Cosa Nostra
"How're you feeling?" Jack asked, glancing down at Sarah.
"Queasy." Sarah clamped her hand to her stomach, screwing her eyes shut and trying to banish what she'd just seen. Nisha had been a horrible person, but Sarah knew her screams of pain would haunt her for years to come. Mrs. Bossanova could have just killed her, ended it quick, not stooped to Nisha's level. Instead she dragged her into the spotlight and made an example of her. Sarah understood why —it was the way of Nuka World after all—but it still made her sick to her—
As if on cue, Sarah staggered to the side and vomited again. There wasn't much left now, only bile, but she retched and heaved, the noises echoing in the empty corridor as tears pricked her eyes. Jack crouched down next to her and laid a hand on her back, massaging her shoulders gently.
"Try to see this as a good thing," Jack said, her voice soft.
"What, murder?" Sarah spat. "Torture?"
"No. That it still bothers you."
Sarah coughed, wiping her mouth, and looked up to meet Jack's eyes. She was smiling.
"The first time I met you, I said you'd have to become a killer to win. I think my exact words were 'Slaughter us all. Earn your way to the top.'"
Sarah nodded. She hadn't forgotten. Jack's prediction had stayed with her, guiding her every action, condemning her every move. She shivered. "And you were right."
"No," Jack said, shaking her head. "I was wrong. You did things your own way, never gave in. Sarah, you go out of your way to make life difficult for yourself, to do things the hard way, because you think it's right." Her smile grew wider. "You could have left everyone to burn. But you didn't."
Sarah said nothing, her heart beating fast. Jack placed her hands on Sarah's shoulders and gave them a small squeeze.
"You made it. And you did it without becoming like us."
She looked a little sad as she said this, and Sarah felt a twinge of pity. Jack, at least, had been given the worst start in life—enslaved, made to do terrible things. Sarah supposed she had too, in a way, but their circumstances didn't match completely. Could she really judge Jack for making the best of what she had?
"If I was going to pick a raider to end up like, I'd rather be like you," Sarah said, giving her a small smile. "You care a bit more than the others."
Jack laughed shakily. "God, you don't want to be like me. I tried to be too clever and nearly lost everything in the process—the people that mean the most to me."
"Gage and the brothel?"
"Yes." Jack paused. "And you and the boss too."
Sarah blinked, surprised. But as she thought on it, she realised Jack was right. She would never have chosen any of them to rely on, to care for...and yet here she was, risking life and limb to make sure they were safe. It wasn't like she could claim it was just for the slaves, either. Only Mrs. Bossanova mattered for that.
Sarah slowly got to her feet and together they continued down the corridor, Jack shooting her concerned glances, hiding behind her pleasant smile. She'd been playing a very dangerous game all these months, and Sarah was surprised she hadn't been killed tonight. Her thoughts drifted back to the moment Jack found her and Mrs. Bossanova inside the power plant.
It had certainly been a close one.
"I've got you," Mrs. Bossanova yelled, holding Sarah in her arms as she forced her way through the crowd. She dodged Disciples, her terrified expression mirrored in the racing of Sarah's heart. The last few minutes had been a blur of fear and pain, the rotten smell of Dixie as she gripped her tight, her blade ripping through the meat of her neck. Blood...so much blood...pressure on her shoulders...and then a beautiful, suffocating warmth.
Now she felt heavy, her throat raw and stinging, her stomach churning as she clutched at Mrs. Bossanova's clothes. Her mind flitted in and out of reality, the faint smell of smoke filling her head as she remembered the way her mother used to hold her before she...before she changed.
Mrs. Bossanova burst out into the corridor and continued to run, gripping Sarah tight to her chest, whispering reassurances into her ear as she carried her away from the danger. Sarah said nothing, too weak to do much else but cling to consciousness. Finally Mrs. Bossanova slowed to a stop, placing Sarah gently on the floor, before patting her pockets and cursing. The sound of running footsteps made Mrs. Bossanova turn, and a second later she was on her feet. Sarah looked up in time to see Jack skidding to a halt, almost impaling herself on Mrs. Bossanova's sword.
