Nine Years Ago
He wasn't coming back.
Penny could still easily imagine his towering form, just on the distant horizon, a stream of smoke to complement his gruff persona. One would assume the passing days of reprieve would finally settle that constant itch digging at her bones; the city had finally moved on from that symphony of chaos that swept them up in a chorus of hellish music a year ago…but some were still dancing mindlessly to that silent tune.
Penny's shift ended, and she returned to her desk at the police department, filing away some disorganized folders before giving a knock on the head of security's office door. The slight hitch in her chest at the sight of his neon glow was something that would go away in the growing span of weeks- glowing ghouls were dangerous, even to 'normal' ones such as herself. How Thomas had managed to retain his sanity…no one really knew. And no one dared ask.
He was still a little sour, and sometimes unpleasant, about the whole thing.
"S-sir?" Penny cleared her throat, clutching her jacket against her chest. The ghoul in question was absorbed with a piece of paper upon his desk. He was sketching something, and did not take notice of her presence standing in his doorway. She gave another knock, her voice a little louder. "Sir?"
"Hmm? Yes?" Thomas looked up from his current work, tapping the pencil a few times.
"I'm going off shift. Do you need anything before I leave?" she quietly asked, more out of protocol than anything else.
Thomas gave a thought, and then a wave of his hand to her, returning to his illustration. "No. Have a goodnight. I will see you in the morning."
Penny ducked out into the chilly air, stepping inside the old tavern that was always full with the same casuals that really had nothing else to do, or nowhere else to be. The graveled, ruined vocals of some drunkenly garbled about the new brothel labeled the Catwalk. Penny had already heard of the establishment setting itself up, as some of her fellow sentries chittered casually about how it was about time we had something like that in this city.
A lone tumbler filled to the brim with vodka sat patiently before her on the bar counter, and it wasn't until a whiskey heaved breath at her face washed over her did she pull herself from thoughts of Cross's fingertips running down her spine.
"You going to drink that?" A hiccup followed the question, and Penny shook her head at the ghoul intruding her private thoughts.
"Knock yourself out." She shouldered her jacket, tugging it close to herself as she meandered around. When she finally gave a glance up, she was met with the neon lights of the Catwalk bathing her in soft, warm light.
The Present
"What the fuck are you doin'?! Penny!"
The rosy ghoul steeled herself; the desperation clawing through his unbridled hatred was enough to make her head spin. She dared not look at him, even as he thrashed like a feral animal at the window that separated their halls. One look into those depths of smokey infernos for eyes would send her scrabbling along the floor like a worshipper before their messiah. Cross was dangerous for her mentality.
"Cross!" Evelyn's head snapped up at the sound of his voice filtering through, and she lurched forward, falling to her hands and knees. "Cross!"
He caught sight of her face. "Evelyn!"
"Huh." Carol took the remainder of her smoke and flicked it, flipping open the cartridge with the remaining two strains. "That ape made it after all."
Penny licked her lips; she was shaking. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
"Penny." The room dropped below zero…no, it only felt like it had. She couldn't stop her eyes from rising up to meet his own; they were glowing orbs, nestled in the shadow beneath his brim, as wild and unforgiving as every two hundred years he had endured amongst the wasteland. She had now come full circle…seeing him gaze upon something with an undeniable fathomless state of love, and now, this. She couldn't quell the tears as she began to sob; it was raspy, grating, and unpleasant. "Let her go."
Carol crouched before the sobbing smoothskin, holding up the two vials for her to make note of. "Why did you come here, X-17?" Evelyn blinked rapidly at the ghoul sitting so close to her face. "You were looking for your brother, weren't you?"
"I…" Her mouth drew open and closed a few times, and she didn't register the fact she had sat down, her left arm raised up as Carol held it out straight with a firm grip. "I-"
"You came here because I told you to." Carol inserted the first needle under the layers of her cream-colored skin.
