Vanessa jumped when she heard the bird scream that way, hands shaking as she started the engine as he threw the bird out of the car. She'd noticed it calling him by another name and she started to ask him but one look at his face stopped her. She waited until he was buckled in to put the car in drive, focusing on the road and just letting herself focus on looking for the right street signs.
She reached out to turn on the radio, hoping the music would help drown out any voices from outside the car. Just in case. She didn't say anything until she parked and turned off the ignition. "Did it peck you or anything?"