CHAPTER 4: THE FOUR COMPANIONS.
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." -Ernest Hemingway.
Louis, Doug, and Joe had already pounded down a few hard drinks, the people in the building bought them drinks and some food to thank them for freeing those people. The bar was lively as an old jukebox played some tunes that came all the way back from the 1950's, making them almost four hundred years old alone.
"I gotta say, Lou, we should free slaves more often!" Doug laughed as he drank down a shot of whiskey.
"I guess doing good deeds isn't too bad." Joe laughed before taking another shot of gin.
"Let's...show the Wasteland we mean business!" Louis hiccuped a little, clearly a tad buzzed.
The three continued to eat and drink for a bit as the people in the bar finally left them alone. Victoria walked into the bar and found the three, she took a seat next to Louis as the bartender came over to her.
"What would you like?" he asked.
"I actually don't have any caps on me." Victoria sighed a little.
"Just give her the usual. We'll pay." Louis said to him.
The bartender poured Victoria a glass of cooled whiskey. She took the drink and sipped it for a moment. "You don't need to buy me a drink." she spoke.
"You should celebrate for being free! Don't worry about it..." Louis drank another shot of rum.
"So tell me, you said you guys were heading across the country. Why would the three of you travel that far? Is it something of great value?" Victoria asked them.
"As you know, I'm from a Vault. 96 for that matter. My Vault was filled with thousands of robotic probes that traveled across the Wasteland, recording just about everything you can imagine, including the groundbreaking events that have happened ever since the bombs dropped. So we were never ignorant of the things that have happened since then." Louis took another drink. "A few months ago, one of our probes sent a high priority signal that demanded it be dealt with before shutting down. The supercomputer of my Vault revealed this special Pip-Boy that is locked on to the signal. For some reason it chose me to be the one to seek out the source of the signal, but I don't know why it's me. So for more than a month now we finally got out of Maine and started dicking around here in New Hampshire. Doug over here came from a town that was near my Vault, so we've had a nice peace going on for some years now and kinda knew each other since we were kids. Joe just joined us a few days ago after he left his old group behind.
"They tried to kill and rob us. Including Joe." Doug commented with another drink.
"Water under the bridge, Doug..." Joe scoffed.
"So here we are. Crossing the country with no idea how far the signal is. And even more so, we don't have a clue what it is." Louis had another drink poured for him. "It could be something before the war. It could be a stockpile of nukes about to go off any moment. Some kind of biological weapon that's starting to leak. A government experiment that is getting free. Hell, it could be something even worse than the Atom bombs. And these are all just speculation. All I know is we need to find out what it is and take care of it. And Doug was kind enough to come along with me. And Joe has a lot of time on his hands, so more help for the road."
Victoria couldn't help but laugh. "Wow. And here I thought I've heard it all. You're on a mission with little to no information on what you're doing or what it is you're looking for! And crossing the country alone is no easy task, it's next to impossible. Alright, I guess I'll join you guys."
"Really? That's great! I'm glad you're coming along!" Louis cheered her. "Here's to our new companion!"
Doug and Joe raised their glasses to her. "Welcome aboard..." the Wastelander toasted her.
"So, who is it you're running from? I don't mean to pry, but I just feel if we know this person, we can be prepared. But if you don't feel like talking, I understand." Louis cautiously asked her.
Victoria looked down to her drink. "The man I'm running from, his name is Jeremiah Savage. At least that's what he went by. He's kept me as his slave since I was eleven years old. He was around fifteen when him and his father attacked my village."
"I'm sorry about that. Do you...even know why he kept you like that?" Louis asked next.
"I don't know. He always told me he had special plans for me, that I was important to it. That's why he always kept me like a trophy." Victoria took another long drink. "His family has been in the slave trade for years, if not generations. And they have always been very strange, even to the other slave traders. Some say they have had tens of thousands of slaves since they started ages ago. I need to keep moving so he won't find me."
Doug quickly chugged down his drink. "Goddamn, what a sick world we live in."
