The corpses of around thirty super mutants lay dead in varying states of dismemberment and exsanguination. My little fight hadn't helped me make a decision about the Elder one way or another, but it had ben incredibly cathartic. It had been several hours since I left the Brotherhood's blimp, and the rain had not let up in the slightest. The downpour had begun to pool in low areas around the street and inside this shoddy building that I had performed my massacre. The not-quite dry blood was carried away by the water, turning what little remained of Boston's drainage system into a red river. Normally I would mourn the loss, but I had more than gotten my fill from the simple minded mutants.
The sound of nearby gunfire drew my attention. Most of these mutants had been using varying melee implements, and what few guns that were laying around were semi-auto or bolt action. The gunfire I was hearing now was a shotgun of some kind. I pulled the leather hood of my duster over my head and headed into the downpour. As I neared the source of the fighting, I pulled out the Casull and confirmed that it was fully loaded. Despite being nearly three centuries old, it looked relatively clean. A few of the more critical pieces had to be replaced, often times hand produced if I was unable to find a suitable substitute. My meticulous maintenance of the firearm had done most of the work in ensuring its condition, and the hand loaded ammo that I created worked just as well as anything made by Hellsing.
The hoarse growl of a feral ghoul drew my gaze. It was ragged, what little scraps of clothing it wore barely hanging on. The monstrosity was currently feasting ravenously on the remains of a radroach. I started to raise the Casull, before deciding not to waste a bullet on the pitiful creature. It looked up as I approached, started to raise one of its spindly arms to attack me, before falling backwards as a punch took off its head.
I always felt bad for the feral ghouls. My opinion might be biased because of the fact that vampires can create ghouls similar to them, but regardless it was still an awful thing to have happen. Normal ghouls, while rather grotesque to look at, at least have the ability to choose whether or not they want to be damned to an existence of undeath.
I heard the gunfire begin to slow down, so I hurried outside. Down the street, I saw a feral charge across the broken road into a building, before being blasted back by a shotgun of some kind. Where it fell, three more took its place and sped into the same entryway that their ally had taken. I took off in a sprint, hoping that whoever was firing wouldn't shoot me as well. Not that it would hurt, it would just be rather unpleasant and I'd rather avoid it if I could. In the entryway, I saw the three ghouls clawing madly at a closed door. Knowing that the Casull would simply overpenetrate the thin wall, I picked up a nearby piece of rebar and used that to decapitate all three ghouls.
The rebar clanged loudly as I tossed it aside. "It's safe to come out now." I called out over the steadily declining din of rain. The door opened a crack, an eye peeking at me.
He stared at me suspiciously for a few seconds before his eyes widened in alarm. "My brother!" He exclaimed and rushed out the door and up the stairs to my left. I tucked the Casull away and followed him. Halfway up, I heard the familiar throaty growl of a feral and a scream of pain. When I turned the corner I saw the man from earlier pinned against the wall, barely holding off the feral, and a boy of about ten laying on the ground a few feet away, clutching a nasty gash on his arm.
I ran over and put the feral in a headlock, allowing the man to get away. Careful not to show them too much of my strength, I acted like I was struggling with it, before finally snapping its neck. The corpse of the feral collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The man I had saved practically melted with relief, before moving to assist his brother. The wound looked nasty, and despite it being from a feral bite, I smelled no infection on it. At least not yet. I moved towards the boy, reaching for the first aid kit I had managed to salvage in the aftermath of my rampage, when the older brother moved to block me. He fixed me with a firm glare.
"I was just going to treat his wound. It may not be that bad now, but it could get infected easily. I have a first aid kit here." I patted my satchel twice for emphasis. He eyed it suspiciously before moving aside. The boy approached me swiftly, having overheard the conversation and eager to get his wound cleaned. Something told me that this wasn't the first time he and his brother had run into ferals. Now that I had a closer look at it, I could tell that the bite was not as bad as I initially thought it to be. Where I had thought that the ghoul had taken a chunk of flesh off, it had simply bitten down and then released the boy, leaving a somewhat clean wound. It would undoubtedly get infected if left untreated, but I had enough supplies to ensure that wouldn't come to pass.