Jack's eyes widened as she raised her hands, before yelling as the boss thrust the blade forward. She only just got out of the way, the sword skimming Jack's neck, and as she darted from reach, drew her gun. Before she could fire it, the sword whipped around again with such ferocity Sarah marvelled that Jack's head was still attached to her shoulders.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Jack bellowed, her attempts to aim interrupted by Mrs. Bossanova's fierce swipes.
"I promised Gage I'd keep you alive long enough for him to speak to you," Mrs. Bossanova snarled, her voice strained with effort, "but what Gage doesn't know won't hurt him."
Sarah watched, the tension building as she waited for Jack to get a shot in, so drained and unsteady she couldn't stand, let alone help.
"Boss!" Jack yelled, the panic screaming in her voice, "I'm on your side! Stop!"
"Liar!" Mrs. Bossanova bellowed, and this time her sword sliced across the front of Jack's chest, drawing blood. She hissed, stumbling back, then glanced up, her eyes wide.
"Behind you!"
"Do I look like I was born yesterday?" Mrs. Bossanova said with a snort of laughter, but Sarah couldn't help herself, following Jack's line of sight. She was greeted by the sight of three Disciples running down from the far end of the corridor towards them, knives drawn.
"Boss!" Sarah croaked, snapping her head in Mrs. Bossanova's direction.
Her warning rasp was drowned out by the thundering footsteps of the Disciples. This time Mrs. Bossanova did look, tensing at the approaching danger, before her face whitened and she glanced back to Jack, who had raised her gun the second Mrs. Bossanova turned from her.
Three deafening bangs filled the air, all three Disciples staggering and clutching their exposed midriffs, before dropping to their knees. Sarah's mouth fell open. She'd never appreciated how good of a shot Jack was.
Mrs. Bossanova remained rooted to the spot, her sword held aloft, staring at Jack. Jack met her gaze and slowly raised her hands, her finger firmly away from the trigger.
The boss seemed lost for words, looking completely bewildered. "You could have...you had the chance to…"
Jack said nothing, her eyes fixed warily on the sword.
Mrs. Bossanova stared at her for a moment long, then whipped around, striding over to the three Disciples and finishing Jack's job. Jack sighed in relief and holstered her gun, still looking nervous, before hurrying over to Sarah and crouching next to her, reaching into a leather satchel at her hip and pulling out a stimpak.
"Here," she whispered, pressing it into Sarah's blood stained hands. "You look like shit."
"Get away from her!" Mrs. Bossanova had returned, her sword pointed at Jack's throat, who pulled away so hard she lost her balance and fell flat on her back, pushing herself from the danger with her feet. Mrs. Bossanova stepped next to Sarah, her face livid. "Don't take it, Sarah. Who knows what's in it."
Sarah ignored her, staring shrewdly at Jack, her brow furrowed with concentration. None of this added up. She had heard Jack betraying them to the Disciples, but she'd also just witnessed her kill three Disciples as well, when she could have easily turned on Mrs. Bossanova instead. Had Jack changed her mind?
After a pause, she asked as much.
A pained expression crossed Jack's face. "As I told Gage this morning, I have never been on their side. Ever."
"Well I didn't hear what you told Gage this morning," Sarah replied tartly, "so you best repeat it."
Jack turned her head between Sarah and Mrs. Bossanova, blinking rapidly. Then she said, "Where is Gage?"
"We're asking the questions," Mrs. Bossanova snapped, moving the sword slightly so it caught the dim light of the corridor. "I want to understand your role in all of this before I decide what to do with you. So start talking. Now."
Jack looked as if she wanted to argue, her expression twisted with anger and...something else. Worry? But over what? The blade at her neck, or Gage?
But then she gritted her teeth, taking deep, calming breaths, and seemed to force herself to relax. When she spoke, it came out in a rush, as if trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. "I was getting information for you, as you asked. But the brothel wasn't delivering what I hoped, so I decided to approach Nisha directly, play the double agent. It worked. I didn't tell you because I thought you might stop me, and I wanted to make sure you and Gage had the best chance to get through this alive. All the information I gave you was true. All the information I gave her was either false or inconsequential, with some minor truth laced in so she didn't realise she was being played."
