CHAPTER 31: PATH TO REDEMPTION.
"People find meaning and redemption in the most unusual human connections." -Khaled Hosseini.
It was late at night as the wanderers looked for a place to sleep for the night. Paradise's Raid was now a distant memory to them as they crossed paths with an old town. Their walk proved to be a tad difficult with the children in tow, they had truly never been outside of Paradise's Raid, so every new sight overwhelmed their curiosity. From the cracked streets, power poles with hanging wires, countless forms of trash, and the never ending number of rusted cars all around. But soon they began to tire out and grow hungry after the long and exhausting day like everyone else.
They found an old hardware store that was more intact then any of the other buildings around, the windows and door were boarded up and showed no one was in it for a long time. Radcliffe reached out and grabbed the handle and started to pull it, the wooden planks began to creak and break with ease thanks to its age. The boards snapped and Radcliffe flung the door open.
"I can't remember the last time I've shacked up in an old building." Radcliffe said to them while poking his head inside.
"Must be a huge improvement compared to the ditches you've probably passed out in." Inez spoke to herself, being quiet so no one would hear.
Louis flipped on the Pip-Boy flashlight and scanned the room for any traps or dangerous things. After a few moments he gave the all clear to come in and start their usual routine. They gathered stuff to burn and found a porch fire pit to help get some light. The hardware store had nothing worth salvaging, just mostly empty and covered in a layer of dust. Once the fire started burning they settled in for the night surrounding the fire. Open cans of food roasted on the fire over a grate, along with a small pot pan that Joe used to cook something mushy in it. The wanderers sat either on the floor or on the few chairs they found stored in the back.
"So you had some leftover smoke grenades on you the whole time?" Doug asked Louis from across him as he took a few more bites from his jerky. "It figures you would keep some for a rainy day."
Louis smiled a little and pulled his pack over. "That...and this little thing I took from home as well." he took out a spool of fishing wire and held it up. "I knew we probably wouldn't ever fish, but I figured this wire could have other uses..."
"That's clever of you to come up with." Doug said in response. "What else did you pack from your Vault?"
"Just all kinds of things I thought might be useful." he answered while putting it back.
Victoria watched the Ghoul as he stirred the food in the pot with a wooden spoon. "So, Joe, what are you cooking up there in that pot?" she asked him.
Joe gently stirred the pot while looking to the baby. "A little recipe I heard of, it's kinda like baby food." he took the pot off the rack over the fire to let it cool. "Since the baby is still too young for solid food and no one here is, well, you know. This stuff should be fine without hurting the baby's stomach. It's a mix of insta-mash, water and some of that powdered milk the kids have." he gently blew on the steam to cool it down faster.
The children sat near Cavall, playing with the large canine who just laid quietly on the floor. The blonde girl dug through her small pack and took out an old baster for Joe to use. She handed it over to him and used it to fill the baster more then halfway. Inez came over with the baby in her arms and sat down next to him and gently held the baby out. He moved his hands over, one holding the baster and another holding a cloth before bringing it over the baby's mouth. Drip by drip, Joe slowly fed the baby that ate the food quicker then he could drip.
Louis watched Joe tend to the baby, admiring his fatherly care. "So, Joe, did you...ever have kids or something?" he asked, regretting it instantly. The Ghoul looked over to him, faded eyes practically boring into him. "I'm...sorry, didn't mean to pry..."
"I didn't have any kids before the Great War." Joe answered, surprisingly not showing any anger. "Probably for the best. I'm not father material, at least not anymore for a very long time." he slowed down to let the food settle in the baby's stomach.
Wayland used a set of tongs to take his can off the rack and let it cool for a few minutes before picking it up and swallowing the meat soup in one big gulp. Still feeling hungry, Wayland opened yet another can and placed it over the fire while putting the empty one by the three other empties. Despite eating so much the other night at the Chow Station, the Super Mutant's appetite was still as bottomless as ever after everything that happened during the day.
Chloe watched him as he waited until the can cooked enough for him. "So, big guy, was the Chow Station not enough for your big stomach?" she asked to get a conversation going. The two have yet to sit down and just talk between each other.
Wayland paused for a moment and looked down to his stomach quizzically before turning his head to her. "I ate plenty in Paradise's Raid. I just love eating new food! Didn't have much other than mole rats and radroaches back when I was with the Super Mutants." his hairless brow squinted deeply. "They mostly ate..."
"Humans in gore bags." Chloe finished, her appetite fading from the memory. "I'll never forget the smell of all those rotting bodies stuffed into nets. Do they always eat them raw?..."
Wayland thought back to the helpless victims his former kin captured and butchered. "Most of them liked eating their victims raw. Say it's much more tasty when dripping with blood. Others thought letting the meat rot made it even better. They would feast for hours if they had enough. I stayed away when I could, they always looked at me like an outsider even before you guys came."
