Chapter 10

Blood splatters were everywhere. The closer they walked to Boston Common, the more dried blood they came across. It was quiet – almost too quiet – when they arrived at the clearing. Casings of spent bullets were scattered amongst the blood and rubble; but even stranger was the lack of bodies.

"The Freedom Trail starts here," Dawn proudly announced as she neared the edge of the park. She perched herself on the rim of the broken fountain, studying the map on her Pip-Boy as she planned her path. MacCready stayed vigilant, hands gripped on his rifle as he scanned their surroundings. He eyed a plank of wood lying on the road, white paint spelling haphazard words on the weathered surface. Dawn spotted it too and walked cautiously over to the plank, craning her neck as she tried to discern what it said. "Swan. Keep...out." She scoffed. "I wonder what they're referring to."

MacCready knew exactly what the warnings were referring to.

"Keep your voice down," he hushed as he focused his attention to the pond at the far end of the park. Amongst the debris and garbage was a lump, grey and cracked with age, as it floated lazily in the sludge. Perhaps before the war it was a boat of sorts, shaped like a giant fiberglass swan, but now its frayed remnants were scattered in the fetid waters.

There. A slight movement. He was perceptive enough to spot it.

"Boss," he whispered. "We need to get out of here."

He almost jumped when he felt Dawn step next him, her focus also on the pond in the distance. "I saw it too," she said as she armed herself with her pistol. "What do you think it is? Mirelurks?"

He shook his head. "No, but it's big."

His response was enough to disturb her. They took their caution as a sign to quietly move away from the area-

A loud hiss resounded behind them, followed by the loud clanking of a Protectron powering up. It whirred as it's processors began to boot, causing Dawn and MacCready to panic from the all of the noise it was generating. He turned to his partner, who was horrified at the loud robot, and then watched it as it emerged from its charging pod with three metallic stomps.

"WELCOME. PATRIOTS. TO THE. FREEDOM TRAIL-"

"Shit." He allowed the expletive this time as he eyed the pond. The water bubbled, then stilled. But he didn't know how long until the Protectron rouses whatever was in that lake. "We gotta shut this thing up!"

"FEAST YOUR. EARS. AND LEARN MORE-"

Dawn immediately sprang into action. She unclipped a plug from her Pip-Boy as she haphazardly shoved it into the charge port of the robot, her hands shaking as she fiddled with the plug and with her Pip-Boy. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." She chanted her nervous mantra as she clicked and scrolled through screens of code. The Protectron carried on with its tour, its tinny voice echoing around the clearing as it pointed at the trail with a metal claw.

A deep growl could be heard, followed by more bubbling as the pond stirred. The fiberglass swan bobbed momentarily before it sank halfway into the water. Although there was no more movement, it did not ease MacCready's deepening anxiety. Dawn was practically scowling in concentration as she scanned her screen. Her eyes lit up when she found what she was looking for.

"Bingo!" She breathed a sigh of relief when she unplugged the lead. The robot immediately paused in its scripted speech as it reverted back to a default pose. The common was quiet once more.

"Uh...what did you do?" The sniper eyed the machine with mistrust.

"I hacked into it." Dawn was equally as wary. "I...think? I'm still getting the hang of it."

"Well, whatever you did, it worked-"

A beep, and the robot whirred back to life. It extended its claw so suddenly – Dawn was quick enough to dodge it – but it made no further movement after that.

"Welcome to. Boston Common. Metro. Station. May I have. Your tokens. Please."

Dawn balked at the machine before turning to her partner. "You, uh...You have any subway tokens, Mac?"

A blank stare was his reply. He absentmindedly patted at his pockets, despite knowing full well that he would have no reason whatsoever to have any of those stupid tokens on him. "Nope."

She hummed when she looked back at the robot, brows furrowed in deep thought. "Maybe I should have changed the personality settings to something else-"

"TRAVELING WITHOUT. A VALID. TOKEN. INCURS A SIXTY. DOLLAR PENALTY."

A siren blared from the Protectron in steady alarm, lights flashed from the top of its head plate and it grabbed Dawn's wrist to keep her from escaping. She scrabbled helplessly as she pulled away, but its grip was too tight. "I can't..." She swore under her breath as she tried to resist. "Mac, I can't get it off me!"