"But Gage approached you today and told you everything we suspected about you," Bossanova retorted, her eyes sharp on Jack. "After that, Nuka World went to hell. Why?"
Jack swallowed, upset for the first time. "I know how it looks, but I didn't betray you, I swear. The Disciples followed Gage to the brothel this morning. When he left, they attacked. Turns out they didn't see him go, thought he was still with me. They tore the place apart on Nisha's orders, looking for him so they could take him to her." A muscle jumped in Jack's jaw. "Apparently Nisha had gotten all the information she could out of us. We were to be killed too."
"Like Connor," Bossanova muttered, more to herself than anything. Sarah blinked. Who was Connor?
Jack seemed to know, though, because she nodded in agreement. "We fought them off eventually, and by the time I got out, I could hear the gunfire coming from the plant. Followed the fighting, found you." She shrugged.
Mrs. Bossanova seemed to be studying her, her eyes narrowed. Sarah did the same. Like Mrs. Bossanova, she was searching for the lie. But the distress etched in Jack's features, the candid way she spoke, seemed so genuine, Sarah couldn't help but believe her. After a moment, Sarah popped the cap off the stimpak, took a shaky breath, and injected it into her neck. Euphoria swept over her, leaving her giddy for a split second, before ebbing away, taking the aches and pains with it. Gone was the weakness, and Sarah slowly got to her feet, rubbing her neck, which was still a little stiff.
Some of the tension left Mrs. Bossanova's face, but she kept her sword at Jack's throat.
"Where's Gage?" Jack asked.
"Why are you so obsessed with where Gage is?" Mrs. Bossanova said, her gaze shrewd, her grip tight on her weapon. One wrong answer from Jack, one wrong move, and she would be dead.
Jack blinked in disbelief. "After all the shit that's gone on, you're going to ask such a stupid fucking question?" The anger in her face collapsed, replaced by something pleading. "Where is he? Does...does she have him?"
Maybe it was the frantic note in Jack's voice, the look of fear in her face. Whatever it was, at these words, Mrs. Bossanova's expression softened, and she lowered her sword.
"Dixie took him while I was trying to save Sarah," she said, as if admitting this fact caused her physical pain.
"What?" Jack scrambled to her feet, and when Mrs. Bossanova raised her sword in response, she batted it aside so fiercely it sliced open her hand. Ignoring the blood dripping to the floor, Jack snarled, "Why have you been wasting time quizzing me? We need to get him now before he reaches Nisha!"
Sarah had never seen Jack so close to the point of hysterics. She looked manic, clutching at her hair so hard Sarah thought she would pull it out.
"It would do no good to get Gage, only for you to just stab us in the back at the first opportunity," Mrs. Bossanova replied coolly.
"Are you fucking kidding—?"
"And if you think I'm going to risk that," she continued loudly over Jack, "then you've got another think coming. I'm giving you your life, the chance to run." She glared at Jack. "More than you deserve."
Jack exploded.
"I am not leaving Gage behind!" she shrieked, stamping her foot so hard the metallic bang echoed all the way down the corridor. "I am not going to abandon him to be skinned alive, where his only rescue is a little girl and some stupid, stubborn old woman!"
"This entire situation is your fault!"
"No it fucking isn't! I didn't betray you!
"If you don't—"
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't have time for this!" Mrs. Bossanova hissed, finally losing her temper and getting right in Jack's face.
"I agree!" Jack snapped, glowering at Mrs. Bossanova. "So let's stop bitching and get the fuck on with it!"
Mrs. Bossanova wrestled with herself for a moment, before shaking her head. She seemed to recognise that Jack would not back down, and Gage was running out of time. "Fine. Fine! Let's go. But one wrong move and I'll—"
Jack ignored her, stomping straight past, gun drawn and ready.
