Crossfire - Fallout 4 - [R J MacCready x Sole Survivor]

Chapter 17

He wanted to be alone.

MacCready wanted to be busy, but there was only so much he could do within Sanctuary. His gun was clean. Hunting would be pointless as there was more than enough food in storage. The only thing he could do was pick up his rifle and volunteer to patrol around the perimeter.

Preston initially objected against MacCready leaving the bunkers - an instruction from Dawn no doubt - but the minuteman was understanding. He knew that all the sniper wanted was space.

So, MacCready was left alone. Walking around the outskirts with his trusted rifle in his hands, his boots disturbing the dirt, and a heavy weight on his shoulders. He chewed absentmindedly at the cigarette between his lips, a trail of smoke following him as he trudged in whatever direction he felt like following. His pack was nearly empty - he had more in the bunkers - but he did not feel like going back into the settlement. Going back meant meeting more people.

He didn't want to know more of them.

His footsteps crunched through the dead leaves as he followed an old trail up the hill. A giant billboard shadowed him from the late afternoon sun, and when he looked up at it he felt a small twinge of hatred.

The billboard was rusted, panels were missing, and the colours were faded to the same dullness as the rest of the wasteland. Though the advertisement was tarnished and incomplete, he could still make out the painted scene of pre-war families happily walking towards the entrance of a vault. And that anger simmered within him when he thought of the experience told by Dawn.

He spat out the cigarette to the ground, then carried on walking.

MacCready ascended up the hill, taking care to not catch his already torn duster on the rusted wire fence, the fence being the barrier between Sanctuary and the entrance to Vault 111. None of the settlers ever had any need to come to this part of the settlement, so he knew he would not be disturbed as he made his way to the top.

Just like he thought, there was no-one there.

The graves Preston had dug up yesterday were now full, each one piled with a mound of dirt, and he walked up to one to see if there were any markings. A large rock was placed at the head of each grave, but none had any names.

MacCready sighed. He knew these graves were for the other vault dwellers, but one of them had to have been Dawn's husband. Nothing gave the identity of the graves - no mementos or flowers - and he wondered which one held the loving husband Dawn had missed so much.

A bitter taste rose to the back of throat when he remembered Lucy not having her own grave.

It wasn't something he should concern himself with. He forcefully placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it was he walked away. MacCready breathed in the smoke and made his way to the edge of the cliff, the outlook overseeing the whole of Sanctuary. The teleporter was in plain sight of the overlook, the metal structure tall and so out of place within the settlement, but he couldn't help but think that very machine is the gateway for Dawn to finally be reunited with her lost son.

He checked his watch. Late afternoon, and in a few hours, night would fall. Dawn will leave then.

The caw of a raven roused him from his stupor, and he looked up angrily at the source of the sound. There were trees by the vault entrance, and atop the splintery branches were a murder of crows. They tittered amongst themselves, but they watched him as he smoked.

Then, each one of them turned their heads and stared at the far end of the clearing. MacCready followed their gaze, a little concerned about the interest these birds have with watching people, and he felt himself freeze when he saw who was walking up the hill.