DEFENDING THE SANCTUARY

The Outcasts and the residents were engaged in a firefight near a bar called the Skum Pitt. The bar was not built like any other building. It was composed of ridged metal that was used for the walls and the roof. The words "SKUM PITT" was spray painted white near the entrance and there was a red sign which read "BAR" and had an arrow pointing at the door. Dawn and Damon shot at the Outcasts. Maddie saw a sniper in a window of a brick building.

"Watch out for the sniper," Maddie informed.

Then, she quickly disappeared. Dawn saw the laser pointing at the residents. She fired a shot at the sniper to divert his attention. Dawn and Damon ran into an abandoned building behind them and leaned against the wall.

"I can take him out!" Damon tried to convince Dawn.

"Let Maddie handle it," she assured him.

Maddie was inside the empty building and saw the sniper. She took out her dagger and approached him. Then, she wrapped her arm around his throat and dragged him down. The sniper dropped the gun as Maddie placed the knife to his throat.

"That's it, fear me," she whispered, "Blood pouring out of your skin makes me ecstatic. I love the feeling of a sharp blade cutting into flesh."

Maddie slowly ran the knife across his throat as she was overcome with an orgasmic feeling. She giggled near his ear.

Dawn looked out of the smashed window and saw Maddie staring right at her.

"She got him," Dawn confirmed.

"Damn, she's good."

Dawn smiled. They ran out of the store and joined the residents while shooting down the Outcasts. Then, a bullet struck Dawn in the armor and she stumbled down. Damon saw her and tried to help her up.

"I'm okay!" She yelled, "Take them out!"

Damon ran over to the residents. As soon as Dawn got up, a mercenary tackled her down. Dawn tried to shove him off until Maddie came behind him and stabbed him in the chest. Dawn got up and grabbed her rifle. She looked around for Damon, but he vanished.

"Thanks Maddie, you haven't missed a beat," Dawn complimented.

"Let's go for a kill," Maddie replied as she removed her katanas.

She ran into the Skum Pitt and Dawn followed. Inside the bar was a brawl. The bar had tables that were turned over and broken glass on the floor. Dawn was low on ammo and strapped the assault rifle on her back. One of the Outcasts was stomping on a resident. Dawn grabbed a beer bottle and turned the Outcast around. She smashed the bottle across his face and quickly used the broken bottle to slice his throat. Another Outcast tried to punch her, but she grabbed his arm and kicked him in the stomach. He fell onto the table and she grabbed him by the hair. Then, she kneed him in the face, causing him to fly into the air and crash through the table. Maddie delivered a series of kicks to the Outcast members. They charged at her, but Maddie used her ninjutsu skills along with her katanas to finish them off. One Outcast swung a bat at her. She used her katana and stabbed him in the stomach. She smiled at him as he fell to the ground. An Outcast grabbed her arm, but she kneed him in the stomach, placed him in a front headlock, and snapped his neck. An Outcast, who was quite muscular and tall, swung a large makeshift sword at her. It was made from a large piece of metal that had a pipe for the hilt. Maddie dodged the attack and they engaged in a sword fight; each moving with swiftness along with the sound of knives clashing. The sword wielding Outcast attempted to hit her, but Maddie moved and he instead broke a table in half. Maddie stepped on the sword and place her katana to his throat and he froze. Maddie giggled as he trembled in fear. He tried to get a knife out, but Maddie used her boot knife to slice his throat.

Dawn was near the bar and dodged a swinging bat. The mercenary swung again and Dawn moved as the bat struck the counter and broke in half. She kicked him in the back of the head and while he was dazed, she tossed him over the counter. When he got up, she smashed a glass bottle over his head and punched him in the face, sending him against the display of alcoholic drinks. Then, another mercenary grabbed Dawn, lifted her up, and slammed her through a table. Dawn was in a daze as he took out a knife. Suddenly, he froze with his eyes wide open. Maddie had stabbed him in the upper shoulder. She turned him around and stabbed him multiple times. She helped Dawn up.

