Nora had seen the bodies of civilians before. It was a fact of life in the wasteland, one that she had been forced to get used to - but that didn't make it any easier. Especially when the blood of these people stained her hands.
Pre-war, Starlight Drive-In's meat locker had been a storage room. Now, it was a morgue.
The light bulb flared in the windowless room and Nora's breath caught. Eight bodies were laid out, five on the concrete floor and three on the butchering tables. They were wrapped in bloodstained blankets and sackcloth.
Her eyes fell on two bodies, lying side by side on a table. One was an adult, their boots visible from where they poked out beneath the blanket. The other was much smaller. A hubflower had been laid upon each body. A teddy bear leaned against the child's.
Nora could feel her eyes growing hot in the cold.
She braced her hands on the edge of the table, unable to look away. "Who were they?"
There was a beat before Manzini, Captain of Starlight's Minutemen garrison, answered.
"That was Lukas and his little girl, Alice. We think Alice sneaked out of the house looking for her cat and the beast got her. Lukas heard her screaming and there was no holding him back. By the time we got there, they…"
Manzini's voice cracked.
"It's alright. There's nothing you could have done."
Nora glanced up at Preston's words to see her second-in-command gripping the Captain's shoulder. She looked away again, back at Alice's hidden body.
Manzini and his men couldn't have done anything more. But she could have made a difference. If she and her reinforcements had gotten to Starlight sooner, there might have been fewer bodies on the floor.
The air grew colder as she thought of another loving father who had sacrificed himself to protect their child.
Nora reeled away from the table and marched outside, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her coat.
The derelict pre-war cinema screen reared up above her, casting deep shadows over Starlight's streets as the afternoon faded into dusk. She too was swallowed by the shade as she made her way towards the Minutemen barracks.
Ramshackle structures clustered on the fractured concrete, strings of lightbulbs bobbing from where they hung suspended between the buildings. Most windows were shuttered and the doors barred, their owners seeking refuge elsewhere. Nora hunched her shoulders and walked faster, slowing only when she neared the Minutemen barracks by the settlement entrance.
The few settlers stubborn enough to remain mingled with her militiamen, lounging around the pre-war concession stand at the base of the movie projector tower. The barracks were constructed behind it, connected to the tower by a series of wooden walkways.
Nora straightened her posture as she passed the loiterers, acknowledging any greetings with a curt nod as she disappeared inside the barracks. By the time she reached the sanctuary of Manzini's office, her facade was crumbling.
She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes.
Starlight had put out the call for help over two weeks ago. If she hadn't been so caught up in chasing leads about the Brotherhood…
Nora focused on her breathing. Slow, deep breaths.
She'd learned a harsh lesson the day that she'd woken from cryogenic stasis. She could never go back in time and right past wrongs, but she could push ahead and try to better the future.
She couldn't do that if her sanity were stolen away by an emotional riptide however. So, slow, deep breaths.
When Nora felt calmer, she straightened up and walked towards Manzini's desk. A map of the Commonwealth was unfurled across its surface, the region surrounding Starlight covered in pencilled notes and crosses denoting sightings, attacks and areas of interest.
Loose sheafs of paper were piled beside it, containing eyewitness accounts, sketches of the beast, post mortem results and speculation. She gathered them into her hands and sank into Manzini's chair to skim through.
The creature always attacked at night, but was most active under a full moon. Some believed it was a rabid yao guai on account of its size and shaggy pelt. Others likened it to a hairy deathclaw, citing its use of claws to tear prey apart and the fact that it could sprint on both two and four legs, though it lacked a deathclaw's distinctive horns and tail.
The illustrations the settlers had drawn did little to offer her any clarification, though they all depicted similar hulking figures, with long arms and dark, hairy bodies.
A knock at the door startled her from reading. "Enter."
Preston stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Hey. Are you doing okay?"
Nora swallowed, trying to dislodge the iron ball in her throat. She shrugged. "Doing as well as I can be."
