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Author's Note:
Chapter Two is done. I don't normally update this fast, it's more like every few weeks. I had a previous iteration of this story sitting so with some edits the Prologue and Chapter One, they were ready to roll after an evening. Chapter Two took a few days because only about a tenth of the original content was salvageable.
Before, I had planned a faithful rendition of the questline but I asked myself...WHY? Everyone knows how it goes! There were parts that caused me annoyance or even bored me to tears. Why not throw some more original elements in? It's coming!
-Wolf
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Baptized by Fallout
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Chapter Two
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Okay, so maybe today wasn't a total washout, Jon thought to himself. Had his whole life imploded into some kind of mass of fuckery and pain? Yes. Did he fight horrible, giant apocalyptic cockroaches? Check. Did he escape the icy prison of Vault 111? Double check.
Made a possible valuable new ally? He supposed so.
After the food had been doled out in the best bowls Benny had on hand...which weren't great he started prodding Jon about the vault. Mostly cause he wanted to know what kind of fucked up shit Vault-Tec had been doing behind those great big blast doors.
The food was...edible, while it wasn't unappetizing it did taste strongly of shellfish. Benny had called it Mirelurk etouffee. Jon had never heard of such a thing so naturally he inquired about the source. Benny's answer shouldn't have surprised him after fighting mutated cockroaches. Who'd have thought atomic fallout would create such monsters.
"Freezing people in pods? That's kinda tame for them man, you sure they didn't do nothing else to you guys?"
Jon shook his head affirming that he was positive.
"Just the few I know about, there's one there on the edge of the Glowing Sea, Scavs said they'd been feeding the residents chems to see what happened. Totally overrun with Gunners now though..." Benny paused, scratching the side of his head through his mask, "there's another one under a school somewhere out east. Killed all the parents. Something about breeding the kids, dark shit,"
Jon frowned and asked, "The "Glowing Sea"? Something happen to the Atlantic? What's a "Scav"?"
"Aight look, "Scav" is short for scavenger, I'm a "Scav". It's a noble gig, we keep the wastes going with the crap we dredge up. Don't ever let no waste walker tell you it ain't. People need the stuff I, we find," Benny paused again.
"An the Glowing Sea ain't so much a body of water as it's a place way to the south of here. You wouldn't catch my ass there dead or alive. That big flash you saw before you went underground? That was ground zero where the bomb dropped here in Boston. You think this here is a wasteland? Nah buddy, this place ain't got shit on the Glowing Sea. Everything got flattened, for miles. Pools of radioactive waste. The air is black with ash, always. If that ain't bad enough, some of the nastiest shit in the Commonwealth lives out there, I'm talk'in hordes of Ferals, Radscorpions, and Deathclaws, savvy?"
"I don't know what any of that shit is but it does sound like a bad day,"
"Pray you never do pal. Especially Deathclaws. They're pretty rare out here, but not unheard of. A single Deathclaw is bad, god help you if ya stumble up on a pack ha-ha," Benny chuckled.
"That bad, huh," Jon scooped another bite of etouffee, and reached for some water from the pack that now sat between his feet.
"Okay, let me help you picture this. Aight, you think Radroaches and Mirelurks are freaky enough? No, picture a lizard like 9 feet tall. Like a raptor with horns. That 9 feet thing? That's just on the smaller side, there's been bulls killed that measured 12 to 13 feet tall, easy. They got these claws, that can tear through steel. Power armor is not the great equalizer with these things. They are fast, and vicious, hence the name, "Deathclaw". I do a good enough job for ya?"
Jon took that bit of info in and felt a legitimate chill run down his spine. How in the hell was there anyone left alive with shit like that running around?
"How did all this shit mutate overnight? I know we were in cryo but shit just doesn't evolve like that,"
Jon noticed Benny hadn't touched his food yet. Not that he could between his lengthy explanations for Jon and that assault mask. He put his bowel down, and put his hands on his knees leaning closer towards Jon.
"This didn't happen overnight Jon, lemme ask you this: how long you think you were on ice for?"
"I have no idea. The experiment was supposed to go 180 days or until Vault-Tec sent those fucks a signal. With the decomp I saw in the vault, and all this, at least a few years I reckon," Jon scraped the remnants of his food and swallowed.
He heard Benny suck in a big ole gulp of air, "Boy have I got some news for you bud. You're not wrong, but you ain't right either. It's been a few something alright, a few hundred somethings to be exact,"
Jon sat up straight in his chair and froze. He bored holes straight into Benny's mask, hoping to find some hint of a lie. If it hadn't been for dog sized roaches, Jon wouldn't have even entertained half this conversation to begin with. He hopped up from his chair, still clutching his empty bowl and started pacing.