"What's your name?" I asked as I gently dabbed the wound clean with a bottle of distilled water and some sterile gauze I had found in a medical box.
"Michael." He replied, wincing every time the gauze met his wound.
I gave him a small, comforting smile. "Well, Michael, my name is Seras." I discarded the bloody gauze, capped the water, and pulled out a bottle of disinfectant with another, fresh gauze pad. "Now, I'm gonna be honest. This is going to sting." I waited a moment for him to prepare and then poured a modicum of the alcohol onto the wound. The boy hissed as the disinfectant went to work, white bubbles forming in the teeth marks on his arm. I let it sit for a moment before wiping it away with the pad. After repeating the action once more, I opened a third pad, pressed it to the wound, and wrapped his arm with adhesive gauze that had also been in the kit.
Once I had packed away all of my stuff, I was surprised by a fierce hug from the young boy. "Thank you" he spoke appreciatively, before hurrying off to an adjacent room.
"That's the first time I've seen him smile since mom died." The older brother commented in a somber voice. He breathed out a heavy sigh. "My uh," He paused an extended a hand in greeting. "My name's Marcus." The sudden boom of thunder cut off any reply I could make.
"Maybe we should talk in a safer area," I noted as I saw the roof leaking in a couple places. Marcus nonverbally agreed as he headed into the area where his little brother went. Inside, Michael was reading a comic book, a rather dilapidated copy of Grognak. A glance upward revealed that the roof here was much more secure than in the hallway. As Marcus spoke with his brother in a soft whisper, I took the opportunity to give the older brother a once over. He was tall, not too muscular, and held himself in a confident manner. A smile made its way to my face as I realized that I found the perfect way to let off steam.
"There's an adjacent room that's more private." Marcus's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked back to the younger brother and he had turned in for the night. Marcus led me through a closed door into a much more spacious room. He sat down on the queen sized bed, licking his lips nervously. I took a spot beside him, wincing internally as the bed creaked. "So uh," He turned towards me, head facing downward as if he was afraid to look me in the eyes. Well that wouldn't do. "What did-" I cut him off with a kiss on the lips, relishing in the light warmth I felt.
A few moments later, I broke away, smirking at the dumbstruck look on Marcus's face. "W-wow." He stammered at my forwardness. "I uh," It seemed that I had caused him to become speechless, so I took the initiative once more.
"You don't have to say anything." I moved to straddle him, smirking at the way his eyes widened. "Not if you don't want to." After pushing him over, I leaned in for a more ravenous kiss.
The next hour flew by in an ecstasy-filled blur. By the time I came down, the rain had stopped completely. The old sheets that were on the bed barely covered the both of us. I was unable to help the goofy smile that seemed plastered on my face after being thoroughly satisfied for what seemed like the first time in decades. Unexpectedly, I felt Marcus's hand grasp mine. His smile mirrored my own.
"I'm sorry, I just," He let out a short laugh. "I was just making sure that you were real and not some fever dream." Unable to help it, I guffawed at his statement. I suppose that from his eyes what had just happened could be considered a dream: an attractive blonde woman saves you and your brother then proceeds to shag you.
"Very real," I replied with a genuine smile, which promptly faded as the weight of my responsibilities came crashing down. Marcus noticed my sudden solemnity.
"What's wrong? Did I do some-"
I cut him off with a half-hearted laugh. "No, you were great." An explosive sigh left my lips. "I guess I just realized that running away from my problems doesn't solve anything." I stood up and grabbed my shirt, smirking at the way Marcus averted his eyes. "After what we just did I figured that you were beyond averting your gaze."
"That was in the heat of the moment, though. Now I'd feel like a pervert for looking." He replied after a moment. He reminded me of Roger in a way. Chivalrous to a fault.
