4 Ruins and Raiders

Everything hit me the following day, badly enough that I grabbed a bottle of bourbon, some cigarettes, and headed down to the river, sitting on the stone wall, dangling my legs over the edge, puffing on a cigarette while feeling it necessary to wipe my cheeks every so often. Everyone I knew was long gone. Nora was dead. Her parents and family. All my friends, whether in forces or at the docks. All of my neighbours. Even people I didn't know, whether they were on television, radio, played for a sports team… Millions if not billions wiped out. Anyone I had known was gone, whether blown up in the first blast or died in numerous other horrific ways if they'd managed to survive.

Despite the fact I'd met survivors, it felt incredibly isolating. The world as I knew it was gone. As I'd told Preston, there was a feeling of almost being responsible. I didn't push the button nor give the order, but it was the society I was part of that had blown up the world and consigned humanity to the meagre existence it now experienced. There appeared to be little joy in the world. Each day was a matter of survival, nothing but a harsh reality. Humanity had somehow survived, but I didn't see much hope for the future, at least not yet. Maybe I would find something later that would.

Surprisingly, it was Mama Murphy who joined me later, having already smoked half a packet of cigarettes and enjoy a number of sips. Sitting next to me silently for a while, she rested a hand on my thigh. "I can't even begin to understand how it must feel, having woken up to be greeted by the world you now see."

"Part of me thinks I shouldn't really be here. I should have died on the day the bombs dropped or still be in the fridge."

"You were a soldier, correct?"

"Fifteen years."

"Most don't know much about the old world, how life was before the bombs. All those who survived are long dead, even people from the vaults. The only people who know what life was like are now ghouls, and there are not many of those around who can share what life was like."

"It was better than this, obviously. People didn't have to just scrape a living. There was something called the 'American Dream'. If you studied and worked hard, you would be rewarded. I served my country, my wife studied her arse off. We could afford a house, a car, and a comfortable life."

"People still dream, it's just that it's different now. Most simply dream and hope that the future will bring something a little brighter. Not worrying about raider attacks, not worrying if they can feed themselves and their children, not worrying about whether radiation will slowly kill them…" I handed her the bottle, smiling as she took a good sip before handing it back. "Do you feel alone?" she asked.

"A little bit. No-one alive can possibly understand what I'm experiencing. In an instant, everything changed. And I mean that's what happened. I stepped into the pod one moment, and I fell out of it the next."

"You didn't dream while you were frozen?"

"No. Everything just shut down. It passed like this," I replied, clicking my fingers.

"I guess the only question is what will you do now. I get the feeling you're not one to just give up. And I know you needed time to yourself today. You grieve for a world that no longer exists."

"I'll do the only thing I was trained to do. I will fight. Good a reason as any is to keep people safe. That's what we did in the army anyway, or it was one reason why many of us did. Groups like the raiders, feeding on the fear of people, killing without reason, stealing the meagre possessions of those struggling from one day to the next? I'll put the fear into them in return. But I'm only one man. I'm going to need help doing it."

"Can I share something with you, Nate?"

"Sure."

"I have something called the 'Sight'. And I saw something. I saw of you waking up and returning to the world." I tried not to grin as it all sounded a little convenient. "But I saw you in the coming months, taking command, leading the people of the Commonwealth, helping them rise up against a common enemy."

"Raiders?"

"No, an organisation far more sinister."

"I'll focus on raiders for now. If we can make this region safe for settlers, we can hopefully convince more to head here, train some to join the Minutemen, then really bring peace as best we can."

"There is a bigger picture, Nate. Just don't forget that. But I can agree with what you want to do first. After what happened in Quincy…"

"Preston won't talk about it."

"None of us will, Nate. What happened to us was horrific. I knew some of us would survive the ordeal, but it's broken each of us in its own way. Preston feels responsible for it. The fact he still maintains his humanity is a credit to him. It could have broken him in numerous ways. He hasn't exactly given up, but he needs a shoulder to lead him forward now. Trust me on this. He won't be the only friend you'll make during this."