"I'm goin' to fuckin' kill you! Stay the fuck away from her!" Penny flinched with every hit the merc beat against the glass.
Evelyn wavered uncertainly in spot, and clutched at her head with her other hand, sobbing a mess of snot and tears between her curled fingers. "I don't know."
Cross wildly raced to the door, his blood threatening to boil straight from under his skin- it was closed. He punched at the button, but it didn't open. "Fuck!"
A pinch, and Carol depressed the second syringe into her veins. "You've taken my whole life from me."
Charon came to the window, snarling as he thumped on the shatter-proof pane with a fist. Penny met his absolutely bone-chilling stare; she wanted to puke, the crimson ghoul was downright scary.
"And, now." Carol let Evelyn's arm fall limp into her lap, watching the veins begin to bulge angrily in reds and blues. "I'm going to take yours." Roman entered back into the room, not breaking his stand-off stare with the ferryman across.
"Roman, go activate failsafe 737." The blue ghoul hesitated for a moment too long, and Carol flicked at the vial of blood she had finished extracting, replacing it gently in the portable environmentally controlled chamber. "Forget everything else- I have what I need. We'll leave her here and blow this place sky high."
"That wasn't the plan!" Penny barked. She drew her gun simultaneously as Roman had, and they stared each other down behind the barrels of their guns. "You said-"
"Did you honestly think I'd have a cure to ghoulism if I still fucking looked like this?!" A cackling laugh as Carol stood, walking away from the whimpering smoothskin at her feet. She stood behind the shield of Roman's body, her face seeping with spite behind her curled smile. "Besides, I don't think he would have come back to you regardless…it was as you said."
The scientist turned to the enraged merc standing back on the other side of the window. "She's all yours…you know, they were right about you. You never fail to deliver." Carol began to click on down the hall, the weight of her shoulders shrugged off with the cartridge deep inside her pocket. "I'll set it off myself. When you're done with her, come meet me outside."
"Get this fuckin' door open!" Cross growled down at the young woman, who was frantically crossing wires underneath the panel she just exposed.
"I-I'm trying!" Lydia nearly sobbed, licking at her thumb as a course of electricity shocked her.
Charon took the butt end of his shotgun, pounding away at the sheet of glass in vain desperation. Campbell came to the side of the girl, taking a wire from her. "Here, let me see if I can- yow!" A burnt scorch mark from an electrical burn sizzled his fingertips.
Cross beat a fist on the window. BANG. "PENNY, OPEN THE FUCKIN' DOOR!" BANG!
Thomas slowly came around on the other side, his voice eerily cool. "Penny...whatever it is, we can talk about it, you can always come back."
The rosy ghoul's deteriorating façade infected her steady aim. Her hands began to shake, and her body grew hot. The bullet hole in the door panel told her it was a pointless request- and there wasn't enough time to direct them back through the secret entrance leading into the tunnels.
Roman lifted his head slightly, and mumbled some words that only she could hear.
Penny blinked. What did he just-
BAM! A gunshot rang out, and Penny fell to her knees as her gun clattered to the floor. She heard Thomas shouting on the other side, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. I'm so sorry, Thomas…this wasn't your fault.
Evelyn laid down on the cool metal floor, her mind swimming and skull pounding, threatening to burst from its seams. It was so fucking loud. Why was everyone screaming? Couldn't they just shut the fuck up…no? As though her brain had granted her wish, the world grew insanely quiet.
Evelyn, come here. Do you see how the waves crash upon the shore like that? That is you: a fighting current, capable of reducing even the hardest stones into a thousand pieces.
The rise and fall of her chest began to slow dramatically.
We are to make our feet light and our steps careful; you are my Nemean lion, and Hercules is upon us.
What an odd thing to say to a child…an ignorant, child.
Someday we shall venture forth as Odysseus had done; we shall drink from the rain as Zeus casts his storm, and feast upon the birds that mistake us as their own. We are not made for this world; we shall make one.
