Chapter 8: Acta Non Verba (Deeds, not words)
"Nephi calls that building home, along with a lot of Fiends." Gorobets pointed to a partly collapsed building far in the distance. "This is the only cover where we can get close enough for a shot but we're still too far out for a clean shot. You need to draw Nephi out and bring him and his lackeys a hundred yards closer for us to be able to take the shot without putting you in danger." Felix looked at the building in the distance.
Everyone spread out and found a good vantage point. Felix dropped his pack and rifle beside where Boone had set up. He then sauntered off toward the building, occasionally twirling the machete in his hand.
"I think he's dead, Boone." Betsy said after five minutes.
Boone had his scope trained on the door Felix had gone in. He was getting worried. He'd thought a bunch of drugged up junkies would be nothing to a former Legionary. As he was debating going in after him, he saw movement in the doorway. Felix was absolutely covered in blood. The machete in his right hand was dripping and he had a crudely removed head by the hair in his left hand that was also dripping. His clothes were soaked in blood and gore, barely an inch of him looked like it had been spared. His face was splattered with blood that he must have tried to wipe away since it was streaked sideways. Boone's breath hitched in his throat and his finger moved to the trigger. All he could see was a legionary, clad in bloody legion red, marching toward him with a severed head.
"Jesus fucking Christ on a pogo stick." Betsy said aloud. She must have been looking at what Boone was looking at. "What the hell did he do? Hack everyone to bits?"
Maybe. Boone thought to himself. This was just further proof Felix was a monster. But as long as Boone could control him, he was useful. Too useful to get rid of. He slipped his finger off the trigger.
Eventually, Felix reached the group. He tossed the head to the ground with a satisfied grin. "This him? He was using a golf club."
"What the hell happened?" Betsy asked.
Felix noticed they were all staring at him. He glanced down at himself then back at them. "You've never really been in a melee fight to the death, have you?" They just kept staring, or in Boone's case, glaring. "Spoiled snipers." He said shaking his head. Felix shucked off his soaked jacket and tossed it to the ground in a ball. He was left in a slightly bloodstained, dark t-shirt. He pulled a spare shirt out of his bag and wiped off his face and hands before cleaning off his machete. Then he tossed the soiled shirt on top of the jacket.
"Who's next?" Felix asked happily as he grabbed his pack and rifle.
Cook-Cook. Betsy and 10 of Spades stuck with Boone and Felix while the others headed back to McCarren with Nephi's head. They wandered a ways until they came across a house in the middle of nowhere. The snipers set up on a nearby ridge, content to wait for their target. Felix lounged near Boone, deciding he wasn't needed.
"I'm bored." Felix lamented after a half hour of nothing.
"What are you, a child?" Boone asked insultingly.
Felix fake laughed. "Ha. Ha. Very funny. Let me be the bait again."
"Cause that worked so well last time." Boone said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, it did." Felix argued. "Look, it's a small house, probably less than ten fiends. I'll just go in there and-"
Betsy interrupted angrily. "Cook-Cook uses a flamer. Whatever fancy moves you have will be useless against that in close quarters."
Felix huffed derisively but was silent again.
After another half an hour Felix had had enough. He jumped to his feet, machete in hand, and started toward the house.
"Felix!" Boone yelled, trying to grab his ankle as he went by.
"I'll be back." He said with a wave and grin as he walked.
Boone watched as Felix sauntered toward the house. He walked up to the door and knocked. Fucking knocked. After a solid minute of nothing he took a step back and kicked the door in. He charged in and vanished from sight. Boone scanned the doorway and the windows but only saw passing signs of a struggle. After less than a minute, Felix appeared back in the doorway, his arms outstretched into the house. He gave a great heave and he and a giant clad in full metal armour came stumbling out. The giant was wielding a flamer and was covered head to toe in heavy metal.
"Fuck!" Betsy shouted. "I'll try." She quickly lined up a shot on the giant and fired. The bullet hit his helmet, momentarily staggering him, but nothing more. "Boone, you got any AP rounds?"
"No." Boone said quickly. The giant regained his foot and roared loud enough for the snipers to hear. He then leveled his flamer at Felix. "Shit!" Boone said in realization as he watched Felix keep his distance. "He thinks we have this." Boone grabbed his rifle as he clamoured to his feet.
"What the hell are you doing?!" He heard from behind him as he ran. Boone watched the steel giant spay the whole area, including the house, with chemical flames as he sprinted the 800 yards toward the fight. By the time he got close enough to be heard, the house was fully engulfed in flames. "That armour is too thick!" Boone yelled as he panted for breath.
