CHAPTER 2: DOUBLE CROSS.
"If you can't find good friends to surround yourself with, then by all means be on your own. Bad friends corrupt good minds." -Edmond Mbiaka.
The Sentry Bot fired from its laser gun at the two. They run in terror and ducked behind a large stone, the laser blasts were tearing it apart. Their cover wouldn't last for long. Louis moved from cover and fired a few rounds from his Desert Eagle as Doug popped off a few shots with his Winchester rifle. The bullets punched through the rusty hull of the massive robot as sparks surged across its body.
"That thing looks like its going to blow any moment!" Doug shouted as he took cover.
"Yeah, it can't take much more! That thing must have been running since the Great War!" Louis quickly reloaded his gun. "Which means its laser cannon is the only thing it has. It must have ran out of missiles a long time ago!"
The Sentry Bot beeped loudly and raised its left arm and fired off a missile that hit into the stone cover, breaking it into more pieces. Their cover was almost gone.
"You and your big mouth!" Doug yelled with his ears covered.
"What?! My ears are ringing like crazy!" Louis shouted over his momentary deafness.
The two then heard a loud gunshot from afar, followed by another and another, all of them hitting the Sentry Bot.
"What the hell is that?! Who's shooting?!" Louis looked around for the source.
"Over there!" Doug pointed in the direction of the shooter. "The shooter is down the road!"
The two saw a Ghoul man shooting at the robot with a hunting rifle and scope. He had just ran out of ammo and loaded a new clip and slid the bolt. "Smooth skins! Get behind some new cover!" he shouted to them.
The Ghoul now had the Sentry Bot's attention as it turned and aimed its left arm and fired another missile at him. The Ghoul man quickly took cover as the missile hit the ground near him. The force of the explosion knocked him down to the ground, causing his necklace to pop out from his shirt, the old police badge with the leather holder fell out.
"Shit! We gotta help him!" Louis said with worry for him.
"We have to help ourselves first!" Doug responded as they got behind a half buried trailer hitch.
"Then in that case, I have an idea!" Louis looked at his Pip-Boy for a moment. "But there's a good part and a bad part to it!"
"Just tell me and get it over with!" Doug sighed, knowing it involved him getting shot at.
"I saw its back when it turned to that Ghoul guy, it's heavily exposed! A few well placed shots will shut it down for good." Louis explained as his Pip-Boy's V.A.T.S. system became active. "But the bad news is...I need you to get its attention!"
"Fine! Just hurry the hell up!" Doug quickly dashed from his hiding spot as the bot took noticed and began firing at him. "Hey! Over here! Shoot me! I want it so bad!" he fired his Winchester while running.
As the Sentry Bot was focused on him, Louis dashed out from hiding and aimed his magnum pistol. His Pip-Boy's V.A.T.S. activated and both his body, brain, and eyes felt a tingling sensation. Everything in his line of view moved to a slow crawl, Doug was leaping for cover as the Ghoul was getting back up. He could even see each of the Sentry Bot's lasers in midair. But he had a target that needed to be hit, his eyes moved to the bot's back. It was spewing fire and sparks, but he could see the main parts near the fusion core. His eyes highlighted the back in a blue shade as he willed his action points into his selected target. As if on autopilot, his arms raised up as his hands gripped the Desert Eagle and squeezed the trigger. The bullets flew and struck into the opening as all five shots precisely hit their mark before the world went back to normal.
The Sentry Bot stopped shooting, its body shot flames from the back as sparks surged all over. It moved in several directions before slowly shutting down as the fire died down a little and its tripod legs lost its strength and it slouched over with only a few sparks shooting out.
Louis and Doug slowly approached the robot, the fire on its back was mostly out as they both gave it a tap to see if it was still active, but there was no response.
"Rust in peace, you big bot. I'm amazed it lasted this long." Louis said as he pat its arm.
"Why are you showing such interest in something that almost killed us?" Doug asked him.
"I tinkered around with machines in my Vault all the time. So I just like robotics..." Louis shrugged and climbed to its back. "And besides, it was only following its programming. Nothing that can be done about it." he reached into its opening and pulled out a yellow cylinder with a gray top and smaller end. "The fusion core is intact! This will bring us big caps!"
