Queen's note: Canon typical violence in this chapter. Deegan goes into post-apocalyptic 'business' mode. Also? Raiders and interrogation of said raiders. I am not trying to go into too much fine detail about that.
Welcome to the Wasteland
Chapter Four
Foreboding
Raiders were, in a few words, a pain in the ass for Edward Deegan.
Over two centuries and he was still… displeased about them, their actions, their unashamed want for violence, just plan getting in the way of his work. Wanting to deface history and getting in the way of rebuilding some semblance of society. Though he did appreciate most of their innate lack of intelligence.
Like in this case. Having spotted the little shack house, sort of cabin that was just down the hill from the co-op. Deegan may have dismissed it for a bit but for spotting a lit candle in the pre-dawn light. It was not hard to leave out of sight behind the cabinets, warning Valory in her new hollow dug into the ground that there might be some gun fire.
The big man did not need as much sleep as Lana did, not with a good seven hours of undisturbed rest. Having a deathclaw, three moose and a brahmin on constant semi alert as herd animals were. Mostly the moose in this case, his bull had spent most of the night dosing and resting.
Deegan narrowed his eyes, coming up quietly on three fingers. Not settlers attracted to the buildings and location, but those dressed in the rough scrap armor and smelled of chems and blood. A woman and two men talking about the possible new person, Deegan standing almost right up behind them.
He caught words, the intent of, also had a snippet of information about a bunker hatch in the chapel. It was all the ghoul needed as he stepped forward, knife in one hand, shotgun in the other.
Using his height to his advantage, Deegan sank his combat knife into the woman's head. At the same time firing the shotgun. Most of the first shot hitting the first man in the unprotected spine, about a third of the shot hitting the third man into staggering. Deegan lifted his shotgun as he turned to the last one, firing again at the head before the raider looked up.
Blue and red eyes slid to the first man, sprawled out on his front, arms twitching but hands and legs limp. Walking around him, the ghoul fetched his blade, his voice losing the soft edge from the night before and sounding like coarse gravel. "How many are in your crew?"
The raider man twitched and gasped, frantically trying to look around but unable to move his head. "Wha- the fuc- you do?"
Deegan glanced up the hill but no one was looking. The ghoul looked back down, his gaze shifting harder as he planted a boot on the unprotected back. Getting a gargling, mostly muffled cry of pain out of it. "That wasn't an answer."
"Jesa- crist- stopstopstoop-" the raider gasped into the dirt, and when a little pressure easier off his back the man tried to shutter. "Two doz- three? In the stash- rasion? I can't feel my legs…."
"Buckshot to the spine will do that to you." Deegan glanced around as he reloaded two shells, very much aware of his own armor, the reassuringly heavy plates that protested him back and front. Something he would not not take off now until this raider infestation was taken care of.
He had only taken his armor off last night under Valory's extended protection to clean it.
"Help-?"
Deegan regards the man twitching again before stopping. Shotgun on his shoulder, he grasped a handful of greasy hair and lifted the head a bit. The dangerous growl rising in Deegan's throat, "Who's your boss?"
There was an unintelligible sound.
Deegan snarled lowly, sifting more of his weight onto the foot resting on the raider's back. His voice was not rising, no yelling, but keeping low and seemed to get more intense, dangerous, "What is your boss' name? And then the pain will stop."
"Red!" The man gasped, trying to twitch away but his body still would not move. "Red-red- Red Tou-ret-te! Tourette!"
Something stirred in the scarred man's memory and Deegan snorted. The combat knife flashed as he ended the raider's pain as promised. The ghoul pulled the blade out and took a moment to clean it with the early spring grass, standing up he scanned around. No sign of other raiders, nor movement from up hill.
He checked the few pockets, gathered up some caps and the weapons. The ghoul checked the cabin-shack, took the candles after blowing them out, and put whatever was useful in an old trunk to carry back up to the co-op. That was set on the ground before Deegan dragged the bodies a bit away, two at a time and then the last one.
Out of easy sight from any detection. No used to panicking the raiders before he was ready to.
