Wasteland Ferns

Not dying Today

** Fern's POV**

I tried to survive for three days. The bullet wound in my leg, plus gash on my shoulder certainly didn't help. Looking at the world around me, I felt a mix of emotions. Dad always told me about the bombs launched by the reds. Those explosives were no joke. It was like the whole country had died.

It didn't matter.

I still didn't understand why Dad left, and wanted to find him, but I was working from nothing. The pain was excruciating, and I couldn't move without wincing in pain. The supplies were scarce, leaving me grateful for any bit of food I could snag. The geigher counter on my pip-boy ticked on, whenever I got too close to the small green puddles on the ground. God, I would have killed for some Radaway.

Soon enough, I located a box, hidden by a ruined car. Looking inside, it was full of pre-war goods. Fancy lads, Sugar bombs, Cram, etcetera. I reached in, grabbing a box of potato crisps. I scarfed them down, and wanted to cry. I hadn't eaten in a day, and I needed that. Before I could grab anything else, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind, spinning me around to face whoever had caught me.

He bellowed, "You think you can steal from us, kid?!"

He was a strong guy, looking about my age. He wore makeshift leather armor, and had piercing eyes that suddenly softened upon seeing my injured leg and shoulder.

"What in the hell?"

I didn't speak, but I also didn't hesitate to grab a nearby stick, clobbering him with it. He staggered back, and I booked it, running faster than I ever did in my life. He chased after me, calling for me to wait, but I kept going. Each step, and I felt like I was going to die, but I pressed on, thankfully losing him after taking cover in a deserted gas station. Dust and rot filled the air, proof that this world really was destroyed. The shop was practically full of cobwebs, with them lingering in every empty shelf.

When I thought I lost the stranger, I cautiously stepped out. I barely made it a few steps before my legs gave over, and I collapsed onto the ground. I weakly tried to crawl forward, but I felt too weak, and lightheaded.

I thought to myself, "Is this how I die?"

I could feel myself slipping away, no matter how hard I tried to stay awake, but the last thing I saw was a man running towards me. With all that was left of my strength, I uttered two words, barely above a whisper.

"Help me..."

And everything went black.

**Simms' POV**

One of the caravan guards told me about an injured kid running around. We managed to track down her last location in this desolate wasteland, and there she was. A girl, 19, by the looks of it, and a vault dweller. I would have recognized the blue jumpsuit anywhere. Her hair was a vibrant red, like she dyed it. She was wounded, passed out by a rubble pile. I rushed to her side, placing my fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. While I did manage to find one, it was weak, and faint.

"Hang on, kid. Don't quit on me yet."

I scooped her into my arms, her limp body drenched with sweat and blood, and almost weighing nothing, as if she hadn't eaten a proper meal in days. I muttered to myself, "You're lighter than a mole rat, girl. Let's get you to safety."

Carrying her limp form in my arms, I rushed to Megaton, hoping it wasn't too late for this kid.

**Fern's POV**

I opened my eyes, the pain in my leg and shoulder had dulled, and I felt the bandages wrapped around me. I looked around, and found myself in a somewhat cozy room, with the walls a mix of brown and grey. Looking out the window near my bed, I saw structures made of wood, with some metal keeping them together. Looking down at myself, I noticed that my vault jumpsuit was gone, and I was in a gray tank top and some pants, but my leg and shoulder were bandaged.

I made it?

The creak of an opening door startled me, and I looked at the door. It slowly opened, and a figure stepped into the room. He had a calm demeanor, wearing a white t-shirt and some jeans, smiling at me as he greeted in a gravelly voice, "Well, look who's finally awake. I was starting to think you didn't make it, kid."

I jumped at noticing how he looked decayed. His skin seemed to be rotting, with his flesh exposed in some parts. He looked like a zombie, but I didn't want to offend him. He seemed nice enough.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

He seemed to notice my edginess, as he raised his hands, showing me he is unarmed. He didn't seem offended. The stranger murmured, "Hey, hey, it's okay, kid. You're safe. I ain't gonna hurt ya. My name's Gob, and no, I'm not a zombie. I'm a ghoul. You're in Megaton, Moriarty's saloon."

I instinctively tried to get up, but winced in pain. Gob walked over to me, putting his hand on my uninjured shoulder and gently pressing me back down. "Easy, smoothskin. You need to rest. You're lucky to be alive. You got a name?"

I laid back down on the mattress, looking up at Gob as I asked, "Yeah. Fern. What happened?" He hesitated before answering, "Simms found you out in the wasteland, passed out and beat up. He brought ya here after making sure you were patched up. Doc said you'll need some time to recover."

"I feel weird... How long was I out?"

Gob chuckled, crossing his arms. "That's just the med-x, kid. You're fine. As for how long you've been out, it was about a day, give or take. Nova and I've been taking care of ya." I squinted in confusion and asked, "Who's Nova?"

As if on cue, the door opened again, and a woman in a blue sweater, with ripped jeans walked in, carrying a tray of what looked like food and a cup of water. Her hair was short and puffy, but also a pretty ginger color, and she had a tough exterior, but she smiled. Gob gestured to the woman and uttered, "Fern, Nova. Nova, Fern."

Nova quipped, "Hey there, kiddo. Thought you'd be hungry after sleeping through the day." She placed the tray on the table by my bed. I looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

She nodded towards the plate. "It's Mole rat meat and some seared gourd. Didn't know what you liked." I cautiously grabbed the plate and took a bite.

Easily the best food I've ever had.

I immediately started wolfing down the food, not realizing how hungry I was until now. Gob chuckled as he laid a hand on my arm and quipped, "Slow down, kid. You're supposed to eat the food, not inhale it."

I slowed down, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry."

"It's okay, kid. I'd be hungry too."

I smiled and kept eating, trying to be slow. After a while, Nova spoke up.

"Look, hun. I know it's not much, but if you wanted, you could stay with us."

My eyes widened as I looked up at her and argued, "I can't ask you to do that."

Nova crossed her arms, her expression softening. She calmly quipped, "You're not asking. I- We are offering."

Wait, really? They were just letting me stay here?

I looked down at my body, the makeshift bandages on my leg and shoulder. There was no way I could go out there like this. I needed time to get my shit together. I looked at Gob and Nova, and smiled.

"Thanks."