Chloe fully lost her appetite and placed the can down on the floor. "And you lived with them for years, I can't imagine what that was like. I hear Super Mutant hierarchy can be brutal, and that leader seemed to despise you very much."
Wayland placed a big hand against his armor covered chest where the Deathclaw scar was. "That...and what I can do when I lose control of myself. And I still don't know how to fully use it, I'm dangerous around everyone when I become radioactive."
"Don't talk like that, you'll get the hang of it somehow. And we'll help you if needed, just make sure everyone's at a safe distance." Chloe gave him a light smile and picked up her half empty can of mushroom soup. "Wanna finish this? I'm full."
The Super Mutant grinned widely and took the can with just two fingers and dumped it all into his mouth, enjoying the new flavor.
Victoria sat next to Louis and had just finished her meal for the night. Like everyone else she felt drained and the muscles in her legs ached from all the running. She watched him fiddle with the settings of his Pip-Boy and checked the recording section. "So...how far off are we from the direction the signal is pointing?" she asked him out of the blue.
Louis stopped messing with his device and looked over to her. "Uh, not too far off. We've traveled at least a few miles from Paradise's Raid, and we should circle around in case Seymour and the others sent people out to find us. But right now I think we should find the kids a better place to live. We can't travel and protect them at the same time."
Victoria glanced over to the kids sitting with Cavall and eating the food they prepared for them. "What do you have in mind? People have a hard enough time getting by while taking care of their own kids. Either way we're in a bit of a snag right now."
"We'll figure something out." Louis said in his usual optimism. "Once we've rested up we'll begin searching in the morning. I don't care how far off the path we need to go to find them a good place to live."
The redhead gave a faint smile to those words. "You truly are a rare sight, willing to put off your mission to help someone."
"I've said it before, I can't turn my back on people in need." the Vault dweller checked the direction on his Pip-Boy again, remaining resolved no matter how far off they ended up going. "And it's our mission, I couldn't have gotten this far in the first place without you guys."
Victoria shifted her position again, bringing her legs closer to her chest. She thought back to the day when he, Doug, and Joe freed her and the other slaves before reuniting with Jeremiah and his group. The thought of the man made her shiver, thankfully no one seemed to notice. "And if it wasn't for you guys, I'd still be a madman's object of his desire. So I guess you can say we're even at this point."
"I never wanted to save you just to be even at some point." Louis looked back to the dying fire and quickly put some pieces of wood in to stoke it. "Helping people is what my-" his voice caught in his throat for a moment, unable to finish that sentence. "Well, anyway, we should get some sleep soon. I'm taking the early morning shift." he yawned and stretched his arms up before taking off his trench coat.
Victoria wanted to ask what he was about to say before changing the subject, but just by looking him in the face she could tell it was probably something he didn't want to talk about. So she decided to leave him be on the subject, feeling it might stir up something unpleasant.
After the baby was full and started to fall asleep, Joe gently wrapped the child in a blanket and placed him in a small crate to sleep. The Ghoul smiled to the sleeping baby, watching him rest peacefully and praying he don't wake up anytime soon.
Inez watched in awe on how caring Joe was to the baby, it was a nice change of pace compared to his usual grumpy self. "For what it's worth, I think you would have made a great papi, Joe..." she said to him.
Joe stiffened to that remark, then sighed before looking back to her. He scratched his leathery chin and grumbled something. "Thanks, but I try not to think about things that will never come to be." the neckless around his neck started to feel heavy again. "And even if I wanted to be a father, the fallout after the war changed me within a few years."
"Did you...have someone when the bombs dropped?" she asked carefully, knowing that bringing up the past was a sensitive subject for Ghouls before the war. "I'm sorry if I'm nosing in your business. It's just that I've always been curious of the past."
Joe slowly smirked while reaching for a smoke in his coat pocket. "Yeah, guess I am a relic. But I'm afraid my memory isn't what it used to be. And the day to day of my life that I remember would bore you anyway." he started flicking his lighter to get it lit.
Inez's hand suddenly reached out and snatched the smoke from his lips before he could even light it. The Ghoul shot her a frustrated grumble as she just smiled. "Smoking around the baby is bad. Please take it somewhere else if you really need one."
Joe grumbled again and stood up while taking his cigarette back. "Asimov, I'm helping you with the first shift of the night watch." he said while walking towards the Assaultron, standing by the window.
"Understood." he replied to him.
Another hour passed and the children laid fast asleep with full bellies. They laid side by side on the floor with a thick blanket for comfort and a lighter one over them. The fire burned dimly in the fire pit, the wanderers were still awake thanks to the hectic day and just sat around to pass the time. Radcliffe sat not too far from the children, his eyes barely leaving as he watched them sleep peacefully in who knows how long.
