Chapter Two

I woke early, just as the sun was sliding up over the hills. The sky was a blazing pink, tinged with orange.

"Beautiful," I said to myself. "Wish I had my paints."

"You like to paint?" It was Dave, admiring the sunrise as well.

"Yes, and I only paint beautiful things," I stated. "Makes the world a little more bearable to look at."

"You do a lot of self-portraits, then?" I heard a gravelly voice ask.

My stomach suddenly felt full of bloatflies. I turned around. Charlie was smiling at me. I could feel my face flush at his compliment.

"No, mostly things like the sky, or flowers," I replied.

Charlie nodded, seemingly impressed, and went back to loading packs onto the brahmin.

Dave was eyeing me with a hint of a smile on his face. "You do have the hots for him, don't you?"

"I...maybe. I don't know. This has all happened so fast. I'm confused," I whispered.

"I wouldn't expect a girl like you to be interested in someone like Charlie, but he's a good guy. Just know that Charlie is a travelling merchant because he doesn't want to get close to people anymore. I think some bad stuff happened to him in the past, and he's afraid of getting hurt again. So I wouldn't expect anything serious from him. But between you and me, the guy definitely needs to get laid."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Dave.

"Just laying out there for ya, hun," Dave said, crossing his arms.

Smiley strolled over to us with two tin cups in his hand.

"Coffee?" he asked, handing us each a cup. When we thanked him, he leaned in, "you guys sharing secrets? You can tell me. I can keep a secret."

Dave laughed. "You most certainly cannot. Do you know why they call him Smiley?"

"No," I said.

"Because if he's smiling, he's either telling secrets, or lies."

"That's not true," Smiley said, grinning.

"See? A lie," Dave said, laughing and walking away.

I sat next to the dying fire, drinking my coffee. Dave was rolling up sleeping bags, and Smiley was arranging sweet rolls on a plate. He offered me one.

"Thank you," I said, my stomach rumbling.

Charlie was rummaging through the packs on the brahmin with an irritated expression. I turned and looked back toward my farm as I devoured my sweet roll. Would they wonder what happened to me? Would they think I was grabbed in the night as I took down the laundry? Would they even care? The only one that might go hunting for me would be Ted, but that's only because he wanted me as a trophy. I bet Doris and Jake would feel relief more than anything. Good riddance to them all.

I heard boots crunching on the brush in my direction. I looked up. It was Charlie. He was holding something in his scarred hands.

"I, uh, don't have any paints, but do you draw?"

"Oh, yes, I do. Sometimes," I said.

"Well, I found some pencils and a notebook I thought you might like. We see all sorts of things on our travels, and you might find some that are beautiful enough draw."

I smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure I will."

We followed the cracked and sometimes trash-littered road for quite some time. I kept waiting to see something new, but I was starting to think this brown, blasted wasteland would go on forever.

"Having second thoughts?" Charlie asked.

"No," I said.

"Good. You're better off without them. I think a place like Diamond City will do you a world of good. Help you lose a little naivete."

"I admit, I am pretty naive when it comes to the outside world. I was just wondering if the whole world looks like this," I said.

"No, it doesn't. I can't guarantee that it will be any less ugly, but it will at least be different," Charlie said.

"I bet you guys have some amazing stories about all the things you've seen and done out in the wastes," I said.

"Like the Deathclaw nest we found?" Smiley asked. "Or that city full of nothing but hay-wire Mr. Handys? Oh! Or that guy that was throwing rocks and making explosion sounds like they were grenades? And then he pretended to get on a motorcycle and drive away? That was hilarious."

Dave and Charlie laughed.

"Wow," I said. "I wish I had even a fraction of the experience that you guys have."

"Give it time. You're a little late to the party, but it ain't over yet," Charlie said.

Several days passed. The monotony of the travel began to wear on me. Endless bleak landscape. Tiny settlement. More bleak landscape. Sleep. Repeat. It did give me time to explore my feelings for Charlie, however. I still wasn't quite sure what was going on with me, but I was pretty convinced that I had a crush on him. I had thought about it for a while, and decided that it must be because he seemed like such a sweet, sensitive, misunderstood soul that I couldn't help but want to show him some love. But was that attraction, or just pity? And was that really all of it? Maybe I just wanted to do the biggest 'fuck-you' thing I could possibly think of to my farm, even if they never found out. In any case, I didn't think it was just because I was twenty-four years old and hadn't had any sexual or romantic relationships yet. By that logic, I could have gone after Smiley, or Dave. Although I was starting to get the impression that Dave wasn't into women all that much.