Oh Mother…you were always so dramatic.
Evelyn felt a twitch at her lips.
You know, I don't think I've ever met someone…quite like you, before. No, I didn't mean it as a negative thing, just…a curious observation.
A feeling not unlike betrayal panged through her heart. How long had it been until she realized Thomas was never coming back for her, a year?
Evelyn, you are the stupidest employer I have ever come under service with…and no. I am not exaggerating.
Charon's blunt words almost tickled a laugh from her chest…he had always been so annoyed, sometimes downright outraged, with her careless nature.
I'm the worst man on earth, who fell for the most beautiful woman he could ever hope to find.
He was the worst- Cross could spool her up into a fiery tornado with the start of a sentence, and then cool her back down into an eruption of giggles by the end of it. Just that look on his fucking face when he stared at her made her heart burst with absolute adoration. The touch of his fingertips lit her body like a hot furnace, molding and shaping her under the craftmanship of his desires.
The heavy breath of the air settled on her skin, and a hot, viscous substance groped along her arm. She then felt her chest begin to burn, so intensely her toes twitched and her body jolted.
Penny had smothered one hand over her mouth and nose, cutting off her air supply. "Evelyn, wake up!" The ghoul was breathing heavily, trying her best to ignore the bullet lodged below her ribcage.
A gasp of air filled her lungs, and Evelyn bolted upright, a surge of energy rippling through her veins.
"Thank Christ."The bounty hunter's voice, and she turned to it while wiping at her bleary eyes. "Baby, we ain't got all day, so get off your ass!"
She blinked at Penny kneeling beside her, bleeding out a mile a minute while trying to stem the wound with a shaking hand. The rosy ghoul shook her head with a strained smile. "Go, go- get out of here."
There was a rumble that shook the floor and rattled the walls, and everyone went quiet for a split second.
"Evelyn, can you move?!"
Charon took a few steps backward, repositioning his shotgun and pumping the stock. "Stand back." Everyone scrabbled to the side, and he blew a shot.
BANG BANG
It didn't so much as leave a scratch, the flattened shells clinking to the floor. Evelyn stood with a groan, reaching out a hand for purchase to steady her balance.
"C'mon baby, just a little further!"
Finally, she set both hands on the window and leaned heavily into it, her feet rocking with the floor as it rumbled. She blew out a breath, slightly fogging the pane, and looked upward.
The merc's palms were held up against her own. "Break the glass."
Her fingers sluggishly formed into a fist, and she cried as they relaxed of their own accord. "I…I can't."
"Yes, yes you fuckin' can. You have to."
Charon holstered his shotgun, turning back to Campbell. "Go somewhere safe. Do not wait for us."
Campbell gripped his gun tightly, but then reluctantly nodded. "You guys better be topside soon."
"What?! No way!" Lydia's arm was grabbed, and she was forcibly dragged away by the stronger mercenary. "Campbell!"
The ferryman looked down at Thomas- the glowing ghoul was staring with mournful rapture at Penny bleeding out on the floor. "They are going to require assistance."
Thomas blew out a breath, his shoulders trembling. He rubbed his forearm over his eyes brusquely. "No. I won't be leaving."
Cross pressed his body flush against the window. He was literally just inches from her, and yet, she was physically impossible to reach. "I know you're tired baby, but you have to try. Please try."
A wailing sob ripped from the base of her throat, and she bent her head down in shame as tears dripped to her feet. "I'm sorry." A burst of white electrical sparks showered from the ceiling behind her, but she didn't even acknowledge it.
The merc licked his lips, and a heavy hand set itself down on his shoulder. Charon shook his head, his face completely unreadable.
"Charon." Evelyn's voice called out to him, and the ghoul breathed out shakily. He knew what was coming, and it cleaved his heart straight from his chest. "I order you to get everyone out safely."