Mrs. Bossanova and Sarah exchanged a look and then followed her without another word. But despite the uneasy truce, Sarah noticed Mrs. Bossanova was careful to keep Jack in front, within stabbing range of her sword.
Sarah snapped out her memories of Jack and Mrs. Bossanova's frosty reunion by a loud gasp. She blinked, realising they'd walked all the way to the power plant core in silence, and that Jack had just thrown open the door. Sarah frowned and peered inside, and then just like Jack, gasped.
Mrs. Bossanova was lying splayed on the floor, covered in blood, her tattered leather armour leaving red smears on the carpet. Gage was kneeling down next to her, frantically trying to stem the flow with what looked like the boss' grey poncho, empty stimpaks at his feet.
He glanced up at them as they rushed in, and Sarah felt a horrible shiver at the twisted scars knotted in the socket where his right eye should have been. Every time she looked at it, she felt uncomfortable. Dropping her gaze, she saw the strange gun Mrs. Bossanova used on Sarah at his knees, as if he'd picked it up and then discarded it.
"That gun—" Sarah began, but he cut across her.
"Empty." His voice was hoarse, strained. Sarah looked at him, pushing aside her discomfort at his eye. She'd never heard him sound like that before. "Checked her for rounds. Used the last one on you."
Sarah's stomach plummeted as she stared at the boss' crumpled form. Gage lifted the scrunched up poncho from her stomach and peered down at her wounds. Even from here Sarah could see they looked as if they'd partially healed and then ripped straight back open again. Mrs. Bossanova hadn't said a word about them when Sarah gave her the last of the stimpaks. Had she known it wouldn't be enough?
Gage looked up at Jack, fresh blood smeared all over his hands and shirt, his expression one of frantic desperation.
"I haven't got any stims left," she said, her face pale.
Gage's face fell. "Me neither. Found a couple in here, enough to slow the bleeding. Think I've bought her some time, but…" Crushed, he turned back to Mrs. Bossanova, bowing his head as he pressed the fabric over her wounds again. "I don't know what to do."
Jack said nothing.
Sarah glanced between Gage and Jack, the nausea returning. Mrs. Bossanova's chest was rising and falling unsteadily, her face deathly white. She bit on her knuckles, wracking her brains. Where could they get more meds, more rounds for the gamma gun? What could bring Mrs. Bossanova back from the fringe of death?
Think! Think!
And then it came to her.
"I know a place!" Sarah said, so suddenly Gage and Jack jumped. She darted to the door, gesturing wildly to Gage. "Follow me!"
Jack blinked and opened her mouth, possibly to ask questions, but Gage didn't so much as hesitate. Seizing the fragile sliver of hope, he scooped Mrs. Bossanova into his arms and staggered to his feet with a grunt. Gage paused only to nudge the disc-shaped gun to Jack with his foot—as if scared to leave it behind—before sprinting after Sarah.
Would it work? Would it be enough? Sarah didn't know. But it was better to try, rather than leaving her to bleed to death on the barren rooftop.
She could hear Gage's laboured breathing as they ran from the core to the door leading back into the main floor, and she threw a glance over her shoulder, biting her lip. He didn't look much better than Mrs. Bossanova, unsteady on his feet and barely keeping up with her. But he held the boss to his chest the way a parent would hold a child—the same way Mrs. Bossanova had carried her to safety—gripping her limp form so hard his knuckles were white. A second later Jack was at his side, trying to help.
"I got her," wheezed Gage. "Just keep the shit off us."
"Sure." Jack pushed ahead, drawing her gun. She wrenched open the door to the power plant, disappearing inside.
The plant was a maze, remnants of the Disciples lurking at every turn. Sarah led the way, knowing every nook and cranny, each blocked corridor and collapsed walkway, guiding Gage and Jack through the darkness. Light from the newly powered park pooled in through cracks in the ceiling, throwing their path into eerie shadow, and snarling faces erupted from the gloom, wicked knives glinting their fists. Jack put each one down without mercy, barely breaking pace as they thundered past, a neverending nightmare.
