The Other Side
Chapter I
Disclaimer: Fallout 3 belongs to Bethesda.
101010101
The night air was cold.
Amata shivered as another breeze swept across her hunched frame. No matter how tightly she curled up she just couldn't stop shaking. Her stomach continued to complain for food and her throat begged for clean water. Worse, she still had yet to get used to the awful noises of the wasteland: gunfire, howls, and death.
The sounds of war engulfed around her and clung tightly like wet clothes to skin. Amata shut her eyes and tried to sleep, tried to block out all of the noise, but her body refused to obey. She'd never missed the vault so much.
In the vault there was never the fear of hunger or thirst. Only time she's ever recalled feeling hungry was when Mr. Brotch would run class a little late before lunch. Thirst was also a stranger to her. She couldn't think of a single time she felt her life was in danger.
At least until that radroach breakout incident occurred.
The vault was peaceful, there was hardly ever noise. There was always order, unless Butch and his stupid friends were around. Or if Christine Kendall was up to her flirting, she had the most annoying laugh.
There was a time Amata felt that she would go crazy with the silence of the vault. The place was massive, but with their numbers dwindling there was always so much space. With space came the silence. How Amata missed that silence.
She never knew she was so sensitive to every sound around her. Her ears picked up everything from the wind sweeping trash along broken concrete to the heavy footsteps of her captors. Then again, as massive as those orange men are, or super mutants as she's learned they're called, she could also hear their loud and heavy breathing.
Nonetheless, walking with no breaks for an entire day finally caught up to her. As uncomfortable as Amata was she accepted the sleep that eventually crept on her.
What felt like a moment later, a distant sound of an explosion woke her, she could even feel the ground vibrate. The sudden noise scared her into a sitting position.
"No move!"
A yelp escaped her dry throat before she could help it. Turning, her eyes bulged as she watched a super mutant approach her. Its permanent snarl and its penetrating eyes were intimidating enough, but at night its features sent shivers down her back. Another noise boiled in her throat.
She shut her eyes as the hulking figure approached even closer. She knew it was going to kill her. She'd seen the piles of human flesh and bones that the super mutants were fond of making; she had heard an unfortunate man get ripped to shreds by a mutant and turned into one.
Remembering those screams churned her stomach and she felt a sharp need to void.
What if the super mutant was going to turn her into a flesh bag too? It warned her not to move or make a sound, and now she made it angry by awakening it from its slumber.
With her eyes still closed, Amata felt the super mutant beside her. Unable to stop herself from whimpering, she mentally begged anyone or anything to save her.
"Stupid human! You sleep now!"
Its hot and foul smelling breath penetrated her sinuses, which brought her dangerously close to becoming violently ill. Not that she had anything in her stomach to expel. She forced the nausea to stay at bay anyway, if she became sick on the monsters feet no doubt it would kill her.
The ground under her trembled as the mutant walked away. When Amata opened her eyes she found the mutant returned to its post. The other person that was captured, a man in dark clothing, was awake and was watching her.
He wore dark armor that reminded her of the vault security uniform. Her eyes settled on the emblem on the man's armor. It was white and star shaped. The man himself had long hair, a beard, and dark skin. He also appeared to have dirt on every inch of him.
Sensing her stare, the man just glared at her. Amata noticed his eyes studying her jumpsuit. His stare began to make her feel uncomfortable. Yet she wished she could speak to him, or wished he would give her reassuring words. Like he had help on the way or an escape plan. Instead, his eyes eventually drifted to stare out into the destroyed buildings. He never attempted to communicate with her and he always kept his distance. Soon, he settled against what was left of a rusted car frame and shut his eyes.
At least he doesn't look cold, Amata thought. Her eyes remained on him. His armor made him look like a soldier. She wondered if he was one. Still, she was glad he didn't look like those raiders. It would've been terrifying to have a murderer remain a few paces behind her.
Thinking about those crazed savages brought goose bumps on her arms and a shiver down her spine. Then her heart felt heavy as she remembered that kind man that was brutally murdered by the raiders.
It was strange to feel sad about a man she didn't know. He was a stranger. Yet, he was the only one willing to help her. Sure, his price for his help was hefty, he asked to become a permanent Vault 101 resident, but considering how desperate Amata was she couldn't refuse. Not when everyone else wouldn't lift a finger to help unless she had a lot of money.
