Chapter 1
This girl is gonna' be the death of me.
I've lived for eighteen years in this wasteland—foragin' for food, killin' things for the hell of it, beltin' out songs I've heard on dead men's radios. But I ain't never seen a person like her. She was like a thornbush in motion—tearin' everythin' apart as she rolled across the desert, kickin' up dirt and shit as if it were nothin' at all.
And here I was, starin' at her as she tried explainin' things to me with that sweet voice of hers.
"Do you even know what the Ghouls will do to us if they find out I blew up their compound in Shanty Town?"
I shrugged my shoulders and waited for her response.
"They'll murder us…"
I nodded my head, "So?"
Her eyes lit up like a wildfire, "So?! Are you serious right now?"
I turned to face the brown boy behind us—the one we picked up a few weeks back on our journey. Called him Piggy because he carried a little extra weight on his face. Kinda had a nose like a pig too. Ain't seen one of them in months...
"Whaddya think, boy? Ghouls kill us?"
His eyes danced between me and the girl, then he shook his head so fast his cheeks flopped around just a bit.
"No."
I slapped my hand down on his shoulder and smiled, "That's a good Piggy, always knowin' whose side to take!"
"Whatever," the girl replied, "You can do what you want. But I'm not going anywhere near those things."
"Ghouls are people too. Just like us."
"They're not," she countered, "they've lost their humanity. Now they just exist to drag the world down with them."
"You speakin' from experience?" I asked, tryin' hard to hit her in that cold heart of hers.
She spit on the ground and then shook her head, "No more talking. Let's just go."
And with that, the conversation was over. None of us spoke until five hours later—and even then it was cause Piggy had to take a piss. I told him to hurry up cause the sun was bout to go down over the mountains. Piggy said he never saw mountains before. I think he took an extra minute on his piss break to stare at them before we had to pick up and travel onward again. Hell, I don't blame him. For once, you could actually see the sky. It was like a warm broth I once had a few years ago—kind of yellow and murky, but it had its clear moments as soon as you stirred it with a spoon or a ladle or somethin'.
Starin' at that sky kind of made me hungry after a while, so I screamed for Piggy to hurry up or else I was gonna strap his hands and feet to a stick and cook him over a fire. That got his attention real quick. Ain't never seen a boy like Piggy run so fast. Thought the damn ground was bout to shake!
After he huffed and puffed and gave me the thumbs up—I turned to the girl. She stood with her hands on her hips, soft face turned towards the glow of the yellow-orange sun. Made her look like somethin' out of one of my dreams. I almost told her so, but then I thought against it. Woulda' gone to her head. Woulda' probably brought it up later in a moment when I wanted to show strength. Better just to keep it bottled up in my head like a million other things. Best to just let it stir about like that broth I wanted so bad.
"Let's hunker down in a buildin' or somethin'," I said to her while she stared off into the distance.
"Good idea," she said quietly, "we could all use some rest."
I silently patted myself on the back and took the lead, unslinging my gauss rifle from my shoulder and pointin' it forward. Ain't nothin' to shoot at but it made me feel a whole lot better. It got me thinkin' that I hadn't shot at anythin' in a real long time. Felt like years even though it was only a week ago in that Ghoul Shanty Town. Cause I had to save the girl's sweet ass from death. Even when I thought I'd had enough of stickin' my neck out for her, I go and do somethin' like shoot off a couple shots from my rifle and charge into a den of nasty lookin' Ghouls to try and scare 'em off. Even after all of that, you'd think I'd get a kiss or somethin'. At the very least a hug. But no. Damn girl's gotta give me that cold pouty face and a world's worth of attitude. But I'm not complainin'. In the end we all get to make it out with our limbs and common sense—even if hers is as crooked as Piggy's glasses.
We settled into a broken down farmhouse. Looked like somethin' from when I grew up. Felt like home. I could almost smell the Brahmin steak that Ma used to cook. And the faint draft of Pa's homemade brew. He'd drink five cups before the mornin' was over. Made Ma feel nervous but it calmed his own nerves most of the time. Made it easier for him to play games with me. Kind of turned him into a little kid. I sure do miss 'em. Nights like these, I'd let my mind wander wherever the hell it wanted to go. Didn't have to worry bout doin' somethin' stupid. Knew that my body was stayin' still. Knew that my mind could shake the leash for a couple of hours. No harm in that.
Eventually, past all of the reminiscin' bout what life was like on the farm with my folks, I thought about the girl. Stared her down from across the room in the dank farmhouse we settled into and let my eyes hover over her entire body. She was somethin' else. A dream for sure. Couldn't let her know that, though. Had to remain strong. Anythin' less than a strong leader would make me a fool. And ain't no fool capable of runnin' a group up to Boston. Especially a group leaving the Capital Wasteland. I know the odds are stacked against us. I'm aware of the fact that you don't see many kids venturin' the dirt for a reason. This world ain't for kids. Most of 'em die or were dead long ago. Only the adults survive now. It's just how it is. That's why I have to be strong. Gotta fight back. Gotta show other people that the world still has hope for the future. Didn't always believe it. Thought about shootin' myself with the very same gauss rifle that I strap to my back each day. But then I met the girl. Saw a glimmer of hope in her. Been clingin' to that feeling ever since. Not too sure how long it'll last. Just glad to have someone like her in my life.
In a world full of nothin' but dirt, sometimes it's nice to see a thornbush.