The storm was akin to a giant- old, tired, and full of lament. It howled and moaned, drowning the landscape under a wave of despair, its eyes glazed like glass and breath sharpened ice.
Roman gazed out the distorted windowpane for something that was not there. A flicker of candlelight was at his elbow, casting skinny, trembling shadows on the walls. The ghoul in the corner was shrouded in darkness, poisoned with drink, moaning his own woes to the world.
"Her cunt ain't anything special," Sinjin grunted, more to himself. "She ain't anything special…" The ghoul leaned back in his chair, the creak from the exertion on the frame loudly whining in the small room. "I should've fucked her so hard she couldn't walk away from me."
Roman allowed a small sigh through his nose. His employer was completely belligerent, overly sloppy with his words. The more time that seemed to pass, the more innate he would become with his emotions…mostly regarding his twin.
A chipped bottle was slid over. "You'd fuck her, wouldn't you?" A leering grin hovered in the nothingness.
Roman ignored the jab. He always did. It had been this way for months when it was just the two of them.
Sinjin would take a few shots (something strong, something dirty), and lick at his mouth with an overzealous tongue, reinventing the wheel a dozen times over with how he could have kissed her. How he could have made it different. How she would be right here, his cock in her warm mouth, dried blood flaking from her skin.
"That should be my kid," he muttered with a sullen undertone. "That prick better uphold his end of all this…I should just fuck her."
Roman slid his eyes to the side.
"He won't be able to tell the difference," Sinjin continued to mumble. There was a clinking of buckles, a terse zip! The ghoul held his stiff erection in his palm and spat on it. "Show that bitch what a real man could do." He groaned as he worked himself, closing his eyes and picturing it so beautifully. "Could get them to fuck each other…fuck, I'd pay good caps for something like that."
Sinjin bucked his hips into his hand, his voice deep and throaty.
"Have one on my cock, God, my hand in her ass… I'd even eat her pussy out." He gazed up, wild, delirious. Stricken with lusty fever. The sound wet and jerky. "Could fuck them together…have you fuck your sister."
Heated. Breathy. So close to the edge.
"I know how she likes it," a taunt, foul, "choke her till her eyes roll in the back of her head."
Filthy.
A garbled whine- almost inaudible. Sinjin came with a shudder down to his toes and a slack-jawed silent roar.
Roman finally turned his head around to his employer's eyes hanging in the swath of nothing. Two identical glowing moons, orbiting around his existence.
For literal months, his twin had been swallowed by the depths of Boston- unseen, and unheard. The merc was doing a fine job at keeping her under lock and key, wherever that may be. There had not been a single whiff or rumor of her appearance anywhere…he was beginning to wonder if she was even being kept in the Commonwealth at all at this point.
And then…there she was.
The ghoul had just made his way out of the Hotel Rexford after collecting word from their devoted informants. There had been talk of the mercenary losing his shit and beating a woman into slop- Jolene had played her part well. Roman left with every intention of returning to his employer with the status update, for it would seem the merc was finally on the hunt.
They could then advance to the higher stakes.
At least, that is what he assumed until he spied a pregnant woman teetering along with nothing more than a mister gutsy at her elbow.
No…she wasn't that dumb.
She had glanced around, a shadow of apprehension lining her brow.
Yes…she was.
Now they were but a few feet apart, their eyes drinking in every part of each other.
Slap!
"Did you fucking know?!" Evelyn snarled, her open palm curling into a tight fist.
The blow had smarted his cheek; he angrily clenched his jaw, slowly turning his head back to her. "Do not do that again."
The ire simmering in her eyes lanced through the biting cold to impale itself through his chest.
"We look nothing alike," she spat.
"My nose was not as big."
A sincere gasp left her lips, and she was suddenly ten years old, being badgered by some scraggly kid riding in the back of a brahmin wagon on their trek across the Mojave. "That is the rudest thing anyone has ever told me! At least I still have one!"
The Colonel at her side decided to intervene, taking the liberty to place itself between them. "Go pound sand, you rotten bootlicker!" He whirled around, keeping two eyes on Roman as he addressed his charge with his other. "Ma'am, I strongly urge-"
"It's okay, Colonel." Evelyn dismissed his concerns. She glanced at the manner of how Roman's palm was placed firmly over his gun. "He's with me."
