Queen's note: When you skip a timed event, fate is forced to fill in the gaps with other things. But can one be wise enough to use or help in time?

Welcome to the Wasteland

Chapter Nine:

Concord Realestate

"Why are we all the way over here?" Lucy yawned as he squinted around the outskirts of the old town. It was still in that grey light time before true dawn. "This early?"

"It's a fairly universal 'raiders are passed out' hour no matter where you go." Lana gave a soft snort as the other woman leaned on her back while Buck took slow but steady steps. Lana kept him to the grass and off the road as much as possible, and watched his ears and attention.

"Or about to be passing out." Lucy half warned, getting a hum back.

Lana chuckled as she added in regards to the question. "Also… fridges. I want one, or two, and a proper washing machine at some point. But I'll settle for a fridge to start with."

"And a generator?" Lucy snorted, remembering that was what her friend had mentioned.

"Yes, that too." Lana shifted as Buck finally stepped into the road and walked into town. Listening intently but after a moment he relaxed. "I wonder if anyone is around? Or Lost Ones?"

"I don't think there's any resident ferals… Lost Ones." Lucy paused, and smiled, "I like that term better I think, makes sense. Anyways, unless there's some trapped, or a….herd? Pack? Wondered into town? They seem to be attracted to bigger places and old cities."

"You noticed that too?" Lana half asked, pulling back on the rains, her eyes on the first two closest buildings that were much larger. A church, and another large place that had some dim old bulbs still glowing outside and inside, "Hoo… some of them seem to almost migrate? Like following the very basics of old routines… huh there's power here still."

"I think a few buildings have power," Lucy tried to sit up a bit, scanning from the buildings to their right and then down the street to the left. "I… never thought it did, but we're never really out at night or super early that's not next to the farm."

"Try and remember what places. If we can get a few generators we can get one for your family too, or parts to fix the one you have." Lana looked down the street, seeing no movement. "Lots of cars, we could get some stuff from them too. I wonder how easy it would be to get to power lines or wiring inside the walls of places."

Lana shifted as Buck stopped to study the area himself, listening before lifting his head up in the area. Lana was glancing down to the quiver in front of her, unhooking the bow beside it as she found an arrow with no head. Just a blunted cap to protect the shaft, she had a few of those.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked, peering over the slightly shorter woman's shoulder.

"Making a sound to draw any Lost Ones out." Lana showed the arrow and then aimed it, shooting at one of the cars to make a sharp sound that bounced off the buildings a bit.

Buck's head swung around at the near clang, ears up before realizing it was his riders that did it. Remembering what could happen he squared up his feet and became more alert incase Buck needed to sweep his antlers in defense at any angry scuttling Lost Ones.

Lana shot the near car again, but there was just no response other than an angry little red bird.

"I think it's empty, no signs of raiders yelling about sound." Lana eyed the big building, "No matter what inside we do go to we still need to be careful though."

"Clear things first and then start looking for goodies in the builds?" Lucy guessed, getting a nod she paused and looked around. "...where should we start?"

"Big or little?"

"Big. One of the ones we can get the generator out easier." Lucy decided, feeling a thrill at talking about scavenging a building- planning and now doing without her dad hovering all worried to the point to calling off an adventure halfway through.

So worth staying the last few days with Lana to help with the calves, and then just surprisingly being safe while they explored the woods. Valory's presence was not far, though startling Lucy when catching the deathclaw in the corner of her eye, there were surprisingly no predators or feral mutated dogs. Now as Deegan was staying behind to mess with the stasis Mr. Handy at the Co-op, they were getting to go out scavenging?

Adventure!

They did have to be very careful, but if they could get all the good things safely without her dad hovering and worrying so bad that the crows were worried about him…

"Lets try the museum, it's where we got some wood from before, or at least mom said she got it from there. I remember her telling dad before winter there were still some good things." Lucy turned to their right, motioning to the front doors.

Lana nodded, "Get ready to lean back."