On the third day we crested a hill and stood at the top for a moment, absorbing the view. There were stands of scraggly, blasted trees, clustered together in certain areas. RVs and cars lay in the road at the base of the hill - some of them looked like they had collided with each other before being abandoned for good. A road wound away from the wreckage to a large paved area surrounded by trees. On the pavement, in between the trees, there appeared to be tents of some sort, in colors that were glaringly bright compared to their muted surroundings.

"What is that?" Smiley asked, looking toward the tents.

"Looks like some sort of RV park," Charlie replied. "Where people would vacation before the war."

"Why would anyone want to vacation there?" Dave wondered.

"Well, I'm sure the landscape has changed some since then. It was probably nice, back in the day. What I can't figure is what I'm looking at down there. What those colored things are."

"I was wondering that too. They look like tents, but they're so bright," I said. "They look new."

Dave looked at Charlie, hand on his gun. "Do you want to check it out?"

"Well, we have to go that way anyway, and skirting around all those cars is going to lead us right into them. I don't think we have much of a choice."

"Do you think that's intentional?" Dave asked.

"What, like a trap?" Smiley said.

"Those cars look like they've been there a long time," I commented.

"True," Charlie said. "But maybe we should be extra cautious. You guys go up ahead a little. Cherry and I will hang back with BettyandBertha."

We headed down the hill, Charlie and I keeping pace behind Dave and Smiley.

"You always need to be aware of your surroundings. It's a big wasteland and we've seen some pretty crazy shit, as you know. Those tents might be filled with nothing but skeletons, or they might be crawling with raiders or ferals."

I eyed the tents warily as we walked down the hill. Dave and Smiley put more distance between us, their guns drawn. They reached the barrier of cars, peering into the broken windows and back seats. If there was anyone in those cars, they were long dead, it seemed. The guards disappeared into the tree line as we reached the foot of the hill. I could see human bones inside some of the vehicles.

They probably tried to get out of this place in a hurry when the bombs hit, I thought. I looked to the tents set back into the RV park. I could see now that the fabric of the tents was as old as anything else in this world, but it had been decorated with bright streaks of paint. Then I saw movement through the trees.

"Charlie, I saw something," I said, moving closer to him.

"I saw it too, but I don't hear any gunshots," he replied, but pulled out his gun just the same. After a few moments, Dave and Smiley emerged from the trees. They looked relieved, if slightly puzzled.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

"It's...a settlement," Smiley replied. "There's people - kids. And they seem pleased as can be that we're here."

We followed Dave and Smiley through the trees, toward the tents. A small child stood in the path ahead of us. His face and little belly were smeared with dirt, and his blonde curls shone in the sun. Snot ran down his face. He sneezed, and then ran away.

"Is this normal? Settlements in tents?" I asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. I've seen tents in settlements. But there are usually houses to go along with them."

Our group passed the outer tents. Many had people in them. They smiled, or said "welcome" as we walked by. A few were pulling items out, possibly to trade. There was a woman on the path ahead. She had long gray hair, but her face looked rather youthful - unlike Doris' wrinkled, waste-blasted mug. She wore a flowy green dress, and beaded necklaces hung from her neck. We approached her, and she said, "welcome to Whitebird."

"What is this place?" I asked.

"We are a nomadic people, and we make our home wherever we see fit. We thought this campsite would do fine for a while."

"Aren't you worried all these bright colors will attract the wrong kind of attention?" Charlie asked.

"All of our men, and some of our women, are skilled hunters. So we have little need to fear attacks. Our scouts saw your group coming from miles off," she answered, still with that happy, welcoming expression.

Dave and Smiley gave each other a wary glance.

"Can't be too careful out here, you know. Oh, but we're a peaceful group, mostly. We don't like to stir up violence. Our philosophy is to try to live in harmony with the world around us, instead of causing more chaos and destruction."

"So you're hippies?" Charlie ventured.

"Hippies! Yes! I've heard that term before. Peace, love, and harmony for us," the woman said, clasping her hands together.

Charlie had a hairless eyebrow raised in skepticism, then shrugged and said, "well, do you think your people want to do some trading?"

"Oh, I'm sure they do," the woman said. "By the way, I'm Flower." She extended her hand to Charlie.

Charlie looked at her hand doubtfully. "You want to shake my hand?"

"That's what people do when they greet each other, is it not?"

"Yes, but most people recoil from the touch of a ghoul."

"Oh, all are welcome here. If you were a reasonable Deathclaw, I would shake your hand as well."

Charlie laughed and shook her hand. "Don't suppose you've ever met one."
"Not yet," Flower said, smiling.

"I'm Charlie."

"Good to meet you, Charlie. I'm going to let you get to trading now. I'll send someone out with refreshments. I'm sure you're thirsty from your travels," Flower replied. She pushed past the cluster of people that had formed around us.

"Refreshments?" Dave said, his eyebrows raised.

