4. Frenzy: Hancock gets a little stir crazy waiting for Nora.

Hancock was bored. Utterly bored.

Nora had left to "take care of something" four days ago. The first day he tried to stay in Sanctuary, but Garvey wouldn't let him get high with or even around Mama Murphy. He hightailed it out when he overheard the bitchy woman suggest they put him to work. He was Nora's friend, not one of her errand boys. So he went back to Goodneighbor where, if he was going to work, he could at least get high in peace.

Hancock tried to stay off the chems when he was out with Nora. She didn't force him to stay sober, but Hancock had no idea how he would live with himself if she got hurt, or worse, killed, because of his chem addiction. It was hard sometimes, but Hancock wasn't going to take any chances. So, his first two days back in Goodneighbor he tried to do catch-up-work mostly-sober. He only chewed one mentats in the morning to wake him up, and one hit of jet in the evening to slow him down. He didn't want to be high incase Nora came by looking for him.

By day four, Hancock was bored. Utterly bored.

He was on his sixth hit of jet and third mentat. People had come in and out asking for him to solve petty matters like 'who-stabbed-who-first' and 'no Kleo, you can't kill Kent for broadcasting his old-persons radio show' and 'if you stole the drugs and used them ya still gotta pay for them'. It was only noon and Hancock was ready to go feral on the next person who entered the old state house.

Luckily for him, everyone else seemed to notice just how irritable Hancock was being and they collectively decided to leave him be.

Needing some fresh air, Hancock pushed himself away from his desk. He stormed down the stairs, pass the neighborhood watch, and walked right out of Goodneighbor. He told no one why he was leaving, where he was leaving to. Truth be told, Hancock didn't know the answer to either of those questions. He just felt stir crazy being kept in one place, especially now that he had gone out and done some real good in the Commonwealth.

Okay, maybe he was a little pissed Nora hadn't taken him with her, maybe he was a little pissed she kept her 'secret mission' a secret from him, MAYBE he was a LITTLE PISSED at the fact she hadn't come looking for him. Hancock slammed his fist into the side of a building. He grabbed his face in his free hand, breathing heavily-gasping for air. Did he take a bad hit of jet? He couldn't remember if he had even taken jet since leaving the Old State House.

"Who's there?"

Hancock froze. He suddenly (and for the first time he could properly recall) wished he was sober. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, in his ears, in his throat. His stomach fell to his feet, and he tried to silence his labored breathing. There were footsteps coming towards him. Hancock stumbled back. He bumped his shoulder against a light post. When had it gotten dark? Hancock looked around wildly. He had somehow gotten to the other end of Boston. His breath picked back up.

"Hancock?" He squinted into the darkness.

Nora stepped out of the shadows. Blood was gushing from a wound on her left brow. Her old vault suit was torn up.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Hancock didn't mean to sound so pissed upon seeing her. He was actually thrilled to see her. He stepped towards her, grabbing her arms a little tighter than he meant to. Nora groaned in pain, but Hancock didn't notice. "You just fucking fell off the MAP! What the HELL were you doing that was SO important." He'd worked himself up worrying about her so much that he didn't realize that his concern was coming across as anger. In a frenzy he checked over her for wounds, "Do you know WHAT I'd do if I found out you DIED and I wasn't there?" He shook her. Nora winced and said nothing. "WELL?"

Nora smiled at him, tears in her eyes, and as soon as she opened her mouth she turned into dust in his hands.

Hancock shook his head. It was a hallucination! A fucking hallucination! Hancock screamed in frustration.

The next morning the Mayor of Goodneighbor returned quietly to the Old State House. No one commented on the amount of blood on his clothes or the fact that he sheepishly bought refill ammunition for his guns before slinking to bed.