Chapter 2:
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The devil's in the details.
Footsteps crunched behind her as she slipped through Boulder City's door. Hawkins sighed and rolled her eyes, lighting a cigarette as she walked through the rubble. Boone had refused to let her enter the city alone. He said it was for her safety, but privately, she wondered if it wasn't because Khans were involved.
Guess Manny left more of an impression than he thought. The Courier thought, humming as she passed the NCR soldiers hunkered on the ground.
"This is a shit idea, you know that."
She winced. His voice was cold as steel, anger boiling below the surface. He didn't want to be here.
"Y'didn't have to come in here. In fact," she said conversationally,"I specifically remember asking you to wait outside."
There was a beat of silence.
"Fine."
Hawkins snickered, ignoring the holes he drilled into her skull.
Hawkins leered at the Khan behind the counter. "So where's Benny, Jessup." She spat, cigarette crushed beneath her boot.
The other Khans looked to their leader nervously. Jessup was quiet for a moment.
"He skipped out man, the damn snake. Left with that chip, and our money."
Boone snorted under his breath, and Hawkins elbowed him, eyeing Jessup warily.
"To New Vegas, I'm assuming." Her voice was quiet as she looked down, flicking out another cigarette.
Jessup nodded and he dug around in his pocket. "You got it babe. Left this too. Figure you might want it."
A gleam of silver flew through the air and Boone snatched it, holding it up for Hawkins to examine. She grinned, all teeth, and the sniper flicked it open, lighting her cigarette deftly.
The Courier leaned back, smoke billowing from her lips. Jessup gulped audibly.
"Now, Jessup, baby, about them NCR outside."
"Gotta admit, that was pretty smooth."
The Courier smiled lazily. "All in a day's work, Boone-buddy."
He snorted. "We're in the middle of the Mojave, in the middle of the night. Now is not the time to get cocky."
Hawkins cast an eye about their small camp, backed up against a towering cliff, and scoffed. "I highly doubt that anything is going to have enough motivation to attack us now, Boone."
With that, she reached into her bag and pulled a dark piece of dried meat out of a cloth covering, immediately shoving it into her mouth. Boone watched this wretched display of manners before coughing quietly.
Nothing.
Another cough.
She looked up, eyebros raised. "Yes?"
"What're you eating?"
Hawkins stared at him silently. Boone shifted uncomfortably. Had he said something? It was a normal enough question, wasn't it? The silence stretched for a moment more before the gunslinger smiled slyly.
"Oh, nothing you'd like, I'm sure."
He let it drop.
They were about two miles outside New Vegas, a gang of Fiends littering the ground around them. Hawkins flicked a cigarette with a sigh and put it out in the dirt under her foot. The sun beat down on them mercilessly, sweat rolling down their necks and soaking their clothes.
It was uncomfortable to say the least. Especially when they'd run out of water earlier that morning.
The two stayed quiet in the aftermath of the shoot out, both panting slightly.
Hawkins stood suddenly, eyeing the abandoned building not twenty feet away.
"I'm gonna go check it out, see if there's anythin' worth caps in there. Stay here 'n loot these bastards, Boone?" She asked, clearing her throat loudly.
The sniper looked at her steadily behind his glasses for a moment, before nodding silently. "Be careful."
She saluted him lazily, nearly skipping through the open doorway.
Boone waited five minutes before following quietly.
She was crouched on the ground, bloody cleaver thrown carelessly to the side. From what he could see, her hands were soaked in blood, a small pool forming under the body in front of her.
Crunch.
Boone's eyes widened, breath leaving him instantly.
Groan.
He gulped, his mouth dry.
Sigh.
The hardened sniper dropped his rifle with a dull thunk, frozen at the spot. The courier stilled, dropping a small hunting knife as she turned. Her eyes were calm, face relaxed. A fleck of blood had landed on her cheek bone.
The two stared at each other.
Boone's mind raced. He'd seen a lot of crazy shit in the NCR. Men ripped apart by dogs. Heads ripped off by drugged up Fiends. But this...
He didn't understand why she didn't look away. Look ashamed or bothered that she'd been caught. It looked like she was waiting.
He didn't know what to do.
So he reached out his hand, mind screaming at him, you idiot, back away, run, shoot, she's sick, you're sick!
"Need a hand?"
She smiled and took it. He tightened his grip as the blood made it slick and tugged her to her feet. She held a blood soaked package in the other hand. He had no doubt what it was she'd been eating the other day.
Neither said another word as she bent down and picked up his rifle, handing it to him, face blank.
"Let's go." Hawkins brushed past him, and they exited the building, pausing to pick up their packs. They barely made it ten steps before he grabbed her arm, whirling her around.
Her eyes were wide as he licked his thumb and reached forward, brushing the blood off her cheek. He stared at her impassively from behind the sunglasses.
"Now we're ready."