Author's Note: This got way longer than it was meant to be. But I'm okay with that. This was actually how far I wanted to get in the last chapter, but looking at the word count, uh... that would have been a bloody monster of a chapter. Thank you for reading! You're all the tops!
The night was quiet. Silence filled the streets, soft and yet somehow still deafening in its absolution. To Boone, it was both a comfort and a worry, peaceful and yet a constant reminder of the situation they were in. A dead city. The sounds of the Mojave were miles away, no coyotes howling in the middle of the night, no rustling hush of wind through the desert grass and sand. The only sound to break the lull was the occasional gunshot echoing off the villa walls, sporadic clues that Riley and Veronica were making progress.
The ghoul had long been quiet, thankfully. His last attempt at conversation had risen and died in quick succession as Boone maintained his cold-shoulder approach to the man. It wasn't that he had no interest in what the ghoul had to say—he was sure he had plenty of information that would be useful to them if he so chose to give it—Boone simply didn't trust him.
He counted the minutes to pass the time. Over twenty had come and gone since Cass went upstairs. Had to be close to an hour now since Riley left.
He told her no detours. What was taking so long?
Even as he thought it, something sounded in the streets, soft and distant, like a howling, and Boone frowned, unsure if he heard it at all. He stood, moving to the window and pushing the curtain aside so he could peer through the cracks in the wood panels.
"Hear something, old boy?" The ghoul asked from behind him. Boone scanned the streets, but he saw nothing through the red haze. He let the curtain fall and stepped away from the window.
But that howling came again and he froze. It wasn't the wind. It was… wrong somehow. Unnatural, inhuman, and reminded him of the raspy breathing of the ghost people. Could a group of them make that sound? A ghostly chorus?
"I'd turn that light off, if I were you."
Boone turned. The ghoul was where he left him, but he was different, changed. His posture less relaxed, his face no longer had that sneering condescending air to it. Instead he sat rigid in his chair, his shoulders up, legs tense. Something had him on edge.
"Why?"
"You hear it, don't you?" he spoke in hushed tones. Footsteps on the stairs announced Cass' reappearance, and Boone glanced up to see her wide-eyed and confused. "They're on the hunt, now. Don't want to be the ones who have their attention, you can trust me on that one. And I was serious about turning off that light."
Boone glanced at the fission battery-lit lamp sitting on the coffee table, but he didn't have to move. Cass got there first, flicking the switch and plunging them into total darkness.
"What now?" she whispered.
"Now," the ghoul said. "We pray they don't find us."
"How many of them are there?" Boone asked. The howling rose again, and this time the sound of things falling over, bottles breaking, doors being broken down, joined the eerie disjointed din.
"To make that noise? You don't want to know. I've only heard them make that noise a few times in all my years here. Rare to get them all riled up like this. I hid every single time. I've seen what they do to their victims, the unlucky ones who got caught." He had their attention now, Boone thought. A rapt audience.
"What do they do?" Cass asked.
"They drag them into the Cloud."
"And then?"
The ghoul didn't answer, and Cass laughed darkly in the resulting silence. "Christ, I am not drunk enough for this shit."
"We have bigger problems," Boone said quietly. He turned back to the window, pulling the drapes back to look outside again. The streets looked more menacing now, the red haze more ominous than it already was. He half-expected a swarm of them to come stalking around the corner any second. "If they're after something, it's probably Riley."
"Figured that out, did you?" said the ghoul. "Just leave her. If they have the attention of the horde, they won't last long and you don't want that attention turned on you."
"That's not how we do things," Boone snapped over his shoulder.
"No? Maybe you should. The others certainly did. All for one and one for all? Sounds nice. But here it's every man for themselves."
Boone moved closer to the window. Overhead, thunder began to rumble over the drone of their cries. But he could swear it was getting louder, closer.
"I think they're coming this way," he murmured.
"What?" Cass rushed to his side, peering out into the street.