The floorboards creaked as Preston approached, but Nora didn't look at him. Instead, her eyes were glued to another illustration in her hand, drawn in a childish scrawl. A woman was crying on the ground as the beast loomed over her with red claws. 'Mom' was written above the woman, the ink smudged with water. The paper was taut in her grip.
"Nora. Look at me."
She sighed, dropping the papers on the desk as she obeyed. Preston stood on the other side of the desk, his arms clasped behind his back and expression grim. No glimmer of his usual smile.
Nora pursed her lips. "What?"
"What happened here isn't your fault."
Nora's throat tightened and she glanced away, down to the papers.
"Nora-"
"I don't need a therapist right now, Preston. I need a tactician." The words came out sharper than she had intended.
"With all due respect, ma'am, what you need is rest."
Nora's head snapped up to find Preston gazing at her, calmly standing his ground. Her eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"
"You've been working non-stop for weeks. If you don't slow down and take a breath, you're going to hit your breaking point."
"So what do you propose? That I slink off for a holiday in Nuka-World while the Commonwealth burns?" Nora swept her arm over the desk. "The people are depending on us to protect them, Preston!"
"You're right, they are depending on us. So we have to be able to function."
A beat of silence.
"What, exactly, are you trying to say?" Nora asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
"Look. I'm saying this because I care about you, not just as my General, but as my friend." Preston straightened up, standing firm. "You haven't been yourself since the Prydwen disappeared. You barely sleep, you forget to eat… you need to take some time for yourself. Let yourself grieve."
Nora slammed her hands on the desk, springing to her feet. "Don't you talk about them as if they're dead!"
Preston didn't waver under her glare, the only hint of emotion the slightest downturn of his lips.
Nora's body shook, her shoulders heaving with each shallow breath. Her eyes prickled with heat and she clenched her jaw, bowing her head before he could see any tears. She raised one hand and pointed to the door.
"Get out."
"Ma'am." Preston gave her a stiff salute and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Nora slumped back in the chair, covering her face with her hands. In all the months she'd known Preston, they'd never argued like that, and he'd never questioned her authority. Then again, she had always led the Minutemen with Danse and Maxson's guidance.
If they didn't return soon, she didn't know how she was going to cope.
A loud rap at the door startled her back to reality. She took a deep breath and schooled her expression. "Who is it?"
"Who d'ya think?" a gruff voice replied.
"Come in."
The door flew open and Old Longfellow stomped into the office, Dogmeat racing past him and straight to Nora, tail wagging. Despite her mood Nora smiled, fussing the German shepherd as Longfellow shut the door behind him. The old hunter dropped into a chair across the desk, producing a tarnished hip flask from inside his coat.
The spicy scent of firebelly permeated the air as he took a swig.
"So?" Nora prompted. "Were you able to find anything?"
"'Course I did," Longfellow grumbled. "I ain't some two-cap trapper. I found its lair just like I said I would, but the creature wasn't in it."
"Excellent!" Nora stood, rolling a pencil across the desk towards him. "I'll call a meeting. Mark it on the map and we'll discuss the details after."
"No." The word was spoken calmly, quietly, and with it Preston silenced the entire room.
Nora stared at him, her hand still pointing to the area Longfellow had indicated on the map. The air in the debriefing room began to thicken, charging with the threat of a storm. The gathered militiamen shifted uncomfortably in their seats and Longfellow raised a bushy brow, folding his arms.
"No?" Nora repeated. The word sounded frail in her own mouth. Weak.
"No." Preston said with more emphasis. "Look. You're eager to finish this mission, I get it. But sending our men out there after dark is just going to get them killed."
"I'm not 'sending' them out anywhere, Colonel. " Nora snapped, anger flaring at his words. "I'll be taking the lead."
"With all due respect, I think you should belay that, General . Venturing into its territory at night is a dangerous tactic that can only result in more losses-"
"People have been lost almost every night, Garvey! That thing snatches men from the walls-"
"So what's it going to do when our men don't have those walls?" Preston demanded. "When there are no turrets to detect it, and no lights to see it coming? What do you think it'll do to our men out there?"
