Updated: 6/7/15

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Part 2 – Birth of a Ghost

Chapter 11: The Ties of Familial Blood

"My name is Nathan, but everyone calls me something else. These alias' are titles that will put the fear of god in my enemies. My purpose is simple. To eradicate evil. But sometimes, the misunderstood are not evil. Not if you guide them in the right direction."

I was in my house preparing for my next excursion into the wastes. I was currently fiddling with a few straps that would be Riley's harness and protective vest. Everyone thought it was strange that I pieced together a few bullet proof vests for my dog. I did a testing session with Riley outside of Megaton. It pretty much meant ten laps around Megaton's walls. He could carry twenty pounds and not be worn out. This didn't include his protective armor. He looked like a prewar military service dog.

I found myself packing necessities such as rations, medical supplies, and ammo. My clothing was my armored Vault 101 jumpsuit over my body armor and my new blue scarfed cowl I wore like prewar desert dwellers. I had my backpack full of the necessities. My weaponry was my combat knife tucked away in my left boot, my silenced pistol which was on my left thigh, my Sniper rifle, which was holstered on my back above my combat shotgun. I had a few Frag Grenades on my right side hooked to my belt. Ammo was everywhere, mostly hanging from my chest from the blue military utility vest I had on. Riley's vest had ammo and a few bottles of water on it. I didn't put any explosives on him, fearing somehow they might actually go off. He also had a little pouch for any caps I found out here. It looked as if we were ready for war.

The next morning around five o'clock I found myself out in the wasteland. I checked my map on my Pipboy as I entered Springvale. Arefu was a couple miles away and around the small mountain Vault 101's entrance was in. I decided I'd try and stick to the roads. I may have a personal Vault Tech GPS on my wrist, but if I didn't stick to the roads, I probably wouldn't have a chance to scavenge anything I found any buildings on the side of the roads. I'd have to be careful. What could turn into few hour's walk could be a full day. I trekked up the road near Vault 101. I passed the overlook without giving a single look. The only regret I had was leaving Amata behind. But then again, I didn't want the same fate to befall her as Kate.

I got to the top of the slope where I noticed that one of the roads on the map was not a road on ground level, it was one of many destroyed overpasses in the Capital Wasteland. I probably passed this overpass on the other side of the Potomac River. Nevertheless, Riley and I followed the overpass columns that had no road atop them towards the Potomac. Eventually, we came up on a large piece of road bridge that was still intact but leaned against a pillar and rubble like a ramp. "Come on Riley," I said deciding to get a better look from up top. If I could get a better view of the Wasteland, I could actually see if there was any place to scavenge out here. I looked out to see everything. Below us stretching over the Potomac was a bridge and what looked like a bunch of Raider's camping out on the bridge. North directly in front of me was some kind of barn and silo. In the distance on a hill were a bunch of buildings and a water tower nearby. I looked at the direction where Arefu was located and I saw it. On an overpass was a bunch of shanty houses that were barely visible from here. "Okay…" I said smirking, "There's our destination boy. But first, let's have us a little bit of fun." I pulled out my sniper rifle and took aim down below at the Raider Camp. "Time to get some practice in." Riley stood looking over the edge of the destroyed building gazing intently at the camp. I crouched down to pet my little friend before taking aim.

The first Raider I spotted was behind a sandbag wall near a prewar eighteen wheeler truck and trailer. This was the closest target and right at the base of their overpass camp. I lined up the scope, aiming for the Raider's head. I fired. Nearly a second later came the splatter of blood and a dead Raider. I was surprised the sound didn't carry, but it was windy today too. I looked for another target. Near some makeshift fencing, I saw another Raider looking out over the bridges exterior car barrier. I lined up the scope and shot. My bullet whizzed right past his head. The Raider turned. I saw where the shot went the first time and I readjusted my aim and fired again. The Raider looked right in my direction before his head flew off. My next target was so far out of my comfort zone for precision, but that's why I had thirty more rounds already in a few magazines. I took aim again, this time looking at a rag that the wind blew near my target. I judged our distance apart before making a few mental notes, calculations, and looking at the small ticks that indicated distance in my scope. I fired. My bullet hit true, killing the Raider. I spotted another target, making the necessary adjustments and firing. Once again, my calculative skills seemed to be of use as a marksman. I decided that this was all I could take today in precision in different distances. It was time to see if Riley's training had paid off.

"Riley," I spoke encouragingly, "Find it boy. Ammo." Riley barked then went into a jog down our little hideaway and towards the Overpass. As soon as he got to the first Raider's body, he started sniffing around. I watched him through my scope. He proceeded to the next target I shot down and retrieved an ammo magazine from him for assault rifles. He came back towards my way. I looked down below seeing a slab of rubble. I dropped down below then jumped off onto the ground meeting with Riley. I put my sniper rifle back in its holster, crouched, and pet my dog. "Good boy. Come on, let's make sure there's nothing in this camp that is valuable. I checked the first few bodies for anything valuable. I found some caps, but nothing else valuable. We came across some Raiders that hadn't spotted us yet. One of them was wielding a sniper rifle looking out over the wasteland North. There was another one leaning against a makeshift shelter.

We crouched down low and used the central barrier to break their line of sight. Eventually we came out to the edge where we would have to move into the open. I could have easily dispatched these two Raiders but I wanted Riley to have experience in what I was trying to teach him. "Riley," I whispered, "Lay down and stay." He knew he should be quiet right now and obeyed. I peered around the edge of the barrier. The Sniper turned around and walked back towards the edge of the destroyed bridge. I quickly moved right across the open space towards an eighteen wheeler truck and trailer. I went to the other side peering around the back. The melee armed Raider had his back to me. I pulled out my combat knife and looked between him and the Sniper. If I was fast and quiet enough, I could kill this one and then use Riley as a distraction.