The vault overseer shivered again, but it was more from the chill in the air. Her thin jumpsuit did little to keep her warm. She didn't know how she was able to drift to sleep a few moments ago, but her confrontation with the massive orange monster left her wide awake. It was frustrating to feel so exhausted but incapable of falling asleep.
The pain in her feet and legs brought tears to her eyes. Her failure as an overseer and her mission to help John brought more tears. Officer Gomez died helping her escape the vault. Her first day out in the wasteland and she's already captured.
She choked on her sob, but thankfully none of the orange giants seemed to have heard her.
Was it like this for John? Was he ever kidnapped? Amata cursed at herself. Of course John had to go through this. He's been in the wasteland longer than she. Judging by his appearance and his attitude when he returned to the vault no doubt he'd gone through worse. Guilt hit her hard. How could she have thrown him back out into this hell?
A roar from one of the monsters jarred her from her thoughts. All of the orange men were running around her and shouting, but she couldn't understand what they were saying.
Then she saw it.
Not too far from her was one of the monsters lying on the floor, a massive pool of blood surrounding its head.
Seeing a dead body brought Amata to a panic. They were under attack and there was nowhere for her to hide. A loud bang echoed nearby, the sudden noise made her feel like she was deafened for a moment.
The orange men made a run for the source of the loud noise, leaving Amata and the armored man alone. She noticed the man was already at the dead body. Fighting against her body's protest, she jumped to her feet and limped as fast as she could away from everything. She had no idea where she was going, but the farther away she was from the orange men the better.
Adrenaline was quick to fuel Amata and the endorphins squashed her pain. She had no idea how long she had been running, but she knew none of those orange men chased her.
It was so dark. Amata wanted to run forever so nothing could get her. She wanted to run back to the vault even more, but the more she ran the more she couldn't recognize the terrain. Even the ground beneath her was no longer broken concrete; instead she had been running on dirt and rocks.
It was obvious she was lost, but she couldn't go back. The super mutants would be looking for her.
Her side was beginning to hurt, and she was having difficulty breathing, but she didn't want to stop running. If she stopped then what if something attacked her? Her hands were still bound and she had no weapon.
Half her foot stepped on a large rock which resulted in her ankle painfully bending in a way it shouldn't. She yelped, couldn't maintain her balance, and fell face first onto the ground. Dirt invaded her throat as she sharply inhaled, choking her.
Amata laid there for a long time. The pain in her ankle seemed to have awakened the rest of the pain in her lower body. Her lungs violently expelled the invading dirt, but it hurt so much to cough and breathe with her throat absolutely dry. Dirt and her hair clung to her sweaty face. The fear was still raging inside of her, she wanted to stand up and continue running. But her body wouldn't move.
The dirt was soft and cool on her face. Little by little, her breathing returned to normal and the chilly air cooled her sweating body. Fatigue continued to beat its presence into her until she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
She had a dream about herself running away from water. She couldn't swim, so when the wave finally hit her she was helpless. As she struggled to stay at the top, she noticed a distorted face looking down at her from above the water's surface. Her arms reached out and the little air she had in her lungs had been expelled as she screamed for help, but the face never moved. Her hands brushed against the person looking down on her, but her grip was too weak as the water violently pulled her away.
Amata woke coughing and gasping for breath. Her lungs were still burning as if she had been drowning. Her eyelids opened a crack. A bright light burned into her exposed eyes and her back.
Her father had to have turned on the lights to get her to wake up.
Groaning, Amata decided she would call in sick. She was too exhausted to even get out of bed.
Something tugged at her leg.
"Damnit, John, I'm tired," Amata muttered. She was so tired and thirsty it was difficult to talk.
Another tug at her leg drove the young woman to kick at John. Normally, she got out of bed in good spirits when John pestered her out of bed. But today she was so tired it hurt to move her whole body.
A sudden, sharp pain pierced her calf. Crying out, Amata was instantly awake. She wasn't on her bed, or the vault for that matter. Instead, she was on top of dirt.