Lucy winced and shifted, unlatching her arms from Lana's middle to reach behind her and grasp the back of the big saddle. The other young woman que-ed Buck to bow and then lay down, his front end dipped, a speedy angle before the nose folded his legs.

"I don't know how you stay on him sometimes." Lucy grunted, climbing off first.

"I've lived with moose, elk and greater elk all my life." Lana reminded, offering Lucy the quiver before climbing off as well. She checked that their pistols were loaded, and they had spare bullets. Hocking the quiver over her back, Lana and Lucy took a moment to give Buck some attention. Rubbing around the bases of his antlers and ear.

Lana had to get her arrows, and the two opened the front doors. Listening to some faint recordings of music that still tried to play once a day. Buck climbed back up to his hooves, half following but his antlers caught on the door frame.

"No, no Buck," Lana said, coming back to push at the big nose. "Stay outside big gobby. I don't think the floors can hold up to fifty million tons of awesome moose."

Buck snorted, looking longingly inside, but stayed outside, despite the couple doors being propped open. That did not stop the moose from looking inside with big round eyes, pouting that he could not fit.

"Oh my gods, that face." Lucy tried really hard not to wibble back.

"For being a living war tank he's so pitiful isn't he?" Lana half asked, rubbing the long nose one more time before going inside the rest of the way. She sniffed the air, and though it was mostly still, it was not stale. Possibly from the wide open space of the main room, as the ceiling arched high up over their heads, even with the half wall of a sorts that held a gate inside.

There was a propeller from an old Vertibird poking through in one corner of the roof, but no light as some of the banners outside were blown up and over the plane at some time. Hocking on the plan instead of sliding off in the later storms like the other buildings.

"It's so strange." Lucy hummed as she studied the ceiling, the expanse of cracked windows that some of the oversized banners flopped over where the open windows were. The young woman paused and peered upward more carefully as Lana was double checking the old entryway. "Someone anchored things to cover the glass up there...and I smell tato plants."

Lana relaxed her bow, peering upwards as she stood beside Lucy, "I wouldn't be surprised that people took shelter here at one point, or several times over the years. Did you notice it's warmer inside? For how cool and cold it gets at night still."

"Not a whole lot more than outside but...yeah I can feel it." Lucy considered, if there were working heaters on power and not gas...those would be nice.

"Hmm…" Lana tilted her head in the way Lucy had learned was Lana's deeper consideration. She whistled loudly, waited and listened. "I don't think there's any Lost Ones here, look at the carpet and wood, it's not perfectly clean, then it's not stained by...you know, questionable discharge?"

Lana walked to the main inner gate, peering past it and wincing. The other woman trailed after to look as well, spotting the good...three foot hole in the floor.

"Oh, the floor has collapsed there." Lucy winced, eyeing the ground behind them. It had felt stable and looked in good condition with carpet still intact. "Guess that explains where mom got the wood."

"Yeah...would be useful wood." There was a pause and Lana wiggled her eyebrows at Lucy, getting a light shove for the pun.

"Oh gods, come on Plant Lady, let's see what's around." Lucy snorted, checked the lock but as she did not have anything to help walked to the right of the room, from walking in the main doors, to the south west.

Peering into the hallway, but it was distinctly empty of Lost Ones and evidence of them. Mostly clear floors that shifted from wood to stone, just some dust on the ground around the small wooden boxes and crates. There were several wooden barrels though that hand the two trying to peek in them, finding one had clean water, others…

"What is this?" Lana wondered, running a hand through what looked like seeds. Almost like a giant rice grains but it was a coppery tan color instead of brown tan of the rice that was back at her home right now.

"It's a kind of razorgrain." Lucy breathed, both young women guilty of letting their guard down, she ran her fingers through the seeds, "It's the oat one, it grows taller than the other two strains, and the seed clusters are bigger, like, longer the length of my hand. We ran out a while ago. But having a warm bowl of this with a little cream from the brahmin and some berries? Best thing on a cold morning or evenings."