I quickly went up grabbed the Raider's mouth and slit his throat. I dragged him around out of sight of the Sniper. I quickly checked for anything on the Raider. Nothing. I looked back around at the Sniper who still was looking out at the Wasteland. I turned to look at Riley whose eyes were trained on me. "Riley," I spoke quietly, "Speak."

Riley barked and I peered around at the Raider who just turned pulling out his Sniper Rifle. He walked towards Riley's position. I pulled out my silenced N99, moved around the truck then shot the Raider in the head. "Riley come." Riley came up and sniffed at the Raider. His ears peeled back and he started growling towards my right. I saw them too, two raiders with melee weaponry walking our way, stupidly not seeing us. "Quiet," I whispered, "Riley. Left. Mark and sick him." Riley bolted towards the two going after the left Raider. I quickly fired my N99 and killed the other Raider. Riley silenced the other Raider by tearing into his throat before the Raider knew what was coming. I walked up and looked at the two corpses. "Good boy Riley." The last Raider was easy to dispatch. He had a Flamer and all I had to do was fire a round in the tank which caused an explosion. For a bunch of murdering and raping thieves, this group had nothing of value stashed anywhere. I was about to head back towards the entrance of the camp when I saw him. A Raider who had been hiding from me and Riley.

"Oh shit!" He yelled then bolted down the overpass.

"No survivors this time," I spoke coldly, "Riley, Mark. Sick him!" Riley growled and barked going into a chase. I smirked under my cowl. "Good boy." Riley ran up easily outpacing the Raider and jumped from the side and latched onto the Raider's neck and bringing him down. I casually walked up as Riley held the Raider's neck. The Raider was still alive but barely. He stared at me with pleading eyes. "It sucks doesn't it? Wishing for the suffering to end? Think about that the next time you rape someone. Oh that's right, you're dying. Good luck with that. Riley, release." Riley complied panting. "Good boy. We're leaving."

Like we were never there, we left the overpass encampment. Our next destination was up a dirt road towards the old barn and silo. I came up to a sight I didn't understand. There were Raiders. All of them were beating on what looked like a new initiate. I shook my head and pulled out my silenced N99. "Riley, stay." I walked up towards them in the barn and killed all but the initiate with several silent shots. The Initiate looked around at the gang of Raider's then looked at me startled as if I wasn't standing there to begin with. "Who the fuck are you!?"

"Every Raider's worst nightmare," I spoke with my hoarsest voice, "I left you alive for one purpose only."

The Raider Initiate gulped. "Why's that?"

"Two things actually," I spoke, "One is so you could restart and see what the life of a Raider is like. You all die. Two is so you can spread the word to whomever you come across."

"And what would that be."

"Any and all Raiders will die if…." I thought about my two nicknames. "...I find them."

"Who are you?"

"No one important," I replied, "All you need to know is that I'm a ghost. I will be here to purge this wasteland of any evil I come across. I've been called the Lone Wanderer already, which I might as well be, but I like to think myself as a ghost. I am a ghost with no tolerance for Raiders or anyone else who pursues activities such as rape, murder, and slavery. I am out for blood, revenge for someone I held dear to me. Someone I watched suffer during rape then eventually murder. Turn around and don't move. He complied nervously. "When you wake up, you'll carry my message understood?"

"Yes…." He said weakly.

"Good." With that, I knocked him unconscious. Theatrics were never my strongpoint, and I may have over done it in that aspect. But I wanted Raider's to know that wherever they are, they were not safe. I was going to do my damnedest to wipe them all out. I call it a sense of duty, of justice, a justice that needed pursuing. I didn't care for attention, but I wanted it known. I was going to be a ghost of death. Nathan Warren, aka the Lone Wanderer, was here to destroy any person who thinks they can prey on the innocent. I took the time to scavenge the little Raider encampment. The only thing I found of value was a Hunting rifle which I didn't have one of, some ammo for it, a few caps, and something called a Mini-nuke. After that, Riley and I left the unconscious man.

We continued North until we came across a road. I checked my map. This would lead us straight to Arefu if I wasn't mistaken. First I checked out the little campground across the road. Inside were some ammo boxes full of regular stock ammo. I picked the lock on one of them noting that it had something called a Stealthboy. I kept it. We continued up the road towards East, running into a rogue military Protectron. It was easy to destroy. When followed the road as the curve winded around towards the Potomac River northeast. There was one destroyed structure and it was a farmhouse and a toppled over silo. There was nothing in them. The only thing we saw was another Eyebot.

I realized that it was getting late in the day, right around four o'clock in the afternoon. I checked my map. "Screw the road," I muttered to myself, "We're going straight there." If I would've taken the road, It would be midnight before I would even get to Arefu. So we took a shortcut across the wasteland. There was one resistance and it was a Radscorpion. Eventually we met back on the road near a destroyed bridge. Unknowingly, until we heard them talking, we stumbled into another Raider camp. Lucky for us, they didn't notice us. I saw them in some house off to the side on the other side of the bridge. "Riley, stay." There were too many Raiders here for him to get involved. I would have to be quick, not miss a single bullet, and kill them all without being killed. I decided that the two Raiders in the house were more important. I took my Sniper Rifle and aimed. I fired twice which both targets were eliminated. The first shot surprised all the other Raiders, the second, caused them to come looking. I left Riley at the rock and ran up the bridge holstering my sniper rifle and pulling out my silenced N99. I shot one Raider instantly from above who almost spotted me from under the other side of the bridge. Two Raiders who were right beneath me turned to see the body. I fired two shots killing them both. There were three more Raiders who had already gotten around to the side of the bridge coming around to Riley's position. I casually walked over to the side looking down at the three who all had their guns drawn. I pulled out one of my Frag Grenades as I spotted another Raider off to the side. He saw me as I pulled the pin. I casually dropped the Frag Grenade between the three then took cover behind the barrier as two things happened. The grenade went off killing the three Raider's instantly while knocking back the Raider who spotted me. I figured he was dead. A Raider was using a rock firing an Assault Rifle wildly at me which was useless due to my cover. I got an idea. I got up and ran to the other side of the bridge and vaulted over the barrier right behind a Raider who was going to try and sneak around and flank me. The Raider turned around with his knife and tried to stab me. I grabbed his arm pushing it into the Bridge's side before punching the Raider in the face and kicking him down on the ground. I pulled out my silenced N99 and shot one round to the head. The Raider was still at the rock aiming at the spot I was last at. I peered around the side of the wall to get a good look at him. With my silenced weapon, I couldn't hit him from here.