For a moment, Amata's body ignored her sore muscles protests and sat up to see what had bitten her leg. The only thing she saw was a small, black nose and two beady eyes.
Screaming, the former overseer kicked the animal away savagely. She forced herself to stand, despite the pain her body weight on her ankle caused, and practically limped away.
The animal quickly pursued her; strange noises escaped it as it gave chase. Sometimes, if it was close enough, it would jump and try to bite at Amata's waist. Her brown eyes quickly noticed a pile of large boulders nearby. If she climbed on it, maybe the animal wouldn't be able to jump up.
Her legs were stiff and each step felt like she didn't have any skin on the bottom of her feet. Her mouth was so dry she struggled not to choke on her own tongue. However, pure terror nurtured the necessary energy for her body to run. Still, the small animal, despite having such short legs, was able to keep up with the woman and it continued to jump and bite at her.
A loud shriek echoed escaped her as she tried to climb to safety. Her hands were still bound together and the adrenaline was beginning to wear down. The rocks were rough and broke the flesh of her fingers, but Amata gritted her teeth and still forced her exhausted body upward, all the while the critter continued to jump and gnaw at her legs.
Once safely on top of the rocks, Amata's body begged for more rest. The sun had just barely began to peak out, yet the air felt so unbelievably hot. She peered over the edge and sighed in relief when she saw the animal couldn't jump or climb high enough to reach her.
Homesick, exhausted, thirsty, and hurting, Amata could do nothing but slump to the ground. The burning pain in her entire body throbbed she felt light headed. Her tongue felt like leather.
As the sun rose higher, its rays felt hotter. The vault overseer's clouded mind reached for the survival books that the vault 101 citizens learned in school. She already sought higher ground, and so far it kept her out of harm's way. But she would have to find water. One more day without water and she'll be dead.
And I will have officially failed.
She could use one of the nearby rocks to throw down at the creature that still tried to reach her. The thought of cutting it open for its meat revolted her, but two days without food made her willing to endure it. She would need wood, but with so many trees (they were trees, right?) nearby it wouldn't be a problem to get enough for a fire. Luckily, she still had her lighter in her pocket. She was grateful she had planned ahead and brought it with her when she grabbed what she could before she snuck out of the vault.
But the most important thing right now was getting the bondage around her wrists off. The wire had embedded itself into her skin and it was wound too tight for her to pull her wrists apart. She used her teeth, but quickly regretted it when she tasted her warm blood.
Until she was free from her binding, she didn't dare explore for water, unless it was nearby. Her muscles protested against her movement, but she forced herself to stand. There was no water to be found anywhere.
Well do you expect to see a giant sign that says, water?
Amata shook her head. All she could see in the distance were trees, rocks, hills, destroyed buildings and bridges.
The vault citizen fought against the viscous feeling of uselessness and strained her memories for more survival information, but remembered nothing.
Maybe she could pick a direction and keep walking until she found water? There had to be a river or stream somewhere. If she ran into trouble she could just run.
Pain coursed through her when she tried to change into a more comfortable position. Her body reminded her that she was in no condition to travel. She was stuck here.
Hours passed. The exhaustion would catch up with her and she'd fall asleep, but the worthlessness and vulnerability of her position continued to wake her up. She didn't know if the critter was still at the bottom of her rocky mound, but she lacked the strength to check.
Eventually, she hadn't realized she nodded off until a loud bang woke her.
Her head felt heavier than her body. She felt surprised at herself for feeling indifferent about the possibility that someone was nearby. Or something. She simply couldn't move even if she tried to.
"Looks like I was right," a deep voice announced.
There was someone behind her! Her legs refused to move, despite the fear that was fueling her muscles, so all she could muster was rolling on her opposite side.
Two men stood several feet away from her. She instantly recognized the shorter male; he was the other prisoner that the super mutants captured. The taller looked like he would have been handsome if it weren't for all the dirt, beard, and dark long hair that covered his face. Amata felt drawn to the pale blue eyes he sported and couldn't help but feel…something. She couldn't even explain the mixture of emotions she felt as she stared into his gaze.
Strangely enough, however, she didn't feel threatened by their presence. They weren't like those inhuman people that wore spikes on their clothes and sported strange hair styles. What were they called again? Her thoughts were too heavy to remember.
