Episode 11:
Stepping over the bloodied, crumpled bodies scattered in the alley outside Bobby no-nose's place, Hancock joined the defensive Ghoul woman by the open door as his men searched for clues among the carnage. The three men- AJ and two of his goons- were laid out in a puddle of their own blood, shot to death. They couldn't have been dead more than a few hours, but flies were already beginning to gather, attracted by the stench of fresh rot...
"And you really didn't see or hear anything?" He asked her doubtfully, knowing that she wouldn't tell him even if she had. Bobbie no-nose was a short, slight woman with soft curves and a hard face- like him, she had a full head of hair that hung limply to her shoulders, brown and greasy from days of not washing.
"No- I'm tellin ya, I didn't know anything had happened until i stepped outside my door this morning and found them here." She insisted stubbornly, her scarred face a hard mask of indifference. Thin brown brows furrowed, she crossed her arms across her bosom defensively, clearly annoyed by his line of questioning.
"Right..."
"There are bullet casings everywhere, and we matched the bullet used to kill faceless over there with the one we found in Wayne Delancey's skull- High caliber gunshots like that tend to echo in small spaces like this...Hard to believe you heard nothing." Fahrenheight challenged stubbornly through narrowed blue black eyes, not buying the ghouls story for a minute.
"Hey boss- we found another one of them Silver Shroud cards on AJ's body. This was definitely another hit." Roscoe informed them dutifully, straightening from his crouched position over the drug dealer's body while his brother loomed overhead.
"See?" Bobbie exclaimed impatiently, gesturing toward the calling card as the man passed it to Fahrenheight. "I had nothing to do with it- now if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do..."
Flicking his spent cigarette to the pavement by their feet, the mayor turned to face her fully, making full eye contact with her as he was reminded of her troublesome scheming.
"Yeah, about that." He started firmly, giving her a hard look. " I got wind that you might be planning something big from my boys out in the commons...Whatever it is, shut it down. Goodneighbor's got enough heat coming down on us without you contributing." Watching carefully, he saw the flash of anger in her black eyes before she adopted a mask of innocent confusion.
"I don't know what your talking about." She responded indignantly, just as he expected. "I'm not planning anything."
"Yeah, sure- but you'll shut it down all the same." He reiterated smartly, ignoring her half hearted deflection before turning away to take his leave. " Oh...And if you suddenly remember any details from last night, you know where to find me." Satisfied that he had gotten the message across, and gotten all the information he could from the ghoul, the mayor moved to make his exit, stepping carefully around the bloody mess spread across the length of the narrow alleyway before rounding the corner out of sight.
Following his lead, Fahrenheight shot the other woman one last, lingering scowl before turning away and signaling to her men.
"Roscoe, have someone throw these bodies over the wall- they're stinking up the place."
. . .
. . .
"If I could manage to come up with enough men, and equip them with the necessary fire power, we could launch a surprise assault on Mass Pike by engaging them head on from the front- knowing Winlock and Barnes, they'll see us coming, and respond by hitting us with everything they've got. If we can manage to hold out and push them back until they've depleted the bulk of their firepower, we can hit them from the back with a surprise auxiliary force, cutting of any route for escape and allowing us to overwhelm what's left of them from both sides..."
Audrey and MacCready sat beside each other on the worn, musty sofa pushed up against the wall of their shared room at the Rexford hotel, starring down at the map he had spread out on the floor by their feet intently as the young merc attempted to formulate his battle strategy, using her as a sounding board while they waited to hear from Kent.
"Sounds like a pretty solid strategy, in theory- but the execution could use a little detailing." She admitted thoughtfully, brows furrowing as she fumbled with the logistics in her head. "How many men do Winlock and Barnes have under them, anyway? And then, how many men would we need to fund to rival that kind of force?"
Pausing for a moment, MacCready recalled the sizable horde of seasoned, well provisioned mercenaries he had worked with objectively. They had been thirty strong- give or take one or two men- when he had worked for them some months ago...