I replaced it with my Combat Shotgun as it was the only other gun I had that could blow the Raider away. I got as close as I could before the Raider spotted me. When he did spot me, I fired causing him to take cover. I fired another round. He sprayed his gun over his head not looking where I was. I stood behind a tree avoiding the bullets that peppered all around me. I kept going firing my shotgun at him. Eventually he must've ran out of ammo because he jumped over the rock with a machete yelling a war cry. I simply blasted him away without even aiming.

"Drop the weapon!" A voice yelled right behind me. It was the Raider I thought had died. "I dropped my shotgun without any hesitation or fear. Although his gun was pointed at my back, I didn't fear the Raider. The Raider laughed. "Any last words dumbass?"

"Yeah," I said with a cold voice, "Sick him."

"Wha—"

There was a loud bark and growl along with a scream of pain. I turned around seeing Riley with the Raider pinned on the ground ripping his throat out. "Any last words?" I taunted.

Once again, this Raider Camp was nothing but a useless waste of space. There was no loot, just a bunch of Raider's with mediocre weaponry. Riley and I continued on.

….

Gallows

I was on my way back from one of my Spec Ops missions for my group when I saw it. Some idiot Wastelander and his dog was about to blunder into a Raider Camp. I was tempted to save him, but I decided against it. One Wastelander wasn't going to hurt anyone. I wondered if I should shoot him and save him the misery of becoming a wall mural. When the man stopped and looked over at the house near the bridge, I wondered if he realized how deep of a shit he was in. Then I realized that he sent his dog off behind a rock before pulling out a sniper rifle. Well then, I thought, this could be interesting.

I stayed and watched as this wastelander seemed to pick apart the Raider Camp one by one. The more I watched him kill every last one of them with tactical precision and skill, the more I started to like this one. And just when I thought the man had made a mistake involving a Raider that he thought he killed, I heard what he said. "Sick him." He used his dog to watch his back. The dog had snuck up on the Raider and killed him. He taunted the dying Raider before collecting whatever those idiots had of value, then moved North with his dog. Impressive. I had only seen Brotherhood of Steel members even close to being that skilled. It made me wonder who he was. Then I remembered something on Galaxy News Radio. The Lone Wanderer or Ghost, with his dog were seen out in the Wasteland around Megaton. Maybe he had finally decided to go off or was heading north. The way that man moved, there was no sound, no slow movements, nothing that made him look like one of these ungrateful Wastelanders. He moved with a silent purpose and glided like a ghost would. That cowl he had on definitely hid his head from anyone seeing it. His dog always right beside him. The others will want to hear about this…

Nathan

We kept going down the road until we were at an intersection Arefu should be right around the curve on my right. That's what my Pipboy said anyways. When I arrived, the first thing I saw was an old farm at the base of the overpass town. In a pen were three dead Brahmin all rotted and fleshed. I looked up at Arefu's town. Something's not right. "Come on Riley," I said pulling out my combat shotgun and walking around to the front and up the overpass. The walk was a short walk up to the town only when I arrived, I was ready to blow someone's head off. An explosion erupted right in front of me followed by a man popping from behind a sandbag.

"What in the hell was that for?" I asked with slight anger. Riley started growling tensing up. "Heel." He stopped.

"Y-you're not one of them!?" The man asked relieved, "Damn, I almost sent you to hell." This man had on brown cargo pants, black boots, a beige hat with goggles, a black jacket, and armed with an Assault Rifle and a lot of ammo.

"No shit," I confirmed.

"Well get over here before they spot you!" The man said urgently. I looked around walking his way. "Now what the hell you doin' all the way out here?"

"To deliver something to the West family," I replied calmly.

"That's great," He replied sarcastically, "But I've got bigger problems than being the town's post officer right now. The shit's about to hit the fan in this godforsaken cesspool and I don't think I can stop them."

"I noticed the Brahmin," I commented gesturing back down there, "What's the problem, who's got you riled up?"

"Well first they do their typical gang bullshit," He replied irritably, "You know , break stuff and make lot's of noise, but they always kept their distance. But this last time they went too far. They killed all of our Brahmin, our lifeblood." It seemed to me that he was scared a little more than he let on, if that was possible.

"What the hell has got you so spooked?" I asked.

"Ugh," He said conflicted, "Look….you can call me crazy all you want to. But there is something odd about those creeps. Very odd. I mean, they've got the guns and the muscle. Why don't they just bust down our doors and take us out already? We're really in a bad way….I really hate to ask this stranger, but is there anyways you can help us?"

"Of course," I replied. It was probably just some punks who were just trying to scare this guy. If they didn't try to be aggressive, then they definitely weren't Raiders.

