GASP
The ghoul sat upright quickly; his hands curled into fists sluggishly before his chest as his head weaved all around. There…there…
There was blood. A lot of blood, and for a moment Charon did not know if it was his or someone else's. Dumbfoundedly, he wiped his large hands down the front of his torn leather armor, the chest piece simply falling away. With a grunt, he grabbed at the whole thing and winced as his right arm argued NO. It was broken. Charon blinked and attempted to make sense of his surroundings, shaking his head as the creeping darkness of unconsciousness threatened to consume him once again. What…where…
Where is Evelyn?!
The realization of her absence nearly sent him into cardiac arrest, his entire body jolting awake with a pure rush of adrenaline. He was fully alert now, and fully aware of just how fucked his body was. A broken right arm, a broken right leg; his left hand was completely shattered, and his ribcage felt like it was dipped into molten metal. There was a rebar protruding from his shoulder; the ferryman was lucky he was still breathing.
With a sickening groan, he reached inside the pockets of his pants and produced two stimpaks; he cursed himself for not having more, but was thankful he carried some at all. He was breathing heavily, making a quick risk assessment as to the worst of the damage: what he could live with, and what would kill him.
An injection was made into the leg; the second, to his hand. If he could walk and hold a weapon properly, he could survive with the other two issues until he found more aid. As he waited for the stimpak to finish its process, he took in his situation and attempted to remember the past events that had led to this. He…he was in a corpse pit. There were dead bodies of various decomposer all around him- the smell. One of his boots had sunken through the skull of an unknown man; his foot made a revolting slick as he lifted it out of the gray, brain matter.
In fear and desperation, he scanned the carcasses for his employer. Much to his relief-and anxiety-she was not there. Hopefully, that meant she was alive…wherever she may be.
"Serrato's just through the next pass- we'll be there by sunset, at the latest."
Fuck
They had been ambushed. It was all so- fast. Not a single one of them had expected it; super mutants weren't known for their cunning strategy. They had been traveling for the past few days together; they had gotten complacent from the lack of danger, and their arrogance of skill.
No. He had gotten complacent...and it may have cost Evelyn her life.
Hey, man, I just wanna let you know, if this is it-
Charon grunted in agony as his fingers clutched around the rebar, blood beginning to warmly flow over his hand and making his palm slick. Clenching his jaw so tightly he thought it would crack, he proceeded to rip the metal rod from its fleshy prison and toss it aside. A deep, overly threatening growl rose in his throat; if there had been anyone to bear witness, they would have thought he was feral.
Oh my God…he's dead. He's dead and it's my fault…I can't…I-I can't. Evelyn laid her head against the cool concrete of the basement, blind in the dark. She did not know how much time had passed, only that it did, and she was still swimming along in the abyss.
There were no more tears, now. They had all soaked in the darkness at her feet.
"Heard the town got hit by some muties awhile back, said they were reaching out for some extra guns. Hell, we could all split the share if you guys want to partake."
They had hauled Campbell away; his screams echoed in her ears. One had attempted a grab at her; she kicked its kneecap straight from its joint and decked it in the side of the face as it had been forced to kneel before her. The slimy gore and bits of skull she watered the dry earth with was enough to catch the rest of the super mutants' attention. They had swarmed her like ants over prey; there were too many- they were overwhelmed-
Charon…Charon was…
There was no point in anything, now. Her only friend and trusted companion had been crumpled down and tossed aside; his endurance surprised even the mutants, and they laughed brutishly, continuing their assault when he had struggled to rise. The ferryman ignored their physical blows, those burning embers glowing at her as she felt her arm dislocate and the air leave her body. He was watching her, almost vicariously, and at that moment she realized they were going to die. He watched her cry as she felt herself being lugged through the dirt, away from his helpless gaze.
She had been screaming his name; the overwhelmingly grieved expression upon his face was the only time she had ever seen him upset. And it was the last image she had of him as a super mutant raised a rebar and descended it down; the Archangel Michael slaying the dragon.
For the most part, it felt like another job.