"You okay?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "You seen Damon?"

"I think he's outside."

"That's where I'm going."

Dawn walked out of the bar and Maddie followed. Junktown was suddenly quiet. There were no more gunshots ringing through the air. Dawn looked around and saw smoke.

"Let's head back to Killian," Dawn said.

Dawn and Maddie ran through the now empty streets. The buildings had bullet holes and shattered glass. There were bodies on the ground; some were residents, but most were Outcasts. The ghost town feeling gave Dawn chills and she expected someone to jump out of nowhere to attack. They ran towards Killian's house where he stood on the steps along with Kalnor. Killian pointed his gun at them but lowered it when he realized who it was. The bodies of the bodyguards were dead on the ground near the mansion.

"Dawn, Maddie," Killian greeted, "You missed all the action up here."

"You missed all the action back there," Dawn remarked.

"Still no sign of Rowan. How about Damon?"

"Haven't seen him in a while."

"I think we got them all. We should scour the area and make sure none of those assholes are still here. We also need to round up any survivors."

"All right, you ready?"

"Come on."

Killian led the way as Dawn, Maddie, and Kalnor followed.

"It got quiet fast," Dawn pointed out.

"Maybe it's the calm before the storm," Killian added, "Anyway thanks for sticking around."

There was now a blanket of darkness over Junktown. The streetlights provided a small amount of light. Then, Damon walked towards them, still holding onto his sniper rifle.

"I've been looking for you," Damon said.

"Same here, where've you been?" Dawn asked.

"Disposing a few of these assholes."

"We should head back to the Skum Pitt…"

"No need, the fine residents of Junktown took care of them."

"Good to hear, now we need to regroup and make sure they're all gone," Killian instructed.

Damon joined them as they walked through Junktown. Along the way, other residents joined in and gave Kilian the news that no more Outcasts remained. They stopped at an inoperative water fountain that was near a ruined park.

"They know they're supposed to meet here right?" Kalnor asked Killian.

"We should go look for them," Killian suggested, "Me and Kalnor will head that way and you three check over there. Round up anyone you see and bring them back here. The rest of you stay here."

Dawn, Maddie, and Damon jogged further down the street while Killian and Kalnor went in the opposite direction. The streetlights shined the way for them as they passed houses and a Super-Duper Mart. They ran into the parking lot that had four broken down cars spread out.

"Are they holed up in there? Maddie asked.

Before Dawn or Damon could answer, a red dot appeared on Dawn's chest. Damon saw it and threw her to the ground behind a broken-down car. He also dragged Maddie down as a bullet struck the ground near them.

"A damn sniper!" Damon yelled.

An Outcast was on top of the Super-Duper Mart with a .50 sniper rifle. He scoped the area was ready to fire. Damon took out a smoke grenade.

"I'll give us some cover," Damon urged, "But we gotta move fast!"

Damon threw down the smoke bomb. When the smoke cloud got big, they ran towards the store. The smoke provided enough cover for them to run towards the store entrance. At the entrance was an ice machine, a newspaper box, a Nuka Cola rocket ride, and there were four concrete posts used to hold up the entrance roof.

"We have to take out that damn sniper," Dawn told them, as if it were not obvious.

Maddie smiled at Dawn and ran to the side of the building.

"Where's she going?" Damon asked.

"Solving our problem," she answered.

On the side of the building, there was a trash bin and above, there was a broken ladder. Maddie jumped on the trash bin and jumped to the broken ladder. She climbed up to the roof and quietly walked along the surface. The sniper was positioned near the edge and was aiming the rifle around the parking lot. She looked around to make sure no one else was there and went behind the sniper. She stabbed him in the sides and threw him over the edge.

Dawn saw the sniper fall to the ground along with the rifle. Maddie saw ammo boxes and tossed them to the ground.

"It's a good thing she's on our side, am I right?" Dawn proudly stated.