"If i can gather fifty good men, i am almost positive we could win- Mass Pike is a ways away from any other gunner compounds, so it would be days before reinforcements could show up if they did manage to signal for help..."
"Okay." She allowed optimistically, before hitting him with the next, most obvious question. "Where are we going to find these men?"
"Well, if i can raise enough caps to make it worth his while, and offer him a majority share of the loot, Im pretty sure i could petition mayor Hancock for men- Those warehouses we cleared out for him are used to gather, assemble and distribute arms and ammo along the trade routes between Diamond city and bunker hill, so i know he could provide the necessary fire power to get the job done too..."
Nodding thoughtfully to herself, Audrey tried to come up with a rough estimate of the number of men in Hancock's employ, based on the number of able bodied men she had seen in and around Goodneighbor, before postulating her next question.
"Okay, lets say you and the mayor reach an agreement and he agrees to lend you some men in exchange for a down payment and a percentage of the loot- You still wont have enough men to take on the gunners. He has about forty able bodied men at his back, including the statehouse guard and neighborhood watch... Someone is going to need to stay behind to defend Goodneighbor, so that leaves you short by at least twenty men."
Stymied, MacCready shrugged, throwing out the first idea that came to mind.
"...I heard the minutemen are rebuilding in concord- maybe we could ask them for some help? After all, it was the gunners that massacred all those innocent people in Quincy. Shouldn't they of all people want to make the commonwealth a safer place by helping us take them out?"
"Maybe." She responded dubiously, admitting the idea was plausible. " Its worth a shot at least...So, now you've got the men, and the fire power- how do you get them all safely from point A to point B without suffering major casualties and drawing attention from surrounding hostiles? You cant just march Fifty men through the wastes without anyone noticing or raising some kind of an alarm along the way." Even a small army of armed men traveling together wouldn't go unnoticed- and they would need rations, as well as medical supplies that would make them a target for miles around...
Lapsing into thought for a few quiet moments, the young merc bit his lower lip, nodding absent mindedly at his own inner dialogue before laying out his thought process for her.
"I split my forces into groups of ten or fifteen, and have them travel along the known trade routes inconspicuously, posing as trading caravans until they reach the rendezvous points on opposite ends of the interchange- Then, the group coming in from the front will launch the preliminary assault, engaging the enemy head on, both distracting them and biding time while our secondary force sneaks up from behind- Once we've got them surrounded, it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel..."
After considering the move, Audrey puzzled over the plan in its entirety one more time, trying to fathom anything else they might need to think of and prepare for down the line, before coming up short.
"Yeah- Id say it sounds like a pretty solid strategy. we still have a long way to go before we have the money to put it into action though, so don't stop thinking about it just yet. There's always room for improvement..."
Groaning, MacCready forced himself to his feet so that he could stretch out his cramped muscles, before pulling a pack of smokes from the pocket of his travel worn duster, and popping one between his lips.
"I think we deserve a cigarette break after all that..." But then, before he could even flip the top off his gold plated lighter to ignite his smoke, the silver shroud broadcast playing in the background cut to static as another episode came to an end...
"The silver shroud's bringing justice to Goodneighbor- Bad guys better watch out!" The Ghoulish Radio Jockey, Kent Connolie, declared with his usual, unabashed enthusiasm. "And now, a special news update- the villainous assassin kendra was recently spotted at the third rail. The same kendra who bombed little joe's shack and killed four innocent drifters!.. Wanna see the shroud in action? I'd stay close to whitechapel charlie- The shroud's sure to interrogate him to find the evil doers whereabouts"
"hmm..." Audrey hummed ironically, pushing herself to her own feet as they shared a knowing look. "No rest for the wicked, it seems...You feel like going for a drink?"
Before answering, the young merc lit his cigarette at last, exhaling a lung full of smoke into the dusty air and giving her a sly look.