The people began to form a line, holding their wares and trying to glimpse the contents of the bags on BettyandBertha.

Charlie accepted a variety of objects from the denizens of Whitebird: beads and buttons made of bone, sweet-smelling soaps, leather shoes, knives, wooden toys, and the usual wasteland salvage. In return, he traded Rad-X, Nuka-Cola, cigarettes, teddy bears, pre-war clothing, and caps.

A little girl in braids and a tattered dress pushed past the line of people, holding a tray of drinks in her hands. The drinks were a creamy brown, in scratched glasses decorated with mustard yellow polkadots.

"What's this?" I asked the girl, bending down to take a glass.

"Dandelion!" the girl said.

I frowned and looked in the cup.

"It's good," the girl said. "You don't like dandelion?" She looked disappointed.

"I don't know. I've never had it," I said. I brought the drink to my lips. "Did you make this?"

The girl grinned and shook her head.

I took a drink. It was sweeter than I expected, and sort of tasted like cold coffee.

"It is good," I said. "You want some?"

"I already had mine," the girl stated. "Plus some medicine because my throat hurts. But these drinks are for your friends."

I handed the rest of the glasses to the caravaners. The girl put the tray under her arm and said, "I like your brahmin. If she's thirsty, there's a trough over there." She pointed.

"Thanks."

"You can put your glasses by the trough too. We'll wash them later," the girl said.

"Okay. Thanks for the drinks," I said.

The girl smiled again, but it was strange, like I had said something foolish. Then she turned and ran down the path. I watched her for a moment, trying to shake off the weird vibe I had. The line of people had petered out, and our group was alone on the path, save for a couple of people still admiring their newly-traded goods.

Charlie was sipping his drink and sorting through his own new items.

"Cherry, look at this," he said.

He was showing me some of the buttons he had traded for, but my mind was wandering. Was it wrong to have a crush on a ghoul? After all, he was a man on the inside. He surely had the same feelings and desires as other men. I really wanted to help him express those. Did he feel the same way? And how long had I been standing here? I snapped myself out of my fantasy. Charlie was still talking about the buttons in his hand.

"Look at them. Aren't they shiny?"

The buttons were shiny. Really shiny. The sun danced off of them in Charlie's hand. I scooted closer.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"You smell nice," I muttered, watching the light glint off the buttons.

Charlie looked up at me slowly, something like shock growing on his face.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," I said. What is wrong with me? Why the hell did I say that out loud?

"Cherry - your hair," Charlie said.

"What?"

"Your hair is shiny too! ...Can I touch it?"

"Are you okay?" I asked, wondering if I was okay. I didn't feel right.

I heard a clatter and looked down. Charlie had dropped the buttons. They lay on the ground, sparkling like precious jewels.

"You dropped the buttons," I said as Charlie stroked my long black hair.

He looked down, staring at the ground for a moment. His hand slipped out of my hair, and then he sat down and began to collect the scattered buttons.

I felt like I was in a dream. "Something is wrong with us. We should get out of here."

"Okay. Just let me get the buttons," Charlie said.

"Forget them," I said, looking around and trying my hardest to concentrate. Where were Dave and Smiley? I noticed that little girl in the path again. She was just standing there, staring at us, with that same horrible smile on her face.

"Let's go," I said, tugging on Charlie's shirt. I felt so tired. Maybe if I just sat down for a moment… I slumped down next to Charlie. What was I saying? I picked up one of the buttons and placed it in his hand. I closed my eyes and felt the sun warm my face…

I opened my eyes. I was staring at a button. It was small, and green, and attached to Charlie's shirt. I watched it rise and fall with Charlie's breathing. My head was rising and falling too. I was laying on Charlie's chest, I realized. Why was I laying on Charlie? It was something I wished I could enjoy, but I was too thoroughly confused. What happened?

I sat up, my head throbbing. We were in a tent, lying on a sleeping bag. Evening light was pouring through the tent flap. I noticed that Charlie's hand was resting on my thigh.

"You look nice today."

I looked at Charlie. He was pointing at the top of the tent. I looked up. In bright red letters, "YOU LOOK NICE TODAY!," was painted on the canvas of the tent.

"What the fuck?" I uttered.

"My thoughts exactly," Charlie said. He pulled his hand away from my leg suddenly and sat up. "Uh, sorry."

"I don't mind," I replied.

Charlie swallowed. "Heh, well… I think we should figure out what the hell is going on."

Charlie stood up and then tentatively held out a hand for me. I took it without hesitation and he pulled me up. We walked out of the tent, and our faces dropped.

"What in the name of Atom…" Charlie breathed.

There was nothing. No one. The tents were gone and so were all the people. We were alone, in an empty RV park. We slowly looked around.