"I've seen a lot of horrible things since the bombs dropped. But that is definitely some of the worst I've heard." Joe started gulping the bottle of gin.
Louis turned and looked her in the face, his "Victoria, I swear we won't let that bastard get you. He'll be running around in circles looking for you."
"Just please...don't get yourselves hurt over me. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of me." Victoria looked down to see that her glass had a crack. "That bastard stole eleven years of my life, I'm now twenty two, I don't know how I can start over."
"It's not too late to start over, you need to believe that." Louis had another drink poured for him. "Tomorrow morning we'll leave. If this Jeremiah bastard isn't expecting you anytime soon, then we can get a head start on them."
"Until then, let's get drunk!" Doug said as the bartender mixed him a Nuka-Cola and whiskey.
The four drank for a few more hours until they turned in at a nearby hotel building. Louis shoved the door open with Doug's arm slung over his shoulder. Joe staggered in with Victoria guiding him as they approached the four beds in the room.
"Oh...shit..." Joe hiccuped. "I think I drank too much." was all he said before falling face first onto his bed and passed out on the spot without getting under the covers.
"Bring it on, Wasteland! I'll kill everything that comes my way!" Doug flopped on his bed. "Hey, Louis! You're the best guy I've ever known!" he fell back onto the pillow.
"You're...drunk! Doug! You must be to say that!" Louis cackled before falling on his bed.
"I'm not drunk! You drunk!" Doug clapped and laughed before passing out on the spot.
Louis struggled to undo the straps of his boots, but he was clearly too drunk to do it. Victoria came over and undid his straps and helped take them off along with his trench coat before laying on his side, falling asleep in moments. She saw the big bold yellow letters of Vault 96 on his back, she smiled a little and sat down on her bed before taking off some of her clothes and got under the surprisingly clean covers and settled in.
"Maybe this won't be a bad idea. Maybe these guys aren't like the rest of the people out there that only think of themselves. Anything is better then being with Jeremiah." Victoria's buzz was starting to make her fall asleep. "And who knows, maybe I can find somewhere to start over."
The four slept easy through the night, mostly from drinking too much, until morning came.
February 23/2296
The guys woke up with pounding headaches, Joe ran to the bathroom and puked loud and hard. Doug staggered around with the room spinning like crazy to him. Louis dug out some aspirin and swallowed a few before giving the others some too. The four then sold the remaining weapons they looted from the slavers and most of the items they found in the Super-Duper Mart, giving them an extra three hundred caps.
They approached the gates of the town to find the leader Yolanda waiting for them, including some of the former slaves, now wearing new proper clothes. "Good luck to you all out there. And fuck up a few Raiders and other shitheads out there for me." she smiled as some of the former slaves thanked them again.
"We'll be sure to do that." Louis gave her the thumbs up. "You just make sure these people have a good life here."
"Will do. Good luck out there." Yolanda said to them as they left.
The group walked down the broken road to their next destination, thanks to one of the shops, they found a route that would lead them down into Massachusetts. They were still thinking of the next state to go to after getting into Massachusetts, cutting through New York would be risky. Any cities in the country are a haven for Feral Ghouls, Super Mutants, Raiders, and a whole bunch of other monsters and dangerous people. But for now, they followed the route that would lead them to the state border.
"So, in your opinion, how far do you think the signal is?" Victoria asked the Vault dweller.
Louis raised his Pip-Boy and switched to the map. The grid layered map showed a way point that kept moving every few meters they walked. It corrected itself depending on the direction they were moving. "I really couldn't tell you. The data on the probe's location was erased somehow. All we got is the signal that keeps transmitting, only adding more and more to the mystery..." he answered her.
"So is the probe sending the signal? What if someone finds it and takes it away?" Victoria asked next.
Doug's eyes went wide and stopped for a moment. "That's actually a very good question, Louis!"