The shorter man, Amata never got his name, turned to face his companion with a wide grin on his face.
"I helped you find her. She's unharmed. Are we good," he asked.
The taller one nodded. "You're free to go." His voice was deep, but scratchy.
He should probably go easy on the whisky and cigarettes, Amata mused.
Even though he was dismissed, the man in the dark armor didn't budge. The taller guy didn't seem to care; he moved passed him and approached Amata. She felt like she should get up, but she continued to lie on her safe spot. She wanted to ask him for water, but she failed to even do that.
"Hey man, could I get a weapon?"
The man with the lue eyes paused in his stride. He spoke without looking at his companion; his eyes were focused instead on Amata. She began to feel uneasy with his stare. "How much are you willing to pay for one?"
The shorter one looked insulted. "Pay you? I helped you find Ms. Vault Citizen!"
"You aiding me find her is payment for helping you escape from the super mutants."
"C'mon man. The walk back is a long one. There ain't no way I can make it there without a weapon."
His improper grammar made Amata wince. She half expected Mr. Brotch to appear and give a lesson on double negatives.
Blue eyes finally made eye contact with the man. "Then how much are you willing to pay for a weapon?"
Sighing, the guy's shoulders slumped. "Fine. Give me a weapon and I'll owe you one. Big time."
"No."
The shorter man looked insulted. "Do you have any idea how much a favor from a Talon Company merc is worth?"
Talon Company. Ah, so it was a talon on the man's armor. The overseer thought it was a skinny star.
"Favors don't buy medicine, food, shelter, or ammo. I don't do charity." Amata sensed anger in Blue Eyes' voice.
The shorter one started rummaging through his pockets. He didn't have much, but he handed his items to Blue Eyes. "So much for the Lone Wanderer helping people."
"People change."
"This good? It's my pay from the assignment I just finished. Two hundred caps. And a pack of cigarettes and my rations."
Blue Eyes nodded once before he accepted the items. He handed the other man a weapon he had strapped to his belt. The Talon merc smiled as he analyzed his new toy.
"Wait, what about ammo? A few clips should get me back safely."
Blue Eyes ignored him and headed for Amata again. By then she was able to force herself into a sitting position. She noticed a small knife in his hand that sent her into a panic, but she was too slow to get away. He grabbed her arms, his face blank of any emotion, and quickly cut at the wire. The wire moving inside her skin made her cry out. Embarrassed, she held in another yelp as he roughly pulled the material off and tossed it.
The Talon merc dug through his pockets again. "Okay, here are all my supplies. I got two vials of psycho, one med-x, and three stimpacks."
Blue Eyes pulled some ammo magazines from a duffel bag Amata barely noticed he had slung on his back. "Deal."
Anger was plainly sprawled over the merc's face. Amata couldn't blame him. He seemed to have given everything he had for a weapon and ammo. If he got hurt or hungry he would be out of luck. "Don't think this means my boys won't shoot at you if you get near our territory."
With their business concluded, Blue Eyes watched the Talon merc walk away. Even when the merc disappeared beyond the distance he still watched. Amata wanted to ask why he still stood watch, but the dryness in her mouth kept her from saying anything. She stared at his bag and fantasized about how many bottles of water were in there.
She jumped when he felt his hands on her wrists. She recognized the medicinal syringes in his grip. He injected the med-x first.
The effect was immediate. This was her first time being under the influence of this drug. The vault was strict when it came to medicine. Unlike their food and water, they had no way of replenishing their medicine supply.
He then injected a stimpack on both her arms, near her injured wrists. She tried to thank him, but with the med-x and her dry-as-leather tongue all she managed was something incoherent.
She nearly cried in joy when Blue Eyes held a water bottle out to her. He cruelly pulled the bottle away from her reach when she tried to grab it, which actually brought her to tears.
"Drink it in small gulps."
Amata frowned. She was so thirsty. Why would she torture herself to take small amounts? She hadn't had water in over a day.
His pale eyes watched her, as if waiting for a response. She simply nodded. She would kiss his feet if she had to.
"If you drink too much too fast you'll get sick. And that's a waste of water."