"You know it- but before we go, I want you to try these on." He told her quickly, pulling a pair of dark tinted sunglasses from the left pocket of his duster. "I figure we should at least try to keep your identity a secret, to keep the heat off us in public- Those doe eyes are a dead giveaway."
Accepting the wise gift, Audrey retrieved the shroud off its designated hook by the door, slipping her arms through the too big sleeves and hiding her hair beneath the buckled fedora before trying them on and observing herself objectively in the mirror.
"...Well?" She asked expectantly, looking toward his reflection for a second opinion. He gave her a playful, crooked smile in response.
"You still look ridiculous- but its definitely an improvement." He admitted teasingly, while making a move toward the door. "..."After you."
. . .
. . .
As per usual, Ham the ghoulish bouncer was posted up at the top of the stairs, looking dour as ever as they made their way inside the old subway station that housed the Third Rail.
"Remember," He told MacCready pointedly as they moved to descend toward the lounge. "Charlie deals with the booze, but i deal with the drunks..."
"Yeah yeah, I remember." The young merc responded listlessly, brushing off the threatening reminder as he motioned for Audrey to take the lead. On the way down, she gave him a wondering look.
"He doesn't seem to like you." She noted curiously.
"Nah- Ham doesn't like anyone that isn't local." He clued her in casually as they reached the landing. "If he had things his way this would still be a private establishment, and us drifters would have to sip our swill back at Marowski's..." He couldn't be blamed, she supposed- strangers were more dangerous now than ever.
"Guess it's a good thing Hancock is in charge now then, or Magnolia wouldn't have an audience..." As she spoke, Audrey's bright, shaded eyes found the vivacious singer upon the stage, where she stood before the microphone swinging her hips seductively to the beat of the song, providing a convenient distraction as the pair made their way casually toward the bar...
"Took a walk out in the fens...
had to talk to a man about some chem's.
he asked me what's my flavor- I said I need a favor.
Im a little short on caps but im a good, good neighbor..."
"Hey whitey- what's good tonight?" MacCready greeted the busy bar bot as they approached, alerting him to their presence. Sensors wheeling, he was about to give a cheeky response when he noticed Audrey's outfit- fractionally, his lenses tightened, ignoring the merc's question all together as he scanned her appearance apprehensively.
"...You look like one of them wankers from the posters- whatcha wearin' that for?" He inquired curiously in his robotic cockney accent, surprising her.
"What posters?" She asked innocently, pushing the black sunglasses MacCready had given her further up the bridge of her nose as she blushed in embarrassment.
"Those old timey posters from back in the day." He explained, pointing a pincered arm toward the far wall, where a Silver Shroud poster was plastered to the tiles. "My man Kent puts them up all over the damned place." Beside her, MacCready clucked.
"Didn't you know? You have the pleasure of looking upon...The Silver Shroud." He chimed in sarcastically beside her, grinning a little as he slid her a teasing look. She wrinkled her nose back at him in response, silently damning Kent as she regretted agreeing to wear the ridiculous outfit.
"The Silver Shroud huh? More like a nutter..."
Gritting her teeth in response to the insult, Audrey decided to get straight to the point, bypassing the small talk.
"Look- Im trying to find someone. You wouldn't happen to know where i can find Kendra, would you?" She asked almost abrasively, losing patience. There was a brief silence while Whitechapel ruminated on the question, looking as dubious as a robot could. In the background, the sound of Magnolia's sultry alto drowned out the rest of the muted conversations around them.
"We can shake it up a little- we can kick it up a notch...
We can put it on the griddle, better get it while its hot.
I'll meet you in the middle, you can show me what you got
if your feeling lucky tonight..?"
"You know, Kendra is not one to be trifled with..." Charlie warned her fairly, wondering at her motives. " People who associate with her tend to get found face down in a ditch- but if your dead set on meeting with her, it can be arranged...for a fee."