A groan of something metal gave way, and there was a hiss of steam beginning to fill her side of the room.
The behemoth ghoul stood paused as he did not immediately obey her command. Cross half-turned, and found the ghoul hunched forward, drawing deep, shuddering breaths into his massive chest with a look directed at Evelyn that made her heart break.
"Charon! Go!" she screamed, the shaking in her voice tremoring down to her knees. Why was he just standing there, clearly defying her orders?! It…it almost appeared as though he was in great pain-
Charon couldn't see anything past the blackened pit of vision he was left with. The entire world had grown dark and eerily silent; rebelling against his employer's demands was something he seldom saw fit to do…it wasn't something new, however. This was a fool's errand- a past experience under the employ of a bartending ghoul had once rendered him into a state of unconsciousness. It was a failsafe; the longer he disobeyed, the sooner his body would simply shut down. All he had to do to instantly reverse the process was to…
Whatever happens, take care of him, will you?
How could he? No…how could she do this to him?! After everything…after…everything…
"Charon."The sound of her voice reeled him back, and she was looking straight at him…those pink lips softened into a smile. "I love you." Three very straight-forward words, but they didn't hold a candle to the wildfire of significance they meant from her.
Something wet dabbed at the corner of his eye. Alarmed, he brought the heel of a hand up to swipe at it, looking upwards for any hint of its source. He then blinked down at his stained glove…was he, crying? No, Charon did not cry. The palm then clenched and he cocked the fist back, decking the glowing ghoul cleanly in the face. Thomas immediately dropped, his lights knocked out. Charon bent down and hoisted him over one shoulder.
I know you're scared-
The merc's collar was grabbed, Charon's boots nearly skidding across the floor from the force he had to deliver to drag the ghoul away. "No-Evelyn-"
Everyone gets scared sometimes, and that's okay-
Cross ripped out a growl that was borderline feral- enough so that Charon briefly wondered if this was his moment that made him turn…he wouldn't be surprised.
I won't be on this earth forever, big guy.
Cross watched her mouth move behind that sheet of glass, but all the sound in the world gave out, as the ceiling collapsed where they had just been standing.
Thank you, Cross, for giving me everything I've ever wanted…I will always love you, goon...goodbye.
And she was gone.
One Month Ago
"Rar!" Evelyn raised her arms before the ghoul in a dramatic fashion as he turned the corner; he didn't so much as flinch at her failed scare tactic.
"Very amusing," Charon said flatly.
A scoff. "I wasn't really even trying- I decided to spare you in the last possible moment…you got lucky."
An eyebrow muscle raised down at her. "Oh, I did, did I?"
She stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms. "Yeah, and that's the only freebie you're getting, so you better be on your toes."
Charon shook his head, following close at her heel as they made their way to the dingy bar they were directed to, smack dab in the middle of fucking nowhere in the deep south. Why the bounty hunter would even consider passing through these irradiated swamplands was anyone's guess…the ferryman was already annoyed with the sweltering heat and handsy locals.
"I suggest you pack the Pip-Boy away. They are rare, and someone will take notice," Charon advised her, and she gave him a nod, unlatching the computer at her wrist to stow safely away.
They then entered the tavern...it smelled.
"What can ol' Avery do for you, sweetheart?" The barkeep gave a leery grin at his smaller companion as they approached, and Evelyn bit back the urge to smash his skull into the bar counter.
"Looking for a bounty hunter ghoul by the name of Cross, heard of him?" she answered coolly. "I was told he's somewhere around these parts."
"You were told correct." Avery glanced at a clock with a missing hand. "S'probably still out on a job Mallia hired him for- just a small one. I reckon he'll be back, in- oh, hour, maybe two?" He gave her a thorough once-over. "Want me to put a word in for ya?"
"No thanks." Evelyn tapped a finger against the surface of the countertop. "Can I get some water?"
The bartender turned to fetch her request, and she let loose a sigh.
