Good Night, Vegas Lights

Chapter 24

Vincent burst into Jacko's office once he returned to the Vault.
  "Vincent? I'm glad your back. You sure seemed like you didn't think you would be."
  "That bastard... He- He..."
  "Who?"
  "The fucking kid! Noah! He killed Sam..."
  "I don't know what your talking about...."
Vincent was feeling a painful mixture of emotions. Sadness. Anger. Betrayal.
  "Jacko... Its got nothing to do with you. Or the Fiends for that matter."
Jacko gave Vince a soft look. He opened his mouth as if fixing to say something, but didn't. They sat in silence for what seemed to be maybe an hour or so. Suddenly Jacko seemed to decide to ask the question he previously hadn't.
  "Do you love her?"
Vincent turned in surprise at the suddenness of such a question.
  "Who?"
Jacko nodded towards Shannon.
  "Shannon? I- Well... No"
  "Why?"
  "Because. Elizabeth...-"
  "Vincent"
  "Hm?"
  "When are you going to face the fact that Elizabeth is dead? You're going to have to move on eventually."
Vincent was prepared to snap at him, but Shannon suddenly grunted.
  "Oh? Thats the first sign of anything she's displayed in the last few hours..."
Jacko stepped to her side ready to check her vitals, but Shannon's eyes shot open, and when she seen the Fiend standing above her she was none to happy. Vincent was surprised to hear her scream.
  "Shannon! Shannon calm down!"
Vince stepped forward in an attempt to maybe cradle her, but she backed away and ultimately slipped off the gurney.
  "Shannon its me! Vincent!"
He kneeled down next to her, and when she realized who it was that was actually in front of her, she broke down in tears. Jacko promptly left the room.
  "Oh god, I thought I was dead. I had the most horrible dream. It was like Hell, and I couldn't escape... You're family was there. All of them. I kept chasing them, and chasing them, but every time I got close there would be this horrid bang. Like a gunshot, and then you'd be there, with a gun in your hand, like you had killed your own self... "
She threw her arms around Vincent's neck. He accepted and hugged her back. He had no idea how long he sat with her like that while she silently sobbed to herself. Eventually he spoke.
  "For Chist's sake you almost died of blood loss. I'm so sorry I dragged you into this..."
She pulled away from him, teary eyed.
  "No, Vincent. Its fine. I want to help you. I volunteered."
  "Well... Nonetheless, it'll be over soon."
She turned to look at him.
  "What?"
  "I know who killed them."
  "What? Who?"
  "...Noah"
Shannon reeled back in horror.
  "What? No, no he couldn't. How do you know?"
  "I went and seen him like I said I would. He was there at McCarran. When I mentioned the sharecropper wages, and how I knew he had lied about being Sam's brother, he... He changed. Like some fucking psycho. He told me that he killed her."
  "But... But he just seemed so..."
  "So innocent. Such a kid."
  "Yeah... You know, I never got the chance to tell you but we made it to that woman in New Vegas. Sarah Weintrub? She said that Elizabeth actually had mentioned something strange. Something about scraping up some money."
  "Money? But we had plenty."
  "She didn't have anything else to say. I'm sorry."
Silence overcame the two. Shannon sat staring at the floor, puffy-eyed and red faced. Vincent had never seen her cry. He had never really even seen her unhappy before. All the people that he had gotten involved in his foolish endeavor had gotten hurt. That thought made Vince cringe. Was avenging his family really worth all the suffering he had brought in the recent months to those around him? Eventually Jacko came back into the room.
  "Uh, Vincent. I just wanted to say it would be good for Shannon to take some buffout. To help keep her strength up."
Shannon yielded no response, so Vince answered for her.
  "Alright. Thats fine. What time is it?"
  "Around four I believe"
Jacko placed two of the pills and a bottle of water on a table in the room before leaving. Vincent retrieved the items, and brought them to Shannon.
  "Here. You heard the doc."
She took them without a word and swallowed the pills dry.
  "Look I know being here might upset you-"
 "No, its not that. I mean, I'm not particularly supportive of the Fiends, but... Well its just I still can't believe it was Noah."
  "Well, why don't we talk about something else, so you don't have to think about that scum bag?"
  "Heh, yeah. Sure."
  "Alright. How about I let you ask me something? You said back when we had been arrested that you wanted to learn more about me."
