A Life Of 'Shine - Lem Fike

37

Nora barely slept now, always waking up from those returning nightmares she had thought were long gone. As time wared on and the  dreams grew worse she settled for not sleeping at all, too afraid to sleep and be dragged back into those dark corners in her mind.

"Can't sleep either?" She looked over, noticing Kieran approach from the horses. He was illuminated by the soft glow of the fire from fire but aside's from that it was too dark to really see him or make note of any noticeable facial expressions.

"No.. nightmares." He nodded, sitting next to her on the bench.

"Wanna talk 'bout it?"

"Last person I spoke about it too was Lem."

"What happened between you two? Last time we were together you were incredibly close and now he's nowhere to be seen."

"I don't know what happened to him, he just left."

"That's shitty- I thought of him as the type to not just disappear."

She nodded, pulling the sleeves of her jacket over her hands to keep warm in the cool night air. Admittedly, she was still heartbroken but she knew of others who had suffered far worse than her and so suppressing those feelings were far more suitable in her eyes even if she wanted to cry.

"He used to help me a lot ya know. Was a support, helped me with my nightmares and the constant blackouts and all that progress I made just, it left with him I guess staying awake is far better than the damned nightmares, but I don't know."

"I still have nightmares. O-Of the torture, the burns,, everything."

"My nightmares are a little more my own fault. Afterall, put myself in all those positions."

"Like what?"

"Well for one." She began, pausing as she thought of which nightmare she was willing to share.

"Lem's a moonshiner and the government would send all these agents after him and his aunt, they were able to lose them but once Hixon was after them all they could do was run and bide time but he always caught up. Maggie was burned alive because of that bastard but Maggie never gave up, sure she was on her deathbed but that didn't stop her."

Kieran nodded, listening to her words without interrupting. He noticed how her sentences were broken, broken from where she had suppressed this memory long ago and was now trying to piece it together to the best she could.

"Well, when I got Lem out of jail and helped 'em with a few jobs they needed all that I was left needed for was to help rid them of Danny-Lee and Hixon. Lem had arranged a meeting between him and Braithwaite, Danny-Lee was to be there too and word would then be drifted to Hixon so we could get them in one spot. We weren't meant to be spotted but we were, Hixon taunted Lem and so he set of our trap, which was basically a ring of fire."

"Still have nightmares of the fire. The screams and Lem almost killing us, most my nightmares are of Hixon succeeding and then there's Lem who keeps dying and I.. I fail to protect him." She brought her knees to her chest, tucking them in as she sat on the bench.

"I miss him. I really do." She felt Kieran gently wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close for a hug.

"I'm sure he had good reason."

"His reason was that his aunt said so."

Kieran was silent after that, giving her a small pat on the head as an act of comfort. She chuckled at the given contact, looking up at Kieran with a bright smile.

"S'pose that's all there is too it. You got anything you need to talk about since we're here."

"Not that I'm ready to share. Not yet anyway." Nora nodded, pushing herself to a stand from the fire.