A/N This is my first story. Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. This is the Courier.

I was walking through the wastes minding my own business when I saw a dead guy dressed in a suit of combat armor in a ditch next to me. I couldn't believe my luck! Free combat armor! That was much better than an old, worn-out duster. I leapt into the ditch to relieve him of his armor and weapons, but as I jumped into the ditch, the ground I was standing in a moment ago erupted into 3 mini plumes of sand. Then I heard a burst of gunfire. I withdrew deeper into the ditch and fumbled for my binoculars. With shaking hands, I managed to get it out of my backpack and focus it on where I heard the shots ring out. I spotted a group of Legionaries walk towards me no more than a few hundred yards away. The Legionary on point was carrying an old pre-war rifle. The rest were wielding 10mm submachine guns. No doubt they were the ones shooting at me.

"Oh shit," I mutter.

I desperately searched for my beat up cowboy repeater, when I spotted a pair of hand grenades next to the body. I snatched one, pulled out the pin, released the safety lever and let it fly. It landed closer to me than it did him. Dazed and with a ringing sound in my ears, I decided to keep the other one when they got closer to me. I grabbed my rifle and got into a shooter stance, lying prone in a ditch. I shouldered my rifle, aimed for the closest SOB and gently squeezed the trigger. Fortunately for me, I didn't miss this time. The Legionnaire crumpled like a sack of potatoes. This doesn't stop the others however; it merely made them rush at me. I rolled over to eject the spent casing and to cycle in a new round. I aimed down my sights and let loose another shot.

"Damn."

I missed. Thinking on my feet, I set up a trap with the last hand grenade. I ripped out the pin, tied some string around it, and attached it to the backside of his armor. They would get a nasty surprise if they flipped his body over. I would have to leave the armor behind though. I grabbed some of his ammo and a stimpak and set off on a mad dash to safety. I heard of the sound of bullets whiz past me and I silently thanked God for their abysmal training in firearms. When they got to the ditch, they looked in for a few seconds and ran towards me. Apparently they didn't fall for my trap, but the time they spent looking at the corpse gave me ample time to reload my rifle and to put one of them in my crosshairs after taking cover in a destroyed pre-war house. I squeezed the trigger yet again and hit him in the left shoulder. He stumbled back a bit but quickly regained his footing. I cursed my poor accuracy and terrible rifle.

"If I make it out of here, I'm selling this piece of shit", I said to myself.

The Legionaries kept advancing towards my position. I turned on my Pip-Boy and looked for the closest friendly settlement. It was Novac.

Too bad it was about a kilometer north of me. I decided to push my luck and kill those assholes before they got anywhere near me. They were now about 50 yards away and closing. I shouldered my rifle and shot the guy closest to me. Luckily, I got him straight in the head. Perhaps my shaky hands helped me that time, but I couldn't think about that at the moment. After seeing two of his comrades die, you would think the last one be running away, but he kept on coming. He was too close for my rifle so I dropped it and unholstered my 9mm pistol. I aligned the front sight on center mass and pulled the trigger.

"Click."

Cursing, I dropped my pistol and pulled out my combat knife. I would have to fight him the only way he knew how. I hid behind the dilapidated wall and waited for him to get close. He walked past the wall, confused. That was all I needed. I jumped on him and while screaming a primal battle-cry, I stabbed him through the neck. I got off of him and while he lay in the dirt gasping for air, I mercifully ended his life by stomping his face in. No sense in wasting a perfectly good bullet on him. The sun was setting. I would have to find some shelter fast. Unfortunately, the sounds of battle and the smell of freshly killed prey brings out many predators.

"That was close."

I gathered my rifle and pistol, reloaded them, and then cleaned my knife on my pants. I tossed the rotting body into a hole and then I covered it in dirt to hide the smell. Then, I set up a small campfire to scare away the beasts that could still smell the corpse. As I sat down to relax and enjoy a sip of purified water, I felt a sharp, stinging pain on the right side of my right knee. The adrenaline coursing through my veins must have stopped my wound from hurting. I looked down and saw a line of blood drip down my leg. Luckily, I was only grazed. I wiped off the blood with a wet handkerchief and looked in my backpack for some healing powder. I poured the satchel on my wound then covered it with a bandage. I slumped down on a rock, wondering why those Legionaries were after me in the first place. I didn't get far. After a few minutes of thinking, I quickly fell asleep.

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed. I changed my dressing then I ate some Cram and a prickly pear fruit and set off to Novac to sell my old rifle.

A/N I will try to update weekly if I get some constructive criticism. I know I sound like a broken record, but reviews are greatly appreciated.