Chapter 10

A/N: So, hubby and I are off to see the family for Thanksgiving and I felt like now would be a good time to post this. I've gone back and revised and edited it with hubby every time we go for a long drive. This one was tough because I'm not that great with action sequences. Also, be aware that this chapter gets a bit gruesome.

Sophia glanced at Charon raising an eyebrow. She turned back to the boy in front of her. "So, do you work with your parents here?"

"Yeah." He smirked, looking Sophia up and down. When his eyes reached her Pip-Boy, his smirk blossomed into a full grin. He settled back on her face. "My dad and I work with Mr. Wilson!"

"Making soap?"

"No, my mom makes the soap. I work in the basement or sometimes in Mr. Wilson's shed. Gotta keep up with the family business!"

Before the boy could say anything more, a man and woman came out of the house.

"Welcome to Andale! Voted the best little town in America!" the woman smiled. The man put his hand on the boy's shoulder and pushed him toward the house. He looked angry, but complied.

Sophia smiled but she could tell something was off.

The woman came up to the fence smiling back. She started off heading toward Charon, but once she got closer her smile turned into a grimace and she moved toward Sophia. "I'd love to cook you for dinner, but did I hear you asking about the soap?"

"What? Cook me?"

"Oh, just a turn of phrase. Cook for you is what I meant. So, are you a trader with one of the caravans?"

Sophia's face faltered a bit at what the woman said, but only for a moment. "Oh no, I'm just a courier from out west, but I always like to bring new items with me when I head back. What things do y'all sell?"

"Well, aside from the soap, Linda here has some special meat pies! We use the best meat you can find in the Wasteland!" the man said smiling patting Linda on the shoulder.

Sophia could feel her palms begin to sweat. Meat pies? Seriously? Looking around she didn't see any Brahmin or pens to keep animals.

"I really came for the soap. It sure does make my skin feel great!" Not anymore, she thought. "How do you make it?"

"The wasteland provides a lot for my family. Strays wander in here all the time. Name's Jack Smith." He held his hand out and Sophia shook it. She began to pull away, when he grabbed her upper arm and shook her hand one more time.

"You seem to be in good health," he eyed her Pip-Boy with a furrowed brow. "Been out of the vault for a while?"

"Oh, this thing? Got it from a doctor back west. Long story."

"Huh, well, why don't I show you around a bit. I could even show you just how we make that soap." He smiled at his wife, then at her.

His smile made her feel like a million tiny radroaches were dancing on her skin. She wanted to soak in Lake Mead until she was wrinkled from the water and no traces of his soap was left on her skin.

"Junior mentioned a shed. Is that where you make the soap?" The last time she felt like this...Sophia had to confirm it. She had to be sure.

Charon grabbed her arm and stared at her hard. "No, it's not safe," shaking his head with all the subtlety of a super mutant.

Sophia sighed and patted his arm.

"Problem?" Jack asked.

Sophia gave a tight smile. "Not at all, he's just worried we'll be late. So, the shed?"

"We keep the strays in the shed. The basement's for making soap. Why not have your friend there go speak with Mr. Wilson across the street?" the man suggested looking at Charon with barely hid disgust. "Then, he can check out that shed."

"Perfect. Charon, why don't you go say hello to Mr. Wilson and look around," Sophia suggested with a smile.

She began walking around the fence toward the house. Charon started to follow her, but she stopped abruptly and turned to look up at him. The Smiths couldn't see that the smile was gone from her face and her eyes said, "That's an order." The smile returned to her face so quickly, he almost thought he had imagined it. The Smiths were next to them and she turned and followed them toward the house.

Charon stared after her back with a ball of acid in his gut and tension in his shoulders. This was not safe! They were clearly separating them, but if that's what Sophia wanted he'd check out that damn shed.

He trudged over to the only other house in good condition and knocked on the door. A man with blonde hair and a clean shaven face wearing a vest answered somewhat surprised to see the ghoul.

"Can I help you?"

"The shed," Charon grumbled.

The man narrowed his eyes. "What about the shed?"

Charon thought for a moment. "Jack said I could see it."

The man stared at him in thought. "Really?" He scratched his head.

Charon felt his eye begin to twitch as he sighed, "He is showing my employer where they make the soap in the basement."

"Ahh," a look of understanding dawned on his face. "Well, sure. Come on in, " the man opened the door a little further for Charon to enter. He didn't move. He wasn't going to let this man stand behind him.

"You are Mr. Wilson?" Charon asked staring down at the man.

"That's me," he said. Seeing the ghoul wasn't going to move, he began walking further into the house. Charon followed and they walked through to the back door.

Following him outside, he saw the small shed, run down but clearly different from the houses around.

The man unlocked the door, but didn't open it. He smiled and gestured for the large ghoul to go in.

"Have a look around."

Charon didn't move. He could tell Mr. Wilson wanted to get behind him. He felt torn. Clearly he was ordered to check out the damn shed, but he didn't like the look of this creep.

Surprising the man again, he grabbed him by the shirt, opened the door, and walked in. The smell of death and the sight of skeletons in cages made him feel both triumphant that he was right and panicked that he was right.

He slammed the man against the far wall causing him to let out an angry shout. Grabbing his shotgun, he slammed the stock against the mans temple knocking him out. Charon could feel the anger rise and fill his body as he flew from the shed to find Sophia.

