Chapter One:
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Ella pressed her hands into the earth, rhythmically pushing the soil as the sun began to set, casting a golden glow across the land. With careful sun-kissed hands, she planted the seeds, gently tucking them into the earth, lost in the peace of the fading day. It was a simple life, governed only by the seasons and Ella was grateful for it. Their isolation shielded them from the chaos that plagued the commonwealth – a peace only few could claim. Very few passed by, just the occasional trader or caravan looking to trade. What couldn't be bought by passing traders, her father would head out to secure. Travelling vast distances to neighbouring settlements to secure supplies, leaving Ella behind to tend to their home.
Sweeping a loose lock of dark blonde hair from her face, Ella looked out across the farm. A rickety wooden fence surrounded the edge of the farm, serving as a barrier between them, and the untamed wasteland. She was grateful for their home, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what lay beyond the fence. She'd heard the stories. Rumours of ghastly creatures twisted by radiation and fearsome reptilian beasts with claws that could rip a man in two. Her father had never mentioned such monsters during his travels, and the most she'd encountered were the Radroaches, whose insatiable hunger was a constant headache for the farm. The old weather-beaten farmhouse still stood firm against the elements, despite showing signs of wear and tear from time and radiation. Nearby Mr Farmhand, a rusted, pre-war robot, watered Tato plants with a leaky bucket, their purple leaves promising a bountiful harvest in the coming months. Having fertile soil was a rare commodity here. Radiation had decimated the land, leaving it barren and desolate, but their patch of land seemed to be fighting back, flourishing against the odds.
Suddenly a deafening boom filled the air, startling the Brahmin in their pens and sending her dog into a flurry of barking. Ella's heart raced, quickly soothing the frightened animals, her eyes scanning the darkening horizon where a plume of smoke rose in the distance when her father's voice called out.
"Ella! Inside now"
Standing, she brushed the dirt from her knees and hurried toward the run-down house. Inside, her father, Thomas, was hunched over the old radio, his fingers trembling as he quickly tried to turn the dial but not before she heard it. The frantic warnings of raiders sightings nearby.
"Dad, what's going on?" she asked, unable to hide her worry "Are they close?"
Her father looked up, his face etched with age; "We'll be fine, Ella. We always are."
But Ella wasn't convinced. The attacks had been increasing, each one edging ever closer. It was just the three of them now, her father, herself, and their loyal ranch dog, Dogmeat. They were farmers. They didn't have the skills or the experience to protect themselves against raiders. Besides the Radroaches, the most they had to deal with, were the occasional brood of Mole rats whose constant burrowing and tunnelling disrupted the soil.
Her father, once strong and capable, was now aged and weary, his movements slowed by time. Ella had never even held a gun. Her skills lay in nurturing crops and caring for her father. Her hands used to the soft touch of the animals and cooking hearty meals. The only one among them with any combat experience was their German Shepherd, Dogmeat. Her father had rescued him from being sold as meat after his previous owner deemed him worthless due to years of being forced to fight. She'd once asked her father to leave, to find somewhere less exposed, closer to another settlement but he'd outright refused. The farm held the last traces of her mother, her presence lingering in every crevice of their worn home and the subject forbidden to be brought up again.
A nagging worry gnawed at Ella, the raiders just another reminder of the uncertain future that lay ahead. Despite her appreciation for her life, it was one tinged with loneliness, amplified by the realisation that her father was getting older. What would happen to her when he was gone?
That night after a quiet dinner filled with her father's forced reassurances, Ella lay in bed, unable to shake the questions that plagued her thoughts. Was she destined to live alone in this remote corner of the wasteland? If she dared leave, where would she even go? She didn't know where the nearest settlement was. Despite being an adult, her father kept her sheltered from the outside world, withholding the settlement's destinations. Would they even take her in? Trust was difficult to come by in the wasteland. Strangers were greeted with a gun and suspicion, not open arms. Now seemed like the perfect time for a change. An opportunity for some kind of independence and to seek help for her father, especially with the raiders so close but she knew the idea was pointless. Her father would never leave. Exhausted, she was just drifting off to sleep when she was jolted awake by a low growl at the end of her bed.