All at once, Roman cooled into apathy and gave a nod of agreeance.
"I am with her," his voice rumbled from the pit of his chest.
With a fleeting look back at the glowing lights of the Memory Den enticing her inside, she soon made her up mind on the matter altogether. She gave her twin a half-hearted shrug, any former wrath washed away. "Do you want to…talk?"
Roman discreetly looked around and then gave a single nod. "Not here." He then half-turned, indicating for her to follow. "Let us go."
If you are to do something stupid…at least have a plan for it. Promise me that you will be smart about the choices you make, and that you won't leave here alone.
I won't.
Charon really did know her best.
Evelyn wiped a hand across her mouth…she hardly doubted he would approve of this.
Plates were set before them. "Rough night?"
Evelyn gave a winning smile, brushing some wet hairs from her face. "Something like that."
The barkeep glanced at the hulking ghoul sitting quietly in his seat, watching him. "Alright." With a shake of his head he turned, muttering something under his breath.
Evelyn sighed, plunking her chin in her hand as she twirled her fork through the instamash, her appetite nonexistent. Her swollen feet were killing her.
Roman coughed, clearing his throat. His meal also went untouched. Her blue eyes flit to his black ones. She set her utensil to the side and made a face as she adjusted herself in a more comfortable position in her seat. Unfortunately, there wasn't one.
"Who's your employer?"
The ghoul squinted. "I cannot answer that."
"Are they here, in Boston?" she continued.
When he said nothing but merely gave a hard stare, she scoffed and looked around the room. She faintly heard The Colonel conversing with the mister handy just outside The Colonial Taphouse.
"…did you know I came to find you?"
A slight dip of his head. Yes.
"So, what did you bring me here for?"
A puff of air left his nostrils in a snort. He then focused on his meal, pushing the plate away when it was finished and ordering a second beer, looking at her to see if she would stop him. There was no snide remark or condescending question. She didn't even seem to notice and only yawned into her hand; her food barely nibbled on.
Just a few days prior, he had been making loveless sex to a couple of smoothkin women and listening to Sinjin's frantic whispers about this entire operation. Now…now he was staring at his twin sister from another life, slumped from exhaustion in her seat and carrying something that she did not understand the true value of. He did not know her, as she had so stated…but they were blood. They had once shared the most intimate of moments, sharing a womb and breathing the same air as they were beckoned into this world. No one else had that between them- they were the closest of individuals with a primal bond beyond simple understanding.
He waited, drinking his beer with a slow appreciation as he waited for her to continue asking him questions that he could not answer…but the minutes ticked by, and his glass was draining. When he finally reached the bottom and set it down, she turned to him, her eyes full of nothing but sadness.
"You really don't care about any of it, do you? About us?" she asked a little quietly.
A shake of his head. No.
A brief flash of utter disappointment ruined her face, and then she cradled her bump with both hands.
"Then what exactly did you want to talk about?"
The ghoul cleared his throat and met her imploring gaze squarely. "You need to come with me."
There hadn't been a day of sun in almost two weeks. The fog rolled on by, thick and suffocating, drenching those who walked through and disorienting others who were not experienced with its shifting maze.
The ghoul looked up from his work at the giggling children that stormed inside. He bent over and swiped at the closest one, erupting a sudden shriek from her lips.
"Where the hell's your mother?" he rasped.
The spitting image of his boyhood that was standing at his elbow gave a shrug.
"Play with us!" the little girl in his arms pleaded. "We're bored."
"You're always bored," he mused.
The door creaked as it widened. He stared at the figure in the doorway that had a cheeky smile on her rouge lips.
"I thought you kids were told not to be in here," Amelia chided.
Cross felt his daughter wiggle from his grasp to run to the woman with her arms outstretched.
"We're going to play!"
"Oh, you are?" Amelia looked back up and winked at him. "Someone must be in a good mood."
...
Charon planted a boot in the merc's ribs, startling him awake.
"Ow! Fucker," Cross growled, rubbing at the sight.
"Get up."
The merc groaned, glancing outside at the torrent of summer rain sweeping down the coast. Collins had proved to be loose lips with now looser teeth…and a twisted neck. There were no scraps about Sinjin, however, just another breadcrumb of a name on their trail. The days were ticking down, one by one.
