I added a factory in the far most corner of The Wasteland. Hope you don't mind.

Chapter Three: First Time Offender

The night was dark and cold. Radiation as usual affected the atmosphere. Though there was not one cloud in the endless sky. You could of heard a pin drop, not a sound in the world could break the hypnotic trance the universe's wonders had me in.

Sylvia had left me. I looked up to her like a mother figure and she abandoned me.

Without any caps in my pockets, I wandered The Wasteland's eternal soul. Every crevice and rubble ridden building. Doing what I had to get by. I was a nomadic drifter floating along the lines of insanity. Stuck in my own brain. I tried to stay away from the people's words. As in, I didn't want to know about what Helghan or The Brotherhood of Steel were doing. I simply didn't have the will to know.

Simply didn't care.

I was using various aliases and nicknames for odd jobs. It was usually very little or a lot of pay. Anything anyone would pay me to clean, fix, who to kill, find, I did. The never ending cycle of bruises and scratches. I was a mess most of the time – and what did I spend most of my caps on? I kept them all in a bag that I buried just outside of Megaton. The amount of caps I did keep on me I spent on medical supplies and ammunition. Of course they didn't make the bullets for my sniper rifle here, so I traded mine in for one of theirs. I traded in my pistol for one of theirs also. I was completely rid of all and every piece of clothing and any weapon Helghan had provided me with.

–

"Good morning, children!"

Good morning indeed, Three Dog.

"How is everyone doin' in the Capital Wasteland!?" His voice loud and obnoxious.

My eyes felt like they were going to slip out of my skull and rest in pools of liquid in my lap. I was sitting on the floor leaned up against a wall, in god only knows where, I think it was a power station. It was dark last night and I couldn't tell. Raiders were really persistent people. Too many of them for me to take at one time.

When I was sure they were gone, I found an old radio, and flicked it on. It kept me company as my insomnia tugged on every inch of me. That and adrenaline kept me awake. As long as those slimy bastards didn't come looking around here I should be able to rest up for a little while. One of them had a baseball bat and an open hit for my face – needless to say, she took it. The other had a hunting knife and slashed my whole body up. The other six or seven never touched me. It was just those two.

In an attempt to stop the pain I plunged a needle full of heaven into my arm. It would send me into dream land and dull this pain. Last night I pathetically tried to clean most of the cuts off but it seemed like it would do no good.

The old flickering radio with a slight static played some foreign song. The woman's voice was beautiful – a piano played behind her singing and the whole song was relaxing. That's what I needed. To just lay here and try to get some sleep. I shifted a little to make it more comfortable. I outstretched my legs and folded my arms. My rather large coat kept me warm and snuggly in the early morning cold. The song lulled me to sleep and I would of sung along to it if I had the strength.

Living for you.. is easy living.. It's easy to live when you're in love, and I'm so in love. There is nothing in life but youuu...

I jerked back awake at the sound of crunching footsteps outside. Get up, get up, stand up, hide. I used the wall behind me as support for standing –I quickly limped in pain to the closet and crouched in the shadows.

The old metal door squealed when the trespasser opened it. The man coughed and smelled the air. I only wish he would just leave without looking. But sadly my hopes were obliterated when the footsteps started to resound closer.

The affects of the drug was still taking it's slow effect on my body.

I say I'll go through fire.

I was ready to fight whoever was intruding on my palace.

And I'll go through fire.

When the person's leg came into my view I took the chance of slipping my foot in front of him and using the leverage of where I was sitting to jump him.

As he wants it, so it will be

He fell on his back and we ended up in a tumble of punches and yelling adrenalin filled words at each other. I tried to get a good look at his face but a bandanna was tightly wrapped around it up to his nose. Short black hair, with a suit on. Rather young but I didn't stop to completely assess him.

Crazy he calls me..

He got a good grab on my throat and began to twist his body over mine and I writhed and wretched out of his grip. Landing a good knee to his abdomen beckoning a gasp from him. We struggled and struggled with each other, kicking up dust, until we were both heaving breaths. I couldn't feel any pain. Only the numb mixed in with stressed nerves.

I had a knife but I couldn't get to it with the way we were on the floor.