"I'm gonna be honest. This is probably going to be the last time we see each other." I admitted to him. Before I could say anything else, an image flashed in my mind's eye. It was of Marcus and Michael, laying on the ground, bloody and shot full of holes. As soon as the vision left me, I heard the familiar sound of the VTOL aircraft that the Brotherhood used. Alucard told me that his lineage was gifted with foresight, but I had not actually experienced such a thing until now. I didn't exactly know how, but I knew that if they stayed here then my premonition would come to pass. I also couldn't shake the feeling that they were here for me. Having them here would only complicate things.
"You need to get dressed, take your brother, and leave out the back." I told him seriously. He started to voice a protest, but I interrupted him. "Just do it!" I hissed, hurriedly getting dressed myself in preparation for what was to come. To my surprise, he had already dressed and was reloading his shotgun by the time I finished dressing. The clanking of power armor broke the silence.
"There's big metal guys outside," Michael called out from the doorway. "I think it those Brotherhood people."
"Listen!" I gripped Marcus by the shoulders and looked him square in the eyes. "You and your brother need to get out of here. I can distract the Brotherhood long enough for you to slip away."
He shook out of my grasp. "'Distract'? What are you talking about? The Brotherhood are the good guys."
An exasperated sigh left my lips. "I have a bad feeling about them. And I'm never wrong about my bad feelings." The man stared into my eyes for a moment more, eventually accepting what I said.
"Alright, but if it looks like you can't handle it, then get out of there." There was nothing that they could throw at me that I couldn't handle, but I couldn't let him know that.
"When you get to safety, head northwest. A friend of mine told me that there was a friendly settlement. You and your brother will be safe there." I told him right before moving to open the door that led back into the hallway. The two brothers were right behind me, and once I made sure the coast was clear, I hurried them towards the back door of the building. After parting ways with only a nod, I started towards the front where the Brotherhood would be.
Once outside, I saw them. Spread out in a semicircle were half a dozen of the familiar looking armored soldiers I had seen aboard the Prydwen. The leader held up a fist and the troop stopped walking. "Are you Seras?" The leader asked, his tone neutral and not betraying any emotion. I couldn't exactly place why, but I felt deep down that I couldn't trust this 'Brotherhood'.
"Cut the pomp and tell me what you want. You obviously followed me out here, and no one brings six soldiers of this caliber for a simple extraction mission." My calm and confident mask slid back on as easily as it came off aboard the Brotherhood's vessel. If they were unnerved by my forwardness, they didn't show it.
As one, they all raised their weapons and pointed them towards me. "By order of Elder Maxson, you are to be summarily executed for your status as an abomination and an affront to the human race."
I could almost laugh. "'Abomination?'" I asked skeptically. It was obvious that someone in the Brotherhood had seen my little display with the Super Mutants. Unfortunate, but I hadn't exactly been subtle when I was literally throwing around the green mutants like children's toys.
The venom in the lead soldier's tone of voice shocked me. "You and your ilk, byproducts of the nuclear Armageddon that ravaged the Earth. Super Mutants, ghouls, irradiated creatures, synths. All abominations that must be scoured from the world."
I was floored by his statement. This is what Roger's organization had become? And the elder, his own descendant no less, had supported this endeavor? After a few seconds of silence, it seemed like they were done talking. So I gave them an ultimatum. "Listen. I'm giving you one chance: leave, return to your ship, and tell your elder to never send anyone after me again."
Their weapons glowed ominously, obviously not taking my threat seriously. With a disappointed sigh, I spoke. "Very well. If you insist on this farce of an execution, allow me to show you exactly how outclassed you really are." Deciding to throw subtlety out the window, I dispelled the illusion over my shadow arm and formed it into a sword. "By the way," I added on a whim. "I existed on this planet long before the bombs destroyed its surface." I raised my sword and took a runner's stance. "And I will continue to exist long after your 'Brotherhood' fades into distant memory."