Holy shit that was like pulling my own teeth. sorry it took a while. Writers block is a bitch. but its here enjoy.

Eva was awoken by what sounded like an engine, revving, shaking, and screeching. It howled in the morning wind. Eva stood up and quickly began jogging towards the source of the sound. Where there are engines, there are people, and where there are people, there is safety and quite possibly information on her father.

Eva soon found herself at the base of a giant wall of rusted steel. It was built in a circle, slightly resembling the castles in the stories she had read in her childhood.

"Must be a town of some kind." She muttered through a smile.

Suddenly there was a bang and dirt flew up from beside her. She ducked down and drew her pistol as she darted her head around for the cause.

"What do you want missy?" Came a voice.

Eva looked up and found a man atop the towns steel walls. A hunting rifle clenched in his hands trained on Eva, he pulled back the bolt and awaited a response.

"It's ok," Eva said as she raised her hands. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just-"

"Then why do you have that gun?" The man snapped, motioning his rifle to the girl's side.

Eva looked to her right hand and remembered the pistol. She dropped it and it landed with a clack. "Look, my name is Eva, I'm looking for my father and I figure he might have come through here. you see I'm from the vault-"

"You're from a vault?" The man's eyes widened and the rifle lowered to his side.

"Yea, born and raised." She smiled and pointed to the bold 101 on her jumpsuit.

"Well shit," the man shrugged. "I'm sorry, I'm just on the lookout for raiders is all."

Eva lowered her arms. "Sorry? Raiders?"

"You've never seen a raider?, I guess that's good then." The man slung the rifle over his shoulder. "Look, raiders are deranged psychotics who kill rape and torture for little reason more than for the hell of it. They wear clothing often with spikes on it, sometimes thell hang the severed hands of there victims from there belts. There completely merciless and there armed with anything from a baseball bat to a flamer." as he spoke he leaned over the railing. "If you see these guys, you dont fight, you dont negotiate, you fucking run."

Eva was a a loss for words. "That cant be. There must be some reason for what there doing."

"Believe it, and that's just to a normal wastlander. A clean, pretty girl like you? Those lunatics would probably rape you to death, cut off all your limbs, and eat your flesh. and if your really lucky," there was a pause, as if for effect. "If your really lucky, thell do it in that order."

There was a silence as Eva digested the information.

Before Eva could respond another voice entered the conversation. "Dont mind Stolkhome up there little lady, hes just a little paranoid is all."

Eva looked down from the man atop the wall and found another man standing by the gates of the town.

"The names Simms, I'm sharrif of this town, mayor too when the need arises." He stopped abruptly, waiting for the girls response.

Eva smiled in the opportunity to divert from Stockholm. "Im Eva, its a pleasure to meet you sheriff."

"Polite and well mannered! I think well get along just fine. So what's your business in my town?"

"Im looking for my father, I thought he might have come through here."

"I see." Simms scratched his beard before continuing. "I think I might of seen him."

Eva's eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure it was him?"

"Unless he was another guy in a 101 jumpsuit." The sherrif responded in a condescending tone.

"Thats great! Is he still here?"

"Fraid not, saw him leave not long ago, I dont know where hes going but I know he stopped at the saloon while he was in town, you should talk to Moriarty, he'll know where hes headed."

"Moriarty?"

"He ownes the saloon."

"Thanks Simms." Eva said as she began to walk towards the gates.

Suddenly she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder and found herself stairing into Simms eyes. "Just keep in mind miss, dont cause any trouble in my town or I'll fucking end you. Got it?"

Eva bit her lip and nodded. Simms let her go and she pushed open the gate.

"Im tellin you doc, Im fine."

The doctor stopped his work on the man's wound and covered his face in a frustrated scowl. "Jericho, you crawled into town with a bullet lodged in your skull-"

"Limped, not crawled."

"Whatever, the fact is you had lost a lot of blood and could suffer from a major concussion, now hold still." The doc retrieved a pair of forceps from the tray beside him and positioned them around the .9 round burrowed in his patient's skull. "Try not to move." The doctor pulled and after three seconds of resistance the bullet tore from the bone. The doc flew back and almost lost his balance. Repositioning himself he spoke to his patient. "So you wanna tell me how this happened?"

"No." Jericho snapped sharply. It was enough that he had to visit this prick for a band aid. He didn't need people knowing that he fell for a deceptive regulators trick. "Are we done?"

"Hold on," The doctor put down the forceps and retrieved a casting iron.

"You have got to be kidding."

"Fraid not buddy." with those words he pushed the iron against the man's wound and held it until a searing sound filled the air. Jericho held back a yelp and instead grunted as he smelled his own burning flesh.

After a few seconds the iron was removed and the wound was closed. "Good as new, now you have a reason be such a dumbass. You know with the potential brain damage and all."

"You're hilarious." Jericho said sarcastically. "Now get out of my face." Jericho pushed away the doctor, stood from the stool and began walking to the door.

The doctor followed and stopped his patient short of the door. "Oi Jericho what about your fee?"

Jericho turned and let out an evil smile. "What about it?" With those words the man pushed open the clinic's steel door and stepped out into the evening light.

Allowing the door to close behind him, Jericho proceeded to the ramp leading up to Moriarty's. His head hurt like hell, so he figured a few shots of whiskey would help. But first he needed to change out of his combat armour. He had received a few fearful looks from the townsfolk as they saw the talon company logo, and the extra attention was in no way appealing to the man at this time. Finding his small shack he entered and shut the steel door.

There it is, hope you liked it. leave a review.