Fallout 3 - Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 5 Part 1

"Back to the concrete! Now!" Patience flipped back up and fired two shots towards the sniper, hoping that Valrie had listened to her order. Three Super Mutants started lumbering towards her and a fourth began raising its missile launcher.

She ducked back down and took a couple of quick, deep breaths. Valrie had already skittered away, disappearing behind the concrete slab they had first hidden behind and Patience jumped up to follow. She sprinted, head down, and threw herself behind the concrete as the tell-tale whistle and whine of a missile approached.

The explosion shook and vibrated the air, making her ears ring and throb in pain. Debris clattered against the broken concrete and started falling around them. She had little time to worry about that. Valrie huddled behind the slab, arms over her head, gripping her football helmet, her eyes closed tight.

"God damn it! Your jump suit ain't worth this!" The older woman yelled.

Patience ignored Valrie's protests. Bringing herself back to her feet, she aimed the rifle through the broken gap in the concrete. Two more shots rang out, aimed at the first Super Mutant she saw. The first bullet pinged away, deflected by an old, large radiator it wore as body armour. The second bullet thudded into its chest, burying deep and causing a gout of thick, green blood to spout outwards. It didn't even flinch.

Before ducking down again, she saw four other Super Mutants joining the fray. One, even bigger than the others. Over eight feet tall, its skin a thick, dark green. It carried what looked like a giant make-shift sword, held with one hand, casual and without any effort.

There wasn't any other cover. At least, none that they could reach before getting cut down by gunfire, or finding another missile launched at them. She felt desperate, breathing heavy. She doubted that suppressing fire would work with these creatures, they didn't seem to care if they got shot.

She flipped the RoF switch to 'auto'. If she was going to die here, she would go down fighting. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the cool face of the concrete slab, trying to control her breathing. She could feel Valrie almost trying to dig her way further into hiding. With one last breath, she prepared to come out shooting.

"Humans!" A deep, rumbling voice battered and bludgeoned its way through the air. "Come out. Now. You will not be killed."

"Not killed. King say. King tell truth." Another voice, not as deep as the first.

"I don't need an echo!" The sound of something getting punched.

"Yes, King. Me am sorry, King." The second voice became higher and contrite.

Patience felt confused. She looked towards Valrie who had a similar look of confusion upon her face.

"That don't sound like no Super Mutant I ever heard." Valrie started to lift her head to look through the hole in the concrete before Patience shoved her head back down.

"If you don't come out now, you will certainly die." The Super Mutant 'King' continued. Patience chanced a look and saw the King, its giant sword tip resting on the ground, its hands folded on the grip. "The worst that could happen if you surrender is that you become like us."

Patience could feel her eyes move fast, from side to side, as she ran through her options. The Super Mutants outnumbered them. She had no idea what could kill these Super Mutants, or if she could kill them. It was possible that enough bullets could bring them down, but she had little amounts of ammunition as it was. It was also possible that a shot or two right into their brains could drop them, but she wouldn't have the luxury of aiming before the others riddled her with bullets or blew her apart with a missile.

She considered surrendering and attempting escape later, but she had no idea where they Super Mutants would take them, whether they would find themselves tied up. If so, what with? There were too many unknown variables and the variables she did know made the situation as bleak as it could get. All she knew was that as long as she was alive, there was a chance. However slim.

She didn't want to become like these brutish creatures and she didn't want to die, that was for certain. Limited options. Limited possibilities. She took one last look at Valrie. The old woman shook her head. To say 'no'? To say she didn't know what to do? Patience couldn't tell. She had to make a decision.

She removed the strap of her rifle and laid the weapon on the ground, then did the same with her sidearm. She raised her arms, stood up and stepped out from behind the concrete.

"And the other one." The Super Mutant King crooked a finger, seeing Valrie's face through the gap in the concrete. She shuffled out, hands raised high. "Now, isn't this more civilised?"

A dirty wind whipped up from nowhere, lifting the sterile dust of the ground, dancing with the drifting smoke from the missile explosion. It whistled between Patience and Valrie, turning and twisting the air, blowing towards the Super-Mutant King. As the wind reached him, the King sniffed. The great, bony ridge of his brow creased and he sniffed again. He stepped back.

"Kneel for King!" One of the other Super-Mutants growled. It stepped forwards.

"No! Don't touch them!" The King reached out to his subordinate, but it was too late. The Super-Mutant dropped a huge hand upon Patience's shoulder, shoving her to her knees.

Within the blink of an eye, the King's sword lifted, swept out and tore through the neck of the Super Mutant that had touched Patience. The head fell from the body, dropping at Valrie's feet. A fountain of blood spurted from the remains of the creature's neck, spattering over Valrie and Patience and the body crumpled to the floor.

"What the fuck!" Valrie began retching, at the smell, at the blood, at the decapitated head at her feet.

The Super Mutant King began backing away, staring at Patience and Valrie. A tense, unwavering stare. He ushered the other Super Mutants backwards and they obeyed, however confused they were with the order.

"You two," The King pointed towards Valrie and Patience. "You stay away from Super Mutants. You come near my people, I'll hit you with every missile I've got."

With a few more backward steps, the King turned away and, with the other Super Mutants following, regardless of how confused they appeared, he started striding away, back to the Fairfax Ruins.

"What the fuck just happened?" Valrie shook her arms to toss away some of the Super Mutant blood and wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat. "I mean, what, the actual fuck, just happened?

"I have no fucking idea." Patience mumbled to herself.

The wind played and teased with their clothing and hair. Changing direction and tossing the dry dust around like tiny little toys.