Everything is dark. Dust, sand and two hundred year old debris swell around me. I am still laying on the ground curled in a tight ball from when I braced for the explosion, sure I was going to die. But I didn't. Now, it's just dark and nearly silent, except the whipping and howling of the wind and sand outside.
I cough and wheeze and swipe the sand away from may face to assess the damage. The entire building collapsed. Near the hole, where the explosion was, is now in ruins and filling the hole almost completely. Where the ruins end, sand and dirt begin. There's no chance those monstrosities could have survived.
Closer to our side of the building, the roof fell and is now partly leaning on the ground, and partly leaning on the wall behind me. It makes a sort of lean to over top of me. I immediately look around to find Max.
"Max?" I yell.
Nothing.
"Max!" I say more panicked.
Still nothing.
I struggle to stand up, but pain rocks my body. I feel light headed and my muscles are stiffening. Confused and in pain I rush through my pipboy to find a stimpak but nothing. I must have forgotten I ran out. I grab the next best thing, Buffout. I pop the tablets reluctantly, remembering the warning from the old times of how addictive they can be. The steroids course through my veins and allow me to push through the pain and stand.
I shuffle through the ruins and tip debris over looking for signs of life. My heart starts racing when I see blood splattered on the wall to my right. I don't know if it's Max's or the creatures. I continue pushing debris over, adrenaline rushing through my body. Finally, I clear a path to the right wall past the wall of rocks and stone and find Max laying unconscious on the ground behind it. I rush to his side as best I can and assess his condition.
He's breathing slowly. He's barely hanging on. He has shrapnel in his torso and legs, most likely from the shelving near him. Blood is everywhere. He doesn't have much time. Without skipping a beat I grab his right arm and pull him around my neck and over my shoulders, shuffling him as I squat until he is balanced on my shoulders. I stand and his weight would be unbearable had I not taken that buffout. I quickly turn and scroll through my pipboy. There's nothing I can give him. I instead generate goggles for my eyes and pull the cloth over my nose and mouth, preparing to head out in the storm.
I head back the way I came and through a hole that was blown out in the explosion. Sand is grinding and whipping against my exposed skin as I run away from the building slowly. I try not to waste time, I don't really want to find out what happens if we stay. The wind is horrendous. It's hard to walk much less run against it. The best i'm able to do under Max's weight and against the wind and sand is slowly trek south. I follow the road we were previously on. I can't see very far in front of me, but I don't really care where we end up, as long as we're far away from here.
I carry a limp Max over my shoulders for a while. I don't know how long I carry him for. My exposed skin starts to split in spots and become raw from the sand. The cloth helps keep the sand out of my lungs and mouth, but small amounts still get in. My leg is soaked and the leg of my uniform is stiff with blood. Max's blood is all over my back and chest and sand sticks to it. I pray to whatever gods are out there that we find a place soon, because I won't be able to keep this up for much longer. My body is coming down from the effects of the buffout, and I'm tired.
We pass through a valley in between some mountains I think. I can see outlines of mountains at least in whatever light we have left. The sun is setting and soon it will get cold. If we stay out here for that, the chances of our survival diminish exponentially. We pass a few camps with trailers here or there, but they offer little protection from the wind. Finally, after what seemed like forever, there's a shed on the left of me, but barely visible in the distance, light pokes through on the right. I contemplate for a split second going into the tiny shed to my left, but maybe the light is a town. And where there's a town, there's got to be a doctor, or at the very least a good shelter.
My body groans as I head towards the light. My legs tremble and stagger up the hill, and I come close to collapsing. The motivation of our survival keeps me going though. Right now, I'm running a marathon for my life, and the consequences of losing is death. Soon, I see the faint lettering of 'Saloon' in front of me and pick up the pace. Burned motorcycles litter the front. I pass by them and I slam into the door. I shakily grab the knob but just as I do, it turns for me. It opens and I collapse, praying that I didn't just stumble into a slaver camp.
"Oh my god!" I hear a woman say surprised.
I try to listen to what she's saying, but my vision begins to blur and tunnel, and my ears ring. My body aches and burns and my airways begin to swell. Soon, everything goes black, and I slip into sleep.