Radcliffe sighed through his nose and turned back to the embers before him. "You know, I've realized something..." he began to say, growing tired of the dead silence. "After we take care of the kids...I have no idea what I'm gonna do next." a small chuckle rumbled in his throat. "I've lived in Paradise's Raid for several years, barely thinking of tomorrow..."
"You really have nowhere to go?" Louis asked him, wanting to know more about his past Raider group. "I don't think all of us were told about the Raider group you came from..."
"That's right," Doug spoke up. "At the strip club a bunch of guys called you a, uh, Berserker Dragons? If that's a Raider clan, then I've never heard of it."
"Funny you should say that, I think I've heard whispers of them." Chloe pondered to herself, hearing all kinds of stories and info was part of being a traveling mercenary.
"Strange I've never had..." Joe said next. "But I suppose I can't know everything despite how long I've lived."
"That's because there are no more of them." Radcliffe looked down at the smoldering embers that reflected off his dark eyes. "They were all wiped out when I was a kid." he shifted forward in his seat, face full of mixed emotions. Everything from burning anger to quivering fear. "The Berserker Dragons...were some of those most feared Raider groups anyone who heard of them ever knew."
Silence fell on the room once more, it took all of Radcliffe's strength to dredge up all the painful memories he spent years drinking down. But as always the memories manage to resurface no matter what, the only thing different was him telling others a part of his past.
"I don't know where my clan lived, I've never paid attention to whatever states we were in." he finally started speaking again. "But wherever we lived, no one dared cross us. For almost sixty years the Berserker Dragons were unmatched. They would pillage and burn down settlements. Slaughter dangerous mutants for fun or as a rite of passage, capture people and make them fight to the death for survival, only to kill the winner anyway. And those they didn't kill were either sold into slavery, or raped, or used as target practice. And they made other Raider groups pay tribute to them so they wouldn't be wiped out. All in all, they were brutal to say the least."
"They sound like a bunch of Vikings without the longboats..." said Louis, already overwhelmed by what he had just heard. "Must have been a lot of them to be around for so long."
"About a few hundred, yes. We lived in a burnt out town with a wall all around." Radcliffe continued. "And unfortunately that stuff wasn't even half of the fucked up shit they did. As soon as we're able to walk, they begin training us to kill. They start with little animals like radroaches and work our way up to bigger ones. Even kill defenseless people when they got older as a twisted passage into becoming a full member of the clan."
"It's almost impossible to believe a Raider clan can have that kind of tribal mentality and stay together so long." Victoria said with a cringe, she knew very well that some Raiders were on the payroll of slavers.
Anxiety started to creep down Radcliffe's spine, just thinking about his former Raider clan made him feel terrible. "And you guys might not believe it, but I wasn't always the tough badass you see right now. I was skinny and weak, and they all loved giving me shit for it. Even my own folks, those fucking drunk bastards. I was always picked on, beaten up, kicked around and even used me as bait during hunts on several occasions. The worst one was with the yao guai, still have the bite scar around my lower left leg."
"Holy shit..." Doug muttered, there was nothing else he could think to say.
Even Inez started to feel a pang of sympathy for him. "You said your Raider clan was wiped out? If they were that strong and vicious, how did it happen?"
Radcliffe closed his eyes and thought back, starting to feel the skin melting heat from that night. "It was late one night, and I was asleep at the time. I was awoken by the smell of thick smoke. Our entire settlement was up in flames, started by at least half a dozen mercenary squads and rival Raiders that attacked us, at least a few hundred of them. I barely crawled out from those flames with a few burns and only an old pair of long pants." he went silent once more, remembering proved once again to be difficult and made him really crave a drink right now. "They spared no one, not even the kids and babies. I watched the fire die out from the back of an old trailer on the road. I never even went back the next morning, I had no reason to go back and nowhere to go either. So in a way, my clan burning to the ground was only the beginning of my problems."
"You did what you had to do to survive." Wayland said to him, knowing very well what it's like to be looked down on by one's own kin. "It bothers me that some people can't find happiness with those they live with."
Radcliffe reached up to the top of his vest and started undoing it before standing up. "At a certain point we finally become full members of the Berserker Dragons and get a large tattoo of a dragon on our chests." he undid all the straps and zippers and pulled the top off until his upper body was completely exposed and turned around to show his tattoo to them all. Louis had already seen it in the fighting ring, but everyone else couldn't help but admire the amazing and almost lifelike detail to it. "One day in my late teens I decided to get this as a symbol of the clan I hated and wanted to put it behind me." he pulled his long hair away so it wouldn't cover the tattoo. "Or something like that...I was really drunk when I got it, so I might not have been thinking clearly at the time..."
