The Prophet's Daughter (Black Army Sequel)

Chapter 25- The Vet

Chapter 25- The Vet

For a few hours, the trailer was relatively quiet. Abbie and Angela looked straight ahead (though it was hard for Angela to look any other way since her cage was too small for a feline of her size) and the only movement they made was when they needed to balance themselves. It was hard for Abbie to adjust to standing while in a moving vehicle, since she’d never done it before, but once she figured out how to, it didn’t take long for it to become effortless to her. She tried to look over at her friend, but the large wall in between them hid the big cat from her view.

“Angela?” Abbie asked in a shaky voice after a few hours.

“Yeah?” the cat replied.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Well, because I had a feelin’ something like this would happen. Obviously it still did, but you know as well as I do that we had to protect ourselves as long as possible. I think we all knew this would come sooner or later.” Abbie nodded and held back tears.

“I miss them,” she whispered, bowing her head.

“I know you do.” Abbie lifted her head again, tears uncontrollably trickling down her long face. Even Lankford looked like he was trying to keep tears from spilling out of his pale blue eyes.

“Please don’t cry,” Abbie whispered.

“I put you in here. It’s my fault,” he said uneasily.

“You were just following orders. I’m sorry I made you get slapped, but… I don’t like it here. There’s nothing you can do, I know, but, please… just try to stay strong, for our sake.” He nodded.

“James,” he whispered, looking at his feet.

“What?”

“My name’s James,” he said, louder so she could here. Abbie nodded.

“Abbie,” she said, looking out the window again. “I don’t suppose you can tell us where we’re goin’?” James shook his head.

“Let’s just say it’s better off you don’t know. Whatever you do, don’t fight them. They’ll hurt ya’ either way, but it’s just easier if you follow orders.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have animal instincts to keep in check,” Angela muttered quietly under her breath so that a human wouldn’t have been able to hear. Abbie nodded.

“What?” James asked.

“See?” Abbie giggled.

Abbie glanced out the window. The sun was setting outside already, and they seemed to be pulling onto a driveway with a gate.

“Angela?” Abbie’s voice was panicked.

“Abbie?” Angela questioned, concern thick throughout her voice.

“I think we’re here.” James looked up.

“What? Already?” Abbie nodded and shifted her weight uneasily as the trailer started to slow down. James grabbed her halter on either side of her cheek and held her head to it was leveled with his.

“Look at me, Abbie.” She looked straight into his eyes, and he stared back into hers. “Promise me you’ll do what they say, or at least try to.” She studied the expression in his eyes and sighed.

“I’ll do my best,” she breathed. He nodded and let go of her halter. The door opened behind them and people came on to drag Angela’s cage down the ramp.

“Bring her down, Lankford!” the Russian General instructed. James hastily untied the rope and led the horse down the trailer’s ramp. The General stopped him and looked him over. “She didn’t even leave a scratch!” He looked at. “She must be broken already!” he smiled tauntingly. Abbie pinned back her ears lunged toward the General and roared a great, ferocious neigh in his face. His crooked teeth turned into an amused grin. “Or not.” He laughed, getting his whip ready. Abbie stood and braced herself, getting ready for the lashes. Once they were finally done, Abbie left them there. She didn’t want any of the monsters that contained her to know even more of her secrets yet. James led Abbie behind Angela’s cage up a winding, hilly path into a barn-like building made almost entirely of wood. They shut the doors behind her and she let out a small, longing whinny, but followed James without resisting. The main room of the building branched off into other hallways and rooms. Angela was pushed through one way, Abbie was led through the other. She looked at her friend and wished she could go after her, but didn’t dare disobey. She wasn’t sure where the General was and she definitely didn’t want another lashing. After a long hallway, Abbie was led into another hallway that looked like one that belonged in a barn. Stalls lined it on either side, though most were empty, and lines were tied on either side of the hallway at various points to hold horses if they were going to be groomed, examined by a vet, or the like. He led her into one of the stalls and unclipped the lead rope.

“So I’m an army horse now, is that it?” she sighed. He shook his head.

“That’s not why you’re here,” he whispered.

After a few minutes, Abbie heard the clicking of footsteps and perked up.

“Bring all the horses for examination out!” A voice called throughout the barn. James opened Abbie’s door and led her to one of the sets of ropes and hooked them to the rings on her halter on either side of her muzzle.

“I’m sorry sir- I thought you’d come later,” James explained. Abbie did her best to look back to see a man in a white coat carrying a black leather bag, with a man pushing a cart of what looked like medical supplies behind him. It was hard to do with the uncomfortable ropes, but she managed. The man waved him away.

“Is this her?” he asked, pulling on plastic gloves. James nodded.

“Do you know age, breed, height, anything like that?” the man asked. James shook his head.

“Ask her,” he replied, nodding to the horse. The man looked from James to the horse and sighed.

“Same questions,” he said.

“I’m three in horse years. Breed I’m unsure of. I consider myself a mustang,” Abbie replied hesitantly. The doctor nodded and scribbled on his paper. First, he measured her height. Abbie expected that. He also looked in her eyes, nose, and ears. It was uncomfortable, but bearable. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would’ve been. Then, he ran his hand down her legs and felt her joints, her muscles, and her tendons. Abbie tried to lift her leg up and away from him several times, which met her with a lashing from his own crop. His assistant, who had been pushing the cart, held her head as he did so.

Once he was done, he lifted up her tail and shoved a cold, glass rod into her butt. Abbie tried to reach around and bite the doctor, but his assistant smacked her face so hard it felt like he had hit her cheek with a whip. She sighed and stood there, shaking and defeated. After a minute, the man pulled out the rod and looked at it. He walked around and placed it on the cart. It had numbers going up it and lines next to each number. A blood red liquid filled it. Abbie assumed that it was a thermometer. The doctor pulled out a syringe and pushed it all the way down. The assistant kept Abbie from looking to see what the doctor was doing. She felt a sharp pain as the needle entered the skin on her neck and sucked up her bright red blood until the syringe was full of the thick red liquid. She tried to pull her head free, but the assistant still held it firmly in place. Abbie heard the clanking of glass and metal, and Abbie felt another sharp pinch of pain on the other side of her neck. This time, liquid was pushed through her veins instead of taken out. The needle was pulled out of her neck and her head was released. Abbie stood, tense and shaking, ears limp against her head. James sat on a stool, watching helplessly as the frightened mare underwent the torturous examination, wishing he had been given a different job. Once they were sure they had everything they needed, they left and James led Abbie back to her stall.

“I’m sorry about that, sweetie. You’re a little trooper,” he whispered before he left. Abbie stood in the back corner with her head down, still shaking. He looked her up and down and sighed. “But please, try to get some sleep. You’re gonna need it,” he added as he walked away.