She nodded again. He watched her for another moment before finally handing her the bottle. The rush of water in her mouth brought life to her taste buds. The water tasted of dirt and blood. Blue Eyes pulled the precious plastic away from her chapped lips.
"I told you to take small sips."
Amata wished she could punch him. She knew he enjoyed torturing her.
He didn't trust her, so he tilted the bottle into her mouth. It felt like he only gave her a few drops. Once, she tried hitting the bottom of bottle so it would tilt more. He expected her to do that so he pulled away before she made contact. Or maybe she was too slow. Her arms felt like rubber.
What felt like an hour later, the bottle was empty. She hoped he would give her food too, but she noticed how much he kept looking around them.
"Can you walk?"
The woman didn't trust her voice nearly as much as her legs so she simply shook her head.
"We need to move, now. And I can't carry you."
Something in Amata's gut told her she shouldn't follow him. But she wasn't in any condition to refuse. The man was nice enough, well maybe not nice but he didn't threaten to harm her.
Her muscles protested as she moved. Thanks to the med-x her legs and feet only felt stiff as she moved them. The man grabbed her roughly by her upper arm and led her toward a distant broken bridge.
The sky steadily grew darker. Amata had to pause, sweat rolled down her back and face, while Blue Eyes shook off the tanned coat he sported. Underneath the coat he wore a black long sleeved shirt and pants. Actually, it looked a lot like a vault suit, only there were no designs on the material, it looked to be padded, and it was very form fitting. The darkness of the material blended in with the surrounding night perfectly. The only way she could see him was by his face.
He stuffed his jacket into his bag, unslung a large gun he carried on his back, tinkered with it, and finally stood. Reaching behind his neck, he pulled a mask over his face. Now Amata truly wouldn't have been able to see him if he weren't so close.
"Keep close," he muttered.
They walked in silence for a long time. Many times Amata thought she would fall over from exhaustion. With each step she took the more difficult it was to keep her eyes open. She was still thirsty, but the bottle she drank earlier helped immensely. But her stomach was growling so loud she was afraid she would attract the super mutants.
The vault overseer wanted to ask the man so many questions. Who was he? Why did he help her? Where was he taking her? Every time she tried to speak he immediately called for her silence. She should throw herself on the floor and refuse to move until he gave her the answers she wanted, but with the air getting cold and the sky so dark that she couldn't see two feet in front of her, she followed him quietly. She grew nervous every time he paused to look through the scope of his weapon.
Eventually, they arrived at the foot of a broken bridge. Amata lifted her face, her mouth slightly ajar, and stared at the massive structure. What the bridge connected to, she didn't know. Either side of it there was nothing by empty space.
When she stared at them long enough she had to bite her tongue to keep her from proudly exclaiming she knew what the broken structure was. It was part of a highway. It was a street that was built above the ground and was supported by pillars.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the man grabbed her and pulled her toward a chunk of a collapsed highway. They had to squeeze between massive rocks, wires as thick as her legs, and thick blocks of what she remembered were called concrete.
Their new shelter made their surroundings even darker. Losing sight of Blue Eyes, Amata blindly reached out for him. Her hands rubbed against something hard and smooth. Then she had to lift her hands to shield her eyes when a bright green light suddenly erupted and chased away the darkness.
The source of the light was an all too familiar piece of tech on the dark haired man's wrist. He had a pip-boy! Was he a vault citizen? Or did he steal it? Amata recalled that there were other vaults rather than 101. Maybe he came from one of those.
Her thoughts were interrupted when he spoke. "Watch your step."
She looked down and saw what he meant. There were a few metallic circles with a smaller flat plate in the center. Bear traps. She was worried to accidently step on one with how stiff and heavy her legs felt.
He continued to lead her through more rubble until they finally reached a dead end. The dead end, however, consisted of a nicely open spaced area. In the back of the space was a vehicle. It wasn't like the rusted cars Amata noticed around the wasteland. This one was large with numerous small empty spaces along the long sides. It looked more like a tube than a car. She's seen the vehicle before in the books at the vault, but it wasn't like the broken shell she was looking at now. She recognized it now, it was a bus!
The bus was broken in half, the front part was missing, and the seats had been pulled down and made into makeshift beds.
