Take It As It Comes (Cooper Howard/The Ghoul Fanfiction)

Chapter Three: Time Gone By

(Trigger Warning: Mentions of abuse, r**e, death of young women.)

     "Tala, wake up." Cooper nudged the still sleeping young woman, who whined in response to his gentle shakes. "Tala, wake up, now!" His voice was a harsh whisper in her ear, jolting her and their heads almost collided.
     "Coop? What the hell are you thinkin' being right there?" Tala hissed. She sat up on the gurney with a sound of annoyance. "I could have knocked us both out!"
     "C'mon, I wanna show you somethin'." Cooper murmured, offering her his hand to help her off the gurney.
     When she tentatively placed her small hand in his, he led her out the door and a couple yards away from the town. They sat down next to each other on a random jutting rock, and Cooper pointed up to the sky. Off in the distance was a rad-storm moving across the mountains. The reds, deep purples in the clouds were lit up by the cloud-to-cloud lightning. They silently watched the weather creep across the sky at a snails pace.
     Cooper took out a tin of Gam, handing it to Tala who tore open the can and wolfed the food down, almost moaning in appreciation of the food. Her blue eyes rolled and he chuckled.
     "Alright, now that I have you fed a bit, and alone, you need to tell me why the events of yesterday happened..." Cooper said firmly.
     Tala was in the middle of chewing, pausing to glower at him. She swallowed the food and he offered her his canteen, which she grunted as she took a sip from it not taking a side eye off him. She sighed, "Those Slavers are the ones who took me when I was a kid."
     "How old were you?" Cooper asked, leaning back his hands on the ground behind him.
     "....let me start off from the beginning then," she murmured. "I was born in 2267 in a small community of a settlement—where, I have no clue—I just remember winters being snowy and cold, summers being decent not horribly hot like California. I was raised taking care of people in the community like my mother did, learning her trade of being the "town healer". When I was turning nineteen is when the Slavers struck, kidnapping myself and three other young girls in the settlement."
     Cooper's jaw slacked open, staring at Tala as she curled up with her legs against her chest. "So young..."
     "Two of the other girls were thirteen and fifteen, the third being eighteen. The Slavers kept the two younger in a different area of their encampment until they were eighteen before using them like Ella and I were used. Ella and I were beaten, raped, drugged..." Tala pulled her shirt up just enough to see scars of cigarette burns, cuts, lashes. Cooper was speechless as he listened. "You think of it, it most likely happened to me. Ella died after an overdose, the younger two disappeared so I only assume they died too. I was the strongest and they abused that fact. I know I look brittle but I have spirit."
     Cooper placed his hand on hers, stopping her from continuing. His eyes showed he was understanding that she'd gone through so much and needn't go on.
     "They obviously tracked me after I escaped by killing their leader when he tried to drug me and take advantage of me." Tala stated. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess, it's why I thought we'd be going separate ways as soon as we made it here. Is that what we are still intending..?"
     "Do you want to go separate ways now?" Cooper asked, cautiously.
     Tala made eye contact with Cooper, and her eyes were an open book. I want to stay with you is what they told him, but he wanted to hear it from her. He held his breath in anticipation of her telling him she wants to leave.
     "Do you want me to go?" Tala whispered.
     "No." Cooper said simply. "No need to apologize either. I'm used to having trouble around. Plus...you got one hell of a killer in you."
     Tala laughed, a wholehearted belly laugh. "You ain't seen anything, cowboy."
     If Cooper would have had eyebrows they would have risen in pleasant surprise at both her laugh and her implication.
     "If I may ask, do you remember your parents?" Cooper inquired curiously.
     "Yes," Tala smiled. "My mother and I look alike, she's got longer hair and is more on the well fed plump woman side of the spectrum of weight. My father is average for a man so I'm told, he's not tall like you. He's a generous man, technologically inclined, worked the power lines, and made sure our settlement never went without."
     Tala pulled out a locket in the shape of a heart from her shirt, he noticed a baby elephant and mother elephant on the front with their trunks intwined. She opened it to show him a photo of all three of them hugging. You could tell she was closer to her mother by the way they held each other, one hand on an opposite cheek of the other person. Tala's eyes welled with tears and they dropped onto the glass covering the photo.
     "I don't know if they're alive...or if they were murdered by the Slavers to ensure no one would come rescue me and the other girls." Tala admitted, closing the locket and tucking it away again.
     Cooper reached out and with a gentle sweep of his  thumb he brushed away the tears. "...let's make that our journey. You need answers, I've gotten mine about my family. So we are gonna get you those answers." It was a promise to her, because deep down Cooper knew it was time for him to stop being selfish and walled off. So much had been taken from him and he couldn't stand seeing this beautiful young woman lost, not knowing if the people who love her are still alive after so long... "I know it's usually rude to ask someone this but, how old are you?"
     "They kept me captive for roughly ten years so I'm twenty nine." Tala answered.
     Coopers eyes closed, silently thanking whatever higher power out there made it so the men weren't still alive, otherwise he was about to kick their asses for taking away her childhood and choices. "Well, Tala, I swear to you that we will find that settlement of yours and get you back."
     "Thank you...I owe you, Cooper." Tala leaned forward without thinking much of it and kissed his weathered cheek. When she pulled back, she squeezed his hand, rose, and sauntered back to the pharmacy leaving Cooper to his yet again confused thoughts.