"Don't worry! Wherever the probe is now before shutting down, it linked up to the location to send the information back to my Vault before linking to this Pip-Boy I have. It's the location that's sending the signal, which only strengthens the theory that it's a form of government base from before the war. And if there's anything we know about the government back then, it's that they have always done a lot of shady as fuck things." Louis answered him.
"So if these probes have been recording things since after the bombs dropped, how is it that nobody has ever shot them down?" Joe decided to ask.
"The probes are similar to those Eyebot models, but without so many antennas. And they have recording and broadcasting systems that transmit the data back to the Vault. They can link up to old terminals and download data, and they have cloaking systems in case anyone gets to close to their proximity. And the probes are solar powered too. We've only lost a few dozen out of thousands in the last two hundred years. So not bad at all if you ask me." Louis chuckled.
"Still seems like a long way to go. Can you have any of your probes scout the area and send us information on it? Get a lay of the land and all?" Victoria asked.
"We've tried that, but the probes act autonomously. We can remote control them to an extent, but our supercomputer controls them the most." Louis frowned a little.
"You're very brave to venture out into the Wasteland. Even as a kid, I've heard of Vaults being the most safe places anyone can live in." Victoria looked to the sky. "A place with no worries."
"It's a safe place to live, I'll give you that. But the Vault can only do so much, and it won't fix this world and its problems. Hiding underground doesn't help anyone." Louis placed his hands behind his head.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Louis, but I don't think this world can be helped." Joe sighed while looking at his hand. "Everything has gone to hell. Radiation alone could take hundreds of years to go away. And all forms of plants and animals are either extinct or mutated."
"You're right. Even the technology of a G.E.C.K. is next to impossible to come by, even if we had them all, to which we don't know how many Future-Tec even made, they can't fix this entire country. Let alone the entire world." Louis looked to the sky as well. "Or future is very bleak. Makes me wonder if what we do even matters."
"You think too much, Louis. One step at a time is all we can do in a world like this." Doug said as he looked up with them. "Right now, we just have to live in the now."
"I've been living in the now for more than two hundred years. It can be a bit boring." Joe pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
()()()()()()()()
Back in the ruined town, the leader of the slave group managed to stagger out of the place. His shirt was stained with blood and still had the bullet wound covered with his hand. He lost his step and fell to the dirt ground, gasping for air as footsteps approached him. The slaver looked up to see a man followed by several other slaves. He was a tall man with light skin, reddish eyes, dark blonde hair combed back into a small ponytail. He wore clean clothes with a dusty coat.
"Sir...Jeremiah. Please..." the man held his hand up.
"Where...is she?" Jeremiah frowned while kneeling.
"She...escaped. A Vault dweller, a Wastelander, and a Ghoul. They freed her and the slaves!" the slaver wheezed.
"I don't care about those slaves. All I care about is my Victoria!" Jeremiah grabbed his hair and pulled his head up so they could be eye to eye. "Let me tell you about the last few days. Me and my men have been chasing those Liberators around, only for them to give us the slip while killing a least a dozen of us and freeing more then thirty of our slaves. That's tens of thousands of caps lost in profit, and our reputation greatly diminished once more! And the only thing that calms my rage is looking into the beautiful bluebell eyes of my Victoria. And now I come to find that you have lost her. Needless to say, I'm very mad!" his voice seemed to be calm, but the slaves could tell he was about to snap.
"Jeremiah! Please, she couldn't have gone far! The Vault dweller with the number 96 on the jumpsuit must have took her and the slaves to that nearby settlement! We can find her there!" the slaver pleaded.
"Idiot! She's long gone! And the town will figure out who we are right away. And I don't care about losing the slaves." Jeremiah frowned with anger while pulling his hair harder. "All I care about is getting her back." he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the man's head.
"Jeremiah! Please! Give me a chance! I'll get her back! I'll get you a hundred new slaves! Please don't kill me!" the man pleaded with tears falling down his face.
