John ducked behind the boulder, pressing his shoulder against it as the grenade went off, pushing the rock backwards with the pressure of the explosion. He grimaced, feeling water splash against his foot. Glancing back he was caught by the sight of the Tidal Basin. It was beautiful..he could practically feel the radiation coming out of the water...filthy...yet it was beautiful.
So much water...
"Master, they are advancing." Charon's voice was impassive, despite being huddled up right next to John behind the smooth boulder at the edge of the water the ghoul spoke as if nothing was amiss, just another day in the wasteland.
Which it was, depressingly enough. "How many skirmishes does this make since we left Rivet city? Six?" Glancing up from the cover he flicked the assault rifle over to single shot and rolled his shoulders, casually spiting some phlegm out of his mouth. Charon was, unsurprisingly, correct. Right at the top of the gentle slope where the ground went down towards the water he could see the bobbing heads of the three super mutants coming at them, arrogantly striding forward without a hint of fear.
"Seven master, if you count the centaur hunt." Charon replied, placing his shotgun against the rock while sliding he hunting rifle he'd acquired forward and aiming down towards their foes.
"Ugh, I hated those things." John lined up his sight and took a deep breath, waiting until he could be certain of an effectual hit. "And these are just annoying, we're perhaps five miles from Rivet city dammit! Can't I get one moment without fighting for my life!?"
Charon didn't answer, eyes forward he squeezed off a round. It cut a wound across one of the mutant's neck, it didn't seem to affect it...at least it made them mad though, all three monsters raised their rifles and raked their position with bullets.
"I don't have time for this!" Taking careful aim John ignored the bullets zipping past him and fired off three quick rounds. The first two missed, but the third slammed into the head of the lead mutant, making it take a step back with a growl of irritation. "Just die already! Where's a good place to shoot them when they don't have a brain?"
"They..."
"I know!" John shoot his head and took another shot at his foes, putting a bullet in the rightmost mutant's shoulder. "I'm just irritated! But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that would you!?" He felt his blood rise, the adrenaline of the battle mixing with his irritation of not making any progress. "No you're all yes master, no master...I don't think about it master." Charon's and his shots both caught the central mutant in the head, making the creature stumble back with a groan of what hopefully was of pain.
Another three shots zipped past them, with which they replied in kind. Charon's bullet finally cracked the central mutant's skull and dropped the creature to the ground while John's shot left a crater in the leftmost mutant's massive neck. "We're taking fire master, you're covered in blood master, they set me on fire master...do you ever care!?" John planted a second shot in the eye of his target, not that it actually killed the damn thing...
"Of course you don't! You're just waiting for me to take one in the head so you can go on with that thing you call a life!" A bullet clipped John's right ear, the burning pain making him all the angrier. "Of course I keep you from that since I'm such a fucking jackass! I bet you would prefer standing over the ninth circle right now, scowling at the druggies like another thug!" He sent two more bullets into his foe, the bullets were poorly aimed however and merely left two little marks on its massive chest.
John shook his head, grimacing as a bullet slammed into his cover and showered him with dust and rocks. "That's just the thing isn't it? You don't care! You don't prefer! You simply do! And you have no idea how annoying that is! It's like a droid! But without any manners!" Another three bullets slammed into the leftmost mutant's skull, making it drop to its knees. A gasp escaped it, the hands reaching for its head...before the cranium opened up and the creature fell out of sight.
The last one was now dangerously close and John felt a twinge of fear as he saw the mutant unhook a grenade from its belt and pull back for a throw that was sure to reach them... Act! Flicking his weapon over to rapid fire John let loose a fusillade, making a red line down the mutant's right arm...right down to the mutant's fist.
The sound of the grenade going off was muted, hidden as it was in the super mutant's fist. Gore and dark dust flew everywhere, the mutant's arm coming apart messily. It staggered where it stood...then keeled over backwards when John emptied the rest of his clip into it's upper torso. "See? That's how you do it! Did you see that explosion!? I have to remember that for later...did you know about that? ...Charon?"
All got cold.
The ghoul lay on his back, a hand still clutching his rifle that was bobbing in the water, the other lay rested against the boulder. His eyes were wide open, white orbs staring at the sky. His leather armour was stained by brown dust...no blood. "Charon...are you hurt?" It's shock, got to be...why was the water staining red, where was the wound!?
Dropping his gun to the ground John forced his legs to move, quickly getting him down next to the ghoul. "Hey! Speak to me!" He slapped the ghoul, getting no reaction save another gush of blood staining the water. No...nononono! "Don't..." He reached out, grabbing a hold of Charon's head and leaning over on his knees to get a closer look. The wound was minimal, barely visible in such a ravished face...
"C...Charon?" John swallowed, tilting the ghoul's head to the side.
