Without waiting another moment, ignoring the humiliation of drinking from a trough, Jessica plunged her face into the water. The blinders, still attached to her head harness, dipped into the water as she lapped and sucked at it greedily. Her parched mouth felt rejuvenated by the cool water. Her thirst sated, she moved over to the food trough, more skeptical about what it contained. Carefully lowering her head into it at an angle that wouldn’t plunge any pieces of the harness into the stuff, she tasted a bit of the porridge with her lips and tongue. It was bland, tasting only of oats, but there was nothing to offend about it, so she ate. When she had her fill, she moved back to the water trough, drinking again and using the water to wash the oatmeal residue from her chin.
Still sore, but f