Nora stared at him, the retort dead in her throat.
"Garvey's right," Longfellow broke the glacial silence. "Only fools hunt at night. You're as likely to break a leg as ya are to be eaten."
"It's lured some of my best people to their deaths," Manzini added. "Travelling beyond the walls at night will only put us in serious danger."
Several of the militia muttered their agreement, their voices fading into white noise as a chill stole over Nora's body. She saw Preston walk centre stage, his lips moving as he quieted the crowd and gave his own orders. She didn't hear his words over the ringing in her ears, but all the soldiers watched him with rapt attention, some nodding their approval.
She swallowed hard, but humiliation retained its chokehold.
It was Preston who assuaged any concerns and he who dismissed the meeting while she stood there, lost and insignificant in his shadow. By the time reality seeped back in, the soldiers were filing from the room and Preston was shaking Manzini's hand.
As the Captain turned to follow his men she swept up to Preston, jerking her head towards the office. "A word."
Preston's face was smooth as stone as he followed her inside.
The door closed as she circled the desk, trailing one gloved hand across its surface. When it was safely between them she stopped, her hand dropping back to her side as she lifted her chin to glare at him.
"What was that?"
"Ma'am?"
The desk jolted under her fist. "Don't play stupid with me, Preston! You completely undermined me in front of our men!"
Finally there was a spark in Preston's eye. "Well, maybe if you'd thought about discussing your plans with me and the Captain, we could have told you it wasn't viable in private!"
"You humiliated me out there!"
"No. You did that to yourself when you came up with some half-cocked scheme!" Preston snapped. "I lost my entire company back in Quincy, Nora, and I'm not going to stand back and watch it happen all over again because you're too stubborn to accept the fact that you're not fit to be the General!"
Nora's breath left in a ragged exhale, his words leaving her winded.
"I'm... I didn't mean it to come out like that," Preston sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "I just think that for the time being it might be an idea for you to… step back, just for a while."
"I didn't ask for this." Nora's voice trembled, rising with every word. "I didn't ask to be General! You made me General and all I ever asked for was your support! And now that shit's hitting the fan, you're stabbing me in the back?"
"It's not like that-"
"That's exactly how it is! And you know what, Preston? If you want to be General, then fucking have it! Because clearly I just get people killed!"
She stalked across the room and out the door, slamming it shut in her wake. Longfellow was sat with Dogmeat in the common room, but he took one look at her face and turned away, taking a swig of his drink as she stalked up the stairs and made her way to the officer's quarters.
The room she'd been given was small and cramped, containing a narrow cot, a steamer trunk for her belongings and a desk set beneath shuttered windows. She sank onto the cot and covered her face with her hands, trying to stifle her sobs.
The mattress sank beside her with a squeak and she looked up just in time for the first of Dogmeat's kisses, his tongue lapping away her tears. She made to push him away but thought better of it, instead wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his fur.
By the time her tears stopped, the last ruddy rays of sunset had faded from the gaps in the shutters, leaving the room in darkness. She felt tired and hollow, but the very thought of sleep filled her with dread. She couldn't bear the thought of another night terror. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to the men if she slept while they took their shifts.
Ruffling Dogmeat's fur a final time, she activated her pip-boy lamp and flooded the room with its emerald glare. A few moments later she had the steamer trunk open and was rifling through her gear, producing a bandolier of fusion cells and her laser rifle, which she set carefully on the bed. She trailed her fingers along the name etched into the barrel. Righteous Authority .
A tremulous smile curved her lips, recalling the pride in Danse's eyes as he had bestowed the rifle upon her. A token of her initiation into Recon Squad Gladius and the Brotherhood of Steel. They had modded it in the months that followed, honing it into one of the finest energy weapons aboard the Prydwen. Even Proctor Ingram had been impressed.
Her heart ached dully and she returned her attention to the trunk, her hand closing around a black deathclaw hide scabbard. She raised the machete with as much reverence as she had her rifle, one hand gripping the hilt as she unsheathed the blade.
