Chapter 1
I awoke inside the make-shift home I had created from a rusted bus, confused on why I wasn't at home. Then I remembered. The Legion. It's only been a night, and I was one of the few lucky ones to escape. We all ran, not knowing where to go. Not knowing why this had happened. But the one thing we did know was that we couldn't go back.
The city around me creaked, as if it were in pain from its atomic devestaion. Gunshots echoed through the hollow buildings and empty, motionless streets. I equiped my armor and grabbed my Assault Carbine and headed East. I was planning on leaving Arizona and going into New Mexico, then, eventually, into Oklahoma.
"Fuck yeah! 'Nother dead Legionare!" Yelled out a raider.
"Hell yeah, take his shit and let's get out of here! I can't stand it here," Another one said.
"Yeah, alright," the raider replied.
A dead Legionare? Who could've killed it? Or what... I'm not sticking around to find out. I'll head around them down this stre... My thoughts were interupted my a blood curtling scream let out, presumably, from the raiders.
"Holy shit! DEATHCLAW! Get the hell out of here! Go!" The raider yelled.
They started to run towards me; their gunshots were getting closer. I ran back into the bus, shut and locked the door, and slumped down next the the most covered part of the bus, the front section, which was lodged into a skyscraper. One of the raiders ran up to the door, banged on it.
"No, no! Aaaghhh!" he let out a shriek of terror as he was pulled apart swiftly by the the enourmous beast. It let out a horendous roar that shook the ground around me, as well did its steps. The beast shot down the road after the other raider, and I saw this as my opportunity to run. I unlocked the bus and took a few steps, checking to see if the coast was clear. When I saw that it was, I ran for it. I made it down the street, just about to where the raiders encountered the Deathclaw when I heard the other raider scream. Then silence. Shit. It's on its way back. I looked to my right and saw a door, slightly ajar, and ran for it. I barreled through it only to see two wounded Legionares.
"Fuck!" I yelled. They reached for their guns, but I shot first. I took their ammo and caps, then sat. I need to formulate a plan. I walked down the hallway of the decayed concrete giant until the hall was collapsed. About ten feet before the hall ended, a door sat, metal, sealed. I pressed the switch and it unlocked and opened. An armory of sorts sat inside. Lockers full of ammo and a few rifles and pistols. But then I saw it. Thank god! It was a goddamned mini-gun! This'll be sure to kill that Deathclaw. I loaded up an ammo bealt and headed outside. The Deathclaw lay in its nest pulling at something else sat infront of it. Most likely, remains. I unleashed an onslaught of lead onto the beast and it let out a shrill cry of pain. It turned, hate in its eyes, and ran at me. I countinued to shoot, not giving up until the last bullet exited the chamber.
And when it did, the monster fell. But what defines a monster? Is it looks? Species? What you are on the inside?
Or what you've done? I knew the answer as soon as I looked towards that nest. The claw wasn't pulling at remains, no.
Rather at its child, which had a rebar stuck through its arm.
The definition of a monster...
Is me.