Fallout 3 - Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 3 Part 1

Come the dawn and Patience found Sierra scrubbing the raider's blood from the wall of the shack. Using a brush with few bristles, the woman didn't seem to notice that Patience had awoken, moving the brush around in furious circles.

"Ronald will have a fright if he sees this." She mumbled to herself, blowing her hair from her face from the corner of her mouth. "And then I have to make sure the exhibits are in order. So much to do. So much to do."

Patience pitied the young woman. It was clear that she was no longer in a rational state. Not knowing if it was because of the loss of her friend or from the trauma of the day before, Patience felt in a quandary. If she stayed here alone, she wouldn't last long. The raiders knew she was alone, that was why they had invaded her home. If one set of raiders knew, it was probable that others did too.

"Your friend, Ronald. He's dead. He's not coming back." She crouched beside Sierra, stopping her scrubbing. It was harsh to say it like this, but the woman needed to hear it. "If you don't leave this place, you'll end up dead too."

"Ronald went looking for Nuka-Cola Quantum for me." Distant eyes bored into Patience's own eyes. "He'll be back before long."

"He's dead! Understand? Dead!" She tried to stop herself snapping at the poor woman, but she couldn't help herself.

"It's no use. I've told her so many times." Valrie reentered the shack, closing the door behind her. "Trust me, her head's gone. Maybe she'll snap out of it one day. I hope I can get her to move East. Tried forcing her once, but she just up and ran back here first chance she got."

"We should take her with us. Drag her, tie her, if we have to." She saw Valrie shake her head.

"Bodies are gone. The brahmin's been eaten." Valrie changed the subject and tossed the bag of bottle caps, that Patience had found on the body of the raider, on the table. "You missed these. Must be thirty, forty caps in there."

"I didn't think they were worth anything." It was clear the subject of taking Sierra with them was now closed.

"Not worth anything? Everything's worth something! You can't buy things without caps." Valrie tipped out the contents of the bag and began counting.

"These are what you use for money?" Patience picked up a cap, turning it over, examining the faded symbol printed upon it.

"What else are we going to use?" She lost count, sighing, and started again. "Out west, I heard they use paper. Paper! Hell, I could write on a piece of paper and try to buy things. I'd get laughed out of town, but I could try."

Patience dropped the bottle cap back on the table, much to the consternation of Valrie, who started her count once again. Looping the strap of the rifle over her head and shoulder, she looked at Sierra once more, still scrubbing at blood that she had already cleaned away. Picking up the snub .38, she crouched once more beside the woman lost in her own mind.

"Here. In case you need it. Just pull the hammer back and pull the trigger. It's easy. Shoot first, worry about who you're shooting at later." She took Sierra's hand and pressed the .38 into her palm. Sierra looked at the gun, not seeming to understand what it was. "Just ... just in case. Okay?"

"I could get twenty caps for that and you're just giving it away." The football helmet wobbled as she shook her head.

"She needs it more than we do." Standing, she watched Valrie finish counting the bottle caps, squirrelling the pouch away in one of her myriad pockets. "So, where next?"

"I already radioed ahead to my place." She pointed towards a battered short wave radio, hidden under detritus, in the corner. "Don't worry, it's on the way. I'm not leading you on a wild Bloat Fly chase."