"Is that your 'Sight' talking?"

"A little bit. Keep doing what you're doing and people will eventually follow. They need hope. You might just give them that."

"Thanks."

"Figured you needed a little pick me up. As I said, I can't begin to comprehend, but the five of us here have appreciated everything you've done for us so far."

"It was the right thing to do. I'll help those who need it and bring force against those who interfere."

"Then head to Lexington, Nate. That will help you clear a path south. Your destiny lies away from here, though everyone needs a base, a place to call home for a time."

The first settlers arrived a couple of days later, five of them in total. It was just the shot in the arm we needed. Preston and I greeted them, and I'll admit we interrogated them first, making sure they were not raiders, though I didn't actually think raiders were that smart. Each came with few possessions, two did carry a weapon at least. We got to work immediately, putting them through some target practice. The three who could fire a weapon accurately were offered the chance to become Minutemen. One immediately accepted, the other two asked if they could think about it, suggesting they just wanted to be simple farmers. We were certainly not going to pressgang people into doing something they didn't want.

As we didn't have uniforms for any Minutemen recruits, Preston figured the easiest thing to do would be fashion emblems that could be sewed onto a shirt or jacket. Mama Murphy offered to do that for us. With five new people in our group, we immediately got to work fixing up another house, Preston and I on the roof first, making sure there were few leaks, before getting to work on the walls. It took a couple of days, the new settlers helping out, one or two also assisting with the crops. We had plenty now in the ground, it was a simple case of waiting for them to grow.

I asked each of them if they'd come via Lexington. Two of them had, though they couldn't really tell me all that much about the situation on the ground. But I was of the mind to now head south, possibly stretching as far as the river, but Lexington was the first major suburb south before the river and then Boston itself. After Lexington was Cambridge, which was far larger, and could prove problematic passing through if raiders had set themselves up in force. I'd travelled Boston extensively, either when growing up or in the brief time I'd come home, but considering what happened, I doubted much of it would be recognisable.

Leaving the next morning, I did consider taking Preston along but, if raiders were there in number, going without any armour like him was bound to cause trouble. He understood my reasons why and suggested he and the others would set about preparing some defences. It sounded like a good idea. I also suggested we start thinking about sending out scavenging parties, to find any abandoned houses, factories or whatever to grab anything useful. We agreed to do that once we had more numbers arriving. For now, Sanctuary Hills would be our main focus, though once we had numbers, we'd send a trio of Minuteman to Abernathy and Tenpines on regular patrols.

I went armed again, minigun on my back, pistol, shotgun, and also the rifle I'd picked up from one of the dead raiders. Sturges and I had pulled it apart and checked it over, making a couple of modifications. It took .38 caliber, which doesn't sound impressive, but I wouldn't want to be shot by one. Overall, we agreed the rifle was in good condition for what it was, and I liked having a proper ranged weapon. That was more than enough weapons, the armour capable of carrying it all without an issue, but reaching back to grab a weapon would delay me firing regardless.

The last thing I did before leaving was to ensure we had radio connectivity. Once I heard a voice through my ear-piece, I couldn't help grin. At least I wasn't isolated completely any longer, though I could listen to one of the two radio stations if I wished. "Just keep me in the loop of any new arrivals, or if any news heads this way," I suggested.

"With any luck, caravans might start heading this way soon," Preston stated, "Might be worth making a trip all the way to Bunker Hill soon."

"Bunker Hill? What's there?"

"Trading post. It's where all the caravans are organised that travel across the Commonwealth. If we rebuild the Minutemen to what they once were, we might even join forces with them. But that's a long way in the distance yet."

Max joined me as usual as we began the journey south. Remembering how I wold have once driven there, we did have to go through Concord then swing around onto the road heading south. There wasn't much around otherwise until hitting Lexington, vaguely remembering a diner that Nora and I had stopped in once.