Fighting back a snort of derision and the urge to roll her eyes, Audrey nodded to herself- she had expected as much. Nothing in Goodneighbor came for free...
"Can you spare a few details about her at least, on the house?" She pressed hopefully, not wanting to spare any caps if she could help it. Again, the bot paused as he seemed to consider her.
"Diamond city, yeah thats my thing...
I flash my style, and show my rings.
I do the boys a favor, with all my manual labor
its all in a days work for a good, good neighbor..."
"...You've got to have finesse to be an assassin." The bartender finally answered, when Audrey was sure he would refuse her. "Kendra is a murderer- a very skilled one at that. Do yourself a favor and forget her- spend your caps on a nice lager instead." He advised prudently.
"we can shake it up a little and we can kick it up a notch
we can put it on the griddle- better get it while its hot
I'll meet you in the middle, you can show me what you got
if your feeling lucky tonight."
"Better be careful there Charlie- its not wise to stand between the silver shroud, and righteous justice." MacCready chipped in humorously again, only half joking this time- to their surprise, the bot let out a hearty chuckle, ignoring the thinly veiled threat.
"Justice?" He repeated incredulously, realizing at once what they were up to. "You two mean to end her?"
Audrey's jaw set as she tried to read his reaction, hoping he wasn't affiliated too tightly with the assassin in question- the last thing they needed was someone tipping her off.
"...so what if we do?" She challenged sharply, raising her chin slightly in defiance. Again, the bot chuckled in response- and if he could, she thought he would have shook his head at the notion.
"Well, in that case, I'd say her flat is just south of Goodneighbor-at the old water street apartments. Watch out for the blighters she's got with her- nasty piece of business, that."
Relived, Audrey let out a quick sigh, and gave Charlie a triumphant smile.
"Thanks Whitechapel, we owe you one." She told him gratefully, finally allowing herself to relax in her seat. "And if its not too much trouble, I'll take that lager you mentioned now."
Silently, the handybot turned around to acquiesce her request, retrieving two warm beers from behind the bar and placing them deliberately in front of them.
"Of course- and Good luck...You'll need it."
As he hovered toward the other end of the bar to clear the other patrons empty plates and glasses, Audrey shot her partner a smug look, grinning at him as she popped the top off her drink. He rolled his eyes at her, but couldn't help the small smile tugging at his own lips as he watched her take a sip, enjoying her small victory.
"Yeah diamond city, that's my thing
I show my style and flash my rings...
i do the boys a favor with all my manual labor
its good to be a good, good, good neighbor- yeah
I do the boys a favor with all my manual labor
its good to be a good, good, good, good neighbor..."
. . .
. . .
The next morning found the Audrey and MacCready traveling southward, toward the commons. Much to the young merc's relief, water street was on the left, just before the danger zone. They reached the decrepit slum by early afternoon, and decided to lay in wait, to case the joint out before making their move at dusk...
"How many do you think there are?" She asked him nervously as the sun began to disappear behind the broken buildings surrounding them.
"I dont know- ten maybe?" He guessed, recalling the number of people he had seen venture outside the apartment building to relieve themselves, or smoke a cigarette in the open air. Audrey nodded silently to herself, swallowing the lump of apprehension lodged in her throat- they had faced similar odds before, she knew- so why did she still feel so nervous before a fight?
"How you feeling about this?" He asked her seriously, checking her demeanor as he waited for an answer. She took a deep, calming breath in through her lungs, before exhaling heavily through her nose.
"I'd be lying if i said i wasnt nervous- but I'm not backing out now." She insisted bravely, making him smile.
"Its okay to be a little nervous." He reassured her unexpectedly. "It means your not stupid...Ready then?"