Then blue-red eyes turned on the chapel that sat alone. Metaphorically keeping one an eye on the ground for tracks as he walked to the old building. Overgrown with vines and hub-bushes, there were only three sets of recent tracks. Two men and a woman, from what he could tell the woman had been there longer, walking around in the chapel for a while last night... and tried to barricade the front door?
Remembering the rough path Valory took last night, Deegan chuckled. Likely the raider had seen the deathclaw 'wandering' past and waited until dawn to venture out with the so called reinforcements.
"Now where would… ah." The tall man walked over to a hatch, and, finding it unlocked he couched, shotgun held in one hand like a pistol. Deegan lifted the hatch slowly, barrel sliding in first just in case. Only warm but not quite stale air welled up and out, no unexpected faces climbing up. He could pick up the scent of old smoke, cigarettes, faintly of an improvised latrine.
Deegan set the hatch down gently. He all but stacked old pews on top of it and walked back out. Retracing his steps to the truck and carrying that back to camp. The hard etched lines in his scarred face softening as Deegan entered the co-op.
Lana was up, not having her jacket on but bow and quiver on her back. As well as her pistol on hand, Deegan could see the holster had the top strap off so she could pull it out quickly. The woman was sitting beside Valory, as if coaxed over.
"Trouble?" Lana asked, head tilted. She had that curious but cautious expression of those used to waistlands. Weird sounds and random gunshots were normal and not always needing a panic response.
Edward chuckled as he set the trunk down. "In a way, they looked like stray raiders that wandered from their camp. Something that should be taken care of, soon-ish."
Lana made a face, not pleased with the idea of raiders in the early morning. "Is it the same group that ambushed you?"
"Possible, but I only saw three sets of recent tracks." The scarred man sat on the trunk stretching his back out, snorting as he saw the fawn bouncing around the two cow moose. No longer tied and seemed to be accepting having new, very strange tall parents. They looked to have a simple rope halter on their double heads. "Looks like they're hold up in the old federal ration stockpile. Might find something useful out of it in there."
"But should it be cleared out for safety?" Lana half asked, looking around thoughtfully. Not at all liking the idea of raiders horning in after she puts in a lot of work into this place. Lana did like it here, the space for gracing areas and what looked like some easy growling areas too.
"I think so. We might have a day or two though," Deegan said thoughtfully, keeping himself from tensing as Valory uncurled to start stretching. "This seems a back entrance, might be worth using as a surprise tactic."
"Is a human bunker?" Valory asked, her words slurring just a bit as she fought a yawn. "Too small?"
"Definitely too small from here." Deegan smiled, holding his hands out to show the width of the hatch, "Entrance is about this big."
"Hmm... bleuagh."
Lana giggled, "Sounds like it'll be stealthy more than sheer scary."
"I wonder if Valory can be a shark, distract them from the main entrance." Deegan wondered aloud, staring at the deathclaws back. The natural ridges and semi spine like scales there.
Seeing the head tilts of horns, the man added, "Not a frontal attack... but spooking them enough to stay focused on you? Lana and I could pick them off from behind."
Valory settled on her haunches, knuckles brushing the grass. Thinking about that before slowly nodding, "I can do this. Like a slow hunt? Pick off and leave bite marks." the deathclaw chuckled. "Spook but not let them see?"
"That sounds like we have a plan." Lana smirked, shifting her stance and then turned to where the dam was. "Valory said she picked up the scents of people that way. Would that be the entrance?"
Deegan shook his head, "That would be a farm, a family that's been there for a few generations. I've gotten shipments of tatos from them. Might be worth going over to see how they are and...a careful introduction."
"No shot-guns to the face, please." Valory made a face and huffed, rubbing the side of her fast with the back of her thumb joint, where there was faint old scarring. Speckling of buckshot from who knows how long.
Deegan chuckled, "Yes, don't want that. He doesn't seem like it now, but Abernathy used to be a handful not that long ago. And one hell of a trapper. He's a lot more... nervous, overly careful at times since he settled down and took over his grandparents farm, and had kids."
"How long ago was that?" Lana asked, used to how the pre-war living ancestors has a slightly skewed sense of time. Understandable as most were 200 to near 300 years old.
