Fallout 4

A state of Decay

by J. N. Petersen

Hubris comics existed still, a hop skip and a jump away from Goodneighbor, on Newbury street in the back bay just west of the commons. Like the old statehouse, the four story brick and wood built retail building had withstood the test of time, retaining its structural integrity- for the most part- far longer than Audrey could have imagined possible in such inhospitable conditions. As they approached at a cautious pace, MacCready's practiced eyes scanned the roadway up ahead, squinting into the golden rays of sunlight peeking out through the silhouetted cityscape stretched before them as he searched for any signs of danger.

"Well, that can only be a good sign..." He remarked sarcastically as they neared the entry, where a deceased man lay slumped against the wall, still clutching the wound at his side. He appeared to have been shot- but by whom, they didn't know...Hopefully, they were long gone by now, she hoped.

"Check his pockets." She instructed, hoping for an easy score- anything to help their cause. Making a face, the young merc complied, reluctantly kneeling beside the bloated corpse to relieve him of his valuables, which consisted of twenty caps and a scavengers lead folded within the confines of his left pocket.

"Hm, looks like crazy Connolly isn't the only one looking to collect..." He observed thoughtfully, standing to hand her the piece of worn paper, and half of the procured caps.

"So it would seem... Lucky for us, he didn't make it that far." She shrugged apathetically, giving it a brief once over before shoving it into the side pocket of her back pack. It had been over two hundred and ten years since she had last stepped foot within the old comic book store, and though she wasn't eager to see it in such disrepair, she was eager to get this job done and over with- so, after taking a deep breath to steady herself, she reached for the handle and lead the way inside.

" Hey- i used to read comic books all the time when i was a kid...If we can find the issue of Grognak the Barbarian, where MastaDonald and Skullpocolypse team up to fight Grognak, I'll have a whole set..." MacCready reviled as he followed close behind, rifle at the ready.

. . .

"So, this is where they filmed the old silver shroud shows huh?" The young merc asked his post modern companion as he approached the ancient show set located on the top floor of the old building, eyeing the dusty video equipment dubiously as she made her way through the shadow shrouded room toward the control booth just right of stage. "Man, wish I coulda seen them!"

Audrey smiled a little as her fingers found a heavy switch within the breaker box, sending up a small prayer before flipping it on, rejoicing silently as the studio came to life, and the spotlights lit center stage where the Silver Shroud costume herself was displayed proudly on a padded cloth mannikin- Satin buckled fedora and all.

"Damn- its in better condition than i expected..." She noted appreciatively as they came to stand before the old coat, inspecting the faded, thin strips of tanned leather that were just beginning to peel away from the delicate satin lining at the shoulders. Beside her, the young merc nodded slowly to himself, taking inventory of their surroundings after confirming the building had gone un-looted all this time...

"We should take a good look around up here- There might be some other stuff left that we can make a few caps on." He suggested prudently, moving away from the set toward the office terminal in the rooms center to rifle through the paper strewn drawers before making his way toward the back, where a set of old lockers stood rusting against the far wall. So far, they had cleared three floors, managing to find a decent stack of pre-war cash from the register, as well as a few good copies of The Unstoppables that were highly collectable.

"Far out!" He exclaimed excitedly moments later, bending low to retrieve a bundle of leather and fur at the bottom of one of the old boxes. "Its a Grognak the Barbarian costume- and look! its got a matching Axe!" He rejoiced loudly.

Snickering quietly to herself, Audrey rolled her eyes as he gave the hefty weapon a test swing, shaking her head at him as she did so.

"Careful, this stuff survived the nuclear holocaust- China didn't make them to survive you." She joked casually, carefully taking the shroud off its display before kneeling to tuck it neatly into the main pocket of Nate's backpack- Completely oblivious to the horror sneaking up behind her on gangrenous, boney legs.

Hearing MacCready's sudden intake of air, the unsuspecting vault dweller looked up as he moved toward her quickly, gasping as he readied himself to swing in her direction.

"Duck!" He shouted then, forcing her to think quick and throw herself to the floorboards to avoid being decapitated by the weapon as he severed her would be attackers' skull from his shoulders- And as its headless body crumpled into a heap behind her, she exhaled hard, looking back at its withered form in horror while her pulse continued to race behind her ears.

"Fuck yeah, now that's what im talkin about!" MacCready celebrated loudly, whooping as he attempted to give the axe a victorious flourish, spattering the wall beside him with thick dark gore.

"Damn- must have been hiding behind the backdrop..." Audrey surmised breathlessly from her spot on the floor as she struggled to regain her wits."Thanks MacCready- I...well- i owe you one."

scoffing light heartedly, MacCready shrugged off her gratitude, offering his new partner in crime a hand up as he smiled softly down at her.

"Dont mention it- now can we wrap things up here? I dont wanna take anymore chances in becoming someone elses lunch..."

"Yeah, I hear ya- There's just one more room we gotta check before we leave..."

Wasting no more time, Audrey brushed passed him to inspect the area adjacent to the rusty old lockers, where a closed door with a single golden star had been nailed to the center of the splintering, lack luster surface- the VIP room...Daring to hope, she gave the old brass knob a twist and a tug before heaving an annoyed sigh, and bending down once more to retrieve two of the few bobby pins she kept stashed beneath the soul of her left shoe... Fitting it into the lock, she fiddled with it a bit, putting her ear to the door while pointedly avoiding eye contact with her impatient partner until she heard the lock click, and the mechanism release.