"Are you seriously trying to tell me...that it's been two whole centuries...since I went into that fucking vault?"
He stopped, staring Benny down and pointing his free hand back the general direction of 111.
"Uh, yeah. That's what I just said. Last I checked its almost 2290, give or take a few years. I'm a ghoul, you tend not to give a shit about that stuff after your first century...but for you I'm sure it's pretty jarring. I've met other ghouls who were from before the war, so its kinda cool in a sense that you got that perspective without actually being one of us,"
Jon stifled a laugh, this guy was a fucking loon. Thank god. He was pretty believable up until all that. Humans were barely lucky to make 80, and this Benny guy was sitting here talking about bicentennial lifespans. He noticed Benny cock his head like he was confused by Jon's response.
"The pressure finally catching up to ya Jon? I didn't really catch what was funny."
"It's you. Cause you're fucking crazy, no body lives for THAT long. What are you? Dracula?" Jon stifled a chuckle, and raised his hands in a vampiresque fashion, mockingly.
Benny waved him off, "Yeah, ok. I get it, you curb stomped a pack of roaches the size of schnauzers but a 130 year old ghoul is ridiculous. Y'know what man, I'm gonna take my mask off. I was being nice and giving you a chance to finish your food anyway...you better not fucking shoot me!" Benny jabbed an accusing finger at his guest.
Jon raised an eyebrow, "If you're ugly, you're ugly. I've never shot anyone for it,"
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Benny grabbed the top of his mask and in a deft movement he yanked it free, and surprise overtook Jon. He honestly thought he was looking at a burn victim.
Or maybe bad zombie make-up.
"What the fu-what happened to you?" Jon corrected himself, but he felt rude regardless.
"This is a side effect of when ya suffer extreme radiation. Some people die, others become ghouls. Nobody is sure why. It's like the world's shittiest trade for immortality. Your good looks or your life, which I guess after 40 doesn't matter much anyway. In a bizarre twist of irony, I'm now immune to radiation," Benny imitated "jazz hands" making what Jon could only guess was a smirk, it was hard to tell without a face.
Jon sat back down, rubbing his temples.
"Take ya time, it's a lot to process. You want some more?" Benny pointed at his empty bowl.
Benny had no idea. Jon had purposely neglected to mention Maggie or Shaun. As far as Benny knew, Jon was just a lucky, albeit unwilling participant in a science experiment gone wrong.
"Yeah...sure," Jon answered, "I got shit that needs handling, I don't even know where to begin..."he groaned as he handed his bowl over.
"You know, ya took that pretty good. There are people out there that shoot ghouls on site."
"Yeah, why is that? Being ugly a crime now?" Jon mused.
"Hey!" Benny jabbed his finger at him again, and handed Jon his second helping. He picked up his own bowl now that he was free to eat, unobstructed.
"I'm gonna cut you some slack cause you're new but that's rude. I know this face is fucked but you ain't gotta mention it," he took a spoonful in, "Mhm, damn this turned out great...but anyways, some people are like that cause some ghouls go mad and turn Feral. Ferals aren't a big deal alone, but swarms are fucking dangerous. You think I look bad? They actually DO look like zombies,"
There was a slight lull in the conversation as both men focused more on their meal than each other. It wasn't long before Benny spoke up again.
"Be careful the way you talk to some of us. It's already hard living out here, but ghouls get a bad rap. We're treated like second class citizens just about every where we go, so a lotta us already got a big chip on our shoulder when it comes to Smoothskins,"
"Smoothskins?"
"Ghoul slang for normal folk,"
"Gotcha, is there anything about the world now that's nice? Or is it all just radiation poisoning and nightmares?"
The ghoul downed another spoonful of etouffee and paused, seemingly taking his time to find an appropriate answer.
"Y'know Jon, this shit is all I've ever known. I've heard stories from the old boys like I said, read books, and seen pictures of before the war. I don't have a REAL measuring stick to compare then to now. Are things pretty rough out here? Yeah, but I don't think its always a struggle..."
Benny ate a few more spoonfuls before he continued, "I live in a wasteland, and sometimes when the clouds sit just right and the sun sets, and the raiders ain't blasting shit in the distance it is kinda peaceful, serene even. You also appreciate the little things," he wagged his spoon hand between Jon and himself.
