guessed as he and Rune followed Preston to a small room.
"It's possible," Preston scooped feed from a large bin into a plastic bucket with a metal scoop. After three scoops, he added a fistful of oats and one of corn, then added a bit of water from a small sink in the corner.
"This goes to Luna," Preston handed the bucket to Jordyn. "Just dump it in her blue food bucket and come back, I'll give you water to bring her." Jordyn nodded and carried the bucket out to the big mare. Luna's orange eyes brightened as she watched him approach. She kicked her stall door again.
"Hi, Luna," Jordyn said calmly. "Back please." The mare stepped back and let him enter her stall. He poured the food into the short, wide blue bucket in one corner and checked her water quickly before backing out of the stall and closing the door.
"Good girl," he said as the mare let him leave before eating. He locked the stall and returned to the feed room.
"She does need a water refill," he told Preston. "But she has good table manners once she sees you brought the food."
"They both do," Preston told him as he filled the bucket with water. "Trouble just gets them both worked up before it comes." He dropped a small apple into the water bucket and handed it back to Jordyn. He walked back out and reentered Luna's stall to give her the water. The mare took a few gulps before she began playing with the apple.
"Little buddy found the cat," Preston told him as he returned. The older boy jabbed his thumb at one corner of the room. "I'll take Trouble his food and water, you go meet the fur ball." Jordyn walked to the corner to find Rune sitting cross-legged on the floor, a strip of web hanging from one hand as he held it over the face of a brown/orange tabby tortoise shell longhair.
"Kitty likes you," Jordyn sat beside him as the furry cat lay on her back swatting at the web. She purred as she played and her tail swished happily.
"Nice kitty," Rune made the webbing disappear, then gently picked up the cat to hold her. The feline purred louder and rubbed her cheek against his.
"Someone made a friend," Preston had come back to get water for Trouble. "She doesn't normally let anyone hold her."
"Soft kitty," Rune scratched gently behind the cat's ears as she continued to purr.
"I think he's fallen for her," Jordyn said. "He's enamored."
"We can move her litter box to the unit when we're finished here," Preston offered. "I have to feed her still, but she seems very comfortable with him. It might be nice for her to be in a more cozy environment." Barron seemed fine with the cat too, he sniffed her a few times, then walked over to try stealing one of the apples for the horses.
"You goof," Preston told the dog, ruffling the fur on top of his head. "You just had breakfast and you're hungry again?" The dog simply looked at him while holding the apple in his mouth.
"I think he wants to save it for later," Jordyn said. "Our Anatolian used to carry around treats until she felt like eating them. It kept the other dog from getting them."
"Barron doesn't have that to worry about," Preston took a small melamine plate from the cabinet above the sink and put a small scoop of organic cat kibble onto it. The cat turned her head towards the noise, but stayed in Rune's arms. Preston set the food on the floor and the child let the cat down to eat. 
     "That's a good cat, Autumn," Preston told the kitty as she munched her food. 
     "She usually hides till I leave the food," he explained to the younger boys.  "I think she just needed someone she really liked to bring her out of her shell."  Rune stroked the cat's back as she ate. 
     "Her name is Autumn?" He asked. 
     "That's what I've been calling her," Preston answered.  "But I think she wants to be yours, so you can name her what you think fits." 
     "I like Autumn," Rune assured him.  The cat finished her food and turned to the boy. 
     "Hi," Rune told her.  The cat meowed and climbed on his shoulders. 
     "Do you two want to take the horses outside with me?" Preston asked. 
     "I can lead one of them," Jordyn offered. 
     "I'll give you Luna," Preston told him as he grabbed two lead ropes.  "She's a little less excitable." He led them back to the horses, and handed Jordyn one of the ropes. Jordyn walked to the big mare and looped the rope around her neck loosely, not finding a halter. He brought her out of her stall as Preston took Trouble out.
"This way," he said as he led them further down past more stalls, all empty.  "They just go in the grazing field today.  Tomorrow they'll go into the farm attraction."  He stopped at another garage style door.  He put in the code to open it and led the way out.  A short path wound its way around the side of the barn to a grassy field a few times bigger than a football field.  Trouble began to dance and toss his head. 