"I don't want to take my eyes off the ramp here," He continued, "There's no telling when The Family will return. Can you do me a favor and check on the other residents? I want to make sure they're alright. Speak with Davis West, Karen Schenzy and Ken Ewers. Tell them that Evan King sent you if they give you any trouble."

"Okay," I asked patiently, "But first, can you tell me more of what's been going on around here?"

He scoffed. "There used to be more families living around here," He replied sighing while keeping his eyes trained on the ramp, "Most of them have dismantled their shacks and moved onto greener pastures. Those that are still living here are keeping themselves indoors thanks to The Family. We're scared to death of them. Just go see if everyone's okay." I could tell King hadn't had any rest in a good long while.

"It'll be done," I said with a plain voice. It was so much easier to act as if I had seen it all and just accept what was happening around me. That's why I spoke with indifference and kept my actions unreadable unless I intended to be deadly. I walked to the houses one by one starting with the closest one. I knocked on the door. On the door it said Ewers.

"Hello?" A woman asked pleasantly, "Is this the mailman? Oh I do hope that my fall catalogue has arrived."

"Uh…." I started completely caught off guard. Was this woman crazy? "I have no idea what you're talking about. Evan King sent me."

"Oh!" The Woman spoke, "Evan! He's such a gentleman. Please, do come inside." I heard a click and stepped inside. When I walked in, there was some asshole who I immediately didn't like.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" He asked with an annoyed voice, "Get the fuck out." His wife was in a back room somewhere.

"Whoa slow down," I replied, "Your wife let me in."

"Oh for the love of…." He started irritated, "Look, she's dumber than a bag of hammers okay? If you want to talk to anyone, you talk to me okay? So what the fuck do you want?"

I bit back my irritation. "I was sent to check on you by Evan," I spoke, "Everything okay?"

"We're great," He replied sarcastically, "Just peachy. I love sitting in my house with my thumb up my ass. Tell Mr. King that sitting around here all day isn't going to make us any safer. We need to take action now!"

"Okay then," I spoke, "I'll check on the others…."

"Good," He replied with a hostel tone, "Now get out."

I bit back a surge of anger and breathed. On my way out, I slammed the door causing something inside to knock off a shelf. "Hey!" Ken yelled.

I checked on the next house. It was the Schenzy's residence. "Yes," another woman asked as soon as I knocked, "Who is it?"

"Evan King sent me," I replied, "May I enter?"

"It's about damn time he did something," Karen said annoyed unlocking the door. She opened the door revealing herself to me. "It's nice to see a new friendly face around here. It's been a long time. The name's Karen Schenzy."

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Scared out of my mind," She quipped, "I'm glad he's checking on us but until someone nips this problem from the bud, we may as well stay inside forever."

"I'm looking into it," I replied, "You won't have to stay in here for long. Just stay indoors until I figure things out."

"Okay."

The last house was the West's house. I knocked. No answer. I knocked again. Nothing. "Hello?" I asked knocking one last time, "Mr. and Mrs. West? I have a letter for you from your daughter, from Lucy. Evan asked me to check up on you too." There was still no answer. Riley was sniffing at the door and whining. "Davis?" I asked pulling out my N99 and opening the door. What greeted me was the most horrible smell on the face of the planet. I covered my nose groaning before turning on my Pipboy light. In front of me were two decomposing bodies with severe lacerations on their face and necks. There was hardly any blood left. "King!" I yelled.

"What!?" King yelled hurrying over, "What is it?" He stopped seeing the gruesome scene. "Oh god. Fuck….what the hell? How? How could this have happened?"

"I don't know," I replied, "They've been dead for a few days."

"I haven't heard from them in few days," Evan started freaking out, "I was always watching the Ramp. How could the family have gotten to them!?"

"I don't know," I spoke again, "But we'll figure it out. I'm going to find the Family."

"Wait…." Evan said, "Where's Ian?"

"Ian?"

"Their son," Evan continued, "He's their teenaged son. This has to be the work of the family. I've caught their weirdo leader talking to Ian down by the river."

"I'll find him," I spoke contemplating a few theories of mine, "and I'll figure out what happened. The Wests had bite marks. Mean anything to you? There's that mark on the wall too." I pointed at the mark on the wall. "So it has to be the Family right?"

"Yes….and as for the marks on the neck, I couldn't think of anything unless they have attack dogs…"

"Great…." I said sighing, "Okay. Do you know where I can find them? Any general direction or….something? I know you said you've been watching them for some time now."

He sighed closing the door. "I think they live somewhere East or Northeast from here," He replied, "The problem is, they always travel in the dark. Seeing where they go is pretty hard in those conditions. There's three places I can think of. Hamilton's Hideaway, the old Moonbeam Cinema, or the Northwest Seneca Metro Station." I contemplated how to work this out.

"Fine," I continued, "I'll go figure this out."

"Be careful!"

Using the map on my Pipboy I started my search for the Family. The wildlife here was fantastic. Five mole rats and three wild dogs later, I found the drive-in Cinema. It was empty with nothing but some picnic tables and a bunch of cars. Hamilton's Hideaway turned out to be a cave with manmade walkways and rooms full of Radscorpions and dead Wastelanders. That was my initial assessment until I stumbled across two Raiders in the rear of some man made tunnels in a room they had used as their hideout. The loot I found was a lot of medical supplies, particularly blood packs and some ammo. It might be a pretty cool little hideout because it was near the Raider Camp Riley and I cleared near at the bridge.

We came up on Northwest Seneca Metro station. It was random because there wasn't a thing out here but a few buildings that surrounded a metro station. I checked the buildings to find nothing except some food, prewar money, Nuka-Cola's and some radroaches in the small grocery mart. I looked down the stairs of the Metro with slight distain. I had been underground all my life. I didn't want to be down in there again. "Come on Riley," I said to my dog for what felt like the millionth time, "Keep those eyes, ears, and nose sharp." He barked.

