ALONG THE LONESOME ROAD

Maddie stood on top of a rocky hill and looked ahead. There was a town that had a roller coaster around a hotel. She was still dressed in her outfit from the night before and still had on her face paint which was beginning to wear off. She had a small messenger bag that strapped over her shoulder and around her waist. Maddie went down the hill and jogged towards the town. Upon entering the town, she saw it was damaged from bullets and explosions and there were dead bodies on the street and leaning against the buildings. To the left of her was the Bison Steve Hotel and to the right was the Vickie and Vance casino. There was also a building up ahead with a large sign on top which read "MOJAVE."

The inside was deserted and appeared to be an office for postal service. There was trash and debris littered everywhere and what appeared to be a few shotgun blasts on the walls. A speck of blood was on the counter and there was a note pinned by a knife. It read "LEAVE NOW!" Maddie was not bothered by the grim warning and turned on the radio in hopes of getting news around the wasteland but instead the song "Big Iron" by Marty Robbins was playing. She went to the back of the building where there was a storage room and further down the hallway was a bedroom. Then, she saw what appeared to be parts of an android in a small closet. There was an arm, a torso, and a synth component. Maddie had seen these before and had wondered if the bodies in the street were humans or androids.

Maddie ran out of the building. As soon as she got outside, she saw four mercenaries. One of them was a young woman with short spiky hair holding an assault rifle. She was not wearing a shirt, only military pants and combat boots. She had a pair of Outcasts stickers attached to her breasts and looked to be in athletic shape. The other three also had assault rifles. Maddie hid behind the building. She knew they were the same gang that was after Dawn. Then, she saw more Outcasts come out of the Vikki and Vance casino. Maddie quickly scaled the building and hid on the rooftop behind the "MOJAVE" sign. She saw Rowan surrounded by the Outcasts. Then, the young woman walked down the street with the mercenaries and met with him. He pointed for her to head into the Bison Steve Hotel. Maddie had thought the worst that Dawn might be held captive by them. Rowan and three of his mercenaries walked down the street and headed towards the road. The mercenaries remained outside, each of them armed. Maddie only had her knife, dagger, and katanas. The three mercenaries spread out across the street and guarded the small town. Maddie had to take them out silently.

As a mercenary moved to the side of the building, Maddie scaled down and jumped on top of him. She snapped his neck and dragged his body behind a dumpster. There were two more by the Vikki and Vance casino. She ran to the side of the casino and jumped up on the platform where the Vikki and Vance sign was. The two mercenaries were standing right next to each other.

"Man, she's got a hell of rack man," one mercenary said.

"I wonder why she's always shirtless."

"You complaining about that?"

"No, I just wish I could spend some alone time with her."

"Yeah, good luck. If Rowan finds out-"

"Hey, it just a dream of mine okay."

Then, Maddie jumped down onto them; grabbing the back of their heads and shoving them down. With one quick motion, Maddie stabbed one mercenary and used her boot knife to slice the other one's throat. She decided to try and look in the Vikki and Vance casino. She walked in and saw the damaged casino. Slot machines were turned over, and there were bullet holes and burn marks on the walls and carpet. There was a black car on display behind a velvet rope with numerous bullet holes, shattered glass, and flat tires. She followed a blood trail that led behind the cashier counter. It had a cage in front and there was an older man sitting in a chair. The door was locked. With one hard side kick, the door flung open. The old man looked up at her. He was bruised and bloody.

"No, I told you everything," he muttered.

The old man reminded her of Rusty. She walked over to him.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You're not one of them? Good," he continued to mutter, "They stormed in here, beat me, my wife, took the residents.

"It was the Outcasts. They're looking for someone. The same one I'm looking for."

"If you can find Ruby, she can tell anything you need to know about who you're looking for. Please help us."

Maddie knew she needed to help him as well as take down the Outcasts.

"Okay, where are they? I'll make them suffer," she delightfully offered.

"Across the street in the Bison Steve Hotel."

Maddie took a stimpak out of her bag and gave it to the old man.

"You stay here and don't come outside until I make it back," Maddie instructed.

Maddie walked outside and headed towards the Bison Steve Hotel. She went near the entrance and saw a man with blonde hair leaning against the wall. He seemed nervous and had his eyes closed. Maddie smiled.

"Hey," she greeted him.

He opened his eyes and saw Maddie. He was startled by her face paint and dropped his gun when he tried to point it at her. The gun fell near Maddie.

"You're not gonna kill me," he begged, "Don't kill me."

"Relax, I need to find Ruby. Do you know where she went?"

"Inside. I'm looking for her too. This is my town, I'm the law and order around here."

Maddie laughed.

"What's so funny? I'm the deputy."

"You know, I could've killed you."

Maddie picked up his gun and handed it to him.

"The Outcasts are in there. Rowan left, but his lieutenant, Ivy, has the place fortified."

"Ivy?"

"You'll know when you see her."

"If you'll excuse me, I need to get inside."

