Author's Notes: This is the beggining to the story of Seth Stone and the band of Mercs he soon finds himself entangled with. Seth has been wandering the Wasteland in search of his own demise since his wife was taken from him by raiders. This segment was written by Vyrith. Enjoy and please give criticism.
Tears burned my eyes as I trudged through the wastelands of D.C. Carrissa had died here, and more than likely so would I. Carrissa was my life and on some accounts a fetish. I devoted every breath I took to her. I worked for her, I cared for her, I thought of her. That was over now, and I had nothing else to live for. So here I was, crossing this war beaten dump. I was secretly hoping for raiders to kill me to make my suffering pass easy and unnoticed. Of course I had no such luck. Days passed and my body fell apart. My lips cracked and bled down to my shirt. My arms were scratched and bruised from missing a step and falling to the scarred earth. I was loosing myself to the elements.
I couldn't walk anymore; my muscles were failing me. I curled up in full exposure of the sun. My skin peeled away and burnt. I didn't keep track of what I felt for I felt nothing. This was my ending, just as the raiders were Carrissa's. She didn't have a choice to her demise. I wanted to believe there was another life after this, so I could see her again. How could there be one. The world was torn apart by brutal men and women intent on conquest. My eyes would not open any longer, so I slept.
I heard voices, cruel voices. My lungs hurt from my dehydrated state. I listened closely, and footsteps came to my side. Then my ribs ached. I was being kicked to death by raiders most likely. The there was yelling, and the footsteps trailed off a tiny ways. Small conversations were being held all around my body. Then they came for me. I was lifted to a sitting position. The raiders bound me with rough ropes around my wrists and ankles. They grabbed these ropes and hauled me up into the air. My arms burned from the stress on their now frail form. I would have to hope they would kill me fast.
They stopped for a break, and a kid came up to me. It was only a boy of maybe ten years of age. He touched my burned cheeks and my eyelids. A canteen made its way to my mouth, and I drank. It was anguish for me. My throat raged in pain, yet the water was so sweet that I began generously gulping it down. The boy just let me drink. This boy was not like the others; not yet disposed to unnatural violence and murderous deeds. I would have a friend here.
The next day I could see. My eyes opened and I saw just how many raiders there were. They were rounding up people for slaves. I would be one too. I wanted to die, not to work my life for some miners. That would be the worst life I could imagine. I no longer wanted to be still. I would escape these horrible people and get away from here. The sun rode the horizon down until it disappeared from sight. The raiders set camp up next to a junkyard full of crushed automobiles and scrap metal. This must be where they would sell me from. The tents were pitched, and raunchy laughs bellowed from within their confines. I grimaced at their boasting. One man claimed to have massacred fifty women and children single handedly. The little boy was sitting in an automobile that was not so damaged. He was making engine noises and turning the wheel back and forth. I tried to call him over for water, but my throat made no noise. I tried to get up, but halfway to a stand I was pulled down. I was leashed to the ground with a heavy rebar stake. The kid saw and made his way over to me.
He stopped in front of me about five paces away, curious of what I was trying to do. I pointed at my mouth and tried helplessly to explain how thirsty I was. The boy smiled and ran off towards a smaller tent. A minute later he emerged with a filthy bottle of water. The water was tainted, but I drank it. He handed me a bowl of slightly cooked noodles. Those I put down out of necessity, but I still thought they were still disgusting.
After I finished eating the kid sat next to me. He was a fairly good child. He was quiet and well-mannered. He also had a small handgun on his side. That may be the ticket for escaping. My plates sat a foot or so away, easily in range of my arms. Even so the child walked over and took them from me, not afraid of a possible attack. Then again, I probably was the saddest looking person he had ever seen. My ribs stuck out so much I could count them with ease. My fingers could wrap completely around my bicep, which had atrophied so much that moving was a task.
When the boy had cleaned the bowl off in the nearby creek he returned to my side. I couldn't help but try and speak.
