Chapter 28: Fire to Feed

The crumbling road left little to the imagination of where we were going. Its long concrete stretches only exasperated the eventual discovery of our next destination. Found only by a crudely made sign, along the roadside.

"Doug's Food and Board, a rest stop for weary travelers," Myles said mockingly.

"Sounds like as good a place as any. At least it's not misspelled with an obvious trap waiting to spring."

We laughed it off and trod carefully, anyway. The stretch of buildings we saw on the horizon were anything but crudely made. The complete opposite of their less-than lavishly made sign.

It wasn't some typical, massively slapped-down wall around the perimeter of some Pre-War building that fell behind on standards 200 years ago, no. It adorned this place with Christmas lights, pillars that hold up entire scaffoldings of colossal buildings with plenty of tables, chairs, and other luxurious qualities in this Wasteland. This place almost seemed too fancy, just from the outside alone!

It seemed inactive. Here I would expect patrols, guards at the entrance, and just commotion from every direction. There was none of that.

I stopped Myles with a stretch of my arm, just outside of the presumed entrance. "Something is off. No activity going on here. I hear nothing inside."

"I'm sure it's fine! These places never get attacked by raiders. Maybe there just aren't many people here?" He stared off in the distance before drawing a Plasma Rifle from his back. "Er... we should be safe, just in case."

With an assuring nod, I took the lead. Myles crept behind me. I was more surprised that I didn't instantly get shot the moment I approached the entrance zone. The closer I drew, the more I realized what this place used to be. Some kind of mobile home, drive-in. There was a barge that needed to be lifted to enter.

The payment booth was empty. Okay, that's strange. It's almost like they don't expect people to randomly show up at their rest stop. "Alright so, no bodies. I don't smell blood. It should be fine, Myles. Let's try to find someone to get ourselves a room."

He lifted the barge and proceeded under, holding it up for me as well. "I hope we won't get in trouble for doing that."

"It should be fine. You can explain that no one was there to let us in. Let's use the same tactic as before, with Adam and Styx. I'm simply a tamed Deathclaw, carrying goods." I finished with a toothy grin.

"You're not the one who has to convince people, who are reasonable, that you will not be an issue! Just stay with me and hope neither of us gets absolutely blasted!" He holstered his rifle and trotted off to find someone in charge of this place.

Following behind him, we went past plenty of empty trading stalls and tables, void of any people. Plenty of goods were just thrown around the various shelves and tables. It's incredibly unorganized and haphazard.

"Well, that explains it." Myles stopped right before turning a corner. "Stay here. I'll get us a room and make sure you don't get shot. This will be fun to explain."

Without saying a word, I gave him a slight nod, just enough for acknowledgement.

I heard the whole conversation. "Hello, Sir! Sorry to interrupt but I haven't seen anyone the entire time through here. I am looking for a room for me and my... companion. How much for your largest room? A few nights. I'm Myles, by the way."

"Hello, Myles. Sorry for the trouble. We are doing renovations here. We are building a pool! Everyone is contributing. Tell you what, you look like an able sort. If you help us dig this hole, I'll fund your room for a whole week, on me! I'm Doug, the man himself! Who's your companion you mentioned? I don't see them."

I could feel Myles getting tense and nervous. "You see uh... Doug. My companion is not a human. I'm a traveler, see. Through unique circumstances, I raised a Deathclaw from an egg and he's my traveling companion. He holds my goods and supplies. I got him waiting behind the corner there." He gestured back with a thumb. "Told him to wait while I made sure it's okay. I promise you, he's completely docile and won't be an issue at all. He might even be useful muscle for the pool you are digging out."

I couldn't see the reaction from Doug, but I can only assume the various people digging the hole shared the same skepticism as him. I couldn't hear how many there were, but it sounded like it was over 10.

With a nervous throat clear, Doug spoke up. "Myles, my man. I uh.. have a business to run here, you understand? A Deathclaw is a pretty big deterrent for people to visit and stay here, wouldn't you say? It's bad enough when caravans bring a tense pack of Brahmin after days of travel." I heard the soul-crushing sigh as he decided. "Alright, Myles. I think I like you and you telling me first shows me you are genuine. Bring him out. But I will have my people ready to shoot."

I heard Myles' footsteps approaching me from the corner, saying. "No need for guns. It makes him nervous. I promise all of you. He won't hurt you."

He leaned in with a whisper. "Okay, I think I convinced them. Try to not look too menacing."

"I'll try not to. If they start shooting, I'll just disarm them, not literally, of course." Giving him my whisper.

I followed behind Myles and I could feel the nervousness resonating off of him. Act natural, easy enough, right? You would think so. Kind of difficult when you have a group of people staring at you with wide, terrified eyes. I scanned across them all, avoiding eye contact as much as I could. Don't need them thinking too much into it.

Haven't been shot yet, a good sign.

Myles gestured with his hands in my direction with a nervous smile. "Ta-da! Everyone, meet Lambert! He's my most trusted companion, raised him from an egg and we have traveled together ever since! See? He's harmless unless I am in danger or you threaten him."

I could see Doug sweating like he just ran through the whole of the Mojave. He was a more heavily built man. He wore a red and black checkered Pre-War sweater, but they cut it around the arms and his dress pants were full of tears, stitches, and stains. I wouldn't even want to guess what they were. He was bald with a handlebar mustache. He looked more like he belonged to a sketchy bar in Nevada.

He stammered and stuttered for a moment as the people digging behind him anxiously awaited a response; staring at me with fearful eyes. "W.. well you weren't pulling my leg and lying, that is definitely a Deathclaw. I haven't been so close to one without it trying to make me its next meal. It won't just hunt my people down in the middle of the night or pounce on us when we aren't looking?" He nervously chuckled to himself.