"Morons," spat the ghoul. "They'll drag us down with them."
Boone made an annoyed growl in the back of his throat. He moved back to the light and flipped it on. Cass shielded her eyes from the sudden glare.
"Hey, uh," the ghoul's tone made it seem as if Boone was handling a ticking time bomb. "You might want to keep that off. Like I said—"
"I heard you the first time," Boone said. He jerked his chin at Cass. "Pack what we have. We're moving out once they get here."
They didn't have to wait long. No sooner had Cass started shoving the various boxes of food and water into a duffel bag than the door swung open and Riley hurried into the room, a girl draped over her shoulders. Veronica followed behind, closing the door and carrying Riley's bag.
"'Bout time you showed up," Cass greeted them, tossing in a box of cram. "You alert half the damn city?"
Riley shot her a glare as she moved across the room.
"What happened?" Boone moved to help Riley deposit the girl onto the couch. "Is this her?"
"Yeah," Riley gasped. She was doubled over now that she was free from the weight, trying to catch her breath. Boone knelt, checking the girl's pulse, which was steady but low. "Don't know what happened. They swarmed the clinic. We had to think fast."
"Why is she unconscious?" The ghoul sounded angry. "Did you interrupt the procedure?"
"We had to think fast," Riley repeated, still gasping for air. "Had bombs. No time. I think the gunfire attracted them."
"I overrode the programming," Veronica said, almost as an afterthought. The ghoul grumbled something that none of them could understand, and Boone stood back up. Veronica took his place at Christine's side, and he turned to face Riley.
"How many?"
"Don't know. No time. Not enough ammo to stand a chance. Keep getting back up. No time." She was close to hyperventilating now and Boone frowned. He recognised the oncoming signs of panic and he forced her over to a chair, gave her a little shove and she fell onto it with no resistance.
"Head between your knees. Breathe through it," he ordered.
"No time," she said again, but it was low and breathy. She lifted her hands to her hair, tangled her fingers in the blond locks to keep her hands from shaking. "No time."
"Breathe," he said again. "One breath at a time. Hey," he knelt in front of her, snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Look at me." She lifted her head and met his gaze, eyes wide. "Snap out of it and focus."
She nodded, taking a deep breath. Thunder crackled above them, making her tense. "I know. I just—" she shook her head, took another breath and let her hands fall. "There's no time. We lost them a few blocks back, but this place isn't safe. We need to move."
"One step ahead of you," Cass appeared, dropping the duffel at their feet. "We're ready."
Riley bent to grab the straps of the bag, but Boone grabbed her wrist. "You're exhausted," he said, grabbing the bag with his other hand. "I'll take it." Her mouth pulled back tightly, like it always did when something interfered with her plans, but she didn't argue. He stood, hefting the bag over one shoulder. He looked down at the unconscious girl sprawled out on the couch, wondering how they were going to handle her.
"What about her?" Cass whispered, voicing his thoughts.
"I'll take her," Veronica murmured. "Riley took over a few blocks back, I'm rested."
Boone doubted that, remembering her feeble struggles when he first found her. She'd been here longer, breathed this toxic air more than all of them. If anyone would be falling first, it would be Veronica. But the determined look in her eye as she lifted Christine kept him quiet, and he merely nodded at her.
He understood what it felt like to be willing to do anything for someone you loved.
Riley stood, her eyes clearer and her breathing steady. Everyone moved with her towards the door, stopping abruptly when she moved to untie the ghoul.
"Uh," said Cass. "What are you doing?"
"Taking him with us."
"Why?"
Riley flicked her eyes up once as she freed his legs. "You know why," she muttered, moving behind him. Boone had to admire her ability to keep her head and not give away their only hold over the ghoul. He still had no idea that his life was bound to theirs. Yes, it made him more dangerous because he was under the impression they could be killed like anyone else, but it also made their threats actually credible. The last of his binds fell to the floor and he stood, stretching and rubbing at his wrists while everyone stood by, dumbfounded.
