FO4 | Book 1: Bombs on Monday Morning ✔️

Ch 10: Wasteland Survival 101

The Super Mutants were closing in on us, at least five of them with bloodthirsty scowls, armed with guns. One started to charge toward us, and an annoying beeping sound was coming from his arm.

"Suicider! Get back!" Nick grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me out of the way, prompting me to run down the road. He stayed close behind me.

We veered off in separate directions, the Super Mutant deciding on chasing Nick instead of me. As I ducked down between two buildings in a skinny alleyway, I watched with terror as the Super Mutant got closer and closer to Nick.

Nick rolled out of the way, confusing the big brute. As Nick scrambled to his feet to meet me between the building's, the mutant's bomb went off, a blast of force and debris pushing Nick off his feet and against the side of the building.f

"Nick!" I left cover long enough to help him up and lean him against the wall of our hiding spot, hoping the bullets of the other four Super Mutants' hunting rifles didn't pin us.

"Damn!" Nick cursed, holding his side.

"Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine for now. Here's what we're gonna do. It's a two-parter so bear with me.

I listened intently.

"Part one: we get the hell outta here. Fast."

I stared at him blankly. That didn't sound like a plan. But he grabbed my wrist anyway with his skeletal metal hand and pulled me through the skinny alley and behind the buildings. We circled back around to the main road in the way we came.

Once we were out of harm's way, we stopped to catch our breath on the outskirts of the city. I bent over, hands on my knees, panting for air.

"Okay, second part: we get you prepared."

"What? We're leaving? Kellogg is right there in that building. We're just going to walk away now? I can't do that! I need to find Shaun!"

"Gwen, listen to me. Kellogg's not going anywhere. And if your son's in there with him, he's not going anywhere, either. They're holed up tight. Kellogg's keeping himself under lock and key." He lit another cigarette. "I gotta tell ya, you weren't much of a backup partner. I can tell you don't know your way around a gun like you should. Some of these dangerous situations are too much for you to handle. Hell, the Vault proved that much, but this took the cake."

"I'm learning!" I protested. I could feel my ears getting red with embarrassment at his lecturing.

He shook his head. "How much ammo you got left? Enough to take on Kellogg? Imagine what he'll do to you if you're not prepared. You can't kill Kellogg with luck and intention alone."

I grumbled and looked away from him. It crossed my mind that I could just head in without him, but even in my stubborn state, I knew that I would die without backup. I hated to admit that Nick may have been right. I really didn't know what I was doing. I only made it this far with the help of others.

"You knucklehead. You're going to get yourself killed. You're no good to Shaun dead."

I huffed, crossed my arms, and turned to face him. "Suggestions?"

"Go train yourself. Get strong. Practice. Teach yourself how to scavenge. Hell, ask someone to show you the ropes."

"Why can't you teach me? You're good at what you do."

"Well..." He looked down at his coat. It was ripped at the seam below the bend of his arm with a faint blotch of brown oil.

"Oh! Are you okay?"