     "Calm down," Preston told him.  "Let me open the gate."  He unlatched the metal gate and led the horse in.  Jordyn followed with Luna.  He unhooked the rope from her neck while Rune stayed just outside the fence.  The mare walked casually into the field while Trouble trotted around the perimeter until he found a spot to stop and eat.  Preston walked back out and latched it behind him. 
     "Come on," he said as the boys followed him back into the barn.  "Let's go back to the housing unit.  I'll show you some of the plants, and we can move the cat's things in."
     "Will the guard be mad if we move the kitty?"  Rune suddenly seemed unsure. 
     "Mom will be fine with it," Preston assured him.  "The cat clearly likes you, so there's no reason she can't move in with us."  He picked up Autumn's food plate and handed it to Rune.  
     "Can you carry this and her scratching mat?" He asked.  "I can get her litter box and litter.  Jordyn, can you carry her food bag?"  Jordyn hefted the bag and found it wasn't too heavy.  The bag was clipped shut, so nothing spilled.  Rune picked up the scratch mat on the floor and Preston led the way back to the unit. 
     "Would you two be okay if we put her litter box up in your bathroom?"  Preston asked once everyone was back inside.  "The plant room has plants that could be dangerous for her so I don't want to put it in there." 
     "I don't mind," Jordyn said.  "And we'll see it every day that way so it'll be easier to remember to clean it."  So the litter box and litter were moved upstairs and the scratch mat was placed in a free space in the living space. 
     "She can have this little bowl for water," Preston set a small flowered bowl on the kitchen floor and the cat climbed down from Rune's shoulder to get a drink.  "She just had a plastic container in the barn and I don't think she liked it much."  A knock on the door got everyone's attention. 
     "Hi, Mom," Preston greeted as the guard walked in. 
     "Hello," Jordyn greeted as well as Rune walked over.  The guard greeted back as she offered a piece of paper to Jordyn.
     "Here's a list of the other attractions," she told him.  "Look it over and decide which one you want to do next." 
     "What's a carnival?"  Rune asked as Autumn came up to rub his legs and check out the guard. 
     "Normally it's a place with a bunch of rides and games where people go to have fun and eat delicious fried food," Jordyn explained.  "But I think the one here will be a little different." 
     "Meaning it probably won't be fun at all," Preston added. 
     "And it has resident prisoners," the guard warned.  "So you'll probably be confronted multiple times if you pick that attraction." 
     "I wanna see what it's like," Rune pleaded, picking up the cat. 
     "Then we'll do that one," Jordyn handed the list back to the guard.  "I have weapons if we need to fight." 
     "Do you know how to use them?" The guard asked. 
     "I can learn," Jordyn told her.  "And I'm a fast learner."  That made the guard give a small smile.  She looked a lot friendlier without her helmet. 
     "I'll put it through and have a pack made for Rune," she said.  "You'll need all the supplies you can get.  You'll go in tomorrow afternoon."  Everyone said goodbye and she left, putting her helmet back on.
"So you have your next attraction," Preston said. "Nervous?"
"Yes," Rune hugged the cat a little tighter.
"Trying to stay calm," Jordyn answered.
"It's okay to be anxious," Preston told them. "You did well in the corn maze, so you have a chance with the carnival."
"What happens if we get badly hurt in a fight?" "Jordyn asked.
"Mom will have someone come get you," Preston assured him. "And you'd have to start over once you healed. But I hear your bunny friend came with some healing candies, so you might not get to that point." Bunnenstine made a noise and came wandering over.
"He heard us talking about him," Jordyn chuckled. Gizmo, meanwhile, was sniffing at a closed door at the end of the short hallway.
"Gizzie," Jordyn called. "Don't be nosy."
"He smells other plants," Preston said. "Come on, I'll show you." He walked over and opened the door. Inside, numerous plants lined the walls, some fairly normal, others rather unusual.
"The eyeballs are hissing," Rune stayed in the doorway nervously.
"They know you're new people," Preston walked over to a group of pots with plants that resembled Venus flytraps, but with pedaled eyeball-like additions above the mouths.
"You're okay, peepers," he gently tickled under the plants' chins. "They're friends." The plants stopped hissing, but still watched the boys.
"Peeper plants are vigilant little guys," Preston explained. "They pick up on the littlest differences. These'll go in the garden section of the farm attraction when they get a little bigger." 