"PLEASE WAIT HERE. FOR THE. AUTHORITIES. TO COLLECT YOUR. FINE-"

The ground shook with a thunderous roar. Both of their attention was at the far end of the common when they watched the swan fragments rise, black water dropping in fat rivulets as a giant, hulking behemoth emerged from the pond. MacCready looked on in horror when the behemoth shook off some slimy water from its limbs, grey skin wrinkled from being submerged underwater, and it turned, and the giant glared straight at them with its black beady eyes.

MacCready barged into Dawn, shooting the connective ball joint of the Protectron with his sidearm, and kicked at the claw to free her. The Swan was running towards them with giant strides, yellowed bricks for teeth bared as it scowled at its new victims.

"Move!" MacCready yelled as he dragged Dawn with him. Another roar echoed behind them as they ran away. The Protectron's shrill siren glitched when the giant grabbed it with fat hands, crushing the metal between its fingers. It threw the mangled robot at the pair, and they narrowly dodged it when its body crashed in front of them. A giant hand made a grab for Dawn, but she ducked and scrambled away from its grasp. The mercenary whipped out his rifle and shot at the Swan, drawing its attention to him and hopefully make it ignore Dawn at its feet.

"Run!" He bellowed, grabbing some of the rounds strapped around his thigh to reload his rifle. He fired at the mutant, slowing it momentarily, but it gained back its momentum and swiped at the young man.

He's not as quick to dodge.

All breath escaped him when he was knocked aside like a kicked can. He let go of his rifle from the pain and the force of the blow, and landed a few meters away. His discarded rifle clattered next to him. Stars flicked into his vision as he lifted himself up onto his elbows and coughed – and by God did it hurt to breathe – with his ribs aching under the strain.

The stars receded, but his hazed vision only saw a giant foot in the air above, ready to stomp and crush him.

Gunfire. The Swan was jarred enough to lose its balance and its foot missed MacCready by inches. Dawn was stood in the open as she emptied her clip, bullet after bullet, each shot hitting the Swan's neck. The giant swayed, its fiberglass armour creaking from the movement. It switched its attention back at Dawn with a grunt and stomped over to her and roared in anger.

A raised foot. Another stomp. But Dawn evaded each attack. More rapid fire from her pistol popped through the air, but it wasn't powerful enough to pierce its thick hide. MacCready crawled to his rifle, not quite trusting his legs yet to stand or run; and instinct kicked in as he assumed his sniping position.

The Swan had skin too thick for a bullet to penetrate.

Aim for the eyes.

He held his breath. One. Two. Three. Sights lined, trigger pulled, a crack and echo as the bullet hit home.

Blood and spittle sprayed onto the concrete as the hulking creature bellowed a loud cry in pain. Some of the fluids rained on Dawn and she grimaced in disgust as she tried to run away from its rampage. It stomped around her, and she did her best to evade the wild kicks, but she was running low on energy. She was slowing down.

One thrash of the giant's arm batted her into the ground. She rolled violently from the momentum, skidding into a stop with her pistol still gripped tightly in her shaking hands. There was a brief moment when MacCready's heart stopped as the Swan brought down its fist to crush her, but she rolled away from the impact.

Then she did something stupid.

Dawn grabbed onto one of the swan fragments strapped around its arm, and she was lifted up into the air as it tried to shake her off. MacCready never noticed until now just how sure footed she was as she carried on climbing up the giant's limb and perched herself onto the behemoth's back. A kick was all it took to dislodge one of the fiberglass scrap from the Swan's' shoulder, and she promptly shoved a few frag grenades into the space between boat and grey skin.

But the Swan grabbed her with a meaty hand and threw her like she weighed nothing. Fetid water splashed into the air as Dawn landed in the pond, just as a giant explosion detonated from the colossus in a cloud of smoke and blood.

The haze dissipated to reveal the Swan on the floor; still and oozing brown blood from the crater on its back and shoulder. Its arm was blown off and lay in a heap a few meters away from the main body...and the head was still rolling down the common.

Where's Dawn?

