Okay this is the new and improved version of the chapter i hope everyone likes it
Ashlyn walked into the gas station. The interior of the building was dark but somewhat calming and had a non- threatening feel to it.
"Ringo?" Ashlyn asked
A pistol was leveled with her face in a split second. Ashlyn collapsed into a crying heap as soon as she saw the pistol; reminding her too much of what was to be her premature death.
"Oh damn I'm sorry you okay?" the man presumably Ringo said.
Between the sniffles and sobs Ashlyn choked out "Yea…..I….I'm fine…."
"What was that about?" the man asked.
"L-long story." Ashlyn said still trying to calm down.
"Okay and again I'm sorry, I didn't know." he said.
"It's okay you couldn't have known." Ashlyn said beginning to stand up.
"You're here to help me I'm guessing?" he said "Oh incase you weren't sure I'm Ringo."
"Yes I am." Ashlyn said quickly observing the man. He was wearing the outfit traditionally worn by couriers; a pair of blue suspenders with a faded red shirt beneath. He had a tan and short brown hair on his head and was cleanly shaven.
"Good, no one else has come to help." Ringo stated "Try talking Sunny into helping us maybe she could convince others to join us."
"Okay, I will." Ashlyn said.
With that Ashlyn began to again walk to the saloon. Ringo went back to what he was doing before she came inside; sitting against a wall hoping he would get out of this mess.
"Sunny, Ringo wants your help with Joe Cobb." Ashlyn said no sooner than she had stepped inside the saloon.
"I'm in." Sunny said.
"Really? That was easy." said Ashlyn with surprise in her voice.
"I don't like the Powder Gangers so I'm willing to help." Sunny stated
"Powder Gangers?" Ashlyn asked "Are they Joe Cobb's group?"
"Yea, sorry I should have told you about them before." Sunny said feeling slightly upset with herself.
"It's fine, but won't we need some more support?" asked Ashlyn looking at Sunny andCheyenne.
"Yea we will, ask Trudy to get the settlers to join us, Chet at the general store for some protection, Easy Pete the man who sits outside the saloon during the day for dynamite and Doc Mitchell for some stimpacks." Sunny said pointing to her fingers as if counting.
"Okay I'll get right on it." Ashlyn said as she walked into the bar room.
"Trudy, we need support to take out the Powder Gangers." said Ashlyn.
Trudy set down the glass she was polishing and looked at Ashlyn then said "I've heard about you from Sunny, you saved a settler, I'll try to get some support."
"Thank you Trudy, do you know where Easy Pete is at right now?" asked the courier.
"I'm right over here." the man said.
"Oh how convenient." Ashlyn said "I need some dynamite."
"You'll just get hurt so no." Pete said sternly.
"I've got explosive experience I've actually made my own dynamite before, now can you trust me?" asked Ashlyn.
"I guess that's good enough you'll have dynamite when the Powder Gangers come." Pete said.
Ashlyn exited the saloon and walked next door to the general store. She stopped in front of it and looked at the crates sitting there. She looked around to see that no one was watching and she opened the crate. There where Sunset Sarsaparillas inside, two of them and some herbs. Ashlyn took of her back pack and quickly stored them away then looked in the other crates gaining even more sarsaparilla and some potatoes with the other crates. Ashlyn walked inside the general store after stowing the rest of her newly taken items.
She noticed that no one was in the main room but saw a man sleeping on a mattress in the back room. She walked to the counter and rang a small bell that was on the counter. The man who definitely was Chet rose and grumbled to himself as he walked to the counter.
"What do you want?" Chet said groggily.
"I need some armor to help protect Goodsprings from the Powder Gangers." stated Ashlyn.
"Hell no, I'm not giving away my goods buy them or don't get them." Chet said with slight aggravation now present in his groggy voice.
"Give me the armor or you won't have a business when the Powder Gangers make this town burn after we can't defend it." Ashlyn said attempting to trick Chet into giving her and the rest of the militia armor.
"Fine here a suit for you and I'll make sure everyone else gets a suit." Chet said.
"Thank you." said Ashlyn grabbing the leather suit of armor.
Ashlyn left the general store. Chet said something profane towards Ashlyn as she was walking away but she decided to ignore the man. She walked along the road to Doc Mitchell's house and knocked on the door and waited for the kind man to answer. The Doc opened the door and looked at the courier.
"You're back, are you hurt?" The Doc asked.
"No I'm fine, thanks for asking, but the towns going to be attacked and we need some medical treatment if we get hurt." Ashlyn said.
"I can help a bit." He said "Is there anything else you need?"
"Yea, do you mind if I stay here for the night?" she asked the man.
"Oh, it's no problem just take the bed that you where in this morning." Doc said.
"Thank you, I really do appreciate all you've done for me." Ashlyn said hugging the man.
"Your welcome." He said smiling and hugging back.
