Chapter 2
No Shit
Three Yeas Later
"How's the weather out there today?" Jeanie May asked.
"Hot, as always. But bearable." I explained, counting the caps she handed to me. She smiled, and continued to stroke the journal I had delivered. Thirty caps. Well, it wasn't like I was giving her gold… Sighing, I stuffed the caps into my pocket, and swung my bag over my shoulder.
"Thank you again. Have a good night." She said. I tipped my hat to her before walking out and finding my motel room.
It was late, too late to travel back to Mama and Papa. So I decided to buy a room, ten caps per night. As I walked in the smell of cleaner nearly slapped me in the face, and my hand flew to my nose. Everything was in order, it seemed. The bed was clean, and so was the floor. Nothing felt strange about this place. I walked in, leaving the door open, and plopped my bag on the bed. Either Jeanie May was a clean freak, or I'm not used to 'clean' environments. I shook my head, digging my hands into my bag. I pulled out my toothbrush, tooth paste and water canteen, and headed to the bathroom. While I brushed my teeth I began to feel even more strange… When I had moved onto brushing my hair, the feeling deepened. Trying to shake the odd feeling, I tied my hair back in a messy bun, and attempted to read a Sherlock Holmes book. One that Mama and Papa brought back with them from Washington DC. For a pre-way book, it didn't look very old. But it did look well read.
My really mother used to love these books… she would read them to me even when the only words I knew were 'Mom' 'Dad' 'Please' and "No'. I wondered many times if this Sherlock Holmes character was a real person at one point. Whatever knowledge the world knew about it was now lost in the wastes. Suddenly I heard footsteps up the metal ramp towards my door. My eyes widened, and I found myself diving for the corner, hitting the lights as I did. I pushed my back against the wall, pulling my pistol from my belt quickly. The silence bit into me like a feral Gecko, but I kept my breathing steady. Then the sound of a door opening, and the shrill scream of a woman pierced through the night. I placed a calming hand on my rapidly beating chest, forcing a calming breath into my lungs. They weren't after me. Whoever they were. There was a loud crash, and then the silence presumed. The soft footsteps continued down the ramp, the door closing softly behind them. As silently as I could, I cracked open my door and peeked out. There I saw three figures, one carrying a woman over their shoulder.
My eyebrows narrowed, and I found myself slowly crouching outside of my room, and towards the strange men. Whoever those fuckers are, I'm going to make them pay. I followed them down the stairs as silently as I could, and hid behind the corner of the small shop as they walked passed it. Then a deep, low voice boomed through the silence. I strained my ears to listen in, but then realised it was in a different language. After a few more seconds I realised it was Latin… Damn. I've never learned Latin before. I never needed to. The only people in the waste's who spoke Latin where not the kind of people who I wanted to tango with… wait a second… Holding my breath, I peeked my head around the corner and saw two Legionnaires, wearing feather helmets, red black and white armour, goggles and bandanas. I could see an assault rifle being clutched in the hands of the one farther away from me, and a machete in the others. A woman was draped over his shoulder, completely still. They looked utterly terrifying. I quickly pulled my head back, smacking my hand over my mouth as a gasp threatened.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep calm. The Legion where the most horrifying group in the Mojave. I had heard one horrible story after another about these guys, and I never wanted to run into them at all. I always stayed around areas they weren't regularly around… Novac was usually never targeted. Why were they here? The door opened again, and soft footsteps followed. Then the low voice continued, followed by another voice, both in Latin. I was way in over my head. How the hell am I supposed to save a woman I've never met from three Legionnaires? I was a hunter, a courier, not a fighter! My eyes darted back to my door, and I cursed under my breath. There was no way I could save her. As slowly as I could, slower than I was going before, I inched towards the stairs. The low voices continued, careful to not wake the town. As I made my way back to the stairs a thought came upon me. Why were they in the building? Why are they looking for a certain woman? While I was on the fifth step the rickety metal creaked oh so slightly, making me freeze. I squeezed my eyes shut.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck… Oh God, please let them not have heard. I forced my eyes open, my teeth clenched, and I slowly inched my head to see if they were fazed. In the last second I had realised the voices stopped, just before my eyes laid upon a Legionnaire staring straight at me. Shit.
"Uh… hi." I said awkwardly. The man just glared at me, his eyebrows narrowing deeply over his goggles.