"I wasn't expecting the color." Lana said, fascinated as she stepped to one of the short, mock street lamps that gave off a warm light. Watching the coppery shine and then inspecting one of the seeds, it seemed natural and not a coating. "The seeds are as big as my pinky's knuckle joint-"

Lana looked up suddenly and tilted her head to listen intently.

"What is it Lana?" Lucy asked worried, trying to hear what the other did.

"I….thought I heard someone crying." Lana hummed, glad her hair was pulled back. Though something about the statement had both girls puzzled and trying to place the feeling they had.

Lana moved first, gently placing the handful of seeds back in the barrel. But also pulled out one of the fabric plant sample bags she had, scooping the thick seeds in it and tying the top tightly. Slipping it away into one of her jacket's inner pockets.

The other barrels were peeked into, finding more of the same razorgrain, the boxes were not sealed and had assorted fabrics. Looking like displays stored in the open. The little heater in the hall gave a little pocket of warmth as they passed, making Lucy grin.

They stepped into the next room, listening to the automatic script in the speakers, though it was faint. But both lit up at seeing the perfectly preserved wonder sitting almost squished against the back wall. The wall itself painted beautifully, though faded with age it was like an active cityscape of stone and wooden buildings. While the object in the middle side of the room was filled with wooden crates, surrounded and sharply dressed mannequins in period clothes. Ropes were long since pulled away to the far side of the room, and the wagon was lit by two more 'street lamp' posts.

"Everything else aside, that... this is worth staying and getting it out of the building." Lana breathed, walking between mannequins and reaching for the wagon. Even if it took all day she wanted this. It would make things so much easier. Looking much younger as she inspected the wagon, ducking to look under and squeaked excitedly. "It's like, real-real Lucy! There's leaf springs and… proper brakes! It looks like one of the old hybrid wagons. Core things are metal or false wood, but the outer frame is wood? Orr…? I think it's just a modern wagon that's made to look like an old one. It might be sectional, probably how they got it in-"

Lana was halfway and then all the way under the wagon investigating to see if the metal rimmed wheels could in fact move, just having blocks between and behind the wheels.

Lucy grinned at her friend, though kept some of her attention listening out. She stepped closer and peered at a placard that was talking about the display. "What is a draft horse?"

The other young woman paused and peered back out, blinked and then had a moment of confusion that turned to a moment of self face-palming. "Right, not everyone knows about old animals. Supposedly horses are extinct but I don't think so? Drafts were a kind of horse way back when before the war… if I remember the history book right they were like Buck. Super big compared to other horses and made...bred for pulling and farm work. Like a lot of the moose are back home. Where as the elk we have are more for riding or light work."

Lana scanned the mural of the cityscape and pointed to one corner, "That, see that animal? It's a horse."

"Ohh, those." Lucy snapped her fingers, "I saw one in a book and on a poster before. I thought they were really neat… oh wow they got as big as Bulk?"

"I think so? Or close to it?" Lana considered and then shrugged. "I think it would be cool to see draft horses instead of draft mooses some time!"

"I think that would make life a lot easier. I wonder how much we can do with the brahmin like the horses and the moose?" Lucy wondered as she was looking around the rest of the room to peer at the displays against the wall, poking at the cinder blocks, finding them not cemented to one another, just stacked to be a half wall. Lucy peered into the cases through the glass at the assorted tools and preserved muskets. Something tickled at her mind before she blinked at the glass. The blond stood up and looked around, walking to where more barrels were lined up and peeking inside to find more dried razorgrain in them.

"You should be able to hook them up to carts instead of piling everything on their backs." Lana was saying, climbing up into the wagon now, squeaking as she found long wooden shafts stored in there with the boxes. "It might be better for them, or they could pull more then they could carry?"

That was an idea.