"Well," he said, lifting his chin and meticulously adjusting the bow tie beneath the bomb collar. "Not that I'm not grateful, but I have to agree with your pretty friend. Why?"
Riley sighed, exasperated. "I can tie you back up, you know."
"Point taken. Ladies first." He made a sweeping gesture with his arm.
She shook her head and gestured with the gun in her hand. "Don't think so. You lead. You've lived here longer, you know the city better than any of us. Take us some place safe and we'll work out what to do next."
"Riley," Cass hissed, she looked over her shoulder anxiously towards the door. The noise outside was growing. "We can't trust him."
"If he wants to live, he'll do it," Riley snapped quietly. "He has no weapon. We're his best chance of defence. Now," she looked at the ghoul. "Do we have a deal?"
He tilted his head ever-so-slightly. "We talk terms when we're safe, yes? There are… stipulations that must be agreed upon."
"Done." Riley nodded once, and Cass gaped at her. "Lead on. Somewhere defendable. We need weapons, more ammo."
"Not enough ammo in the entire villa to take out the entire horde," he said with a cocked brow. "But… I think I know just the place."
They moved out of the house in single file, following his lead. He led them down the street, going west while the city walls echoed with the moans of the ghostly inhabitants. Boone kept his eyes on the ghoul. Like Cass, he wasn't willing to give the ghoul any sort of leeway, but he trusted Riley's decision. After all, if they left him there and the horde found him, they would all be dead.
Didn't mean he wouldn't try and stab them in the back or give them the slip, however, and in the interest of self-preservation he kept his eyes glued to that suit.
Amazingly, the ghoul managed to weave them through routes that held no radios. The crawling clamour became more distant as they ducked through alleys and filed through gates and archways, giving them hope that they'd escaped the horde. Finally, after what seemed like hours of running and passing Christine around to give each other rest, he stopped them by a weathered blue door. A sign flickered above them—Police—and on the wall next to the door were words scrawled in a childlike hand.
Find God in the simplest of beasts.
He opened the door for them, ushering them in quickly. Boone waited to be last, eyes on the streets behind them, before grabbing the ghoul by the elbow and hauling him in with him, not willing to give him the chance to escape.
He jerked out of his grip once they were inside.
"Watch the hands, if you would be so kind," he said quietly, adjusting his suit. Boone spared him a dark look.
Veronica was already setting Christine down in one of the many chairs lined up along the wall. In the middle of the room, a large prison cell was awash in dim light. Several terminals hummed from the desks, but besides that, there was another noise that filtered through the air. A garbled warbling that warned of radios.
"We need to barricade the door," said Boone, moving to one of the desks. He stopped as his collar started to beep, taking those few cautious steps back. He exchanged frowns with Riley.
"Turn the noise off," groaned a voice, and they all stilled, eyes straying to the hulking blue form rocking slowly in the middle of the cell.
"Noise makes my stomach hurt," it said. "So hungry."
"That," Riley said slowly. "Is a nightkin."
"One of the collars," Boone murmured to her, and she took a bracing breath.
"God dammit." Riley raised her gun, aiming at the closest radio when the ghoul cleared his throat.
"Not to be a negative Nancy, but isn't that what got us into this mess? Maybe we should try oh, the manual approach. Quietly. Don't want to attract the horde."
Boone could see Riley battle with the logic internally, her face contorting between various expressions, but eventually her arm dropped and the gun's safety put back into place.
"Fine."
They set about disarming the radios, dashing out from their safe zone and back as they hunted down each one. There were four altogether, and by the time they found them all their nerves were on edge. But they weren't done yet, there was still the matter of the door and horde on the other side of it. They didn't know if they were safe or not, and needed time to come up with a plan. Together, Boone and Riley grabbed a desk, one without a terminal, and hauled it over to the door, propping it up snuggly against the faded blue wood. Riley dusted her hands off as they stood back to inspect their work.
