17 Awake

Groggily, My eyelids fluttered. I seemed to be having trouble opening them.

'It hurts.'

I uncontrollably twitched…. It felt as though thousands of ants were crawling under my skin. 

Trying to sit up… I realized I couldn't.

'I can't move my body….. Was I turned into a vegetable?'

I immediately dismissed the idea.

'Not possible…. With my interface and Hp regeneration, everything should heal after enough time has passed.'

Racking my head around the situation, I remembered something.

'That's right.'

When I was fighting the rats… I gained a new skill. After using it… My body became Immobile… That might be the reason…. 

Where was I though? The wind brushing against my face implied I was still outside… 

'Am I with mother?'

Sharpening my ears, I tried listening to my surroundings. 

I could hear it… 

The tone, the mild breathing pattern. It was mother alright. It sounded like she was sleeping. 

'It seems I can only wait.'

I stayed like that as the hours went by.… Occasionally, I felt mother change positions. The pain heightened everytime. But I endured it.

As time passed, that feeling of pain and constraint began fading away until it was completely gone.… Soon after, I felt myself regain control over my body. 

Eyes opening… The first thing I noticed was Snow sleeping beside me.

Releasing a silent sigh... I looked towards the night sky and thought back to the army of rats that had me pinned to the ground.

'I can't believe I actually survived that event.'

The feeling inside of me was strange. It was almost nonchalant. Like I didn't almost die. It didn't seem correct… When I fought the rats… At that time, I remember, I felt fear.. Anger…. Those emotions invaded me…. But… Why don't I feel relieved? I survived after all. It was like a person who got what they wanted on their birthday… But still didn't really feel any joy.

I felt empty.

I felt nothing… I wasn't excited… I didn't feel joy.

I thought about it for a while... 

'That's not quite right.'

I didn't want to die… That means I felt some level of relief. And I was happy that mother saved me…. That was joy… I knew I was happy to be alive. Those emotions weren't gone… I couldn't feel them though… Not because they weren't there… But because there was an even stronger emotion in the way.

I opened my mouth… Releasing a mutter.

"I failed." 

Immeasurable disappointment. It was my first time leaving the cave… I was prepared for things to go wrong… I was even prepared to fail… 

In the end… It still left a bitter taste in my mouth. 

I glumly looked at the moon… I could tell the sun would be rising in a couple of hours.

From the corner of my vision something caught my eye… There was a building… 

'A farmhouse?'

Looking around I noticed the somewhat large scrap fencing.

'Could this…. Is this a settlement?' 

I felt a sense of unease well up within me.

'Mother brought me to a settlement? How long have I been unconscious?'

I've asked mother before whether or not there were any humans outside… Everytime she said, 'I do not know.' This means no. Did she just run into them by luck? Unlikely. Running into them out of nowhere would be extremely improbable. 

'Could it be something other than humans?.... Super mutants? Very unlikely.. Though they might help out of fear… Ghouls?… That would be more reasonable… I will find out soon enough.'

'Hmm…. Now that I think about it, how far did she carry me?'

It was still pretty new to me, so I didn't notice the lack of radiation in the air. Also, the terrain seemed to be different. It was much flatter here. Since the town was located near a bunch of small mountains, it was obviously more hilly.

'The scenery has completely changed.'

I mumbled for a while before my eyes drifted back to mother…. 

'Did you run all the way here for me?'

I reached over and gently patted her on the head.

'Thank you Snow.'

Her eyes opened upon touch. I had woken her. Doing so was not my intention. But not a moment later she leaned down and nudged my forehead with her nose.

I formed a connection with her and we began speaking.

'Sorry, It was an accident.'

She looked at me lovingly and responded.

'Bal. Snow is happy you live.'

I widened my eyes in slight surprise. 

Did Snow just speak a whole sentence?

Impressed, I Subconsciously rubbed her head again.

'Where are we? This place…..' 

I didn't really know how to formulate the sentence I wanted.

What actually happened after I blacked out? I had so many questions. I looked towards mother, waiting for her to answer and adjusted my position. The dirt here for some reason was actually quite comfortable.

'Snow help Bal… Setherrog was asleep... But now, Setherrog is better. Small things helped.'

'Just what happened when I was unconscious? This farm… Small things? Could she have run into ghouls after all? I looked towards mother. I only made sense of one thing she told me.

'Thank you for helping me.'

I thought she would be happy hearing my thanks but instead, she looked….. Sad?

'What's wrong?'

Pausing for a moment she stared at me before replying.

'Snow should have come sooner. almost too late. She was afraid. Setherrog almost died.'

Hearing her words I fell silent.

'I almost died…. Everything went dark as I drowned in the sea of rats…. I remember the pain… When so many were biting me from every direction. I watched as my HP almost emptied… Or did it empty? I passed out just before it hit zero. Did I die? There was also that strange abyss. 

But In the end…. I did survive. Snow saved my life. If she came just a couple of seconds later, I would definitely be dead.'

She looked away… Like she had done something wrong.

I stared at her for a few seconds. Then raising my hand.