"Like take us for instance, I still got enough humanity to me to set up some grub, and help a rookie out. You? I'm sure it's been a tense couple days, but you didn't come in blasting in blind panic. We're just a couple guys hav'in a civil late lunch...or early dinner, whatever. A lot of times out here, it's dog eat dog,"
"That's sad, real sad," Jon commented.
"It is what is, people are just out here trying to survive Jon. It's a lot better in some of the settlements, but you definitely take a chance wandering around out there..." the ghoul scooped some more food from his bowl.
Jon started to set his bowl down when Benny stopped him, "If you're done I'll take it bud,"
"Yeah, sure," Jon replied, handing his bowl back to the ghoul, "You said there's settlements? Any real big concentrations?"
"Not really, except for Diamond City."
Jon grunted, "Diamond City?"
"Yeah, I guess to you it was Fenway Park. I stayed there for a time. Maybe 15, 20 years ago, glad I left. They've had a new mayor for awhile now, bigoted asshole ran on pushing all the ghouls out. Bunch of guys went to Good Neighbor, and before you ask, yeah it's another town but don't let the name fool ya. It's mostly cutthroats and gangsters,"
"How long have you been here in Sanctuary Hills?"
Benny sighed, "Uhhhhhh, close to a decade, I guess? Bounced around a bit after the Diamond, caught some rumors about this place and came to check it out. Had to do some exterminating but I think it's worked out for me. There'd been some other Scavs out here at some point but there was still some good salvage here,"
Benny noticed the thoughtful look on Jon's face, "Did you, uh, live here?"
Jon ran a hand over his scalp and looked at the ghoul, "I did," he said sighing, "The house across the stre-" he stopped himself short, he hadn't meant to admit such a personal detail.
"Oh pal, I'm sorry I asked," Benny apologized.
Jon rested his chin on a closed fist, "What're you sorry for? This shit wasn't your fault,"
"That nursery, the crib, that ain't your doing?" Benny questioned him.
The ghoul watched Jon stiffen, obviously a sore subject. Benny tensed a little himself, but Jon finally relaxed a little and so did he. Once upon a time, he could understand that pain.
"Yeah...he was a year old when the bombs fell. I had a wife, a family, friends. I had a life,"
"I bet a lot of other folks did too...they're not up the hill?"
"No, everyone is dead...I didn't want to say earlier. Everyone's dead, except my kid,"
"Where's he at? It's been ages since I met any kiddos," Benny seemed pretty excited at the idea, Jon reckoned babies weren't a common thing here in the wastes.
"I'm not sure...someone woke us from cryo. Some bald headed merc type with a scar, and someone in a containment suit...they wanted Shaun and Maggie wouldn't give him up, so the fucker shot her..."
"Aw jeez, I thought my story was sad, but my ex-wife was just a bitch. THAT, that is a sad story, my condolences," Benny offered.
"Thanks.." Jon said softly, "They put me back under. Somehow I woke up again, clawed my way out of the vault and now we're here...you've been here long enough, did you see anything at all?"
"Nah bud, afraid not,"
"You said the vault makes a shit ton of noise, how could you not?" Jon's tone was accusatory.
Benny threw his hands up, defensively, "Whoa, whoa don't knot yourself up any more than ya already are. I said when the DOOR opens. They're hard to get into, not impregnable. Besides, you ain't got a clue as to when this happened. Could have been 30 years before you woke up again, long fore I got here,"
Jon felt the breath suck out of his lungs. Yet another possibility he hadn't considered with the myriad of things going on in his mind. If it'd really been 200 hundred years, what's to say someone didn't defrost them a 100 years ago. Shaun could've lived his whole life out in this nightmare alone. Jon choked back a sob, and sniffled, hanging his head for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
"Fuck this place..." Jon grumbled lowly.
It was something of an unspoken code that men didn't cry in front of other men. That was still as much a rule today as it was 200 years ago, but Benny couldn't help but feel like a dick for prying. This poor schmuck, he probably kitted up, hellbent on finding the last thing that mattered to him in this world and Benny, the scav ghoulie of Sanctuary Hills just blew that ship out the water.
"Hey pal, I know this doesn't seem like hopeful prospect, but I can be wrong too. Sometimes I'm gone for a day or two scavenging. Or maybe they made their own door somewhere. He could still be out there, I don't know," the ghoul offered, "I feel for ya bud, I really do. I had a family once too,"
"Did they shoot your wife and kidnap your kid too?" Jon didn't even really think about it before he said it. The sarcasm tried to be biting but it came worn out, tired sounding.
