Chương 112: Chapter 111 - Braxton, Brayton and the Biting Uneecorn

Joe Abernathy sat with his head in his hands. This has to be a dream, he thought. Just a terrible nightmare dreamed up in the bowels of hell. He had no idea where he was and what these creatures were. He had done everything they asked, but they killed Brayton and Braxton anyway. He was haunted by the terrified look in his beloved dog's eyes as these horrible creatures took pleasure in the pain they inflicted. He could feel the tears welling up, but there were simply none left to cry.

The image of them hurting his beloved Rosie had made the well run dry. He didn't even know if she was alright. Was she sitting at home frantically worrying about him, or had she suffered the same fate as his beloved pets? He looked over at the next cell, it was more like a cage, really, no bigger than the kennels he used to transport the pigs to show in. As he inspected it, he realized these were his kennels. There was the name plate, clear as day, screaming "Property of Joe Abernathy, Smoldergate Farms."

He gained a whole new appreciation for the pigs seeing the world from their point of view. This was all his fault, he thought as he caught sight of Armand curled up in a corner, legs to his chest rocking back and forth. He was the one who brought these… these… things, to his house. He thought glaring at him. The thing he couldn't wrap his mind around was why?

"Armand, why? Why did you bring them to my farm? Of all places, what did I ever do to you? What did Rosie ever do to you? When your own father ditched your ma, wasn't it us who helped you and her make it through the tough times? I took you in, treated you like the son I never had, why would you bring these vile creatures to my doorstep?" he called out. Armand didn't even look up, he just sat and rocked back and forth like a pendulum sounding out a beat for a musician.

"No one was supposed to get hurt, Joe, I swear. I just wanted to get back at Celestia, that was all I wanted to do," he muttered, wrapping his arms around his legs even tighter.

"That fairy you had the hots for at the academy? This is about a stupid vendetta because she wouldn't give you the time of day? The one that you tried to take?" Joe asked, looking at Armand with disgust.

"What is wrong with you? I thought you had finally grown up, I really thought more of you Armand, I really did." He sighed. Armand finally turned to him, outraged.

"Wouldn't you give me the time of day? She humiliated me, she got me kicked out of the academy, she took away my career, Joe. She took away everything I wanted." He yelled, furious at the man for not recognizing what she did.

"Boy, I told you then and I will tell you the same thing now…" he took a deep breath, pausing, trying to curtail his rage.

"You humiliated yourself. That girl politely declined your offer, then she was far more direct about it. You were the one who decided to pursue it even after she said No. You followed her around like a damn lost puppy, no matter where she was, there you were. You were even caught looking in her windows on campus. You got yourself kicked out of the academy. They told you to leave her the hell alone and you couldn't let it go, you just kept going. You pushed it way too far.

Just be thankful that girl didn't have you locked up… then again maybe she shoulda. It wasn't right Armand. It wasn't right then and none of this is right now. How long have you been holding on to all this? At least ten years by my guesstimation. The only one I see that took everything away from you was you, and now you have taken everything away from me!" he snapped, this was insanity, the lad was nuts, plain and simple. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"But Joe, I had to do something, " he said, desperate to make him understand. I couldn't just forget it, I had lost too much. I knew Celestia was here for Sheera's kid's party, they had ordered the cake from my ma's bakery. I knew it was my chance, my only chance. Celestia doesn't come here very often and when she does it's to go see Sheera and the kid with Seraphina. Celestia loves that kid, so I knew giving her the toy would make Celestia hurt like she hurt me." Joe looked at him confused.

"Boy, you need to slow down and back up," Joe said, trying to make sense of Armand's rantings.

"Are you talkin' about that stuffed Uneecorn they made me give Ill?" Joe asked, still unclear about so much.

"Yes." Armand said.

"I don't understand what givin' a kid a toy has to do with hurtin' someone, it's a stuffed animal boy, cute and cuddly, a huggy," Joe said, shaking his head. Still unable to follow the logic.

"Not these toys, they bite." He hissed.

"When you hug them, they bite." He snickered.

"Oh for the love of Pete, boy!" He grumbled.

"Whatcha mean they bite? They has no teeth to bite nobody with."

"These do, the guy showed me, when you squeeze them two teeth come down from its mouth and stick whoever's holding it."

"You had me give a biting Uneecorn to Ill to give to her five year old grandbaby, so you could get revenge on a girl who bruised that fragile ego of yours over ten years ago?" Joe asked, as the twisted pieces of Armand's logic came together.

"Yea, I figured it would upset Celestia when the kid got hurt," he said, seemingly proud of himself.

"Armand, I don't know what you was thinkin' but that's sick, very, very, sick. The fact that you would injure an innocent child like that to get payback for a wrong that was never done to you but by you, is very disturbing, I think somethin's broken in you boy, very broken," he said, shaking his head.

"Thought you said no one was apposta get hurt?"

"The runt don't count, she was collateral damage in my opinion." Armand said. Joe looked at him with contempt and disgust.

"You know they done killed Brayton and Braxton and didn't do it quick neither. Those poor dogs yelped and cried and I couldn't do nuttin' to save um. They also beat Rosie pretty bad, I don't even know if she's okay. They 'lateral damage too?" Armand looked over at Joe.

"I didn't know they did that, Joe," he said, dropping his head.

"I was with a group of them heading over to Sheera's to see…"

"See what? To see if a five year old suffered an injury from a biting uneecorn? To see if the fairy was broken up over an innocent kid getting hurt?" he interrupted, "While the rest of um were tearin' up my place, making me watch while they had fun torturing my dogs and beating my wife?" he hissed.

"Joe, if I could take it back I would, I swear. I loved those dogs and Rosie is like the grandmother I always wished I had, I never thought…" he began.

"That's the problem boy, you doesn't think before you do sumthin' stupid like this, then you is all surprised when it goes off the rails. Like I said…" he paused, shaking his head.

"There is sumthin' broken inside you." he sighed.

"I hope you gets everything you got comin' to you boy. I just hope for your sake, they show you more mercy than they showed Braxton or Brayton."

"Joe you gotta help me get outta here." Armand pleaded.

"I'm sure together we can get out of here." Joe turned to him wide eyed and shot him an incredulous look.

"Boy, you are right where you belong, locked up in a cage. You is just lucky I am too, because if I could get my hands on you…" he broke off, he paused taking in a sharp breath, "let's just say you'd look worse than the dogs did after they finished with um."

"But Joe…"

"But nuttin' boy, I'm done with you." He hissed as the outer door opened and two guards entered with a man in a white coat.

"Take that one first," the man in the white coat said, pointing to Armand.

"Sure thing doc," one of the guards said unlocking the cage.