It was a long and boring walk, Max heading off to scout around, though he didn't find anything worth investigating. It was the same sense of death and it was just quiet. Before the bombs, the very road I was walking along would have been busy with cars, trucks and buses, or just people walking on the sidewalks. It made me realise how noisy life had been. It took a few hours until I reached the outskirts of Lexington. Only then did I slow down and start to take stock of what I could see. On the other side of the collapsed freeway was the Corvega Assembly Plant. I'd hit that last, preferring to clear the town centre first. Turning left, I walked the outskirts and kept my eyes peeled, Max also being careful not to be caught in the open.

Reaching the Super-Duper Mart, I was tempted to head in there first. I figured this would be the best time to test the radio. "Sanctuary, this is Nate. Do you read me?"

There was a crackle for a few seconds before I sighed with relief as Sturges replied. "Nate, this is Sanctuary. We have a copy. What's your location?"

"Super-Duper Mart in Lexington. So far, no raiders encountered though I can… sense their presence. There's definitely a few around here. Corvega plant is ahead and lit up brightly, suggesting there is still power. Will sweep and clear Lexington today, leave Corvega for tomorrow. Might even draw a few raiders out if we make enough noise."

"Copy that, Nate. Preston already has an idea. Soon as you clear Lexington and Corvega, a small team will head there to start to scavenging the area. The plant will certainly provide much of what we might need. Super-Duper Mart might have good pickings. Watch for ghouls inside. They go looking for food."

"Copy that, Sanctuary. Will go radio silent until the area is clear. If I don't return in three days, contact again. If no response, then something is amiss."

"Will do. Stay safe, Nate. Sanctuary out."

Getting down on a knee next to Max, I gave his head a gentle scratch. "What do you think, boy? Full of raiders?" He looked up at me and just panted. "Yeah, that's what I think. Think you can sniff some out for me?" He growled, so I took that as a yes, he definitely could. Taking the shotgun from my back, I made sure it was fully loaded. "Okay, boy, let's go find some raiders."

I wasn't stupid enough to just walk down the centre of the street, keeping to the side, under cover as much as possible. But walking along in power armour was always going to draw attention, and it's not like I was being quiet. Each step caused plenty of noise. I hoped it would draw at least a few raiders out in curiosity.

It took all of ten minutes to find myself under fire from the ruins of what had once been a household on top, shop on the bottom. Two raiders, both armed with simple weaponry and below standard armour. Ducking out of the way, I immediately searched for an entrance, eventually finding a half-collapsed wall, piles of brick and masonry, quickly moving through an empty room.

"Fucker is below us!" I heard one of the raiders state.

"Let's get him!" his friend stated.

"Idiots," I muttered, Max wisely hanging back as I found steel stairs leading up the side of the building. One of the raiders appeared to be greeted by my shotgun. "Oh fuck," where his last words before I fired, the shot right into his gut. He barely had time to clasp his hands over the wound before he collapsed to the ground. Stepping over his body, I climbed the rest of the steps, sweeping and noticing the other raider behind cover.

He threw a grenade at me, which bounced in front of my feet… so I kicked it back at him. It bounced twice and exploded as I turned away, hearing shrapnel hit my back as I heard him cry out. I moved forward quickly, noticing he was bleeding but not disabled. I put the barrel of the shotgun to the side of his head. "How many in Lexington?"

"Fuck you, arsehole. You're going to die slowly."

I pulled the trigger, turning away as blood splattered everywhere. I checked his body for anything useful, particularly ammo, doing the same with the body I'd left outside, before I moved on. I tracked a raider patrol, three of them, none of them armed or armoured well, shooting one in the back. The other two turned as I pulled back behind a corner. The idiots charged blindly, the first one rounding the corner, noticing their eyes widen as they were greeted by my shotgun, pulling the trigger without hesitation. The second raider turned and tried to get around the corner, lifting the shotgun and firing, sure I'd winged them. I rushed forward, though checked to see them limping away.

