Cast of Characters

Lilliana 'Lilly' Ramirez – The Courier

Jedediah Ramirez – Lilly's Father

Henry – Lilly's Uncle

Morgan – Lilly's Eldest Brother

Virgil – Lilly's Second Brother

Frank – Lilly's Third Brother

John – Lilly's Fourth Brother

Jesse – Lilly's Fifth Brother

Dan – Lilly's Sixth Brother

Jacob – Lilly's Seventh Brother

Rosanna – Lilly's Third Sister

Jack Dalton – Lilly's Jilted Fiancé

Billy Dalton – Jack's Youngest Brother

Doc Mitchell – Goodspring's Doctor

Carlita – Gomorrah Prostitute

Vincent – Gomorrah Ghoul Prostitute

Mike – Gomorrah Ghoul Prostitute

Ingrid – Gomorrah Ghoul Prostitute


Hells Highway: The House Always Wins

Introduction:

The Ramirez Clan

New Vegas, Freeside, The Atomic Wrangler Casino

"She should have been here two weeks ago, Pa. You know something bad has happened. We should never have let her run off like that. Any self respecting Ramirez woman would be married and looking after her family at home. But not Lilly, you were always too soft on her, Pa. You let her get away with too much. Look at poor old Jack. He's out of his mind with worry. This should have been his and Lilly's wedding day, but instead she chose to run off and play bloody courier in the middle of the Mojave."

"Have you damn well finished, Morgan? I know we shouldn't have let her go, but she's so damn pig headed and stubborn when she sets her mind to something, just like her mother."

"We've been sat around this shit hole for two weeks now, Pa. The only family gathering were going to be having is a funeral, and probably one without a body."

"Morgan, we don't know for sure if she's dead or not. The best thing we can do is start checking the settlements around New Vegas. Maybe someone's seen her."

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, Pa. Besides, we need to get home, the farms won't run themselves. It's not right to leave the farms for the women to run, it just ain't right, Pa."

"Damn it, boy …."

"No, Pa, you listen. I've spoken to the rest of the boys and we are all in agreement, we leave tomorrow. The boys want to get back to their wives and young uns. Only Jack and Billy are refusing to leave, and they're not family yet anyway. I say we get the hell out of this place while we still have some caps left. We brought two hundred Brahmin to New Vegas, Pa. That's two hundred thousand caps at one thousand caps per Brahmin. Split between the ten of us, that's twenty thousand caps each. It should have been enough to see us through the next few years. But some of the boys are already more than half way through their earnings, Pa. This fucking place sucks people dry. What with all the gambling and whoring it's a wonder any of em want to leave. God only knows what Ma will say when we get back. You know what she's like, she'll be preaching from that damn book of hers. God this and God that and God …."

"Don't let your Ma hear you cussing like that, boy. She's set in her ways just like the rest of us. I still wouldn't change her for all the caps in New Vegas. As for the boys, and that damn sister of yours Rosanna, well they're just letting off steam. Don't begrudge them a little gambling and pussy when they've worked so damn hard this past year. God knows things haven't been easy. What with the drought, Your Aunt Rachael falling sick, the death of Jacob's first born and those damn raider attacks on the farms, well it's enough to drive a hard working fellow to despair."

"You know we need to get back, Pa. Lilly's probably dead or run off some where. You've got fourteen other kids who look to you as the head of the family. Not only that but Uncle Henry was hoping to buy the Westwood's old farm and settle down in the area now that he's retired from soldiering with the NCR."

"Henry, god damn it, he's been cock deep up to his hairy balls for the past two weeks in pussy. I'm surprised you got him to say he wants to leave."

"I could have done without that vision in my head. Ma will have a fucking fit if she finds out what you've been up to while you've been away."

"Unlike the boys, I've kept my dick in my pants and haven't spent more than twelve hundred caps. I would think she'll be that frantic with worry over her favourite daughter going missing that she'll be too busy praying to worry me or the boys. At least we can only hope she's got better things to do."

"So we're agreed then, Pa. We leave tomorrow. Maybe we can hire someone to find out what happened to Lilly, but we sure as hell can't wait around here forever."

"We'll try those bounty hunters, the Rico brothers, they're good at finding folk who go missing or don't want to be found."

"It'll make a change for them to have to bring back their target alive and in one piece. But money is money and they work well so long as they're getting paid."

"Your Ma is going to be mighty pissed off when we return without Lilly. I don't think she'll ever get over it, Lilly was always her favourite. Like two peas in a pod those two. You can tell they came out of the same mould."

"We'll have to deal with that later, Pa. I've got a wife and six young uns to feed and provide for, same with all the boys, only Rosanna among the ten of us who can do as she damn well pleases. That's because you didn't force her to marry, and now she's running riot, it's not proper for a woman to be gambling and whoring, it just ain't right, Pa."

"Rosanna's old enough to know her own mind. Ain't no reason she should be different than any of the rest of you. I got seven sons all of whom I'm mighty proud. And I got eight daughters, six of whom do as their told and also make me proud to be their Pa. Only Rosanna and Lilly got a wild streak running through the pair of them, but I'm still proud of my other two girls as well. I just hope Lilly is ok and living well somewhere. She'll come home when she's good and ready."

"Well you tell yourself whatever you need to, to get through this ordeal, Pa. But I'm more practical …."

"Don't ask me how I know, son, I just know it. She's alive and well, we'll see her again."

