He's a Demon, He's a Devil, He's a Doll

Chapter 3

"200 caps by the end of the week or we start sending back pieces of her for every day your late." Boomer fires his pipe pistol into the air for added effect. The other Settlers watch on in silent horror as I drag the screaming girl along the dirt path.

"Shut up and walk before I give you a reason why you can't," I threaten. She slowly rises to her feet and looks me dead in the eyes.

"You're a monster," she cries. I unholster my pipe pistol. It's enough. She turns and continues down the path on her own.

I hear the creak of Boomer's Power Armor come up behind me. I turn my head and feel a metal hand wrap around my throat. He tightens his grip and lifts me off the ground. I can't breathe. I try to focus on his face and when I finally find his eyes I panic. Nate stares back at me with cold dark eyes.

"Raider Scum!" He yells and throws me down onto the ground. My vision goes dark and I try to catch my breath. I feel a weight on my chest, but somehow...I can breathe again.

I blink a few times and realize Nate is on top of me now. His hand is still wrapped around my throat but it doesn't hurt. I try to push him off, but he is too strong. I search his face, his eyes are still dark. Before I have a chance to say anything his lips are against mine. It's hard and frantic and I can feel the weight of his body pressing into mine. He runs his other hand down my side and slides it around my lower back. His lips feel like fire against mine and all I want is more. He lifts me up and uses the leverage to roll over onto his back still holding me against him.

I feel like I'm falling and my face hits the floor. My eyes snap open and it takes me a minute to realize where I am. I push myself up off the floor and climb back onto the bed. A drop of blood lands on my hand. Fuck, that would be my nose bleeding again. I take my backpack off and drop it on the floor next to the bed. I can hear the water flowing outside and the low hum of a turret. Sanctuary.

I tilt my head slightly forward and pinch the bridge of my nose to try and stop the bleeding. Luckily, it does fairly quickly. It's been months since my body has taken this much of a beating. I finally take a few minutes to scan the room. The bed sits in the corner near the window. There's a small foot locker near the doorway and a wash sink with a mirror hanging above it on the wall. I check the foot locker and find some purified water and a few other miscellaneous supplies.

I wash my face and hands in the sink. The water is cold and it feels good against my skin. I can't believe how quickly I fell asleep last night. I look in the mirror and notice some slight bruising around my nose and along my hairline. I pull my hair out of the low bun and try and run my hands through it. My fucked up sleeping position caused most of it to fall out of the style anyway. I gather it together and pull it back into a knot. At least my outward appearance won't reflect the utter chaos happening inside my head.

I try not to think about what my dream meant. It's a lot to try and process and I'm not sure I even want to. I remember that kidnapping. I remember that the Settlers couldn't pay and I remember what happened to the girl. I shake my head and take a deep breath. There's no point in dwelling on the past. It is what it is and I am what I am.

I hear the creak of Power Armor outside. I open the door and see Danse walking with MacCready and Kai. There's a small gray haired woman with them, she's got a minigun slung over her shoulder. It's practically as big as she is, but she seems to have no trouble with the weight. It must be Glory. I make a mental note to make sure I keep myself on her good side.

I notice Kai looking my way, she smiles and waves. I wave back. Nate is on the watchtower with Dogmeat and watches the team as they cross the bridge. I'm sure they will be fine. I don't know much about the Capital Wasteland, but that's a group that would be intimidating in any setting.