"Y'know, that might have been a preferable story in my case but no. After I turned ghoul, my old lady and I tired to make it work...but no dice. Couldn't bear the sight of me no more. She grabbed my girls and ran away, never saw them again. I coulda understood if she didn't wanna bump uglies no more but she could've stayed. Coulda let me keep being a dad,"
"I'm sorry too,"
"Don't be, happened a long time ago...I can't even picture their faces anymore," the ghoul mused.
The two didn't say anything more, opting to continue in awkward silence while Benny ate his fill. Jon appeared pensive as he gazed into the fire. Their conversation had highlighted a lot of things for Jon, in particular his ignorance of how things worked in the wasteland. It was like being deployed half way around the world, but it was his own damn backyard.
The next troubling matter...was his missing son. There was a 200 hundred year window, the trail could be red hot, stone cold or anything in between. At best, he might find Shaun and cobble together something resembling a life. At worst, he became another casualty of the wastes without ever finding his kid, failing to keep his promise to Maggie. Jon grimaced, and buried his hand in his pack rummaging. He needed a drink, and he had just the thing.
Benny was the first fleck of hospitality in this nuclear nightmare. Despite his own tragedy, Jon had been a bit rude here and there so maybe he could offer some form of apology and thanks at the same time.
"Ah, all this misery..." Jon paused before producing the bottle of Kentucky whiskey from his effects, "I think we could use a couple drinks,"
Benny made the closest approximation to a smile his ghoul face would allow, "Ha! Misery does enjoy company! I knew I'd like you."
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The new found friends retired indoors to share a few glasses of aged whiskey, amazingly Benny produced ice of all things. The old ghoul was somewhat proficient at repairing old appliances, another skill of the wastes he called it.
Now seated on an old, gray couch against the wall in Benny's approximation of a living room Jon looked around at the collection of mismatched tables and chairs. In front of him, a rectangular sheet of plywood supported by, you guessed it, more cinderblocks served as a coffee table. It's only decorations, an empty ash tray and worn books. Benny himself opted for the dingy, dark green arm chair across from Jon's right. He had another arm chair, some shade of red set in a similar fashion to the left. A short end table separated the two.
The houses here had been modular, so they could be quickly produced. They shared a lot of internal characteristics such as the built-in shelves. Benny had lined those nearest them with all manner of reclaimed books and baubles. Jon supposed you had to find something to occupy your time here.
The opposite shelves, he could see had been turned into a pantry of sorts. Several canned goods, packaged food or bottled drinks piled the shelves. Benny had an impressive larder for the state of the world. A metal table stood solitary near by, as well as several folding chairs stacked neatly in the corner. A smaller, narrow doorway gave way to the kitchen from where Benny had returned rattling glasses with ice.
The boarded windows and makeshift door made the home overly dark, something Benny countered with a couple camping lanterns strategically placed around the room. "Sorry, I rigged the fridge to use fusion cells but no real lights or running water round here," he had apologized.
With liquid comfort in hand, their focus shifted from the pain of their personal lives to Jon's education of the new world he found himself in. He found himself feeling extremely appreciative of his good fortune meeting Benny as the ghoul gave him a more detailed explanation of the wasteland. Jon listened intently as Benny described local dangers like the tribalistic raiders and ravenous Molerats, infested locales he should avoid.
Dangers he might face in the city like the brutish, intellectually challenged Super Mutants. Huge, barrel chested humanoids with fists like dumbbells. Benny joked that the big, dumb lummoxes often stood around in a circle shouting at one another about who the strongest mutant was if they weren't busy murdering some hapless traveler. Lethal security bots and other military hardware leftover from the war ran unchecked, sometimes employed by the Gunners, a large mercenary force that operated here in the Commonwealth. A litany of mutated wildlife also posed significant hazards.
Benny stressed that no matter what, rule number one of surviving the wastes should be to expect the unexpected.
Second, the currency of the world now commonly revolved around, of all things..Nuka-Cola bottle caps. In cases where a guy found his pockets light, barter rules applied. Which in Benny's case had made scavenging a good gig. Paper money was a thing of the old world.
Third, most problems out here could be solved with bullets or caps. For everything else, there was duct tape the ghoul joked.
They had drank about half the whiskey while the day passed by, and decidedly called it quits. Benny checked between some cracks in the boards of the back window, announcing the impending sunset.
"Benny..." Jon called.