"Shh Dogmeat" she soothed, patting him gently "It's okay, go back to sleep."
Dogmeat lay still for a moment. His ears pricked towards the door, another rumble emitting from his chest. Ella sat up, rubbing her eyes as she glanced around the dimly lit room.
"What is it, boy?"
Hackles raised, Dogmeat got to his feet sniffing at the crack beneath the door. His growl intensified, vibrating with urgency before erupting into a flurry of barking.
Her heart pounded as she threw back the tattered covers, grabbing the torch from her nightstand. Dogmeat's barks growing louder, more insistent as she stumbled towards the door. With trembling fingers, she turned the knob, her pulse thundering in her ears. Slowly, she opened the door, the creak of its hinges echoing down the empty hallway when Dogmeat pushed past her, disappearing down the stairs.
"Dogmeat wait!"
Her heart lurched as she raced after him, her feet barely touching the steps as she hurried after him when she stopped dead. Dread twisting in her stomach as the weak beam of her torch revealed the scene in front of her.
A dark void stared back at her as the front door hung open.
"Dad?!"
There was no reply. Her father's chair sitting empty in the silence that cloaked her home. Panic set in. Whatever had disturbed Dogmeat was out there, lurking in the darkness and where was her father? Was he out there too? Fear clawed at her insides, threatening to overwhelm her when Dogmeat's bark pierced the night.
Without thinking, she dashed outside, cold air biting her skin as she plunged into darkness. The frantic barking led her into the towering razor grain, stems crunching beneath her feet as she ran. Her breath sharp, frosty puffs mingling with the darkness.
Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out. Ella froze, terror gripping her when she heard it.
Snap.
She whirled round, her torch slicing through the darkness to see a shadowy figure looming behind her. His masked face and scavenged armour illuminated in the feeble light of her torch.
Raiders.
She darted forward, her torch casting wild shadows as she fled. The sharp cracks of gunfire echoed around her, the sound of shouting growing louder with each passing moment. Finally burst from the field, her eyes widening in horror as she saw her father knelt on the ground, flanked by three raiders. Their weapons trained on him as they looked down at him.
"DAD!" she screamed, her voice raw and desperate.
He turned at the sound of her voice. His face full of fear and desperation as he saw her running towards him.
"ELLA NO -!"
Bang.
Thomas froze. His eyes locked with his daughters one final time. Blood trickled down his face before he crumpled forward, lifeless.
Ella screamed; her heart-wrenching cry splitting the night sky as the raiders circled her fallen father.
"What a waste" one of the raiders muttered, nudging Thomas's body with his boot "Call it in."
Ella trembled as she sobbed silently. When the raider looked up, fixing her with a cold, soulless stare that sent a chill down her spine. He tilted his head, as though assessing her before turning to the others.
"Get her."
Her heart dropped as the others turned their attention to her. She spun on her heel, her legs pumping as she sprinted into the night. The raiders gave chase, their footsteps pounding against the ground in time with her racing heart. They were closing in, their speed alarming and unnerving when she was slammed into from behind, the torch flying from her hand as they tumbled to the ground.
Desperate, she lashed out blindly, landing a kick to her attacker's sternum. Pain radiated through her shin, but she scrambled to her feet. She tried to run, but a hand shot out, yanking her back.
"Where do you think you're going?" The raider's voice was cold and mocking, his strength overwhelming as he grabbed her free hand in a vice-like grip, pulling her against his chest.
"Let go of me!"
Ella thrashed wildly but the raider was too strong. He laughed at her feeble attempts, hauling her away when a blur of black and tan fur launched from the shadows. The raider cried out as Dogmeat's teeth sank into his arm, giving Ella the moment she needed. Terrified she begged Dogmeat to follow in ragged, desperate sobs but he didn't come, tearing into flesh and fabric as she fled into the unyielding darkness of the wasteland.