"We'll rest here," Blue Eyes muttered. Amata watched him make himself at confortable. He discarded his things on one of the seats, but kept his rifle strapped to his back, and then he crouched down, his back to her.
Seeing his guard fall, Amata didn't need to be told to relax. She immediately threw herself on a seat. It was small, and not as comfortable as it looked, but she was just glad to be laying on something that wasn't hard rock.
A moment later her eyes snapped open. Blue Eyes had nudged her awake.
"Eat this."
He handed her a strip of meat. It was hot, but not enough to burn her fingers. Even though she didn't know what it was, the smell of it made her mouth water. She was too hungry to care what creature she was eating. One bite of it sent her taste buds into a frenzy. It had been over two days since she ate, but the taste of the meat had so much flavor compared to the preserved food that was mostly served in the Vault. The closest thing to fresh food they ate was something from a can poured and heated up in a pan.
The meat was very chewy, but not tough. When she was done she nearly asked for another piece, but Blue Eyes handed her another bottle of water.
"Drink a few sips. Slowly. Let your stomach get used to the food in your stomach." Amata complied. She could already feel her stomach flip and twist, it was bad enough it was forced to go without anything to digest, but it was another thing for it to be introduced to new food. For a moment she felt like she was going to be sick, get a cramp, or both. A sip of water helped settled her stomach. After another sip a small burp escaped her throat.
"Eat this one a little more slowly."
The overseer's stomach didn't protest against the second strip of meat. She still felt hungry, but Blue Eyes refused to give her another piece until later. He also wouldn't let her lay down. Doing so would bring the food back up, according to him.
With something in her belly, thirst gone, and a little comfort, Amata was ready for sleep. Although a shower would have made her day.
Her eyes drifted to her savior. He sat facing the entrance to their hideout, eating several pieces of meat.
"Who are you?" Her voice sounded weak and raspy, she was shocked to think that that was coming from her.
The man paused in mid chew, glanced at her, then turned back to watching the entrance. He didn't answer, he continued to bite, chew, and occasionally take a sip from a bottle. Amata's shoulders dropped and was about to just lay down when she heard him answer, "no one important."
That wasn't an answer she expected. She should've dropped it, but there was so much she wanted to know about this man. "What's your name?"
"I'm just a wastelander."
She frowned. "What's a wastelander?"
If he was annoyed by her questions, he didn't show it. He simply leaned back, but still kept watch. "A person that has yet to be killed by the wasteland."
Thinking back, Amata remembered that Talon merc guy called him something. What was it?
"Why did that man call you the Lone Wanderer?" She remembered.
The man's shoulders tensed. "He had me mistaken for someone else."
Amata's next question was interrupted when a meat strip was shoved into her face. She took a bite, but asked her question anyway. She didn't care if he didn't want to talk, there were too many questions she needed to ask. "Why are you helping me?"
"Someone asked me to."
That someone had to be John, Amata thought. Just like how the med-x washed away all of her body's pain, his answer cleansed her of all worry and stress. She knew that man she met in Megaton stayed true to his promise and sent word out to John about her needing help from him again. The vault needed his help again.
Once this man took her to John she could rest easy. He would know how to save the vault. He always knew what to do.
She finished the rest of her strip without asking anything further. If he refused to give her his name then she didn't care anymore. She couldn't get rid of the smile on her face, until she thought of Officer Gomez.
Thinking about his death caused her smile to fade and her eyes to mist. At least his death wouldn't be in vain. He died helping her escape the vault. And she was going to see John soon. He would help her, help the vault. It's his home too.
She lied. Vault 101 was no longer John's home. She kicked him out.
But that doesn't mean he'll turn his back to her, she thought. For old time's sake, he'll help her out. Maybe this time everyone in the vault will welcome him back. They could be best friends again. Things will return to normal. Before John's father, James, escaped.
"Tomorrow we rest."
Amata pulled out of her thoughts.
"Well, you'll rest. The next day we head out."
He gestured her to follow him. It was difficult to stand up when her body had finally found comfort. He led her to another section where the ground dropped down into a large hole. Stairs led deeper underground, and they were covered with more bear traps. Continuing downward, the stairs led to a wide room. Concrete, rocks, and other pre-war junk littered the place.