"Yeah bud,' the ghoul answered, glasses clinked as he set them in sink.
"You think you could bring me to Diamond City?"
Benny walked back into the main room, rubbing the back of his leathery neck.
"I think we can be good pals Jon, but I'm not exactly comfortable with that. I told ya how they feel about ghouls there, sides, I'm not really the fighting type,"
He sat back down in the musty arm chair, it groaned at his weight. Benny crossed a leg over his knee and continued, "I'm sure you'd still find enough landmarks to find your way but if you really want a guide, Carla's due for visit. I ain't seen her in like a month. I'm sure she'd appreciate a capable fella like yourself,"
"I can't wait Benny, the guy that shot Maggie has enough of a lead on me as it is," Jon leaned forward, hands dangling between his knees.
"If you're in that much of a rush I don't suppose I can stop ya. At least stay the night, I'll find you some gear outta my stash in the morning. The wastes ain't nowhere to be after dark," Benny implored him.
"I hadn't wanted to ask, but yeah if you don't mind me crashing the couch, I appreciate it Benny. I know it isn't much, but if you want the rest of it can keep the whiskey. I got some other stuff I picked up in the vault too..."
"Nah bud, the whiskey's fine. Don't even sweat it, I got enough shit back there I can part with," Benny waved his hand dismissively towards the back of the house.
"Besides, I'm sure some of the stuff back there was yours to begin with, I did scavenge all these houses when I got here," the ghoul added. "Think of it as safe keeping," Benny winked.
Jon chuckled, and remembered the Pip-boy around his arm.
"I could give you this, you said vault dwellers weren't common. I don't really need the extra attention. You could get into 111, maybe do some salvage," he offered, waving the computer on his forearm.
Benny snorted, "I knew I was gonna like you ha-ha,"
"Just watch out for roaches,"
"Heh, yeah. You know, I'd almost forgot what it was like having real company. This has been nice, I'm glad ya came along Jon...and hang on...I'll be right back!"
Benny jumped up and shuffled to the back of the house. Jon could hear piles being shifted around, drawers opening and closing as his host rummaged about. After several minutes of this Jon heard Benny exclaim loudly, "Aha! Found it!" The ghoul bounded down the hall, he grabbed Jon's hand and forced something small and plastic into it. Jon pulled his hand back, observing the white and orange cartridge in his palm.
"A holotape?"
"Yeah bud, read the other side," Benny motioned for him to turn it over.
He rolled the tape over, it said "For Jon" in faded, black marker. He felt his heart catch in his throat.
"What...what is this?" He croaked.
Benny waved circles with his hands, "Like I said. I scavenged what was left here when I showed up. Found a lot of personal stuff like pictures and albums...I was gonna toss it all but I stopped, felt guilty about it y'know. These people lived here, it just felt wrong to throw it away. I found THAT," Benny pointed, "In your old house, I ain't never listened to this or anything else I found, I just kept it in a box,"
"I don't have a player," Jon shrugged.
"Yeah, you do. The Pip-boy, hit the top deck,"
Jon quizzically looked at the device. The ghoul sighed, "Like this bud," and popped the tape deck open for him. "...thanks," Jon murmured, a little embarrassed he couldn't figure out something so simple. He slid the holotape in the open slot and forced it down, the little micro computer whirred as "Reading" flashed across its monitor. Suddenly a scratchy sound filled the room, like someone shifting a microphone about.
"Hello?"
Jon swallowed the lump in his throat, that was Maggie's voice...
"I guess this thing is working, score one for me," she laughed.
"Jon, honey, I wanted to record a tape for you...just to let you know how much I love you. How much Shaun loves you." as if one cue, the gurgles of a content infant blended into the background.
"Yes! Yes you do! Dontcha little man!" Maggie blew a raspberry, causing the baby boy to squeal with delight.
"We've done so much this year but especially you. I know it wasn't an easy choice giving up the army, but I know you did it for us. You did it for Shaun, and I love you so, so much."
Maggie giggled, probably at something Shaun did.
"I know you find "civilian" life a little intimidating but you'll be here so Shaun can see what a strong...loving man you are. You're the world's best dad, no matter what you think,"
"One little piggy, two little piggies..." she sang.
Maggie would often grab Shaun's toes, singing that silly tune.
Shaun squealed again, "Yes, I got the little piggies didn't I sweetie?" Maggie cooed.