The two started taking out anything useful from the robot as the Ghoul man approached them. Doug was quick to notice him and placed a hand on his holstered shotgun. "Hey, not that we're ungrateful for the help, but this is our kill! And we don't know you..."
The Ghoul man slowly reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. He pulled out a flip lighter and lit it. "Go ahead. I don't have any use for it." he said before taking a drag. His voice was surprisingly not as gruff and scratchy as most Ghouls voices are. "And I don't want anything in return for the help I gave you, if that's what you two are thinking."
Louis pulled out another circuit board and a fuse. "And we appreciate the help. Right, Doug?" he looked to him before hopping off the leg. "My name's Louis. And he's Doug, as I just said..."
The Ghoul man chuckled a little before taking another drag. "Your friend is a tad too trusting. But I suppose a Vault dweller would be ignorant of the world outside." he pointed to his Vault number.
"A tad too trusting is a very strong word." Doug said as Louis flipped him off for a moment before moving to the leg. "But he's surprisingly adapting quick. So there's hope for him that he won't be killed in the worst way possible."
"In that case...since we're giving names, mine's Joe." he introduced while flicking the half finished cigarette to the ground.
"Isn't that a bit of a waste?..." Doug looked to the smoking cigarette.
"Eh." Joe shrugged. "I've been trying to quit for the last hundred years. I've gotten down to only one every now and then."
"So, is there more to your name? I don't mean to pry..." Louis asked as he pulled a joint from the leg.
"I just prefer Joe. It's easier that way." he responded.
Louis started tugging at a armor piece near the front. "Doug! Help me out here, the good stuff is in the front!"
Doug walked over and grabbed the armor piece and started tugging with him. The two pulled as hard as they could, but the armor piece barely budged. It was wedge in hard and caked with rust.
Joe sighed a little and walked over and grabbed another section of the armor piece. "Here, six hands are better than four."
The three then started tugging the armor piece with all their strength as more and more rust chipped off. They gave one last hard pull and ripped the metal piece off. Louis cheered in joy and started stripping out any tech pieces that could be of value as the two put the parts in their backpacks to sell.
"Thanks again for the help. We're really grateful." Louis said as the two turned back to the road.
"Eh, think nothing of it. Just be careful, smooth skins." Joe said as he started walking ahead.
Louis looked to Doug, he was looking at the fallen sign that said they were leaving Maine. "Well, here we go. I'm finally leaving the state I was born in. And I might not come back for who knows how long. Either I wander around for the rest of my life or end up dead in a ditch with the animals having their share of me..." he frowned and trembled a little in worry.
The Vault dweller walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I would never force you or anyone to do something they don't want to. This is my mission and no one else's. whatever you want to do, you have my support."
The Wastlander chuckled and turned to him. "Although I'm glad you're giving me the option to turn back, I always keep my promise. And when I said I would help you find what's at the end of the signal, I meant it. No matter the cost." he started walking ahead of him. "And besides...you would have been killed a thousand times over by now!"
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?! I'm not that helpless!" Louis turned and started following him.
"Fine! A few hundred times. Now move your ass before something else tries to take a bite out of it!" Doug laughed.
The two soon passed an old faded sign that said, 'WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE'.
An hour and a half had passed as the two walked down the beaten road of Gorham. They passed a number of old road signs that were faded and barely recognizable. Louis happily took in his new surroundings as Doug kept his eyes on Joe. The Ghoul was several meters to their side, and the experienced Wastelander couldn't help but feel something was off about him.
"Man, I still can't believe Maine and New Hampshire look mostly okay. My Pip-Boy has barely picked up any radiation signals. If it wasn't for all the ruins and deadly people and creatures, this land would be quite pleasant to wander around in." Louis said to break the silence.
"I've been told cities near the coast got hit the hardest by the bombs during the Great War." Doug said while not moving his eyes from Joe. "I guess places like these weren't high on the list of states to bomb the shit out of..."
"From what I've seen on the recordings, places like Washington D.C. were hit the hardest. They even call it the Capital Wasteland. Hard to imagine anything or anyone able to live there after something like that..." Louis sighed and crossed his arms drearily. "I've noticed you haven't taken your eyes off of Joe. He hasn't done anything to be a threat."
"Haven't you learned anything since we started? You can't trust every person you come across. I know you're friendly and all, but out here in the open, there's always something out here that can kill you a thousand times over." Doug turned his head to him, only to see that he was walking over to Joe. "Goddamn it, Louis!"
