TITLE: It's a Long, Long Road
CHAPTER: 4
When the rocking motion stopped I guess that's what woke me up. With no idea how long I'd slept I couldn't even take a guess at our location. I'd been dreaming about floating all alone in a boat without paddles and Dogmeat barking frantically on the shoreline. I opened my eyes, but they'd rigged some sort of tarp over me so I couldn't get much of a look at the landscape. My leg ached, and my back felt like it was on fire, but good old Dogmeat lay curled against my side snoring peacefully. Lazy dog. You're supposed to be on guard.
"Hey!" I shouted. Waking both my dog and whoever was out there.
The clopping sound of hooved feet stopped. Then scuffling and four young faces peeked at me through an opening in the tarp. They were all smiling.
Remember, Jacob. Trained, efficient killers.
"I need to take a piss. How do I get out of this thing?"
They all laughed, "It's called a buckboard, Mister."
Magically the end of this thing I'm laying in opened like a gate or a box. A coffin? With two on each side of me, they helped me slide off the end directly into the path of an enormous animal with four legs and the largest pair of brown eyes I'd ever seen. I forgot about my back and the muscle spasm in my leg. It towered over me staring at me as if it were deciding how I might taste. I grabbed the wagon for support while they boys continued laughing.
"What are these?" I asked, nearly pissing myself at the sight of the five creatures with big yellow teeth and four lethal looking feet.
The boys wouldn't stop laughing, and I think the creature in front of me was getting angry with all the noise. I jumped back up on the gate when it suddenly and violently shook itself from nose to tail.
What the fuck?
"Come on, Mister. We can't stay out here in the open. Take your piss and let's get going. If you feel strong enough, there's one of these for you to ride."
Ride? As in get on top of? I shuffled away to relieve myself. Luckily, when I returned, instead of forcing me to ride one of those monsters they handed me a carton of purified water and an open can of pork and beans. I washed the whole thing down with a Nuka Cola and shared my last four bottles with the boys. I'd recently discovered a cherry flavored Nuka Cola, but that delicious discovery would stay my personal secret.
Seeing as how we got such a late start, instead of moving on we decided to make camp. There was a lake and the cover of a thick stand of rocks and trees. We made a small campfire as night closed in around us. My belly is full, and I'm feeling mostly okay. The boys seemed relaxed, too. It was time for some questions. While I allowed one of the boys rub salve on my back, I started in.
"I have questions, who wants to answer them?" It was the tallest boy who raised his hand. You remember him. He's the one who poked me awake with his serrated knife. "First, my name is Jake. You don't have to call me Mister. Now don't all of you start laughing again, but what are these creatures?"
What I really wanted to ask is just how many adults had these kids had murdered and was there anyone left in the building, and maybe we should go back for some treasure hunting?
"Horses," they all answered.
"Ain't you ever seen one before, Mister… Mister Jacob?"
"Never," I admitted shouldering my shirt and jacket back on. No sense lying about it and it was too late for that anyway since my heroic masculine fearlessness had blown away like the last dust storm.
"Well, we heard it this way. Since the war, someone has always lived in that Academy place and takes over the responsibility of taking care of these horses. Someone, a long time ago, hid some horses in the basement."
"We took five. Are there more?"
The boys looked at each other. Finally, the oldest one spoke. "Yes there's more, but we left them with plenty of food and water. Trouble is if we try to move that many horses someone is bound to see us and you know how that will go."
"I do, indeed. Since there's no one left there now." —This is me being diplomatic. "Shouldn't we make sure they're safe. I mean, aren't they valuable?"
The boys bristled at my comment. As if I were accusing them of something. The oldest boy removed the serrated knife from his belt and started wiping it clean on his pants. They glanced at each other, probably deciding on how best to divide up my stuff after they tossed me into the glowing irradiated lake.
"Look, Mister. We just don't know if we can trust you yet."
"Then why did you bother saving my life back there? You must need something from me, right?"
Geez, what a suspicious bunch. So we watched the night wind blow the dirt around for awhile. And I kept an eye on the horses. You could not convince me those monsters were safe. I mean they're certainly prettier than a Brahmin or a Mole Rat. I might not like the look of them but their potential value could not be denied. I suddenly missed Moira with a feeling of loss that clutched at my heart. I could just see her eyes light up and hear her wheels turning at making a profit off 'em.
"Mister, why don't you go make friends with the horses. Give 'em another flake of that green stuff, while me and the boys have a talk."
I took it slow with a show of dusting off my butt, so I didn't appear as if I were jumping to their orders I made my way to the horses. The boys rigged a rope from a tree to the wagon, and each horse was tied to the rope. Okay, I'll admit standing there relaxed with their hip cocked and their ears slack, as if they were half asleep they didn't seem so menacing. When they heard me tear off a piece of this stiff grassy stuff they perked right up.
Alright, Jake. I tried to reassure myself. You've faced much worse than this with one Stimpak, an empty laser rifle and 10-cal between you and a Death Claw. You can do this. All five creatures...horses, with their ears pricked forward watched me carefully. What if I didn't move fast enough? They looked plenty strong enough to break that rope.
I'll save you the gory details. Turns out I didn't loose any fingers. They each politely accepted a bite with their delicate-looking lips and chewed contentedly on the grass. I tried another. Well, I guess they seemed harmless enough.
Then one of them grabbed for my pocket. I leaped backward and the horse was left with a piece of material between his teeth.
Ha! I won. "You won't eat me you Brute!"
"Mister Jacob, please stop scaring the horses and come back here."
I heard them snickering as I approached. Dropping back down by the fire, "Okay, what's my verdict?"
"You said you wanted to get to Boston. We heard there's lots going on up there. With settlements building up and lots of people cooperating with each other."
I nodded, I heard this news as well. But I wondered where the was heading.