But doesn't a tattoo that size take a long time to make? Louis thought to himself.
Radcliffe began to put his top back on. "So, yep, that's pretty much the shitty start that lead me up until now. If I keep going I'm gonna run back to Paradise's Raid just for a drink." he finished and sat back down on his seat. "Strange, I haven't told anyone this before, or at least while sober." a deep sigh escaped his lips before suddenly smiling to hide his pain. "But why are we getting sentimental over them? They can all go rot in hell for all I care. Plus, it's one less Raider clan in the Wasteland. And I'm perfectly fine with it..."
"No one said we were getting sentimental." Asimov spoke plainly.
"You said other clans paid tribute to yours so they wouldn't be attacked," Joe spoke stoically. "That means as soon your people went out, the others were free to do what they wanted. No matter how you look at it, that just opened the floodgates for more problems for others."
Radcliffe's eyes turned upward in thought. "Yeah, I think you're right. A lot of people really hated the Berserker Dragons."
"I hear a lot of Raider clans are always fighting each other for territory and resources." Doug said, having only learned these things from word of mouth. "In the last few months since Louis and me headed out I've never seen so many Raiders in one place before."
"You and Louis?" said Radcliffe in a surprised tone. "You guys weren't together this entire time?"
"It's a long story." Louis answered for Doug, not wanting to fill Radcliffe in on the details.
"Well, whatever, that's you guys' business. I'll just tag along until the kids are taken care of..." Radcliffe decided to finally turn in. He stretched and kept his yawn to a minimum to not wake them.
Everyone else soon followed with Joe and Asimov taking the first watch. Sleep came very soon for the wanderers, another day of danger and battle behind them once more. The new agenda on their list now was the safety of the children and give them a better life then the prison they were born into.
March 30/2296
The woke up a bit later then plan, having no sunlight in the area made telling time a bit difficult if it wasn't for Louis' Pip-Boy. Once more they did their morning routine and fed the kids to keep them happy and full for awhile. After that they left and decided to get out of the cloud cover before looking for a new home.
A few hours passed before a beautiful and very missed sight came before them. Sunlight shined down brightly on the land, which seemed like night and day side by side. They happily quickened the pace to feel the warm light on them once more after days of being in the murky dark and then being strained by the many artificial lights of Paradise's Raid. Once they stepped out, their eyes needed to adjust to the beaming light. The children needed even more time since this was truly the first time they have ever seen the actual sun.
Inez placed a hand on the boy and blonde girl's shoulders and squeezed gently to assure them. "Everything's gonna be okay. Think of this day as your new beginning to a better life then what that awful place was."
Doug walked up next to her, cradling the baby in his arms that began to grow tired. "And speaking of new beginnings, who's turn is it to hold the baby? I've had him for over an hour, my arms are killing me."
"Why are you complaining?" Louis asked him. "You got a younger brother and two sisters who were babies before."
Radcliffe held a hand over his eyes to scan the land ahead. "Wow, I can't believe it's been over five years since I've left Paradise's Raid." he said, beaming with pride on taking a big step back into the world. That is until his eyes began to hurt. "Oh, shit. My eyes feel like they're on fire! Like they're burning out of my skull!" he cried while rubbing them hard, tears practically trickling down his cheeks like a stream.
The children laughed joyfully at him, thinking he was playing around even as he fell to his knees.
"Damn, Radcliffe, sure you haven't been in Paradise's Raid all your life?" Joe asked, the only answer he got was Radcliffe rolling onto his side. "Even the kids have already adjusted."
"Shut up! I also wake up hungover all the time!" Radcliffe snapped with a pained moan.
Wayland didn't understand what hungover meant, instead he just joined in with the children's laughter. "You're very funny, Radcliffe! No wonder the kids like you so much!"
Radcliffe's eyes were finally settling to the real light and spoke in annoyance. "Yeah, I'm just a riot. You should see me at drinking games..."
"If you're okay to walk, then let's get going. We're losing daylight." Victoria said to get them back on track. "And considering we haven't been in the sun for days, I want to enjoy it as much as possible."
"Same here." Chloe looked up with a hand shielding her eyes. "It was hard to stay awake under that cloud cover."
Joe checked his gear once again before his eyes looked down to see the dark skin girl holding out her hand. It took him a moment before realizing the girl wanted him to take it. "Oh, I get ya. Alright, I'll hold your hand for a bit." he took it and held gently before speaking to everyone. "Guys, let's make sure the kids stay close to us!"
