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

Chapter 22

The Glowing Sea was more than just a wasteland. It was hell on earth, with everything tainted with a sickness only war could bring. The dirt was a mixture of dust and debris, a pain for MacCready to walk through, but occasionally it would wet down into acidic mud if their paths crossed over stagnant puddles.

He was grateful that Dawn brought two Hazmat suits - the only barrier between him and his sickly surroundings - but after hours of walking it quickly became a stifling prison. He was tired, he was hot, and he was miserable.

Dawn was ahead, shotgun held ready in her gloved hands, and she trekked forward without pause. She knew where she was going, and all MacCready could do was follow her diligently and hope that they were not lost.

She stopped in her tracks. MacCready slowed down as he looked around warily for signs of danger, but he trained his eyes on Dawn when she beckoned him closer.

"Found it," she said, voice muffled from her helmet. "Virgil lives in that cave up ahead."

MacCready nodded and began to make his way over, but he was quickly held back. Dawn's grip on his arm was tight, even through the thick fabric of their suits. He looked between her hand and her helmet with confusion. "What's the matter?"

"I need to tell you something before we go in," she explained. "Virgil is...just, don't shoot him. He's not entirely..." She stalled with a vague gesture.

"What?" He pressed, his patience growing thin.

"He's not human." Dawn shrugged. "Well, he is, but he's also..." She trailed off as she tried to find the words.

"A Ghoul?" He pressed. "C'mon, I know Hancock. I owe caps to the guy and-"

"No."

She turned to face him, the glass of her helmet only showing the smeared reflection of his own. It was hard to guess what expression was on her face, but the terseness in her reply was the only giveaway that she was serious. However, MacCready could only grow more impatient at the lack of answers.

"Oh jeez. Then what? Give it to me straight, Boss."

A sigh heaved through her rebreather as she shook her head. "He's a Super Mutant."

A mutie. Of course, he thought, because he's travelled long enough with Dawn to know that nothing is ever going to be straightforward. A grunt echoed from within his helmet as he shook his head. "Whatever," he huffed as he trudged on. "Let's go. I don't like being so out in the open."

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod.

They were quiet as they both trudged down the valley, rocks and loose soil disturbed beneath their boots. It was eerie as they walked, the occasional flash of green lightning illuminating their dim surroundings. Eventually they reached the lip of a giant crater - ground zero of a massive nuclear bomb from the great war - which gave way to a jagged path down the side of one of its cragged faces.

There was a nook in the path, and MacCready stepped over Deathclaw footprints with apprehension as he followed Dawn down a narrow crevice. It was cramped, and drops of fetid water dripped onto MacCready's helmet. The deeper they traversed into the cave, the darker it became.

Dawn removed her helmet, the click of metal clasps echoed down the cave as she did so. MacCready copied her, the stuffiness replaced with a wave of cold and damp air. He squinted in the darkness as he peered at Dawn, where she soon illuminated their immediate area with the green glow of her Pip-Boy.

She nodded towards the abyss, her helmet tucked under her arm. "Walk slowly. We need to give Virgil some time to deactivate his defence turrets."

"Yes, Boss..." He sighed, though his skin prickled at the thought of this Virgil guy forgetting to switch the turrets off. He didn't know what was worse; being shredded to bits by turrets or becoming the next meal to the monsters of the Glowing Sea. Anxiety creeped into his mind as they cautiously made their way deeper into the cave.