flowers I found growing in my yard, I’m so hungry, until I found that stash up the way. And that other woman, the one that takes around them meals? She said that we can only have one a day of the shit that she cooks. There isn’t much to go around she told me, when I know better. I think she’s full of it, and I’m going to go there and steal it all tonight.”
Hector thought that he would have a better look around for others like this woman to bring back to the other world. These men would kill their own mother if they could profit from it. He was sorry that food was not plentiful here. But really, he didn’t understand that either. There was magic about, and they should have been able to get what they needed to prepare their own meals.
Both of the men had worked in this lab when it had been a fully functioning place. One of them had been his assistant for a time. He knew that Buddy could come up with whatever it was that Benton was talking about if he only tried, and that frightened him just a little. If either of these men wanted, they could put the other realm into more trouble with just a little effort. And that just would not do.
“What’s this?” Hector moved closer to see what they were looking at, and he nearly fell back when he saw it. There was another vial there, and this one was full. “Hey, you think this is the shit he’s been looking for? You heard him. Something about a drug? I bet it is. I’m betting he’ll pay plenty to have it back too, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. That’s what he was saying. What do you know about this? You think it’s something that we can turn a profit on maybe?” Tony turned as Buddy did when something fell over, to see that Benton had joined them.
“We were just leaving.” Hector wanted to tell them to run, get out, but Tony was backing up deeper into the building as he continued talking to Benton. “We found this and was going to leave it for you. But we was going out. Okay?”
“I don’t think so. You will stay here, do as you’re told. But where have you been? Hiding? That’s not terribly nice of you, now is it? Do you know if there are others, ones that can serve me while we work?” Neither man moved, nor did Hector as he watched them. Something had been decidedly scary about Benton, even before this whole thing. Now he was fucking scary, as Remy would say. “Come, come. We have work to do. I have something I need for you to do for me.”
Hector left the lab when it was apparent that neither man was going to live through this. Benton had lost control of himself twice when they told him that they wanted to leave, and he’d killed Tony and the other man with a swipe of his large clawed hand. Life for Buddy, Hector thought, was not going to be good, and he might wish that he’d been killed instead of his friends before long.
Gathering what he could of the plants and herbs on his land, Hector had his bag full, as well as the several boxes he’d found along the way in his search. He’d even gone back to his home, the one he’d shared with his family, and was surprised to find it just as he’d left it. The food had been taken, of course, even his blankets, but his home looked well. Going through the house he found most of what he wanted, and all from the list that Ruben had asked him for. Pictures of his mother were also put in the several boxes that he was going to take back with him.
Things, flowers, and herbs were just lying about now, most of it neglected to the point where it was dead or dying. But he thought that if he could make even half of the things grow, he’d be able to help the others of the new realm he was living in. He was glad that Remy had made it so that he could bring things with him this time. It would have been hard to do this otherwise.
~~~
Kate watched the children run and play with the little puppies. Even the parents had come out to enjoy the sight, pulling out lawn chairs to sit on and even a few blankets. It would
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