Boone had to admit it looked pretty flimsy.
"Best we can do, I guess," Riley sighed, turning. They gathered near the door to the cell, giving it a berth of a few feet while they each willed the other to be the one to open it.
"The old man's servant," the ghoul told them. "Seen him around, dragging tourists into the villa. He eats some of them, you know."
Cass swore.
"The old man said he'd take orders," Boone remembered. "Could cooperate."
"Let me out. I'll be good, I promise," the mutant moaned. Boone was reminded of a child begging for sweets. A minute passed with none of them moving before Riley approached the door slowly. She tugged at the door, and when it didn't budge, dropped into a crouch to peer at the lock. She spent a minute trying to pick it but eventually she gave up on that when her last bobby pin snapped in half.
"Well, we need a key."
"Dog will be good. Master… help me, please."
Riley gnawed on her lip. "Dog?" She tried. "Is that your name?"
"Not Master," the mutant said petulantly. "Go away."
"I can take you to Master," she said, her voice soft. "I'm going to meet him."
The mutant shuffled his feet around so that he was half-turned towards them. His face was mangled like the rest of his body, scars marked his skin and a heavy chain laid around his neck.
A chain, Boone noted. Not a collar.
"Really?"
Riley nodded. "I want to let you out. Do you know where the key is? Then we can find your Master."
"You know," Cass whispered. "I don't think we should let him out if he goes around eating people." Boone couldn't help but agree.
"Dog hungry," the nightkin sulked. "Dog want out."
"The key, Dog. Where is the key to the cell?" Riley tried again.
"Dog don't know. Dog woke up here. He put me in here, doesn't want Dog to find Master."
Everyone exchanged looks, frowns and various expressions of confusion.
"He who?" Riley tried. "The ghoul?"
"Excuse me," said the ghoul. "I'm right here. And believe me, I wouldn't go near that thing with a ten foot pole. I still value my limbs."
"Let me out," the mutant whined. "Please? Dog want to see Master."
Riley blew out a breath and stepped back. "He's not going to be any help. Let's just try and find a key."
"I'm staying with Christine," Veronica said, her tone full of apology. "I'm sorry, but if she wakes up I don't want her alone."
Riley nodded. "That's fine. You can check this room. The rest of us can spread out, check the rest of the building."
"I'll take the lunch room," the ghoul offered, turning around. The lunch room, Boone remembered, was where the back exit was. He slapped a hand on the ghoul's shoulder, stopping him.
"I don't think so. You're coming with me," he said. "Need to keep an eye on you." He glanced over at Riley. "You'll be okay?"
She hesitated a brief second before answering. "Yeah. Yeah, one of us should watch him. Cass and I will be okay."
He nodded at her. Cass was already moving towards the hall on the right, and Boone watched Riley retreat to the hall on their left where the last radio was found. Once she was out of sight, the ghoul clucked his tongue once.
"Like I said," he drawled. "The legs on that one would put Vera to shame."
Boone's scowl deepened, and he shoved him towards the lunch room. "Get moving."
She found no key in any of the cells lining the hallway, not that she would have expected a key to be found in a cell, but it was worth a look. The desk and the cabinets held nothing either. She did find a few bottles of water, liquor, and a dusty magazine. But no key.
She found herself standing at the top of the stairs leading to the basement. It was dark and ominous, the shadows oppressing and uninviting. She almost wanted to go find Boone or Cass, and have them go down with her, but pride held her where she was. She could admit to the panic attacks because of the collar, because that was justified. But fear of the dark was something else entirely, and embarrassing considering it wasn't something she normally entertained. Ever. She was a sniper, and the dark was supposed to be an ally.
But this place made everything seem threatening, even the familiar.
She flicked on her Pip-Boy light and descended slowly, each step a defiant stance in the face of her fear. She paused only briefly at the door to the basement, and once the door was open, forced herself to pass through.