Myles patted me on my shoulder, for emphasis on his point. "You have absolutely nothing to fear with this one. He's not going to harm anyone. I can even leave him alone right now. Nothing will happen. Please, Doug. Can we stop this debate? I don't want to waste time trying to prove to you, you don't need to worry. If you don't want us here, we can move right along."

"Now, now hold on a minute! I ain't fully convinced, but no one has been torn to shreds yet." He leaned back and looked at the workers digging and got mixed looks from the lot of them. "It would seem not everyone is okay with it. I'll let you two stay here for a week, however. You will need to help us dig out a spot here for the new pool! The Deathclaw will help us move the heavy rocks and piles of dirt. If you can get him to do that, of course. I'll consider your labor as payment to rent a room, fair?"

"Certainly, Doug. We will need a large room, you understand. Lambert here can duck himself under doorways. Don't worry about that. Can we get a terminal too? I have a few holotapes I need to look over to make sure they still work." He stretched out an arm to shake his hand.

Doug hesitantly reached out and gave a firm, meaningful, agreeing handshake. "I will tell everyone around the lot to.. not worry about the Deathclaw. Lambert was his name?"

He walked past us to the entrance and tensed up real hard when walking by me, speeding up once he reached past my side.

I had to fight chuckling at his little sped-up waddle. Myles went to the group of people and made small introductions, grabbed a shovel, and gestured for me to approach.

He was talking it up with some skimpily dressed woman. Sure, that was a coincidence. "See? Nothing to worry about. He's completely harmless unless I tell him not to be, or he gets shot at."

Myles acted like he was trying to teach me to use the shovel while the woman kept digging.

"Never seen someone with a tamed Deathclaw. Always heard people who tried, never heard from them again." She scoffed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Myles gestured with the shovel and got into it. "See, Lambert, you take the dirt with the shovel and move it over here. It's really simple and easy."

If only I could comment or say anything. I know it's necessary, but I absolutely hate being talked to like I'm a mindless animal. He's selling it well, that's for sure.

He handed me the shovel, picked up one of my hands, and placed it in my clawed hand. Closed it and gestured with his arms to dig with an invisible shovel.

The man digging stopped and jammed the shovel into the ground. "You need to stop, Myles. It's bad enough you have a damn death lizard here. You will not teach it to dig a damn hole!"

While I was trying to "figure" out the Intricacies of a wonderful device called a shovel while I could feel some of them watching intently.

Myles grabbed another shovel from the side, and everyone kept digging, silently. "You best keep your words to yourself, man. We are all equal dirt diggers here. Lizards and humans alike. Now shut up and keep working."

I could hear the man grumble under his breath and some others ended up laughing slightly.

Deciding that I fiddled around, figuring out how to use a shovel, I used it kinda how I normally would. Used my wrist to balance it and stuck it into the ground, dug a chunk of dirt out, and swung it over to the pile.

Myles was the least surprised by this action. The shocked looks we both received were something else. "That's it, Lambert! Just like that, keep it up!".

"Some dumb Lizard huh, Jack?" The woman Myles was talking to earlier addressed the rowdy man.

"Oh, wow. He dug some of the hole! You guys are all so gullible. Never mind the fact Doug let a literal WASTELAND CREATURE into the establishment." His comment reeked with sarcasm and disdain.

"Keep digging, Jack. It's obvious the Deathclaw isn't a threat. Get over yourself. If we were going to die from the thing, it would have happened already!" One of the silent workers finally spoke up.

Myles chipped in. "Yeah, Jack! We got a pool to form. My room depends on this! Can anyone tell me how far and wide we are making this?"

"You see those orange posts down in the ground, around the perimeter? For as deep.. well, we are going to make a ramp of sorts that goes deeper and deeper as we go across." They paused for a second and adjusted their construction belt. "You know what? Using your Deathclaw will be a good place to start at the deepest end. He's bigger than any human. It would be deep enough for everyone then."

Myles finished digging his section and looked over at me for agreement. "That could work. I don't think he would mind being used as a measurement."

They positioned me at the lowest end of the eventual pool. The whole thing was deep enough to where I could just see the ground level, definitely deep enough.

"Okay, yeah, that is deep enough there. Myles, can you direct him to dig his way out? In a straight line from there?"

Myles gave a nod and went beside me. Gave a fair and reasonable effort to direct me properly. This entire hole could be done if I had the luxury of speech and not acting like an animal.

This hole for a pool was looking more like an uneven war trench at this rate. I did what I was supposed to, digging and proceeding like I was supposed to.

Reaching the end, I noticed that most of the workers have wandered off to take a break. Spent way too long digging just to make it convincing.

Climbing my way out of the hole, I noticed that Doug had come back and found Myles. "Looks like you two did some work, well-done! I was determining which room to settle you two with." He dangled a key in front of Myles and handed it down to him. "393. It's our largest, top-floor room. Got two king-size beds. Should be large enough. It's yours for the week as long as you keep helping us dig and make this pool. Feel free to make some talk with our staff or get something to eat for you and your Deathclaw there. Enjoy the room!"

Myles took the key and gave him a grin. "Thanks, Doug. I think we are just going to have ourselves a rest for the day. Plenty of time to get some grub tomorrow. We can talk more in the morning. Let go, Lambert."

Doug wished us both a goodnight's sleep and I almost slipped up and spoke myself. Good thing I caught myself.