Images of the Gauntlet flashed through Sarah's head as they ran, Mr. Glass' face so clear she could have touched him. Sarah threw Mrs. Bossanova and Gage another look. No. This time she could do something. It wouldn't happen again.
A rush of cool wind hit them as they burst out of the main doors and into the crisp night air, banishing the closed, muggy heat of the plant. Sarah paused, panting, letting her ghoul eyes adjust to the brightness of the moonlit landscape, searching for her target.
"Sarah!" Gage snapped.
"Right!" she gasped, setting off again. They raced down the hill, barely taking care to watch their footing. Sarah was rewarded for her lapse in concentration as the steep slope got the better of her. With a cry, she went head over heels, tumbling hard down the rocky ridge, a sharp, salty taste filling her mouth as pain flooded her body. She hit the bottom with a heavy thud and lay there groaning as the ground rocked beneath her.
"Sarah!" came Gage's voice again. If she hadn't known it was him, she would never have guessed. He sounded so panicked.
Jack reached her first, her jaw clenched tight with worry. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she managed, struggling up again. She didn't have time to be hurt. If she could walk, if she could run, then what did it matter? "Come on."
Jack bit her lip, but Sarah shot Gage a look, a look he returned. They understood each other. Everything else could wait.
The hike across the grounds of Nuka World was hard, difficult work, though their destination wasn't far. Gage kept up without complaint, stumbling blindly through the dark, following Sarah's directions and warnings. Even by the lights of the park, the tree roots and potholes were well concealed in the shadows, but it meant their goal was visible even from a distance.
"Is that Kiddie Kingdom?" Sarah heard Jack yell.
"Might be," said Gage. "Can't see from here."
"Your eyesight is shit."
"Well I only have one, Miss Fuckin' Two Eyes," Gage snarled.
"Yeah, it is," Sarah shouted over her shoulder, wincing as a splintering pain shot through her ribs. "That's where we're taking the boss!"
"Why—?" began Jack, but Gage was quicker on the mark.
"The radioactive waste!" he bellowed, his voice cracking with excitement. "Sarah, you fuckin' genius!"
Despite herself, Sarah grinned.
"Explain!" Jack hollered from somewhere behind.
"The boss dumped shitloads of radioactive barrels beneath Kiddie Kingdom. Enough to give the Disciples a lethal dose if they started any shit!" Gage shouted back, wheezing between every other word. "We just need to get the boss where the waste is!"
"A spa day!" Sarah remembered what the Mister Handy told her, and both she and Gage erupted into laughter.
"That's great," Jack yelled over their mirth, "but unless Sarah is carrying the boss in there by herself, how are we going to survive the radiation?"
"Ah, shit."
"Do you have any rad-x?" Sarah called over her shoulder, beginning to panic. As a ghoul she'd never needed the chem, but Wiseman once explained rad-x slowed down the effects of radiation poisoning for a short amount of time.
Jack caught up to Sarah, running alongside her as she dug through her bag, before pulling out a small pill bottle and shaking it. "Three doses. Should be enough to get me in and out safely."
"What?" Gage said, sounding bewildered. "You? Don't forget who's holding the boss."
Jack scowled. "You're hurt. You need to rest. I should be the one to carry her."
"Like fuck you are," he retorted, his tone final. "If I don't come back with Sarah, take her and your people and go. This place won't hold itself together if both me and the boss are gone."
"You're on death's door as it is—"
"We'll go quicker if you're both here," Sarah snapped, their bickering irritating her. Did adults always lose their common sense when they liked each other?
"See!" Gage said, as if he hadn't just been telling Jack to remain behind.
"So you're following the advice of a ten year old now?"
Sarah ignored the jibe and left them to argue. Kiddie Kingdom was drawing close. After a few minutes, Sarah stopped in her tracks, feet from the gates. Jack and Gage halted with her, momentarily falling silent. Bodies littered the ground, the last remains of the Disciples stationed at Kiddie Kingdom. Judging by the way they'd fallen, they'd been trying to escape the radiation, before succumbing to the sickness. Even from the gates, Sarah could feel a tinge of the warm glow—the magic.