"I'll watch the boy..." Wayland volunteered with his hand held up. The boy had already taken an interest in him, having never seen a Super Mutant before. He kneeled down and wrapped his massive hands around the boy's thin waist, the tips of his thick fingers almost touched together as he picked him up and placed the cheering boy on his shoulders to ride.
Asimov got on his knees and held his arms out from behind to allow the blonde girl to climb on before standing back up to carry her piggyback style. "I have secured my child."
"You'd make a good nanny bot, Asimov." Radcliffe commented, which earned him a warning glare from the Assaultron. He cleared his throat and took a few steps away. "Right, anyway, I think we should follow this road. If we're lucky a caravan or town might come up in a few hours."
"Sounds like a good start as any." Louis agreed as they began walking forward, Cavall already walking ahead of them and sniffing the ground as he went.
April 2/2296
Three days of searching passed until the wanderers came across a promising caravan group with a number of families. As expected, traveling with four kids proved to drain their food and water faster than anticipated. And Radcliffe had nothing either since he fled Paradise's Raid with nothing but his clothes, weapons, and random junk in his pack. The wanderers were greeted kindly by the caravan and soon found one of the people in charge, a middle aged man with fading brown hair and a short beard. After explaining their situation to the leader about what went on in Paradise's Raid and what they did to escape, they struck a deal with the man.
"Again, sir, I can't thank you enough for doing this." Louis held out his hand to the caravan leader named Dillon. "You're doing a great thing for these kids."
"If half the stuff you told me was true, then it's the least we can do to help after what those children have been thorough." Dillon answered as he took Louis' hand and shook it.
Doug stood next to friend, surprised on how willing the caravan was to take the kids in. "And you really believe our story? Even I would have a hard time believing it."
"Well," Dillon placed his hands at his hips. "At first it seemed too crazy to be true. But at the same time it sounded way too complex to be made up on the spot. But other then that, a lot of caravans in this area have at least heard of Paradise's Raid. And what they say ranges from a great place filled with everything you can dream of...to a place where only the worst of the worst gather." he spoke more sternly at that last part. "So I just had us avoid it and the paths leading to it. Not a great place for families like we have here."
"Yeah, I'm surprised you have so many families in this caravan." Doug took a quick look around the camp. "That's quite a dangerous thing to manage in the Wasteland."
"I won't lie, we've had our scuffles here and there against all kinds of dangerous people and creatures." Dillon pointed to a few of the guards patrolling their territory. "We all work together to keep everyone safe. We're more than a caravan, we're one big family."
"That's great to hear." Louis nodded. "The kids will be brought up right with you all."
"Speaking of which, the Peterson's over there just had another baby a few months ago themselves." Dillon pointed to a husband and wife near their tent with a young girl and a baby cradled in the woman's arms. "She won't mind helping out with the baby you guys brought in too."
"Alright, then it's settled." Doug cracked a smile in relief. "I guess we'll getting everyone back together to leave?"
"Right," Louis said before lifting his arm up and revealed his Pip-Boy. "But before we go, do you guys have any holo-tapes? Specifically a blank one for recording?"
Dillon hummed and stroked his chin. "Well...there's Tammy, she sells a lot of prewar tech, nothing special. Mostly house appliances and office stuff. You're best bet's there."
"Alright then, thank you very much." Louis lowered his arm and started walking in the direction Dillon pointed to. "And if you don't mind, please find someone who has been to Paradise's Raid. I have something to show."
As they walked, Doug waited a few moments before asking what he was up to. "So why do you need a blank holo-tape? Your Pip-Boy already has a recording option."
"I know,but I have something else in mind. Something that will put a big wrench in the workings of Paradise's Raid." he quickly winked as they approached the woman selling the old tech.
The rest of the group preoccupied themselves by browsing the items the caravan people and their Brahmins and carts carried. Most of what they bought was ammo, eatable supplies, and fresh water while Radcliffe watched the kids. The Raider had a sad smile on his face, despite finally finding a nice caravan of people to adopt them, he grew very much attached to them all the same. The feeling of helping someone grew on him more before realizing his promise was coming to an end and that left him wondering what to do next.
"Find anything useful?" Inez asked him from behind. She bought a small box of nails and other items with the intent to make a makeshift bomb if needed.
Radcliffe jolted upon hearing her voice and spun around to face her. "Uh, a few things. Mostly food and some whisky. I still can't believe I left without anything..." a nervous chuckle escaped his throat.
Inez pocketed the nails in her backpack before slinging it over her shoulder. "So, what's next after this?" despite lighting up on him over the past few days, she still never kept her eyes off him. "Where will you go now when we're done?"
For a long moment, Radcliffe finally answered with a shrug. "Not a clue, which I guess sums up my life."
"Well...you made a big leap by escaping your vices and helping complete strangers. So it's not a bad start." she stated as everyone began gathering back together.