Following behind Myles, we went up the increasingly taller stretch of buildings until we reached the very peak of the infrastructure. "390, 391, 392..393, here! Found our room. The door is kinda small." Myles put the key in the lock and opened the door. Upon opening it, he was met with a wave of dust and the light that filled the room only literally lit up the amount of dust that floated around the room.

He coughed and gagged entering the room. "Good, god! This place hasn't been cleaned in at least a year!" He slammed opened the door as wide as possible and backed up, trying to get some fresh air. "Let's let that air out for a little while."

I gave him a look of acknowledgment. Still silent, and I think he realized I didn't want to speak until we were inside the room. He leaned over the rather thick railing and looked down upon the entire various stores and where the pool will be. "I wonder why there aren't that many people here. Everyone who was helping us dig seemed like a worker."

Joining Myles alongside the edge, I got a superb view of the place. The layout was interesting. The current, 3rd level we were standing on was handbuilt, as well as the floor below us. The second level was also built after the Great War. The first floor, however, is part of the original foundation. Reminds me of Megaton without all the metal and shrapnel. Something there must work.

The ground floor was a maze of various bazaars and tables with stores and goods. We passed that on the way in here. Clever to put the shops before you get a room. Someone entirely set the place up for you to spend everything on the way in. Leading to where the pool will be and up to the various floors of rooms. The place isn't that large once you look at it from the highest floor.

"This place seems nice. Do you want to stay here for the whole week? I do not know what's beyond this point. Maybe we can get a map in the morning? Nevada is quite a ways away. I want to enjoy some luxury while I still can." Myles finished with a laugh.

I was about to speak up, but then I heard someone approaching from the second floor. It was Jack.

He groaned while putting a key in the door, two rooms down from us. "Don't tell me you are in one room up here! Plus, do you always talk to yourself like that? It's embarrassing."

Myles snapped back right at him. "I wasn't talking to myself. Just because you don't have anyone that would listen to your nonsense doesn't mean I have to be quiet. This Deathclaw is a better listener and company than you will ever be! Goodnight, Jack."

I glared and snorted at him as we left to enter our room. The dust had settled and dissipated, mostly. I could hear Adam still ranting outside. I didn't bother trying to hear what unnecessary slurs he was spouting.

The room was rectangular shaped with all you would expect. Two beds, a desk, terminal, various furniture. It was pretty large. I could even stand up fully in this room, impressed!

"Looks like he lived up to his word. A legitimate business owner; We will continue to work on that pool tomorrow." Myles sat down on the bed and got a feel for it. He removed most of his gear and placed his Plasma Rifle down on the nightstand.

I noticed that the carpet felt rather nice. It was soft and fuzzy. Surprisingly clean too. I scoured around the room and looked for anything suspicious. Checked under the tables, chair, couch, and even the bed. Even checked the light fixtures and felt along the walls a few times. "Okay, I think we are clear. Nothing suspicious here. I wanted to check."

The beds were both adorned with a bright red comforter. Two incredibly fluffy pillows and I smelled nothing strange on either of our beds. "Don't worry, Myles. I think these are clean. I smell nothing strange about them. Yes, you know what I mean." I sat down on my bed and got to unpacking my things. Leaning the sword against the wall, and sorted both the bags I was carrying.

Myles laid back with his arms behind his head. "This place is almost too nice. For only some manual labor, as well? Something is off. We should be careful, but I want to browse those stores tomorrow. See what's there. I think I'm going to pay for the room tomorrow, anyway. Doesn't feel right."

I got comfortable in my bed, laying back and reaching for my journal. Crossing my ankles, I got comfortable. "We should be fine. The place seems legit enough. Don't get me wrong. I get suspicious of these grand acts of kindness as well. We don't have that much investment here. Worse comes to worst. We can finish our pool work and get out ASAP."

"I kinda want to see it finished. Do you know how long it's been since I was in a properly functional pool? The room is nice, yeah. But if I'm attempting to dig this thing out; I want to see it through!"

I considered for a moment, setting down my journal. "This isn't a vacation, Myles. We are on a journey. A lengthy one at that. I'm not saying we will have absolutely no enjoyment, but we haven't even reached the Mojave yet!" I sighed. "But, fine. The moment something sketchy happens in the slightest; we are gone!"

He yawned and continued. "It wasn't just my idea alone to come here, you know. We will be careful and smart, don't worry. Let's get some rest for now. Goodnight, John."

"I agree, Myles. Goodnight. I'll be awake for a little while longer. I want to make sure no one is going to spy or eavesdrop on us." I continue to write in my journal as Myles grumbled something unintelligible in his sleep. I assume it was something like how he's glad I'm the one staying awake.

I didn't consider how we got some mud and dirt on us from digging out that hole until now. I'll clean this room up in the morning. Assuming Doug won't instantly throw us into digging the hole again the moment we wake up.

After deciding that, I laid there long enough. I concluded no one was creeping outside our door. I fell asleep soon after.

I wasn't sure how long I slept for, but it met me by the blinding light of the morning sun. Surprised that I slept for as long as I did, being in a foreign area and all.

Myles was still sound asleep. Spiraled out on the bed and messed up all the sheets, pillows, and comforter. The pillows weren't even on the right side and he was using half of the blanket as a pillow.

Part of me was skeptical of this terminal, but I figured I would at least turn it on. See what it's about. It's got the same look as every single other one. I never preferred this bulky standard. Back in the Vault, they had terminals built into the walls and were mainly in the library. My room had one too. Much more spacious, either way.

I wasn't ignorant to the fact that they can easily track this terminal whatever contact happens with it. Say I decide to insert this holotape I took from the Enclave. The last thing I need is Doug to go looking through that. I can wait till we find a long-forgotten terminal in some building along the way.

