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T he screeching crow of a rooster startles me from my nightmare. Our bedroom is already warm from the morning sun, but cold sweat coats my body in a sheet of ice. Beams of light stream through the opaque lace curtains covering the window. Beneath the cocoon of Cat’s limbs, I shiver. The terror of my dream begins to fade away as my mind slips from its dreaming state back to reality. The excitement of my piggy waiting out in the barn pushes the fear even further from my consciousness.

I slip from the tangle of Cat’s arms and legs, and she stirs slightly before rolling over and going back to sleep. I tiptoe to our attached bathroom, not wanting to disturb her again. While the shower water heats, I pull my pigtails loose and gulp down water from a glass I keep by the sink. The coolness of it quenches my dry throat, reminding me I need to drink more water. Another thing Cat is right about.

I step into the steaming shower and watch the clear liquid spiral slowly into the drain. I blink, and it turns to blood; another blink, and the image is gone. I work the bar of soap into a lather, washing away the final remnants of my nightmare. My mind drifts off into the soothing sound of rushing water. Right now, there’re no more Cowboy Hat Man. There’s no little piggy awaiting slaughter in the barn, either. There’s only me standing beneath the cascade pouring from the shower head.

Catalina meets me downstairs just as I finish pouring a second cup of coffee. She’s already dressed, save for her boots. “Mornin’, sunshine,” I laugh, taking in her tired eyes and ruffled hair.

“Morning,” she mumbles, pushing me aside with her hip to get her own cup of coffee. “Look at you, all bright eyed and bushy tailed.”

“Can’t waste the daylight,” I chirp, placing my hand in the back pocket of her jeans. “Don’t act like you ain’t excited.”

“Bathin’ in blood is your thing, Sadie love,” Cat responds, her eyes brightening as she looks at me over the brim of her cup, like she’s already thinking of ways to cut our piggy up like spare parts. “Clean-up is mine.”

Once we’re both sufficiently caffeinated, we shove our boots on and head to the barn. The morning air is crisp, not yet tainted with the smell of hot manure. Screams roll out across the pasture, and Cat frowns. Whoops . I forgot to gag him.

“Fuckin’ music to my ears,” I holler, swinging Cat’s hand in mine. “Better way to start the day than any rooster crow. Still coming out of a cock, though.” I snort at my joke, and Cat cracks a smile.

I swing the barn door open and, even in the dimly lit barn, I can see our piggy standing in his cage, shaking the bars. Well shit, I forgot the shackles too. “Cock-a-doodle- do!” I crow, using my best rooster impersonation.

“You fucking bitch,” he shouts, his voice hoarse. Is that all this fucker can say? Just to prove me wrong, he follows up his insult. “Let me out of here before I give ya a gash across your throat to match the one between your legs.”

“Now is that any way to talk to a lady?” I giggle, holding a hand over my mouth. “Do you hear that, Cat? We better let him out before he turns our necks into a couple of cunts.”

“I’m sha..sha..shakin’ in my boots,” Cat stammers, putting her hands on her knees and pretending to quiver. I cackle and flip the light switch on. Harsh, fluorescent light floods the barn, and little piggy’s puffy eyelids flutter, as he tries to adjust his vision through the blood and dirt caking them.

We stroll hand in hand past the stables lining both sides of the walkway. Jasper snorts in one, waiting to be fed. Cat’s horse, Jameson, paces in another. Poor babies probably didn’t get a wink of sleep. “Don’t worry, boys,” I coo at them. “I’ll shut ‘em up before you finish breakfast.” Cat leaves me and heads towards the stacks of hay bales.

“I hope ya got some sleep,” I say to the piggy, lowering my voice and locking my eyes on his. “You gotta long day of trainin’ ahead of ya.” He glares at me, but the slight twitching of his face gives away his confusion. Behind me, Cat doles out morning portions of hay to the horses, earning their generous snorts of approval. Piggy’s eyes flit to her before settling back to me.

“Listen here, you little bitch,” he spits, trying hard to get each word out through his swollen mouth. “The only thing I’m gonna do is get the hell outta here after puttin’ both of you bitches six feet in tha ground.”