Meanwhile, Sophia burned holes into the sparse grey hair on the back of Jack's head as she followed him into the house. While she hated slavery, she despised cannibals. There were plenty of things to eat in the wastes. Sure, raiders murdered people all the time, but even they didn't eat them. If this family was slaughtering people to eat...well, she'd come to that when she knew for sure.

As they walked into the house, Linda turned to Sophia and smiled, "I'm going to go check on Junior." She headed up the stairs with almost silent footsteps.

Jack motioned for Sophia to follow him. "So, got a lot of family out west? Or is it just the two of you?"

"Why do you ask?" she questioned, eyes narrowing.

"Oh," Jack replied with his hand on the door to what Sophia could only imagine was the basement, "just wondered what family might be missing you. Family is very important. I believe there are only two things most important in life: family and keeping those beatnik liberal commies out of power. Do you always vote Republican?"

Sophia just stared at the man's back. He was definitely not all there.

"Sure..." she answered following him down into the basement where the dim light almost made her stumble. Jack's broad shoulders blocked her view into the basement until they got to the bottom of the stairs. She took three steps into the large room and stopped as he moved out of the way. Sophia clenched her jaw. A woman was laid on the counter, her head and legs missing. Sophia morbidly wondered if the thick blood on the table would still be warm or if the body had been there for a while. Off to the side was a square container filled with small pieces of fat. A table further in showed a bloody vault suit and what was left of the person that had worn it. Ah. Some vault dwellers were plumper than most waste landers. That's where they got the fat.

Her gun was almost free when an arm shot out pulling her backward. Sophia felt a sharp pain in the center at the small of her back before she could do anything about it.

"Good job son!" she heard Jack praise.

"I did it just like you showed me. Straight through the spine and they can't run away!"

Sophia wanted to laugh as the teen let her go and she crumpled to the ground. Sure, it hurt like hell, but she was immune to being crippled in her back. Several mad scientists out in the Big MT had played fast and loose with her body like she was a guinea pig. After a few weeks and a few investigations, she left with her brain and heart, but not her spine. Oh, she still had something like a spine, but it was made with advanced technologies.

Before he took more than two steps away from her, she grabbed the boy's leg and he fell. He tried to catch himself on the counter, but his hand slipped in the blood and he hit his head hard and slumped to the ground.

"He needs more practice that boy," she smiled looking up at the father, teeth bared.

Jack looked at Sophia and sigh. "No matter, I know where my next meal's coming from." The man grinned rushing toward her.

With not enough time to grab for her gun, Sophia launched off the ground and met the man halfway. He was larger than her, but that didn't matter. Using his momentum against him, she grabbed for his arm and twisted as she hooked her foot around his leg. He fell to the cement ground as she tossed her leg over his body. Grabbing him around the ears with a fistful of the hair still on the sides of his head, she slammed the back of his skull against the floor repeatedly. The body went limp, but Sophia didn't stop. She always had a temper, but kept it under lock and key. Cannibals just seemed to bring out the worst in her. She felt warm blood running down the back of the man's head and onto her fingertips.

"Is everything all right..." Sophia heard from behind her and turned to see Linda with a butcher knife. "What have you done?" she shouted reaching for her son.

Sophia took out her gun and shot twice. The first shot disintegrated part of her dress and burned through the flesh underneath. The second shot hit her neck and severed her head from her body. By the time Linda hit the ground, her chest was partly turned to ash.

"Sophia!" Charon yelled from in the house.

Charging down the staircase he didn't know what he expected. Sophia was straddling the body of Mr. Smith, blood pooling around his head and covering her fingers. The boy was laying unconscious in a heap on the ground near a counter covered with blood. Sophia's laser pistol was in her hand and the glowing ashes and body of what could only be the woman were at his feet. Sophia looked at Charon.

"They were killing people and eating them." Her teeth were clenched and she looked wild. There was a groan from the side and both turned to see the boy begin to wake. Sophia growled.

She stood up and turned to stand over the boy. As he began to sit up, Sophia leaned down and grabbed him by his shirt front and pulled him up to her face.

"Didn't think your meal would fight back, huh?" She dragged him up to the counter where the partly butchered woman lay. "Why did you do this?"

His face seemed to crumple for a moment, but only because he saw his parents. He pulled away from her and fell to the ground. "Why? Are you really asking why? It's what our family does! The wasteland provides and we take. Besides, I know where my next meal is coming from!"

Grabbing blindly for the knife that had fallen beside him he moved to thrust it into Sophia's chest. Before he could jab the knife into anything vital, Sophia twisted it out of his hand and threw it to the ground. She raised her gun to his head and shot once. His hat turned to ash and his eyes glowed. His body dropped to the ground.

"What about Mr. Wilson?" Sophia asked Charon.

Charon stared at his contract owner. He had seen her kill before, but not like this. She brushed her bangs out of her face, and left a streak of blood behind. Catching sight of her hand she cursed.

"Charon!" she snapped.

"He is in the shed unconscious."

"I'll go take care of him and anyone else."

Charon watched her leave. Most of his employers ordered him to do their dirty work. He thought all of the death and torture he dealt out to the hundreds of people in his life made him a bad person. Looking one last time at the mess in the basement, he wondered if this made her bad. He didn't think of her as a bad person. She was kind to him. She fed him. She smiled at him. Yet she executed a child. Most people would hesitate to kill a kid.

He followed her up the stairs and out the door.

A young teen girl was running up to Sophia. She was thin and looked slightly underfed. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"You're alive?" the teen seemed surprised.

Sophia raised Pew Pew.