She came back up some time later, a holotape in her hand, and more confused than ever as she rejoined everyone in the main lobby.
"Did you find it?" Boone asked.
"No," she said carefully. "But I found this." She held up the disc. "I think I'm supposed to play it to the nightkin."
"Why do you think that?" Veronica frowned.
"The uh… voice… told me to."
Everyone stared.
"I swear to god," she held up her hands. "I am not making this up." She looked around. "Where's Cass?"
They jolted as a ringing sounded from outside. A warning bell, loud enough to call attention to the horde. It rang in cycles, a continuous chiming that pulsed like a heartbeat. Riley felt her back go up, and a loud string of curses that sounded like Cass came from down the hallway. They jumped to action, rushing down the darkened corridor until they found the room she was in. She was standing over a terminal, one hand tangled in her hair and the other banging furiously on the hood of the screen.
"Stop, stop, stop. Fucking piece of old world trash," she snarled. Veronica shoved her way past them and knocked her aside. She tucked her hair behind her ear and bent at the waist, fingers flying over the keys. The ringing stopped soon enough. Riley released the breath she didn't notice she was holding in the resulting silence. Nobody moved. Seconds ticked by.
"What the hell?" Riley turned to Cass. "You just called every god damn one of them to our location!"
"I thought the computer might mention where the key is!" Cass cried. "I didn't fucking think it'd do that."
"God dammit," Riley pushed her hair back. "We need to get the mutant out. Now, before they get here." She turned and stalked back to the main lobby. They gathered around the door. Cass looked shaken, but Riley didn't have time to console her. She held up the holotape and pressed 'play'.
"Dog," said the recording. "Back in the cage."
The mutant stood, his back straightened, and he turned towards them, taking them all in. Riley waited, brow raised.
"You're not who I was expecting," Dog said. His voice was steadier, less childlike as he articulated his words carefully. Riley raised a brow.
"Uh. Neither are you."
"Looking for Dog?" The mutant chuckled. "He's in the cage now. You'll have to deal with me."
"What's going on?" Cass whispered behind her.
"My guess? Multi-personality disorder," said Veronica, joining them. "Nightkin exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia from prolonged stealth-boy use."
"Very good," said the mutant. "So you have some intelligence. Or maybe not, seeing as you're here."
Veronica looked down guiltily.
"So… who are you?" Riley asked. She glanced at the poorly barricaded door. Did they have time for this?
"I am… Dog's conscience, if you will. The voice of reason so he doesn't hurt himself and others. You can call me God."
God. Yeah. Okay. Sure. Why not?
"Where's your collar?" Boone stepped forward, and the mutant gave a roll of his eyes.
"I can't control what he does when he has me locked away, unfortunately," he sighed. "He ate it, along with its previous owner. Idiot."
There was no denying the absolute tenseness that came over all of them at that particular news. Cass took a step back, and the mutant sneered.
"Wise," he said. "Fear is good. You should be afraid. Dog is dangerous, and that's why I can't let him out to play. He stays in the cage."
"No argument here," Cass muttered, but Riley frowned and turned to look at Boone. He was the one who spoke to Elijah when they first got here, after all.
"We need him to start the gala thing?" She asked. He shrugged.
"He said we needed four people to do it. But the mutant was necessary."
Riley blinked. "Why?"
"Whatever it is you're planning, leave me out of it," said God. "Dog stays in the cage. It's the only way to keep everyone safe."
"Look. We need to get into the casino," Riley explained. "We get in, and he'll let us go."
"And you believed him?" he scoffed. "Maybe not so intelligent after all."
"I want out of here," she said. "If getting to him gets us out, that's where I go. I need your help."
"Yes," he agreed. "You do. But you're not going to get it."