"I don't care what you decide to do now, as long as you're happy Jon, and we can keep growing this little family of ours. You are the missing piece of my puzzle, I love you,"
"Halloween is so close little mister!" she's talking to Shaun again, "You are going to be the CUTEST pumpkin! And daddy is gonna be a scarecrow and take you trick-or-treating for the first time!"
Shaun gave off a little giggle.
Jon heard a door slam in the background.
"Maggie?" his voice rings out, "I'm back from the store, they were out of wipes!"
"Oops, gotta go! Can't spoil the surprise! I love you honey, mwah..."
Tears had started pooling under Jon's eyes while the recording played, sliding down his cheeks in silent streaks.
"Aw jeez, I should have gave ya some privacy..." Benny started, taking a step back.
Jon stood up and hugged the ghoul, man code be damned.
"...Thank you,"
Benny forcibly pushed Jon back while rubbing his own eyes.
"Shit," the ghoul cursed, "Now you're gett'in me all worked up!"
Benny extended an open palm, "Y'know, for what it's worth. She sounded beautiful,"
Jon sniffed, "Yeah...she was," he said, as he shook Benny's hand in a mutual understanding between fathers.
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It'd been hours since that emotional little scene. Benny had retired to his room, Jon could hear the ghoul's faint snores at the end of the house. The walls were worn thin due to time.
Benny had to been kind enough to find him a pillow and blankets before he went to bed but sleep eluded Jon. He supposed his body felt it had enough slumber in the 200 hundred years it spent in cryo.
He was so tired he didn't understand it. He was physically exhausted from escaping 111. He was mentally exhausted from the strain of processing his losses. He'd been drinking liquor, a natural depressant. By all rights, he should be out like a rock.
Maybe it was the unnatural quiet of the wasteland, broken only by the occasional howl of the wind. It was so different from the nightly noises he was used to. There was always the crackle of the baby monitor as Shaun turned in his sleep, they were lucky he was such a good baby. Or the hum of electricity in the walls of the house. Outside, just your standard suburban ambience sprinkled the background. Maybe it was the lumpy couch under his backside, he did have this spring digging into his thigh he thought. It was a far cry from the comfort of the king sized bed he shared with his wife.
Yes, the likely culprit...was his missing wife.
You don't just establish a routine and break it without consequence. He'd grown so use to having her nestled under him he took it for granted. Sometimes he'd wake in the middle of the night, reliving some long past carnage from the war. His heart would race, the blood pounding in his ears would drown out the world around him.
Maggie wasn't just his wife, she was his lightning rod.
He'd feel her there and know where he was. Not some frozen tundra outside Anchorage channeling round after round into communist soldiers. Not bogged down under enemy fire while he tried to stop one of his boys from bleeding out. He was home, in bed with the woman he loved with all his heart and soul.
Jon had faded into thought for awhile now, it felt almost as good as sleep. At some point he'd pass out, it was just waiting game.
He turned his attention back to the real world...call it instinct. Jon couldn't figure out what it was, something was unsettling him...
An odor started to fill the house, like dried blood and rancid meat. The smell of death. Jon bolted upright, snatching his rifle from the floor. Just a hint of moonlight shown thru the boarded window, Jon tried to peer into the darkness.
Had something gotten in?
He tried to think of all the times he had smelled something similar. War had its own odors, this was something older to him...something familiar. He thought back to hunting trips with his dad. His father was a big trophy hunter. Bobcats, foxes, bears, any carnivore was a thrill to the old man but Jon remembered, all these animals had a similar stink...the stink of death. Much like Jon was smelling now, but on a grander scale than he'd ever experienced.
Something began to scrape high on the wall outside, almost like nails on a chalkboard. It started low, growing progressively louder as though whatever was outside was starting to rend the wall. It approached the outside of Jon's room, Benny's snoring ceased and Jon could hear the ghoul slump to the floor in a panic. Whatever was outside must have too because the scraping stopped. The little moonlight that been seeping in between the boards on the window vanished, swallowed by shadow. Jon leveled his rifle there, just as Benny stumbled into the room.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," the ghoul whispered loudly.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhh!"
A deep, guttural growl emanated from the other side of the window. It was big, it was nasty, sweat began to bead Jon's brow as his finger slipped over his trigger. The monster gave off a throaty chortle, and the house began to groan as the creature climbed onto the roof. Jon trailed the protesting steel with his barrel, not entirely sure how much protection the weapon would be against this unseen force. The frail supports of the roof continued to fuss under the assault of the monster's girth. Jon couldn't see Benny, but he knew the ghoul had to be freaking out the same as he.