"Ready as I'll ever be..."
keeping to the shadows, the pair crouched low as they crept slowly toward the cracked white double doors on the light blue, wood built complex- luckily, most of the windows on the lower level were boarded up, so no one could see them coming.
with practiced stealth, MacCready cracked open the door, squeezing inside first to scope out the situation, before motioning for Audrey to follow. It was dark inside, and the only light they could see was coming from a burning barrel placed at the far end of the lobby, where a group of raiders was gathered around for warmth and chatting idly.
"I count six here." He whispered cautiously as they hid within a shadowy, trash strewn nook at the opposite end of the room- Audrey noted that most of the walls in this section of the building had been partially knocked down to make more room for the group of miscreants, providing a wide, open area to move around in. Their voices carried across the space freely, allowing the pair to eavesdrop on the unsuspecting raiders easily.
"...Good one- you got anymore stories like that?" A man was asking one of his cohorts casually, passing a bottle of liquor to the person next to him as he spoke.
"How much time do ya have?" A female voice responded boisterously, sounding more than a little buzzed. "Cos yeah, I got a few of em'- let me see..."
"A couple of years back, before i met Clutch, me and a couple of friends found this young kid on the north side of the Charles- well, he wasnt that young. Maybe around sixteen? Anyway, after hanging out with him for a while it started to get dark so we built a fire...I kid you not, as soon as i lit the match the kid starts screaming 'what are you doing?' and knocks the match out of my hand."
"He smacked the match outta your hand?" The first man interrupted curiously, already taken by the tale. "Why'd he do that?"
"Shhh- i'm telling the story!" She hissed back at him impatiently, before continuing on. "So yeah, he knocks the match out of my hand. I was so surprised, that i swung and broke his nose...He said he was sorry, and- get this- that he was afraid of fire!" She revealed incredulously, as if it was unheard of.
"Oh shit, he was afraid of fire?" The man echoed her dumbly, interrupting her narrative for a second time.
"Yeah, thats what i just said- quit interrupting me, its irritating." The woman snapped back again. "So, as soon as he told me that, i thought of something- I quickly apologized and told the kid it was nothing to be ashamed of, and that night, me and the others got him so drunk, so fast that he passed out within the hour- then, we dragged him to the banks of the Charles and tied a bunch of mattresses together in a circle, with one in the middle..."
"Mattresses?" He repeated again, not following. " What did you need mattresses for?"
Exasperated, the huffed angrily.
"Really?" She growled in frustration, yanking the bottle of booze from the man passing it to her aggressively. "Did you seriously just ask me that question? Its a god damned story, all you have to do is listen!" She half shouted before talking a guzzle of the intoxicant, and continuing on.
"... Anyway, we tied all these mattresses together and put the kid on the one in the middle, dousing all of them in gasoline- except his- and lit them on fire! After that, we pushed the burning mattresses into the water, and followed it down the river, laughing our asses off while waiting for the kid to wake up. After a while we realized the kid wasnt going to wake up, so we all started throwing rocks at him- A couple of hits later, the kids awake and the flames were huge!"
Audrey gritted her teeth as she listened to the story, seeing it all unfold in her minds eye as pity and anger bubbled inside her stomach like the flames in her story.
"Imagine what it must have been like for him- waking up, not knowing where he was and all he see's is fire...The kid tried to stand up but couldn't get his footing on the soggy mattresses- and by that point i was laughing so hard i fell down!" She laughed callously, remembering the cruel action as if it were a fond memory...
"That's crazy!" The man exclaimed incredulously across the fire, laughing at the irony of her prank. "I bet he really got over his fear of fire then, huh? Trial by fire, ha!"
Passing the bottle again, the woman shook her head and gave him a wry smile.
"Nah, he never did- Turns out the kid didnt know how to swim." She revealed dryly, completely apathetic. " Anyway- so thats that..."
"Damn." The man swore speechlessly after a breif pause, sounding miffed. " I didnt see that coming..."
"Yeah- screw these jerkwads." MacCready whispered low beside her, pulling his pack over his shoulder and reaching inside to retrieve a little green hand grenade before giving her a warning. "Brace yourself."
