Note from the Author: This chapter is more of the same in terms of adult language, just to let you know. There's a bit of Christian propaganda in here, too, for those who don't appreciate that sort of thing. You were warned.
~Chapter Five: Burying Daddy~
In hindsight, Grayditch turned out to be quite the pain in my ass.
Once Kim got Bryan to calm down, he explained that a colony of ants had risen from Marigold Metro Station and were setting fire to his hometown of Grayditch. Naturally, he failed to mention that the ants were capable of breathing fire, so he pretty much led me and Jaden to draw other conclusions.
As much as we didn't need another detour, since there's no telling how long it had been since Three-Dog had met her dad, Kim was more than willing to toss us into the fire for the kid's sake. Literally.
Grayditch was a stone's throw away from the Super-Duper Mart, which further developed our other conclusions, what with the mart being an old Raider stronghold. It took us less than an hour before we reached the 'Welcome to Grayditch' sign.
"There we go," Jaden said, pointing out the worker ant a few paces behind the sign. "Let me handle this."
He bent down and pulled a Ripper from his pack. "Got somethin' for yer ass…" he growled as he slid close to the ant, the Ripper spinning in anticipation. Jaden lifted his weapon as he inched near.
"Gotcha, biiaAAAAAAH-" he squalled as a column of fire shot out of the ant's maw, between his legs, and up his butt. He jumped to the side and rolled around, trying to put the fire out. All he managed to accomplish, however, is alerting a few other ants to his presence.
"Son of a bitch," I sighed raggedly, pulling out my only ranged weapon that was accurate at that distance. "Grab your rifle and try not to hit Toasty the Kid," I instructed Kim.
I popped five Microfusion Cells into the Gauss Rifle and crouched. I could NOT afford to miss with this weapon given my current financial situation, not to mention Jaden's predicament. I inhaled, lined up the scope with the biggest ant's head, and slowly exhaled as I squeezed the trigger. In a flash of blue, the monster jumped five feet in the air and slid back several more, the fire in its breath vanished with the fire in its eyes.
By this time, Kim had gotten three shots off with her Hunting Rifle. The ant she chose as a target had a single, frayed antenna to show for it. "Calm down," I told her. "Inhale as you aim, and exhale slowly while squeezing the trigger."
I replaced the chamber with a fresh batch, took aim at the third ant in Jaden's vicinity, and pulled the trigger, putting an end to its volley and vigor. The ant with the frayed antenna exploded at the torso on Kim's next shot, and it, too, gave up the ghost.
"Thanks," Kim said cheerily. Jaden was still patting the flames out as he rose to his feet.
"Thanks for getting my back," he sighed. "I was NOT expecting the pyro."
"No more solo mio," I warned him while stashing the Gauss. "We work together if we work at all. Now let's go find a grown-up and figure out what the hell happened to this town."
Kim and I swapped out for our automatics while Jaden extinguished his TC armor and hefted a Flamer onto his back.
Yeah. You read that right.
"Fighting fire with fire?" Kim giggled.
"Got that right," Jaden nodded.
We popped a few more ants before they could get too close as we walked down the street. Eventually, we came across a diner with a Pulaski Preservation Shelter. Jaden checked out the diner while I talked Bryan into hiding into the chamber and Kim made a quick sweep of the area for shelter and hostiles.
As Bryan was explaining the plight of his parents and soliciting my aid, Jaden returned with his heels in the dirt in disappointment. "So what's the plan?" he asked.
"Scout the area for now," I said calmly as Bryan closed the door to the commercial bomb shelter. "Inside and out."
"Fun," he sighed. "Where's the chick?"
"Setting a perimeter," I told him.
"Perimeter, huh?" Jaden scoffed. "Lemme ask you something. Where'd you learn to shoot like that? I take it an energy weapon like that wasn't easy to come by."
Jaden pretty much had my number, so I spelled it out for him. "Military training," I confessed.
Jaden raised an eyebrow. "Brotherhood?"
"Ex-brotherhood," I corrected him.
"So it's the Steel Plague and the Yellow Plague running together, then?" he chuckled.
I stared at him like he was retarded. I knew what he meant by the Steel Plague, as I'd heard the term was used to describe the Brotherhood out west. "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.
Jaden shook his head and chuckled. "Dude, tell me you've been gettin' a crack at that pussy."
The look on my face soured. "We just met."
"Better get to it before someone else does," he jeered.
Like you've got a chance in hell, I mused. "It's not like that."
Another eyebrow raised in my direction. "What, got a thing for the cock or somethin'?"
"Fuck, no," I mocked him. "She's just a little… young."
Jaden snorted. "Shi-hi-hiiit, if there's grass on the infield, motherfucker, play ball."
"You wanna speak up a bit?" Kimberly asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't think they quite caught that back in Megaton."
I turned away from the Lone Wanderer in embarrassment. Having this conversation was embarrassing enough, but having her in on it just made things worse.
"I said when you gonna let me get a crack at dat ass!" Jaden shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth for added effect.