Striding after them, I kept the shotgun in my left hand, taking the pistol from my hip and putting a bullet in their other leg. They fell down onto their front, but spun and fired as I put my foot into their ribs. I was expecting that, of course, so kicked the gun away. I put my foot on their chest. "Where are the rest of you? I know some are in the Corvega plant. I'll handle those later. Where else in Lexington are you?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Someone with a fuck load more training than any of you clowns. So, I'll ask again, how many? Where will I find more of you?"

"Go fuck yourself, arsehole."

I pressed down enough that I heard the crack of a few ribs, his cries of pain ringing out immediately. "Answer my questions and I won't cause you more pain. I've killed four of you so far. You don't have to be number five. Just tell me what I want to know."

I met his eyes and I enjoyed seeing the fear in them. He obviously didn't want to die. "Okay, fine. Lexington apartments. It's where we base ourselves outside of Corvega."

"How many?"

"Three in the apartment building. Most of it's in ruins."

"And Corvega?"

I noticed the blood around his mouth. I'd probably caused quite a bit of damage inside. "More than you can take on, even in your fuckin' power armour. You're dead no matter what."

"Maybe. We'll see how things go." I lifted the pistol and put a bullet into his forehead. He was probably lying about the numbers in the apartment building but at least I had somewhere to go.

From the outside, it appeared to be in remarkably good condition compared to most of Lexington, though once I'd slipped inside, Max still at my side, I whispered him to remain behind as I tried to be as quiet as possible. The first floor was a ruin but I heard voices above, finding the stairwell that would lead me upstairs. Remembering my time in Alaska, the Chinese had loved setting traps, so I made sure to check down and up, just in case the raiders showed half a brain between them

I found them around halfway up the building. Only three of them in total. In such tight confines, there was no plan except charge in, surprise them, and put them all on the ground as quickly as possible. Crashing through the door, I swept quickly, one in the living room, one in the kitchen. The one on the lounge was dead in two seconds, the blast of my shotgun going into his upper chest and neck, choking on his blood for the few seconds that remained of his life. The second raider was swinging his weapon as I spun, stepped to the side, and opened fire again. The blast took off at least half of his face as he collapsed to the ground. The third raider opened the bedroom door to be greeted by the barrel of my shotgun.

"What the…" The 'fuck' was covered by the blast of shotgun. I continued up but the rest of the building was empty, and no sign of anyone on the roof. Needing a place to crash for the evening, I headed back down to the ground, hauled the three bodies into the bathroom, placing them in the abandoned bath tub, closing the door and forgetting about them. The couch wasn't clean but was somewhere I could at least lay down, and there was a radio. I barricaded the door by leaving my power armour in front of it, and the raiders were supplied, finding a bottle of Nuka-Cola. I hadn't seen one of those in… well, years. There was also some water, a tin of Cram and a can of Pork n' Beans. I devoured the food as I rather hungry, throwing Max a few sausages for him to eat too.

Checking the time on my Pip-Boy, it was late enough that it was dark outside, so I lay back on the lounge, Max on the ground next to me, and listened to the radio. Diamond City radio. The tunes they played were excellent. The host was… not good. Far too nervous for some reason. But it allowed me time to relax and eventually fall asleep.

I was woken by Max growling. I figured out why within a few seconds, hearing loud voices in the hall outside. "They didn't come back for shift change," one stated.

"They're probably drunk and passed out," a second added.

I crept over to my armour, opened and got in as quickly as possible, then as lightly as I could, took a few steps back, gesturing to Max to get out of the way. I waited for the door into the apartment to open, holding my shotgun level, centre mass for the average sized human. The door opened and I met the eyes of the raider. She couldn't move before I pulled the trigger, the blast sending her flying back, over the railing, and down the stairs. Stupidly, the other raider charged in, armed only with a baseball bat. I didn't need to block his swing, the bat clanging off my armour. I just sent my helmet into his face, his legs immediately turning to jelly as he fell to the ground.