"Please," she begged. "You brought us here. You—"
"Me?" He cut her off, stepping towards the bars menacingly. She took a step back, out of his reach. "I did nothing. I was helpless, unable to stop Dog when he dragged you from that bunker. You think I want to bring people here? You think I enjoy it? Seeing them tear each other apart over their greed? Seeing him tear apart the unlucky ones who happen to be around when his hunger becomes too much?" He tilted his head slightly, his eyes straying across each of them. "The old man says fetch, and Dog fetches. And you, every single one of you that ends up here ends up the same way, like him. I am not helping you."
"I need this collar off," Riley said. Her voice was started to take on a desperate tone. "I want to get out of here. I want—"
"And I want my freedom. I want Dog freed from the clutches of the old man. And I'm not coming out of this cage until the old man comes here himself. We'll settle things when I see him, not you."
"He can't," Veronica said quietly. The mutant turned his gaze on her. "He's trapped inside the casino."
He blinked at her. And then he laughed, loud and bitter and long as he threw his head back. Riley cringed, casting a worried glance at the door. Did they even lock it? They should have locked it before throwing the desk against it.
"Perfect. The old man dies in there, and Dog is freed from his leash. I don't have to do anything but wait."
Riley felt her blood go cold. "No. No we can't wait that long. We need to get back home—"
God turned around, retreating back to his corner. "This is home now. Better get used to it."
"What is it we need him for?" Riley asked, barely restrained frustration on the edge of her voice. Behind her, the ghoul sighed wearily.
"The switching station lever is rusted shut. So unless any of you are strong enough to get it to budge, then we're up shit creek without him, I'm afraid."
"Can I talk to the other guy?" Riley called.
"No," said the mutant without turning. "Only the old man's voice can bring him out, and unless you bring him here, I'm afraid it's just me. Too bad for you."
Riley lifted her arm with the Pip-Boy. "I have his voice on this."
He turned. "You wouldn't."
"I would. I want to get out of here," she said quietly. "Trust me, I would."
"Don't—" he stepped towards her. "Don't you dare. I can't control him if I'm in the cage. If you let him out, he'll rip you to shreds, and if he doesn't, I'll find a way out and do it myself."
Riley swallowed. "Then… just help us. And I won't bring him out. You want to talk to Elijah, let's go to him together."
"Together," the nightkin repeated scornfully. "With our leashes. What makes you think I won't kill you once I'm out of here?"
"Because," she glanced over to where the ghoul was standing, leaning against the wall nonchalantly while he smoked a cigarette, watching. She was going to lose her only card up her sleeve when it came to him. "Because," she turned back to the nightkin. "Our collars are linked. If one of us dies, we all die."
"What."
She cringed. The mutant smirked.
"Maybe I'd prefer death to being a tool again."
"No no no," the ghoul interrupted. "No. Let's back up a minute here. What do you mean, the collars are linked?"
Riley gave the mutant an apologetic grimace, lifting a finger to indicate one second as she turned to face the ghoul.
"It means your life is tied to mine. To all of us."
"It means," he said, voice low, "that your threats… are empty."
"Yes," she agreed. "And it means we're partners. All of us, we're in this together."
"How quaint. You do realise that by keeping this little tidbit of information from me, you endangered us all?"
She glared at him. "Because you were planning to stab us in the back?"
"Well," he hedged, tone defencive. "Not right away." He sighed dramatically as they all turned to stare at him. "Alright. Alright. Fine. I guess we're even. Partner."
"Great. Can we focus on the problem at hand?" Cass snapped.
"No, by all means," said the nightkin. "This is enlightening."
They were interrupted as something banged against the door, causing them all to jump. They turned as one, eyes wide as the door shook a second time, and Veronica rushed immediately to collect Christine from where she was resting, carrying her back to the group.
"Keep her behind us," Riley told her, checking the ammo in her gun. They'd taken too long, it was too late now to run. And even if they wanted to, they couldn't. Not with God in the cage. Leaving him at the mercy of the horde was a death sentence for all of them.
She resisted taking a step back as the groaning started up outside. She didn't know how much ammo they had left.
Which meant, basically, that they were all screwed.