I took the initiative to try to stand up and run for the door to get to my weapons but he kept dragging me down. I let him get the upper hand and he rolled over on top of me. His hands reached for my hair when I found the 10 mm inside his coat jacket and reached for it. But he slammed my head against the concrete before I could carry out my idea. and the head trauma only intensified the drug-like affect.

I went into the fetal position and screamed out in pain. Wrapping my arms around my head.

I tightly closed my eyes waiting for the shot to ring out, marking my death but he just stood up and stared at me.

I only continued my yelling and writhing. I didn't know what came over me but it felt like I was asleep – so I just kept screaming, like you do when you have a bad nightmare. I was trying to wake myself up.

"You're not a raider.."

He grabbed my greasy hair and tried to pull me towards him. But my arms wouldn't budge from my face.

"Damn I really hurt you.." He still tried to move my arms. "When you attack someone like that, it really gives the impression that you are one of those thieves."

Minutes passed when he just kept rambling on about something or another – but I just kept whimpering and yelling.

"Hey!" He slapped my head, "Hey, shut up!" again he back handed my head, not so hard, but enough to jolt me back to reality. "I'm trying to think, Goddamn." This time I shut up and began to analyze him. His bandanna was pulled to his neck. He was scruffy and when he opened his mouth to form those rambling words I saw he was missing a front tooth. A small mouth with puffy lips, a straight nose, and eyes that teemed with exhaustion. Dark circles enveloped his blues. Bags dragged along the lines of the delicate skin just beneath them.. His grip tightened and he pulled me closer to him. Put his hands to feel where he had smashed my head against the floor.

"Damn, lady, I'm really sorry." His fingers twined in my hair to feel the knot that was beginning to form.

"Get off me, I need to go." I strained against him and wobbled towards the door. Spitting blood and maybe a tooth to the floor.

"Don't be stupid," He chuckled and tried to keep me balanced as I walked towards the door.

Which was worse? Whatever I had shot in my arm to numb the pain, or the pulsing headache – I couldn't tell.

I went through the familiar routine of slinging the rifle over my shoulder and putting the pistol where it belongs.

"Maybe you should just sit down for a little bit before you try to take off."

Sighing I sat down outside the Power Station. It was a hot day and the sun shone brightly, baking anything that was in it's rays.

He noisily plopped down right next to me and lit up one of those death sticks – I had found out they were called 'cigarettes.' It still burned my lungs and while he inhaled it I tried to stay out of the way of the twirling smoke.

"Now that we've, uh... been acquainted, what may be your name?"

"Violet."

"Ah, pretty." He inhaled the smoke, "Mines Alexander." Then he let go of the gray suffocating steam.

"Nice to meet you."

"Well, it's nice to meet you too!" He half smiled and chuckled s sort of innocent laugh. Like a child would if an adult said something funny. And even though he had beat me to a bloody pulp – I sort of liked this man. I was breathing and that was good enough for me.

We sat and watched nothing in particular. Not saying a word to each other. He sometimes would yawn or scratch somewhere. Sometimes start to whistle. It wasn't an awkward silence where neither person didn't know what to say. It was just a silence of calm and peace between two strangers. Just admiring what was left of a once beautiful landscape.

He slowly stood up. Stretched then yawned. "I think it's time I go, where are you heading?"

"Oh.. The old factory up north."

"Never been. I'll be heading to The Citadel."

He was with The Brotherhood of Steel?

"Oh don't worry, sweetheart." He giggled. "I don't work for them.. Just have some business."

He went inside the power station and came back outside with a black hat. Put it on his head and tipped it towards me.

"Now, you be careful out there Violet."

"You too."

Like that, he went walking West. I went walking East. Towards an old abandoned factory. Forgot the name of it.
I was being sent there to map it out but when I asked my employer why he would want such a place scoped out – he wouldn't tell me. But he was paying me so I didn't ask too many questions.

I was going to see Mr. Alexander again though. Sylvia was indeed meshed up with the Brotherhood and that man was working with them. Had to find Sylvia after this. Months had gone by and I only knew what she was doing from Three Dog. The radio DJ kept tabs on her endeavors.