It was unlike any other she had seen, both pre-war and in the Commonwealth. The blade was a dark metal that absorbed light. It had a flowing shape, covered in serrated edges and sharp points before it ended in a curve like a talon. In the months she'd had it, the machete had proven lethally effective, cleaving through flesh and bone with ease.
It would undoubtedly be of use should she encounter the creature that night.
Finally she pulled her combat armour from the trunk and shrugged out of her frock coat to fix the pieces in place. They were grimy and dinged up from her time spent out on the road, but they would still offer her greater protection than her clothes alone. She sighed wistfully, longing for her suit of T-60 power armour, gone with the Prydwen.
Dogmeat whined, snapping her out of her reverie.
"Don't worry, buddy. I wouldn't let you go out there unprotected." Her voice sounded hoarse and stuffy, so she cleared her throat as she produced the canine armour she had stowed amongst her belongings. The dog vest had been made with ballistic weave, and had a handle on the back to hold him in place should the need arise. The winged sword of the Brotherhood was visible, emblazoned on the side.
When they were kitted up, Nora led the way outside.
Night had fallen across the Commonwealth, the streets of Starlight illuminated by moonbeams and floodlights. She made her way to the perimeter wall, checking in with each patrol she encountered along the way. No sightings of the creature so far, though that wasn't unusual so early in the night.
Upon reaching the perimeter, she and Dogmeat continued their patrol, checking in with each pair of sentries posted to the guard towers. They were two thirds of the way down the wall when Nora stopped at the foot of a tower, her lips pursed. A lone sentry stood, illuminated by the ruddy glow of her musket.
Frowning, Nora climbed the stairs to join her.
"Well," the sentry drawled, turning to face her. "It's about damn ti- oh. General."
Nora returned the woman's hasty salute as she reached the top of the barricade, before sparing a look beyond the perimeter. A few meters from the wall spanned fields of razorgrain, silvered by moonlight.
"Where's your partner, Private?" Nora asked, turning to face her.
"I don't know ma'am - probably the outhouse. That's where he said he'd be, but he hasn't come back."
"Then you'd better go check if he's there and if he's fit for duty. If not, find either the Captain or the Colonel and inform them. I'll cover your post in the meantime."
"Yes ma'am." With another salute the soldier turned and clattered down the stairs before disappearing into the settlement.
A cool breeze blew from behind and Nora turned, watching as the grain rippled silver. Dogmeat stood with his forepaws on the barricade, his nose sniffing the air just shy of the razorwire strung along the top. Aside from the quiet whir of nearby turrets and the occasional snippet of conversation from passing guards, the wasteland was quiet. Tranquil.
Deceptively so.
The steps behind her creaked and Nora turned, only to stiffen. She turned her back to Preston as Dogmeat wagged his tail in greeting. A tense silence hung between them, broken only by Dogmeat's whines for attention.
"There's a rule in place that everyone watches in pairs," Preston said eventually.
"I've got a partner," Nora muttered, gesturing at Dogmeat. "One who's actually loyal."
"Nora, don't be like this."
Nora glared out into the wasteland, refusing to look at him. Preston shifted on his feet.
"I can arrange a replacement for you, if you want to get some food and sleep?"
"So first you don't trust me to lead, and now you don't even trust me to stand guard?" Nora snapped, rounding on him with a scowl.
Preston gazed at her for a few moments before his shoulders slumped. "Carry on, then."
Dogmeat whined, watching as Preston descended back into the settlement while Nora resumed her watch, stewing with resentment. If Preston had his way, he'd probably have her retire to a quiet life at the ranch in Sunshine.
Another breeze stirred the grain and as the stalks bowed and swayed she glimpsed something dark amongst them. In seconds her rifle was in hand, but the figure was gone. The hairs along her nape prickled.
She weighed up whether the threat was real or a case of fatigue and moonshadows. She didn't want to appear any more incompetent in front of her soldiers than she already did.