"Give me some of the fucking pills, Jack," Gage snarled, gasping for breath. "We don't have time for this."
Sarah turned around to see Jack trying to take Mrs. Bossanova from Gage's grasp, but he clung stubbornly to her. She glanced in Sarah's direction, and by the look on Jack's face, knew he wouldn't back down. After a moment she sighed and popped the cap off the pill bottle. "Open your mouth."
Gage did, and she tipped a pill inside. He swallowed it dry, grimaced, and then turned away while Jack did the same. Gage strode over to Sarah, his expression grave as he stared at the gates. He closed his eye, taking a deep breath. When he opened it again, his face was set in resigned determination. "Where to?"
"The tunnels. Come on."
Sarah sighed as the heat enveloped her. It was like a dry, hot summer's day—the kind that caused brush fires, filling the air with sharp, cloying smoke. Sarah moved on through the winding passages, straining to remember the route the Mister Handy took with her so many days ago. The signs of danger weren't visible here, but it kissed her skin and warmed her blood, the loving caress of a mother, hellfire to everyone else.
Gage was struggling. He kept his mouth shut, his furrowed brow telling Sarah he was focusing everything on putting one foot in front of the other, swaying with the effort of keeping hold of the boss. The trek had cost Gage a lot, though Sarah knew he'd rather go toe to toe with the Disciples again than admit it. Jack didn't look well either, her face clammy and drawn, but she at least was steady on her feet. The stimpak she'd given Gage had only touched the surface—the radiation poisoning, the stress and torture of Nisha's making, and the brutal beating laid down by Savoy were taking their collective toll on him.
Sarah picked up the pace, the final door feet from them. This was the boss' best, and possibly only, chance of survival, and the quicker they got in, the better.
It was too much for Gage. There was a grunt and a bang, and Sarah whipped around to see Gage on his knees. He tried to keep hold of Mrs. Bossanova, trembling with the strain, before letting out a great sigh and slowly lowering her to the floor.
"Can't…" he croaked, shaking his head, "can't do it." Gage swallowed, face ravaged with disgust. He slumped against the wall, panting, wiping his sweat-sheened skin with a shaking hand, before grasping at the pipe running the length of the corridor and attempting to haul himself back up. Gage's arm tensed as he got halfway to his feet, before losing his grip and collapsing down again.
Jack crouched down next to him, but he shrugged her off and pointed to Mrs. Bossanova. "Her first."
"Gage—"
"Her first."
"Take these and I will." Jack shoved the open pill bottle under his nose.
Gage tried to push her hand away. "Those are for y—"
"After all the shit you've been through today, you need it more than me." She rattled it insistently. "Now take them before I pin you down and force you."
"Wouldn't be a bad way to go out," he muttered, smiling weakly as he flicked his gaze between Jack and Mrs. Bossanova. He seemed to recognise defeat, though, because after a second he took the bottle, tipped his head back, and swallowed the last dose of rad-x without further argument.
Jack gripped his shoulder then turned to Mrs. Bossanova, bringing her into her arms and getting to her feet. She marched down the corridor towards Sarah, brisk and businesslike, unafraid of the radiation crackling violently on the Geiger counter attached to her belt. Green smog rising lazily from the deadly pool below the walkways swirled around them as they walked into the main room. Jack paused, raising her eyebrows at the barrels piled everywhere. "Jesus."
She laid Mrs. Bossanova down carefully and stepped back. Sarah bit her lip. Was it just wishful thinking, or was her breathing a little stronger?
"Come on," Jack said, tugging on Sarah's arm. "We can't stay here."
Sarah nodded and followed her back out into the corridor, watching as Jack helped Gage to his feet, whispering encouragement in his ear while her Geiger counter continued to crackle menacingly. Sarah's face softened and she smiled. They were good together, in their own weird way. Seeing the tender expression that passed between them, Sarah wondered how she could ever think Jack would betray Gage. She'd seen what she wanted to in Gage, Jack, and even Mrs. Bossanova. Raiders weren't supposed to care about other people—they weren't supposed to have happy endings. Only good people deserved that.