We went down inside, and boy was it dark. I used my Pipboy's light to see. We killed a bunch of Mole Rats in the first room at a corner and looted the medical supplies in the restrooms before continuing. But we saw light coming from the room furthest down. There were two barrels of burning material out here around a door. I opened the door seeing two Ghouls and a lab set up.

"You're…." The ghoul with glasses said nervously, "You're not here to steal my secrets are you?"

"No."

"Oh good," He said, "I figured you were some drug dealer or something. It's not easy making Ultrajet you know."

"Sound's like a super-Chem," I spoke tonelessly, "Not interested in your drugs. I'll be coming through now."

"Now hold on smoothskin…." The other ghoul said getting ready to draw a gun.

"If you do that…."I said pulling out my N99, "I will kill you. Understood?" Riley started growling.

"Barrett back off," the first ghoul said frightened. The second ghoul lowered his weapon. "What's your deal Smoothskin? Who are you and what do you want?" He tried to gauge my expressions. My cowl stopped that.

I lowered my weapon looking at him. "My name is not important," I responded, "I'm just a Ghost….a Wanderer looking for someone. You're interfering and I have little tolerance for drug use. Don't get in my way. I'm sure you don't want to fuck with me."

"Yeah…." The Ghoul spoke nervously, "Sure." I continued seeing my next destination; a manhole with radioactive liquid near it.

"Oh fuck," I heard the first ghoul say nervously as I climbed down the hole, "The Family's in some big trouble. What the fuck did that do?"

Riley jumped down into my arms. We were in a cave. I don't know what kind, but I could hear clicking in the background like some kind of oversized insect was in here. Traversing through the cave, I found out what it was. It was some kind of blue armored creature that's shell looked like a horseshoe crabs. From its biology, I could see that this thing was semi-aquatic. It looked at me and charged. I fired N99 rounds into its armor. They bounced off. "Okay then," I said switching to my Combat Shotgun, "deflect this." I unloaded a round in its face killing it instantly. The next one was killed in the same manner. I climbed a slope and ended up in a metro tunnel. The only reason I knew I was going the right way was because of all the traps. I disarmed them for my own safety. I eventually found someone guarding a gate.

"Whoa," He said, "Slow down there." This man wore Combat Armor and was armed with a Sawed-off shotgun. I think I just found The Family. "This area's off limits to everyone but The Family. Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I strongly believe you have Ian West," I spoke not mentioning what I found at Arefu, "I have a letter from his sister."

"Oh the new kid?" He said changing his tone, "Yeah. Vance said we should be expecting someone soon. You can head on in, but I would speak to Vance first if I was you. You can find him on the Mezzanine overlooking the common area." I nodded and walked in. "Just remember I've got my eyes on you. We all do." So.

Through the gate, I realized that this man had a set up for any type of danger. It looked like a little armory as I walked through. I into a miniature maze and found myself looking at a large spacious underground room where prewar subway trains would pick up passengers. The place was full of people, most of them pale. It was probably from being underground a lot. I remembered those days. I had people staring at me the entire time. I took off my cowl so I could see better, just incase these guys caused me to go guns blazing. I saw someone on the Mezzanine staring down at the base of the station. There were rows of seats like a church would have. I walked up the escalator seeing the man. He turned and looked at me. He wore a duster, had long brown hair, and green eyes. His skin was pale as well. "Welcome to our home," He said immediately, "My people call me Vance. I lead this group of weary travelers and outcasts who need a home. And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

I tried to converse. "This place is different from any other settlement I've been to out here in the Wastes," I commented.

Vance smiled. "What you see here is the last bastion of the hope for the downtrodden and misunderstood," He replied, "It is a sanctuary for the oppressed and a beacon of faith for the tyrannized. We are the remnants of society cast aside like the clean-picked bones of a hunter's feast. I led my flock beneath the sunbaked sands of the Wasteland to keep them safe and teach them my ways. Men of science would call us cannibals, eaters of human flesh. Society labels us as monsters, demons, and the unclean."

"What are you getting at?" I asked patiently. If these guys were cannibals, then was I lunch? Let them try.

"Humans calls for our extermination reform," He continued, "Reform is what humans believe in thinking that something is wrong with us, and we needed to be eliminated. I think of my teachings as more of an improvement, a way to transcend our cannibalistic nature."

I honestly didn't care except for the fact that I or someone I know might be lunch. "If I accept that you are no longer cannibals, then what would I call you?"

"Your open-mindedness is very rare for a human," He replied, "I find that fascinating. Allow me to bolster your insight in a lesson about objectivity. I say we are no longer cannibal, only consuming the blood of our prey. What would that make us in your eyes?"

"It would depend on whether you kill an innocent or not," I replied, "Other than that, I don't know."

"Then that is a mystery that you'll have to solve on your own," He continued, "In ceremony, each family is only to speak each one of the laws….it is theirs to remember, and theirs to enforce. Through these laws you can understand us. The First Law: Feast not on the flesh; consume only the blood. This is our strength. We do not eat the flesh of those we kill for food. We will only drink of their blood and leave the body intact. The consumption of flesh is filthy and unclean. This action is what casues the humans to treat us like animals. We are not animals, we are The Family. The Second Law: "Bear not the child; welcome only the exile. This is our fate. Because we carry the stain of our past in our bodies, we can never let it pass to our offspring who would in turn carry out those foul actions beginning the cycle anew. The Family must seek the Wasteland for others of its kind in order to maintain itself. That is our fate. The Third Law: Feed not for pleasure; partake only to nourish. This is our dignity. We only kill the humans when we are hungry or when we must defend ourselves. We never hunt for sport or pleasure. We do not prey on children for they are not yet tainted by society's view of us. The Family will not tolerate murder. The Fourth Law: Seek not the sun's light; embrace only the shadows. This is our refuge. Because we are creatures of the night, we must not set foot in daylight. We move silently across the ground only under the watchful eye of the moon above. At the rising of the sun, we must seek the embrace of the shadows and never again gaze at its brilliance. The Family seeks the dark as its refuge. The Fifth Law: Kill not our kindred; slay only the enemy. This is our justice. Above all, no member of The Family will ever take the life of another member without the consent of the current leader. Anyone disobeying this action, the most heinous of all our crimes, will be exiled from this place forever. We must not let our own inner demons cause us to fight amongst ourselves. We number only in the few, and we cannot risk extinction."