I aimed the barrel at his head. "You from Corvega?" He attempted to kick between my legs, which was utterly pointless, before his head rolled back. Considering he'd just taken a helmet in the face, despite the blood, I was surprised he wasn't unconscious. "I asked if you were from Corvega?"

"Yeah, I'm from fuckin' Corvega. Fuck, my head hurts."

"You have more important things to worry about. How many are at Corvega?"

"Fuck off."

I pointed the barrel at his knee and fired. His cries rang around the empty room. I didn't look at the damage. His days of walking were over though. In fact, he'd probably bleed out within a couple of minutes. "I asked how many of you are at Corvega. You have another knee, and I'll just work my way up."

He gave his head a shake and opened his eyes, looking at mine behind the helmet. He wouldn't see them but figuring out where they were wasn't difficult. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Some might call me the Sole Survivor. Some others might call me 'Major'. Answer the fucking question."

"Twelve to fifteen. I don't know. I don't count them all. I'm not in charge."

"Who is? Their name?"

He didn't answer so I put the barrel to his other knee. "Wait! Wait! Okay… okay… Me and her, the dead one, that would have been seventeen, so now it's only fifteen. Five patrol outside, rest inside. Jared is in charge, reports to someone else. There's a turret outside the main door."

I couldn't help chuckle. "The fuck? You have an organisation?"

"Course we fuckin' do. We run Lexington on their behalf."

"Not for much longer. Thanks for your assistance."

I lifted the barrel as he shouted 'No'. I pulled the trigger and looked away as his head exploded at taking a shotgun blast so close. Turning to see Max appear from the bedroom, I opened the door and gestured we should leave immediately, heading upstairs first to get a good look at the Corvega plant, though the highway…. I had a though immediately, taking a knee. "What I'm thinking is we get height, take out the guards, then head inside. Good idea, boy?" He looked at me, cocking his head. "Or just go in fast and loud?" He barked at that. "I think you want to get me killed sometimes." That made him whimper, so I scratched his head. "Yeah, I think I'll be alright too. Just stay safe while I'm at work, though if you want to bite a raider or two, I won't complain."

Heading downstairs and outside, I walked directly towards the factory though stopped and took the rifle from my back. Using such a rifle was awkward in power armour, as I couldn't put the scope to my eye, so I chanced getting out for a minute, and from my position, I could see two raiders on walkways on top of the factory itself. While I could line one up, I'll admit to not being completely confident in making the shot.

Back in power armour, I walked up the road towards the factory, remembering what I'd been told, so knew approaching the front door would be suicide. A machine gun turret would eventually tear through my armour, and I didn't have anything on me that could destroy it. Plus, I didn't want to. I wanted to take it back to Sanctuary, so I'd have to find a control terminal.

That meant circling the factory. I was noticed, of course, and a firefight quickly erupted. Yelling at Max to be careful, I simply charged towards the walkway on the right, noticing at least two raiders on different levels. One charged at me in return, weapon firing, a shotgun blast catching him in the side, and I jumped slightly, landing on his chest, my foot pretty much going straight through. I kept moving, up to the next level, where a raider was behind cover, leaning out to take a shot before moving back into cover.

"Finally, a raider with a modicum of sense," I muttered, though I just moved into cover myself, remaining careful, and when I was close enough, I simply charged the small gap and fired, sending them backwards over the railing and falling to the ground below.

Being fired upon by those across the other side, I headed for the covered walkway, hearing footsteps and threats coming towards me. I crouched and waited, the first raider rounding the corner without hesitation, receiving a blast in the chest, causing the second raider to wait around the corner. Then I saw a grenade bounce off the wall across from me, so I ran around the corner, surprising the raider by slamming the butt of my shotgun into his face. He crashed to the ground as I pressed myself against the wall, the grenade exploding a second later. Looking down, the raider was barely coherent so a foot slammed into his head solved the problem.

