Charging a Deathclaw with a hand grenade
An original Fallout: New Vegas story from the perspective of Craig Boone
A/N: I have no idea how long this story is going to last or if I will even finish it. This idea came to me after beating Fallout: New Vegas on hardcore mode for the first time. I hope you all enjoy and feel free to give advice and good reviews – Dorkscout
Me and Carla had just finished our tour of the Gomorrah and were settling down in our room at the Vault 21 hotel. We settled on the bed and I turned to look at her, she was so beautiful that smile she was smiling made me forget about everything. The mistakes I had made, the people I've killed, and most importantly my time in the NCR. I kept staring at her smile and when she started talking I couldn't hear her I was too distracted by her beauty. I noticed her smile start to fade and her words were coming out more frantically, instantly worried I tried to listen to what she was saying but I couldn't hear her at all. Her smile was long gone and it had been replaced by a face of distress and fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks while she screamed her silent scream at me. Suddenly we weren't in the hotel anymore… I was on some dirty hill lying flat on my stomach my trusty rifle snug in my shoulder, but I could still see her but instead of being in front of me I was looking at her through the scope of my gun. What I saw horrified me, I saw her in rags shaking with fear with countless others like her surrounding her. Not only them but dozens upon dozens of legion soldiers all ranging from scouts to veterans to centurions. I knew killing the soldiers wouldn't accomplish anything and she would be gone by the time I mounted a sizable rescue, so I laid there for a minute still looking at her dirt ridden and tear streaked face. God she was still so beautiful even after the hell she must have endured. I knew there was only one option to help her escape the everlasting hell the legion would put her through as a slave, only one way to end the torment of a slave collar wrapped tightly around her neck. So I wiped the tears that were forming in the corners of my eyes away and I set my crosshairs on her head, and I swear in that moment she looked directly at me first in hope then in confusion, and finally fear. I wrapped my finger around the trigger and took aim. "I'm so sorry" I muttered under my breath as I finally squeezed the trigger.
A brief but loud knocking on my hotel room door woke me from my night terror. As I grumbled awake I heard Manny yell through the small hole in the door that had been formed one night by some drunken mercenary working for the Crimson Caravan Company. Manny kept knocking and yelling my name thinking I was still asleep. "Boone I've been in that damn snipers nest for eight straight hours it's your shift now!" "Alright I'm coming stop yelling!" I practically screamed still feeling the effects of my nightmare weigh upon my mind. "Sorry but I'd hurry up if I were you those damn ferals are still running up here from the north." "Alright I'll be up there in five" I said in a kinder but still very annoyed voice. I heard Manny walking away and I had a brief flashback of us when we were younger still at Camp Golf having a friendly competition of who could hit the target at the farthest range without missing, of course I always won but it was still good to have someone to talk to between shots. "God those were the days." I said to myself as I got out of bed and got dressed for the night shift.
I slung my rifle over my shoulder as I made my way over to the big dinosaur that housed the snipers nest and the Dino Bite Gift shop. I swear I almost hit something every time I think of that name. Everyone else in town even Manny seems to enjoy the stupid thing and thinks it gives our town some individuality. The day that thing becomes more than just a good place to shoot things and clear my head will be the day I throw down my rifle to Caesar. I laughed out loud to the thought of me kneeling before that bald fuck and begging for forgiveness. In the midst of my thought I passed by Ranger Andy who was mysteriously out of his bungalow. He was walking towards one of the food vendors in town who was still open even at this hour. He looked up and bid me a hello, I nodded in response and he went on his way grumbling to himself about lost radio communications and such. I shrugged it off and walked up the staircase to the gift shop.
I opened the door to the gift shop and was immediately greeted by Cliff. "Hey Boone I just got another supply of ammunition and there is a brand new box of .308's up there for ya!" "Thanks, lets hope I don't have to use it all like last time." His face grew a little bit grimmer but he still had that same smile on his face. We had all noticed the recent influx of feral ghouls that were mysteriously coming from that REPCON building up north, nobody knew why. "Well now that that's settled I think I'll close up the shop and go get some shuteye, I swear this job will be the death of me long hours, high stress, and nobody wants to buy one damn dinosaur!" I nodded a slight smirk forming, it was true life wasn't easy here and it didn't look like it would get any better anytime soon.
I hurried up the stairs and walked into the snipers nest that was housed in Dinky's mouth. I looked around the scattered mess and saw multiple empty Nuka Cola and whiskey bottles lying around, some reserved in the corner half full of another fluid from Manny's shift. I sighed and sat in the uncomfortable chair that I would remain sitting in until the sun came up and well after that. I put my gun up to my shoulder and gave the usual sweep of the perimeter, finding nothing of interest I decided to give myself a little time to think. Despite the fact that this shithole of a snipers nest stunk and was full of bottles of piss I had to admit it was good for two things: Blowing the heads off of anything that would cause harm to this town, and clearing your head. I started thinking about my next move in finding out who sold out my wife. Even after all this time I still hadn't found shit on who had sold her out or why. There was of course the usual suspects of the traders in town or hell even Manny. He never really cared for Carla due to the attention I gave her and her somewhat mistrust in him. No if I was going to find out who sold my wife to those Roman assholes I would need someone new, someone who wasn't from here and could ask certain questions without raising alarms all around. I needed a loyal stranger.
Something caught my eye and tore me from my thoughts and I directed my attention and the barrel of my gun to it. I saw two ferrals wandering aimlessly throughout the wastes headed in my direction. "Not ten minutes into my shift and those zombie things are already on the move." I said to no one but myself. Turns out this night isn't going to be as peaceful as I thought. I aimed the sights on the ghoul to the right, and just then I remembered my dream and the silent scream my wife kept repeating over and over again and just then I finally realized what she was saying. "How could you?"