Fallout: Fury Blood

Chapter 22: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

The darkness was growing thicker, closer, crowding around her and weighing against her chest. It was like being underwater in the pitch black depths of the ocean, crushing with a frozen death-grip. Kelly's eyes darted as shadows wisped through the surrounds, so fleeting that she could never quite catch sight of them. They would flirt with the corner of her vision, then dive away before she could pin them, shy or devious or... imaginary.

Was she going insane?

Her mind seemed to lag behind as her body chugged on, moving down the steps on autopilot, hazing her vision and giving a grainy texture to the abyss. Maybe it was just the amount of Med-X streaming through her system; she had probably cut it close to overdosing. Maybe the cocktail of Jet and Med-X was just screwing with her brain. She would be more careful next time.

Next time? Are you planning on welcoming Med-X into your dirty little affair with chems, now?

No, another voice answered the other. Only if things get too much for me. Cocktailing would be the easiest, most painless way to go out.

You're pathetic, the first voice took a bite. Weak, selfish, yielding and pliant. A disgrace to those you keep locked up in your memories. Would Nate want this for you?

He would understand. He wouldn't want me to go on suffering. He would want me to be there with him.

Bullshit!

Another tremor in the rocks brought Kelly up short in her trance. The fingers of the darkness were still there, wrapping around her throat, slowly suffocating. Her hand whipped out to the railings, still feeble, still shaking.

"It's alright," Danse soothed at her back, "just a mild tremor. Nothing to be concerned about." His deep voice seeped through her skin and delivered oxygen to her blood. She could exhale smoothly and inhale again without the airflow catching dryly down her throat. That was all it took, just the sound of his voice.

"Need to get a grip on myself," she said with a small breathy laugh.

"There's no need to feel ashamed," Danse buoyed her in his usual steadying manner. "Many soldiers in the Brotherhood share a fear of heights, even aboard the Prydwen. Facing that fear is what separates the soldier from the civilian."

But it's not really the height that's the problem...

"Hey," Cait sent a whisper up from further down the stairway. "If you fall into the quarry, do I get yer stuff?"

"Go suck a fat one, Cait."

A soft burst of chuckles broke from the woman's chest before she turned to keep heading down.

Kelly was about to turn to thank Danse for his support and apologize for being such a wimp, when another shadow below caught her eye. She targeted it, pistol trembling in her grip, eyes squinting to cut through the murk.

"Hold up. You see that?"

Danse immediately snapped into combat-mode, followed her barrel with his laser rifle. "See what?"

Everyone else came to a halt and primed their weaponry.

"Movement," Kelly replied lowly. "A shadow."