So I was going through my documents app on my iPhone and I found a story that me and my brothers had worked on for a time. While I have been pestering them that I want to continue, I can't seem to get them motivated again. The formatting is a back and forth style with me and my first brother each telling the story from our character's point of view. Next chapter will be the part where my second brother joins in.
((Order of posts: Me, Pat, me, pat, etc))
A figure walks down the sandy desert of the Mojave wasteland, a scoped-varmint rifle strapped to the back of the reinforced leather they happen to be wearing. Boxing tape has been wrapped around their hands and a bandana tied to their head. The figure checks the device on their wrist, a Pipboy, and continues onward; peering through the sand as if hoping to find someone.
To their relief they find a body, a ghoul with a single revolver and a knife, obviously beaten by fiends. He groans and tries to get up without any luck.
The figure raises their rifle into their grip and release the safety with an audible click. As the figure steps closer to the ghoul, keeping him in their sights, the ghoul would see that the traveler happens to be a young woman; shoulder length hair cut unevenly, giving it a wild look. "You make one wrong move and I blow your head off." she states sternly.
"It's because I'm a ghoul isn't it? If you saw some smooth skin beat you would rush in to..." he suddenly breaks into a coughing fit and turns to struggle to reach his bag a few yards away. He collapses unconscious after a few short moments of effort. Along with the bag, a cowboy hat and broken shaded glasses can be seen.
The woman looks at the unconscious ghoul and then to the bag, eyebrow arched with interest as she grabs the bag and opens it up, examining the contents with curious green eyes.
Inside are some caps, some basic food and drink, as well as a few revolver rounds. Moving some junk around reveals 2 stimpaks and a lead case; one designed to carry highly radioactive materials
The woman raises an eyebrow before turning the case towards the ghoul. With the tip of her varmint rifle she flips the catches and nudges the now open container into the ghouls location, spilling whatever contents over his prone form.
He struggles but eventually stands up, his skin becoming a shade of brown that looks healthier than what it was. He gets up and stares with the blank eyes. "I suppose you are expecting a reward now." he dusts himself off revealing a badge that has lost its luster long ago. Caked with mud the word "sheriff" can be seen.
"What could I even receive from you as a reward, aside from the cloths on your back, and the gun at your side," she replies while pulling out what looks like a high-durable cylinder for the .375 revolver. The human female would grab the ghoul's weapon to remove the normal cylinder to put the new part into place of the older, more worn out piece. She gives it a spin once with a nod before handing the side arm back to him.
He inspects it for a second, loading up the rounds and spinning the casing a few times. Satisfied he takes his bag back and dons his hat, asking "where you going?"
She shrugs and lifts up her hands as if motioning to their surroundings. "I go where the wind blows, at least until I find a suitable place to go as well as a reason." she states while drinking some water from her bag, handing an irradiated one to the ghoul. "Got a name?"
"I was known as sheriff Stevens, but over the years I am known as rot face, zombie, target practice, and monster. But I am known to most civilized people as Jackal," he states as he pops off the seal of the dirty water, putting his dry lips to the container to drink. "You?"
"Redmoon," she replies, removing part of her armor to show a blood red wound that bears a resemblance to a crescent moon. "No last name, no real name either. And to answer your question as to why I can't remember, it's very simple." she unties her bandana and lifts up her hair to reveal another faint moon scar on her forehead. "I got shot in the head. Lucky to be alive. Anyhow, I plan on going to New Vegas for some payback, now that I think about it." She ties the bandana back and opens her bag to munch on a squirrel stick. "Where are you going?"
"Until you came along I was going on a one way trip to hell. But nowhere specific, jest making the wasteland a little better place. I just might tag along, you saved my life, and this guy sounds like he needs a bullet in his head. With 50 years of experience I may be of some use."
"Well I don't see anything wrong with that. I do have a few more rounds for you to use," she speaks, agreeing to have him as a companion. She removes a pouch of rounds and hands them to Jackal. Armor piercing rounds and hollow point rounds are in the two-pocket pouch. "We're not far from the gun runners, and they aren't far from one of the entrances to Vegas." She downs the rest of her water and stands up with a stretch. "Shall we head to the gun runners first? I need some ammunition and I've had my eye on one of their weapon mods."
"I know of them. We should head between these hills, it's the quickest way," he says, drawing a line with his finger on Red's Pipboy map before standing up. He walks with an "important person" stride, confident large strides in the direction he said about. "Big Iron" plays on the radio as the pair walk down the road.
Redmoon checks the clip on her varmint rifle and the spare clips she has to make sure they're full of bullets. As they walk she looks up at the hilltops like she's expecting an attack or something. Suddenly she looks up at the left part of the hill and spots a good sized shape moving towards them. "Deathclaw!" she cries out, slipping a clip into the rifle before taking aim and firing. A bullet goes flying from the barrel and she pulls back the bolt just as the projectile strikes through the monsters hide. Firing again she'd remember that Jackal has only the magnum. Redmoon quickly unslings a cowboy repeater from her back and tosses it to the ghoul. "Cowboy repeater, lever action. Use Armor Piercing rounds." she shouts before sending three more bullets into the chest, removing and replacing the clip as it runs dry.
"There is a reason I survived this long..." he replies, drawing his magnum in the blink of an eye. Bangbangbang. A hole appears in the monster's shoulder torso and horn. He pauses as it lumbers closer before firing one last shot into its head. The beast lets out a defeated growl as it collapses and Jackal fires one more into the skull from a foot away.
Redmoon looks at the sheriff with wide eyes and lets out a whistle of impressiveness as she sees the Deathclaw fall with two clips from her and only five shots from Jackal. The human reloads her rifle with normal rounds before slinging it upon her back. Once they'd removed the claws from the mutated deathwalker (at Jackal's request), the duo would continue onward. The rest of the walk is mostly with her keeping an eye out for more walking killer machines. After a few more long moments of silence, the pair reaching the end of the valley, she finally speaks: "How on earth did you do that?"
"Hmm? Well, many years of experience has taught me that a few shots other than the head makes one think that the situation is hopeless, helped that this was a young one too. " Jackal answers as he'd clean the nails with some torn up cloth and rags. Soon both of them stand in front of the Gunrunners kiosk, the vendortron turning to them. "Welcome sir or madam, would you like to see our inventory?"
"Let's see what you have for sale," Redmoon responds as a screen would appear from the shop, displaying all the weapons. She'd pick up 40 5.56 rounds for her rifle as well as a 9mm pistol, along with 39 bullets for the weapon. Scrolling through the list of items, selling the junk she doesn't need, the red haired girl stops upon finding a silencer for her rifle. Counting the caps in her bag, as well as the additional she'll get from the powder ganger items she has, the total is just enough to buy the attachment while still walking away a few caps richer. "Alright, now to get to New Vegas," Redmoon replies, pocketing a throwing knife into an arm pouch, patting it for good luck. She's about to walk away when she notices Jackal's armor, actually the lack of armor. Red would walk back to the kiosk and after some haggling and bartering and with the help of Jackal, the ghoul finally got himself outfitted with his own set of combat armor. "Next up is Freeside. Then the Strip."
He thanks her and puts his coat on over the armor. Without her knowledge, he slips an extra stimpack in her pack and without missing a beat, continues to remain ever alert for danger. Soon dusk arrives and camp is set up. Jackal unfurls a bedroll for himself and places his pistol next to him.
So that's part one. Part two is going to be introducing Jake's character. Enjoy part two.