Before I could scream he pulled me down the stairs, and pinned me to the ground, pushing my cheek against the dirt. He forced my hands behind my back, and began tying them.
"Ge-" Before I could finish my scream, he pushed my head face first into the ground, hitting my nose hard on the ground, and forced dirt to pile up in my mouth. After my hands were tied securely behind my back, I was forced to my feet, the large machete held to my throat. I restrained myself from coughing as the machete pressed against my neck, threatening to pierce my skin.
"Speak and die, profligate." The man hissed quietly. He pushed me forwards, and towards the other two Legionnaires. The one still had the woman over his shoulder, where as the other one who was in the building stood patiently next to him. The man who had me began to speak in Latin again. I rolled my eyes, making the man with the red feather helmet come towards me quickly. Before I knew what was happening he smacked me right across the face, a serge of pain shooting from underneath his hand. I felt trickles of blood coming down my nose, and towards my mouth.
"Would you mind explaining what exactly you were doing sneaking on us?" The man asked, his voice sending shivers down my spine.
"I… I didn't know it was you… I…" I stuttered, the taste of iron filling my mouth. The man raised his hand, indicating me to stop talking. I frowned. Right, Legionnaires where completely and utterly sexist. How could I have forgotten?
"You are to never speak of this night to anyone. Otherwise we will know." He continued.
"So… you're just going to let me go?" I asked in genuine surprise.
"It is against our contract. We came here for one woman, not two." He explained.
He signalled the Legionnaire that was holding me to let go, and he obeyed.
"You will not follow us. Understood, lupa?"
I wiped my mouth, and timidly nodded my head as they turned away from me. As I watched them walk away a deep guilt burrowed in the pit of my stomach, and before thinking I ran after them, pulling my pistol from my belt.
"Where are you taking her?" I asked, louder than I should have. The head Legionnaire turned to me, and in the same motion punched me square in the face, knocking me straight to the ground. In a few painful seconds he walked towards me slowly, and crouched down in front of me.
"You will only speak when spoken to, lupa." He nearly snarled. The person behind him glanced around nervously, making me narrow my eyes at him.
"This is a private job, isn't it?" I asked daringly.
The man's hand slammed on my neck, cutting off my windpipe. My eyes widened in shock, and my hands flew to his strong arm against my neck.
"You will listen to me, and you will listen to me carefully, filthy profligate." He snarled straight at me. My lungs began to burned for air as I looked up into the terrifying gaze of the soldier.
"You will forget this night. You will never speak of what has happened. You will leave this town in the morning, and you. Will. Comply. Got it?" He asked, jerking his hand against my neck for affect. He slowly lifted his hand from my neck, and then stared at me for a few seconds as I recovered, coughing up dirt and blood.
"I should kill you." He said simply.
He pulled a knife from his belt, and placed it against my neck, making me freeze.
"D-don't…" I squeaked, utterly terrified, voice scratchy and weak…
A dark smirk appeared on the mans face, and he turned my head to the side with a snap, slapping my cheek against the dirt. My legs were pinned by the other Legionnaires, and the man set a crushing knee on my chest, keeping me in place. I felt the cold metal pierce into the skin on my neck, making me cringe sharply. But I couldn't move, I could barely even squirm under the weight of these guys. I didn't dare to… I squeezed my eyes shut as the pain became nearly unbearable. Finally, the man pulled the knife away, and quickly got off me. I opened my eyes to see him pick up my pistol that had been knocked from my hand, and pointed it at my face.
"Please…sir, don't…" I stammered.
"My name is Silus. Don't forget that." The man said through his teeth.
A mocking smile twisted his lips, and he brought the handle of the pistol down hard on my head, knocking me out cold.
( )
The sunlight intruded the darkness of my slumber, and I slowly opened my crusted over eyes. Groaning, I sheltered the blinding light from my face. Then I remembered the night before. I moved my hand towards my neck, tracing my fingers against the mass amount of dried blood. The sharp pain was now replaced with a dull throbbing, making me close my eyes again. So they didn't kill me. I assumed he was hitting my jugular… but I guess not. I set my hand over my aching forehead, feeling the bump that had developed over night. Then I heard footsteps come near me, making my eyes open painfully again. Jeanie May stood over me, looking as if she had just seen a ghost.
"Good lord, lady, what happened to you?" She asked, crouching down next to me.
You will forget this night. You will never speak of what's happened. Silus' voice boomed in my head.