Track here, disturbance there. A bloodied bandage encrusted with sand; some ashy remains from a cold campfire inside the mouth of a cave. The merc was a damn good tracker, and he had fantastic instincts.
He was crouched before the opening of Obvious Pass, and he was muttering to himself as he reached for a smoke. They should have gone through, if they were following along the route to reach Lake Capers. It was a straight shot through the mountain and would easily cross two days of elevated hiking from their list. But…tracks never lied, even if altered. Not a single human footprint had disturbed the area in a long time. He grumbled and inhaled the nicotine, scratching the back of his head. With careful steps, he backtracked and refollowed the prints left behind; overturned rocks, a massive boot print. Charon. White smoke curled around him and he continued on, following down the ravine that led downwards to Serrato. Serrato was a huge detour, why would they-
A massive crater in the side of the rocky outcropping caught his eyes, and he ambled over to it, removing his cigarette to stub it out against the mountainside. There was dried gore splatter, and he turned in his spot to find evidence of blood in the sand with a few well-defined footprints. It appeared a third figure had joined them. A fight?
He turned back to the indentation and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to imagine the scene. No. It- it almost looked like…Evelyn was unpredictably vicious. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely. He blinked at the array of blood, and his fingertips lightly grazed over the molding where her fist had come into contact. He shuddered involuntarily; he was extremely lucky she wasn't aiming to kill him that night.
With a shake of his shoulders, he began the path down the ravine and towards Serrato.
"I…I AM HUNGRY-" The two super mutants did not notice the stalking shadow that crept in the dark: an invisible, vengeful spirit.
With zero hesitation, the ghoul precipitously sprinted in a half-crouched position; with a jump, he encircled his broken arm tightly around the neck of his first target, leaning back with all of his weight to topple the green giant backward. A gurgled gpfbhld vibrated against his limb; the honed combat knife was sunk into the mutant's eye up to the hilt. Without pause, he yanked the weapon out and reached for the head of the second one; the blade easily sliced through its jugular, a fountain of blood poured forth and washed the sands at their feet.
The ghoul gave short, pained grunts as he focused on his breathing. His ribcage was on fire from the overexertion and his broken arm throbbed in waves of agony. He had managed to stem the bleeding in his shoulder with a makeshift tourniquet, but it was not a permanent fix. However, none of his sufferings mattered at the moment.
He merged back into the shadows.
Creaaak
A single file of fluorescent light penetrated her void of nothing.
Evelyn flinched violently away from the giant, deformed hands that sought her out. It finally grabbed purchase of her disjointed shoulder and tugged her along the grimy floor. She screamed and thrashed until the tremendous anguish she felt rendered her unconscious; she was simply a raggedy doll being carried along by an oversized child.
The mutant made loud, oversimplified words to its others; this one they did not eat, that what was the man was for. She- strong. She- kin. She- change, survive change, kin. They understood, and let their leader proceed to throw her inside of an empty cell along with the few others they deemed strong for the change. The survivors were huddled away in the corner of their cage, eyes wide with fear and bodies wrought with tremors. After the cell was locked and the lumbering giant meandered away, did they scrabble like terrified mice and pull her towards themselves.
"Shit. She's out cold-"
"Man, oh man! She's fucking dead, man-"
"Aubrey, help me with her-"
"We're all fucking dead!"
A woman reached a hand back and gave a harsh slap! "Shut the fuck up, Mickey! Help us with her!"
The three of them cautiously assessed their unconscious cellmate in hushed tones, until the woman finally decided to grab Evelyn by the collar of her jacket and begin to shake her roughly.
"Careful, Aubrey! That shoulder looks-"
Aubrey snapped her head back. "Tom, who gives a fuck, if we don't get out of here-"
Evelyn awoke with a gasp, crying out in pain as she tried to reach out with both hands.
"Oh thank God!" Aubrey held Evelyn upwards, her eyes awash with hopeful desperation. "Please tell me you have help coming!"
Evelyn blinked stupidly, processing the words and her situation. "No…no, I don't-" Charon then burst to the forefront of her mind, and her face welled up in grief. "They're dead."