Lucy filed that information aside as she checked through the open doorway. It was much the same in the next room, where the stone cobble- some of the stone was loose in the middle of the room and on the sides. It turned back to wood but as thicker planks, with more barrels and now even some of the wooden boxes had the dried seed. Though Lucy was sure in one in the filled boxes looked like the flower variation of the razorgrain. Then she spotted it, what really made it all click in the back of Lucy's mind.

"It's almost like someone lived here recently." Lucy finally said, walking over to the neat stacks of woven baskets along the southwest wall, going almost all the way up to the ceiling.

The baskets were made of the longer razorgrain leaves and stalks, woven together to make baskets alike to the prewar ones. The first several in a stack, along the bottom were all rough and not that good, but as the stack continued up, the quality got better as the person was getting better at weaving over time.

Lana popped into the room, holding her bow with an arrow loosely notched. Hazel eyes scanning as well before seeing the neat stacks of baskets deep and tall ones as well as shallow and wide ones, pausing by the open doorway.

"How long ago?" Lana finally asked, eyeing the far exit to the room. She used the toe of her left foot to tap the thicker plank floor. "That's the question..." Lana stopped, remembering that she thought she heard a sob.

Lana shifted and tilted her head to the other doorway, arrow partly drawn, "Come on, lets go check things out before snooping some more."

When they came out in the second half of the main room, Lana took a moment to peer into the hole in the floor, finding it was not just everything that fell, it was in rough line with the back of the propeller above them. The hole itself was roughly an oval shape and looked to be pried up, not knocked down, and it looked like a few bucket was placed one the ground of the cellar.

The support beams of the floor looked to be well oiled to help it from rotting.

This took care, if possibly not a lot of knowledge, but care. Lana looked up again this time really paying attention to the side paths, the bridges… the smell around as the dawn breeze worked down from above, bringing with it the smell not just of tatos but also of grass. That earthy tone was faint but it was universal of cut grass.

Grass, but everything was mostly maintained if aged. The front door was unlocked but stiff like it was not opened much. Lana focused on the railing, the bridges until they came into better focused on and could see the way some of the side rails had painted wood attached to them. But neatly cut and fitted to blend in so at first look it looked like it was supposed to be like that. But over the tops, just visible was a fuzzy image that slowly focused into view for Lana. It looked like….the edges of tall grass, almost like the ornamental grass in the flower gardens.

"Is that razorgrain?" Lana asked, scanning the sides of the building, seeing another few semi blocked off areas, and what looked like the tatos plants in the second story. Something else on the now far side of the building, squinting to try and see.

"Maybe? How can you tell?" Luvy frowned as she stared at Lana when she started blinking. Something was off, she could not quite be sure. "Wait-"

"I'll explain later." Lana interrupted, gently but clearly not something she wanted to talk about right then. She shook her head and blinked several times before being able to see up close again, "I think... someone is here still, but something is wrong, it's too cared for yet no one is answering us-"

It was Lucy's turn to suddenly perk up suddenly, holding a hand as she tilted her head. Lana going quite as she listened too…

And there.

A soft, muffled really, but still there sound, and mixed with a choking wheezing. Both young women found their eyes tracking to one of the inner windows that were open above the main entrance. Possibly offices but someone was gasping and crying out in a softening tone.

It was at the Same moment that the two recognized the sound, one that was if the wasteland hazards.

Someone was choking from a chem overdose. Likely not quite yet to that point where they were fully 'out if it' too noticed it was happening to them. It was a horrific thing both Lana nor Lucy would not wish in most people.

Lana swung her bow up around her shoulder as she charged up the steps, turning to her left as that north side of the building had a sign for more stairs beyond a door. Lucy on the straight stretch was able to out pace Lana, dodging around the neat pots of tatos, razorgrains and what looked like tobacco plants and the c chamomile plants along the right wall. All healthy large plants that implied someone trying to get by, activity caring for and wanting to survive over the years, even saving harvests. Things implied long years, possibly a scared one. A ghoul in local terms that was just trying peacefully survive.