"Uh… I don't know…" I stammered, letting her slip her hand underneath my back and lift me up. Sweat had developed on my back over night, and my mouth was still covered in blood. I guess I wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes…
"Do you remember anything?" Jeanie asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"N…no… Nothing." I said, placing a hand over my throbbing neck.
"Come with me, sweetheart, we'll fix you right as rain." She said, lifting me up, and walked me towards the town.
( )
"Ow! That really hurts, yah know?" I whined as Jeanie May pressed a rag dipped in vodka on my wound.
"I know, just hold on. Who did this to you?" She asked.
Understand, lupa? The voice boomed again.
I shook my head. "I don't remember anything." I repeated.
"So you don't remember being dragged out of your room, beaten, cut up, and knocked out?" Jeanie May asked harshly.
"I said I don't know, okay?"
There was a silence as Jeanie continued cleaning my wound. After a few second she shook her head, and walked towards her desk.
"I just hate to see my customers hurt on my expense." She explained, grabbing a bandage.
Yeah, how about that woman that was captured right out of her room? And further more, why did Silus walk into her office? Jeanie May came towards me, setting gauze around my wound and taping it together. "Where was Vargas?"
"Vargas?"
"He's the guard. He usually stays up in the dinosaurs head."
"Is he there at night?"
"Uh… no… that's Boone's job."
"Then where was he?"
Jeanie frowned, backing away to look at the job she did.
"I don't know… I might have to have a talk with that man." There was something strange about the way she spoke. Something… wrong. Like how I was feeling last night before the attack.
"Right… well, do you know where to find him?" I asked.
Suddenly the doors slammed open, making both of us jump. I turned my head quickly to see a man in a grey shirt, baggy pants, a red NCR beret and aviators. There he is.
"Where is she?" Boone seemed to growl. There was at least a few seconds before Jeanie May answered.
"What?" She asked.
"You know who!" He belted, coming towards us. My eyes flashed, and I got up quickly.
"Well, thanks for stitching me up, Jeanie. I'll be on my way now." I said quickly, rushing towards the door. Before I could Boone grabbed my arm firmly.
"Where's Carla?" He growled again.
"I… I don't know." I said, trying to be as calm as I possibly could.
There were a few seconds of intense eye contact before he finally let go of my arm, and I was free to leave. He didn't do anything to me after that, but it was clear he wanted me gone. And I wanted to go just as bad.
( )
As I began my long walk back home, I attempted putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I knew Novac was trouble the second I wandered in. But I had no idea it was going to be that bad, in fact I don't think anyone would. I retraced the map in my mind, sighing as the same conclusion was clear. It wasn't adding up. Why would they go specifically to Novac? They said they had a contract… but with whom? Then it hit me. The journal. The office. The lights were still on. Silus walking out, no doubt the office was still open. There was no panic. Carla… Boone's wife. Gone. Kidnapped. Taken.
You will forget this night.
I shook my head, re-adjusting my backpack. No, it can't be… can it? I turned around to look at the town one last time, only seeing the giant Dinosaur from the distance I was at. Jeanie May sold Carla to the Legion?
( )
"Who the hell did this to you?" Papa's voice boomed in the stillness of the empty house. Mama had gone to tend to the crops, leaving only him and I together. His ears were beat red… he was furious. I had never seen him this mad before.
"I… I don't know, I don't remember any of it." I tried my best to lie, but wasn't doing a great job. Lying to Jeanie and Boone was easy, but lying to Papa? Never. And he knew it. Eventually he caught on to the Jet I tried a while ago, and ever since insisted on checking my back pack before I left for a hunt. It sucked, but I felt like I deserved it. He crouched down to see me eye to eye.
"Jay, you tell me what happened, and you tell me now." He said sternly.
I should kill you…
"I'm not a child anymore, Papa! I'm telling the truth!" I screeched, walking away from him.
"Oh yeah, and the skies purple! Jay, whoever did that to you needs to pay."
"Just get off my back, will you?!"
"No, I won't! Whoever laid a hand on my little girl…"
"I am not your little girl!" I screamed.
There was a silence from then on. The look that came upon Papa's face was enough to break my heart. I felt tears form in my eyes, and I rushed towards the back door, running out before I could hear what he had to say next.