"How about in the metro station," Kim said sardonically, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. "Or hell, let's do it in the nest, with the ant queen watching," she added with a roll of the eyes.
"Now yer talkin' my fuckin' language!" Jaden cheered.
"Idiot," Kim muttered under her breath.
"That hard to take a hint?" I asked Jaden calmly before turning to follow the Lone Wanderer.
"Take what?" Jaden asked in a befuddled tone before chasing after us.
The Wilks' residence was a sad sight to see. A bonfire was burning brightly under the fuel of rubble and ant flesh, sending a heat wave through the house that put the humidity of the wasteland to shame. We found Bryan's father lying peacefully on the couch, but the spark of his life had been covered in shite long before our arrival.
"We should bury him," Kim said calmly. While the prospect of digging a grave with my bare hands didn't appeal, I was fairly certain that Bryan would approve of the deed. We left Jaden to scavenge what he could from the house while we set to the task.
When I say 'we' set to the task, what I really meant was 'me'. Sure, Kim made sure we didn't have any problems with the local wildlife, but digging into soilless, irradiated ground with no tools to the task is not something that should be attempted alone.
By the time I scratched a hole big enough to fit the body, Jaden emerged from the heat box that was Bryan's home, and Bryan's curiosity drove him out of the heat box that was saving his skin from a hotter flame. Kim and I lifted the body into the grave as Bryan walked up to us.
"I should have known this was going to happen," he said solemnly. After being silent for a moment, Bryan looked around. "Was my mom in there, too? They should really be buried together."
"Kid," I gulped, breathing heavily. "If you got a shovel or a rake or…" I had to stop for air. "…tha-that would be awesome."
"Let me check," Bryan nodded before running into the house.
"Fuck," I groaned. "Even a spoon would be an improvement."
"You dug that shit with your bare hands?" Jaden asked. "Your hands must be sore as a motherfucker."
"Why don't you give it a shot?" I scoffed at him. "See if you like it."
"Fuck. That. Shit," Jaden enunciated loudly.
"I'm sorry, but we don't," Bryan confessed. "The Brandices' might have, though."
"Go check," I told him. "Take Jaden with you. And kid, if you don't find anything there, just grab some spoons. We'll make it work."
"Sure," Bryan nodded before he and Jaden disappeared into the building across the street.
"Let's go fetch his mom," I said to Kim.
"I'll get her," she responded. "Take five."
"Bless your heart," I sighed before plopping down onto the ground beside the grave site.
By the time I caught my second wind, Bryan and Jaden emerged carrying wooden planks to mark the graves with and – you guessed it – some spoons, two each for me, Jaden, and Bryan. Kim returned with Bryan's mom hoisted over her shoulder as we were covering up his father.
"Set her down there," I told her, pointing beside the current grave. "We'll get to her in a minute."
Even with spoons, the three of us working together to dig a fresh grave was easier by far. It still took us to sunset to get it done, though. Bryan helped Kim move his mom into the hole while Jaden and I drove the planks into the ground, and the four of us covered the second grave. Bryan stood there between his parents without a word for what seemed like an hour.
"Somebody should say something," he said finally.
"Not it," Jaden chimed in immediately.
Kim scoffed and shot Jaden an evil look. "I'll do it," she said before bowing her head before the planks. "Holy Father, who art in heaven, bless these, thy children as they journey to thy Kingdom. May their souls rest in peace for all eternity as they watch over their son, thy servant, as he lives in the shadow of their passing. Bless him, Father, that he shall know no evil, but that he shall walk among your people until the time that he rejoins these, his earthly parents, with thee in thy kingdom, in accordance with your will. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen."
"Amen," I joined in, paying my respects to the departed.
"Thank you," Bryan sniffed. "That was beautiful."
I caught Jaden's mumblings, but didn't call him on it. Everybody's got their own opinions about religion, after all.
"Bryan, you shouldn't stay here by yourself," Kim pointed out. "It's just not safe."
"Why don't we make it safe?" Jaden asked.
"How?" Kim retorted.
"Hey, kid, any idea where the ants are coming from?" Jaden asked Bryan.
"Yeah, the old metro tunnel southeast of here," Bryan said, pointing to Marigold Station.
"So, let's go clear it out so he can be safe living here," Jaden offered.
"He still shouldn't be alone," Kim glared at Jaden before turning to Bryan. "Do you have any family, or any grown-ups that you trust?"
"Dad said I had an aunt or something in Rivet City, but that's kinda far…"
"I'll take ya there," Jaden counter-offered.
"You don't mind?" I asked.
"What else am I gonna do?" Jaden pointed out. "I mean, Kim's still hunting for her old man, and she can't wade through the muties solo, but she don't need both of us watching her back, so… yeah."
"Alright, but let's clear the tunnel, first," I said.
"Yeah, that way Kimmy can keep her promise to me," Jaden implied with a wink.
"Take a joke, herp-a-derp," Kim growled, borrowing my insult.
"Tch. Whaaat!" Jaden complained.