"He-llo." My voice broke and my throat burned. The boy looked confused and handed me some water. I drank heavily and returned the bottle empty. My throat was dry and sore from dehydration. I still wanted a conversation, so I whispered this time.
"What is your name?" I asked, keeping a smile up for effect.
"I am… " The boy stuttered, almost straining to remember his name.
"I am Joshua, and my parents are dead. These people saved me from the bad men." After he said that Joshua put his hands up to his eyes and wiped muddy tears across his cheeks.
I looked at Joshua in wonder. Why would the raiders save this one? I pondered this and let my mind go. It traced through old memories I had from my childhood. This boy was not special to the raiders. If anything the raiders killed his parents and took the boy as a servant. I hated that thought, and decided that if I ever escaped that Joshua was coming with me.
I had just sealed that into my head when Joshua came over quickly and gave me a hug. I never expected it and didn't know how to respond. So I didn't. He clung to me tightly; his little chest shuddered as he cried. I finally wrapped my arms around him and supported the sad boy. Just then a man walked out of the tent with a mirelurk cake stuffed between his lips. Somehow words came out of the man's mouth without dislodging any food. Joshua got up quickly and ran off around the side of the tent. After a minute the raider stepped back inside his shelter.
The clouds moved so slow that seemed motionless. I watched them form into small animal shapes and wished they would cover the sun. There wasn't a bit of shade where I had been staked down. Small beads of sweat tickled my eyebrow and dampened my back. My stomach ached from drinking too fast and all my muscles were still weak. Sure enough, I was getting stronger... but it would be at least a week until I was capable of surviving on my own. In any case I needed rest in order to heal up. There was talk of a movement in a few days. It was all small talk but any little pieces of information would help with an escape plan. I dozed off while thinking of Carrissa.
In the morning a raider child was standing over me, fiddling with her hair. I shooed her away and looked up for the tents. There was only open space ahead. A few older raiders were rolling up the canvas that made up the big tent. They wrapped huge ragged rope around the tent and tied it to two Brahmins, taking little consideration of their sore necks. The women were standing by boxes of food, packing them into crates. Some children were standing by a cliff, hurling stones down off the edge. The whole scene was rather sluggish. Nobody had any enthusiasm in moving again, but not one person argued.
I took a hand-full of dirt and sifted out the larger pebbles. I set them down and stacked them up into a tiny pyramid. Long ago there were people that made pyramids, but way bigger. Taller than Tenpenny Tower. I flicked the stack over and laid down on my side, bending my arm under my head for neck support. A fly landed by my ear and sucked on the blood that caked my face. I didn't try to shake it off. The bug wandered over to my upper lip and sat there, possibly pondering what its life was worth. In that moment I crushed it with my open palm. I wiped the grimy mess onto my pant leg, being very sure that the entire fly was removed.
After everyone finished their task a sweaty old man came up to me with a very angry look. He said some things under his breath and put a scratchy cord around my neck, tying it tightly against my skin. He bent down and put a hefty blade against the bindings that held me to the stake in the ground. He sawed at the rope a bit until it frayed and cut. I stretched out my body, feeling my tensed muscles relax. Dark bruises traced where the rope once was. In some places tiny trails of dried blood peeled up and fell from my body.
I saw Joshua standing at the back of the crowd. As I stood a pain lit up my head and I dropped like a log. I hadn't fully healed from my self-destruction. A few raiders rolled me onto what seemed to be a wooden door. The door was lifted up and placed into a little wagon. There wasn't a cover on it, and the sun was strong today. I rolled to my side to get comfortable. The boy was standing right next to the wagon, looking at me. He met my eyes and smiled. His teeth were still in his mouth, which is not usual for a raider. Maybe he was a slave after all. He was definitely not as off the walls as the other children. Joshua was much more reserved and more intelligent. Unlike the others he kept his fingers out of his nose and paid attention to everything else going on.
"How are you doing today?" I asked, possibly showing a bit of worry for the little kid.
"I'm alive, doesn't that say enough?" the boy whined, obviously not happy with packing up.