"She's very important to me! I need her by my side! And unfortunately for you, there's no place for a failure like you!" Jeremiah pulled the trigger and put a bullet through his eye. He then stood back up to the slavers behind him. "Spread the word! We're looking for a Vault dweller with the number 96 on his jumpsuit! The bounty for the three is five thousand caps each! And Victoria is to be brought back alive and unharmed with a reward of eight thousand caps! Move, now!"
A few of the slavers quickly ran off to return to base and give the orders.
Jeremiah and the rest of his group started following him to the next slaver location they needed to go. "Seems like you've ran into some troublesome people, Victoria. One day you will see how important you are to me as we build a new world where the strong reign over the weak. It's as nature intends it..."
()()()()()()()()()
The four passed an old road sign, they were nearing a highway intersection that extended into many intersections. They stopped for a few minutes to get an idea of their surroundings, Louis and Doug looked at a map while the other two kept watch for any trouble.
"Louis, all these sections that are marked in red mean the roads have collapsed. The guy at the store told me so." Doug pointed to the map.
"But these those sections are the quickest way to the next state. Maybe we should just travel under them instead of risk walking on the road." Louis tapped on the map.
"No, Raiders love skulking around on the lower sections of highways to jump anyone passing by." Joe said to them.
Louis sighed and folded the map. "Look, let's take a lunch break. We'll think of a route while we eat."
"I don't think we should use our supplies so soon. We could end up going for days without finding a town." Doug said to him.
"Guys, look over there." Victoria pointed ahead, they spotted a few rabbits eating grass near their hole.
"Oh, awesome!" Louis quietly spoke. "I can't believe we're seeing an un-mutated animals. Maybe the world isn't as fucked as we thought it is."
Victoria drew back her bow with an arrow. "Want to eat one? I can get it with ease."
"Well...eating one would be nice. Better than squirrel." Louis pondered for a moment. "But for all we know, these could be the only rabbits in the region. But we are hungry."
"Victoria, please get the big one. He'll take forever..." Doug sighed.
Victoria nodded and let her arrow fly. She hit the biggest rabbit of the bunch as the rest went back into the hole.
Louis noticed that the rabbit was hit and sighed. "Well...waste not, what not. At least that's how I think it goes..."
The four soon had a small fire going with the skinned rabbit cooking over it on a stick. The animal was finally cooked and ready to eat as they each tore a big piece to eat.
"Can't remember the last time I've had rabbit. But it's a whole lot better than some of the things I've eaten before." Joe chuckled before taking another bite.
"You haven't eaten people, have you?" Doug asked hesitantly.
"No, but there has been a lot of temptations since the bombs dropped." Joe answered.
"So now that we got full bellies, where are we going to go?" Victoria asked them with a mouthful.
"I think the south highway is the best to go. It's a little longer, but the map shows that it's the safest we can take." Doug suggested to them.
"Then I guess we'll go that way. Our options are limited, and I would like us to cross the state border before it gets too dark." Louis tossed the bones aside.
"We shouldn't put too much faith in a map that's more then two hundred years old..." Joe threw his bones away.
"Nothing much has changed. The only difference is the roads have fallen to ruin." Doug stood back up and stretched.
"Then let's go. We got a long walk ahead of us." Victoria said to them.
The rest stood back up. "Eager to get moving? We've put a lot of distance between Jeremiah, you don't need to worry..." Louis said to her.
"And we'll keep putting distance behind him until I fell comfortable. Now let's go." Victoria frowned and started walking as the three quickly followed her.
The group soon reached the highway intersection and looked it over, there were many elevated roads all over the place. A lot of the roads have collapsed and crumbled from age and the nuclear bombs, there was also a number of cars and trucks left behind. All of them rusted and unusable. It was quiet, which is always unsettling in the Wasteland. They occasionally heard the sound of concrete breaking and falling to the ground and metal creaking from movement. The four then started walking on the highway road, the ancient path crunched under their feet from bits of concrete and garbage scattered about.
The road was getting higher and higher up as the view to the land around them became more vast. Louis pulled out a pair of binoculars to get an idea of the land around them. "Nothing but Wasteland..." he sighed before putting them away.
