Nadia knew that she should have followed Codsworth's advice. Really she did. She had even started to, making it as far as the Red Rocket gas station that was located on the other side of the now dilapidated bridge. She had stopped to pick through the pockets of a corpse that was just lying in the middle of the road. At first she had been hesitant, it wasn't like she was in the habit of looting dead bodies, after all. She shook it off though and did what she had to do. She acquired a rather beat up shot gun and some ammo for it. She also found some bottle caps in the guy's pocket and took them, too. She knew it was silly, but it wasn't like anyone was around to see.
As she approached the familiar structure, she saw an animal sitting out in front. She readied her 10mm pistol just in case the animal decided to attack and crept closer. He gun was unnecessary, though, much to her relief. The dog seemed friendly enough, coming right up to her in obvious search of some love. Happy to oblige, she knelt down and offered her hand for inspection.
"You wanna come with me then?" She asked the dog, quietly. He whimpered in response. She took it as a yes and smiled. "Okay then. Let's stick together." She gave the dog an affectionate pat on the head and continued into the gas station to check for anything useful. After combing through the rubbish and collecting the scrap she deemed useful, she headed back to the road. She knew this road would take her right to Concord. Concord wasn't far enough away though. She wanted, no needed, to get away from Sanctuary Hills and that damn Vault. Nate was everywhere she looked and Concord wouldn't be any better. They hadn't lived in the area long and knew it wouldn't take her long to leave the area she was familiar with. After all, she had spent most of her time at home with Shaun not feeling up to leaving the house in an unfamiliar town with a new baby. Shaun… I'm coming for you, baby. I promise. First, she had to get away from here and all the memories before they consumed her.
Before she could think better of it, she set off. She didn't get back on the road to Concord. She walked straight out of the Red Rocket garage and walked along the water that surrounded Sanctuary. She laughed to herself, "Sanctuary? Maybe once… but not now."
Nadia saw something up ahead. It looked like a junkyard. She crept closer to investigate. At first glance she almost ran away in a panic, but she soon realized that if the sentry bot she was looking at was operational, it would have already known she was there. Nate had told her stories about how dangerous those things could be, even when they were on your side. Even though she was, almost, positive that it wasn't going to suddenly spring to life, she barely took a breath while sneaking passed it. A large military trunk was sitting next to it. It had some circuitry and fusion cells that she snatched up and then she crept away towards to only building she could see, gun at the ready.
The one room shelter was dark compared to the outside, so she turned on her Pip-Boy light and rummaged around for supplies. She found a Stimpak and some RadAway, happily adding them to her growing collection. She was amazed to see that the terminal on the desk on the far wall was still working. She read the entries, mostly out of longing for some form human interaction. One entry in particular left her with a growing feeling of dread. That sentry bot was still operational, or at least had been when it was dumped here. Not far from her home. It just wasn't turned on. Holy. Shit. There was a holotape in the terminal that apparently allowed you to activate the damn thing. Before she could even think about it, she had ejected the holotape and shoved it into the bottom of her bag. There was no way she could just leave that tape sitting here. If the wrong people got their hands on it…. She shuddered and reached down to pet the dog. He licked her hand reassuringly. She wasn't sure how many people were still around, but she knew that sentry bot could pose a real threat. She grabbed a magazine that she found lying on the desk next to the terminal and decided it was best to put as much distance between her and that sleeping death trap as possible.
She left the junkyard, following the road leading south. She was walking at a decent pace, but she knew she would need to rest soon. It wasn't like she had gotten a lot of exercise lately and her calf muscles were already starting to burn. She stuck to the road and eventually she saw what looked to be a train station in the distance. She knew there had been one around here, but she had never actually been to it before. She readied her pistol and prepared to investigate.
As she got closer, the dog began to growl. She looked around for the cause and saw a figure walking drunkenly in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat. She almost yelled out, but the way the dog was growling made her nervous. The figure noticed them, however, and took off towards them at an alarming rate. It was like something out of a horror flick. She stood, transfixed, but luckily the dog had her back. He ran forward and lunged at the attacking figure, getting a grip on its leg with his powerful jaws. The thing tried to fight back, but the dog ripped its leg off with a powerful shake of his head. She heard the sickening sound of tearing flesh and muscle and almost threw up. Luckily her nurse's training ran deep and she took a deep breath and approached the maimed creature. The pathetic thing was still alive and vicious. She stayed a good distance back, trying to figure out what it was.
That's when it hit her. A person. This thing… it used to be human. The terror that filled her with that realization was almost too much on top of everything else. She saw the madness in its eyes and realized this poor soul had died long ago. She took aim and shot it once in the head. It went limp. She knew she had done the only thing she could to help it, but that didn't make her feel any better. How many people had suffered the same fate as this one?
The dog's growl brought her out of her reverie and she looked up to see two more of the zombie-like creatures stumbling over each other to get to her. One tripped over the railroad tracks, falling face first. The second tripped over the first one and landed in an almost comical tangle of rotting, irradiated flesh. She didn't hesitate this time. She aimed and popped off three consecutive shots, taking one of them down. The dog quickly dispatched the other. Nadia was so grateful that Nate had demanded on taking her to the gun range and, later, to hunt live game. If he hadn't…. She shut those thoughts down. They all led down one road, the road she couldn't go down if she had any hope of getting on with things.
She headed for the station's watch tower, keeping an ear out for the dog's telltale growl. She found the remains of an actual person. Dead or not, it was a relief to see regular person. She was no stranger to dead bodies, having been a nurse during the war. She carefully rolled the man over and meticulously checked his pockets for supplies. She found a letter in his pocket that mentioned some supplies in a blue barrel. She put her hand on the unknown man's head, "Thank you for your help." She whispered and then turned to head up the stairs to the watch tower. She scavenged some more supplies and found a holotape in the terminal on the desk. She hit play. It was a short recording, but it seemed the man, Dutchman she supposed, had sacrificed himself for someone named A9. "A9? What a weird name." She said to the dog who just cocked his head to the side.
Now that she had heard the poor man's death, she felt like she had to do something for him. He had died to save someone else. How could she just leave him there? She popped the holotape out and took it with her. She descended the stairs and looked around. Hers eyes landed on a shovel propped up against the wall. She knew what she could do to help him. She dropped her pack and rolled up her sleeves. Time to get to work.