Throwing their cover to the wind, MacCready pulled the pin on the explosive projectile with his teeth and tossed it across the room decisively- the grenade hit the inside of the barrel with a thump, and the surrounding raiders didnt even have the chance to register what had just happened before the barrel exploded, sending shrapnel and fire in all directions and blowing out a near by support beam, causing the ceiling above them to collapse.
MacCready shielded Audreys body with his own, pressing her into the corner as splintered wood flew across the room and filled the air with ancient drywall dust and smoke, covering his own face with the shoulder of his duster to avoid breathing it in. Across the room, they could hear the strangled moans of the woman, who was unfortunate enough to have survived the blast, sustaining fatal damage to her body while being pinned beneath the splintered rubble- She would die slow, and painful, Audrey knew. It was a small consolation to her in the moment.
"You okay?" MacCready asked after a moment, when the debris began to settle- the enemy was sure to know they were there now, so it was important that they move quickly, before they were found and overwhelmed.
"Yeah." Audrey coughed, ears still ringing from the sound of the blast. "Im fine..."
"Good- get ready. Its action time." He informed matter of factly, adrenalin lighting his eyes as his heart began to pump hard against his sternum. Expertly and with deft hands, the young merc readied his Rifle, darting out of the relative safety of their corner while aiming the weapon toward the stairwell at the far the right of the room, where the upstairs occupants would have to pass through to investigate the blast.
"What the fuck!?" They heard someone exclaim through the broken, thinly insulated upholstery- and as the man reached the bottom of the steps, MacCready opened fire, blowing out his right pectoral and shoulder immediately.
"We're under attack!" Someone else yelled, calling the remaining raiders to arms as his ally fell to the floor, dead at the base of the stairs. Audrey drew her own weapon then, forcing herself to push away all thought as she flanked MacCready on the right, aiming her own weapon toward the doorway as they prepared for retaliation. Together, they advanced at a cautious pass- if there had been ten grunts in the building to start with, now, there should be four left to stand between them, and their target...
"Take the right side." He instructed her expertly, ducking to the left of the open doorway to avoid enemy fire. They paused for a moment, listening to the sound of shuffling foot steps up above them as the remainder of Kendra's men moved into position.
. . .
. . .
Kendra stood silently- motionless as she stood ready at the foot of her bed, peering outside into the night time darkness before the only exposed window on the top floor of the two story apartment complex they were holed up in- Sinjin had taken the bulk of her men on his last visit, after giving her a contract and ordering her to lay low, and from the sounds she was hearing outside the door to her room, the few men she had been left with werent enough to keep their attackers at bay.
"You- are you kendra?" An unfamiliar, cool female voice called out to her from the open doorway, slightly out of breath. Calmly, she turned to face her opponent, taking a quick moment to scrutinize her before deciding to answer, interest piqued.
"...yes- And you...you're the crazy one in the costume. Wayne Delancey's killer...You have no idea who your dealing with." Kendra purred pleasurably, imagining all the ways she would kill the short, shrouded woman who had somehow managed to kill her lover. " I do so like it when the little bug crawls willingly into the spiders webs..."
Ignoring the taunt, Audrey kept her revolver centered on her target as she waited for MacCready to finish off the last of Kendra's men- the stairwell had been too narrow for him to affectively shoot his weapon, and the last man standing had rushed him, forcing him to engage head on in hand to hand combat. Sure that he would dispatch the wiry, strung out degenerate quickly, she had moved on to locate the assassin herself, determined to end the fighting.
"I hear your an assassin?" She questioned the woman almost conversationally, stalling. Shifting her weight, Kendra scoffed, shaking her head of thick, wild auburn curls.
"No." She answered firmly, insulted. " I'm paid to make big bold statements- Dont screw with us, cos if you do, you and everyone around you dies..."