She walked past him and entered the hotel. The inside was dark, the carpets were torn, and the walls were damaged. Maddie could have left the town but felt compelled to help the old man; she reminded him of Rusty. There was a blood trail that led down the hallway. She followed the trail which led to a large dining hall. Inside were more mercenaries who were all armed. There were makeshift barricades around the room. Maddie quickly ran inside and hid behind one of the barricades. One of the mercenaries came near her and she quickly grabbed him, pulled him over the barricade, and stabbed him. She took his frag grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it across the room. The loud explosion startled the mercenaries. Maddie used the darkness and stabbed as many mercenaries as she could. It appeared all of them were dead until she was struck in the back and fell to the floor. As soon as she turned over, Ivy got on top of her and began strangling her. It did not take long before Maddie broke the hold and kicked her leg.

When Ivy went down, Maddie elbowed her in the face. Maddie activated her boot knife and threw a kick at her. Ivy quickly moved back as Maddie tried to kick her. Ivy grabbed her leg and tripped her to the ground. Maddie took out her knife, but Ivy pinned her arm down. Then, Ivy struck her with a knee to the face. Maddie grabbed Ivy's shoulders and headbutted her in the nose. She quickly got up and threw a series of punches at her. Some connected while some were blocked. Ivy back flipped and began throwing kicks. Maddie blocked each one. Then, she struck Ivy with a knee to the chin and then a kick to the head. Ivy stumbled back. Maddie took out her knife and tried to stab her. Ivy grabbed her arm and flipped her to the ground. She placed her boot on her throat while holding her arm. Then, Ivy saw someone enter and ran. The deputy shot at her, but Ivy dove behind a barricade. Ivy was concealed in the darkness and ran upstairs. Maddie stood up.

"You okay?" The deputy asked.

"I'm fine."

Maddie smirked at the deputy.

"So, you're the deputy?"

"I try to be, but things are just…complicated."

"Where's Ruby?"

"Ruby and the rest of the town must be holed up somewhere upstairs."

"I'm going after them.

"Then I'm coming with you. It's my job to protect this town."

Maddie giggled.

"I know, I failed," the deputy admitted, "But I was outnumbered."

"Do you know how many times I've been outnumbered?"

"All right, now let's go after her."

Maddie and the deputy went up the dark stairway. She had her dagger ready and the deputy was ready to fire. The hallways had rooms on each side and provided little light. They walked through slowly. Then, a mercenary ran out of a room. The deputy shot him down before he could fire. More mercenaries ran into the hall and shot at the deputy and Maddie who hid in a doorway. He dodged the bullets and fired back, striking them. When they went down, Maddie finished them off by stabbing them. There was a corner up ahead and Maddie hid behind it. She signaled for the deputy to stand behind her. Two mercenaries were heading towards them and both were armed with knives. When one got near her, Maddie grabbed him and threw him down behind the wall. She stabbed him as the other mercenary backed away and went into the darkness. The deputy ran into the hallway and shot at him.

"I think I got him," the deputy assumed with pride.

Maddie stared into the darkness.

"No, I can still sense his fear," she informed.

She ran into the darkness. A few seconds later, she dragged the dead mercenary out into the light. The deputy took out a flashlight which lit the way. Every room was boarded up except the one at the end. The door was missing and there was daylight that shined into the room. As soon as Maddie entered, Ivy surprised her by leaping out from the closet. They rolled around on the carpet exchanging punches. The deputy aimed his gun but could not get a clear shot. They both stood up and struggled with each other until they were near the window. Maddie hit her with a kick to the head and knocked Ivy right out the window. Ivy fell straight to the ground. When Maddie looked outside, she was gone.

Rudy and rest of the town were gathered on the streets. The old man hugged Ruby. Maddie stood by.

"Oh, thank you," Ruby was delighted.

"I never got your name," the old man was curious to know.

"Maddie."

"Mine's Johnson Nash. Thank you for what you have done for us."

"If there is anything I can do for you-," Ruby started to say.

"She's looking for someone named Dawn Crenshaw," Johnson interjected.

"Oh yes, I heard on the radio they made it past the Mojave Outpost and were headed south. She was traveling with someone, a young man."

"A young man?" Maddie asked with confusion.

"Yes," Ruby continued, "Why there's nothing south for miles except for Junktown. That must be where they're headed."

"Thank you. By the way, you should look into getting more protection for this town."

"We were supposed to get some NCR reinforcements here," Johnson explained, "They sure are taking their time."

Maddie trekked across the lonesome road of the Mojave wasteland with no sign of Dawn or the young man she was traveling with. All she knew was that she had to keep heading south. She walked down the lonesome road passing mountains, billboards, craters, and miles of desert sand. She saw smoke and fire ahead of her. Closer inspection revealed that there were crashed motorcycles and dead bodies on the road. There was a motorcycle that seemed to be good condition. Maddie picked it up and rode the cycle down the road. Along the way, there was more wreckage and more bodies. She stopped when she reached a large military vehicle still engulfed in flames. There was a dead body near the truck and an overturned jeep nearby. Maddie continued along the lonesome road.