Rocks and boulders were scattered all over the place. Jason had to maneuver around several that prevented him from walking in a straight line toward the Super-Duper Mart. Patches of spiky grass and the occasional raggedy bush were scattered about in the dusty ground. A few leafless, withered trees stood in a few clusters.
Jason came upon a water tower. Whatever paint might have once been on the water tower had been stripped away by the sun and the elements. A metal fence surrounded it, but part of the fence had been torn apart. Jason stepped through the broken portion of the fence and walked over to the water tower. He turned a valve, and water began trickling out of a faucet. He took a few drinks from the valve. Though the water was dirty, he was getting thirsty, so he didn't care.
Once Jason was finished with the water tower, he kept moving. He jumped as something sticky hit the back of his neck. The strange substance burned and stung. He wiped it off his neck as fast as he could, but now his fingers burned and stung. Jason whirled around to see what had attacked him. A freakishly large, disproportioned fly hovered behind him. It spat another globule of muck at him. He ducked under it.
Jason pulled out his back and ran over to the bloated fly. He swung once and missed. He swung again, but this time the bat connected with its head. SPLAT! The fly's head caved in. Its lifeless carcass smashed to the ground.
"Is everything in the wasteland a predator?" Jason wondered aloud.
In the distance, Jason surveyed the expanse of ruined buildings that was once Washington D.C.. Elevated sections of the old highway rose above the wasteland, but much of the highways had caved in. Next, Jason ran into an old farmhouse. Or rather, what was left of it. The roof and a wall had caved in. Broken planks and drywall littered the floor inside. Jason decided to not step inside because there were probably nails sticking out all over the place. A rusted metal silo stood next to the farmhouse, but it was completely empty.
Jason rounded the farmhouse, hoping that he didn't miss out on any valuable loot. BRAKK! A red laser tore into Jason's left side, knocking him on his back. He instinctively placed his left hand on the wound. He looked down at his stomach and saw a lot of blood, which had gotten all over his hand. He grabbed a stimpak with his bloodied hand and jabbed it into the wound. The bleeding slowed, but he was still wounded.
BRAKK! Another laser smacked into the ground next to his head sending a cloud of dust into his eyes. He blinked, painfully, coughing and hacking. Once his vision cleared, though dust still stung his eyes, Jason saw his attacker. A person in dark black armor stalked toward him, wielding a laser rifle. Jason jumped to his feet and scrambled behind the farmhouse as more laser blasts barely missed him.
"What did I do to you?" he croaked through the dust in his throat.
The mysterious armored foe said nothing. His frightening helmet matched the rest of his jagged, imposing metal armor. Blank yellow eyes stared off into the distance. Its mouth looked like an old gas mask. Two tubes, one on each side, were attached to the helmet at one end and under the chest plate at the other.
Jason stayed close by the farmhouse at first, but looping endlessly around a building was never going to get him anywhere. Laser blasts tore through the broken, rotted walls, sending splinters flying. A few old, unmoving cars sat on the road. Jason dove to the ground and crawled under one of them. He crawled to the other side and hid behind it.
The mysterious assailant fired more laser blasts, which struck the car. The more laser blasts hit the car, the more the car made strange groaning sounds. Instinct told Jason to move. So, he ran away from the car. He was knocked down by the force of an explosion as the car tore itself to pieces in a blazing ball of fire that plumed up in a mushroom shape. The Pipboy's geiger counter went crazy for a few seconds.
Jason hastily scrambled to his feet, turning around as he did so. The armored adversary was stumbling forward. Half a car door was sticking out of their side. In the explosion, it had plowed through the armor. Blood and entrails were oozing out of the wound. The stranger staggered and lurched, falling to their knees. The attacker raised the rifle weakly before collapsing to the ground in a heap, blood pooling around the corpse.
The adrenaline of the moment wearing off, Jason tried to take a step, but he fell to the ground. His leg seared with pain. He jammed a couple stimpaks into his leg and stood up again. His leg still hurt, but it was no longer crippled. He limped over to the corpse and took the helmet off. The person underneath was a middle-aged man with a thick brown beard. The man's face was still frozen in anguish and rage. Jason decided to not take the armor. It was ruined now. He sat down to rest and soon fell asleep.
Jason woke up with a start. He pulled out his baseball bat in a flash, wincing as his body protested against the rapid motion. Three strange men were approaching him. He stood up in a flash, brandishing the bat just in case they had ill intent toward him.
"Woah there," the man in front said. He was bald, fat, and ugly. "We're not here to hurt you." The other two men had messy brown hair and lots of muscles. "We're just looking for some people."
"Who are you looking for?" Jason asked, still holding the bat at the ready.
"We're searching for some escaped slaves. We were on our way to Paradise Falls when they made a break for it. Have you seen anyone?"
Slavers. Jason's face twisted into a snarl. The fat man looked nervously at the armored cadaver next to Jason.
"Slavers?" Jason hissed. "That means you kidnap people and force them into a brutal life against their will. I learned all about your profession in my American History class." Jason spat at the man's feet.
"Woah, calm down!" The man said. The other two were nervously backing away, their eyes flitting back and forth between Jason and the corpse. "You make money your way, and we'll make it our way."
Jason put the bat back in its place. The slavers' faces relaxed as they breathed sighs of relief. In an instant, Jason drew his 10mm pistol and fired a bullet right between the fat man's eyes. He dropped to the ground. The other two dashed for cover, making sure to stay away from the vehicles. One of them hid behind the silo, and the other one dove behind a large boulder. Jason took cover behind the farmhouse. A shoot out ensued. Bullets were flying everywhere. Because it was dark and hard to see, it didn't take long before Jason ran out of ammo. He fired every 10mm bullet that he had collected since leaving the vault.
Jason sighed a long, frustrated sigh. The two slavers were still firing away. Clearly, they were better equipped than he was. The silo was closer to his location than the boulder was. So, he crept around the side of the house. The slavers were still firing at the spot he had been, so they hadn't seen him move yet. He finally reached a point where he could no longer use the cover of the farmhouse. At that point, the slaver behind the silo spotted him.
With a savage roar, Jason barreled forward, slamming into the slaver. They crashed to the ground. The slaver, who had tried in vain to stay upright, screamed in pain as his foot twisted at an unnatural angle. The raider pulled out a knife and slashed it across Jason's chest. His armored jumpsuit prevented it from doing much damage, but the bit that did get through stung. Jason grabbed the man's hand that held the knife. He forced it down, slowly toward the man's neck. Eventually, the slaver could no longer keep Jason at bay, and the knife sunk into his throat.
Jason realized that the gunfire had ceased while he fought. He looked up just as the last living slaver kicked him in the face. He spat blood on the ground as he grabbed a handful of dust and pebbles. As he leapt to his feet, Jason thrust the dust into the slaver's face. The slaver covered his eyes with his hands and coughed. Jason pulled out the baseball bat and hit the man's head as hard as he could. The man's head slammed into the metal wall of the silo. A slick trail of blood was painted on the silo as he sank slowly to the ground.
"You'll never enslave anyone again," Jason said. "If I have anything to say about it, nobody will." Jason limped away from the carnage toward the Super-Duper Mart, furious and exhausted.