Turas

That's What She Said

"Where are we now?" Osheen asked. Fionn sucked his thumb. It had worn off its novelty now, but it was worth knowing as they looked out at the expanse of farmland, flat as a plate.

"Nebraska."

"Still?" Coo spoke up from the back. "Jaysus."

The sun was bright, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. They could see for what felt like miles, the only car on the road for now.

Coo pressed his face against the glass, Sceolan's head in his lap. He played with the hound's ear absentmindedly, laying it flat inside out. Bran stuck his head out the window, the wind plastering his grey fur flat against his face, flapping his tongue. Osheen snorted at the sight.

There was a figure walking along the side of the road, too far away to make distinct details. Coo watched the figure as they drew closer, boredly. As they rushed past, he suddenly gave a yell.

"Pull over! Fuck, pull over!"

Fionn slammed on the brakes, everyone lurching forward horribly, caught only by suddenly choking seat belts. He limped to the side of the road.

"Fuck!" Fionn gasped and turned around, ready to roar at Coo, but the young man had already scrambled out of his seat and was sprinting towards the figure.

Osheen got out too, just in time to see a woman running hard to meet Coo, right before she punched him square in the face.

Fionn ran around the front of the car to watch the rapidly escalating one sided brawl. The woman had sent the young man tumbling to the ground and was straddling him, punching him again and again, ferociously.

"Fuck you-, fuck you-, fuck you-," she snarled between blows, her knuckles red. Coo feebly tried to shield his face.

Osheen and Fionn looked at each other, bewildered.

"So she might remember a few things." Fionn muttered, and jogged forward to break it up, Osheen on his heels.

Fionn hooked his arms around the woman's, and hauled her up. She kicked and flailed, still trying to catch Coo with a stroke, hissing and spitting. Osheen helped Coo to his swaying feet.

His face was bloodied and starting to swell, but beneath it all he looked as confused as Osheen and Fionn were.

"Woah now, woah now," Fionn said in a low voice, setting the woman on her feet, but not letting her go as she still tried to launch herself at Coo, her face twisted with hate.

"Jaysus, she fucked you up pretty good," Osheen said to Coo, who just looked at the woman helplessly.

"Ma'am-" Fionn was still struggling to restrain the woman. "Would you please hold still?"

"That's what she said!" she spat.

"What?!"

"She said that too!"

"Would you grow up?"

"That doesn't even make sense," Coo spluttered, turning his head to spit out a red tinged glob of saliva.

The woman started laughing, slowly going still. "So you enjoying this?" she tried to twist around to see Fionn.

"Fuck," the older man rolled his eyes. "Will you not attack him for a minute if I let you go?"

"Fine by me, but only if you can bear it."

"Christ." Fionn let her drop. She landed like a cat and swept her hair out of her eyes. She was short, only coming up to Osheen's chest, and stocky. Without even seeing her beat down on Coo, Osheen wouldn't have wanted to pick a fight with her. White scars criss crossed her knuckles and hands, and her left ear was missing a chunk out of it. Cautiously, Osheen would have said she was very pretty, with long dark hair falling to her waist, full and wavy, and she had a hard jawline, sweetheart face, and piercing green eyes that were made greener by the large, plaid flannel shirt she wore.

"Why did you attack me?" Coo sounded hurt. "Do you know me?"

The woman looked him over with disdain. "You're the first one in this whole land that I recognize."

"What's my name?" Coo asked eagerly, like she hadn't just attacked him.

The woman stared hard at him. She was thinking, but finally shook her head. "Why would I know yours if I don't even know my own?"

"You don't even know him?!" Fionn looked between them incredulously. "Jaysus, is that just how you say hello?"

"I think a bigger question is why don't I remember my own self?!" the woman wheeled on him.

"Well, it's no surprise among any of us," Fionn said slowly. "None of us do."

"What?"

"Go get the notebooks. And food, bring her some food," Fionn ordered Osheen, who hurried away, grateful to escape her angry gaze. When he came back, he meekly offered her the last pack of oreos.

The woman regarded it suspiciously before tasting one. Quickly, she sat down and began to eat as if she hadn't ever seen food before.

Osheen watched Coo prod at his quickly swelling nose indignantly while the woman ate. Fionn passed her a water bottle and she downed it in one gulp. She leaned against the side of the car, eyes closed, the empty package in her lap.

"Damn, I needed that."

Osheen passed her the notebook. As Fionn explained with careful words, the woman's green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. She paged through the book, nodding every once in a while. Eventually she looked up at Fionn and Osheen.

"Okay. Absolutely none of your details are familiar to me. But his," she shot Coo a glare. He looked at her hopefully. "Yours are strange. I feel like if I ever remember anything about any of you, it would be about him. I definitely knew him."

"Well, that's progress." Fionn said, passing her a pen.

"We should probably do this on the road." Bran offered, sticking his head out the window. The woman stared at him for a moment with narrowed eyes.

"Dogs can't really do that, can they? Just him?"

"And my brother," Bran agreed. "But he's got less to say than I do."

"Well shove over, make room." the woman shrugged. They piled back in, Bran separating Coo and the woman, Sceolan happily climbing into the back to watch the road as they sped away.