"Fucking hell, this is exhausting," I muttered, glancing to see Max slink around the corner. "You okay?" He barked once so I assume that was dog speak for 'yes'.

Having killed four outside, there should have only been one last raider outside the building, and I found her up a walkway, almost performing as a lookout. She saw me coming and I certainly took fire, but once I'd closed on her, she tried firing at me point blank. The armour stopped the bullet but only just as I grabbed her and simply threw her over the side.

Back downstairs, I slid more shells into my shotgun, checking to see I didn't have all that many left on me, but hopefully enough to see me through. Once I was done, I'd have to ransack all of Lexington. It seemed one thing the world wasn't short of was ammunition. I'd also have to search for caps. I had no problem taking either from dead raiders.

Fast and loud again was the name of the game, hoping to catch many of them by surprise. And considering raiders seemed to have no problem running towards gunfire, and quite a few carried blunt or sharp weapons instead of guns, I was feeling confident but not arrogant. I was still only one man in armour, with a dog.

Going in a side door, I ran into a raider almost straight away. With his or her back to me, I looped an arm around their neck and squeezed, pleased to perform a relatively silent kill. Dropping their body to the ground quietly, I moved on, trying to remain quiet, but power armour on a metal walkway was always going to make noise. I noticed a turret, which thankfully didn't notice me, and as soon I was down the stairs, I charged at the nearest raider, taking them by surprise, blasting away. Max next to me, searching for one to annoy. Stepping over the raider I'd shot, Max had drawn another raider towards me, turning the corner to be greeted by me.

"Oh fuck!" were the last words he cried out.

The noise attracted attention, which is just what I wanted, stepping away from the light into the shadows simply waiting for them to start searching. As soon as three were in sight, I charged forward, the first raider going down quickly. The other two opened fire again, but it was wild and barely on target.

"Who the fuck is this?"

"Power armour? Fuck!"

Dropping the shotgun for a moment, I took out my pistol and opened fire with that, going for shots to the body instead of the head. Centre mass. Two into the man to the right, two into the woman to the left. Both dropped quickly and didn't move.

"You're dead, fucker!" someone warned.

"Where's Jared?" another one asked.

The raiders were now being careful, considering I'd dropped five of them. I snuck forward towards the nearby terminal, not even requiring a password, switching the turret off, keeping it in mind to take back to Sanctuary. The raiders didn't move otherwise, at least for a while, so I pulled the same trick, back into the shadows.

Then I heard the clink, clink, clink of a grenade. Max moved quickly into another room, hearing the explosion behind us. "Move!" I heard a voice cry, so I guess they were not particularly patient. I watched another three come charging forward, absolutely no tactics whatsoever, relying on overwhelming force and intimidation. One carried a machete, two pipe weapons, both rifles.

Stepping out of the doorway, the machete wielding raider slowed a moment, eyes widening as he noticed the shotgun in my hand. Before he could utter a word, I pulled the trigger. As he went down, I swung it slightly towards the woman behind him to his right. She got off a shot, hearing it smack into my armour as I fired again. The man to her left fired three shot, two actually missing me, which amused me later, the third hitting me straight in the torso. That caused a moment of circumspection. Without armour, I'd have been a dead man. He noticed where it hit, and for the last seconds of his life, I think I saw disappointment in his eyes as I fired a third time.

I looked down at Max. "Okay, boy. Go search. Drag them this way."

Max did well, dragging two more raiders in my direction. With only a few shells left, I switched to the rifle, managing to take the scope off for the time being, and while my shooting wasn't great, I did manage to catch one raider by surprise. The second raider only had a pistol so I simply charged, using my rifle as a club before putting a bullet into his head.