I ran fast, away from Papa's broken stance, away from Silus' threats, away from last night… The wind was refreshing against my hot skin, and I kept moving. Further and further. Until I had finally reached my favourite spot. It was right underneath a small broc flow tree, with a nice smooth rock to sit against. I let myself slide into the regular position I always assumed when consulting this spot. I let my head fall into my hands as I focused on nothing but my breath for what seemed an eternity. How am I supposed to keep this a secret from my own family? How low am I to play the card of adoption? Papa wasn't my real dad. My real dad was from Washington DC, and so was my mother. They gave me to Billy and Delilah when I was just turning four, claiming they couldn't take care of me anymore. I never figured out why. I've never used the card of adoption before because I knew it would hurt Papa more than anything.
"Damn you, Silus." I muttered into my sweaty hands.
"Who's Silus?" A familiar voice asked.
I sighed, looking up to see Brad staring down at me.
"Could you be more creepy?" I asked, an edge to my voice. He only smiled and sat down next to me. After the incident with the Jet, he was always looking out for me. Mama and Papa eventually got used to him, as he continually took care of me. I wasn't very sure what we were. The line between dating and being really good friends blurred, making him kind of my best friend slash boyfriend.
"Been a while since you've sat here." He said calmly.
"Yeah, well, occasion calls for it, I guess." I grumbled, pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Brad took a few moments to reply.
"And what's the occasion?" He asked finally.
I sighed, shaking my head, tears threatening again. When I didn't answer, he continued.
"Come on, you can tell me." He urged on, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and pulled me towards him. I looked into his eyes… his calming eyes…
"The Legion… they attacked Novac." I said as quietly as I could, as if Silus could here me all the way from the fort.
"No shit?"
"No shit."
"What did they want?"
"One person. Carla." I said, shaking my head and looking into the distance again. "Jeanie made a contract with them, and they were only after her. Silus was the leader of the group that went over. I… I tried to save her… and they jumped me." With that Brad's whole body seemed to stiffen.
"What did they do?" He asked, his voice dipping an octave.
"He said he was going to kill me… but he cut my neck, then booked it."
"Let me see it."
I shifted sideways, moving my hair off my neck to let him take a good look. I cringed as he peeled back the bandage.
"How does it look?" I asked.
He didn't reply, and set the bandages back on. He looked away in the distance, a dark look coming across him.
"What?" I asked.
"It's nothing. You'll be fine." He said evenly.
"Brad, you know you can't lie to me. What is it?" I asked.
With a large sigh, Brad looked to the ground in thought. Just before I was about to say something again, he spoke.
"It's a warning."
Brad knew a lot about the Legion. It kind of surprised me, to be honest. Everything I knew about the Legion, he taught me. His brother was captured by the Legion when Brad was sixteen. They had tried everything to reason with them, but nothing worked. Soon after, his brother was killed, leaving Brad to pick up the pieces. Ever since he's had a special kind of knowledge towards the Legion. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say he wanted revenge.
"A warning?" I asked.
"Yes… It's the beginning of the Latin marking of 'Death'. If any Legionnaire sees you with that thing, you're in a hell of a lot of trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
Brad looked out at the distance again before responding.
"They'll either finish the marking, or… kill you. Depending on their mood."
"No shit?" I asked.
"No shit."
( )
"So how many other girls have you been with?" I asked Brad as we walked down the old, beaten road towards our houses. Our kills were fresh, and fit nicely on our Brahmin. Brad chuckled.
"Do you really want to know?" He asked back.
"Uh, yeah. Duh." I replied. There was a short pause as Brad took a deep breath.
"Four." He replied.
"Four…"
"Minus the ones from Gomorra. But those were just one time deals."
"Do you still go there?"
"What do yah think?" Brad asked, smirking at me teasingly.
"Not sure. I mean, sometimes you're gone for days at a time. How do I know you're not off with another girl?" I asked.
"Well, let's break this down. Every-time I go away, it's for trading. And I never stay in New Vegas. Well, anymore."
"That's still purely based on trust."
"Now yah don't trust me?"
"I never said that."
Brad chuckled again.
"Half the time I'm with John." He said.
"John is kinda desperate."
"Which should give you more incentive to trust that I'm not sleeping around with other girls."
"How exactly does that work?"
"I'm too busy being his wing-man."
I stayed quite for a few more seconds, watching my feet as we kept walking.
"What is it?" He asked after about a minute.
"Nothing… I was just thinking…"
"Thinking what?"