He realized that she was still in the pond. Wasting no time, he scrambled to his feet and ran over to the water's edge. It was black and foul and he could not see her through the murk. His stomach sank at the thought of Dawn's body being lost somewhere in the muck.

"Boss?" He called out as he skirted around the edge, scanning the area for any sign of her. Nothing. His chest suddenly felt tight.

She's dead.

"Dawn!"

A hand shot out of the water at the far end of the pool, followed by another, and Dawn emerged with a gasp as she dragged herself out onto land like a beached whale. That familiar glint of gold caught his eye when Dawn pulled out her rope necklace, wedding rings glittering in the sunlight before she clasped at them with a fist. He sprinted to her side, hauling her up, but she collapsed onto all fours in a fit of violent coughs that wracked her whole body.

Relief washed over him like waves crashing to shore, his heartbeat so loud it was thunderous in his ears. Through the shaking and spluttering, Dawn was at least breathing. MacCready stared at her, dumbstruck and in awe at how she had miraculously survived a battle where the odds were stacked against their favour.

She's alive.

"That," she wheezed, "was disgusting!"

The brush next to them rattled as the Swan's decapitated head finally rolled to a stop, its bloodied eyes unseeing as it faced the pair like it had just presented itself as their gruesome prize.

"Ah..." Dawn quirked up a brow as she acknowledged the dismembered mutant. "It's dead. Good."

"Yup." He confirmed, but with the adrenaline now waning he found himself laughing. Was it out of shock? Relief? MacCready didn't give a shit. They were alive. He had fought and survived against the largest super mutant he has ever seen, and this pampered pre-war relic killed it. "I don't know if that was stupid, crazy or genius...but you did it. You actually killed it."

She grinned up at him. "I tick all of the above."

And with that, she vomited.

"I can still taste it."

Dawn gagged, but quickly regained her composure as they both walked up to the old North Church. It felt like she had complained for the hundredth time during their trek along the Freedom Trail. Sure, the complaints were something MacCready could handle. But the constant retching? No. It took every fibre of his being to refrain from throttling her whenever she dry heaved every second.

Right on cue, Dawn doubled over and retched.

They both paused at the doorway, with Dawn busy gagging while MacCready crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Drink some water or something!" He chided as he handed her his flask, but she shook her head vehemently from the offer.

"No thanks," she said with more strain than necessary. "Swallowing that pond water has pretty much put me off any liquid."

He angrily shook his flask at her, water sloshing inside like crazy. "Drink the damn thing! Or rinse your mouth, I don't care! You're not helping yourself by making yourself sick all the time!"

Dawn flicked her gaze onto the flask, then to the floor, and back to the flask. Begrudgingly, she reached for it and took a few tentative sips with a grimace. "Don't coddle me," she said.

"Just looking out for you," he sighed whilst giving her a shrug. "You ready?"

A small laugh escaped from her lips as she gave him a small and cynical smile. "Yes, boss."

Weapons at the ready, both of them entered the old and dusty building with caution. It was dark inside, despite Dawn lighting up the area in a green glow with her Pip-Boy, and they both eyed every blind turning and dark corner.

It smelled like rotten wood and decayed flesh as they explored inside. The roof was caved in and what was once the support beams now lay in a heap of rubble in the middle of the floor. Amongst the dust and debris, the skeletal forms of feral ghouls roused from the rubble, groaning and hissing as if their resurrection caused them great pain.

Ferals. The sight of them up close sickened MacCready, and they filled him a hatred so raw it hurt. One of them looked straight at the sniper, and he couldn't help but have Lucy's pained screams echo through his skull.

A ghoul streaked towards MacCready, the speed of its advance jarring him out of his stupor. He raised his rifle and promptly shot it between the eyes. There were not many of them, maybe six in total, so they were not overwhelmed. Easy pickings, but being in the near vicinity of them made him uneasy.

"Hey! Under here!" Dawn called him over from underneath a broken balcony. She beckoned him over before disappearing through a door and descending down a damp stairway.

He followed diligently, keeping his distance from her in case they were attacked from behind. Small and enclosed spaces were not his forte. Sniping from afar, hidden from view, keeping himself safe whilst playing on the element of surprise; all of these were the conditions that he felt most comfortable with. Now? He was on edge. His jaw clenched painfully as he strained his eyes in the darkness.