Clouds rolled across the face of the moon, and beyond the spotlights that scanned the perimeter, the wasteland fell into a fathomless dark. At her side Dogmeat froze, ears pricked as his nose pointed beyond the barricade. He growled.
Nora frowned, leaning over the fortification as she peered into the darkness.
Moonbeams breached the clouds, briefly shining on the grain before vanishing. She couldn't see anything-
The razorwire twanged.
Nora glanced down to see eyes of molten gold. She reeled back, heart in her mouth, only for the creature to propel itself up the barricade. It seized her arm with a clawed hand and wrenched her over the edge, tearing her coat on the teeth of the wire.
The world spun before Nora's back slammed into the ground. She gasped for air, staring wide-eyed as a massive shape dropped from the barricade beside her. Dogmeat's frantic barks grew distant as the creature's muzzle peeled back to show two sets of sharp teeth, saliva dripping from its maws as it rose on its hind legs.
It snarled, seizing her arm in a crushing grip before surging away.
The jolt snapped Nora from her transfixion a second too late. Her fingers brushed just shy of where Righteous Authority had fallen as the creature began to sprint even faster, dragging her like a ragdoll in its wake.
A spotlight blinded her, shining in her eyes and she heard the distinctive whir of the turrets, audible over the panicked shouts of the soldiers. In her mind's eye she saw the barrels rising, fixing their sights upon the creature - and her.
Bullets rent the air with a burst of gunfire and she screamed, raising her free arm to cover her face. She heard the bullets biting the ground, zipping through the air around her and even felt the sting as one grazed her arm.
Then she felt the stalks of grain brushing against her, heard the bullets tearing through them and the rustle as the beast continued to drag her. Away from the settlement and beyond all help.
Survival instincts kicked in and Nora kicked out, struggling as violently as she knew how. Her hands caught at the stalks and dirt, desperately trying to resist as she fought to free herself.
The creature let go.
Nora scrambled backwards, panting, hand fumbling with her pip-boy. Emerald light flooded the stalks and the beast recoiled inches from her face, its eyes shining in the glare. The grain rustled and the beast was concealed in its depths.
I have to get out. She couldn't fight what she couldn't see, and all she had to defend herself with was her machete and the knife she always kept in her boot.
Fueled by adrenaline, Nora scrambled to her feet, rushing back the way she had come. Something dark scythed from the grain and collided with her chest plate. The force winded her and sent her flying.
She hit the ground, crushing the grain at her back - and then the beast was on top of her. Foul breath choked her lungs as its claws tore at her coat, cutting through the fabric and scraping the ceramic of her chestplate.
She screamed, shielding her head with her arms as she tried to kick it away to no avail. Suddenly the creature wrenched away with a roar. Nora heard the sounds of a brief struggle, followed by a yelp.
Recognition turned her blood to ice, numbing the pain of her wounds as she forced herself to sit upright. A few feet away the monster loomed with its back to her, bearing down on Dogmeat who was struggling to rise from where he'd been thrown.
No!
She seized the sheath of her blade. She didn't remember surging to her feet, but suddenly the beast was howling as she slashed across its back.
It whipped around, swinging its arm as the blade cut down in an arc. The blade bit deep and the creature roared, wrenching its arm back before lashing out with the other. Its claws scraped her chestplate and Nora took another strike, slashing across its torso. The beast reeled away and doubled over, blood splattering the ground as it raised its good hand to the wound.
Nora lunged with a snarl, only for the beast to sweep its arm and knock her off balance. Before she could right her footing, it pounced, sending them both to the ground - only to be wrenched back when Dogmeat seized its leg in his jaws and yanked.
It fell as Nora angled the blade.
The howl was deafening. The beast reared back, tearing the blade from its stomach. Nora was drenched in its blood as it surged away, launching over her. An eerie stillness settled in its absence. Distantly, Nora could hear the approaching shouts of her militia closing in.
Dogmeat whimpered, crawling to her side. She felt his tongue rasp against her fingers, but the sensation faded as her eyelids drooped, the world bleeding out with her wounds. She wondered who would be waiting for her on the other side if she didn't wake up.