"We want to make you a deal. You help us free those people at that stadium, and we'll gather all the good stuff left at the Academy and together it should be enough people to guard the horses all the way to Boston."
"I think they'd find that a fair trade for being eaten by Mutants." Agreeing with them and a plan forming in my mind. We could take out the two Brutes at the gate with sniper rifles or a well-placed rocket. Then bottleneck them with mines and grenades as they ran out to defend their turf and buffet table.
"Okay, I like it," I responded. I wasn't going to say anything but the tell-tale signs of a fever showing themselves in the sweat on my forehead and the goosebumps on my arms. I held back the shiver and continued. "Been thinking about those folks too. Let's get some rest and we'll head back up the trail."
"It's about two hours back to the stadium," responding as if reading my mind. "So we'll hit 'em just before sunrise."
Just before they got bedded down, I said, "If I didn't say so before, thank you for saving my life back there. Maybe next time we talk, you'll tell me what was really going on there?"
"Maybe. Wake me for the second watch, Mister Jacob. And, my name is Matthew."
I shook my head and shouldered my rifle. Why did I feel as if I'd just won a prize when he told me his name?" These boys had learned to be self-sufficient and trust no one, especially adults. Couldn't say I blamed 'em one bit.
~o0o~
Dogmeat woke me by sticking his wet nose in my ear. Goddamn, dog. When I opened my eyes, he grinned that idiotic dog grin at me. Okay, so it's cute. I rolled out of my bedroll to find the boys up and ready. The fever tickled the edges of my awareness, and my leg felt oddly heavy this morning. Soaked with fever-sweat I quickly pulled my jacket on to cover my wet shirt.
Almost too dark to see we started back to Annapolis. The boys had woven cloth around the metal bits around horse's mouths. Even Dogmeat stayed quiet in the wagon without a whimper, just the occasional thump of his tail on the wood showed his excitement.
Couldn't risk a mini-nuke with all those civilians around so we agreed on a missile launcher. I had the best one of the bunch, so I loaded mine and kept it across my lap it ready The missiles would most likely only slow the Brutes down, but the boys were ready with quality laser rifles and plenty of ammo. I made a mental note not to forget about taking time for treasure hunting at the academy.
The sun hadn't yet breached the horizon when we stopped about a mile from the entrance. The boys parked the horses behind a burned out shed, and we took a position. I watched them disappear into the darkness before I dropped down behind a blasted log. I steadied the weapon aiming at the Brutes. Before I could aim down the scope, I scrubbed my arm across my eye to clear away the slick, cold sweat.
We couldn't risk a light, so we'd settled on a whistle. The Brutes were there just like before, and they appeared half asleep. In fact, they looked a lot like the horses last night.
Four quick whistles. I aimed down the scope and responded.
The first missile flew through the murky morning light, its red tail streaming like a banner behind it. I'm a pretty good shot. Okay, I'm a damn good shot, and the missile impacted the Brute's chest sending gore and body parts in all directions. And just like they always have, the second one failed to take cover. Instead, he looked around for just long enough to allow me to load and aim. I fired, and he started shouting and moving. The second missile impacted his legs, which slowed him down long enough for one of the boys to use his sniper rifle to turn the ugly fucker's head into a mist of green goo.
Score!
Matthew and another boy moved toward the opening scattering fragmentation mines as they ran.
The alarm sounded. Spotlights flared to life swinging over the open land in front of the stadium. Through my scope, I watched the boys dive over the top of a counter and into a concession stand.
One by one, our sniper shot the lights out. Impressive. Maybe I'd give him one of my Cherry Nuka Colas as a thank you.
Ten Mutants poured out of the opening. Might of been twenty. Goddamn, they really are stupid. Every single one of them ran straight across those mines, and one by one they fell killed or crippled. One of the mines exploded an old car and boom. Fuel ignited a wave of flame light up the area. I ducked my head, but not quick enough. Someone saw me, and I knew it when a bullet thudded into the brush next to me. I rolled away trying to stay away from the scope light. Then one of the boys cried out.
"Jacob!"
That sounded like Matthew! "Dogmeat, go see."
The scope light flickered across my face. Shit! I rolled again and took off running after Dogmeat. The sun was coming up now, and I figured we had about a minute before the whole area was light up. I could see Matthew trying to stand and the bloody tear in his pants leg. I whistled for us to form up again when my leg exploded. I felt it give, and I went down trying not cry out after all, someone had to be the adult around here. But, fuck it hurt. I felt something warm and sticky dripping down my calf and into my boot. Dogmeat ran back and forth between us, whining and worrying himself into a frenzy.
"Get down, dog!"
Suddenly the other three boys burst into the clearing just as the sniper scope light scanned us. I watched that kid; he couldn't have been more than ten or eleven calmly drops to one knee while the other boy squatted in front of him. He steadied the rifle on the other's shoulder, took a breath and fired two shots.
The scope light went out, and we heard two screams. Didn't sound like Mutants, though. If they had some people serving as guards we had another fight ahead of us.
"Matthew, can you move?"
"Give us a minute, Mister. We'll get his leg wrapped up."
"We don't have a minute, guys. If there are more guards, we're humped. And my leg just gave out."
My answer came when the morning sun illuminated the stadium entrance. I could see humans aiming from the opening to ignite the remaining mines.
The boys had just about finished tieing up Matthew's leg. I could see tears tracking down his grimy cheeks. Yeah, getting shot is a bitch, kid.
The reality of my leg created an odd feeling of euphoria as the pus drained away. The fever left me in a kind of sleepy chill, and I shivered hard. Everything glittered and swam before my eyes. I wasn't going to faint again, was I? How embarrassing.
In D.C. I was king. Out here, I'm just another corpse in the dead undergrowth of what's left of the trees.