Sorry I didn't post yesterday! New season just dropped in 76 and I was busy having fun fighting Blue Devils! :)
Chapter 19 - Silence and Sound
"So, what's in Grassy Sou–" Marilyn began.
She was cut off by the sound of music, the radio having switched on. She quickly looked at Dick, finding him nowhere near his Pip-Boy. Then she looked at her own curiously, but it was switched off. But then she realized it was coming from Billy, who was fiddling with the worn Pip-Boy at his wrist.
As she followed behind him, she was able to finally get a good look at the thing. It was definitely a legitimate Pip-Boy. It looked just like the ones that she and Dick wore. Only, Billy's was more scuffed, with peeling paint and patches of rust. Marilyn knew that all Pip-Boys within the Vault were passed down through the generations, but even the most well-worn ones in Vault 31 weren't in such a terrible condition. She wondered if its state was due to exposure to the elements, or something else. Either way, it was a bit fitting that Billy's Pip-Boy looked as banged up as he did.
"Ugh, I hate this song," Billy grunted, hearing the song switch.
The high-pitched boy singing about fools in love was abruptly cut away as Billy turned the dial.
"Awooo! You ever been killin' a guy but you run outta bullets?" A scratchy-voiced man howled from the radio, "So you gotta go in all close and personal? Get all touchy-feely up on his spinal cord?"
Marilyn's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"Well, when that kinda thing happens to ol' Scud," The scratchy-voiced man, Scud apparently, sniffed, "That's when I'm reminded of this song by a guy so fat that it's literally his name. Check it out!"
A surprisingly pleasant track began, with a man singing about how great a shame something or other was. Marilyn couldn't make it out very well from behind Billy.
"Scud's got a few screws loose," Billy shook his head as he walked on, "But at least he knows good music."
Marilyn paused for a moment, finding a lull in the song before trying to ask her initial question again.
"What's in Grassy Sound?"
Billy glanced back at her over his shoulder for a moment.
"Most popular stop for wanderers in the whole region," Billy sniffed, "The DeLaney Inn."
"What's so great about an inn?" Dick asked, his question going ignored as Billy hummed along to the music instead.
Marilyn shot Dick a sympathetic smile but it quickly fell once she looked at him. She immediately recognized the frustrated look on his face. It was the same one he always had before he and Craig got into yet another scuffle. And, sure enough, Dick leaned forward and caught Billy's shoulder.
"What's your problem with me?" He asked as he spun Billy to face him.
"Don't touch me, pretty boy," Billy snapped, smacking his hand away.
"Would you stop calling me that?" Dick huffed, "I got a name, y'know."
Marilyn went to chime in, and mention that Billy actually hadn't ever asked either of their names. To say that it would be a good chance for proper introductions and a fresh start. But she was immediately silenced when Billy looked at her impatiently.
"Can you make your boy toy stop talking?" He drawled, "Pretty boy has a real annoying voice."
"My name is Dick," Dick growled.
"Fine, Dick," Billy sneered in a tone that made it sound like an insult, "You about done?"
Dick huffed and just looked away. He'd technically gotten what he wanted, but Billy gave it to him in a way that he didn't want. An uncomfortable silence seeped between them as a result.
"W-Well," Marilyn cleared her throat awkwardly, "My name is Marilyn. I-If you were curious…"
"I wasn't," Billy snapped, turning and beginning to walk up the road once more, "Now that we're done wasting time, let's get a move on."
Marilyn frowned, turning to Dick. She moved to set a hand on his shoulder, to show him she empathized. But he flinched away from her hand, trudging after Billy with his head down. Marilyn sighed quietly, following after. Privately, she wondered at the chances of either shooting the other later down the line. It seemed like a definite possibility. She really hoped she could find a way to keep them from killing each other.
The trio walked onward up the road for some time, the only sound between them playing from Billy's Pip-Boy. At some point, he had changed from the nonstop rock n' roll Scud played over to the Boardwalk Radio. Marilyn was quietly pleased to hear Carl's familiar voice chime in between tracks.
"This next one is from our favorite Jersey boy! That's right, he's ours! No matter how much New York wants him!" Carl announced with a chuckle, "Here's Ol' Blue Eyes himself!"
Marilyn hummed to herself, trying to remember the old geography lessons about how the United States was before the war. She knew full-well that New Jersey was her homeland, where Vault 31 was built. Thinking about it for a moment, she came to recall the less-important state to the north. That was New York. And apparently, New York wanted to claim the deep-voiced man who began crooning.