Shannon smiled at Vincent's friendly suggestion.
  "Okay. So you used to be a Fiend huh? You always wore those funky outfits?"
She was of course talking about what Vincent was currently wearing, considering that he was still in the outfit that he'd taken from the armory.
  "Uh, yeah."
She laughed as she spoke,
  "Why?"
  "One word: Jet"
  "Ohohoho, I see. So you were a full-blooded Fiend huh?"
  "Yup. That includes all the chems, killing, and pillaging usually associated with them as well."
  "...So you did some dark things after your family died?"
  "Worked for the Omertas. Ran with the Fiends. Tried to get in with the Great Khans. Became a drifter for awhile. Eventually ended up in Freeside. All the while using chems and booze to try to forget."
  "Why would you want to forget your family?"
  "Its not them I wanted to forget. Its the day I found them slaughtered I wanted gone from my memory. Nightmares used to haunt me every night. Funny thing about your dream- I have tried to kill myself. Twice."
  "...I figured. Ive been worried about you."
  "First time was here with the Fiends. I ran into a wall of bullets. Four of them ended up in my chest. That was how I met Jacko. Second time was in Freeside. I... I tried to use a piece of broken glass I found to slit my wrists. Low and behold though, I woke up in Mormon Fort. The Followers had found me, and saved me. Whether or not I'm grateful for that, I still don't know. They're good people. More of what the Wasteland needs."
  "Vincent... You shouldn't tear yourself up over this. Over your past."
  "But, if I had been there!-"
  "Nothing can change the fact that you weren't. It would've happened either way."
  "Even so... I'm a sick person. I've killed more people than I count. Look into the fucking halls! That shit out there, those dead bodies? I used to enjoy shit like that."
  "Everyone can change"
  "I don't know about that"
  "Why?"
  "Because even as we sit here, alls I can think about is stabbing Noah in that black heart of his"
  "Well. Sometimes some people just need to be put down."
  "I know. Thats why I tried to kill myself."
Shannon was shocked by the statement. Vincent was clearly wrecked with pain and suffering.
  "I agreed to meet him. At sunset."
  "You're not going to back down from him either, are you?"
  "No"
She sighed as Vince stood up.
  "I'm going to go get ready."
He left her alone and walked back to the armory. He sifted through the various items looking for his clothes from before. Once he found them, he changed. For a moment he thought about wether or not he should get some better fire power. He decided against it. His revolver was all he needed, though just in case he grabbed a knife. When he returned to the room, Shannon was crying once again.
  "Its time for me to go. Its nearly sunset."
  "I know..."
  "I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
  "At least let me walk with you to the door?"
  "Of course"
Vincent smiled as she joined him at his side. They sojourned through the Vault, and upon passing Jacko, Vincent thanked him for all he'd done. By the time the pair had reached the door, Shannon seemed tired. Probably from her injury and all the stress she'd experienced since she had woken up. The two stood outside the Vault door for a long time before eventually saying something to one another.
  "Hey Shannon"
  "Yes Vincent?"
  "Those scars on your shoulders? What are they from?"
  "Huh. When I was young... I used to love getting myself into trouble by exploring buildings of the old world. Once I bit off more than I could chew, and well... The building collapsed. Right on top of me. I was trapped there for two and a half days. I nearly died of dehydration."
  "Who found you?"
 "The town vagrant. A man known to spend all his caps on booze. People can change Vincent. I promise."
He smiled at her. He appreciated her last ditch attempts at consoling him, he really did. The sun was begininng its descent and Vincent knew now was his time to leave, however.
  "Shannon, its time"
  "I know"
The two looked at one another. They were close, maybe only inches apart. Shannon cradled Vincent's chin ever so slightly. She began to lean in, her frail lips barely parted, but he retracted and looked away. Her expression turned confused, and hurt.
  "Shannon, you know how I feel."
She glanced at the sky. At the sunset that was in its infancy.
  "...I know..."
A single tear drifted down her cheek as she spoke. Vincent began to walk away, but she suddenly grabbed hold of his hand.
  "Please. Come back."
He gave his best smile as he pulled his hand away.
  "I will... Now. I have business to take care of..."
He then turned his back to her and walked into the desert that was becoming engulfed in the flames of the sun.