"Can't believe I'm actually missin' that Mojave sun right now," he grumbled as he rubbed at the back of his head.
"You were dreaming." The statement was brandished like an accusation.
Cross wiped at the curl of a snarl on his mouth, going about to collect his gear. He ignored the toasty glare directed at him.
"You were calling for Amelia."
A warning steeled itself in the glowing ghoul's eyes. "Yeah, and? She's my wife, remember?"
"No," Charon countered firmly. "Evelyn is."
Cross ran his tongue over his teeth and shrugged, resuming getting dressed. There was no argument to be had on that fact. Cross did miss Amelia…but that was all. He may see her in his dreams once more, but he did not feel the love for her as he did for Evelyn.
It was the first step in his life at moving on from anything.
The very first thing he awoke to was a skull-splitting headache.
The second, was a jail cell.
Roman bolted from his place on the ground a little too quickly, making his eyes roll in his head and the textures of the world blend together in a swirling vortex of gray concrete and black bars. With a loud groan, he was forced to lay back down, closing his eyes and using all of his sheer willpower in just remaining conscious.
What the fuck happened?!
"What the fuck happened?!" Lydia snapped as she stared at the giant ghoul lying in a daze on the floor. She let out a brute and harsh laugh, wiping at her face with a greased palm to soothe her sudden frustration.
Cross was going to straight up bury her six feet deep in the pit outside once he found out Evelyn had left and then somehow brought back him.
Lydia began to march off to the control room where the radio had been set up. "Cross needs to know about this!"
"Lydia, wait wait!" Evelyn tried to intercept her, but her waddle severely handicapped her pace. "He doesn't need to come back just yet!"
"Are you fucking shitting me?!" Lydia practically screamed as she turned around with her hands balled at her sides. "Evelyn, do you really think I'm that fucking stupid?!"
"It's okay," Evelyn eased with a slow raise of her palms. "Just calm down and think for a second-"
"I am!" she barked. "Everything always goes to complete shit because no one tells anyone anything, and you of all people should know that!"
"You're right- I do."
"We can't risk this place because of him!"
"You're right- we can't."
"Cross is going to come home and deal with it. You know he would want to hear about this!" The last word had been hissed from between her chapped lips. "He's going to freak the minute he learns you left without telling anyone, and he's going to take it out on me."
"You know he's not," Evelyn said slowly. "I am my own responsibility. My actions are not pinned on you."
"Fine, then I hope you're ready for the complete ass chewing he'll give you when he gets back," Lydia remarked sourly as she turned to continue upstairs.
Evelyn watched her stomp onward before she turned her head to the side. "Did he tell you what I am?"
"Don't know, don't care."
"I'm a cure for ghouling."
Lydia paused mid-step just as her finger hovered over the elevator button.
Evelyn eyed the sudden rigidity of her spine and shoulders. "…if Cross or Charon ever turn feral, it's because I let them." She slowly walked forward. "My heart could never take something like that. I would give my life all over again to prevent it, but I don't have to, simply because I can."
When the other woman remained silent, Evelyn licked her lips and proceeded to reach out and gently grab her elbow.
"I know you're just trying to do what seems right, and that's because it is. If you really want to bring them home, then I'll send the message myself…but you know how it's going to play out once he comes back."
Lydia kept her eyes trained on a small crack in the elevator paneling. When was the last time she ever did some maintenance on it?
"I'm not asking for us to take all the world's matters into our own hands," Evelyn continued softly. "I'm just asking for a little time to get what matters the most in the world to me…and I think for you, too."
The older woman didn't spare a glance behind herself as she curtly shrugged Evelyn's touch away before stepping inside the elevator. "Cross will know where to go from here."
Ding!
"Lobby."
You'rethesmartoneyou'rethesmartoneyou'rethe-
Lydia flipped a light switch, illuminating a cracked bulb overhead before taking a seat in a creaky chair where the radio was set up. One click of the receiver, and the ghoul was sure to be home faster than a stone in quicksand. A cold shudder jittered down to her fingers and toes at the consequences she was about to face, but she had honestly believed Evelyn wasn't that stupid.
The mic was held up to her lips.