"Where is everyone? Where are Dave and Smiley?" I said.

"Cherry, what do you remember?"

I thought hard. What were we doing before this? I remembered that woman, Flower, welcoming us to the camp. And Charlie was trading with the locals.

"Not much. You were trading, and-" I was turning in circle, looking around, when I saw a big pink shape in a cluster of trees.

"Hey! BettyandBertha is still here!" I ran over to see her, but stepped on something on the pavement. I stopped and picked it up. It was a button made of bone. It shone in the evening light. My eyes grew wide. I turned around.

"The buttons, Charlie. Remember?"

"The what?"

I grabbed Charlie's hand. He tried to pull away, but I held firm, planting the button into his calloused palm.

He looked at the button, realization dawning on his face.

"We started feeling weird…"

"It had to be those drinks! That little girl with the creepy smile gave us those dandelion drinks, remember? Is dandelion poisonous?" I asked.

"No. Those hippies drugged us," Charlie said grimly. "And Dave and Smiley aren't here. I pay them to protect me, and my goods, and if they're not here, it means they're gone against their will. They had those drinks too, didn't they?"

I lowered my eyes. "Yes. I gave it to them."

"You didn't know any better. If anything, this is my fault for not being more cautious," Charlie said, walking over to his brahmin.

"Why didn't they take us?" I asked. "And why leave BettyandBertha?"

"I don't know." Charlie sighed and rubbed his face. He started to rummage through BettyandBertha's packs.

I watched him. "Everything still there?"

"Yeah, except my guns."

I thought for a moment. "So, these people are super friendly, and then drug us and capture our guards. But leave you and I, with our pack brahmin and all our supplies. And no guns. So, they left us the brahmin and supplies so we can go on our merry way. But they don't want us to come after them so they took away your guns."

"That seems to sum it up," Charlie said.

"I don't get it."

"Me either. And if my guards were just some random mercs, I would do exactly what they want us to do. Go on my merry way. Guards know there is a risk involved when they're hired on. They know they might be killed. That's why they're paid so well. But I've know Dave and Smiley for quite a while now, and they're about the only friends I have in this godforsaken wasteland. Uh, aside from you, of course. I have to find them - if they're still alive," Charlie said.

"Then let's go," I said, untying BettyandBertha.

"Leave her be," Charlie said.

"Why?"

"She'll just slow us down. If we want to get to Dave and Smiley before something happens to them - if it hasn't already, we need to leave her. She'll be fine tied up here. There's a trough of water, and plenty of brush in this area for her to eat. She's concealed by trees too, so with any luck, predators won't find her. And even if they do, I'd much rather replace my brahmin than my two favorite guards. No offense, girl," Charlie said, patting the brahmin's heads.

We pulled the packs off of BettyandBertha and kept one for each of us, filling them with only what we thought was necessary. They had taken Charlie's guns and ammo, but had left the hunting knives and medical supplies.

There weren't any tracks to follow on the pavement of the RV park, but fresh brahmin droppings (that weren't BettyandBertha's), pointed us in the right direction. Once the pavement turned to dirt, it was easy to spot the tracks of the mass exodus of Whitebird. We headed west across the wastes.

I glanced over at Charlie every so often. Each time I looked at him, his expression seemed to be more grim. Finally, he said, "I think I know what's going on. But I'm not sure you're ready to hear it."

"I may never have been out in the world before a couple of days ago, but I know what it's like, and I know it's not going to coddle me. So just tell me," I replied.

Charlie took a breath. "Cannibals."

I paused. "What's a cannibal?"

Charlie looked at me, frowning. "They eat people."

I stopped. It took a moment to process.

"Oh God…"

"Yeah."

"But, they were so nice."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "And the screwed up thing is I think their hospitality was genuine. I think they really believe in all that peace and love bullshit that woman was talking about. They just happen to have an appetite for human flesh too. That's why they didn't take me and you."

"Why wouldn't they take us?" I asked as we resumed our pace.

"Look at me," Charlie said. "Do I look appetizing?"

I opened my mouth and Charlie said, "don't answer that. I know what you'd say." There was a slight smirk on his face.

I smiled back, then said, "okay, but what about me? I'm not good enough to eat?:"

"No. For one thing, you're small. And cannibals probably want big people that have a lot of muscle. If they cooked you, there would be nothing left but bones and fat."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Charlie.

"Uh, not that there's anything wrong with your figure. I happen to like it- er, what I mean is-" Charlie's face began to grow a bright shade of pink. "You'd be bad for cooking up and eating, okay?"

I giggled. "Okay. I get it. Not good news for Dave and Smiley though."

"No," Charlie agreed. "We just need to pray they're not planning a feast tonight."