Page 30 of Time After Time
“His vet said his blood test showed he’s lacking some essential vitamins,” Mrs. Marley explained, her tone serious but still keeping a cute, light tone. The woman knew what to do. “He gave me instructions on how to give him the shot, but I can’t do it myself, sweetheart.”
Gen’s mouth trembled as she processed this, her eyes darting between Mrs. Marley and me. Then she turned to face me, shooting me a glare that made me instinctively take a step back. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”
“Normally, Mr. Marley handles it,” Mrs. Marley continued, her voice steady. “But Cooper needs to be restrained, and…”
“What?!” This time, it was my turn to feel uneasy. If Cooper needed to be restrained, it was likely I’d be the one stuck doing it.
I glanced to my right, where Cooper was eyeing us from behind a wooden fence. His gaze shifted from Gen to me, and I could have sworn his eyes twitched, as if he was letting me know he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Okay, so how do we do it?” I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt.
Mrs. Marley beamed, clapping her hands excitedly as she grabbed something hanging on the fence. “I’m going to put this on him so he doesn’t bite any of you.”
Gen and I exchanged wide-eyed glances. Her look of “I’m going to kill you” directed at me was completely understandable. Honestly, I was tempted to do the same to myself at that moment.
“Sebastian, you’ll need to get in there and guide him to that corner,” Mrs. Marley instructed, gesturing with the object she’d retrieved. “Use your legs and lower body to corner him while Gen—” she glanced at Gen, who looked terrified, her eyes were still wide and I wasn’t sure she had blinked since we had stepped onto the farm, “—inserts the needle from outside the fence.”
“Right here,” she pointed to a spot on Cooper’s flank. I imagined it was a safe place, but I was too busy glaring at the pig, trying to muster up some confidence.
“Inject at a 90-degree angle into the muscle and do it slowly, okay?”
If Geneviève talked to me after this… she was definitely an angel.
We both nodded, and I took a deep breath as I slowly stepped inside the fence, my legs slightly bent, ready for Cooper to pull one of his crazy stunts—maybe a headbutt or something even more unexpected. To my surprise, Cooper allowed me to guide him into the corner, staying calm and even silent, shocking me and making me feel even more uneasy. I preferred him screaming like a banshee, at least I knew what to expect.
Gen’s hands appeared through the fence, a bit shaky, but she was focused on what she had to do. In a flash, the needle was in and out, quicker than I’d imagined.
“Well, that was easy,” I said, letting out a nervous chuckle.
Mrs. Marley and Gen exchanged relieved smiles, nodding at me in approval. But I had spoken too soon. As I stepped back to let Cooper escape the corner, one of his rear legs shot up, striking me squarely in the groin.
“Holy f?—”
My vision blurred, and all I could hear was Cooper’s snort, which almost sounded like a mocking ‘fuck you’. Mrs. Marley’s face morphed into one of concern as she noticed my expression, her eyes widening. “You look purple!” she exclaimed before dashing into the farmhouse.
I bent over, one hand holding my… well, while I used the other to hit my lower back, hoping it would help, but I was so out of breath that I couldn’t even hit the spot.
Gen, on the other hand, stood there with wide eyes and her mouth agape. The shock turned into laughter, tears streaming down her face as she tried to help me escape the demon’s territory when I made an attempt to jump over the wooden fence, wincing when I had to open my legs a bit too much.
“Fucking pig,” I muttered under my breath, still reeling from the unexpected blow.
He had hit me in the groin. Again.
Once I had jumped, or better said, laid on top of the fence, still holding my parts and allowing Gen to grip the back of my shirt and tug me to the other side, I fell on my back on the ground, muttering curses while Gen continued laughing, becoming louder when I glared at her.
Mrs. Marley came out with three frozen bags of peas, making me feel so embarrassed, along with the fact that I, for sure, didn’t need three bags: one or two was more than enough.
“I don’t know what got into him, Sebastian.” Mrs. Marley placed the bag on my chest with care and I immediately gripped it and placed it on my groin, keeping myself from sighing in relief. “He is always such a good boy.”
Gosh, I wanted to snort at that. A good boy? Cooper? Perhaps when he was sleeping because the fucking pig was a demon. I was sure.
Even now he was walking around the fence, glancing down at me and those eyes had never been more lively. He wasn’t even faced by the few flies around him, too focused on me.
“Bitch.” I muttered, glaring and hoping Mrs. Marley hadn’t heard me, although she probably hadn’t as she was too busy speaking to Gen about how much of a good boy Cooper was and how he was the gentlest.
And then, before my brain could absorb what was happening, Cooper turned around, his butthole pressed against the fence, his curled pig tail tilting upward as he started shitting right there. I rolled over to escape, but not before a tiny something landed on my face. I scrambled onto all fours, gagging, while Gen’s laughter mixed with her own gagging. Mrs. Marley disappeared into the farmhouse, claiming she’d get me a towel and some water.
Pig shit.