This sunlight was blaring through the window. Right onto where I was sleeping. No wonder it woke me. Probably would have still been out if the light did not blind me.

Our whole situation wasn't the most ideal in the entire world, sure. Mainly because I need to act like an animal, but that's alright. Wish I had some practice beforehand. I'll just determine that it will be less of a hassle than bothering to convince people with the robe, yeah I'll tell myself that.

If I listened outside the door, I could hear various chattering and sounds of digging. They must have already started. "Myles, wake up. I think we slept in too long. They have already begun to dig again."

I can see the disappointment on his face the moment he opened his eyes. Rolling over to the edge of the bed with a groan, he whined like a child, getting up for school. "Do we really have to go? I wasn't looking forward to digging the hole again." He got up and grabbed a set of clothes, heading for the bathroom. I heard him murmuring to himself. "It's too early for this shit."

He was already behind the door before I could point out that it's probably much later than it was earlier. If we are both going to be this uninspired to wake up; this trip is going to take a while…

"It's only been a day, Myles. I already feel like I want to leave this place. Let's continue our work on the pool for today, browse the shops, and leave before sundown. Whenever that will be."

Yawning struck me next. Despite sleeping seemingly all night, I feel incredibly drained. I didn't even exert myself that much. Why am I so tired?

"You know this whole place seems off. I was thinking about it last night. Doug seemed way too easily convinced to let us in and stay free of charge. Especially for some manual labor. Everyone seems like they are hiding something. They all are definitely in on whatever it is." Myles came out of the bathroom, brushing his hair as he spoke.

He was right about something. "I feel so tired and don't know why. I'm pretty sure I slept all night, right?"

"As far as I'm aware, yes. I was pretty out of it, too." He checked his gear and gathered all his things up. "Come on, I'll pay for our night on the way out. We need to ditch this place."

With a nod, I wholeheartedly agreed. Wasting no time gathering my things together as well. "I'll tidy up the room, just to be safe." In conjunction with getting my things together, I made the beds and organized the room to be as close to its original state; when we first entered. It didn't take long.

We both double-checked our belongings and left the room. Myles whispered to me as we went down the ramps. (Okay, I will tell them I just realized we are behind schedule and that we need to leave. I'll pay for our room and we will be gone, easy!)

Sounds simple enough. I trotted behind him while we got questionable looks from those digging the hole. It was right then that it hit me and it all made sense then.

They aren't digging a pool. They are digging a massive grave! I've seen this done before. Raiders bury their victims in huge piles and just forget about them. Not out of respect, the ground covers up that smell of rotting flesh.

It makes much more sense now that I have progressed a bit. We split the shape into sections, not for different levels of water. Different parts for people. They used me to measure the end because I would join in this grave, I'm certain.

I grabbed Myles by his shirt and turned him around toward the Mass Grave. How can I convey this information to him without giving myself up?

Ah, fuck it. I leaned down as close to him as I could and growled and spoke at the same time. Hopefully to cover it up. "It's a grave."

He heard me because I saw it all click with him instantly. With a look of determination, he stomped off to find Doug. I followed and ignored the comments from the diggers. It's a safe assumption that they didn't hear me.

We found ourselves at the barge again, at the entrance. "Doug! We need to get going. I am behind on my schedule and we should have been on the road hours ago! I'll pay for the room, but other than that, our deal of manual labor is off. How much would it be?" Myles pulled back a rucksack with his cap stash from underneath his shirt.

Doug's friendly demeanor went sour real quick. "Now, Myles. We had an agreement. You can't just leave without finishing your past dues? Besides, I got some friends who would like to meet the tamed Deathclaw!"

Doug whistled with what I can only describe as a hunter calling his dog back after a successful kill. "You will not deny me; my business, are you? That would be very unwise."

Within an instant, 6 raider-looking fuckers surrounded Doug, protecting him. I have suspected this all along. It's too obvious now. I saw Myles reach for a gun and, like in unison, all the raiders, diggers, and Doug drew their various weapons and knives, bats, and batons. Aiming at both me and him equally.

The look on Doug's face was of pure enjoyment. Damn bastard. "You see, Myles, I outnumber you by at least 10:1. You best be a good boy and drop all your weapons and keep that lizard under control!" He went and lit a cigarette with one hand and looked around. "You look like you are completely fucked. So here's what I'm going to do for you. Instead of blowing your damn brains out. Here's a choice. Give me the Deathclaw and I let you walk out of here, alive. I'll even let you keep whatever you can carry!"

Myles just glared at him. Surveying the situation. "And, if I don't?"

Doug tilted the sawed-off shotgun in his hands towards the hole in the ground. "I'll bury you alive and you will suffocate under the dirt. No one will ever know. Or I'll just shoot you here, take your pick."

I know I've had enough of this charade. Doug has a Sawed-off shotgun. I can probably grab him without sustaining much in the way of being shot. Myles was giving me a look to drop the act, anyway.

Seeing as I've been pretty calm up to this point, no one suspected when I leaped out, reaching over and grabbing Doug by his collar. Pulling him in and placing my index claw right on his jugular. I backed up against the building as well so I could see everyone.

Myles took the opportunity in all the shock and confusion to elbow one of the closest raiders in his jewels and did a wide roll behind the cover. He was safe, and I had the upper hand, I think.

I twisted Doug's arm and made him drop the gun, stepping on it while he squirmed in my grasp."Let go of me, you foul creature! I'll have your head for this! What are you waiting for, you idiots! Shoot them!" Doug was trying to get my eyes, but couldn't reach the position I had him in.