Louis approached Joe's side as he took notice to him. "So, by the look of your police badge, you used to be a cop in Ohio. That means you were around before the Great War!"
Joe looked down at his chest and saw that the badge was sticking out. He cursed himself and stuffed it back in. "Yeah, but that doesn't matter anymore. That was a long time ago and I don't care much about it anymore..."
Louis was suspicious of his words. If the police badge didn't mean anything, then why would he still carry it around for the last 213 years. "I see. In that case, where else have you been? Since you been around for so long." he asked next.
Joe took a minute to think about. "Eh, been back and forth on this side of the country and coastline. Even got so far as Texas and Arizona once or twice. But that's the thing about us Ghouls, we got a lot of time on our hands. That and a head full of bad memories. Things I really wish to forget..."
"And if you don't mind me asking..." Doug joined up with them. "Is there a reason you're on the same path as we are? If I had to guess, you were in the same town we left."
"This country may be in ruins, but I like to think we still have the freedom to go wherever we want." Joe glanced to him. "I was planning on leaving Maine anyway. I had a feeling I wasn't very welcomed in a place like that. Shocking..." he snorted.
"Then those people are a bunch of idiots." Louis frowned in anger. "They shouldn't treat people like you because of the way you look. What happened to you isn't your fault, it was the idiots that launched the nukes that plunged this world in chaos. The way I see it, you're still a Human being. Just with more wrinkly skin and a very long life."
Joe stopped in his tracks for a moment, it was the first time in a very long time that he had been treated with any respect or decency from someone that wasn't a Ghoul like him. He looked to the west, knowing that the people he was with were not too far from them in the ruined forest. He was about to say something to the two before deciding against it and continued walking.
Not long after, the three walked up the small slope and saw their destination. A small settlement that was built on the ruins of an old town from before the war. They renamed it The Long Field.
"Alright, we made it before nighttime." Doug smiled at the town.
"With an hour to spare too." Louis said as he scanned the area with his Pip-Boy.
They suddenly heard footsteps coming their way and turned to see seven men approaching them, armed with guns and clearly not holding them for protection.
"For the love of god. Can't we go anywhere without trouble trying to crawl up our asses?" Doug reached for his shotgun.
"If they want trouble, we can give it to them. Right, Joe?" Louis said as he reached for his assault rifle, only to have the end of a revolver put to the side of his head and froze up in fear. "Please tell me that another one of these guys snuck up on us. And that guy just happens to have the same gun as Joe..." he slowly moved his head enough to see the Ghoul with a deep scowl on his face.
"Sorry. But it's not personal." Joe said with remorse.
"Well, well, well, Joe! You actually managed to get them off guard!" one of them laughed. "Not bad for a Ghoul!"
The leader of the group approached them. He wore surprisingly clean clothes with a duster jacket and bandanna on his head. "Indeed. Well done, Joey." he called before looking to their captives. "And as for you two, I suggest you get your hands up."
Louis and Doug slowly raised their hands. "What is this? We have done nothing wrong to you people..." Louis stated.
"You're not getting shit off of us!" Doug glared at him.
"Shut the fuck up before I put one between your eyes!" one of them snapped and aimed his rifle.
"Now, hold on! No need to kill anyone yet..." the leader chuckled. "Where are my manners? My name is Chris, and these are my band of hired hands. And we are looking for a vast fortune that will allow us to retire for life."
"Wow, this is so fascinating..." Louis rolled his eyes with a deadpanned tone. "And what does all of that have to do with any of us?..."
"Straight to the point! I like that. You keep surprising me, Vault dweller." Chris clapped his hands. "You guys might know this part. A month ago, one of my associates just happened to be in your town to get some supplies-"
"It was me!" one of them that had a pair of goggles and crooked teeth laughed and raised his hand.
"I'm telling the story here! And I'm still pissed at you for blowing most of our caps on porno mags! And tried to keep them to yourself!" Chris yelled at him, making him step back in fear before continuing. "And he saw you two and your Overseer and town leader. You guys were talking about the location being transmitted on your Pip-Boy. A device from before the Great War. And if there's anything good about the past, it's all the amazing technology they left behind. The kind of tech that would give us mountains of caps!"
