Stripped

Fiona returns to me drawing a big horn handled bowie knife. I try to struggle to my feet but she gets to me first. Flipping me over onto my back she holds the blade up against my throat with a wild look in her eyes.

“Fiona.” Jessie warns her. “Remember what Daddy said.”

The woman smiles then slowly lowers the knife to cut my bindings, first from my wrists and then my ankles. She then straddles my stomach, pinning me to the ground with her oversized genitals pressing hard into my belly. She leans in close and whispers in my ear. “Please try to run little piggy. I’m beggin ya.” She takes in a deep breath through her nose then licks her lips. “Been an age since I tasted some…long pork. Mmmmm.”

My eyes widen in terror as I gasp under my breath. “Sweet Jesus!”

“Fiona!” Jessie snaps. “What are you tellin him?”

Grabbing my lapel she yanks me roughly to my feet and pats my shoulder. “Just sayin I hope we can all be friends.”

Jessie gives her a long look then shifts his attention to me and stands up. Patting his sidearm he says. “Don’t try nothing mister. We really don’t wanna hurt ya, honest.”

I glance toward his sister. “Sure kid, whatever you say.”

“Kid?” He giggles, just like a lady. “Better than missy I suppose.”

This was all so surreal.

Jessie holds the hem of his dress up a few inches so as not to dirty it then steps down. Fiona picks up the bucket of water and motions toward the shed she’d just come from. Not seeing any options I go where I’m supposed to. As we walk, with his free hand, Jessie draws and twirls and holsters his piece a few times with the skill of a master gunslinger. Damn that boy was fast.

We stop just outside the shed. As Fiona opens the door I see my saddlebags and weapons already there on a wide shelf.

“Go ahead and leave your clothes here.” Jessie says.

“My clothes?”

“Boots too. Right down to the skivvies.” He grins a bit too eagerly. “Unlessin ya want me to strip ya down mister.”

“Fuck, I got it.”

“No cussin.” Fiona says. “Momma don’t like no cussin here.”

“Right, got it. No clothes, no cussin, no sanity” I grumble curses under my breath as I peel out of cold wet filthy clothes and toss them in onto the shelf with the rest of my stuff. As I do so I take careful note exactly where everything was. When I made my run for it this would be my first stop.

“You got real pretty eyes mister.” Jessie says. “Never seen no green eyes like that before.”

“If you didn’t have that gun kid I’d…” I grit my teeth again.

“Try it.” Fiona says darkly. “You try goin for my brother and I’ll…I’ll…

“Fiona?” Jessie says, concern in his voice.

Her knife hand is trembling and that fire in her eyes is blazing bright and locked on me!

“Fiona, he didn’t mean nothin by it. He was just joshin.”

“Jessie…I’m…I’m havin those thoughts again.” Fiona shakes her head and hits her temple with the palm of her hand a couple of times. “This piggy’s got me thinkin all sortsa funny things.”

Jessie comes up beside her and rubs her back assuringly. “It’s okay big sister. You just listen to me now, ya hear?”

She nods. “Papa said so.”

“That’s right. Daddy said.” He gets up on his tip toes and pulls her down to kiss her forehead. “I got you big sister. Remember. If you ever wonderin right from wrong, you come see me or Elsie.” She nods again and lets out a long breath, greatly comforted by her brother’s support. “Hey, maybe don’t call him piggy. That might help. What’s yer name mister?”

“Devlin. Casey Devlin. Friends call me Case.” I say, at last given the opportunity to introduce myself. “What’s wrong with her?” I ask as I pull my shirt off.

“Nothin!” Jessie snaps. “Ain’t nothin wrong with her. Mah sister is a goddess! Ya hear?”

“She ain’t built like any woman I’ve ever seen.” I push my luck. “Acting kinda funny too.”

“Mind your words Mister Devlin.”

“And what about you? Why you go around in lady’s things?”

To this…Jessie smiles. Such a nice smile. “You like ’em?” He says with a twirl. “Pretty as a peach blossom Momma says.” Not only did he feel no shame about his appearance, he was darn pleased with it. “She makes these clothes special for me."

“Uh huh…right.” I grumble, and pull my pants off and add it to the pile. The fucked up thing though, his Momma wasn’t wrong. Jessie really was a hell of a looker despite my trying to deny it. “Listen, you seem like a smart boy. I don’t know what this auntie wants with me but surely there’s no call for holding me against my will.”

“It ain’t against your will piggy.” Fiona’s grip on her knife tightens. “Go ahead and leave. Run piggy, run!”

“Fiona!”

“Sorry Jessie.” She bows her head.

“Please mister, do not tempt my sister.”

“Right.” Good advice by the looks of it. I pull my boots off and then my water logged socks. Standing in just my undershirt and drawers I turn toward them, arms out. “Satisfied?”

Jessie giggles as he looks me up and down the way no God fearing man should to another. “You can keep goin if you want.”

“I don’t!”

“Fine, that’ll do then.”

With that Fiona sets the bucket down in front of me. “Warsh up real good pig…”

“Call him Case.” Jessie suggests, gently but firmly.

“Right. Warsh up…Case.” She grimaces like the name tasted sour in her mouth. “You’s a guest of the Bailey’s now.”

I do as I’m told, washing my dirty hands and face and mud caked red hair.

“Hey! He washes up nice.” Jessie says, absently spinning and doing tricks with his revolver as he watches me. “Carry him to the porch sister, gently, don’t want him trackin in mud.”

She sheathes her knife. “Yes sir.”

Not even waiting for me to properly finish she hoists me right up off of my feet and over her shoulder as Jessie closes up the shed. Damn, being manhandled like this by a woman I felt as stripped of my dignity as I did my clothes. As we move to the house I do my best to try to get the lay of the land. With the sun setting I could tell which way was North at least, though there wasn’t much else to see by way of roads or landmarks.

Along the way Jessie walks just behind us and talks to me. “Now you respect Momma, ya hear? Don’t you give her no lip or fussin.” Jessie’s voice goes cold. “And don’t you even TRY gettin sweet on her. She my Momma, you understand?”

I didn’t understand, not even a little, but I just nod to put the young man at ease. Between these two I would find no kindness in this Fiona so I wanted to stay on the best terms I could with the other one.

“And same goes with my sisters too.” He says. “You a guest here but you ain’t no kin. You best remember that Mister Devlin.”

“I am in no mood to be sweet on anybody, you can trust me on that.”

“Good.” His soft voice brightens as quickly as it darkened. “I think we’s get along just fine.”

Fiona carries me right up to the top of the porch then sets me down. For a moment, just a moment, I think about going for her knife but the way she was smiling at me, seeming to dare me to do it, holds me in check. The brother and sister remove their footwear and even straighten themselves up a little.

“Alright.” Jessie says, going for the door as Fiona stays behind me. “Time to meet the family.”