One raider aimed at me and I promptly held Doug up in the way of his line of fire. See, I would be fine. Doug though? Not so much.

I noticed that someone was going for Myles, behind the building. I had to say something. "You! Going behind the building. You take one more step. I'll disembowel Doug, right here!" The looks of shock and hysteria were almost worth it, almost.

They shouted at me and Doug was the most... charismatic, as ever. "You can talk! This whole time!? That makes you worth much more than I originally set you up for!"

"God, you are so stupid!" I yelled as I circled from my position, around to where Myles was, all the while keeping a hold on Doug. "He's important, right? This waste of human flesh I'm holding? Would be such a shame if I was to just kill him in front of you all, wouldn't it?"

Plenty of them stood still while the others panicked. "No, no! The Boss wouldn't be thrilled with any of us then! Doug is his businessman! It's how we operate. Without him, we are doomed. We can't explain that. We would have nowhere to return to!"

I could hear Myles get into a scuffle. Sounds like he won it. "You let me and Myles walk out of here and I won't butcher the lot of you!"

A few of the raiders called my bluff. "Yeah? We have you surrounded. You aren't getting out of this one. No matter how hard you try to negotiate."

Except I wasn't bluffing at all. I jammed my claw right into Doug's jugular and let the blood flow free. His arms flailed and spazzed as he struggled to cover the wound. His red shirt was a lot redder by the time he bled out. It was fast. I shoved him off me using the palm of my other hand and swiped at the two closest to my sides. Crushing in both their skulls at roughly the same time when their whole body contacted the ground.

Two stray bullets hit me in my side, and I couldn't tell exactly what kind of gun. Adrenaline is a hell of a thing. I never even noticed until everything was over.

Darting over to the building. I was going to meet Myles on the other side. Picking up one digger as I passed by the legs. I swung them as I ran into the side of the building. The shattering of their spine only silenced their agonizing scream.

Flicking some of the blood off my claws while I met up with Myles who just finished punching one of them out, beyond recognition. "Some kerfuffle we got ourselves into, huh?"

He stood upon the guy's body and grabbed his Plasma Rifle from the side of the wall. "They all need to die. Not only for seeing you talk, but they are all in on it. Completely sickening."

"I couldn't agree more," I said while pulling out one of the Assault Carbines from earlier. It took me a minute to figure out how to unfold the thing, but it was simple enough. It's all stock. I loaded one of my few mags in. "Let me take the front and you can cover my sides. I can get shot a good number of times. You cannot."

This place wasn't at all for a preferred combat scenario. It's not even that big of an area to worry about. Myles gave me such a look. "Why do you always have to be the one that has to get shot?"

I peeked around the corner and was instantly lit up by various levels of gunfire. The building took all those shots, fortunately. I wasn't able to figure out where any of them were, though.

"Seems we are pinned down here. We should both peek from both sides. They can't fire upon us both at the same time. You stay here, Myles. I'll go to the other side."

Myles checked his gun a few times, like he was slightly paranoid. "I hate being in these situations! I'll follow your lead. When you start blasting, of course."

Going behind the building, I ran into two of them, trying to sneak up on us. Wasted no time dispatching them both. It was a man and woman. Pretty sure one was part of the raiders around Doug and the other was an unfortunate digger.

Stepping over the person, I slammed against the wall. I leaned against the corner and mentally prepared myself to do this.

In one quick action, I spun around from behind the cover and started shooting. They were probably not expecting this because most of them were bunched around a circle and most of them were pumped full of lead. Blood, limbs, and bodies were all scattered across the ground.

Myles joined behind me and shot in the opposite direction I was facing. The whole thing was a massacre. They tried to run away, but no one could avoid our relentless firing.

We both kept blasting until our mags were empty. Through the smoke, blood, and dust. Everything dissipated and revealed the outcome of our shootout.

"You notice how Jack and that woman you talk to weren't a part of this? I wonder where they went and who the boss is." I kept moving forward and looked at each of the bodies, making sure they were all dead.

Myles seemed a little disgruntled. "You don't suppose any of these people were.. innocent, do you?" He almost sounded regretful

I scoffed at him, stomping one survivor's head in. "You should know, guilty by association. Raiders aren't innocent. There are always other options than submitting to them. Doug let them win and grew greedy. People came here looking for shelter and got met with death. That's why we didn't see anyone else here. They probably killed them all off."

Myles' expression looked disgusted with him and me. "We could have just left.. you didn't have to.. massacre them all! This isn't what the Brotherhood does!"

I rifled through the bodies and searched for any hint of their boss's location. "You have to be kidding me? These people were monsters, killing innocent people for their gain! They were all in on it and they would have killed us next! When did you get so soft?"

"When did you get so numb to killing? You just smashed someone's head in without even hesitating! You didn't even second guess yourself. They could have been forced into it or not known any better. You aren't ever supposed to just be okay with it!" He snapped right back at me.

"Myles, please. I promise you that these fuckers wouldn't have let us walk. I mean, unless you wanted to be buried alive. Can't discuss that at the moment, could we? Now stop mourning these bastards and let's figure out who the Boss is. I want to shut down this operation." I flipped over a few bodies and checked pulses. Bullet holes and plasma burns marked most of them.

Myles, disgruntled but cooperating, searched the bodies as well. "Why do you want to go after the Boss? We have our chance to get out of here and get on our way safely."

"I want to end their operation. Gouging Doug's esophagus wasn't enough to stop them. They will find someone else as corrupt and charismatic as him; to replace. Once they learn of this place being wiped out. Raiders are dumb, Myles. We will find something leading to their leader."

