I guess I must have been stuttering some kind of question at him because he says, “Ah. Yes. You’ve noticed our town’s attraction, then.”
“That’s a bomb,” I croak, eventually. “Is it...active?” He nods. I feel sick.
“Keeps us safe,” Colin says. I’m about to tell him I’m really not seeing it, but he carries on. “Not many people out to raid you when there’s that sitting in the middle of your yard.”
“Yeah, they’ll just sit back and let the bomb do its work!”
I must be getting a bit loud, because Colin tugs my sleeve and begins to mutter into my ear. It sound like nonsense at first, but then I realise that he’s serious about there being a cult in town that worships the bomb. It starts to make more sense to me when I realise that, oh, wait, this town is filled with people for whom radiation is a pleasant glow. As long as it doesn’t explode...
Yeah, I don’t really feel better.
But Colin is already pulling me on, pointing out houses and waving at people he seems to know. Most of them are ghouls. In the whole tour, I see two, maybe three human being. The rest of the town has changed. By the time we stop outside the saloon, I’ve seen more internal anatomy than I thought I’d ever see short of taking up my dad’s work, and learnt that if I need caps “Moira pays fair” but will “probably send me to a gruesome and untimely death”. I’ve also learnt “never ask Nathan to tell you more about the Enclave”, but that was a lesson taught the hard way.
“And here we are,” Colin says, running the last two words together, like 'wehar'. “Home sweet home.”
“You live here as well?” I ask him.
Something in his face turns a little bitter. “Where else?” he asks. Yeah, there’s definitely something angry and cold in his tone.
“What do you mean –“
He cuts me off. “I’ll take you in to meet the boss and a few of the locals. Just...don’t piss him off, okay? He seems friendly, but...” He puts a hand on my shoulder, heavy with warning. “Just trust me okay, lass?”
I nod. “I won’t piss your boss off, Colin," I promise.
He grins. “Good girl. Shall we?”
And with that, he pushes the door to the saloon open.
Skinless 1d/?
“That’s a bomb,” I croak, eventually. “Is it...active?” He nods. I feel sick.
“Keeps us safe,” Colin says. I’m about to tell him I’m really not seeing it, but he carries on. “Not many people out to raid you when there’s that sitting in the middle of your yard.”
“Yeah, they’ll just sit back and let the bomb do its work!”
I must be getting a bit loud, because Colin tugs my sleeve and begins to mutter into my ear. It sound like nonsense at first, but then I realise that he’s serious about there being a cult in town that worships the bomb. It starts to make more sense to me when I realise that, oh, wait, this town is filled with people for whom radiation is a pleasant glow. As long as it doesn’t explode...
Yeah, I don’t really feel better.
But Colin is already pulling me on, pointing out houses and waving at people he seems to know. Most of them are ghouls. In the whole tour, I see two, maybe three human being. The rest of the town has changed. By the time we stop outside the saloon, I’ve seen more internal anatomy than I thought I’d ever see short of taking up my dad’s work, and learnt that if I need caps “Moira pays fair” but will “probably send me to a gruesome and untimely death”. I’ve also learnt “never ask Nathan to tell you more about the Enclave”, but that was a lesson taught the hard way.
“And here we are,” Colin says, running the last two words together, like 'wehar'. “Home sweet home.”
“You live here as well?” I ask him.
Something in his face turns a little bitter. “Where else?” he asks. Yeah, there’s definitely something angry and cold in his tone.
“What do you mean –“
He cuts me off. “I’ll take you in to meet the boss and a few of the locals. Just...don’t piss him off, okay? He seems friendly, but...” He puts a hand on my shoulder, heavy with warning. “Just trust me okay, lass?”
I nod. “I won’t piss your boss off, Colin," I promise.
He grins. “Good girl. Shall we?”
And with that, he pushes the door to the saloon open.