"Finally," she breathed to her ghoul companion. "I don't understand how someone that well-known can be that hard to find. What a fucking fuck."
Charon merely grunted in response.
The glass was set before her, and she paid the proper due. "So, just like we discussed?"
Charon gave a nod; he already had the perfect places strategically mapped out. Although both had enough information about the mercenary, neither knew what sort of player he was. If the situation were to run south, it would be wise to have the upper hand prior.
She scratched at her scalp; the burlap hood was extremely itchy. "I fucking hate this thing." A dirty look was thrown at him. "As soon as we dip out of town, I'm burning it."
Charon ignored her complaints. They were rather uncomfortable, but necessary. If the bounty hunter had somehow caught wind of his two stalkers, then a disguise was playing well enough on the safe side.
The time passed, and they both convened to their positions.
Evelyn merely glanced around the room, drawing her hood farther down her face to avoid any unnecessary staring from unpleasant company. Charon was seated a few tables down; a young woman, alone, just screamed unwanted attention. Another thirty minutes passed, and he finally entered the tavern.
Can't miss him. Big ghoul, always looks pissed off. Usually is.
The bounty hunter was shaking something from himself as he made his way to the bar counter, collecting a glass of beer. The bartender threw her a look, mouthing that's him as the ghoul turned his back to take a seat. The glowing orbs in Charon's shrouded hood were observing her as she contemplated her next move. A few minutes passed, and she was busily chewing her lower lip in contemplation as she stared dumbly at the ghoul. Should she just casually introduce herself, what would she exactly ask?
Hey, do you know my mother, Darcy? She told me to find you, so I'm assuming you do…
There was movement; he drained his glass and had his eyes trained directly at her.
Oh, shit. Her body went into panic mode, and she made to leave as he zeroed in on her from across the room. She moved too late; the ghoul placed his massive hand on her shoulder and shoved her back down into her booth.
"Just where in the hell do you think you're goin'?" His voice was raspy, rough…and annoyed to hell.
Usually pissed off, alright, she thought. Instinctively, her hands raised to the sky.
"You don't move until I say so, got it?"
The merc sat in the seat across, his large frame masking Charon's movement from her field of vision. Although, it didn't matter- the crimson ghoul was already at his backside, his shotgun placed expertly against the ghoul's brains. All he needed was a threatening gesture, or a simple command.
The merc gave her a return surrender.
"Easy Charon," she warned. She did not spend months tracking this fuck just to have his corpse for a conversation. "We're not looking for trouble; just some information."
"Oh yeah?" His eyes drew into slits. "Real friendly way of askin'."
Evelyn gave a pause, and Charon took it as a nonverbal order. Some force was placed into the barrel of his gun, and she was rewarded with a rather nasty glare.
"Now," Charon commanded.
"Okay, easy! Don't kill him!" Evelyn's fingertips brushed against the burlap hood to reveal her face, and she gave the crimson ghoul a beseeching look. Charon rolled his eyes.
The hazy stare of the bounty hunter gave her a quick once over, his expression now mildly annoyed. "Can you call that thing off my back?"
Evelyn furrowed her brows together as Charon gave a subtle shake of his head- his indication of not a good idea. Despite the warning, she gave a nod, and the ferryman grumbled under his breath as he pulled himself away, keeping the shotgun directed for a quick blast- just in case.
The grey ghoul grabbed his chin and cracked the vertebrae in his neck loudly, making her inwardly cringe. How did he not paralyze himself from that?!
"What the hell do you want?" The bounty hunter gave a slight turn of his gaze to view Charon. "This ain't no place for a smoothskin like yourself…even if you got protection."
Evelyn leaned back in her seat, feeling the grain of the rough wood firm against her back. "I can take care of myself, thanks." She threw a hidden smile to Charon, who returned a dead-pan expression, and then redirected her attention to the ghoul seated across. "I know who you are."