Gunfire ahead as Dawn easily dispatched more ghouls with her pistol. She was proficient, self-assured...and he was shaking.

"-quiet lately."

He blinked. They were deeper within the tunnels, with no memory of him reaching the end of the catacomb. Dawn stood in front as she looked up at him expectantly. It took him a while realise that Dawn had been talking to her partner.

"W-what?"

Dawn rolled her eyes at his dim reply. "I said; you've been quiet lately." Her demeanour changed slightly as she took better notice of him. "You're pale. You okay?"

He was caught off guard by her concern, heightened already by his growing anxiety. There was a gentleness in her eyes which soothed him slightly, but the comfort was heavily outweighed by his feeling of impending doom. Muscles felt like they were coiled like a spring. A rushing sound filled his ears like a rippling shockwave. Was it the sound of his heartbeat? There was no way of telling. All cognitive thought and reasoning left him.

All he could focus on was the darkness at the corners of his vision. The shadows within the catacombs seemed to move and warp.

Something is coming.

"Stay with me Mac."

Warm hands held him by the arms, her voice grounding him and rooting him back to reality. A few deep breaths later and the rushing sounds were fading. He was no longer hyper-aware of the darkness. It was like cold water had been tipped over him, shocking his psyche and putting him back in full control of his mind and body.

He looked up – only realising that at some point he decided to sit on the floor – and saw that Dawn was kneeling down beside him. Her lips were set in a thin line as she studied him with evident concern, her hands gently rubbing up and down his arms. "That's it," she encouraged. "Nothing is going happen. There's no danger here."

Last night came to mind, with him reassuring Dawn whilst she was high off her nut. Only now their roles were reversed. She was comforting him. She was reminding him that she will keep him safe.

For all of those times he yelled at her; for being too soft, too loud, too whiny, too curious...he wished that he could take it back. It was a ridiculous time to lament such a thing, but he wanted to acknowledge how much of an asshole he had been. And the biggest realisation of all hit him.

Dawn, despite all of the bullshit he made her endure, had the patience of a Saint.

She called him her partner. Calling her boss was just a professional habit he had, but she didn't treat him as such. He felt like he really was a teacher, a partner...hell, maybe even a friend. He may be paid for such company, but she had always been generous to him.

He didn't feel expendable.

He didn't feel used.

If anything, he felt valued.

It was like she actually gave a damn about him, and MacCready wanted to curse out loud because he felt sick over the thought of backstabbing her. If only he had never joined the gunners and had discovered Dawn sooner...if only he wasn't so stupid to lie to her and vent his frustration on her like some asshole.

I am an asshole.

And Dawn deserved better. She was still looking at him with kindness, not because she was protecting her investment but because she is a decent human being. She doesn't deserve to have the gunners take advantage of her hard work. She doesn't deserve to be searching for her missing son with a liar.

She doesn't deserve me.

"Dawn..." his mouth was so dry it was hard to speak. "I need to tell you something."

Dawn took this as a sign to stand up. She extended her hand to him to help him up, her façade confident again. "Can it wait?"

He tried not to deflate, but he understood that now is probably a bad time anyway to reveal how much shit he has landed her in with Winlock and Barnes. Head hung low, he gave her a faint nod.

"Yeah, I guess it could wait."

She nodded, but gave him a reassuring smile which indicated she has at least acknowledged the conversation for later. Hands placed firmly on her hips, she turned to face the brick wall and concentrated on a dial installed into a wall. It was metal, words spelled out in the perimeter with an arrow pointing down to the carved vigil in the centre. Dawn slowly turned the dial and pressed down on the vigil as she reached each letter for the combination.

RAILROAD.

On the final press a series of clicks and gears resounded from the dial, and the wall opened up to reveal a dark passageway.

Dust now settled, they entered the shadows.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your day is filled with loads of fun, love and a shit tonne of food!

Also, what is your BEST Christmas memory? Is it funny? Sad? Strange? Need some ideas for a future chapter I'm planning and I would love to include a part of you into this story!

Have a happy Holiday and lots of love to you all!

Xxx