"What did you expect?" Victoria asked him.
"I don't know. Just something to see. Anything to kill the boredom..." Louis sighed as he picked up a rock and tossed it.
The rock flew and hit into the grill of a semi truck. The truck suddenly creaked. The wheels started to move from the angle of the road as the parking break finally broke. The group heard a loud creak and looked up to see the truck and its trailer rolling towards them. The old vehicle plowed through any other car that was in the way.
"Move your asses! Now!" Joe yelled to them.
The group split into two and managed to reach the edges of the highway as the semi truck passed them, bits of concrete and metal went flying as the toppled cars rolled with it before all of it reached the bottom of the highway. The four didn't waste time as they knew what was probably next and ran up the road. The semi truck and cars then blew up into a mushroom cloud of radiation.
"Keep running! We need to get away from that!" Louis shouted over the ticking of his Pip-Boy.
The four were soon at the top of the highway where it was flat and breathed a sigh of relief. They looked to the remains of the vehicles, all of them now smoldering piles of twisted metal and parts.
"That...was too close..." Louis panted heavily.
"This place is a deathtrap! If that explosion didn't killed us, we've probably attracted every form of scumbag and creature in the area!" Doug looked around with his shotgun ready.
"Then we better not wait around. Nothing is going to get close to that radiation pile, at least the usual creatures and people." Victoria commented while walking ahead.
The four continued on, they were now on the main road of the highway, passing a number of vehicles while checking to see if there was anything of value or use. Joe found a pack of cigarettes in one car and some ammo. Victoria found a few cans of food, some with labels. Louis found an old revolver and a first-aid kit in a car, he suddenly heard something rumbling around in the trunk, along with a dry howl. It was a Feral Ghoul that had been stuck in the trunk for who knows how long, maybe even after the Great War. It thrashed about as they decided to leave it, there was no need to waste time and ammo on it. Doug opened up a car and paused, inside was the skeletal remains of two people in the driver and passenger seats, but the worst sight was the remains of a child and baby in the backseat. He sighed while reaching in and found some prewar money and toiletries in a bag before slamming the rusty door shut.
Night started to come as the four found a semi truck with an empty trailer and decided to sleep in it. Louis and Doug fully opened the back door up and checked the back as Joe took out some cans of food for them.
"So, looks like we got some mystery can roulette. Anyone want to take bets on what's inside?" Joe asked as he tossed them the cans.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather just eat..." Louis began opening his can with his knife. Inside was pork n' beans. "Oh, boy, we're gonna need to keep the trailer door open tonight..."
"And I got fruit cocktail." Doug held up his can. "I was in the mood for something sweet."
Victoria sat on the edge of the trailer loading section while eating. "Looks like we weren't able to cross the state border. How much farther do we need to go on this road?"
Louis pulled the map out and laid it on the floor of the trailer. "From the looks of it, we might have another half a day's walk before leaving this section and crossing into the next state. We seem to be making good time..."
"Only because we've been in small states and using the roads so far. Each state is gonna get bigger and bigger, and not all of them are gonna have roads intact to use." Joe dug out the rest of the food in his can before tossing it over the edge. "And who knows what else we'll come across."
"Then we better put a spring to our steps as we go!" Louis smiled as he dropped his can and drop kicked his can over the edge.
"Is he always this cheery?" Victoria asked them.
"You have no idea..." Doug grumbled.
"Oh, smile every now and then. I'll take first watch..." Louis stood up and leaned against the side of the trailer.
A few hours passed, Louis kept watch with the moon the only source of light above them. He sat on a car seat that had been ripped out from a vehicle and looked to the opening of the trailer to see how everyone was doing. They were sleeping as comfortable as they could on a cold trailer floor, but Louis glanced over to Victoria and noticed something was off. She was laying on her side and curled up, her face contorted in terror. She was clearly having a bad dream and Louis feared it was something awful, so he leaned over to wake her.
