Free Fish Out of Water by Ros Baxter

goddamn woman howlin’.”
    I looked at him again. He was laughing, wiping tears from his eyes. “Anyway, GI Jane,” he went on. “Think we better get Blondie outta here. We got enough to deal with without some nosy neighbor havin’ a peek. Once we got her sorted, we can go get your Ma’s vehicle. You gonna be ok to walk?”
    I wasn’t sure. I heaved myself gingerly over the side of the van, and planted my feet softly on the ground. It felt like I was taking my first steps.
    “Just give me a minute,” I suggested.
    “Fine,” Doug said. “I’ll get Blondie in the house. We can transfer her to Larry’s facility later. Right now I think you need to lie down. But maybe we shouldn’t leave her out here.”
    I felt a rush of gratitude that he was taking care of her, although I was about to insist that I could manage her, when I felt my legs giving way beneath me and realized I couldn’t. “Okay,” I sighed.
    “Thank you, God,” Doug sighed back. And then, to his shoulder, where our dead mermaid was already swinging serenely: “I thought I was going to have to insist, Blondie. And the good Lord knows that woman does not like it when you insist.”
    And then he was off.
    I took the opportunity to practice walking. I definitely did not want Doug hefting me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes again. The simple, rhythmic task was useful to stop me from completely freaking out. My mind was buzzing as it sorted through strands of information.
    Someone tried to kill me. Worse. Someone tried to kill me with some seriously scary weapon I couldn’t even hear. And it was too early. I still had three weeks. Who was it? The big creepy guy Dan and Missy saw earlier? Did he kill her? And why? Did they want Blondie?
    The last final piece clicked into place.
    They did this to her, too. This was how they killed her. My poor Blondie.
    The nagging thought that had started to scratch at me a little back at The End of Days, at the mike, dug its claws deeper into my heart.
    I don’t want to die. Especially like this .
    I was down the dark end of the park when Doug returned, and he wasn’t alone. I could feel Mom’s voice poking in my head before I saw her. Oh Mother. Someone tried to kill you?
    My Mom never freaks out, and I couldn’t take it now. Stop. Mom, stop .
    I felt her start up again. Someone tried to kill you!
    I reached for what I knew was a cowardly appeal, more to make her stop than for any other reason. Just take care of me .
    It had the desired effect. She stopped her maternal rant in the inner reaches of my mind, which I was too wiped out and too tired to close off. She just ran to me instead, wrapping me up in her arms and picking me up like I was a feather and carrying me up the stairs, despite my protestations, despite Doug’s barely audible “Holy cow, the mother’s just as strong as she is.”
    She wouldn’t let me talk, she’d seen enough in my head. She lay me gently on my bed, pulling freshly laundered sheets up to my nose. I tried to protest.
    I had to get Blondie inside. And then get her to Larry’s contact.
    And then get Ma’s car.
    I had to…
    But I was so tired. I felt like I’d run a marathon. Like I could die now, peacefully, in my sleep. I felt like if I wasn’t gonna die I was gonna sleep for a thousand years, like a fairy tale.
    Mom got her elixir out of the bathroom cabinet. The one saved for major flesh wounds and broken hearts. She dabbed some on my temples, and whispered into my burned out mind.
    “Sleep, Ransha, sleep. Doug and I will do what needs to be done.”

Chapter Four
    Sting-rays and Eight-ball
    Day Two: 10:00am
    He is riding the ivory stallion, and I am bumping along sitting astride it, behind him. My heart is full and I can feel the ride’s bony back between my legs and the strong, muscled back of my lover pressed against my chest at the same time. The setting sun dips in front of us as we bounce across the plain. It is huge and orange and glowing with possibility