It was time to search as that wasn't everyone. The walkways were clear as were most of the offices. I found a raider in what had once been a kitchen, pistol to his temple and a bullet in the brain before he could move. And that was all I could find, wandering around a little lost before I found a stairway that led into the long abandoned assembly plant itself. There were at least three turrets to take care of and the remaining raiders. And I had a feeling they'd heard everything, as they were on high alert.

I'd picked up a couple of grenades, so staying out of the spotlights, I managed to get into cover and threw them both. The first one exploded next to a raider, hearing their cries of pain and death, the other landing in behind the other two, maybe hitting them with some shrapnel but they opened fire immediately, as did the turrets. "Max, distraction."

He was a good boy, and far too fast for the turrets to get a lock on. But as he ran about, seeming to enjoy himself, I kept the shadows and bounded up the metal walkway, leaping over a gap and firing at the nearest raider. She went down, leaving me to face down the last one.

"You dumb motherfucker!" he cried, swinging around with a shotgun. That brought me a halt, diving to the side as he opened fire. I could possibly have taken the shot but I'd rather not. He fired twice more, hitting one hit me as I got my shotgun up and aimed. Opening fire, I actually hit the shotgun itself, while I peppered his hands and arms at the same time. He dropped the weapon and cried out as I scrambled to my feet, rushing towards and knocking him onto his back, barrel at his head. Breathing heavily, he was definitely in agony.

"You Jared?"

"You're going to pay for this, fucker. Once they learn who you are, they're going to hunt you down."

"I wish them good luck. Are you Jared?"

He spat next to me. "Yes, I'm Jared, arsehole. What the fuck do you want?"

"Nothing, actually. But I guess you could say I'm cleansing the Commonwealth, slowly but surely. I'm a soldier once again and I have my mission."

He groaned. "Seriously, we've been taken out by one fucking Minuteman?"

"No. Major Nathan Shepard, United States Army. 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment. Sino-American War Veteran. Battle of Anchorage Victory Medal. Recipient of the Purple Heart. Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in battle."

"What the fuck are you talking about? What fucking army?"

I put the barrel into his mouth. "I've seen war, Jared. What I've just done now? The fact I've managed to do it with just a dog as a companion speaks volumes of the enemy. People like you have no doubt thrived without law and order, without someone willing to stand up and fight back. Well, let's just say your days of lording it over the frightened people of the Commonwealth will soon be at an end. I will rally people to the cause and the flag, and people like you will soon be pushed back and annihilated, just like we did to the Chinese in Alaska. The United States of America might no longer exist, but there is no reason why we can't renew the ideals."

I took a moment to breathe. I met his eyes and could see the confusion but also the fear. No doubt he had no idea what I was actually talking about. Without any government, I didn't think there'd be much schooling. I figured literacy rates had plummeted. I doubt history books existed any longer, at least nothing that would explained what happened on October 23rd, 2077 and in the years immediately afterwards.

"Do you believe, Jared?" I asked, taking the barrel from his mouth.

"Believe? Believe in what?"

"God. Do you believe in god? Heaven and hell? You see, I think this has been hell on earth for a lot of people since the day the bombs dropped. Me? I'm no longer a believer, not after the things I saw and did in Alaska, and the fact they pinned medals on my chest for it. Not after the fact that the bombs were dropped. And if there is a god, He turned His back on us and I don't blame Him. We turned paradise into the shithole you see outside." I sighed as I put the barrel back into his mouth. "I guess without law and order, no police force, no judiciary system, people like me will be judge and jury, and maybe sometimes, executioner. Call yourself a raider?" He nodded. "Then you shall be executed for your crimes. And the worst news for all of you? The woman who calmed me is no longer here."

I pulled the trigger.

Disabling the turrets, I looked around and noticed all the food and water, medical supplies, and also an enormous trunk that proved to be a real treasure trove of goodies. Sitting on the lone bed, I opened up the radio link, hoping it would work inside. "Sanctuary, this is Nate. Do you read me?"

