Good Night, Vegas Lights

Chapter 22

It was once again night, thankfully. Now it would be much harder for any drugged up friends to notice Vincent and his wounded companion. Unless of course they had Cat Eye. He kept his gun at the ready, for he knew that Fiends relished the action of shooting first, and never even asking questions. He realized he was in their territory when he noticed the barrel fires scattered about, and the air reeked of that typical wasteland smell. Now was the time to be careful.
  "Shannon?"
Vince whispered to her, but she yielded no response. His heart skipped a beat.
  "Shannon!"
Gently he shook her, and she let out an almost silent grunt. For a moment there, Vincent had thought maybe she was dead. The amount of panic he had just felt unnerved him. He hadn't realized that he could allow himself to care for someone even remotely again. Though now he was relieved to see that she was just unconscious. Unfortunately the relief was taken over with worry. He was now by himself, and he had to ensure Shannon's safety all the while. There was more than likely a countless amount of Fiends in the area, each of them armed, and Vincent had only the one clip that was already missing two rounds. He encountered the first shortly after entering their territory. He was alone, and looked semi-young. Probably someone who'd been swept away by the temptations that the Fiends offered. Vincent decided there was no reason to kill him, so he quietly snuck past. The same could not be said for the following two that he came upon. They were facing his direction, but he couldn't be seen due to a wall. Vince gently laid Shannon down, allowing her to lean against the wall. Gunshots in the area wouldn't even be noticed. The Fiends themselves took shots at each other so often that gunfire was no more out of place than wind. Vincent took his stance with the gun in hand. Quickly, he fired at the older of the two Fiends, and he was dispatched. The other, however, was much faster than Vince had anticipated. He pulled forth his sidearm, a laser pistol specifically, and wildly shot at Vincent. Wildly shot and somehow managed to hit his target. An intense burning sensation found itself at Vince's shoulder, and the surface of the burning's location was charred clothing. He quickly spun behind his cover once more, so the Fiend wouldn't be able to manage another confirmed hit. In an attempt to kill the Fiend without releasing his cover Vincent fired blindly, and to his dismay, missed. That was a valuable waste. Now there was only one bullet left in his only magazine. Shannon slumped to the side, and Vince realized he had no time to continue with this charade. There was no getting Shannon to walk anymore, so he picked her up in what would be considered wedding-style. The Fiend that he had previously been fighting with was now gone, probably to retrieve some of his buddies. Vincent knew he was close to Vault 3. So he thought to himself, What the hell? Why not just go for it?, and decided to run. As he ran through the ruins of buildings, he passed a multitude of Fiends, each of them responding quick and joining the chase. He knew he had to be fast if he wanted Shannon to survive. The Vault door was in sight. There were Fiends on his tail, so Vincent knew he needed to be quick. The door was sealed as usual, so he did the only thing he thought of. He hit it fiercely, and yelled to those inside,
  "Jacko! Its me, Vincent! Let me inside, I need your help!"
There was no response.
  "Goddamnit, come on! I've got your friends on my ass, and I have wounded here with me!"
He could hear them getting closer. Though another sound interrupted. The gracious sound of the Vault's siren. One that meant the mighty door was opening. Soon the horrid grinding of metal followed, and the door began to part. There was not yet enough room to enter, and he could see the Fiends that wanted him dead appear behind him and around the corner. Just as they began to fire at him and his unconscious companion, Vincent slipped into the crack that was now available, and into the Vault. Relief was not yet at hand. Those inside the Vault gave him a strange look, but passed by him in order to counter the attack they were now facing from the outside. Vincent had no time to catch up with those around him, and instead chose to rush through the crowd and find his old friend, Jacko. He was a man who could loosely be labeled as a doctor. The only one the Fiends had in fact. Vincent's time as a Fiend had gotten him into countless scuffles, and of course, countless visits to Jacko. He had previously resided in the lower levels of the Vault, and Vince hoped thats where he was now. The flights of stairs were weighing down him, not even to mention the strain of carrying Shannon, but he continued nonetheless. As Vincent sped down the hall he managed to bump into someone, someone who once recognized became elated.
  "Vincent! What in the hell are you doing here?"
Jacko. Finally.
  "I need your help. You're the only person I thought I could come to."
His eyes travelled down to Shannon.
  "I see. Well bring her this way."
The trio now travelled the opisite direction Jacko had previously been heading. Jacko's "medical office" was in fact in the same location as it had been before. Still just as dirty too.
  "Lay her here, if you don't mind"
Vincent did as asked and placed Shannon on the gurney that was in the center of the room. Her abdoment was covereded in blood, and a thick trail of it added to the decor of the Vault's corridor they'd just been in. Jacko felt Shannon's pulse, and his expression suddenly turned distressed.
  "She has no pulse"
  "What?!"
  "Now hold on a minute, boy. I'll see what I can do. You stand out there."
  "No, I'm not leaving. Just let me help- or... Something!"
Vincent felt as though leaving would be abandoning her.
  "The best thing for all of us right now is to just let me do my job"
Jacko pointed towards the door, and with reluctance, Vince stepped into the hall. The door slid shut behind him. There was a sudden and desparate grief that took hold of Vincent, and he slid to the floor in response. Because of his own actions, Shannon was now lying in her own blood.