"Then your friend is as stupid as he looks! Clearly he assumed too much. We don't know what's at the end of the signal. And odds are it could be very dangerous. Something a bunch of idiots who are halfway on the path of being reduced to Raiders wouldn't know how to use!" Louis was about to take a step forward as Joe poked his gun at his head.
"Don't try to talk your way out of this. We've been watching you from afar, you're on the path to something very valuable." Chris pointed to his device. "Now, hand over the Pip-Boy, and maybe, just maybe, I'll let you guys go with your boxers on."
Louis sighed and reached for the lock of his Pip-Boy.
"Louis! Don't give it to them! They'll kill us either way!" Doug said to him as one of the bandits pointed a handgun at him.
"It's alight, Doug. It's not worth getting killed over. And we're not in a position to argue." Louis took the Pip-Boy off and handed to Chris.
Chris smiled as he looked at the device with a big grin. But suddenly, the Pip-Boy beeped a few times and powered down as if it was dead. "What?! What is this! What did you do, you fucking bastard!" he pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.
"That Pip-Boy is linked to my biometrics! only I can use! If it's removed from my arm or I die, it's just an ugly paperweight!" Louis smirked at him. "And trying to hack it or open it up will cause the self-destruct to go off. And you don't want to be within twenty feet of that! And trust me, there's nothing out here that can activate it by force! In other words, you need me alive!"
"So we drag you along! Simple enough. That just means we don't need your friend!" Chris pointed his handgun at Doug.
Louis quickly stepped in front of him. "And if you kill him, you still won't get shit out of me! Threaten me, torture me, I won't lead you one step in the right direction! So no matter how you look at this, we're at a stalemate until you make your move! So what's it gonna be? You gonna make a winning or losing move?..."
Chris frowned as his finger slowly pressed against the trigger. The air was filled with intensity, Chris didn't know whether to think he was bluffing or telling the truth. The leader then slowly lowered his gun and tossed Louis' Pip-Boy back. "Tie his friend's hands and get their weapons."
The bandits stripped Louis and Doug of their weapons. One of them with a scar on his cheek took Doug's shotgun and smiled. "Sweet! I've always wanted a sawed-off! Thanks, asshole."
"When I get my gun back...you'll be the first I kill with that..." Doug glared menacingly at him.
One of them walked over to Joe. "Since you got all chummy with them, you can take first watch on the Vault dweller. I'm sure an 'officer' of the law would make a nice watcher!" he chuckled.
Two of them poked their guns into Doug's back to make him move as Chris and a few others kept their eye on Louis while the rest kept watch for trouble. The bandits lead them away from the distant town. They walked for a bit until they reached a location that looked like it was the start of a quarry dig before the war. The area was dug a few feet into the ground with a number of rusted construction vehicles.
"Okay, this looks like a nice place to start." Chris said as he looked to Louis. "Now, bring up your Pip-Boy and start showing us the right way."
"Give me a moment." Louis raised his device and fiddled with the controls to buy time. He glanced over to Joe. "Nice group of friends you got there..."
"Please. As if any of us would be friends with a Ghoul!" one of them scoffed in disgust. "Everyone here is just a hired muscle. He's only been with us for a year."
"I just figured since you were an officer, some part of you would care about doing what's right." Louis ignored the man as he looked at the map that marked the quarry.
"I told you, that job hasn't meant anything to me in over two hundred years. And it certainly don't mean shit in a world like this!" Joe looked away with a groan.
"And yet you keep that badge around your neck! If it didn't mean shit to you, then you would have tossed it a long time ago!" Doug took a step towards him. "My friend might be an idiot sometimes, but he right, some part of you still cares about what you used to do a long time ago!"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" the one watching him shouted before hitting him in the back of the head with his rifle, causing Doug to fall to his knees.
"Doug, no!" Louis tried to reach for him.
Chris stepped in the way. "Don't get any ideas! You might have managed to make me spare your friend, but that doesn't mean we can't torture his ass if you don't start looking for the right direction!"
"Then you better make sure we got a lot of stuff! Because the signal is coming from the other side of the country!" Louis shouted at him, causing all of them to gasp.
"What? On the other side of the country?! You're lying!" Chris pulled out his gun and pointed it at Doug. "I swear, if you're lying, I'll kill him right here!"
