'Nathan.' I gasp. 'What-'

'I know for certain who you are now.' He pointed his gun at Mac. 'It's you. Ex-Gunner, am I right? You sure have a nice bounty on your head.'

'Look, you got the wrong person. I-' MacCready tried, hoping to diffuse the tedious situation we found ourselves in. My feet were nailed to the ground, I couldn't move. My mind only caught up moments later, realizing I had to do something before this ended badly.

'Shut up!' Nathan yelled. 'Don't lie to me!' He scratched the gun against his temple briefly, clearly in distress. He struggled speaking fluently and his hands trembled. 'Keep your hands were I can see them. Now!' He commanded us. 'I knew it from the moment she told me your name.'

'Let's stay calm, Nathan. Nothing bad has to happen here.' I try in desperation, my voice slow and calming. The exact opposite of how I felt.

'Fuck that. His head will earn me more caps than this stupid deal ever will.'

'Nathan. Listen to me. You don't have to do this.' I continued, still crouched next to Mac on the ground. 'We can end this here and each go our own way. We go back to Goodneighbor, you get paid and we go our separate ways.'

His eyes were focused on Mac, still holding him at gunpoint. Nathan didn't react to my words, he didn't even look at me. Overwhelmed by panic, I improvised a whole different tactic.

'Think of your girlfriend. Would she wanted you to kill for money?'

'You don't know her. You don't know a god damn thing about me. This isn't about you!' He screamed, desperation in his voice. I looked sideways to Mac, who was looking down to the ground trying to stay calm and stay still. He held his hands up. My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to find a way out of this.

A noise, coming from outside. Voices in the distance. Footsteps. For a split second, Nathan turned his head around. Gunners? Raiders? This was our chance, regardless of the company we were about to receive.

MacCready lunged at Nathan's legs. With a hard thud he fell on the ground, his weapon slipping out of his hands, out of reach. Mac held him down by placing his arm over his throat.

'Not so though now are you?' He smugly told him while Nathan wiggles under him, trying to escape.

I get up and run towards the door, my legs heavy with fear. When I took a careful peek I only saw a caravan passing by. No danger there.

'Tie him up. We don't want to give him another chance.' I sternly speak while I open my backpack and search for something that could serve as a rope. Seconds seem to last like minutes.

'Shut up!' MacCready yelled, getting considerably angry at the way Nathan kept on gurgling words from under the tight grasp of his upper arm. He was kicking his legs violently, still trying to escape.

'I can't hold him much longer.' Mac spoke, struggling to keep Nathan pinned down and within his control on the floor. 'Hurry Cath, damn it!'

I emptied my backpack on the floor and rummaged through the items.

In that moment, I heard it. The sharp sound of a knife unsheathing from its metal holder. Followed by slicing skin. Entering flesh. Tearing muscle.

I saw MacCready fall over, he could barely hold his body from falling flat on the concrete. With one hand he managed to keep himself up.

'Cath...' He breathed, and he collapsed right when I put my arms under his chest. In the corner of my eye I saw Nathan run past me, gun in hand, disappearing through the metal doors.

'Mac!' I yelled. 'What happened? Talk to me.' I caressed his face, held him close. My hands, violently trembling. My mind, trying to get a hold of reality.

'I don't feel so well...'

'Shut up. I'm will get you out of here. Don't fucking move.' My hands were shaking, my eyes were filling up with tears. My hands were slippery, I didn't understand at first. When I reached for one of my stimpacks, I noticed.

Blood; thick and dark red. It poured down my hands, my fingertips. Little drops bounced off, landed on the floor, on his clothes. This couldn't be happening.

'No...' I cried softly.

'Nathan... he-'

'Stay still honey, I will fix you. Stay still.'

'H-he stabbed me.' His eyes rolled back, I felt the muscles of his body relax in my arms, the weight dragging me down.

I panic, my eyes wide, my spine stiff. I rolled him on his back, dragging him by his vest. I tore his clothing open where he was holding his hand. There was no other way. No other scenarios. No other outcomes. My eyes stuttered rapidly. I injected him with two stimpacks near the wound. It didn't look good.

'I don't think I'll make it.' He coughed, a lot of blood spilled out of his mouth. It poured over his chin, down his neck and disappeared onto his chest behind is clothing.

'Help!' I shouted, my voice turning hoarse instantly. 'I need help!' As I held him in my arms, cupping his face I stared above me, as if I was expecting a greater force to come down and save him. This couldn't be real.

'Don't.' He lifted his hand to touch my face, unable to keep it there for more than a few seconds.

'I love you, Catherine.' His words were slurred, gargled by the blood.

'No...' I whispered. I grabbed hold of the collar of his vest, laid my head on his chest. A puddle of blood had formed to his side, expanding at an alarming rate. In anger I clenched my hand into a fist, bashing the ground next to his face.

'Don't leave me! You're all I have!' I kept smashing my hand on the concrete, oblivious to the fact I was bleeding. I didn't feel anything.

He opened his eyes again. I gasp loudly, pulling him close to me.

'Stay with me, babe. I'm here.' I comfort him, softly caressing his hairline, running my hand over his cheek.

'Cathe...' He sighed. 'I'll always do. Never... forget that.'

His arm fell next to his body. His eyes closed.

'I'll always love you...' I whispered, kissing him on his lips.

I picked up my lifeless lover's rifle. It wasn't too late. He's within reach. A coward running away from a crime. No plan. No focus. His movements were easily predictable.

'Now remember, the trick is to focus. Let your muscles relax, take a deep breath. Control the situation. Aim for the bottles I placed. Over there, look. You see them? Pretty clever, huh? All right. Give it a try. I believe in you.'

'Don't be afraid, Catherine.'

My bullet pierced the left side of his neck. Blood splattered out of the wound, it sputtered like a fountain. Pieces of his skin catapulted through the air around him. As he stumbled over his own feet, he hit the ground. Slowly, I walked towards him.

Nathan was dying, succumbing to his mortal wound I've given him. Blood gushed out of his neck, it glistered in the boiling hot sun. He anxiously tried to hold his hand against it to apply pressure. I stared him down, watched him shrivel in his agony.

'Please-' he gurgled, 'M-mercy.'

'Mercy?' I scoffed. 'Mercy!?'

'Kill me.' He begged. Begged for a swift end to his misery. I spat on him, my arms trembling and seething with uncontrollable anger. I believed the veins in my head were about to explode. My face twitched and I stopped breathing.

He reached for his weapon. With his trembling stretched out index finger, he could almost grab it. Almost. I took one step in front of me, kicked it out of range.

I took one last look at the man who murdered my lover and I walked.