     "They're kinda cute, in a weird way," Jordyn walked over for a closer look.  The plants all stared at him. 
     "This one has webs on it," Rune had found a tall, stemmed plant with what looked like cobwebs woven between the stalks. 
     "That's sandman's hammock," Preston told him.  "They look spooky, but they're actually very friendly plants.  The oils in their stems are used in skin and hair care products and calming teas, and that silk they have can be found in some stuffed toys, blankets and sheet sets because the natural scent has a calming effect that aids with sleep troubles.  That's where they get their name." 
     "You know a lot about weird plants," Jordyn noticed. 
     "I have to in order to do my job," Preston told him.  "But they're also just fascinating to begin with, they really grow on you, so to speak."  A broad-leafed plant in the corner began twitching its leaves, then it began shaking. 
     "The mandrake wants out," Preston smiled.  "Watch this."  He walked over to the large pot and tickled under the leaves.  The plant stopped shaking after a few seconds and instead began rising out of soil.  A small, monkey-like head popped out next, and little rooted fingers pushed out as shoulders followed the head.  The plant creature reached for Preston, and Preston gently pulled it out of the pot.  He held it for a moment, tickling its belly as it made little giggling noises. 
     "Hi, Manny," Preston spoke affectionately to the mandrake.  "Who's my sweet guy?  Do you wanna run for a bit?"  He set the creature down and he began toddling around like a small child trying to run.  A little vine tail swung back and forth as he moved. 
     "Do you name all your plants?"  Rune asked. 
     "Only the ones I keep," Preston admitted.  "It'd be too many names to keep straight otherwise.  Manny hit a soft spot for me, so he's staying here instead of going to the garden with the other mandrakes once he's fully grown.  The ones in the attraction will breed enough to supply the right amount of roots for the infirmary anyway once they start shedding." 
     Gizmo had noticed the mandrake running around and began scuttling around too.  Manny noticed and started chasing him, making little squeaks. 
     "Play nice, Manny," Preston told him.  "Gizmo lives here, too."  The mandrake toddled after the gourd, but only ran beside him instead of grabbing or scratching. 
     "He wants a playmate," Jordyn said as Gizmo turned and began chasing Manny, happy little noises coming from him.  "Gizmo's good with others, they'll be fine."  Bunnenstine had wandered over, wanting to join in.  The three began running around as a group, and Preston smiled.
"Good boy, Manny," he said. "Play with your friends while I take care of the other plants." He walked to the bathroom, returning a moment later with a bag of compost and a container of crickets.
"Wanna try feeding the peepers?" He asked Jordyn.
"Sure," Jordyn took the container of crickets and a pair of tweezers Preston offered.
"Don't worry about the crickets escaping," Preston told him as he cautiously opened the container. "They're not gonna jump out. Just open the lid enough to grab one with the tweezers." Jordyn did, and he walked over to a red peeper plant. He offered the cricket, setting it in the plant's mouth. The mouth closed as he removed the tweezers, and the eye blinked once as Preston came behind him with a spray bottle of water.
"Just some moisture for them," he said. "They got a drink yesterday before you arrived." Jordyn went down the line to the yellow, orange, white, purple, blue, and black peeper plants with the crickets. Preston sprayed each after its mouth closed until all seemed happy. He offered Rune the bag of compost.
"Can you give them some of this?" He asked. "Just put a fistful in each pot." Rune put down Autumn and took the bag. He cautiously sprinkled a handful of the compost into each pot. Preston then asked him to give compost to the sandman's hammock and to Manny. The sleeping plant and the mandrake were then given water and the supplies were put back in their places.
"The other plants had their compost and water yesterday," Preston said. "So we're finished in here. Manny can stay out with us until he wants to go back in his pot. We don't need to bring the horses in until later when it's their dinner time, so for now, you two are free to hang out." So Jordyn and Rune did just that for several hours, watching cartoons and working on one of the several puzzles Preston had stacked on a bottom bookshelf in the living space. Lunch was grilled cheese with lunch meat, which all enjoyed.
Around six, Preston and Jordyn brought Luna and Trouble inside for their dinner before returning to the unit for their own dinner. A couple hours after, Rune decided to go upstairs.  Jordyn followed shortly after, deciding to bring a book with him.