"Why do you think we've been traveling for a month alone?! The signal is far away, do you think your men have it in them to go all the way?" Louis took a step closer to Chris, daring him to make the next move.
"Boss! We can't make it! We've only been between this state and the other our whole lives! We don't know what's out there!" one of them clamored.
"This is bullshit! We've wasted a whole month for nothing!" another whined.
"All of you shut the fuck up! He's lying to buy time!" Chris pointed his gun at Louis again. "You better tell the truth before I get really mad!"
"It's not that big of a deal. I've been back and forth a few times across this side of the country." Joe spoke, agitated by their arguing.
"Shut your fucking mouth, you rotting sack of crap! We all don't live as long as you do, you irradiated freak of nature!" the one with most of Louis and Doug's guns shouted at Joe as he went over and shoved him. "The whole country is full of monsters and freaks! Including Feral Ghouls! Not that you can tell the difference between either one!"
Joe clenched his hands and growled, he was pretty much fed up with them.
"Ooh, careful guys! I think he's turning feral. Which is okay to me, one less freak running around!" another said as they all began to laugh.
"Shut up!" Chris shouted before turning back to Louis. "Location! Now!"
"Alright! Come here and look, I'll show you!" Louis raised his screen as Chris got in for a closer look. Only to be smacked in the face with it and thrown off balance. The Vault dweller quickly grabbed him and his gun and wrapped one arm around his neck and pointed the gun to his head. "Now, unless you want your boss to eat a bullet, I suggest you all drop your weapons and let Doug go! Do it!"
One of them walked over and undid Doug's ropes and quickly dashed over to his partner. "Not bad, Louis. Now give us our weapons back!" he ordered them.
The bandits stood their ground with smiles on their faces. Chris chuckled at their situation. "I think you fail to see the problem. If you kill me, they'll shoot you two dead where you stand. Looks like all three of us are going to hell!"
Louis shoved the muzzle hard into his cheek "You first, asshole!"
They all suddenly heard a rumble and looked to the ground. A large crack formed as a mole-rat leaped out and bit the one carrying Louis and Doug's weapons by the neck. He screamed in pain as the mutant animal bit down harder, blood poured out from the wound before he fell to the ground dead. Three more popped out from the ground and attacked another one at once, he screamed for help before one bit into the back of his neck and killed him.
"Fucking hell!" Louis shouted as he shoved Chris away.
"Don't let them get away!" Chris shouted before more mole-rats came out.
The bandits shot at the creatures as Louis and Doug took cover behind an old truck. They couldn't flee without their weapons and ammo and supplies. Another mole-rat leaped and got another bandit in the neck, the ground was soaked in his blood as the rest shot the creatures down.
Chris fired several rounds into the last one with his backup gun. "Die! Die! Fucking die!" he shouted as his gun ran out. "Now then, look at it this way, that's three less parts of the loot we need to divide! And as for you two, I suggest you come out now! We got your weapons! You won't last long without them!"
"Fuck! He's right. And I really want my shotgun back." Doug peeked his head up a little.
"I can try to take them out with this gun. It's got a full clip." Louis suggested to him.
"They still got us outgunned. They'll shoot you down before you know it." Doug shook his head.
"Come on! Don't make us come over there!" Chris shouted as he spotted another mole-rat coming for them. "Shit. Just die already..." he aimed his gun at it.
But before he fired, the ground behind the mole-rat burst open, and a massive creature came out. It was a giant snake, covered in black and green scales. Like a monster from a horror movie, it lunged down and swallowed the mole-rat in one gulp. The creature took notice of them as the ground near it burst and three more came slithering out. And one of them was a mutant rattlesnake.
"Slithers and a Rattler!" Chris screamed in terror as the four snakes went after them.
The four bandits and Joe fired at the snakes and spread out to make themselves harder targets. One of the snakes got close to one and wrapped him up with its body. The man screamed and thrashed before he was crushed in moments. The snake quickly started eating him. Louis and Doug took this opportunity to get their weapons. The one carrying Doug's shotgun went to his dead partner to grab their stolen weapons. Louis punched the man in the face before he could take the assault rifle and grabbed it from him and pointed the weapon.
"Please! No, I don't want to die!" he begged him.
Louis raised his rifle up. "Lucky for you, it's not my style to shoot someone who's down." the bandit sighed in relief as Doug picked up his shotgun. "Besides, Doug promised he would kill you. And he always keeps his word..."