Felix glanced toward Boone wide eyed. "Boone?! What the hell- Shit!" Boone's voice had drawn the giant's attention and he swung the flamer around to his direction. Before Boone could react, Felix crashed into the giant's side. The blow only staggered him. The giant whipped the flamer around and caught Felix in the head, sending him flying and then rolling across the ground. Boone pulled his rifle up to his shoulder and took aim. He fired all five of his rounds into the metal chest plate, hoping the reduction in distance would provide enough increase in power to pierce the armour or at least get the giant's attention. It got the giant's attention alright, but little else. Boone turned towards the house, the only cover nearby. He moved to run knowing he would be too slow. But the fireball never came. He hesitated a moment; just long enough to see the giant drop to his knees. Then he collapsed, face down in the sand. Boone could see the handle of a machete sticking out of the small gap between helmet and chest plate. The rest of the machete was entirely buried in the giant's torso.
Boone's lifted his eye from the fallen giant to the panting man kneeling behind it. "Felix!" He called running in his direction. As he approached he saw the right side of Felix's head was dripping blood. "Come on." Boone implored as he knelt to help him up. "Our packs are on the ridge."
"I'm… fine." Felix panted. Boone tried to grab his arm to hoist him up. "I said I'm fine!" Felix shouted, shaking Boone's hand off his arm and standing up. He nearly lost his balance, but made it to his feet.
"You've probably got a concussion." Boone tried.
"What the hell is a concussion?" Felix asked as he wiped a handful of blood off the side of his head.
"It's… not good." Boone said haltingly. "Come on." He gently prodded Felix forward. Felix started walking in the direction he was pushed. His steps were awkward and unsure. They eventually reached the ridge and Felix staggered up the hill.
"Sit." Boone ordered.
"Don't fucking order me around." Felix said roughly. The words didn't have the impact they should have since a moment later he lost his balance and sat down heavily in the dirt.
"Damn, that's a l-l-lot of blood." 10 of Spades stuttered.
Boone dug in his pack for a spare shirt and a stimpak. "Hold this against your head." Boone ordered again. Felix glared at him but couldn't focus his eyes properly. He took the shirt and pressed it to his head. "You two should head back to McCarren." Boone said to the pair of watching snipers. "He'll need some time to clear his head."
"Alright, Boone." Betsy agreed. "We'll grab that bastard's head and take it back for you. Have to say I'm kinda looking forward to cutting it off." A moment later the pair was gone.
Boone took the stimpak and went to inject it into Felix's neck. As he did, his hand brushed against still wet blood on the back of Felix's left shoulder. That wasn't right. It's been a few hours. In this heat the blood should all be dry. He looked closer and noticed a hole in the dark, bloodstained shirt.
"Did you get stabbed?" Boone asked as he inspected the lightly bleeding wound.
"I think so?" Felix slurred. "Nephi had a lot of friends."
"You should have said something." Boone said angrily. Felix made a noise that indicated he didn't care. "Take off your shirt." Felix complied and Boone noticed that his left shoulder only showed the slightest signs of injury as he moved. Felix got his shirt off and threw it in the sand. Boone saw the small stab wound on top of the heavy scar tissue. He tried not to be distracted by the myriad of scars or let his mind wander to how Felix got them. He figured he knew. Boone applied the stimpak to Felix's shoulder.
"You still with me?" Boone asked.
"Yeah. Things are clearer." Felix said more strongly. The pair was silent while Boone stitched up Felix's shoulder and then the gash in his head. "Thanks, Boone." Felix said when Boone finished.
"That bastard would have cooked me alive if you hadn't gotten his attention." Boone stated as he put their medical supplies away. "I should be thanking you."
"Yeah, well. I'm not going to hold my breath for that." Felix grabbed the bloody but mostly dry dark shirt from the sand and shrugged back into it. "One more, right?"
"You up for it?"
"I'll be more patient this time."
It was easy to be patient this time because this time he had to kill dogs. Felix hated killing dogs. He and Boone had no place to set up so they found the best angle of attack and slowly moved in.
"Dogs are fast." Boone explained. "Lead your targets. Once they catch our scent they'll charge us and the shot will be easier."
Felix had a bit of trouble steadying his hands but still managed several kill shots. Not near as many as Boone, but that was an impossible standard to live up too. Felix gathered the head since he was already covered in blood and they headed back to McCarren as night fell.
"You're exhausted." Boone stated as they walked. He could see it in the way his partner walked, the way he held himself, even the way he was breathing. Felix didn't respond. "You're not in the Legion anymore. You don't need to keep up the tough as nails act."
"But I am tough as nails." Felix said with a tired grin.
"We can probably spend the night at McCarren." Boone thought aloud.
"Hell no. It's one thing being there awake. It's a completely different situation if I have to sleep."
"Then what do you suggest?" Boone asked harshly.
Felix thought about it. "Uh… Maybe…"
"We're staying at McCarren."