"Hmm. Is that right?" An eyebrow muscle was raised down at her, a silent assessment of her face working behind his eyes.
His earlier ornery mannerism was replaced with a casual tone, and he dove a hand inside his jacket, placing her slightly on edge. She had heard he was a very good shot. Charon noticed her apprehension by the tightening of her lips, and he growled loudly enough for the bounty hunter to take warning.
"Listen, kid-" A worn, well-creased packet of smokes was pitched between them, and he rummaged half-mindedly through his jacket. "-this ain't no place for someone like you."
Well, you're not wrong, Evelyn thought wryly. I wouldn't be caught dead in this shithole.
She bridled at his implication. "I'm not a kid." She then rested her forearms on the table, leaning forward and licking at her lips. She mentally noted how he eyed her mouth. Perv. "I'll compensate you for your time. Please." And you better be thinking caps, old man.
The ghoul surprised her by barking out a rasped laugh. "What, you couldn't start with that before?" He stood. "Put the hood back on and follow me."
I meant caps, you better fucking ask me for caps! She bit her lower lip anxiously as he led them through the front door and into the humid night air. When he didn't pause or look back over his shoulder to them keeping in step behind, she glanced up to Charon beside her. He snorted at her misplaced concern with a look of I'll snap his neck if he tries anything.
That much was reassuring, and she went to open her mouth to speak when the grey ghoul suddenly spun around and thrust a finger at her face. "You're goin' to get yourself killed." He hacked up something and spat it to the side, and her nose crinkled in absolute disgust. "You're lucky you got fuckin' Grognak over here, girl like you just askin' for some trouble."
Now, she was getting heated. "And I said, I don't need protection." She ripped the hood back from her face, giving the ghoul a full stare-down with her stoked flames. "I need to know about Darcy Lackins." She ignored the ferryman's stare down at her- it was the first mention of anything relating to her personal vendetta that he had heard of.
Those glowing eyes drew down into slits, and the bounty hunter almost visibly rolled off his irritation as he mouthed a cigarette. "Not interested." A dismissal.
I did not travel all over the fucking wasteland for you to tell me that. The muscles in her jaw tightened as she clenched it. "I was told you're the man to speak to." She felt her hands twitch as she desired nothing more than to beat some sense into him, and so she crossed her arms, lest her body betray her. "Said you were last seen with her."
The sparks from the flint wheel of a lighter blew tiny orange fireworks in the dark space between them, until a wavering flame came to be at the end of his cigarette. Ugh- she hated the smell of smoke. Gave her a headache.
Cross turned his head to the side, and blew out a long plume into the air. For whatever reason unknown to God, man, woman, and child, she found the sight oddly attractive, and she punched her mental self in the face. Oh my God, I'm the pervert. Stop it! Stop it right-
"She's dead. Died in Braxton. That's all I can say about it."
She knew that…she knew that…she had to of. Darcy had been gone, ten fucking years, gone, what else could she have expected?!
The ghoul reached a large hand at her, startling her from her thoughts, but Charon intercepted with a warning grip on the bounty hunter's shoulder. The grey ghoul looked at the gloved hand silently threatening him, and then back down at her face. "Got yourself a good bodyguard…50 caps. No complaints."
She ignored the flop in her stomach from his analytical stare at her. "Wasn't going to." She sighed, slipping her bag from her shoulders and tossing her long, wavy hair behind herself.
A year's worth of travel, an unknown number of miles underfoot, and 50 caps…all for this. "Here." She paid him, thankful the dark shadows of night disguised the blush on her cheeks as their fingers momentarily grazed one another's. He was so warm. "And thanks."
She shouldered her pack, and felt his eyes burning a hole through her spine as he watched them go. When they were nearing the edge of town, she glanced up at her stoic companion, who looked back down at her with a questioning stare.
"Think we'll ever see him again?" A grumble was her answer, and she grinned. "Yeah, me neither…so, ever been to Braxton?"