Marilyn could see why. She'd heard more than a few songs on the radio by that point, but she found his voice especially appealing. It was deep and smooth, like it was just so effortless for him to sing. It gave him a charismatic edge that made her smile. He could even make having a parasitic skin infection sound charming, if she was to understand the lyrics correctly.
The radio lightened her mood, and it appeared to affect Billy doubly so. He hummed and whistled along with each song that played, seeming to know every note of every song by heart. It was a bit of a surprise. He didn't seem like the type of guy to be so fond of music, but he didn't switch the radio off once as they walked. Even after the town began to fade away around them and bring them more into the wilderness.
But after they rounded a corner, coming to see a weathered old church, Billy groaned loudly. A long-haired man was standing in the middle of the road ahead, wearing a wooden sign. It read "DEATH HAS COME" in dark red letters across his back. Hearing them approach, the man turned around, and then Marilyn saw "DO YOU KNOW DEATH?" was written across his stomach.
"Ah great," Billy grunted under his breath, "One of these nutjobs…"
The long-haired man approached with a broad smile, arms out in what was perhaps supposed to be a friendly gesture.
"Good morning, brothers and sisters!" He greeted them with a broader smile and a gentle voice.
His tone had an odd lilt to it, like he wasn't all there.
"My name is Brother Cole," The man smiled, "Can I interest you fine people in the Word of Death?"
"Uhh, the what?" Dick blinked, earning an unhappy grunt from Billy and a delighted chuckle from the man.
"Oh, surely you know the Word of Death!" He grinned, smile falling when Marilyn and Dick just stared, "...No?"
"Sorry," Marilyn frowned, "Um, we're new around here…"
Billy just facepalmed, growing increasingly frustrated.
"Look, buddy, we got somewhere to—" He began, but was cut off as Brother Cole sharply turned his head away from Billy in an exaggerated manner.
"Begone, Enemy of Death!" He held a hand out towards Billy, "I shall not look upon one whom Death has cursed!"
"See? This is what I was talkin' about," Billy grunted, pulling out a cigarette, "Some folks just hate ghouls."
"Hate you? No," Brother Cole shook his head, "But as our creed states, ghouls are the enemies of Death, whom he has cursed to an eternal, undying life."
"Uh huh. Yeah well, hate to burst your bubble, buddy," Billy rolled his eyes, "But it ain't no phony god that turned me to this. I got this pretty mug through good old rads. So unless you've swapped over to worshiping Atom—"
"Death is in all things," Brother Cole interrupted.
Marilyn and Dick just watched, all of this going right over their heads.
"Uhh, sorry, I'm kinda confused," Dick mumbled, rubbing his neck, "Do you worship… like… dying?"
"What're you doing, Dick?" Billy growled, "Don't ask questions! It just makes them talk m—"
"Death is a being, omnipotent and all-knowing, but it is an act as well," Brother Cole explained cheerily, "Perhaps you should come to our cathedral I'm sure Father Nicolai could explain much better than I!"
When both Dick and Marilyn looked a bit uncertain at his offer, Brother Cole pressed on.
"Not to mention, surely you are weary from your travels? Our church is open to any and all wanderers," Brother Cole added, "We can provide you with food, drink, medicine, and rest. Free of charge."
"Hold up," Billy squinted, "I thought you Saints didn't believe in treating wounds."
"We don't," Brother Cole smiled patiently at the sky past Billy's head, "But we have still managed to gather many healing supplies through the gifts and donations of our guests. We have no use for such things, so we give them freely to all who come. After all, we do understand that not all who come to us will share our beliefs."
"What do you think, Mari?" Dick looked over at Marilyn, seeming a bit out of his depth, "I mean, free stuff is good, I guess? But…"
"We don't need handouts," Billy snorted, "We're almost to Grassy Sound. Let's just get a move on."
"Hey, you're not supposed to give orders, remember?" Dick scowled.
Billy grunted and looked over at Marilyn.
"Fine then," He crossed his arms, "What do you wanna do?"
Marilyn was a bit startled by the three men all staring at her expectantly. Brother Cole looked hopeful. Billy looked pissed off. Dick just looked uncertain.
"U-Um, I guess…" She rubbed her arm, "I guess we could use some free supplies…?"
In response, Brother Cole smiled and Billy scoffed. Dick just nodded.
"Fine, whatever you want, boss lady," Billy sneered.
"Wonderful," Brother Cole turned towards the church, "Oh, but the ghoul will have to wait outside."
Billy looked at Marilyn flatly, as if challenging her to now change her mind. She ordinarily might've, but she didn't like the idea of him pushing her to do so. So instead, she just gave him an incredibly fake smile.
"We won't be long," She said in a saccharine sweet voice before pointedly turning to the church.