"Huh, that's a neat trick." MacCready admitted humorously, lips twitching into a smirk. "But can you do it blindfolded?" His joke was lighthearted- but she could tell he was impressed.

shooting him a sly smile in answer, Audrey stood back to ready her weapon before pushing the door open, just incase any more hungry ghouls were inside. After making sure it was empty, they gave the little lounge room a good once over, sure that whatever celebrity had occupied it must have left behind something of value.

"Bingo." Zeroing in on a suitcase tucked between the legs of one of the molding arm chairs and a small square coffee table against the wall, Audrey reached down to take it from its dusty resting place- Inside, was a clean, name brand Tuxedo, as well as a framed desktop photo of the Silver Shroud, signed by the voice actor with a small stack of matching trading cards.

"These worth anything?" MacCready asked curiously behind her, holding up an autographed baseball and bat set from out of the corner closet. Eyes widening greedily, Audrey nodded.

"I dont know, but take it just incase." She instructed firmly, deciding right there and then that those particular items would be going into her personal collection...Rolling his eyes, the young merc shoved the items into his own worn travel pack, grumbling something about being a glorified pack Brahmin as he added them to his growing inventory.

. . .

" We got your costume Kent, and some other goodies ya might like..." Audrey announced as she and MacCready entered Kent's room at the memory Den, brushing by Irma as she made her way out. The old Ghoul was sitting in his memory pod, still recovering from his latest mental retreat as the pair began to unload their burden's. He looked exhausted- the already dark circles around his deep set eyes making his patchy, sallow skin appear almost translucent in color.

"Oh, your back..." He observed groggily, perking up at the sight of the lightweight trench coat and machine gun prop set as it was pulled from her bag. "And there she is, pretty as the posters- The Silver Shroud costume herself! and memorabilia, too? Your something else I tell ya! Together with my gun, everything's all set..."

MacCready and Audrey gave each other a slow sideways glance, a moment of silent communication passing between them in response to his words.

"What are you planning next?" The vault dweller dared to ask, making sure to keep her tone light and conversational. A slow smile broke out across Kent's frightful features, and as he looked up at her, his hazy bloodshot eyes sparkled mischievously.

"I'm still working that out. There's some details Id like to run by you- after you give me the costume that is..."

"Oh- right... Here." She stammered strangely, hesitating as she prayed silently to God that he wasn't planning to get himself killed before begrudgingly handing over the shroud- after all, before she had woke from her ice nap, the old ghoul had managed to survive two centuries of war and violence. If not for her, he'd remain safe in his comfort zone...

"After all these years, the Silver Shroud is born again..." He exclaimed almost disbelieving, unfurling the ancient trench coat to behold it in all its shabby glory as Audrey's conscience did flips in her mind. "-But, there's just one problem...I'm not exactly shroud material if ya know what i mean?- I could be Rhett Reinhart or his butler, Jarvey Blake- but the Shroud is strong ya know? Capable..."

As he spoke, Audrey's sigh of relief was audible.

"Thats the first sane thing youve said so far." MacCready interjected blandly, voicing her own thoughts out loud- she gave him a sharp look to stay his tongue though, to spare the ghouls feelings on the subject.

"What I think my partner means is- that's probably for the best..."

Kent looked away from them nervously, his knarled, sweaty hands wringing the material he held subconsciously as he shrugged off their condescension- he was used to it, after all.

"Y-yeah, but I do have a better idea who should wear it." He admitted quickly, stuttering as he forced the words passed his anxious lips. "You up for being the Shroud? You've already got your own origin story and everything, what with the cryo-vault and all..."

There was a brief silence in the room as they absorbed Kent's unexpected offer, pondering the implications.

"Why me?" She decided to ask bluntly, shocked the fanatic would give up such a sentimental piece of merchandise. The Ghoul shifted uncomfortably in his seat beneath her gaze.

"You...You helped me out when everyone else just laughed at me- and your from the good ole days too!" He reviled graciously, despite himself. " You know how much things have fallen- how much we've got to fight for to make the place b-better... So, you in?" He pitched hopefully, looking up at her with his disconcerting, yet somehow sickeningly innocent big round eyes below the rim of his tattered trilby hat...After a moments hesitation, she looked back to MacCready with an almost apologetic smile before giving a small, sheepish cheer.

"looks like i get to be the Shroud...Yayy..."

"Oh no..." The young merc half groaned, half sighed as he realized what that meant. "No no no, we don't do volunteer work!"

"So your in?" Kent exclaimed excitedly at the same time, drowning out the sound of her partners complaint. " That's just great- the costume and gun are yours! So now, all ya gotta do is patrol Goodneighbor's streets, and I'll call in any crimes I catch wind of on my radio station! Here's some...calling cards, i guess. When you dispatch justice, just leave one of these behind to let everyone know whose responsible." He told her astutely, deliberately handing her the stack of silver shroud trading cards she had liberated from the comic book store earlier. Beside her, MacCready seethed.

"Awe- c'mon!" He protested loudly- and Audrey hated to make him angry, but it would be worth it to keep Kent Connolly off the streets of Goodneighbor, and his death off her conscience...

. . .

Very sorry for the wait- there was a death in my family and work has been exhaustingly busy. Next installment is already in production though, and I hope you enjoyed.