Dawn and Damon grabbed ammo for their assault rifles. Damon picked up the sniper rifle and made sure it was loaded.

"You know how to use one of those?" Dawn asked.

"Armed conflict is essential to wasteland survival," Damon remembered her advice from earlier.

"We really need to have that talk," she reiterated.

Then, out in the parking lot, more of the Outcasts had showed up.

"Move!" Dawn yelled.

She grabbed Damon as they took cover behind the ice box. The Outcasts began firing shots at them. The bullets struck the icebox, pavement, and the bulletproof glass. Damon, still behind the icebox, aimed the sniper rifle. As soon as the red laser sight locked onto an Outcast, he fired, taking them down. The Outcasts scrambled and return fire, desperately trying to avoid the laser sight. Dawn fired at them and strikes the Outcasts. Then, from the roof, a grenade was thrown into the parking lot. It exploded, sending the Outcasts into the air. Maddie had found a stash of frag grenades and threw them towards the oncoming Outcasts. Some were able to move, while others were caught in the explosion. More Outcasts ran towards them, but Dawn and Damon gunned them down. The bullets from the Outcasts struck the icebox. Then, the gunfire stopped. Dawn peeked around and saw Ivy with a minigun. Ivy smiled as she fired the minigun at them. The bullets struck the area around them with more force and even smashed the windows on the store.

"We have to get inside," Dawn shouted over the gun fire.

They ran through an opening and entered the store. This inside was dark, and the only source of light was from the moonlight and the streetlamps. They ran down an aisle with snacks and chips.

"What about Maddie?" Damon asked.

"Oh shit, she's still on the roof…"

Then, more gunfire came through. Three Outcasts ran into the store, shouting and taunting them. Dawn signaled for Damon to follow her to the back of the store. They were at the frozen food section and listened to the Outcasts laughing and whistling. Dawn heard them coming near and hid at the end of the aisle. When an Outcast got near, Dawn grabbed his throat and spun him around. She held his head tight and snapped his neck. Then, Damon tossed a box of instamash on the ground. They hid in an aisle and then, an Outcast looked around for them. Dawn took out Slayer and snuck behind him. She grabbed his mouth and stuck the knife into his stomach. Damon listen for the footsteps of the other Outcast. Damon signaled for Dawn to hold. She nodded. He took out his knife and ran into the dark aisle. Dawn was a little worried as she listened. Damon hid in the dark as he got near the Outcast. Then, he made his move. He got him in a headlock and stabbed him multiple times in the stomach and chest. He walked back towards Dawn.

"That bitch with the minigun is still out there," Dawn reminded him.

"I don't know how she survived, but it's time we put her down for good," he felt annoyed .

Dawn checked her ammo and saw that it was empty.

"I'm out too," Damon admitted.

They remained in the back aisle. Ivy entered and walked across the broken glass. She looked around and fired the minigun. The bullets destroyed the items on the shelves. Dawn and Damon hit the floor as the bullets struck the glass on the freezer doors. They crawled until they reached a set of double doors. As soon as they walked in, the lights to the stockroom turned on, illuminating the area. There were rows of merchandise that were stored in boxes. They ran towards the back and hid down an aisle. Ivy stormed in and began firing the minigun. The bullets struck the items surrounding Dawn causing her to fall. Damon decided to climb the shelves and Dawn followed. As Dawn was climbing, a shelf broke and Dawn to fell to the ground. Ivy heard the noise and fired the minigun in Dawn's direction. As the bullets flew over her, she took out Slayer and saw Ivy through the small openings. Damon was still hanging on to the shelf. When Ivy stopped firing, Dawn quickly stood up and dove out of the aisle. While flying through the air, she threw Slayer at her and it lodged into her throat. Dawn landed in another aisle and through the opening in the shelves, she saw Ivy pull the knife out of her throat. There was no blood. Ivy threw the knife down and right away Dawn knew she was not human. She slipped under an empty shelf as Ivy was walking down the aisle. Suddenly, Damon surprised Ivy and tackled her to the ground. He punched her in the face until her synthetic flesh began to tear. Damon ripped off part of the synthetic flesh, revealing part of a metal faceplate underneath. Then, Ivy grabbed his coat and threw him over. She quickly stood up and tried to grab the minigun, but suddenly, Maddie ran down the aisle and kicked Ivy back down. She tried to kick her, but Ivy blocked it. Ivy rolled out of the way and entered the receiving area. There was a metal conveyor roller, stacks of boxes, an office, and three sets of overhead doors. Maddie followed her and displayed an evil grin.