He stood up and wiped some blood from his hands on the dirt. "What do you intend to do when you find this leader? What if it's an entire compound? You aren't unstoppable, you know."

I bent down and got a painful reminder of that statement. I gritted my fangs as the bullet wounds started to slowly register. Adrenaline had worn off. "Oh, I'm feeling that now! Can you help me dislodge these bullets from my body? I can feel them moving around whenever I move. It's incredibly uncomfortable."

He reached behind his back and pulled out a set of medical tweezers. "You know, I thought we would end up needing these for this exact reason. Take a seat on the ground and I'll..do my best."

The blood was flowing slowly, at least. I painfully sat myself down on the dirt and Myles sat down on his knees next to me. For some reason, I found it funny how even down to the ground I was still larger than him if he was standing up.

"I doubt I'll end up bleeding out. Bullets are such a hassle. This scaled hide can only protect me so much. Just because it doesn't kill me doesn't mean I don't hurt like hell." I leaned over in his direction to make it that much easier. Trying hard to not squirm.

He began gently poking and prodding at the wounds on my arm. "Where were you all hit at? Plus, we are going to need to clean these out. I wouldn't trust where these bullets had been. God only knows what got in these open wounds while we were in the fight."

Wincing and growling at the feeling of cold metal deep within my flesh wasn't.. pleasant. "I absolutely cannot wait to disinfect these! Yes, that will feel amazing. I think I would rather get shot again than do that." He went to speak, but I stopped him before he could even start. "Yes, I know it must be done. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

I saw him pull out 4 bullets from my single arm alone. "That feel better? I think I got them all, but I don't want to push any of them further if there are any."

Lifting it; moving it from side to side. Didn't feel any discomfort aside from the gaping bullet hole. "Feels fine, thank you. My lower abdomen was hit as well and the left side of my chest. That should be all."

He repositioned himself and wiped the tweezers off with a clean, white rag. "You'll need to lie down. Try to do it gently. Don't want to move any of them more than they already are."

Slowly and methodically, I leaned back, positioning myself to where I could lie on my back. "If you weren't here, I would have to do this myself. Let me tell you. The last time I had a serious set of injuries where I had to operate on myself was pretty awful. It's really difficult, as you can imagine. To pull bullets from yourself when you keep passing out from blood loss. I must have spent 4 literal days just passing in and out of consciousness. That's all I think about when I'm in scenarios like this." I rested my hands on my chest while Myles was looking at the wound on my side.

His precision was pretty impressive. For someone who only had basic medical training and isn't exactly an expert at operating on a Deathclaw. Sure, it's just removing bullets, but he's being careful enough to make this as painless for me as possible. I'll need to tell him I appreciate the care later.

"How did you end up in such a situation like that? I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out how you get shot, find somewhere safe and have the proper tools to get the bullets out." He stopped his prodding to ask this question.

"Well, I had to dig the bullets out with my claws because I was in a rather musty cave. Nothing to use to help me there, sadly. Would you believe me if I told you it was a traveling caravan? It was in Nevada. I was walking along the road in the middle of the night. Just out for a stroll, nothing major. The moon was bright tonight, and I wanted to get a feel for the area I was in. I can't remember the circumstances that led me to it. There was a caravan that looked abandoned. I even watched it from a distance for a good few minutes." I cringed at the feeling of the bullets being dislodged. "Curiosity got the best of me. The moment I approached the caravan, I was met face to face with two armed guards from under the covers. They lit me right up, point-blank. They blasted me like they were trying to spend all their ammo as fast as humanly possible. I was fortunate enough to stumble across a cave and the sand of the desert covered my blood trail. Part of me wants to say they didn't even bother to pursue me. I remember blacking out repeatedly, trying to get the quantities of lead out of my chest. I was very lucky to not be hit anywhere else."

Clanging the tweezers together after he pulled the last bullet from my side. "I think that was the last of them. Are you feeling well enough to sit up?"

I held a hand out and used my other to stand myself up. Balancing myself over, landing on one leg, and then steadying myself. "Yes, I can stand."

"I'm going to need to clean these now." Reaching back into my pack. Pulling out a bottle of crudely made antiseptic I gained from Moira. hesitating for much longer than I really should have. "Here goes nothing, yes I'm an absolute baby!"

The look Myles gave me was both filled with amusement and sympathy. Pouring a large amount into the hole in my arm, nearly roaring out into the sun in pure agony. I managed to hold it in!

The outside just shows me wincing. My insides, however, felt like they got dipped in lava. The sizzling of my wounds echoed throughout my head. It sounds just like a steak on a hot grill. It's.. a good sign. The sizzle means it's doing its work.

Holding my arm up as the disinfectant did its magic. "Do we have any decently clean wrappings? I'm going to want to cover these. Unless I want to repeat this borderline torture."

Myles laughed and pulled out a long stretch of pure white bandage. "You are so lucky that I take much more than I would ever need alone." He stretched it out in front of me. "I'll help you wrap up."

With a nod of approval. "Please do." I stretched my arms out and let him wrap me up.

He started at my side and wrapped the bandage around me, and then worked his way up to my arm. "That wasn't so bad, see? I'm going to be a damn; Deathclaw medical expert at this rate!" He jested.

I looked myself down and had to comment. "I feel like an absolute fool. Probably won't have to worry about these; being a hindrance, at least."

Myles walked past the bodies and to the various stores and shopping lines. "Would it be wrong to loot the shops now?" He asks me, slowly browsing the rows.

"Only if you have quarrels with taking from the dead. Personally, taking from raiders is a non-issue for me."