He showed her the bathroom. Amata's hopes rose when she thought of actual indoor plumbing, but her joy was quickly smashed when she saw that the "toilet" was actually a small hole in the floor.
Blue Eyes seemed to have noticed her annoyed expression.
"You can't expect the actual toilets to still work," he teased. There was a small smile in the corner of his lips. "Anyway, be careful not to fall. It leads to the sewers."
The next thing he showed her was back in the wide room. Behind a tall pile of rubble he showed her a pipe that poked out from the wall that had a weak trickle of water pouring out of it. The water pooled and flowed down a second set of stairs, but more rubble blocked further access.
"This is clean water," he shook his head, "well, clean as you're going to get. You can use this place to bathe." He began to walk back to the set of stairs that led up. "I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me up."
Annoyed that he left her alone in the dark, but also grateful for privacy, Amata took a moment to activate the light from her own Pip-Boy. She had forgotten to ask Blue Eyes where he'd gotten his. Though she had a feeling he wouldn't tell her.
The thought of bathing was too good to pass up, despite how exhausted she felt and how paranoid she was about the wasteland water. The med-x continued to keep the pain away, but her legs still shook if she stood for too long.
Without soap, it took a long time to wash her clothes first. She let her clothes soak, rubbed them fiercely, and then wrung them. She repeated the process until she couldn't smell the sweat and dirt from them anymore.
With her jumpsuit and underclothes washed and hanging to dry, it didn't take Amata as long as she thought it would to get used to the cold water. She used to hate cold showers. But the heat of the wasteland turned her to be grateful for them. Even underground the air was warm and dry.
By the time she was done scrubbing the dirt, blood and grime from her caramel colored skin and dark hair, Amata let herself soak under the weak stream of water. It massaged her head and shoulders in a way. When it was becoming more difficult to keep her eyes open, she finally stepped away from the water.
She didn't have a towel to dry off, and she wasn't willing to use her own undershirt as a replacement. Surprisingly, perhaps due to the warm air, her clothes dried off fairly well. They were slightly damp, but she didn't mind putting them back on. Once she returned upstairs the warmer air would finish drying them.
With a full belly, and clean clothes and body, Amata was asleep before her head touched her bed.
Pain woke her the next morning. The med-x had long since faded from her system. Her eyelids felt as though they were glued together and she was tempted to sleep again if it had not been for her right side hurting and gone completely numb.
Gritting her teeth, the vault overseer moved to lie down on her back. She almost thought she was back in the vault, and in her room. Almost.
The dead giveaway that everything wasn't a dream, and she truly was out in the wasteland, was the small cracks of sunlight that leaked from the rubble ceiling and drilled their warmth onto Amata's skin. The vault didn't have sunlight. And no matter how much overtime she worked did she ever have her whole body hurt so much, especially in her legs and feet.
Sleep tempted her, but she forced herself to ignore it. Her stomach was grumbling, her throat was dry, and she reluctantly would have to use that disgusting toilet hole.
Sitting up was painful in her abdomen and shoulders. Climbing to her feet was worse. Her legs didn't feel as shaky and weak compared to the night before, but they were stiff and difficult to move. Her feet felt like she had walked on glass.
Blue Eyes wasn't in the camp and Amata feared the worse. Why would he abandon her? Was he returning with John?
Then she heard something behind her. Was he downstairs? He had to, she didn't know what'd she do if he truly left her behind.
Panic lifted her pulse to her neck and erased the pain in her feet. When she approached the pile of rubble that covered the leaking water pipe, Amata sighed in relief when she spotted Blue Eyes duffle bag. So he was simply bathing.
The thought of him standing nearby naked brought a flush to her face. She lowered her gaze and snuck to the bathroom. When she emerged a moment later she couldn't help but glance towards Blue Eyes. From her new angle she was able to see him behind the rubble. But he was actually fully clothed.
She looked back at him again; she immediately noticed his hair was cut short. He rinsed his head one final time before he turned and faced her.
Her heart felt to have stopped, a chill rained down her back, and her veins felt cold. He shaved the beard off too. And with the dirt washed from his face Amata finally figured why his eyes seemed familiar.
He was John.
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