The blonde girl rode on Cavall's back, the large hybrid carried her with ease and showed no signs of discomfort to her playfulness. Louis and Doug soon approached as well, both of them showing that they had something to say to everyone.
"What's with the faces, guys?" Victoria asked the two suspiciously.
In response to her question, Louis raised his Pip-Boy up to them all just as Dillon and another younger man came their way.
"Oh, there you all are." Dillon waved to them. "I found someone who's been to Paradise's Raid before. Just like you asked."
The man held his gloved hand out to Louis. "Name's Harvey, and me and a few others made a quick delivery to that place about three years back and spent two days there. I was told you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes, I have a few questions to ask you." Louis took the hand and shook. "Did you or your friends come across one of the people in charge of the place? Preferably a man named Seymour?"
"What are you up to?" Chloe asked him, seeing the smile on his face get bigger.
Harvey pondered for a moment before answering. "As a matter of fact we did. There was an arm wrestling competition being held in the gambling district. A man named Seymour and a woman in a very fancy dress hosted the event. I couldn't forget them because they really drew in the crowd. And that Seymour man looked a little unhinged, I could see it in his eyes."
"That's an understandability there!" Radcliffe boasted.
"It's understatement, idiot!" Joe scolded.
"Yeah, I hear there's a few of them in charge, all odd in their own way." Harvey continued. "But I suppose the stress of running a place like that can really get to someone. Why you ask anyway?"
Louis placed his fingers on the knobs of the Pip-Boy and started flipping through the settings. "Because we found out something over there. Something that others must know and hopefully shut that place down for good and save some innocent lives as well." he clicked the play icon and put it on speaker for all to hear.
"And what about all the dead people? Where do they fit in this so called 'shining example of the old world'? Because it just looks like senseless murder to us!" Louis' voice came out from the speaker loud and clear enough to distinguish him easily.
"You recorded what happened there!" Wayland stated what everyone was thinking just that moment.
The recording continued. "You Vault dwellers really are more naive then from what we've heard!" Seymour's voice came next. "Most of those people were Raiders and nobodies. Worthless wastes of flesh that would have ended up dead sooner or later. No business has ever existed without crushing the competition. So what if we have to kill a few people? So what if we help ebb out the competition for other caravans to draw in more trade for us? If they pay us to make some people disappear, then that's their business. Same thing for other Raider groups wanting to get rid of their rivals! It benefits both ways, a few less Raider clans trying to make it big, and we get even more caps in our coffers! If it makes you feel better it's nothing personal, it's just business."
Louis turned off the recording, figuring he got his point across and just grew tired of hearing Seymour's voice again. "There's a lot more to this recording then just that part. You'll hear confessions from some of the other people that run Paradise's Raid, like a woman named Christina and a very muscular man named Karl." he popped the holo-tape from the slot on his Pip-Boy and held it up. "This is proof of their crimes that people need to hear, and since you caravans come together and trade, you can spread this confession to them too."
Dillon took the holo-tape and held in both his hands. "You know...caravans and other small traders always disappear out here in the Wasteland. Whether from inexperience or just ran into a bout of bad luck. And it's not uncommon for struggling ones to resort to cutthroat tactics to get by. I'm just upset a place called Paradise's Raid would be involved."
"Yeah, that's Seymour's voice alright." Harvey held out his hand to take the holo-tape and examine it himself. "I promise we'll get this message out to as many as we can after we listen to all of it."
"Gotta admit that was real smooth, Louis." Inez gave her compliment. "This will screw them over on the outside."
"Yes, a willing confession is very damning evidence of their cover up." Asimov nodded in agreement.
Dillon sent Harvey away to put the holo-tape in a secure place so the entire caravan could listen to later. Now came the hard part, after that the wanderers thanked the caravan and packed up their new stuff, the children soon found themselves not joining them. Victoria handed the baby over to the mother of the family Dillon pointed out earlier and finally confirmed what the young ones were thinking.
Radcliffe could already see their distress and sighed deeply. The group thought it was best for him to break the news to the kids as he approached and kneeled down. "I guess you kids have figured it out by now. We're leaving you here with these very nice people." he said to ease their worries. "You'll all have a real life here, free from that awful place you were born in." he reached his hands out and gently patted each on the head.
He stood back up and turned back to the wanderers, he hoped explaining it quickly would be enough. But as he took the first few steps away, two small arms wrapped around his right leg, followed by another set of arms around his left leg, then another pair of hands grabbing his vest. Radcliffe sighed once more and looked down to see the children holding onto him for dear life. Radcliffe looked back to the wanderers in hopes they would have a suggestion to help, but none of them could think of anything to say at the moment and Dillon was about to step in to help. Radcliffe then came up with a better way and gently made the kids let go and got back down on his knees to be eye to eye with them.
