The sun. Oh christ, it hurts! Me any my brother, we suffer from something called "vampirism", brought on by a good dose of radiation. Now that we've got our hands on some Pip-Boys, we can detect it, so we won't end up with a case of radiation poisoning. Some drugs down we managed to recover, but I don't think you can recover what happens after you've been hit.
Me and my brother, we've been wandering for quite some time. By my count, about a year since we got lost when the caravan we were with got hit by a big group of raiders. Me and my bro were about fifteen when it happened. We had some training, and knew how to shoot. We managed to get away, using a 10mm pistol to crack at the two Raiders that were stopping us from getting to safety. All of that to get hit with radiation.
Ever since then. we've been wandering without much reason, only that we want to live. We've been collecting equipment since then, and learning. Our rule is to never have more than a hundred caps on yourself at any one time. You can't eat caps, and you can't shoot caps, so when you can, use them to buy something you can eat or shoot. You can always trade it for something else when you get to the next town.
Now, me and my brother have found some ways to manage vampirism. I made us some trench coats out of some sailcloth we found at some docks. Cleaning it out as best I could, I sewed it up with a needle and some surgical thread. The sailcloth, or whatever it really is, I added a oversized hood that we could throw over or heads in case we had travel during the day. Not to mention the sailcloth is the same color of the sand of the wastes, and really helps blending in.
And now we have a job. About thirty are holed up inside of a building, and we've been sent to clean them out. The trail out of the town has been constantly attacked by these guys, and they couldn't spare enough men to go out and get rid of them. When we showed up, we were told the situation, and we told them we'd do it for whatever they had, which was good purified water, and some gear. We needed the stuff, so we accepted. Heading out during the day, we got to the building at night, and after an hour of watching, we saw a few Raiders come in and out of the building. Not very many people on guard, and they wouldn't work like we do in the night.
The plan is simple. My brother sets up his scoped sniper rifle on a nearby hill with enough rocks for him to have some cover, while I go in through the back entrance. If they go anywhere, it will be out the front and into my brother's fire. Leaving most of my gear with him, I holstered my pistol and sheathed my combat knife. Circling around, I kept low and kept to the darkness. I doubted any of them could see unless they had my kind of night vision, but you just never knew, and its wise not to take any chances.
Getting to the back door, there are some told double doors, made with metal. A quick job with my knife, and it opened. Pushing it in a bit, I ducked behind the other door and waited for some noise. Looking in, I saw a lone raider with a sawn-off, sitting in a chair sleeping when he was probably supposed to be watching the door. Ha!
Stepping next to him, I made sure he wasn't going to get up and bother me again. Taking his sawn-off and some shells, I threw them into my mostly empty backpack. Doing a quick job on his wrists, I opened a empty bottle and took some of his blood. Never know when you might get hungry. My brother told me how to draw blood and store it so it wouldn't go bad. He is always a good doc.
Moving into the next room, I heard a little a fight going on. Two raiders in a fist-fight over a box. Hmm...Moving forward with my usual stealth, I was in an arms reach of them before they noticed someone else was there. Before they could call out, the first one received a knife to the lungs and the second a kick to the stomach. Before he could recover, I got him in the throat. Quiet and clean. If only all our jobs could be this easy.
Looking in the box, I found what they were fighting over. Drugs. A few Psychos lying in the bottom, and some Radaways. Taking the drugs and wrapping them in a rag, I tossed them in my bag. Drawing some blood from the two of them, I pack that away quickly. If I stay in any place too long, I'll end up with a crowd of Raiders on me. Handling one or two is easy, but in numbers, they are truly a terror.
Continuing down the hallway, I saw someone come around the corner to see me and before he could level his rifle at me, I got him across the throat. And he whistled as the air in his lugs seeped out his new hole. Damn it! What a rookie mistake! Grabbing his rifle quickly, a quick search gave me his spare mags. Hurrying into a room, I heard some people in the hallway wondering what was going on. Going out the back of the room and into a new hallway, I saw two people looking surprised and holding assault rifles. Diving to the side and shooting the rifle, I snagged one in the chest with the rifle while the other chewed away at the pile of junk I hid behind. Working the bolt on the rifle, I blind-fired and got a lucky shot on him. Both the raiders on the dirt, I slug the rifle into my pack and grabbed the assault rifle. Two more raiders turned the corner, both holding handguns, got a few rounds apiece.
Resisting the bloodlust, I searched the two bodies for ammo. Only three spare clips. not enough for all of them. I almost searched the other two, but I heard a new group coming for me.
Heading toward the front of the building with the though of my brothers help on my mind. I saw the stairs leading down and took them. Man oh man, my backpack is heavy. Some Raider girl tried gutting me with a cheap spear in a bad attempt to catch me unaware was rewarded by a rifle butt to to the jaw. She didn't know I could smell her. At the end of the stairs I looked around, seeing the front door at the end of the hallway, I rushed toward it and almost ended up setting off the badly concealed explosive. A cheap tripwire. Stepping over it carefully, I opened the door and started running outside.
I was rewarded with a crack and pain in my arm. Damn! I looked and saw two guys with rifles trying to get me from the second level. Spraying the rest of the clip at the window, not hoping to hit but by me some time. I dropped the clip and hid behind a rock. Doing a quick search of my bag, I grabbed two of the clips and popped on in, and stuck the other in my trench coat pocket.
Looking around the rock, I saw five more coming from the entrance, and I finally heard the crack of my brothers rifle. One of them hit the ground, then followed by another on hitting dirt. Using the rifle in controlled bursts, I cut down the rest of them easily. They were fools to rush out at us, but, hey, I didn't expect too much thinking from drugged up Raiders.
Moving out from behind the boulder, I went and hid behind the cover of some rocks further from the Raiders building. I need to get my arm patched up. By my count, we got ten of them already. Looking around the corner, I was just in time to see someone's homemade rocket miss where I was by ten feet in front of the rock.
Now things are really going to hell. Looking back around, I saw the asshole at the front entrance, grinning ear to ear as he loaded another rocket it. Hitting the switch on the rifle, it went from full to semi and I put three rounds at him. They came close and he didn't even blink. He's got to be on something! Hearing the crack of my brothers rifle, I saw the guy explode in a bloody mess. Must have shot the rocket.
Shooting at the few still drugged up enough to charge me, they dropped very, very, easily. From then on, it was a simple clean out operation, where most of them were trying to hide or escape, but there would be none for those who would have none for me.
Time to head back.