"Its good you are. Where are we headed to?" I poked, hoping he had the answer. He lifted up his head with a little alarm. After looking around quickly he stepped up close to my face.
"We are going to attempt a raid on Megaton. For the night we plan to sleep by the school really close." Joshua whispered into my ear, eyes sweeping around and jumping from side to side. After he said that he wandered off into a crowd of younger adults.
When a big leather whip cracked against the back of the Brahmin I nearly fell off the door. The convoy was on its way. I craned my head up to look for where we were going. a really battered road stretched up over a few hills. In the distance a pudgy metal spire broke the horizon. That was Megaton. I figured we would get near around sundown. There was a good amount of distance to cover and lots of junk to drag there. I suppose I was a piece of that junk getting lugged over the wastes. That wasn't a problem for me. Let those damn apes pull me anywhere they please.
I wasn't in any condition to walk. If I was I'd have my sweaty tired hands around the neck of the fat raider. The one in charge. I would let him draw in just enough air to live; keeping him alive long enough for him to see me pull the .44 from the grimy holster on his meaty hip. I would ram it up into his eye, rupturing the mucus filled ball and letting fluid drip into his mouth. Of course I'd pull the trigger, but not until after he begged me not to. not a moment sooner.
The little caravan got on its way and crawled through the wastes. Dust kicked up from the heard of Brahmin and rose to the sky. It choked out the sunlight for a bit and gave me momentary relief from those rays. Of course that was short lives as our caravan turned a bit and the breeze pulled the mask of dirt from the sun. Again I was baking, slowly being dehydrated to death. The misery began once more for me. Terrain was getting a little sketchier and the Brahmin stopped suddenly; shaking me all over. My stomach grumbled in displeasure at this tossing. Joshua noticed my discomfort and came to my side.
"I can't really do anything for you, those big people are real dummies and don't listen to me."
I nodded in agreement and looked forward. The asshole that got me up this morning was looking back momentarily but didn't seem to mind me talking to Josh. I looked back over at Joshua.
"May I have some water? This sun is quite literally killing me." I pleaded. He complied. In seconds I was pouring quarts of water down my throat. It burned a little at first, but I could feel the effects almost immediately. My pores reopened and I began to sweat again. my head cooled off and my mind cleared. The feeling was almost a sort of high. There is only so much room in the stomach, sadly, and I had to stop. I smiled at the boy and thanked him.
He simply nodded and continued hiking along beside me. He planned every step with care, watching for rocks that might twist his ankle. It was almost a game for him. Such an unusual lifestyle must bring a need for keeping to oneself. Joshua was pretty good at it. Then again, why did he care to befriend me? Nothing good was happening to him because of it. In fact, he was being mistreated more because he dealt with me. I'll be certain to keep that in mind. He was there for me, and hopefully when I escaped I'd be there for him.
I was at the top of a hill now, maybe a mile away the shape of the school stood; just beyond that Megaton. It was late now, and the moon was only half full. I could hear stumbling and cursing all around as raiders tripped over rocks. Soon enough I was being jerked away from the door I laid and dragged into the cement structure. a large portion of it was ruined. The roof was collapsed and almost half was gone. Regardless it was to be trusted to stand on its own. I was taken to the court yard. This had become some sort of gruesome scene of mangled corpses and barely living slaves. They chained me to a concrete block that protruded with rebar. I was chained up and forgotten as they unpacked.
my weakened body. He looked like he was attempting to a smile... no, it was a grin. That look was devilish and entirely designed around hate. He jumped on me pinning both my arms under his knees. He then reached to his belt and drew a long rusty serrated knife and gave his blade a stare for a second or two. Then he resumed his intentions.
There were crates of food and guns being taken up into the cafeteria. Handguns and assault rifles were carried everyone that passed my view. The food was followed by crazed men. They filed into the cafeteria as well. There was at least a dozen... likely more. Their crude armor scraped together and chimed down the corridors. A few gave me dirty looks and one drew his index finger across his throat. It bothered me a little, but I found myself completely exhausted and slumped to the ground for some sleep.