Doug checked his ammo for a moment and pointed his gun at him. The bandit screamed and begged for his life before he pulled the trigger and fired one shell as Louis gathered their weapons.
Chris turned and saw the two gathering their stuff and knew they would make a run for it. He aimed his gun at the two and was about to fire. "If I can't have that loot, then no one can!"
Joe managed to kill one Slither with a few rounds from his combat shotgun as he saw what Chris was about to do. The memories of him being a cop came back to him hard. How he promised to uphold the law and always have his partner's back. A friend that always had his back during those days. "Ahhh, screw it!" he sighed and fired at Chris.
Chris was grazed by some buckshot and started running to avoid the rest of the shells. Louis and Doug saw the Ghoul shooting at his leader as the one who really hated him shot down the next Slither and ran for him. Joe was hit in the back by the but of the man's rifle and knocked him to the ground.
"You damn Ghoul! I've been wanting to do this since the moment I laid eyes on you!" he cackled while aiming his rifle at him.
"I'm flattered...but you're just not my type..." Joe smirked, one last insult before going to his grave.
The bandit was about to fire as the Rattler slithered over and clamped its mouth over his head. The bandit was killed in moments with a sickening crunch before the snake let go. The mutant snake then noticed Joe and started slithering for him, its fangs dripping venom as he tried to crawl away.
"Doug, take care of the last Slither and Chris! I'll help Joe!" Louis shouted as he ran towards him.
"He double crossed us! Why are you helping him?!" Doug asked in disbelief.
"Because it's what I do!" Louis aimed his rifle at the Rattler.
Doug rolled his eyes and armed his Winchester rifle. Chris pumped a few more rounds into the Slither as it started to die from its wounds. Doug fired a few rounds at it to fully put it down as Chris tired to limp away. One of the bullets managed to get him in the leg as he fell down to the ground and dropped his gun. He tried to crawl for it as Doug stomped down on his leg to stop him.
Chris groaned and slowly rolled over to see Doug's rifle pointed right at him and chuckled with a smile. "Fuck..."
"Indeed." Doug nodded before firing two rounds into his face.
The Rattler was about to strike Joe as Louis leaped in front of it. He would have shot it with his assault rifle, but he realized they unloaded it and was forced to pull out his combat machete and swung at the snake. Its massive rattle shaking hard, clearly indicating it was pissed while dodging his swings.
"Only one chance! Better not screw it up!" Louis said as it was about to attack.
The Rattler lunged with its mouth wide open. Louis thrust his machete forward and plunged it into the snake's mouth as its fang jabbed him in the right arm. Blood spilled out as the momentum of the Rattler's attack plunged the blade into its head and slowly went limp as Louis pulled the blade out, blood from the snake soaked the ground as he turned to the Ghoul and held his hand out.
"You...you helped me? Why?! Why would you do that after everything that I done?!" Joe questioned him, the fact that there was anyone like him left in the world shocked him.
"What can I say? It's what I do..." Louis shrugged while helping him up. "And you shot at your leader. You're better than those assholes. And I..." his vision suddenly went blurry as he dropped his bloody machete.
Joe looked to his right arm and saw the wound. "No. No!" he grabbed Louis before he fell over and gently lowered him to the ground.
"Louis!" Doug called out as he slid to his knees and looked him over. "Come on, man! Wake up! Wake the fuck up! You dumbass!" he lightly smacked his cheek. He turned to Joe, anger burning in his green eyes. "This is all your fucking fault!"
"You're right...it is my fault. I'm such a fuck up..." Joe sighed in shame.
Doug pointed his shotgun at him. "Well guess what, you're gonna make it up to him and help me carry his ass into town! They must have doctor that can help!"
"He won't make it. Rattler venom can kill in minutes, but I know how I can help now." Joe quickly ran over to Chris' body and started searching his pack. "This asshole was always afraid of being bitten by a venomous animal. Something about his father dying that way." he found the pouch filled with anti-venom and ran back over to them and opened the pack. There was seven vials of antidote.
"They're all unlabeled! Which one's the right one?" Doug kneeled down with him.
"Give me a moment. Chris kept them unlabeled so they would be useless to anyone who stole it." Joe looked closely at the vials. "But I watched him organize them a few months ago, he always muttered to himself when he does that." he pulled out a greenish vial and then took the syringe and filled it up. "This is it. Antidote for reptile venom."