"I first met him about… thirty years ago. I hired him to help clear out a big infestation at a...work location I keep safe, were some of my crew grow food for themselves and my family." Deegan thought, thinking he needed to get some new trusted people to the asylum, give those there a break from the... energies. That meant doing some metal screening.
"Really?" Lana tilted her head, "What are you growing?"
"Just the basics, mostly melons and guards right now, also the flour type of razorgrain. But I've been thinking of getting a contract at the Slog for berries." Deegan hummed, and then chuckled at the look he got, "Don't worry I had planned to send you a bag of seeds last night."
"I'm starting to think you're an awesome Uncle too Deegan." Lana noted and grinned as the big man stood up.
Knowing from what Richard has said, what Deegan had picked up that older ghouls were called Uncles and Aunties. He put a hand on Lana's head, "You can call me Edward, though I'd be honored to be considered an Uncle too. Let's get your stuff sorted and stashed before seeing Abernathy and where the raider's main camp is."
"And your things from the road." Lana added, ducking her head and started off to the warehouse.
"Good thing I have some locks in the packs." Deegan rumbled a low laugh as he followed.
"So you said the flour type of razorgrain? Was that what Uncle Richy wanted?" Lana asked as they stopped at the saddle bags. "There's different types?"
"Yes, he had two of three kinds." Deegan said, checking his shotgun over and reaching for his rifle. Taking the canteen offered, pausing as at the taste.
"Oh, sorry that's the one with mint in it."
"It's okay, it's quite nice actually," The man smiled to himself, and then shook off old memories. "The two main types of razor grain, one is better for flour, or a replacement of it, the other is more like oats. Very good cooking, some like oatmeal and using tarberries as sweetier. Pretty good."
"I'll have to try it out." Lana gave a long whistle, and the moose lifted their heads at the tone. Buck was the one that walked over, head lowering to get a nose rub from his person, the halter still on. "There's my big guy. He should be able to carry all the stuff back in one trip."
"Would you mind if I store it here with you?" Deegain asked. Helping to secure the packs and the building for now. Not thinking it would take more than an hour and a half at most. Pulse Valory was settling down a little higher up hill to keep an eye on this.
"No, I don't." Lana shook her head, getting Buck's saddle and beaming as the bull eased himself down to make it easier. A mix of training and just liking his person. She loved this moose, possibly as much as he seemed to love his person.
Deegan felt his smile start again. Definitely needing to keep this group safe, and came up with two names for sure. The scarred man was pretty sure they were still around and had helped him work on the Manor several times. They were used to Jack's strangeness and would likely adapt well with this.
The walk back to the ambush site seemed to go faster in the morning. Helping somewhat that Lana was up on Buck, and the moose only had to match Deegan's longer stride. The two talking about local threats, as well as general history.
Lana was interested in the Minutemen, though seemed a bit disappointed they were no longer around. "From how you talked about them it sounds like a implosion."
"They lost their general and those left did not really sort themselves out right." Deegan nodded, stopping at the forest line to stare at the road he and his men had been ambushed. The bodies were still there, a pack of wild mongrels clustered on the far side, where Valory had taken care of the raiders. His eyes narrowed seeing a lack of anything in the road body wise.
"Valory mentioned coming back last night. This morning?" Lana said, pointing with her bow at a place not far from them, at a base of a tree was disturbed earth. The tree had a rough cross marked into the truck, two claw marks that oozed some sap, a still living tree.
"...I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that." Deegan said, staring at the spot. "She berries the dead?"
"When she thinks they deserve it." Lana nodded, staying up on Buck as she eyed the pack of canines. Some with fur, others patching and a couple looked like Lost Ones as dogs. "And when there's time for it. She would have buried the Lost Ones last night to keep predators. I guess Val likes you enough to come back and bury them."
"I'll have to remember this location." the scarred man said thoughtfully. He glanced at the street, noting everything still seemed there.
"Let's get your things."Lana nodded to the supplies, having been watching the tree lines for movements. Other than the dogs not seeing much, and Buck was already starting up to the road. Good thing at least was that he kept the dogs away, just because they likely never seen or smelled anything like him.