"Hey, Victoria! It's me, wake up." Louis whispered to not wake the others while shaking her by the arms.
"Victoria's eyes shot open and quickly leaned up. "What? What is it? Are we under attack?" she reached for her handgun.
"We're fine. I was just wondering if you wanted to start your shift?" Louis chuckled a little, he wanted to ask about her dream.
Victoria slid out of the trailer and stretched. "Sure, I think I slept enough. Are you gonna go to sleep?"
"I'm fine. I can stay up for a bit longer, two pairs of eyes are better than one." Louis took a seat next to her.
The two sat quietly for awhile. The moon hanged high over them as several creatures flew past it. Louis glanced to Victoria, her bluebell eyes fixed on the land below. He wanted to ask about her dream, but it would most likely be a very touchy subject. He simply crossed his arms and looked away down the road.
"Was I curled up or thrashing around in my sleep, that's why you woke me, right?" Victoria suddenly asked him.
Louis froze up for a second and grinned nervously. "Uh, what do you mean?"
"You're not very good at pretending. It's alright, you can tell me." Victoria turned back to him.
Louis sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, when I checked on you guys, you were really curled up. I figured you were having a nightmare from your years of being a slave."
"It comes and goes. Maybe it will get better the farther I get away from them." Victoria looked down at the street.
"Look, it's okay to let it all out. You've been held captive by that maniac for years. These things take time to heal." Louis placed a hand on her shoulder.
Victoria chuckled a little. "What are you, a therapist?" she looked to him. "But thanks. That means a lot. You're not half bad for a clueless Vault dweller. And you still amaze me that there is good people out there willing to risk their lives to help others."
Louis smiled and looked at his Pip-Boy to check the time. "I read a lot of books in the Vault library. And I'm not as clueless everyone thinks, I just like to really think things through. Well, mostly." his smiled turned to a frown from seeing several blips on the compass as he heard some flapping. "And I believe we're about to have some unwanted company..."
Victoria heard the flapping too as one of the creatures came swooping down and landed on the rails near them. It was a giant bat around the size of a medium dog with wide red wings. Its face was twisted with large fangs and glazed white eyes. It shrieked at them, its echolocation showing their position as Louis quickly drew his machete and swung, splitting its head in half as it fell off the side to the ground below.
The two looked up to see more flying above them in a circling pattern. "Nightshriekers!" Victoria shouted as she ran back to the trailer and got her bow. One of them flew for her as she quickly turned and put an arrow through its head. "Right between the eyes!"
Another Nightshrieker came flying for Louis as he swung his machete again and hacked the wing off before running over and hacking its head off as it hit the road. Two more Nightshriekers came flying towards them near the trailer, they were about to hit Louis and Victoria from behind as the sudden sound of shotgun fire rang out from the trailer. Both bats were shot and hit the road hard as Doug staggered out from the trailer and rubbing one of his eyes.
"I'm trying to sleep, goddamnit!" Doug shouted while reloading.
Two more Nightshrieker came flying in from above. Joe stepped out with his rifle and fired at both, the bullets tore through the mutants as they slammed into the roof of the trailer. "I knew getting that night vision scope was a good idea..." the Ghoul smiled before loading a new bullet into the slide.
Several more Nightshriekers flew for the group, they gathered together and shot the mutant bats down with ease. The road around them was soon covered with more than a dozen of them, the danger had finally passed. For a time.
"So...there's giant mutant bats as well in the Wasteland. Neat..." Louis said as he wiped his machete on the hairy back of a Nightshrieker. "The surprises never cease..."
"And the flying rats woke me up. I hate being woken up so rudely." Doug yawned. "Well, I'm up now. You can sleep if you want, Louis."
Louis stretched and yawned. "Thanks. That fight really wore me out." he climbed into the back and lay down. "See you guys in the morning..."
"Sleep well, Louis." Victoria waved to him.
The Vault dweller happily fell into a deep sleep. Even at night, the horrors of the Wasteland never rested. Never relenting against anyone unlucky enough to come across those troubles.