"Look, you kids have to believe me when I say this is for the best." he gently spoke, doing his best to make them understand. "You'll all have a real life here! You will learn to read and talk, make friends your ages and all kinds of things. And that's something more then I can do for any of you." despite his words, the children stood unconvinced and were about to embrace him in protest. "The thing is...I'm not the best role model for you. I drink, I cuss, I used to pick fights for no reason, I'm a mess all around. And that's why you have to stay here, it's the only way to have a better life. I have to keep moving, Seymour will most likely send people after me, and I can't put you in that kind of danger."
The children at long last seemed to understand, even if they still didn't like the idea of leaving him. Dillon slowly walked up behind to help in case the kids continued to resist letting him leave.
"I promise you kids will be happy with these people. Live the childhood I never had. So do this for me, don't throw away this chance." Radcliffe finally seemed to turn them around, even though they still held doubt in their minds on being left with strange adults.
Radcliffe stood back up and gave the children one last smile, hoping they would understand one day when they got older. The boy quickly dashed forward and wrapped his arms around Radcliffe's waist and held tight. For a moment he was about to huff in annoyance, thinking the boy was still being refusing to let him leave. But instead it was something Radcliffe didn't expect to hear, it was faint and quick, but the boy uttered four words that ran deep through his heart.
"Thank you for everything..."
The former Raider felt a lump in his throat for a moment, completely at a lost for words. So he gently patted the boy's head again as he finally let go of his waist. Dillon stepped in and held the boy's shoulders in assurance as Radcliffe turned away and regrouped with the wanderers and started walking.
"Take good care of yourselves and each other!" Radcliffe waved his arm up in the air to them. "And who knows, maybe we'll see each other again! It's a crazy world after all!"
Louis gave his Pip-Boy a quick check before they passed the patrolled caravan perimeter. The children waved goodbye with their thin arms swinging wildly, already beginning to miss them and their short time together. Once the wanderers got about two miles away from the caravan, they all stopped their pace. An awkward silence fell on them as Radcliffe stood on the outside of the group.
"So...I suppose this is it, huh?" he spoke to break the silence.
"What will you do now?" Victoria asked him.
"I dunno. Find a town, get a lot of drinks, find a place to sleep and do it all again. Probably not in the same order."
"Living the good life, huh?..." Doug said, not hiding his sarcasm.
Louis placed a hand on his covered left wrist, the recording filed away in the Pip-Boy's storage. "That reminds me, do you think Seymour will send people after us? I can't imagine he'll let us live after what we've seen."
"Oh, without a doubt he will!" Radcliffe answered a little too casually over the potential of being in someone's crosshair. "I wouldn't be surprised if he already rounded up a squad right now."
"I calculated as much." Asimov chimed in. "But it's doubtful they know which direction we've taken and could take a very long time to find our trail."
"Trust me, they won't spare any expenses. But I guess it's to be expected." Radcliffe took his Hardballer from its holster and looked at it. "Which is why I better make sure I got plenty of ammo."
"Going out guns blazing, huh?" Inez remarked. "Sounds like something you would do."
"Not unless you come with us..." Louis suddenly said, making everyone go silent and look at him. "It's your best option."
"Are you seriously suggesting we bring him with us?" Doug asked, somehow not finding it surprising he would make a suggestion like that. "This is not the time to put your big heart out there."
"I agree." Inez said disapprovingly. "We still don't know much about him. And you said it yourself, he tried to rob you!"
Louis turned back around to face everyone. "You're right, he did. But I also believe in forgiveness and a second chance. And if we do face a threat from Seymour and the others, then having one more person will give us another advantage."
"We are stronger as a group." Wayland nodded in agreement, also willing to give Radcliffe a chance. "I don't mind at all if he joins us."
Joe grumbled in his usual annoyed way, took out a cigarette and popped it in his mouth. Like Inez, he didn't like the idea of Radcliffe tagging along. "Listen, we went through hell getting out of Paradise's Raid, and it's because of his recklessness we got sucked into it in the first place." he pointed right at Radcliffe, the lighter held firmly in his hand. "I'm glad we got those kids a new home, but I can tell just by looking at him that he doesn't think things through and probably causes more trouble then he's worth..."
Radcliffe wanted to protest in response, or deck Joe in the jaw. Either way would have been fine. Yet he knew Joe wasn't wrong. After his clan's home burned to the ground, he spent years wandering aimlessly or joining up with other small Raider groups or common alley thugs and other dishonest people. He might have learned a lot from them, but it always ended in disaster at some point whether by some outside force or his own screw ups. And it was worse when he found out some of the people he traveled with were using him thanks to his small size. And he feared bringing that same problem onto them.