A sloshing sound followed as something grey dripped out from the back of Charon's skull. "No!" Turning the head completely to the side John saw the remains of Charon's skull, the back completely shattered, reminding him of a broken bowl. There was...grey matter leaking out of him. "No!"
Guilt and pain washed over him, making the world wobble, darkness almost caught him...shaking his head he tried to find some sort of...answer.
"Radiation! You need radiation!" Pulling for all he was worth he begun to drag Charon towards the water. "Your brain...Charon!" Pushing his hands forward John caught the brain before it fell out. It was sticky and felt like jelly...and some poured through his fingers despite his efforts. "There's some damage Charon...I..."
This is your fault...
Pulling the ghoul's head into the water he pushed franticly at the ghoul's brain, forcing it back into place. A finger slid in... "No, God...I'm so sorry..." Cupping some water he poured it over Charon's skull. He watched it, intently, trying to spot the healing he'd heard so much about. Was that it? The flap curling out? "Yes!" Yesyesyes!
With a splash the flap of skin fell into the water.
"God dammit! Work! You're supposed to heal!" He punched the ghoul in the chest, it got no reaction...he was warm...still alive. "Get up! I order you to get up! You have to follow orders! Now give me a sign! Get up!" He slammed his fist into the ghoul's chest, making Charon twitch. "Ha! It works! It works! Get up!" He punched the ghoul again. Jump-start the heart! Now! Work! "Move it you stinking ghoul! Move!" A third punch.
A splash.
"Ch...Charon...?" John blinked, suddenly realizing he could barely see through an the fog in front of his eyes. The brain was out again, pieces of it...floating away. "I got your....I got your brain." Grabbing it he choked on an odd explosion of air leaving him. He was holding it...and felt it beginning to break up. "I...I think I see the bullet...Charon?"
You got him killed...
"H...hey! I got it! I got the bullet!" John grinned, holding up his prize. "That helps...right?" He pushed the grey thing back into the broken skull. "See? All better..." He smiled, lips trembling. "...Charon? Get up damn it! Get up or I'll tear your contract up! You can't die! It was a fucking lucky shot! Get up!"
No reaction
His shoulders dropped, feeling himself deflate he looked away. "But...you don't really care about that do you?"
No answer.
The legs of his pants were getting wet, the radioactive water splashing over him...it was cold...and all was so...so quiet...
"A grave...you need a grave." John jerked into action, crawling up the beach he blindly searched for a dry spot. The ground was dusty...dead...fitting. Pushing his fingers John begun to dig, all was just dust and rocks..harsh and gritty...pain...it hurt. The pain in his fingers was dull though...a distant throbbing sensation.
You think this makes up for it? You murderer...
The ground didn't want to give way, the dust packed hard, as if someone had stomped down on it. Still, he made it move aside, made it open up for him.
He kept digging...and digging...
The sun was setting when he finally pulled back, running his hand over his face he wiped the tears away, leaving something warm against his skin. The grave wasn't big, barely enough to let Charon lie comfortable, and definitively not as deep as it should be. But he couldn't dig anymore...it had to do.
Yes, because the slave doesn't need a good grave...
He begun to dig again, making the grave another foot deeper. He could barely feel his hands anymore...
Crawling back he found Charon exactly as he had left him. He didn't look peaceful, nor angry, it was the same neutral face as always. The same even look...he had taken on death the way he had taken on life, unfazed. "Don't worry...I got you a grave...see?" He grabbed the ghoul by the head, wincing each time another piece of the skull fell off while he kept the brain inside. "Y...you're quite heavy you know?" He laughed, a short whimpering thing. "Y...you should lose some weight."
Yes, that's all he is to you now, a burden...
Getting him into the grave was harder then John thought...but ten minutes he finally managed to push the ghoul into the hole. Don't hear the sloshing noise...don't...the brain is still there...still intact. Charon's eyes were still open, pale eyes staring at the cloudy sky, uncaring at his new position. "Wouldn't care even if you were alive huh?" A pained chuckle.
Why would you care about him now? Pathetic...
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the contract, the frayed paper stinging his hands. He tossed it into the grave, the blood flecked item landing on the ghoul's chest. "I guess...you own your contract now." He looked away, throat closing up. "Y...you do what you want with it." Another odd laugh escaped him. "God..."
Now you give it to him? You used him...
"I'm....I'm sorry if I said some things..." The short laugh turned into a sob. "Not that you would care...e...even if you were alive." He glanced down at his hands, they were scratched and bloody...or at least it looked like it through the fog of tears. "G...G....I'm...I'm...sorry!"
And that makes it better? You're disgusting...
He couldn't look at the ghoul anymore. Looking away he begun to push the sand back into the grave.