The sun broke through the clouds, Frankie yawned. He was the first one up for once. Jordan and Sheldone were passed out on the floor, Anthony laid groaning in his sleep and sweating. Tyler lay silent lightly snoring. Frankie rolled off the couch and rubbed his eyes. He almost tripped over Kristen who was sprawled on her bedroll with a book on her face. He walked out of the house and stumbled into the Atomic Wrangler.
"Good morning Mr. Jaskel! You're up early aren't you?" James Garret cleaned a glass.
Frankie squinted his eyes adjusting to the light. "Yeah..." He mumbled. "Gimme some beers and whiskey Garret."
"It's a little early to be drinking. I don't think your father would approve of this." He sarcastically stated and grabbed the alcohol.
"Fuck him. He's the reason I'm as stressed as I am."
"Word on the streets is you and your friends have been causing some waves. There's talk of a war between you and the King's second in command?"
"No." He lied. "We need to leave though as soon as possible. D'you have any idea when the next Caravan is leaving Freeside?"
"Crimson Caravan are the people you'd have to talk to for that." He finished preparing the drinks. "They're offices open up at 9."
"What time is it right now?"
"6:30."
"God." Frankie dropped caps on the bar. "Thanks." He wobbled back out of the door and sat on the stoop outside the crib. Cracking bottles and drinking until the sun glazed his face.

Kristen got out of bed. The vault air conditioner was a pleasant feeling on her sunkissed skin.
Jimmy Harrow rolled over to face her. "Good morning beautiful." He kissed her.
She blushed and smiled. "Good morning handsome."
"Kristen, the happiest days of my life have been with you."
"Like-wise Jimmy, You mean the world to me. I hope to never lose you."
Her stomach sank, when she looked back his face was not that of Jimmy Harrows. But of Anthony's.
It was coughing uncontrollably, blood was everywhere. She screamed.

"KRISTEN WAKE THE FUCK UP GIRL!" Sheldone shook her.
She hopped up from her bedroll sweating. "What's going on?"
Jordan and Tyler stood over Anthony holding him down, he was kicking and yelling coughing blood.
"OH MY GOD! Anthony!" She rushed over. "Tyler grab me 3 Med-X and 2 Stimpacks from my bag. Jordan put pressure on the bullet wounds." She grabbed his hand. "Hang in there please."
Tyler handed her the medicine and she injected it into his blood stream, he started to spasm. "Jordan pin him down okay! We don't need him hurting himself." Kristen worked for about 5 minutes and Anthony finally calmed down. He breathed heavily through his nose, as he laid drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Kristen?" Tyler tapped her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Is he like... alright?"
"Um." She thought for a moment. "Anthony is going to need to take 2 Med-x a day until his condition stabilizes."
"He can get addicted to that shit!"
"Well addiction is the best alternative, believe me I want this as much as you do." She grazed his face with her hand and he rolled over.
Jordan and Sheldone walked over and stood in silence for a couple minutes.
"Where's Frankie?" Tyler noticed his cousin was M.I.A.
Everyone shrugged.
Given the last days events his stomach sank. "We have to find him! The Kings could've got him!" He sprinted out the door only to find Frankie drinking himself to death on the steps.
"What's up Ty?" Frankie was puffing on a cigarette with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He handed it to Tyler. "Take a sip."
"Frankie where'd you go, Anthony just had a seizure or something."
"Seriously?" He got alarmed.
Tyler sat next to him and took a sip from the bottle. "Yeah, Kristen says he's gonna have to take 2 Med-X daily until this shit stabilizes." He handed the bottle back. Jordan and Sheldone walked out and sat on the steps with them. Frankie handed them both bottles.
Jordan took small sips where as Sheldone chugged.
Jordan looked up at Frankie. "Tyler tell you what happened?"
He nodded and threw his empty bottle in the street where it exploded into hundreds of shards.
Frankie burped. "Did Samuel give you the money?"
Sheldone shook his head. "Nah, We couldn't find him."
"DAMN IT." Frankie yelled and got a hold of himself. "Tyler what time is it?"
"I think like 8:30."
"We need to leave, I talked to Garret about Caravans out of this fucking place and he suggested." He burped extra long and loud interrupting his statement. "My bad, He suggested Crimson Caravan and they open at 9."
"Frankie we can't leave yet, Anthony's having panic attacks and seizures." Tyler combated his point.
They all looked at him.
"Anthony will leave." Frankie opened up another bottle. "He has nothing now except us. We're the only family he has basically since that fucking cocksucker murdered his mother."
Everyone started to remember the events of the night before.
"We can't let Pacer get away with this." Jordan yelled asserting his need for revenge.
Frankie sat back. "We will get him, and all those fuckers. But we can't right now. But believe me this isn't over."
"What about Casey that's his cousin." Sheldone brought up another valid point.
"Easy, he'll come with us. Casey's mom has been trying to get him to leave for a year now, they can't afford him anymore that's the reason he had a job with Mick n' Ralph which we already quit for him." Tyler answered.
"Last order of business, the vault girl." Frankie swished his liquor around in his mouth before swallowing and burping.
Jordan pulled a pack of smokes out, he lit and the took a drag of a cigarette. "I know you don't like her, and we don't exactly love her either but we need her for Ants sake. Shes got the most medical training out of the 7 of us."
Frankie felt his head. "I guess she can stick around for a bit longer. I don't trust her though honestly, lets keep it a bean. I know she's saved Anthony but she caused all the problems that got him in the position to be saved."
Silence.
"Point proven." He threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it. "Let's head inside. It's hot as fuck out here."