Suddenly a rumble built into deafening roar above their heads. Jon felt the air around him vibrate, even in his very bones. His body wouldn't move, paralyzed by the sheer volume of it. Dread and fear filled him. They could hear its claws scrape, Jon pictured some dark, red eyed demon tearing away at the roof. Man and ghoul both waited with baited breath.
In the far distance several explosions popped off one after another. The clawing at the roof stopped, as though the creature paused to evaluate this new occurrence. Gunfire echoed, followed by more explosions. That deep chortle sounded again, it was curious. The roof creaked following its movements, before a large THUD impacted outside the room
Benny and Jon stayed silent for a long time while the sounds of battle wailed in the distance. It was far off at least, and hopefully drawing whatever the fuck that was further from them.
Finally after what felt like an eternity, Benny spoke, "I am like...95% positive that was a fucking deathclaw..."
Jon dropped his rifle, "I thought you said they were rare?" he shot back.
"THEY are! I guess YOU'RE just incredibly bad luck! Man, I hope that thing ain't fucked up the roof," Benny grumbled.
"Is that something we're gonna have to keep worrying about?"
"No...I don't think so," Benny paused, "The solitary ones usually like to keep moving, packs will bed down, nest. I'm definitely gonna be watching my back for awhile, who ever is doing all that blasting, they have my sympathies,"
Benny stood there in the dark waiting for another response from Jon. Finally, the ghoul grew a tad impatient, "Jon?"
He fumbled towards the couch. With the renewed moonlight he could just faintly make out Jon sitting on the couch, head slumped forward with his rifle in his hands.
"Jon?"
The slow, rhythmic rise and fall of Jon's chest told Benny all he needed to know. The ghoul grunted, guess his guest really needed the rest.
"Guy's had a rough day,"
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Day broke in Sanctuary Hills once more. Benny didn't sleep well after his late night visitor. The shooting that drew the beast off last night died off maybe an hour or so after Jon passed out. He didn't know if it was because whoever was fighting finally won, or if the deathclaw tagged in. Either way, he didn't want to find out.
He wanted to check the damage to his house. Benny found Jon still zonked out on the couch as he passed through the living room, much in the same way he looked last night. Upright, rifle still in his hands. Made sense, the guy's wife said he was military. He felt a tinge guilty about the tape last night. That really was a private moment and he'd just stood there gaping like a fish while Jon listened to probably the only record he had of his wife.
He thought of his own family. It'd been so long ago he had trouble remembering his kids' names much less their faces. He'd been bitter about his ex-wife's decision for a long time, then one day he just got the fuck over it. His little girls would be old women by now. He hoped where ever the bitch had squirreled them off to they'd been happy, and had families of their own.
Benny tiptoed outside, partly not to wake Jon, partly because he was worried that overgrown iguana had come back. What he told Jon last night was true, but it wasn't always the case. Benny had encountered deathclaws maybe twice in the last 50 years. Each time was a hair raising experience, well, if he had any hair. He checked his corners, once satisfied the coast was clear he ventured out further just to get a look at the roof.
He wasn't a carpenter by any means, the shoddy patchwork he did on the roof was just good enough to keep most of the rain out. Benny frowned seeing a large section of tarp he'd laid out had been shredded as that damned thing tried to work its way in. He walked around back, eyeing his garden. Some of the vegetables he'd been growing were trampled.
"Fucking newt," he muttered.
Claw marks marred the rear wall just under the overhang of the roof, this thing was tall. Not a record breaker, but likely a bull. Benny couldn't even reach to lowest claw mark stretching both his arms over his head. It actually HAD tore into the wall in some spots. More patchwork, he'd have to cannibalize one of the other homes for materials.
"Just dandy, fucking dandy..."
Jon awoke, the first thing he noticed was the terrible crick in his neck and stiff hands. He honestly didn't remember falling asleep after the late night scare but he guessed the adrenaline dump had been the final straw. Benny had reignited the lanterns but the ghoul was no where to be seen. Jon leaned his rifle up against the couch so he could find some relief from his ailments. He stood and with a few stretches and expert cracks the joints in his hands and spine found satisfaction.
True to his word, Benny had set some stuff out on the dinner table for Jon. He picked amongst the offerings, changing clothes and situating his new provisions in his pack. The clothing Benny left him was all darker, neutral colors similar to the wastes, so maybe he wouldn't look like Papa Smurf traipsing through the apocalypse...and there were pockets...lots of pockets.