“That’s my fucking sister you’re talking about,” I snap, launching towards the cage but staying just out of his reach. I hawk a wad of spit in his eye, and he flinches backwards, furiously trying to wipe his face with his cuffed hands. Red blooms beneath the purple bruises of his cheeks, and his eyes ignite with rage. “Say whatever the fuck you want about me, but don’t you ever insult her. I’ll cut yer tongue out and feed it to ya for that one.”

Catalina appears behind me. Her arm squeezes around my middle, and her lips trace down my neck. The stupid swine’s eyes almost pop out of his skull, and he stumbles over his words, unable to form a complete sentence. “Of. Course. You’d fuck. Yer sister too. What kinda hillbilly…”

Cat shoots around me before he finishes the last bit. The loud zap of the cattle prod sizzles through the air, sliding easily between the bars and landing on his side. “You aren’t very smart, are ya?” Cat roars. He stumbles back and falls on his ass, yowling like an animal in heat. “I’d shut the fuck up now and be a good little piggy if I were you.”

His body jerks on the floor, spit foaming at the corners of his mouth. He holds his side like he has been stabbed and he’s trying to keep all the blood in. His face crumples as his weak little mind works overtime trying to find a way out of this situation. I’m surprised steam isn’t pouring out of his ears. “So here’s how it’s gonna go,” I grin, enunciating each word for him. “We’re gonna run ya around the corral for a while, get ya good and ready for the rodeo tonight. Right now, you might be thinkin’ you’ll be a stubborn one to break, but they all break in the end.”

Cat pulls a set of keys from her pocket. They jangle against the bars as she unlocks the cage door. The swine fumbles with his limbs, trying to stand. Just as he gets to his feet, Cat prods him again. He screeches and collapses back to the floor, a fresh dark spot spreading on the crotch of his pants. My nose crinkles at the foul smell of hot piss. I look at Cat, raising my eyebrows. “I told ya he was a pisser.”

She laughs and crouches over him so she can remove the handcuffs and tie a piece of rope in its place. She grabs the loose shackle and looks back at me, dangling it and furrowing her brow. I giggle and shrug my shoulders, mouthing a silent, “Sorry.” Moving to his ankles, she leaves the next rope just long enough for him to be able to shuffle. He tries to fight her off, but his trembling muscles fail him. Cat easily pushes him down and away from her as she stands. Her face glows. “He’s all yours, baby.”

I ready Jasper and march the piggy out into the corral. He’s reluctant, but each glance at Cat holding the prod behind him keeps him moving.

Time slips away until the sun hangs high in the sky, mercilessly shining down on the shadeless dirt corral. Our swine is naked as the day he came, his tattered clothes scattered around the arena. Sweat pours down his reddened, blotched skin. Deep lashes from a riding crop I’ve wrapped in barbed wire lacerate his back. The cuts continue to flay open with repeated strikes of the crop, and fresh and old blood mix in with all the dust he has been kicking up, forming a crust around each wound. At first, he galloped in steady circles as I followed on horseback. Now, he slowly trots as I walk behind, making it a few feet before falling to his knees again. He’s silent, save for the occasional whimper or sniffle. Broken . I thought it would take longer with this one, but by the third hour, he’d lost the will to fight.

As he stumbles, I crack the crop across his back again. I’ve used it so many times, I have to massage my wrist after. A frown creases my face, and I sigh. From the wooden stands, Cat rolls her eyes and sips at her bottle of beer. “I think he’s about broken,” she laughs. The swine falls face down in the dirt, showing no signs of standing. “Let’s take him back in and clean up. Save some for the show tonight, huh?”

“Fine,” I huff. I clear my throat and coat my voice with a sickening sweetness. “You hear that, little piggy? You’re gonna get a little rest.” He shifts against the ground but makes no attempt to reply or get up. I kick my boot into the pig’s ribs. He only shudders, lying motionless as I attach a rope around his torso. “Have it your way,” I scoff, climbing into the saddle atop Jasper’s back. Time to drag this little piggy all the way home.