It took a few seconds again before I heard Sturges. "Nate, this is Sanctuary. We read you. How are things? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Exhausted. Lexington is clear of raiders. Corvega Assembly Plant is now clear of raiders too."

I had to wait a few seconds before there was a reply. "Nate, it's Preston. Is the road to Lexington clear?"

"If you take the road that will lead into the west of Lexington, passing the diner, then you will be fine. That is clear."

"Hold there, Nate. We had more settlers arrive today. I'm going to bring a team to you tomorrow. Abernathy Farm have already been in contact and their willing to loan their brahmin so we can haul a wagon for any salvage we can find."

"There's plenty here, Preston. And I haven't even been to the supermarket yet. I noticed a power armour stand in an abandoned shop. I wouldn't mind loading that up."

"Wait until we arrive before doing anything else, Major. You do sound exhausted."

"Oh, the adrenaline is flowing but I'm sure it'll pass eventually. I'll bunker down in the assembly plant until you get here. Just… be mindful there are a lot of bodies. I've lost count how many I killed."

"Copy that, Major. Get some rest and we'll get there as soon as possible tomorrow."

"I'll take position on the roof in preparation for your arrival. Nate out."

What I needed was a drink, and it was no surprise there was plenty of alcohol available. Desperate for a smoke as well, I sat back on the bed and, by the time I went to sleep, I'd smoked half the packet and drunk most of the bottle of bourbon. I was rather drunk by the time I passed out, glad I'd put out my last cigarette.

Max woke me by licking my face the next morning, which didn't really help the hangover at all, not helped that I'd barely eaten the previous day. I found a tin of ham which, after doing the sniff test, surprised it was okay, I scoffed down quickly, before finding a tato that I just munched one like I would have one done with an apple.

Preston and four others arrived by midday and we got to work, three heading into Lexington to scavenge for supplies, Preston, the other settler and myself scavenging Corvega. By the time we were done, we had two full carts, so the four settlers, all of them now armed with better weapons, would head back immediately with the brahmin and one cart, while I would pull the other one in my power armour.

Before leaving, Preston and I hit he supermarket. It was full of ghouls. And Preston got to witness the advantages of power armour. Plus, not to sound too arrogant, I was a bloody good soldier. Only once did I ever have slight concern, when around half a dozen ghouls surrounded me. I learned quickly that a fist in power armour caused significant damage to a ghoul, watching one of their heads simply cave in, while Max dragged away another by the ankle, biting so hard he ripped the foot off. Preston shot a couple with his musket to help me.

We found an F.C, even more food, water, Nuka-Cola, and plenty more salvage. The place was a complete ruin otherwise, abandoned for two centuries. Walking outside and piling up the cart, I could only ask, "Is everywhere like this?"

"The centre of Boston is worse, Nate. Plenty of building still stand but most look on the verge of collapse and its mostly overrun by raiders, Gunners and super mutants."

"Super what?" I sighed, waving away whatever he was going to explain. "You know what, I don't care right now."

"You okay?" he asked, concern in his tone.

"It's been a long couple of days. I'd retired from service before the war. Amazing how it all comes back straight away."

He paused and I could see him thinking about the next question. I had a feeling I knew what it was. "Does it ever get to you, the killing?"

"It was one of the reasons why I chose to retire. I won't go into detail, but the war that took place before the bombs dropped… I saw what the raiders have done to people, the cages inside the factory, the dead bodies, decapitated heads, information about other operations around the Commonwealth. Trust me, that detail is already in my Pip-Boy. I can only assume there is a lack of humanity. What I saw in Alaska could, in many ways, be considered worse. We were meant to be civilised, a beacon of humanity, our progress and our brilliance. We were anything but." I paused before meeting his eyes. "But I was always good at it, Preston. The killing. I never hesitated. I received an order, I carried it out to the best of my ability and those under my command."

Stepping into my armour, I looped some rope around me and began the long walk back to Sanctuary.