There had been some kind of leather rigging which after Jon separated it out, he realized it was armor with its own pouches and holsters. His 10mm from the vault fit snugly in its new home. Benny had also graced him with a sawed off shotgun in its very own drop holster that Jon situated on his support side. Sadly he didn't have anywhere for his baton, so he tucked it inside the vambrace on his left arm.
Of the things left on the table, he had an option of a couple scarves and hats. Eyewear was limited to a set of motorcycle googles. Jon picked the darker of the two scarves, bundling it around his throat and pulled the googles down under his chin. He smiled at the hats, and made his selection, a brown fedora.
He laughed as he looked himself over, he looked like the Indiana Jones of the wastes off to explore the next vault. Jon folded his previous effects for Benny, setting the Pip-Boy down gently on top.
He stepped out the threshold of the front door, shielded by the awning from the mid morning sun. Jon had half expected to find Benny tinkering around out here, or perched at his makeshift stove but he didn't see the ghoul anywhere. He did see several sheets of steel that look like they'd been plied off another home stacked at the end of the driveway though. He walked around back, scoping out the meager garden he hadn't seen yesterday. He noticed the trampled plants Benny had seen earlier that morning, his eyes raked over the wall. Jon felt himself pale a little bit at the height of marks.
"Jesus, I'm glad that thing fucked off,"
He walked back under the carport, still no sign of Benny. He wondered just where the ghoul had wandered off to, it couldn't be far. Jon's eyes settled on his old house, it loomed before him. He sighed, nostalgia washed over him. He approached the front steps, the door hung loosely by the bottom hinge. To think, just a few days ago in his eyes this had been their new dream home,
Look at it now.
"HEY!" Jon turned at the sound of Benny's rasp.
"I see you found the stuff I, uh left out," the ghoul grunted as he carried another sheet of metal over his crown.
"I saw the back of the house,"
"Yeah well, it could be worse," Benny heaved the sheet forward, it clanged on the pile, "Not like it's the end of the world or anything," he joked,
Jon smirked, "Yeah, we could have been lizard snacks. Thanks for the upgrades, left the vault suit and stuff on the table,"
"Ain't you got a dig somewhere, Dr. Jones?" Benny snickered.
"What do you know about Indiana Jones? Thought that was before your time,"
"Hey, some stuff made it. I still ain't ever seen the Temple of Doom, Crystal Skull sucked. Although I did think the bit about riding out a nuke in a fridge was funny,"
"That was the last movie they made, the temple is better,"
"Well let me know if you find a copy,"
Jon laughed, "If I happen across one, sure,"
Benny disappeared inside his house. Jon signed again and turned back towards his house, sinking into thought.
"I love you,"
"Hey," Benny grabbed his shoulder, shaking Jon out of his daydream.
He snorted and looked back at the ghoul, he saw Benny had his pack and rifle in tow.
"Trying to push me out the door?"
"Ha, no...I just figured you should get a move on if you wanna make Diamond City before nightfall. It's almost lunch already,"
"Fair point, after last night I'm pretty sure I don't want to camp,"
"Well, I'd rather ya jut stay here, or wait for Carla. Honestly it's been a long time since I had company I enjoyed. Kinda makes ya realize you miss the small talk,"
"Shaun's out there, I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try," Jon said as he gazed into the distance,
"Well look, I wasn't gonna tell ya after last night but there were people living over in Concord,"
"Were?"
"I dunno, they were a bunch of bigots. They know I'm here, I know they're there, we just stay outta the other's way but there's a problem,"
"Concord...Concord...that's..." Jon thought to himself, "That's the town down from the Red Rocket isn't it?"
"Yeah, but after last night I don't think I'd be headed over there,"
"That's right, the gunfire did sound like it was coming from out that way..."
"And we know the deathclaw heard all the racket,"
"Stepping into a war zone isn't smart to begin with, but Godzilla makes things worse," Jon rubbed his eyes.
"I can promise ya this, all that thunder was probably raiders but...maybe the folks there saw your guy, if they're still alive,"
"Thanks Benny," Jon held up his closed first.
Benny dapped it with his own.
"As far as I'm concerned man you always got a place here, it was your home before it was mine,"
"No...this isn't my home anymore...but if I find Shaun, I'll be back,"
"I'd like that, Uncle Benny's got a ring to it don't ya think?" the ghoul smiled.
"Heh, yeah. See ya Benny, wish me luck," Jon slipped his pack over his shoulders and slung his rifle.
He gave Benny a wave and started down the street.
"Good luck Jon, watch your back!" the ghoul called after him.
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