By this time the drug had worn off and I only ended up with a giant headache. Which soon would sooth out in my head and dissipate.

Yeah, after this, I was going to find Sylvia.

–

Dark and abysmal. Smoke stacks blotched the black sky. The black silhouette of it against a gray background. It was set near a mountain. I was worried when the sun tucked below the hills. Fog had settled thickly. Searching an old factory alone at night was dangerous. But my employer wanted it done immediately. And I needed the caps.

To say I underestimated how large and intricate the factory was – would be an understatement. I didn't realize it would be like this. Tucked in between a mountain and a hill. It was massive. My instinct told me not to step a foot closer towards the ominous structure but I had to. Something was lingering inside me that yelled at me to go. Instinct against an unknown force – I was so foolish as to let curiosity and desperation carve out a path.

The large brick walls were impossible to scale. Even for me, which in D.C. I scaled the most vertical of walls, scurried on the most little of metal, jumped the biggest gaps, but this place was going to be a challenge for this little monkey.

I followed along the wall until I found the metal gates. The security office was just outside of it – I tried forcing the door open but it wouldn't budge. So I found a window and bust it open with the butt of my rifle. The window glided open when I unlocked it and I crawled through. I switched my flashlight on and clipped it to my jacket's pocket. It brought the darkness out to the light and I saw that most of the windows were boarded up. I went to the front door of it and there was a desk pushed in front of it. Blocking anyone from getting in.

What happened here?

I began to search the desk for keys or any ID cards to open the gate but couldn't find anything. My fingers ached around my pistol – Arthritis maybe? My fingers usually would hurt if I held onto something long enough. I made a mental note to see a doctor after this.

I looked in the closet and found an old skeleton wearing a Security Guard uniform. Found in his pockets the key to open the gate. Yawning I climbed back out the same way I came in. My jacket catching little shards of glass on the way out. I brushed them off with my gloved hand.

I realized the clothes I was wearing now wouldn't do. It's been a while since I have climbed the empty buildings in D.C. These cumbersome clothes would hinder my running or climbing. The jacket itself was heavy, protecting me from a lot of general debris, like my Helghan equipment used to. My pants were made of tough fabric that clung to my legs and my boots were thin and padded. Giving me comfort enough to run around in easily. They were black and fit snug around my foot.

I took my jacket, along with my ammo belt, off and put it next to the front door of the Security Office. The cold attacked my bare arms and seethed through the thin fabric of my tank top. I put my messenger bag down and pulled out a small jacket that was a lot more thinner than my last one. I had sewn some fur to the collar that I had taken from an old pre-war dress. The rest of it was made of thin cloth material. It didn't protect me much but it kept me warm and it was versatile. I fastened the five or six buttons securing it on me.

Pulling some stimpaks and a little ammo– I left my messenger bag and heavy coat at the doorstep of the small building. I would come back for it. Would it really be fit to bring my sniper rifle? This place seemed pretty close courters. And it too would hinder me if I scurried along. The tough decision to leave it bothered me. I wouldn't want to lose it in there and have to buy another with the little caps I had. So deciding it best – I left the rifle next to my other belongings.

I made sure to stretch every muscle and yawned again. I really needed to get some sleep.

I found a box next to the gate. 'Open' and 'Close' read on it. I kept trying keys until one fit. With hope that it still worked – I slowly turned it to 'open.' And was rewarded with the sweet sound of rusted steel scraping rusted steel.

When it was open enough for me to slip through I put the keys into my pocket.

So far so good

The factory was larger up close. Much larger. Darker. I could hear clanks of metal shifting in the light breeze. Fog was still thickly lingering, skewing any chance of me seeing in the distance. All I saw was the front of the factory and a broken concrete path leading me to the main doors. The still alluring feeling inside of me to delve into the deepest depths of the factory.

My thoughts tried to linger on other matters. I couldn't let it. Had to focus.

I arrived at the front doors. Something happened here. There was other things like chairs and picnic tables against the doors. Barricading it so whatever they were trying to keep in was not getting out. Moving the picnic tables carefully I pushed open the broken down door. And entered – part of me wanted to figure out what happened. Another wanted to hurry up search the place and get out. The last part of me didn't even want the caps, wanted to run all the way back to Megaton and go to bed.