But what was good in a world like this one?
Gage swayed dangerously as Jack dragged him upright, but when Sarah rushed to help, he waved her off.
"M'fine," he mumbled, his eye squeezed tightly shut.
"Can you get us out?" Jack asked, bowed a little under Gage's weight, shooting him an anxious look.
Sarah nodded and set off back down the tunnels again, going slow enough for the two raiders to follow. Now Mrs. Bossanova had been laid to rest, and the mad drive to get to a destination as fast as physically possible had dimmed a little, pain crept back into her ribs, sharp and throbbing. Her hands and knees stung, her ankle aching as if she'd twisted it. Her back felt stiff, and there were scrapes all over her body from where Savoy had dragged her along the roof. But she'd done everything she could. Now all that remained was the waiting.
Sarah pushed open the door to the outside, letting Jack and Gage through. They turned to her expectantly as they walked a few feet away before realising she wasn't following. Sarah remained at the threshold.
"The fuck you doing?" Gage said, his eye narrowing. "Come on."
Sarah shook her head. "I'm gonna stay with her, make sure she's okay."
"There's nothing you can do for her now," Jack said gently. "Let's get back to the Grille and patch ourselves up. I think we've earned ourselves a few nuka colas—no doubt the rest of the park will be celebrating for days."
"Radiation doesn't bother me. I'm staying," Sarah replied firmly.
"Look, you little shit," Gage snapped, firing up at once, "in case you ain't noticed, we ain't built for this crap, an' I don't want lose my nose like you—"
"Gage!"
"—so stop fuckin' around. We need to go. Now."
Sarah smiled at him. After months of listening to his insults and snarls, she finally understood him. Anger was just how he spoke, the abuse his way of trying to protect her, to force her to come along. But she couldn't abandon Mrs. Bossanova the way she abandoned Mr. Glass. This time she was going to do right by them and stay until there was no hope.
"If you want to keep your nose, you better hurry up and get out of here," she replied calmly, trying not to laugh at his rage. If he still had the strength to be rude, he was probably going to be alright. Sarah stepped back into the darkness of the tunnels. "Go on. Git!"
She slammed the door in his face. As she walked away she heard him cursing from the other side and giggled to herself. They must have decided the danger was too great to drag her out, though, because they did not follow. Unlike her, they didn't have the luxury of time in this place.
The mirth she felt at annoying Gage soon disappeared. Alone, the tunnels held a certain sense of foreboding, her footsteps echoing loudly, the heat near suffocating. She remembered the past residents of this place, of Oswald and his people—no, his pets. Sarah shivered. Wiseman had always warned her to stay away from heavy radiation if she could help it. No one really understood ferals—if it was the rads that made their brains rot under the green glow of the wasteland, or if persecution and loneliness drove them to insanity—but Wiseman always stayed on the side of caution.
Would the tunnels turn her into a monster? Would she linger here, her sense of self deteriorating with her unravelling mind, attacking Jack and Gage when they came to check on her, forcing them to put her down once and for all? Would everything she suffered, everything she endured, be wasted by her decision to stay?
And what if she didn't go feral? Although Sarah didn't quite understand the reason she could age while other ghouls remained frozen in time, she knew it had something to do with radiation. The idea of trapping herself in a child's body until the end of her life was unbearable. She liked being a kid, but she also hated it. No one took her seriously—she had to fight twice as hard for the things adults were given.
Fear prickled through her skin, piercing her flesh, but as she caught sight of Mrs. Bossanova's pitiful form, Sarah pushed it away. She'd made her choice the second she'd stepped back into the tunnels. There was no turning from it now.
Sarah sat down next to Mrs. Bossanova, massaging her own ribs, which were hurting a little less than before, and winced as she heard the old lady's rattling breath. What if she turned into a feral? Sarah hadn't stopped to think of that before bringing her here.
Well it was too late now.
And even as the terror of their fates gripped her, Sarah remained where she was, drawing her knees to her chest, contemplating the shaky rise and fall of Mrs. Bossanova's chest in silent vigil.