"It sounds to me that you're trying to follow the fictional traditions of a vampire," I replied indifferently.

"Do you think I can turn into a bat and fly away," He asked, "Do I cast my image into a mirror? Absolutely. Now, ask me if I believe that these individuals in every corner of the wasteland need me to give them a sense of purpose and identity. I have shown these people here the ways of the Vampire. I have provided them shelter, organization, and a sense of belonging."

"Your brainwashing them," I spoke, "Or something similar."

"Yes," he replied, "In a way I am brainwashing them. I am eliminating their fears, their inhibition and their shame. I have reigned in their cravings and taught them to eat not of the flesh, but to drink of the blood. Most importantly, they have a family. A place where their quirks are tolerated and understood."

"Very well," I said nodding, "I may not…..be accustomed to your lifestyle, but I understand your reasoning. I have however have been searching for someone. A young man named Ian West."

"Ah yes," Vance said in a completely different mood, "my newest charge. What would you want with him?"

"I have a letter from his sister," I spoke.

"Then a part of his human family still remains?" he spoke, "Then even more of a reason he needs to remain in isolation. Ian is at a critical moment of his life right now. After all that occurred in Arefu, he is still scared and confused. It would be ill advised for me to speak with him while he decides what he wants to do."

"Wait a minute…." I spoke, "What happened to him?" Things were leading into a direction I feared. If I was right, Ian killed his parents.

Vance sighed. "Ian's hunger for the flesh overwhelmed him…." Vance spoke, "It drove him to kill his parents. Because of my intervention that night, he stopped just short of being lost forever to his cravings for flesh."

"So he's a cannibal then?" I confirmed

"No," Vance said sighing, "I am telling you, that he will no longer be labeled as such. He has become one of us….a member of The Family. The hunger that drives us must be kept in check. It is one of the most difficult things to teach. Ian lost control because no one was around to guide him. His own family was alien to him." I was slightly conflicted. Everyone has to have a choice….

"This letter is a symbol of his past," I said holding it up, "His previous life. Can you honestly live with yourself if you don't let him see the pros and cons of both sides of your lifestyle? If Ian doesn't get a fair choice, then how does that make your path better or easier? I am not here to take him away Vance. I am here to give him a choice. Isn't that what everyone here has been given?"

Vance looked at me deep in thought. He seemed to realize that I was right. He sighed and looked pleased. "Your words impress me human," He spoke, "Perhaps I misjudged you when we first met. You do have an open mind." He sighed again. "If you wish to speak with Ian you are free to do so. Here is the code to the terminal that unlocks the door for the area in which he is meditating."

"I knew you were a reasonable man," I complimented taking the code.

"Thank you," Vance replied nodding, "He's down that hall, last door."

I made my way over to Ian's Isolation room. I opened the door seeing him sitting there at a table. There was a restroom and a bed other than the table, but that was all. "Huh?" He asked blinking, "Who are you?"

"A friend," I replied, "I've been looking for you Ian."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Ian said with a depressed attitude, "I bet King is pretty pissed right about now. I bet he has the entire town out looking for me. He's worse than my parents."

I sighed. "I'm here to take you home Ian," I spoke, "If you want to."

"Home?" He said depressed, "I don't have a home anymore. I made sure of that, didn't I?"

"I know what you did Ian," I replied, "Vance told me everything."

"Then you must think I'm some kind of monster…."

"Look Ian," I said walking over to his table and sitting in the other chair, "I know of loss too. I know it hurts, but staying here isn't the answer."

"There's something inside me!" He said angrily explaining himself, "Something….completely messed up. I'm a mutant, a fucking freak! The only person I was able to ever talk to was Lucy, and she's gone." He scoffed. "No one gives a shit about me except Vance and The Family. Can't you understand that?"

"Read this letter Ian," I said taking it out of my pocket, "It's from your sister…..I bet it'll change your mind." I slid it to him. He started to read it. I waited patiently watching his anger turn into a calm emotion.

"She….she really misses me being home and she asks about me a lot," He said in slight disbelief. He started to change his mind. He was thinking clearly for himself at the positive side of things. "I think I had it all wrong. I shouldn't have come here….I bet Lucy is feeling just as bad as me. Please….tell Vance I've made my decision. I'm going home to Arefu."

"Very well," I replied nodding, "let's tell him together. But he needs to hear this from your mouth, not mine."

We met Vance at the same spot I left him. "You have both returned?" Vance asked looking indifferent, "I am eager to hear the results on all the information that Ian has been given. What is your decision Ian?"

"I am going home Vance," Ian said, "My sister misses me. She wants to see me. She was the only other person I could talk to about our ways."

Vance looked at him with a genuine smile. "I see," Vance said, "Then who am I to deny you your freedom? You are free to go. But just remember this. You are always welcome here with The Family."

"Thank you," Ian replied.

"Now…." I spoke changing the conversation, "We need to discuss the situation about Arefu."