I didn't know what I was doing. The inside was musty. Much like the security office – it too was a mess. Chairs flipped over, tables looked like they were thrown against walls. Rubble piling up in all different places. There seemed to be a lot of searching involved with places like this. The drawers contained a map of the compound.

It showed the first two upper floors but not the bottom floors – if there was any – there must be another part of the map around here somewhere. I continued looking in drawers and filing cabinets but couldn't find the other piece. Just business papers. So, I started heading in one direction. The stairs. I figured I would start with the bottom up.

They went on forever. I stopped a few times to catch my breath. I'm sure the dust wasn't helping my breathing.

I started to take the stairs down two by two. Hoping to speed up the attempt at reaching the bottom. The map was useless in the situation so I relied on my sense of navigation and memory. My flashlight shining ahead. Shaking every time I took a step.

Finally the bottom appeared and I hurried down. I hadn't counted how many floors I passed. Just kept thinking about when these stairs were going to end. The bottom of the factory was surly underground. Most of everything was intact. It wasn't as big a mess as the first floor – but it still was eroded. I wasn't sure how many decades had gone by after this place was abandoned.

I began to draw a map on the back of the factory's map so I wouldn't get lost.

–

Time had passed me by. The map I was drawing almost took up half the back. I drew fairly small, keeping room for other intricate floors. It was like a maze. Large hallways erupted into spindling little hallways. Rooms for miscellaneous things. Someone who was claustrophobic wouldn't last a second in here. It felt like the walls were caving in on you. When you looked down the hallway and saw all that your light would show – the darkness would twist and spin into a portal for your mind. Beckoning inane ideas of ghouls and monsters.

I was hurried out of my thoughts of drawing the map. The bloody scream that gargled echoed. It emanated from the back end of the rather large hallway I was in. Immediately I turned off my light and stuffed the map into my pocket.

Another scream. Softly I felt the walls and made my way towards the sound. I heard another and another. And I moved closer and closer.

When the screams felt like they were right next to me I turned on the light.

Run.

What?

Don't listen to it.

I heard a deep guttural growl. And more screams. I took the light off my jacket and tried to find the source of all this noise. It showed a gray wall and some tables. I turned to my left and heard that growl again.

What I saw stained my mind – A dog like creature. But it stood up like a person. Hair hung loosely off of it's body. It's eyes wide and black. It had what looked like arms and paws with large claws. I saw that it was the one doing the screaming and the growling. It stood seven or eight feet tall over me and when it screamed that chilling scream it showed it's teeth. I was a frightened little rabbit – but I didn't want to run.

It suddenly turned it's dog face towards me and growled. Swinging it's claws at me. I flew across one of the tables. My light flew further away. The thing could be heard running towards me and I quickly scrambled to my feet running towards my flashlight. It growled even more when I reached it and I pulled my pistol out. Firing at it – but it was like throwing rocks.

I ran no particular way – it chased after me with such ferocious force. It's breathing mixed in with saliva dripping from it's mouth. It was going to catch up to me if I didn't do something. I slid into a room with a heavy door. The dog like creature slid past the room and growled in annoyance when it didn't catch it's prey.

I flung the door shut and locked it. Grabbed whatever I could to put in front of it. In this case a heavy oak desk that I barely had the strength to move. The creature incessantly slammed it's large body against the door.

I concluded that this thing wasn't a Yao Guai. Those didn't stand up on two legs and run. They didn't scream like a person either. My mind flung my eyes around the room searching for a way out. The room I was in was fairly large – Like a class room. More tables were set up with chairs. Some book cases. There had to be an air vent somewhere I could crawl through. I had to act fast before the creature hulked it's body through the metal door.

There. I found one. I jerked the metal casing off and hopped into it. The metal banging of the door becoming louder and louder – the creature becoming more upset by the second.