"Ok, Pa, I believe you. Hey look over there, looks like Jack's hit it big on the slots. Poor old Billy wastes all his caps on gambling and whoring and goes home with nothing to show for it. Looks like Jack who's stayed as celibate as a monk will be taking home a little extra. Oh shit, trouble follows, look over there, those four guys have them surrounded, and Billy's pulled his guns. Looks like we ain't leaving New Vegas without a firefight."

"Come on, Morgan. Lets go and sort this shit out before that crazy Billy kills somebody, you know I always said he was too wild for his own damn good."


New Vegas, The Strip, Gomorrah

"You sure do take a lot out of a girl, Henry. I can't believe you're really fifty two years old, you fuck like you're twenty something."

"Carlita, when it's the best fuck I've had in the last thirty years I intend to savour every moment and give the best fucking performance of my life."

"Well you sure didn't disappoint this little old girl, honey."

"So have you had chance to think about what I asked you?"

"You mean leaving New Vegas and settling down on some little old farm, just the two of us."

"Hell ye that's what I mean. It's got to be better than lying on you're back for a living, fucking any bastard who takes a fancy."

"Don't knock it honey unless you've tried it. I make a shit load of caps every night for fucking horny old bastards with more cash than sense."

"So I'm just another fuck, easy cum easy go."

"What did you expect sweetie? The two of us whispering sweet nothings into each others ears for the rest of eternity. You want me to swap a luxury suite at Gomorrah for a dusty old farm out in the middle of the fucking dusty little old desert."

"Ah shit, I guess you're right, Carlita, who the hell wants to settle down anyway. I've managed without it all these years. I guess a few more won't hurt. Now come back here, let's get back to business."


New Vegas, Freeside, The Atomic Wrangler

"Come on, Jack, I need another thousand."

"Billy, you can't have got through ten thousand caps already?"

"I've just had a run of bad luck, Jack. Lend me a thousand caps, I'm sure my lucks about to change for the better."

"Are you kidding? Pa will go fucking crazy if we come back with nothing. We brought twenty five Brahmin with us, Billy, that's twenty five thousand caps. I gave you ten thousand thinking you would take at least half of it home."

"I just got a little unlucky, Jack, it happens, now stop being a pain in the ass and give me the damn caps."

"Forget it, I'm going to see what Jed is going to do about Lilly and then I'm out of here. We need to go over to Crimson Caravans and see if they have any work for guards on the way back home. Hopefully you can earn some of that money back that you've wasted."

"Alright, Jack you win, make it five hundred and I promise I'll pay you back."

"Alright, if it will damn well shut you up for a few minutes. But I want it back within the month. When Lilly and I get married …."

"You know she isn't coming back, bro. She's either run off, dead or slavers got her, either way you'll never see her again."

"Fuck you, Billy, I'm not about to give up on her just because she's two weeks late. You do know this was supposed to be our wedding day today."

"You'll find someone else, bro. What about her sister Margaret?"

"She's only sixteen for Christ's sake, she's just a kid. Lilly would have been twenty two in just less than a months time."

"Well I guess …."

"Just shut the hell up, Billy. You're giving me a serious headache."


New Vegas, The Strip, Gomorrah

"Well that was sure as hell different." Rosanna smiled looking up from the bed at the three ghouls, two male and one female.

"Occasionally we get demanding customers like you in here wanting all sorts of depraved shit. It's damn lucky that we cater to all your sick and vile tastes and love every minute of it while we are doing it. The next hour is on us smoothskin, it should be our break, but we haven't finished with you yet."

"Really, and what do you intend to do with me?" Rosanna purred.

"Anything that comes into my sick little brain, you smoothskins aren't normally so willing to try new things out, but you are one seriously deranged little pussy cat."

"Ingrid, I hope you're getting strapped up for the next session." Rosanna said with a giggle.

"Oh really, well you won't be disappointed then. Between the three of us we've got all the major holes covered. It's what we like to call, The Three Way Split."

"It sounds positively delightful, and a little painful."

"It's guaranteed to have you walking bow legged for months."

"Then we had better get to it, my beautiful little ghoulies."


Gun Runners Kiosk, Outside New Vegas

"Frank, have you got the list Pa gave us?" Virgil questioned as he took another weary look at the robotic store keeper.

"Hold on a minute, Virgil. I'm trying to find the damn thing. Here it is." He replied handing the list over to Virgil.

"That will be ten suits of Mk2 Combat Armour, ten Mk 2 Reinforced Combat Helmets, ten of those Assault Rifles with Scopes, 5000 5.56mm rounds of ammunition, and that should just about be right for now."

"That will be a grand total of fifty five thousand caps. That includes the regular ten percent discount we have with your family and employees."

"Pay the man …. Err … the robot, will ya, Frank. I'll get the boys and start loading up the wagons."

"Will do. Here it is. Fifty five thousand caps. Don't spend it all at once, will ya, Mr Robot." Frank said handing over the large bag full of caps.


Goodsprings, Doc Mitchell's Place

"Lilliana Rosalita Catalina Jessica Ramirez." Lilly answered, looking at the old man through blurred vision for any kind of response.

"That sure is one long mouthful. So I'll ask again, what do I call ya?"

"Most folks just call me Lilly. So I'd go with that, Doc."

"Lilly it is then, easy enough to remember for an old fellow like me. Now where were we, I guess you might have a few questions. Ask away, young lady, and I'll do my best to tell you what I know."