We have been walking in the wastes for a few hours now and we've only managed to make it to tempines bluff. The sun started to go down so we both agreed to stay overnight.
When we arrived, the place was completely empty. Everyone that used to live here left and I was faced with the guilt of me not being here. Had I been here maybe they would have stayed. But they're gone.
I turn to see the knight placing sleeping bags down for us to use for tonight. I walk over and set my stuff down against the wall.
"Thank you." I tell him.
"don't mention it." He says.
I sit down on my sleeping bag as he awkwardly stands in front of me.
"Well are you going to get out of that power armor and rest or what?" I ask him.
"No, I'm going to keep watch." He says determined.
I chuckle, "oh, okay. Just go with no sleep and see where that gets you," I say.
"It's my choice." He says and walks outside and stands at the end of the steps.
"Well, while we're sitting here, why don't we get to know each other. If i'm going to travel with you I at least want to know your name." I say.
He chuckles, "okay, the names rick." He says.
"Huh, well rick, you got a last name?" I ask him.
He sighs, "it's uh, calvin." He says.
"Rick calvin. Okay calvin, how long have you been in the brotherhood?" I ask him.
"Well, just about a year." He tells me.
"Oh, you join because you heard about the institute being destroyed?" I ask him.
He sighs, "somethin' like that." He says.
"Oh." I say. I grab a can of pork n' beans out of my bag and throw it towards him. "Eat up." I tell him.
"I'm not hungry." He says.
"Look man, you gotta eat." I tell him.
"Well, i'm just not hungry. Thanks anyway." He says as he stands guard.
I sigh and pull out a can for myself and start to eat it. As I'm eating, I notice that he has a sniper laser rifle. Most brotherhood soldiers only use average ranged rifles. I smirk knowing that I'm not dealing with any regular knight.
By the time I finish eating, the sun has set. I lay down and look at the sky through a hole in the roof. I smile when I spot the constellation orion.
"Hey, look up at the sky." I say to rick.
He looks up at the sky but remains quiet.
"Do you see orion?" I ask him.
"What's orion?" He asks looking at me.
I chuckle, "oh yeah, I forgot that most don't know about constellations. Well in the sky, the stars make pictures, and with those pictures are normally stories. Well the one that I can see right now is orion, which is the one with the three stars in a row, orions belt, and the four main stars that surround it, which makes up his body. Then there is his club in one hand and an animal pelt in another. The story is that orion is an amazing hunter who killed all these different things, including ursa major which is the big dipper, and he is always followed by his two hunting dogs. But I can't find those too easily." I explain to him.
"Huh, how'd you know all that?" He asks curiously.
"I took astronomy in high school. It's very interesting." I tell him.
He chuckles, "well, you'll have to explain it to me sometime." He says.
"Yea, some of that stuff will really blow your mind." I tell him.
He nods in agreement.
"So," I say after a few minutes of silence, "I was wondering if you've heard from someone that I know." I say.
"Depends, who is it?" He asks.
"Well, his name is maccready to most people. We're...dating? I don't really know about that now but I was just wondering if he has been looking for me. There's no doubt that he would have come to y'all to see if you guys knew anything." I say.
He sighs before answering, "um, yea. He came to us." He answers.
"Well, what did he say?" I ask.
"He uh, he said that you were the love of his life and that he would never stop looking for you. He said he would do anything to find you." He told me.
I sit on his answer for a moment before replying, "oh." I simply say.
"Did you love him?" He asks me.
"Well, yes. He is an amazing, caring, loving person." I tell him.
"Then why did you leave?" Calvin asks me.
I sigh in frustration, "I was trying to figure things out for myself. But now I'm not so sure if that was the right decision. Maybe I should have stayed." I say.
"Yea, I think he would have been able to help at least a little bit. He really missed you." Calvin says.
Missed? I think to myself.
"Missed? Why did you say it like he's gone now or something?" I ask him.
"What?" He asks me confused.
"You said missed as if he were gone." I tell him.
"Oh did I? I didn't mean anything by it." He says trying to explain himself.
"Yea well if anything has happened to him then there will be hell to pay." I say turning on my side.
I hear him sigh and I just roll my eyes. I close my eyes and soon fall asleep.
VVVVVVVVVVVV
The next morning me and Calvin pack up our things and head back out. On the way out I see a recently opened pork n' beans can on the ground and smirk to myself.
We continue walking for a few hours until off in the distance we hear talking. We both look over and see and old military outpost with gunners in it.
"Gunners." Calvin says.
"Yup, those are gunners. Let's keep moving." I say as I walk away.
"No, we can't leave them alive." He says frustrated.
"And we can't go around killin' everyone we see neither. Let's go Calvin, it's not worth the bullets." I say.
"Yes it is! We can go take em' out real quick!" He says raising his voice.
"No it's not! We have no reason to go over there and kill em' now do we?!" I say raising my voice just as much.
"Yes we do! They're as- erm...they're a bunch of jerks who take what they want and don't give a crap about anyone else!" He yells.
"But these jerks haven't given us a reason to believe we should attack them! Now we need to move before they do." I tell him.
"But they'll just keep attacking people!" He says as i'm walking.
"Only if they're provoked! Now as your commanding officer I order you to stand down knight calvin!" I say spitting the words out.
"Fine." He says through gritted teeth.
We begin to walk towards the predwyn again, "now in the future you should start to thi-" I said before a bullet flies in front of my face.
"Shit." I mutter under my breath, "get down!" I yell as a shower of bullets makes it's way towards us. We take cover behind a truck with a trailer and wait for the right moment to retaliate.
"My bad!" Calvin yells towards me.
I roll my eyes and begin to fire. A few minutes passes by with just us shooting at each other, me and Calvin taking down a few at a time, but it barely makes a dent in their forces.
"We have to retreat! There's too many!" I yell.
"Okay! What's the plan?!" Calvin yells.
"Run!" I yell. I run away using trees and cars as cover and hear Calvin and some gunners following me. We get at least 20 yards away when I feel a searing pain in my side and then in my arm. I wince in pain and clutch my side and let my arm dangle. My plasma castor drops and I turn around to grab it and see at least ten gunners running towards us. But before they can do anything, I feel metal arms pick me up and carry me away. Calvin carries me into an abandoned town and ducks into the nearest building. We hear the gunners run past us and we both relax.
Calvin walks upstairs and gently places me on the ruined bed.
"We need to patch those wounds up." He says.
I nod but feel my eyes get heavy. Exhaustion from the loss of blood and the fight itself take over my body and pull me under the domain of unconsciousness.