*Thwack!*

She flinched as the back of my palm made contact with her head… There was no real force in the strike though…

'Snow…'

Both In confusion, and in surprise, she looked at me? Why did he hit her? 

I softly rubbed the area I hit as I spoke.

'I had to go outside eventually, and sooner was probably better than later. But that? That was not your fault. You coming is already enough. Let alone try and save them, other deathclaws would have already abandoned their children, even if they had the ability to help, they wouldn't. Snow is a good girl…'

Referring to her like that felt strange…

She looked at me in surprise and then something else. Something, I felt was amusement.

*Ffffff,Fuffff,Fuffff*

Her nostrils flared as she let out a few playful snorts. It was the first time I saw her laugh. But, I also noticed her eyes were getting watery.

I raised my arm again and slowly patted her head. Repeating my earlier words.

'Thank you for saving me Snow.. I Love you.'

My mother stilled when she heard the word. But shortly after she relaxed.

This was the first time I've said 'I love you' in this life… The words felt so alien on my tongue. I should still make a point of saying it every now and then. And her reaction was stange. Mother most likely didn't know anything about love. No, that's not it. I'm certain she knew what it was. but she couldn't describe it.'

'Snow... Lo-ves Bal as well..'

'Hmm?'

When was the last time I heard those words? In my previous life? I couldn't remember… Perhaps when I was very young.

I shook my head to get rid of the depressing thoughts. Mother seemed happy… I could feel it in our shared intent. I should also be happy.

Snow and I spoke for a long time. We talked about many things. Like where this place was, How long it took her to get here, and how the little things helped her. Though, it seemed she threatened them to get their cooperation. Not that I minded. I needed help. And I am grateful for it. I will remember this favor. Even if it was forced.

The sun was starting to rise. It was beautiful. Because the sky was green and as it was rising, it created a strange effect making the sun both purple on the inside and green on the outside. Yesterday when I saw it, it looked more normal. That's because it was higher in the sky when I first left the cave.

*Creak*

I felt mother tense….. Soon after though she relaxed.

Looking in the direction the sound came from, I saw the door to the farmhouse open up. A man began walking outside with a garden hoe in hand. He was a ghoul… He was happily "whistling" as he started down the steps….. Then he looked over and saw us. It was the first time I had ever seen a face morph from being happy to surprised then mortified so quickly.

...…

...…

...…

Tiredly, Bert opened his eyes. He rose from the wooden bed and stretched his limbs. A cracking noise sounded out as his arms and legs extended.

He had the most terrifying nightmare. A demon appeared and everyone almost died. But things worked out in the end.

He needed sleep but not much. Only 3 or 4 hours a day. But unlike the others he always woke up early. His father ingrained it into him. The next person to wake up was usually Marcus. Like him, He was an early bird. It was a habit acquired after years of serving in the military.'

Bert could almost feel the surrounding radiation poor into his body. It always felt refreshing. It was probably the reason he and the other Mutants didn't need food or water. Somehow it was nourishing them. He likened it to a plant in the sun. Though no normal plants can really survive anymore. Only the mutated ones. The trees in the distance looked huge. He's never been over there though. Too far. He'd die well before he arrived.

After tidying up his clothes he grabbed his hoe and started towards the door. Even started whistling up a toon. Today was gonna be a good day.

He swung the door open and with a jolly step he walked out

He got three steps down the stairs when he saw A giant demon and a tiny demon looking at him.

Bert let out a yelp then bolted back inside. Closing the door behind him.

"What the hell! That wasn't a dream!?

Everything came rushing back with complete clarity. The small one was injured yesterday, wasn't it? Well, it was awake now. He doesn't know what to do. Is this a dangerous situation? He has to wake Marcus up. He'll definitely wanna know about this.

He felt like he was forgetting something but he didn't have time to waste thinking about it.

"Marcus!? Marcus!?"

Bert hurried up the stairs and to Marcus's room. There weren't any doors in the house, beside the bathroom and the master bedroom which used to belong to his parents. But he asked nobody to use that room.

"Marcus!"

He turned and peered into the ex-soldier's room. He was already getting dressed.

"Bert, stop your shouting."

"But!- T-the smaller devil is awake."

Marcus narrowed his eyes at the words. A few seconds passed. Before he released a sigh. Got up, left his room, and started walking towards the entrance. Bert followed after him.

"I didn't think It'd take long. After all, we used a Stimpak. If it wasn't awake soon I'd say the thing was diluted. But still, I thought that when the little one recovered a bit they'd make their leave. Guess I was wrong."

"But why would they still be here? I was about to go out and farm, but the sight of them nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I don't know Bert. There are a lot of possibilities. They're intelligent, remember? At least the big one is. They could want anything. Food, water, territory, or even maybe they're just resting.

"How do we know what they want?"

"What do you mean Bert? You heard it yesterday. It can speak just as well as you or I can."

Both approached the door. Marcus quietly grabbed the knob and turned it, opening it slowly to minimize the creak.

They looked out from the crack and studied the two monsters. Both mother and child were staring at each other. Communicating it seemed. It looked like they were having a wordless conversation.'

That's when Bert noticed.

'They're laying on my soil.'

'Why there? Of all places they choose there.'

End of chapter.