Ashlyn broke the hug and walked inside the Doc's house then followed him into the room she awoke in that morning.
"Well I'm going to go to bed." said Ashlyn.
"Okay, goodnight, you can set an alarm on that pip-boy to wake you up." Doc Mitchell stated as he showed her how to do so.
Ashlyn said goodnight then after the Doc left the room she began to slide the zipper of her vault suit down then she sat on the bed and removed her boots then slid out of the suit. She laid down on the bed and pulled the sheet over her and rolled on her right side and closed her eyes. Ashlyn soon drifted to sleep.
Beeping filled the corner of the room that the bed Ashlyn was sleeping in was located. She moved her pip-boy into her view and hit the button that Doc Mitchell had told her would turn the alarm off. She sat up in the bed and stretched feeling rejuvenated from the normal sleep. Ashlyn grabbed her pack and pulled out a sarsaparilla and the suit of leather armor. She opened the drink and took a swig putting the cap in her pouch that held her caps.
Ashlyn dressed herself in the leather armor, it was faded black with buckles and straps in places to help secure it. The armor only had coverage on the right arm and had pouches for ammunition. Ashlyn felt safe in the armor; she smiled. She didn't see Doc Mitchell so she assumed he was still asleep, she slipped out of the house quietly. She walked to the gas station to check on Ringo and tell him the news.
"Ringo you awake?" Ashlyn asked as she closed the door to the building.
"Over here." Ringo said "I'm at the back."
Ashlyn walked to the black mass in the unlit building. She remembered that Doc Mitchell had told her about a light function on the pip-boy. She fiddled with the device for a second until she found the correct button. Green light washed over the room. Ringo was standing in front of a shelf looking at the few contents.
"Is Sunny with us?" Ringo asked turning to the courier
"Yea I've also got some settlers who are armed with dynamite and some armor." said Ashlyn smiling thinking about her handiwork.
"Powder Gangers are here." Sunny said as she busted through the door.
"Time to play." Ashlyn said.
Ashlyn, Ringo, Sunny andCheyenneall headed towards the saloon at a jogging speed. The settlers where all wearing leather armor like what Ashlyn was wearing courtesy of Chet and had some dynamite laced in between the straps in their armor. Ashlyn walked to the crates she had emptied the night before and crouched behind them for added protection. She aimed down the road at the figures coming towards the town. She looked for the one who resembled Joe Cobb.
Ashlyn saw the figure resembling Cobb and aimed at the figures head. She breathed out and squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out and the figure fell the shot had flown straight into the man's forehead flying out the back. His comrades heard a sickening crunch of bone hitting concrete as the part of the man's blown out skull hit the pavement. The rest of the men heading towards Goodsprings charged.
The fight lasted seconds with the men running into an unexpected hail of bullets. The rounds tore into the men leaving bloody holes throughout their bodies. Six men fell in bloody heaps in mere seconds. It was over.
"Woohoo!" exclaimed one of the settlers thrusting his rifle into the air.
"That was strangely easy." Ashlyn stated.
"Hey, thanks for the help." said Ringo "I really shouldn't do this but heres some caps for your trouble."
"Oh, thanks." said Ashlyn with a surprised look.
Ashlyn walked into the saloon looking for Trudy. She was standing at the bar waiting for someone to walk in and tell her the news. Seeing Ashlyn made her make a relieved sound knowing that the town was safe.
"Trudy do you know anything about the man who shot me?" Ashlyn asked the woman.
"Well, when the group was in the bar I heard something about Primm." She said "I'd check there for clues about where they went."
"Thank you Trudy." Ashlyn said as she turned to walk away "I'm sorry to leave so soon but I have things to take care of."
"I understand." Trudy said with a small smile.
Ashlyn knew exactly where Primm was; maybe she could get revenge on the man who tried to kill her sooner than she thought. She walked down the road the men had just attacked from. She stopped and looted the bodies for anything useful. She got a bountiful amount of dynamite a .357 revolver and a couple of 9mm pistols with ammo for all of them. On the road farthest from Goodsprings lay the dead Joe Cobb.
"Well I was right." Ashlyn thought to herself.
Ashlyn continued on the road towards Primm. Ashlyn ran into a small group of Powder Gangers in a small encampment along the road. She quickly took them down from a distance. She decided to just continue to the town instead of searching the camp. Ashlyn looked at the derelict rollercoaster atop of the casino in the town. She barely made out a figure at the top as she neared the town. The other side of town was a cluster of destroyed buildings and scrap metal structures. In front of one of the metal huts was a flag pole and atop it was an NCR flag.
"So the NCR is in Primm, I guess that's a good thing." Ashlyn thought to herself while she was staring at the flag.
As Ashlyn walked towards the town a NCR soldier walked towards her and said "Don't go to Primm the escaped convicts are occupying the town."
"Wonderful." The courier thought to herself as a look of annoyance began to build on her face.