"Oh yeah? Who are you working for? Maybe I'll pay them a visit next." Audrey instigated confidently, emboldened by the adrenalin pumping through her veins...Kendra let out a husky, bark of a laugh, sneering at her in response.
"...A walking corpse like you shouldnt trouble yourself about that."
Drawing her own weapon quicker than Audrey would have thought possible, the skilled assassin squeezed off several shots in her direction, and she managed to dance between the bullets narrowly, before pulling her own trigger- the first shots fired missed, piercing the wall behind the other woman harmlessly on either side, but the third managed to graze her left leg. Stifled, Kendra popped off another volley of rounds, emptying her magazine- this time, she hit her target, catching Audrey in the left shoulder, and grazing her right outer thigh as she decorated the wall behind her with lead.
For Audrey, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion- she didnt yet feel the pain of the 10-mm lodged in her shoulder, or the abrasion on her leg, but she knew she had to act quick, before her opponent could reload her pistol. Quickly, almost without thinking about it, she raised her weapon from the spot she had fallen, aiming reflexively and squeezing off another three rounds through the roaring in her ears, emptying her own chamber- and as luck would have it, she missed each time.
"No!" She gasped, feeling her heart leap to her chest as she fumbled for more ammo- Realizing what had happened, Kendra cackled joyously, not bothering to reload her gun as she pulled out a freshly sharpened combat knife, forcing herself upright to advance on her foe.
"Looks like Justice favors me tonight, Shroud!" She declared victoriously, raising her blade in preparation to plunge it into Audrey's chest.
Pow!
Audrey felt her heart stop momentarily as the sound of a single shot filled the room, blowing out the assassins rib cage as she was propelled violently sideways- Uncomprehendingly, she starred at her opponent writhing on the floor just feet away, grey eyes growing wide as she looked back at her, choking pathetically on her own blood before going suddenly limp on the blood slicked floorboards.
"...Not on my watch." MacCready declared confidently from the open doorway, rifle in hand. Audrey let out her pent breath in a whoosh, feeling the first real waves of affection she had experienced for her paid companion since their meeting only two weeks prior, for once truly grateful for his presence by her side.
"Rob!" She half sobbed, calling to him by his first name as she began to shake with relief- or maybe it was the shock of her near death experience that caused her tremors, she wasnt sure. All she knew, was that she would be dead if he hadnt appeared when he had...
"Hey- you alright?" He inquired gently, coming to kneel beside her on the dirty floor. "Sorry i got here so late- that last guy put up a pretty decent fight..."
shaking off his apology, she swallowed hard, unable to stop the tears from flooding her eyes as her breath became ragged and uneven.
"If you h-hadnt s-s-shown up when you did..." She trailed off suggestively, looking back toward Kendra's lifeless body once more as a lump formed in her throat and hot tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Woah, take it easy- everything's gonna be alright." he insisted comfortingly, wrapping a supportive arm around her waste and pulling her to her feet, only to feel his heart drop when he pulled away to find his sleeve slick with blood.
"I uh, I think she shot me..." The shell shocked survivor admitted strangely, feeling light headed all of a sudden as she became acutely aware of a dull throbbing in her shoulder. As he watched, the color drained from her face, and for a moment he was afraid she would pass out.
"Awe man- we gotta get you back to Goodneighbor before you bleed out!" He warned seriously, stating the obvious. Audrey nodded dumbly, mumbling an affirmative before trying to take a step toward the door, only to fall heavily against the wall as pain lanced up her side from the wound on her leg. tenderly, she reached down to touch the hot, stinging spot on her outer thigh, wondering at the blood that slicked her palm when she pulled it away.
"I cant." Audrey croaked weakly as her world began to spin and her stomach flipped at the sight of her own blood.
"Why not?" He asked nervously, not following.
"Um, well...Because, I think im about to pass out..."
And just like that, her vision faded to black, and she collapsed in a heap against the wall.