"Well… I'm a virgin." I said softly, almost just to myself.
Brad looked at me, but I was too shy to look back.
"That's nothin' to be ashamed of, Jay." He explained.
"I know… it's just I'm a little more… well, ill-experienced."
"So? That don't matter to me."
"What?" I looked at him now.
"Yeah. I mean, just because you're a virgin don't mean I'm gonna like you any less."
"I won't be as good…"
"I don't care. Jay, you're perfect to me."
"You don't think I have man hands?"
"I love your hands."
"And you don't think my nose is too big?"
"Are yah kiddin'? It's button sized."
"And my mouth?"
"What's wrong with your mouth?"
"It's small."
"I never noticed."
"What about my hair?"
"Now you're being ridiculous. What's wrong with your hair?"
"It's too blonde, too thick, too…"
"Too perfect."
I rolled my eyes, looking down at the ground. All of a sudden Brad stopped, his head turned to the side, looking out into the distance.
"What?" I asked, slightly worried.
He took a few painstaking moments to respond. And when he did, it was underwhelming.
"I have somethin' to show yah." He said, steering the Brahmin towards where he was looking.
I followed quickly after him.
( )
"What is this place?" I asked as we stepped into an abandoned shed. It was old and rustic, yet warm and inviting. There was one bed, one couch, and just a few chairs scattered here and there. The walls were spread with small fairy lights, only lighting up the small room slightly. There was no light coming in from the outside, making it a lot homier.
"It's my little getaway. I've been working on it for a few months, now." Brad explained.
"A few months?" I asked in surprise.
"Do you know how hard it is to find twinkle lights?"
I chuckled "Never thought of it."
Brad took my bag from my back, and set it to the side.
"What are you doing?" I asked cautiously.
"Shh." He almost whispered. He stood right in front of me now, staring straight into my eyes. Gently, he reached his hand out and placed it on my cheek. I stared back at him, unsure yet trusting. His hand travelled to my neck, my shoulder, my arm, and grabbed hold of my hand. He lifted it up, studying it a little.
"I like this." he said softly, and pressed his lips to the back of my hand. Then he stroked the back of my head, tugging softly at my tightly braided hair. He worked out the elastic, pulling my hair out of my braid.
"I like this." He breathed, running his finger through my thick, now wavy hair, and kissed the top of my head. He pulled back, smiling sideways as he poked my nose playfully.
"I like this." Then he kissed it. Softly. Lovingly. There was no space between us anymore. My hands travelled to his waist, then up and around his back. He set his thumb on my mouth, stroking it lightly.
"I love this." He whispered. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, and I let him. The kiss progressed, our lips parting almost immediately. His fingers ran through my hair, softly holding the back of my head. Then both of his hands found my waist, and hoisted me up on top of him. My legs wrapped around his hips, our lips never parting. I placed both of my hands on both sides of his face, kissing him fiercely now. My long hair cascaded over his head, and tickled his shoulders. He sat on the bed, his hand's running up and down my back. They travelled underneath my shirt, tugging at my tight cloth holding my breasts underneath. I pulled away, and nearly ripped off my shirt. And everything else. Brad's hands moved to my shoulders, and to either side of me. I set both hands on his chest, leaning down and kissing him again. I moved my hands down to the bottom of his shirt, tugging at it gently. He pulled away, lifting his shirt over his head, and nearly threw it across the room. Our lips met again, this time fiercer then ever.
( )
We laid together on the old bed, legs tangled together, our eyes never loosing their contact. Brad stroked my hair soothingly, smiling softly at me. My arm was tucked underneath his, my hand travelling up and down his back. His fingers brushed over the scar on my neck lovingly. Whenever he saw it, he always told me he'd protect me no matter what. He didn't have to tell me now. I knew.
"Was that good?" I breathed. Brad chuckled softly.
"Is that even a question?" He asked back. He always answered a question with another.
"I mean… compared to those Gomorrah girls."
"Do yah want me to be honest, Jay?"
"Always."
Brad's smile softened as he continued to stare at me.
"You were perfect. Which wasn't much of a surprise." He said, making me giggle.
"You weren't half bad, yourself. But then again, I have nothing else to compare it to."
"Do yah want something to compare it to?"
I took a breath, taking in the moment, never wanting it to end.
"Never." I said. There were very few things I was completely sure of. But this one I knew. I knew it with all my heart.