She was dropped unceremoniously. "Shit, shit!" The woman shoved the hovering man to her right. "We're so fucked!"
Mickey had begun to pace, his hands clawing at his ruined greaser hairstyle. "Man, oh man, fuck this man!"
Evelyn gasped in discomfort; her shoulder was on fire. Her three cellmates were chittering away in their own delusional terrors, and she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She was so tired.
There was an explosion beyond the door.
Charon grimaced- the shrapnel from that last grenade had struck him in the bicep. He still had not found his weapon of choice; the shotgun had not been located, and he felt awkward with the assault rifle he had picked up from his last opponent. He was more than adept with it, but there was always something about the happiness he felt with his warm shotgun.
There was more angry shouting; a mutant blew open a door and approached him with a crude nail board, the swinging arc of the attack missing the ghoul and landing atop the head of another mutant that had approached from the side. Bits of gore splattered everywhere.
"WRONG ONE!"
Charon took aim and reduced the mutant's face to swiss cheese. He was panting heavily now, and he was almost out of ammo. He had to find Evelyn soon; he did not know how many more enemies he would have to face. Quite suddenly, a door down the hallway exploded from its hinges and flew across the way, impacting against an unsuspecting mutant. It took the full brunt of the force, colliding with the wall behind it and splattering against the concrete.
"Ch-CHARON!" Like a sweet tune played to his ears, the ghoul visibly shuddered as he sighed in relief and sprinted towards her. She had fat tears rolling down her face, and she was shaking as he came to her. The first thing he noticed was her arm hanging awkwardly to the side, and despite it, she grasped him tightly. "Oh my God! I-I thought, I heard you, just now-"
She then leaned up and kissed him fully on the mouth, and he startled backward from the unexpected welcoming. Quickly looking around, he then spied the three others huddling behind her, their jaws slackened in stupefied disbelief.
"Come," he commanded, grabbing her good hand and leading the small party to a previously cleared room. They barred the doors and the ghoul set her down to the side, observing her injury. "This will hurt." With a quick and smooth motion, the ghoul firmly grasped her shoulder and reset the joint as she cried out in pain. "We have to go."
As much as his body screamed at him to STOP MOVING, he led the five of them through the carnage he had wrought. Dead mutants and small electrical fires provided a trail for them to follow; the ferryman guiding their souls down his river of blood. Throughout it all, he did not let go of her small hand; just the knowing thought that she was somehow still alive did not seem real enough, and he needed her physical touch to ensure she did not vanish like a fever dream.
"To the left-!"
The ground floor. A mutant dog barreled through the open door leading to their escape outside; Charon already had his weapon raised and sights set.
Click-click
The poorly maintained rifle was jammed. An audible growl resonated as he planted a foot behind himself for balance, the gun making a smooth sweep above and behind him. With a strong whoosh, the weapon was arced in a throw and made perfect contact with the grotesque mutt's head. It spasmed for a few seconds before finally collapsing. An array of confused shouts and heavy footsteps welcomed them outside, and Charon forced them to take cover around the side of an old fire station, carefully avoiding the hectic sweeps from the mutants.
Evelyn gave two forceful tugs. "We have to get Campbell!"
Charon whirled down on her; he was covered in gore and ash, and he appeared more demonic than he did a man. "No. He is already dead."
She ripped her hold from him. "You don't know that-"
Aubrey had sidled close to them; her eyes beheld a crazed gleam. "He's right; whoever your friend is, leave them. We can still make it out of here!"
Evelyn snarled. "I will not." She then glared up at the ghoul, and she subconsciously hugged her tender shoulder carefully. "Charon. I order you to take these people away from here and get them somewhere safe."
The ghoul grabbed both of her shoulders, and she whimpered loudly from his rough handle. "Evelyn, that is very stupid of you." Despite the contradictions he felt, an order was an order; it was very rare that she ever issued them.
The newfound courage she had summoned was slipping away fast; with a steel resolve, she forced herself to hold onto it for just a few moments longer. "Go."
After much deliberation, the ghoul released her, and he was forced to watch as she scurried away from them, a cold pit forming in his chest.