I scurried like a rat far away from the room of death I was in. I put my fingers anywhere they would reach. I went up a few floors through the vents and saw a large room with cat walks and assembly lines. I kicked open the vent and dropped down onto my feet. Breathed in a sigh of relief. At least that thing was away from me but I knew it would catch up eventually. And had to devise a plan to kill it. I had a pistol and a few grenades. I was a small person with a small frame. Only little muscle graced my body. I could be torn apart easily.

That creature was tougher than me, faster than me. And over all had muscles like a gorilla. I had only one advantage over the beast and that was the mind. I began thinking fast walking around the assembly line. I had to get high up on the catwalks near the ceiling. If I wanted an advantage.

Again I was ripped away from my thoughts when a certain someone spoke up. A womanly voice.

"You seem to be lost miss."

She was almost as dirty as me. Though our clothes were much different – she was dressed in rags.

"I-I am, who are you? What are you doing here? It's dangerous."

The woman seemed to be hurt from my words.

"I know.. Are you okay? I heard some noise from the lower levels."

"There was this big monster down there! I had to climb through the vents just to get away from it!"

She sat upon one of the assembly lines and I just now had the chance to see how young she was.

And how familiar she was to me.

"I've been down here for years," She began. "Too many years. I'm lost. I don't know where to go. So many levels. You need to get out of here before you're trapped too."

The girl walked a little closer to me.

"What are you talking about?"

I quickly closed the gap between us. My foot steps patting as they hit the concrete.

"You don't know what you're doing. Leave, now."

"Not without you."

She contemplated for a moment and stared at the ground sighing. I stood there for a moment watching her.

It was still night outside. The large windows making it evident to cast down a gaze. How far had I climbed those vents? It didn't seem very long. Not long at all actually. My mind was fixated on the girl. She felt like that lingering feeling calling out to me. I couldn't leave her.

"I'll go with you." She confessed.

I grabbed her hand and we ran off into the hallways. "Do you know where you're going?" She asked between breaths as she tried to keep up with me. My grip firm on her wrist. I didn't want her to die. She felt like a part of me.

"No, this map is useless." I pulled it out of my coat pocket with one hand and tossed it in the air.

Now, now, now. Where is the exit?

Before long I was lost. We ended up on some catwalks. I gave her some time to rest and some water. I didn't have any food on me but would be sure to give her some when we got out of here.

"My name is Molly."

"What?"

"What's your name?"

"Molyneux."

"Oh, you have a nice name! It's almost like mine." She smiled a bright grin.

When Molly caught her breath we began running again.

"Hear that?" She called from behind me.

"No, what is it?"

"Mr. Brown is back."

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard what she had. A scream of pain, like the one that creature had made. He found us. I was sure we were in the higher levels of the factory. Clawing sounds were heard from behind us.

"Sh, just keep running no matter what."

Almost deafening screams. The girl was lagging behind. I encouraged her to ignore the pain and move.

"I have to figure out how to kill this thing."

"Then stop running."

"Are you insane?!"

I tried searching for a door or somewhere out of this place.

"Some people spend their whole lives running away from-"

"Locked." I tried shaking the door but none of them were open. Or were barricaded.

"Running away from something that's always been there. They just realize-"

"Locked again."

"What a threat it is. So they tend to run from it. When in reality-"

I didn't want to look behind me when I heard the monster scream again. The light showing our way bounced up and down as we sprinted down the halls.

"In reality they should just face it. You either live without it or go crawling back to it."

We rounded a corner fast. I looked ahead and there was light. The morning sun was rearing it's smile. The big room ahead was another assembly line. The hallway lead to the top of it near the catwalks. I gained enough courage to look behind me – only to see the creature slide on all fours around the corner. It's claws digging into cement. Saliva flinging form it's mouth. It got up again on it's legs and growled.

"Molly, I want you to hide when we get up to this room. Don't come out until I say so."

We reached the end. The railing guarding us from the fall below.

"And take this." I grabbed the pistol from my coat and threw it to her.

"But won't you need it?"

I shook my head no and told her to go hide.

Turning my attention to the growling beast running my way with ferocious speed. I pulled my last remaining weapon;

A large hunting knife. It's eyes fixated on me and only me. I screamed at myself to stay right in it's path but my body wanted to run.

Face yourself.

It lunged for me,

And when I realized it. It all made sense.