He was hesitant at first, but got into the usual routine of efficient looting. We went through boxes and shelves of nicknacks and generally useless things for our purpose. It was just a lot of home decor and kitchenware.

I was rifling through one of the various crates and noticed something peculiar. "Hey, Myles. This crate here has another crate inside of it. Looks like graffiti of sorts etched onto it. I don't recognize the logo." Calling him over.

He helped me pull it out into the sunlight and backed up when he saw what it was. "Jesus Christ. You don't know whose signature this is? Rose Bloods is what they are called. They are a group of raiders who go beyond the typical killing and looting. They torture people, pit them off against each other, and then kill the winner, anyway. They make sacrifices and literally cut each other's limbs off for sport. Some hardcore clan, that's for sure. They played public executions for sport. It's not a game to them unless someone dies."

They lined their box with black and red paint. It oozed out the sides like that of a gushing, infected wound. It drew the middle of the box on a black, dying rose with what looked like a caved-in skull where it would be budding. Very prominent and stands out.

"Do you know where they are held up?" I asked him.

He looked at the crate and then away from me. "John, you don't want this fight. These people are CRAZY! They don't care for their lives, their fellow raiders' lives, or anyone else! I've seen them run at kids with live grenades just to kill themselves and someone else!"

I scoffed. "Sounds like typical raider nonsense to me. They must think they are untouchable. Must kill themselves and each other more than anyone else!"

He laughed and tried to open the box. "Unfortunately, they won't be killing themselves off any time, either. Rose Bloods are always getting more members than they are losing. I don't understand it!"

Using my claws to get on under the latch, he and I both opened the crate.

We broke the top part of it, but that didn't matter. What did, however, matter was the contents of the crate.

"It looks like some kind of logbook of victims? Names, how long they stayed for, and what the group got out of them. Nothing in here about how they were killed or where. It can't have all been done on the premise, right?"

Myles handed the logbook over for me to skim through. "I would hope not. Let's keep searching. There has to be something on where they came from around here, somewhere."

This book dated records back a few years. Seems they've been at this for a long while. Makes you wonder how they got away with it for so long? Assume nothing in here is led to be artificial.

I placed the logbook into my bag and kept looking through the box. A cap stash, some kind of route marker around what I would presume was the immediate area, and various ammo and valuable things like Pre-War jewelry and trinkets.

There were various rings and pocket watches that could be worth quite a lot. I wasn't going to just leave them here. As heavy as the cap stash we recovered was; it wouldn't be enough to fund our entire trip to Nevada.

"Check out this scrap of paper, Myles. Looks like it's a route to their territory. This entire stretch of highway is a trap for travelers. Imagine our luck. We stop at the first one along their entire line of trickery." I pointed out where we were. "So if this here is Doug's. If we keep going up the road, we will find an old Pre-War medical center. Looks abandoned by the lack of activity on the paper. Past that would be a power plant. I can't quite register the name. It's all blurred out."

He took his time to point at the paper himself. "All side distractions. I had a report one time that told me their base of operations was an old shipping yard. Like where Nuka Cola trucks would park when they aren't on the road and delivering goods?" Tapping twice, he pointed out a giant, crudely drawn Nuka Cola bottle on the route. "That would be where they operate out of. I'm sure of it."

"That's where we are heading, then. I was probably going to follow the road, anyway. Knowing they have a whole damn operation here, though? We should see some side attractions, no questions asked."

I think he knew what I meant. "We can't just go into places and kill everyone, it's not right."

Gathering my things together, preparing myself to get going, I had to ask. "Says who? These people are murdering innocent lives. Honest traders and travelers. You, of all people, should know. Sometimes, to end an evil, you kill it!"

"What obligation do you have for these people who would see you dead for what you are? You don't owe these strangers a damn thing. You...you are going to spill blood, deserved blood, to save blood? You can't just kill all your problems away, John! Why are you so adamant about taking these raiders down now?" His voice ended in a very cross tone.

I turned around to yell at him, but he just definitely looked up at me. "Help me understand. Why would you risk your life, my life, too? These people who travel these roads don't know you, don't know me. We can just move on and we wouldn't be losing a damn thing. Rose Bloods are dangerous, John. There is a reason no one fucks with them."

Stopping in my tracks, I thought about how I could put it into words. How could I make him understand?

"Sophia," was all I said.

He partially got it, but still not completely. "It wasn't Rose Bloods who killed her, right?"

"No, Myles. It wasn't. But these Rose Bloods are very similar to the savages that attacked Alryrs. A simple reminder is enough to want me to kill them all. Someone could have their own Sophia out there. Ready to be taken away by these Rose Bloods. I want to prevent anyone who doesn't deserve it from experiencing that sorrow. They won't need to save someone if the Rose Bloods are already dead, would they?"

He jogged behind me to catch up. Kicking up the dirt as he went. "What if-"

"There is no "What if'" , Myles! I am doing this with or without you. These bastards need to pay for their crimes and no one else is going to do it! You say how no one will know of what we did here or no one will know it was us who took out the Rose Bloods. That's fine! Recognition is not my concern. If I can go lay down tonight and say that I did the right thing, in a terrible situation, and made something safer for someone. That's good enough for me."

He stopped me dead in my tracks by sprinting in front of me. "John! They have an entire platoon of people. I'm talking more than the Enclave! I want to see them crash and burn too! Your personal vendetta against raiders is going to get you killed. Don't use Sophia's memory to go charging on a warpath! You. Will. Be. Killed. Along with me if I join you! We need more people. We need an organized group to take them on. They simply have too many numbers and remember, they don't care about life. They will throw themselves at you over and over. You won't outlast them. I promise you. Please, don't do this. I will follow you into uncertainty, but not to a blatant death."