"I'm more then aware of what led us up to this point." Louis cut in. "But I stand by what I said earlier," he turned his head back to Radcliffe. "It's your choice if you want to join us, and I won't hold it against you if ever want to leave. We're all here by choice."
Radcliffe stood dumbfound for a moment before his hand reached up and scratched the back of his head and started laughing. "Wow! You're something else." he put his Hardballer away and took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll join if you guys will have me. I won't let you down."
"Welcome to the team..." was all Victoria could say, deciding to at least give him a chance too.
Wayland applaud to that, his hands clapping almost like thunder. Inez turned away with a huff, cringing at the idea of him coming along. Asimov reached his hand out to try and comfort her, but she paced off without her noticing what he was trying to do. Joe lit his smoke and took a deep drag, and exhaled into the air while muttering something to himself.
"Just don't think we're gonna carry you around when you get too drunk to walk." Chloe warned him firmly. "You drink when we have a place to settle down for the night like in a town."
"No promises..." Radcliffe spoke lowly through his teeth.
"Then we're all in agreement to give Radcliffe a chance with us." Louis walked up and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Now let's get a move on, we're losing daylight."
"Right, I'll do my god-damnedest here with you guys." Radcliffe fist pumped at his side with pride. "But I have to ask, what are you all up to out here anyway? I don't want to do anything that's too shady."
They began walking again in a spaced group, Louis pulled up his sleeve and showed him the Pip-Boy. "That's right, you don't even have a clue what's going on here." he chuckled and flipped the setting. "Well, we got plenty of time for me to explain."
()()()()()()()()()()()()
Back at Paradise's Raid in Seymour's office, the headmaster of the six sat at his desk in utter misery. He had all but locked himself in for the past few days, rarely leaving and having whiskey and vodka brought to him. After they found him and recovered from unconsciousness, the six leaders practically went on the warpath with each other. They argued and yelled, hurled insults and threats around to the point that their own guards had to keep them separated in the same room. And in the end they got organized, quelled any other riots happening, and got Paradise's Raid back in order with minimal loss of profits and a handful of casualties to Raiders that thought they could take advantage of the chaos. After everything quieted down, the headmasters barely spoke a word to each other and decided to stay away for a time.
Seymour slammed the empty bottle of whiskey back on the desk and popped open another one. The bruise around his left eye had swollen down only a little, a leftover insult to Radcliffe's former presence. Plans for his death never left Seymour's mind once Paradise's Raid got back under control. And within a day he already started organizing a means to get back at him.
A light knock suddenly rattled his door, startling him from his train of thoughts.
"Come in!"
The door slowly flew open, a man in his late fifties stood at the threshold. His skin was worn and tanned, a scruffy gray beard hanged from his face. He wore old dark clothes with a leather trench coat and a wide brim hat. A number of knifes and probably hidden knifes tucked away all over his body, along with a few handguns and other odd items.
"Glad you came here on such short notice." Seymour said before taking a swig of his drink. "But I'm glad you made the trip, Sawyer. Take a seat."
The man slowly approached the desk, his heavy boots clumping on the floor before he sat down on a chair. "It's no problem. Work is work..." Sawyer responded, his voice as gruff as his face.
"Then I'll cut to the chase." Seymour shifted forward in his seat and placed his elbows on the desk. "I want you to hunt down and kill Radcliffe and anyone he might be traveling with. Kill him and bring his skin back! I know you're one of the best trackers and trappers around, you've used that skill very well with your bounty hunting."
"This Radcliffe," Sawyer said, scratching his rough and dry beard. "I heard he's caused a lot of trouble, other than this riot of course. That woman, Christina, said he was in debt of seventy thousand caps. Do you want me to make him pay if he has it?"
Seymour scoffed and took another drink. "That's nothing but a mere pittance to us. We make twenty times that in a few days. This is about sending a message! If anyone ever thinks to cross us again, they'll see his tanned skin swinging in the breeze from our entrance! So you just name your price, caps, guns, ammo, food, water, women, whatever you want! We'll get it!"
Sawyer sat and thought it over, all that possible reward for one man almost seemed too good to be true. After a minute he gave his answer. "I want sixty thousand caps for Radcliffe and a thousand for each person with him, I'll even do all the skinning work that you want. And expenses for my travel, but I'll keep that to a minimum. And I want to gather some gear from the shops if it's no problem. I don't know how long it will take, but I will complete my mission."
"I knew I could count on you. That's why they call you Sawyer the Saw Skinner. "Seymour finished his drink and placed the glass down. A smiled came across his face, the first one he made in days. "Whatever you need, take it. When can you start?"
Sawyer rose from his seat, giving his beard a few strokes. "Right now..."