Vance gave me a chance. "As long as you maintain this level of civility," He said, "Please proceed…"

"Vance," I said sighing, "You have told me pretty much ever code you stand by. I need some closure with the situation in Arefu. You drink human blood. I am asking you to stay away from them and any other friendly settlement here."

"That is a lot to ask…." Vance commented.

"Just hear me out," I replied, "I'll be frank with you. I don't like how your diet works, not on the innocent at least. I may not share your liking for humans in the same way, but I do know this. If I hear anything about people saying that The Family has come and started killing and eating humans, I'm going to have to track you down and kill you. I don't want that. So here's my proposal. I have passed several Raider Camps coming here from Megaton. I killed every last one of them. My proposal is that you change your feeding parameters from those of the innocent, to those of the guilty. Hell it makes my job easier. No one would care if Raiders suddenly started dying out. Hell I don't. But killing an innocent in my eyes is unacceptable. If feeding off of Raider's doesn't work, then there is an alternative food supply; blood packs."

"Curious," Vance spoke, "Long ago I survived off of those in the hospital ruins, but they are scarce. What do you propose?"

"The citizens in Arefu are out in the open," I continued, "They are left pretty much defenseless. In exchange for Blood packs, The Family protects them from local Raiders and natural wasteland wildlife. You get a food supply of Raiders and blood packs while they can sleep soundly at night without fear of being killed and eaten. This transaction of course, is secret to any outsiders. This deal will keep going until your services are no longer required and when the town can rebuild and become more defensible."

"Agreed," Vance replied quickly surprising me, "Let me write a proposal."

I nodded. Vance walked to his room and wrote the proposal while Ian and I waited patiently. When he returned, he gave me the proposal. "Take this to them," He said, "It contains the conditions you set. Tell me what they will do."

"I will," I replied.

"I thank you for your manners and understanding," Vance spoke, "It's not very often that I find a human that I can learn to trust with everything I've told them."

"I'm a different person," I replied indifferently, "And I'm new to new. But nothing in this Wasteland surprises me anymore."

"But you are a friend of The Family now," Vance said, "Don't take advantage of our trust wanderer. I never did get your name."

I smirked putting on my cowl. "My name is not important," I replied, "But I'll let you know what my enemies now know me as. I am a Ghost, or as this man who calls himself Three Dog call's me, The Lone Wanderer."

"A ghost?" Vance said with a hint of humor, "And you tried to criticize me for calling ourselves vampires."

"You embrace your diet and the night," I countered tonelessly, "I embrace the fact that my enemies do not see my face if I can help it. They do not see me when I strike if I know of them there. I leave none alive unless I want one to deliver a message."

"Deliver a message?"

"To anyone who thinks that evil is the only way," I said with my cold tone, "I made it my mission is to purge evil from this wasteland and to help the innocent. Rape, Murder, and Theft of the innocent are three things that have no excuse. Be ready to pay with your life."

"An honorable cause," Vance agreed visibly shaken but then shrugged it off.

"If I'm in the area," I replied, "I'll pop on by."

"Oh before you go," Vance spoke handing me blueprints of something, "I want you to have this. It's the construction process of one of my favorite homemade but effective weapons, a fire sword known as a Shishkabab. The name sounds silly, but it's an effective weapon."

"Thank you," I replied nodding, "Ian? You ready?"

"Of course…."

The trip back to Arefu was far from quiet. I had to make sure Ian was in his right state of mind. "I know it's painful," I said, "But let's talk about what happened in Arefu."

"Actually," Ian said, "It makes me feel better to talk about it."

"Okay then," I said nodding, "Why did you…..do what you did to your own parents?"

Ian sighed disappointed. "I wish I could answer that," He said, "I really do. But I don't even remember it happening. When the hunger takes over, it's like being pushed aside; like something else is controlling me. I can see what's happening, but I can't close my eyes. I don't even remember exactly what happened, until Vance knocked on the door."

"How did Vance know you were one of them?" I asked.

"That's the weird thing," he said unsurely, "He has some sort of crazy sixth sense or something. Maybe all of our kind do. As soon as I met The Family, I felt really at home for the first time in my life. It's like all these people are my real brothers and sisters."

"If you did it," I spoke remembering the mark on the wall of the West's residence, "Why was the Family's mark on the wall?"

"Vance basically told me he was covering for me and allowing The Family to…." He said with difficulty, "To feed at the same time. Since my parents were already dead, they drank their blood and left the mark on the wall. He didn't want Evan to suspect that I had done it. The Irony is, they were stalking our town to feed anyways. It's almost like Vance knew this would happen."

"Speaking of which," I said, "How the hell did you end up leaving Arefu undetected?"

He sighed. "I don't remember how long I sat there on the floor staring at my parents bodies," He replied, "It seems like for days. I wanted to feed….eat their flesh, but it was like a little bit of me was holding on. Then out of nowhere, there was shouting outside and a knock on the door. I opened it, and it was Vance. He seemed to know exactly how I was feeling inside. He took me under his arm and we left…..I never looked back." Well that was a vague answer.

When we got back to Arefu, it was the next morning. I realized I hadn't sleep in a day. But then again, it didn't seem too big of a deal. Evan King as still standing watch at is post. When he saw us he looked relieved. "There he is!" He said happily, "The hero of the day! Thank you for bringing Ian back!"

"It's done," I said tonelessly, "The Family will never bother Arefu again."

"Thank god!" Evan said in relief, "I don't know how you did it, but goddamn am I glad you walked up that ramp and lent us a hand. Thanks again kid. Consider yourself welcome back here any time if you're ever in this part of the wastes!"

"That's not all," I continued, "I have a proposal from Vance, the leader of The Family. They know how bad off you are out here without any defenses." I gave him the proposal letter. He read it looking it over.