Doug pointed his shotgun to the back of Joe's head. "If he dies, you die. And I'm only digging one hole."
"Fair enough..." Joe nodded as he injected Louis in the neck.
Minutes passed as the two waited. Louis' shallow breathing started to get better and the color in his face turned back to normal. The sighed in relief, mostly Joe after Doug put his shotgun away.
"Good, you get to live...for now." Doug turned away and started looting the fallen bandits. "Now help me search these assholes. It's too late to head back to that town, luckily there's a mobile office over there that we can sleep in for the night."
The two quickly searched the bandits and gathered their weapons and ammo and supplies. The two then dragged Louis into the mobile office after making sure it was safe. Inside was an old desk and several cabinets and shelves. An old terminal computer was still on and giving a green glow as the two shut the shutters and placed Louis on an old sleeping bag that was in the corner. Someone else must have took refuge in it a long time ago.
The night was finally on them as they waited for Louis to wake up. Doug and Joe sat with an awkward silence before he spoke. "So why did you hang out with those assholes?" he asked the Ghoul. "They clearly didn't give a shit about you."
Joe thought about pulling out a cigarette before deciding against it. "Maybe because I am an asshole. And assholes end up with assholes. Truth is, I've been with a lot of groups in my years. And they either end up getting rid of me or die. In this kind of world, you can't pick or choose the people you're with. You gotta do what you can to survive."
"You're right. The world sucks ass. And someone like my friend would have ended up dead by now." Doug looked to the sleeping Vault dweller. "But...maybe the world needs more people like him in it. Because for one thing, I don't ever have to worry about him shooting me in the back."
Louis suddenly lunged up from the sleeping bag, coughing roughly and pounding his chest. "Drink..."
"Hey! Look who's back in the world of the living!" Doug applaud him. "Do you want your flask or water bottle?"
"Both..." Louis held both his hands out as Doug handed them over. He took big swigs from both for a minute. "Glad to see you're okay, Joe. Both of you."
"I'm alive because of you. You're the only person I know who stabbed a Rattler in the mouth with a machete. And here I thought I've seen it all in the last two hundred and thirteen years." Joe chuckled.
Louis stood up and stretched. "And I don't plan to do it again without a better plan. At least without a better plan." he walked to the door. "I'm guessing we're still at the quarry. And I'm very hungry after being bitten. I've always heard that snake meat tastes like chicken. You guys want any?"
"Why not? I'm starving too." Doug got up to help.
"I'll start the fire." Joe stood to help too.
The three butchered what they could from one of the snakes and cooked them over a fire. They then turned in for the night until morning came. Louis and Doug gathered their newly gained loot and started leaving the quarry.
February 18/2296
"I guess I'll be seeing you smooth skins." Joe waved to them before going off. "Good luck on your mission."
Louis suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind. "Hold on a second, why don't you come with us?"
"Are you serious? He betrayed us!" Doug reminded him.
"And he turned on them, and cured me. I would be dead and probably stripped of my gear if it wasn't for him." Louis turned back to Doug with a raised brow.
"It's not like you would have needed it..." Doug muttered to himself.
"You really want me to come with you, after all that I've done?" Joe asked him in disbelief.
"With your experience, you would make a great friend on our trip. Plus, you've been a lot farther then both of us, we could use the extra help." Louis pointed to his badge under his shirt. "And unlike those guys, I won't turn on you just because you're a Ghoul. I still think your badge means something."
Joe placed a hand over his shirt where the badge was. The memories of being an officer came back once more, including his partner and the woman that wore one of the wedding rings he carried. "Oh...screw it. Why not? That's the thing about us Ghouls, we got a lot of time on our hands. And I don't have anything better to do right now."
"Awesome! Let's head out!" Louis checked his Pip-Boy for the right direction. "And the path is pointing back towards that town we were about to go to! So we can unload our loot for caps!"
Doug groaned a little. "Fuck it. The more the merrier. That just means I'll use less ammo."
"Then lead the way, Louis." Joe said before joining their side.
The two were now three. A new companion had joined their cause. A Vault dweller, a Wastelander, and now a Ghoul. The journey still had a long way to go, but now their strength has grown, and so too will the challenges of the Wasteland.