Lucy found the door the now desperate chilling was coming from at the top of the stairs and back out into the open hall. It was the main offices according to the signs. Lucy tried the door, finding it locked despite the open main doors. Maybe they had been forgotten about.

"We hear you!" Lucy called as she backed up to try to kick the door by the doorknob, "Hold on- we're coming! Lana help me!"

Lana arrived, the arrow slid into the quiver as she charged, running into the door with Lucy in time. The door trembled, the top tilting in an inch and snapping back. Beyond it someone wheezed and tried to gasp, a gargled word coming out.

"Fuck-" Lana scanned around frame, while Lucy cursed too.

"I don't have any lock picking tools, I wasn't expecting to use them- what do we do?" Lucy glanced over at the nearest of the window frames. For a moment wondering if one of them could make the jump, and then Lucy was pulled back.

"Fuck this," Lana pulled out her pistol, flipped the safety and put it against the lock, firing rapidly three times, tilted up and to the right, away from where the muffled sounds were.

"...right, we have guns." Lucy realized and moved to help hit the door again, this time it popped open and smacked against the wall to swing back, but Lucy had to kick it again to keep from being smacked back.

Lana was already inside the well lived-in room, reflexively sweeping for any dangers, but only a scarred woman was lying on the ground. Gasping shallowly as she stared with wide eyes at the two younger women. A reused inhaler canister lay on the ground not far from the curled hands.

She was in a mostly clean blue dress, laying in a stream of warming morning sunlight from the balcony window as there was a lingering certain smell. Hazy blue eyes were glazing as the ghoul gasped again, trying to cough.

Lana shoved the pistol into its holster as she came around to the scarred woman's side, huffing and knocked the inhaler aside. "She's having an allergic reaction to the Jet."

"What do we do?" Lucy asked coming down on the other side, helping pull the woman over to her left side with Lana.

"You need to run down to Buck, in the back pack behind the saddle, there's a red and white sealed bac, grab that and haul ass back." Lana was saying as she dug several things out of her jacket, pulling out a small kit of little power filled bags and straws, "She's having the same reaction I do- Hurry!"

In one, two motions Lucy shrugged out of her jacket and two collection bags while rising back up. With only her own new pistol strapped on, the lighter blond was gone. Making full used of years of experience of running over all sorts of terrain to dash out and down the stairs.

"I'm sorry this is a bit primitive seeming but it will help until I get those meds. Try and breathe in." Lana said, looking into the other's eyes, a faint shift and a scarred hand trying to reach for her, wanting help. Lana put some of the power into the straw, ducking to blow it into the other's open nasal cavity to the thin skin inside, where it was easier to absorb.

To many it was a primitive way of doing things, but it had served countless shaman other the centuries, likely still did. It was the first iteration of inhalers, in Lana's care her emergency meds when her own inhalers were not on hand, or if she needed to refill them.

The scarred woman gasped, coughed and then gasped again. "Oh...oh-"

"Shhh, just focus on breathing," Lana reassured, setting aside the straw and grasping the twitching hand, shifting so the other could rest her head on Lana's leg. "Just get oxygen in you, slow breaths, in, out… in… out… take your time to find your rhythm."

The ghoul woman twitched several times, still struggling to breath but not as gasping. Lana could hear voices in the semi-distance, wondering if Deegan had ended up following them.

"...thank you..." a soft gasp of a voice, and the hand holding Lana's squeezed lightly.

"You're welcome," Lana smiled down and ran her free fingertips over the other woman's temple and scalp. Feeling her shiver, but press into the motion, as if touch starved.

She likely was touch starved Lana realized, depending on how long she had been hiding alone in the old museum. "Lucy will be back, my name is Lana- hey hey, don't try and move yet. Relax your muscles and just try to remember slow breathing. I've had this same ration before, its going to be a while of just resting before you can go jogging."