"Interesting…." He said smirking, "I guess it's better than pointing my gun down that ramp all day and hiding inside at night. Let Vance know it's done, we've got a deal. I'll speak to the others. I'm sure they'll agree with me." I nodded.

"Then I'll take my leave," I replied, "I've got a few things to take care of. Goodbye Ian." I nodded to King. "Evan."

"Goodbye!" Ian said as I started to walk away.

"Hey wait stranger," Evan spoke up, "What's your name?"

"My name doesn't matter," I replied not looking back, "What matters is what I do. I do not help people to become famous, I help them because it's right. But…..you can call me the Lone Wanderer. That's a nickname I was given. Come on boy." With that, I took my leave, returning to The Family's home with Riley right behind me.

"Arefu has accepted your proposal Vance," I told the leader of The Family.

He looked pleased, "Excellent," He said, "I knew you would serve as an ambassador for us in good faith. I will dispatch Alan to Arefu to help serve as their guardian and honor my end of the agreement. Your efforts surpass those of the average human. In fact….." I think he was just trying to make me feel welcome. "…I feel almost like you are a member of our flock….if you ever wish to learn our ways….all you have to do is ask."

"I'll think about it," I replied, "But don't hold it as a promise. I'm not sure I can live the way you can."

"Understandable," Vance agreed.

"Do you mind if I trade with whomever it is who handles that here?"

"Of course not," Vance replied nodding, "You want to talk with Karl. He's our merchant. Now if you'll excuse me Wanderer, I have to take care of something in my office."

I nodded and left him alone. I found Karl who I didn't really have any problems with except for business. I traded a lot of Prewar money for caps as well as getting another piece of clothing which was better boots. I also managed to get a small pouch for some of my medical supplies. I made sure I had enough bobby pins in case I had to pick some locks as well as buying a prewar book on Zoology. I was about to leave when a young red headed woman caught my eye. She was a pretty thing, about my age, but I knew better. She had this…..attractive atmosphere to her the same way another certain Red headed woman did; Nova. I think this one's name was Brianna. I merely nodded her way as she stared me down like I caught Nova doing every time I was around her. Her eyes lit up for a split second as Riley and I passed and continued out of the station. For the last time in hopefully for a long time, I passed the two Ghoul Drug makers. That one, who I heard his name was Murphy, was still nervous around me. He had a right to be. All it would take is one time for them to fuck with me, and I'd blow their heads off. I hated Jet.

Everything was going swell, that was until I got a nasty surprise coming out of the Metro station. There were four people in black armor with a white talon-like insignia on their chest plates. Three of them wore Combat Armor while the last wore just a black shirt, pants and tactical vest. Their weaponry was pretty hardcore. One of them had a weapon similar to the Laser Pistol only it was in rifle form. The other three had a laser pistol and Assault Rifles.

"Well now," One of them said, "Looky here. Yeah boys it's him."

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked not showing any fear.

"We've been tracking you for a while now," The man said, "Ever since you left that shithole place called Megaton. We tracked you all the way to here. It was easy to find you; all we had to do was follow the breadcrumbs. You killed off all those Raider's, with that one yelling at us not to go after you. He said you were a ghost. You don't look so intangible to me. Does he boys?"

They started to laugh.

"I'll tell you how this works," The leader said, "You've been too much of a goodie two shoes. What? Did you think you can do whatever the fuck you want like fucking people out of some caps and get away with it? It doesn't happen."

I didn't answer I just stood there mentally preparing myself for the inevitable. "I'll give you one chance," I said coldly, "I don't give a damn who you are. You walk away now, your lives will be spared. You stay here, you die. Scratch that, if you want to live, you tell me who sent you."

They started to laugh. "Can you believe this kid?" the leader asked laughing, "He thinks that he's going to kill—"

I shot him in the head with my silenced N99 and then the guy to the right with an Assault Rifle. "Sick him," I told Riley. Riley got ahold of the other guy with the Assault Rifle. The last guy, who was apparently new started shaking uncontrollably and dropped his laser pistol. What was it with me and the new guys lately? I didn't understand. I looked at him tilting my head. "Do you want to live?"

"Yes," He said pleadingly.

"All you have to do," I said coldly, "is tell me what I want to know. Who sent you?"

"I don't know where he's at," The new guy said, "B-but he c-calls himself Mr. Burke." I felt an intense anger rise through me. Burke.

"Thank you," I said casually, "Now….you have ten seconds to get out of here before I change my mind about killing you. Oh and uh….what kind of Mercs are you?"

"T-talon Company," He replied then ran.

I watched him leave before looting the Talon Company corpses. I made sure I took the Laser Rifle, all the ammo and even snatched the Body armor off of one of the Mercs. There was a note on one of them.

Private Contract:

Requested by: Mr. Burke

Confirmed by: Littlehorn and Associates

Contract supplied to: Talon Company

Contract signed by: Commander Jabsco

Boys and Girls, we've got ourselves another holier-than-thou white knight that needs putting down. Here are the details:

Description of Target-

First Name: Nathan

Last Name: N/A

Alias: The Lone Wanderer or Ghost

Race: Caucasian

Sex: Male

Age: 18-21

Hair: Dark and short, slight facial hair

Eyes: Light Brown

Contract Details-

Crimes against Client: Foiled planned attempts to detonate bomb in Megaton, while causing short imprisonment.

Bounty: 1000 caps

Conditions: Bring the Contract's severed head to client.

I put the contract in my pocket looking around. "Well Riley," I said sighing, "it looks like we've got another mission. Talon Company's got to be eradicated sometime or another as well as this Littlehorn and Associate's group. Let's not forget our dear friend Mr. Burke." He growled which it turned into a bark. "Yeah me too."

….