A terrible grating noise woke me. I was almost in a daze from the fresh sleep. That same disgusting raider with maybe three teeth left and thick sagging arms loomed above my weakened body. He looked like he was attempting to a smile... no, it was a grin. That look was devilish and entirely designed around hate. He jumped on me pinning both my arms under his knees. He then reached to his belt and drew a long rusty serrated knife and gave it a stare for a second or two. Then resumed his intentions. The knife came to my mouth. I bit down on the blade but he pried my mouth open. My teeth scrapped against the metal as the knife worked its way deeper. Blood was the first thing I could recognize. He seemed to release my arms but I couldn't feel them anymore. In fact I couldn't move at all. He gave the knife a few tiny shoves then walked away. I fell to my back as my head rolled to the side allowing my eyes to see the pool of warm ooze that now covered the filthy ground. I sat up and squinted into a scummy mirror that appeared from the darkness. Then I saw. The knife was protruding four inches from the back of my neck…
Sweat. That and fear. Those were the only things real in my world at the moment. I tossed lazily from side to side the way a grubby little worm might after it's been cut in two. In panic my hands flew to the back of my neck. No knife. The ground was extremely unclean but no blood, well, none from me anyway. My heart nearly burst from my chest when I saw the burly raider trudge up to where I lay in chains. I crab walked back to the cement block that held my bindings. The man freed me from my concrete captor and dragged me along the pebbles and debris. I watched as my legs trailed behind rolling from side to side. I was a lot stronger. Not as strong as I once was. I could stand without a headache. I was taking baby steps to normality.
I saw it was getting late, but regardless there were still raiders up and about. I was taken to the far side of the courtyard. Near the cafeteria. From here the walls rose up above me and dominated my view. My arms were roughly drawn behind my back. Those same binding chains were wrapped around my wrists and attached to yet another piece of rebar but only now I was in some sort of pen. But I was the only one living the rest had either had their throats slit and left to drain hanging from chains above me or had bitten through their wrists not wanting a fate brought on by these cretins. There was nothing to lean against so I leaned forward until the chains strained to hold my mass up in an attempt to give my muscles a chance to relax. The raiders didn't care to stay up any later than this. But unfortunately I couldn't get any sleep in my current position.
I watched as shadows danced across the wall. One looked like a figure to me. A familiar one. It was Carrissa. I suppressed my tears. I was good at that. Even as a kid. But I did shudder. Then I needed to hear her voice more than anything.
"Carrissa…where are you?" I mumbled under my breath.
"Ah, I'm right here, silly. Why don't you come over and be social?" her gentle voice made my spine straighten. That godly noise caressed my thoughts and maybe for once I was truly happy. She dropped from the wall and came over to my side, taking a seat by me. I craned my neck to the side so that I could gaze into her eyes. I smiled and leaned down to her. She met me and we kissed. Right in the middle of hell.
"What the hell are you doing?" a raider screeched in my ear from behind. It was morning now. Looks like I'm not breakfast. The sun had just peaked over the walls of this prison. I didn't answer the raider.
He kicked my ribs as he walked off. I didn't give him the satisfaction of pain. I was getting tired of it frankly. I pulled at my chains. I felt the chain lengthen. A great sign. I noticed they had everything lain out. A skinny woman was handing an assault rifle to every other raider and a baseball bat with nails to the rest. A large box of ammunition was torn open as raiders mashed round after round into their magazines. A few finished and made there way into the cafeteria where they ate like pigs.
I heard a low boom from somewhere inside the school, followed by familiar plink of small arms fire. It grew quite, and then suddenly everyone in the courtyard took up defensive positions, mostly in the cafeteria. I kept low and waited to see what would happen.
A few more bullets were exchanged in their corridors, then from the cafeteria I heard a muffled, "Three!" soon there were explosions and automatic weapon fire everywhere. I couldn't do anything but I felt the rush. I wanted to be in the action; to kill some of the freaks. My wrists bled as I tugged furiously to free myself. Eventually I allowed myself to just sit there. Things were finally starting to pick up.