There was a soft giggle at that, as Lana could hear someone running up the far steps. Lana tilted her head, "That's more than one set footsteps."

The ghoul tugged on Lana's hand, "It might….might be the nice brothers… and man. they were going to help me. They...they are like me."

"Okay," Lana nodded, glancing to the door half open, shifting into a position that seemed like she was settling, stretching out her legs to keep them from going to sleep. It also gave Lana better access to her side arm, the woman doing a mental count in her head. She shot three times… leaving seven shots to use just in case, as her bow was in a too awkward of a position.

"Megan?" a rasping voice echoed in the hall.

"Miss Hayes!" Another rough voice as they moved, trying to keep up with Lucy's adrenaline filled charge.

"Lana I got it!" Lucy was in the hall just outside of the room, coming in with the semi heavy red and white medical bag. Another ghoul on her heels, catching the door frame to help stop himself as Lucy staged to a stop. Fumbled with the bag and half passed, half tossed it to her friend.

Lana was just able to catch it before it hit her and- Magan?- in the head or back. She freed her hand, motioned Lucy to sit, though the taller blond sat in front of the ghoul, reaching to grasp the trembling hand. Lana opened the protected case, finding one of the little sealed veils, a needle and syringe. No pressured release needles but a simple old fashion one, Lana also grabbed one of the three inhalers in the kit, one that had blue paint on the top canister.

"This will help with counteracting the Jet in your system- Megan? Was that your name?"

The ghoul woman nodded, taking the inhaler that was offered first. "Yes..."

"Okay, take two puffs of that, it will help you with opening your throat. The needle will pinch in a minute." Lana instructed, glancing at the other scarred man that was settling on the floor in Megan's line of sight, worried but still smiling to be reassuring. Lucy helped with the inhaler that would help, and before Lucy could really find the time to possibly protest the injection, Lana was already finishing.

"What happened?" the man asked worried, real worry and concerned on his face and in his eyes.

"She had an allergic reaction," Lana nodded to the Jet inhaler, finally spotting that there was a box that seemed to have fallon from off the top of one of the wooden filing cabinets lining the west wall. "An accident?"

Megan nodded, her breathing finally settling and calming down, "I've...found chems over the years… I thought I could...sell them? It fell and...and..."

"Discharged," Lucy guessed, shaking her head, "Those Jet inhalers have been messed with so much over the years... I'm not surprised."

"It must have been near the full dose," Lana guessed, shaking her head and reached for the blue top inhaler, whipping it on her shirt and taking a puff from it, "I can still smell it."

The man looked around and moved to the balcony door as he heard his brother and friend finally making it up the last set of stairs. Opening the door to let the morning breeze in and help flush out what was lingering in the room. "Here… gods I wish we had stayed here last night, even if it was sleeping downstairs."

"What happened?" One of the other too men, about half a head taller than the other two.

"Is Miss Hayes alright? What happened?" The other man asked, putting back on the glasses he had been holding on the mad scrambled run. He stayed by the door though to be out of the way.

"She should be okay after a bit," Lana assured, tilting her head at the group now forming, a little surprised that Buck was calling worriedly from the street and not somehow outside the door. "Well… hi? My name's Lana, this is my friend Lucy."

Lucy gave a little wave from where she was sitting, her own heavy breathing just starting to calm down.

Reviews! Sorry I forgot last chapter.

Justsomerandombastard (chapter 7):
I'm still debating what to do with the brotherhood of steel, The current unrelenting views would clash with Lana and the group she's going to join [The New Minutemen Chapter]. Though I have a possible idea of Dances' team being come across before the police station [Buck to the rescue! giant living tank]

As for a ghoul that looses its mind it depends. Like a lot of the ferals I still see that they were flash-brain fried...but there's some lingering traces that are seen in the motions of 'migrating' to home areas to old work areas and such. A sort of muscle memory for some of the roamers to move around in their overall area.

Justsomerandombastard (chapter 8):
Thank you! I was worried I was rambling too much