"Now where were we?" Maddie taunted.

Ivy charged towards her with a flurry of strikes. Each shot was blocked Maddie. Then, Maddie threw a series of strikes, but Ivy avoided them. Maddie giggled as Ivy took out a knife.

"That's how you wanna play," Maddie whispered, attempting to make Ivy nervous.

She took out her knife and they squared off. Ivy swung the knife at her, but Maddie stepped back and laughed. She tried to stab her, but Maddie grabbed her arm and kicked her on the side of the head. Ivy backed away.

"The worst part about you is that you can't bleed," Maddie intimidated her, "But you will fear me."

"I fear no one," Ivy boldly remarked.

Maddie swung the knife at her and Ivy blocked it with her knife. They engaged in a knife battle. The sharp steel collided as the sound echoed. Maddie tried to kick her with her boot knife, but Ivy back flipped to avoid it. After a series of kicks, Maddie finally stabbed Ivy with her boot knife in her arm. Ivy had no reaction; instead, she grabbed Maddie's leg and swung her into the steel door.

Dawn and Damon heard commotion in the front of the store. Damon picked up the minigun. They headed back towards the front where more of the Outcast were. Damon fired the minigun, striking down any mercenary that stood in his way. Dawn was not surprised by his ability to handle that type of weapon. It was right then she suspected he was something more than just a regular synth. The minigun ran out of ammo and more of the Outcasts were out in the parking lot. Before they could advance, Killian, Kalnor, and the rest of the residents came to their aid. They shot down the Outcasts as Dawn and Damon looked on.

Back in the receiving area, Ivy struck Maddie in the stomach and then hit her with an elbow to the face. Maddie fell onto the concrete floor. Ivy placed her boot on her throat. She was confused when Maddie laughed while gagging for air. Then, she took out another knife and stabbed Ivy in the leg. She left the knife in and grabbed Ivy by the leg. She twisted it off her and quickly sprung up. Ivy tried to lunge forward with a kick, but Maddie moved to the side and used her boot knife to slice Ivy from her stomach to her chest. A small amount of sparks flew out. Maddie hit her with a side kick and then kicked her across the face. Then, she quickly hit her again with a spin kick. Ivy went down to one knee. Maddie tried to stab her, but Ivy grabbed her arm and then grabbed her throat. Maddie tried to kick her off, but Ivy held on. Sparks continued to emit from her. Maddie grabbed her arm and pulled her into the glass window of the receiving office. The glass shattered as Maddie fell to the ground. When Ivy turned around, her synthetic flesh around her face was cut, revealing more of the metal underneath. Maddie got her knife and slashed Ivy's throat. Ivy fell to her knees and then face first to the ground. Her body laid motionless as sparks emitted. Maddie left the receiving area.

Maddie saw Dawn and Damon in the parking lot and joined them.

"Maddie, you okay?" Dawn asked.

"I'm fine, but that bitch is finished."

Killian and Kalnor walked up to them.

"We still haven't seen Rowan," Killian informed.

"My guess is he's bringing reinforcements," Kalnor assumed, "He ain't gonna quit until we are all dead."

"Then, we'll just finish him off," Dawn expressed her anger.

"Sounds good to me," Killian approved, "Let's head back up front. I think we rounded up everyone."