"I am sure I can…"

He stopped my speech by trying to pull me in the opposite direction. "No, you cannot. I'm not even going to let you try. You don't get to just go off and get yourself killed on some Holy Mission. I'm not letting you force me to go back to the Prydwen and tell everyone you got killed for being a dumbass! You are the stupidest, Intelligent Deathclaw. I swear! Now come on! We will figure something else out and come back. Believe me, they aren't going anywhere."

Through begrudgingly filled steps, I let him pull me back far enough past Doug's Food and Bullshit. We stopped at the sign that led us to the establishment in the first place.

With a roar of rage, I grabbed the entire sign and ripped the rebar right from the ground, twisting and bending the metal to such a degree it was unrecognizable. Folding the whole thing like an omelet, I tossed it into the road. Skidding across the concrete, and sparked till it hit a complete dead stop, completely out of view.

He put a hand on my shoulder gently. "Feeling better now?"

With a deep puff and exhale, I admitted. "Yes, slightly. That sign pissed me off."

"I can tell!" He said with a hearty laugh.

*Let's leave this place behind us. The dogs and crows can deal with the bodies. I'm sure some scavengers will take the place as a gold-mine."

He pulled out one watch, spinning it on his index finger. "Quite literally for us. I might just wear one of these. Find some old tiny springs and get the thing working again. If not, we can just sell it somewhere and buy food.. that's cool too."

"Something feels wrong about it all, though, doesn't it? I look at all this jewelry and these accessories and just feel they were ill-gotten. We profited from raiders, sure. But who did they profit off of?" I rummaged through my bag and was amazed at the number of things we got from that one crate. Enough jewelry to spend ourselves a whole week in New Vegas.

He looked at his watch in disappointment. "What are you saying? Do we ditch these somewhere? We will waste it! At least we can say that we are going to use it for our good and survival."

I couldn't help but smirk at that comment. "Myles, getting a prostitute for the night isn't exactly going towards our survival!"

He stammered his next sentence. "I-I wasn't thinking that!"

I called his bluff. "Oh, sure you weren't. Here we are with more wealth than I've ever seen in my whole life and you are telling me, YOU of all people. Were absolutely, totally not thinking of getting some kind of prostitute. After giving one of our rings to for a night of mediocre, not at all worth the price of admission sex?"

His face turned such a bright red, and I caught him right in his thought! I basked in the moment and gave him an absolutely fang-filled smile as we walked down the roadway.

He gathered himself and asked me. "You are telling me the thought never crossed your mind? All the caps we can get from these. Can you imagine what we can pay some women to do?"

I shook my head as we went. "Not in the slightest! See, I was thinking. Shelter, food, water. Maybe some new guns to play with? Traveling cost. Will we have any charges to pay when we pass through the states? I know NCR is picky about not letting people, though, if they are broke."

He tapped on his watch. "You know, I told you I would get you laid."

I just glanced back at him and gave him a look like (Really, now?) Of all the times, while we are on the move?

"I don't need your help with that! I assure you!" I barked at him.

He sped up and met me at my side. "Maybe not, but when was the last time you had any action? Any real action?"

He leaned in and walked with his hands behind his back. The position was stupid and annoying. Well, I can say his tactic was working. "I wasn't aware you were so interested in the sex life of a Deathclaw. You suddenly turn into Doctor Baker?"

He laughed and then choked on it and then continued laughing some more. "It's not that at all! I certainly don't want to know the process! I just thought you could use some relaxation. All this stress and worry you have had. I almost feel bad for you. Have had no sort of break or time to have any enjoyment with anything. We don't have the Enclave to fear now! We should have some fun!"

"I believe our ideas of fun are two entirely different things. The concept of a prostitute for the sole purpose of pleasure isn't appealing to me. I would spend the caps and then wake up the next morning disgusted in myself! How can we even explain that I'm a talking Deathclaw?"

"I could just go down the route that you are my pet still-"

"That would make it even worse!" I exclaimed!

He shrugged. "Whatever you say, man. I'm giving you an option for when the time comes. You are making way too big of a deal."

"It's not the primal pleasure I desire, Myles. I'm lacking something far more important than just natural bodily urges."

We stopped in an open-looking field and quit our traveling for the day. Setting up our little makeshift camp behind a large rock away from the road. "What did you mean earlier when you said you lacked something more?" He asked me while sitting down on a slab of stone.

I took my position against a rock face for the upcoming nighttime. "It's love, Myles. I haven't felt love in so long. A prostitute won't fill that void. It would just be meaningless for me."

He rubbed some rocks together to get a small fire going. "You are telling me you don't have urges, desires? Dare I say, get horny?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his shameless way of phrasing that. "Of course I do, to all three! I'm surprised you didn't make a joke of me being horny all the time, having a pair of them, of course." I ran my claws across both my horns to further emphasize my joke. It was smart or sad at this point. I couldn't tell.

He finished sparking the fire and sat back down. "Hey! I don't know these things! I haven't been brave enough to ask till now! Trying to base you off humans isn't exactly working in my head. My mind wanders all the time with things."

"Well, it seems I'm not tired and we have a little while till I will probably want to sleep. Go ahead, ask away." I leaned down against the rock.

He looked perplexed for a moment. Like he didn't expect me to just open the gates like that. "Really? Anything?"

I pondered for a moment. "Why the hell not? The worst thing I'll do is shut you up."

"Okay, how do deathclaws do the deed?" He asked me, so confidentiality.

This... was going to be a long night.

End Chapter: 28