Simus
An Excellent Site Member
Jessica stretched out on the bench after Kenzi jumped from the wagon. She slowly sat up and gave herself time to wake up as she observed their surroundings. The dead city of San Francisco had given way to a cracked, broken highway, wide open sky and an endless expanse of sand, cracked dirt and gravel with large boulders and hills in the distance. Buzzards called out to each other in the distance and she could see a herd of bighorners heading off into the distance. This land was rugged and harsh but also beautiful. She had never seen anything like it before, such an expanse of nature even after all this time. It gave her hope that even in the wasteland they lived in, scarred by nuclear fire and constant war, there was life.
Kenzi hopping back onto the wagon brought Jessica back to reality. "There we go! Should stop me getting a sunburn and safe from bugs. Did you know it keeps you cooler? Funny how interesting the small things seem now. Is this trip making you nervous, or is it just me?"
"Actually, yeah, it kind of is." Jessica confessed to Kenzi, looking up at her. "Before I fell asleep, we'd gone a full twenty minutes without seeing another soul. Now, out here, there's absolutely nothing. It's beautiful but eerie. Back home you couldn't walk to the bathroom without running into someone you knew. Now we could go for miles without seeing a soul. All this open space, it...well...it kind of scares me."
As they rolled along, Stella and Jed had their eyes on the rock formation to their left. The dull gray rocks ranged from chest high boulders to huge, towering ones ten feet high and at least five feet wide. They led up to and were settled upon a large grassy hill that led to a cave with a wooden door. There was clearly a camp here and it was in the perfect spot for an ambush. Two Powder Gangers were watching them with a pair of binoculars and a scoped varmint rifle.
"Better get the boss." One said. "Looks like we got ourselves another score."
"Damn that's a big one. Probably got a lot a good plops on em. Assuming our guys at the outpost didn't shake em down for everything."
"plops man, these guys probably wasted those fluffbrain retards. That means we get all their gear, ha ha!"
"Ha. Hell yeah. Let's go get the boss, set up a little "welcome party." They're probably gonna come up here and see what's up."
"Ha, yeah. fluffin' idiots. We'll be ready for 'em."
Jed was the first to spot movement along the rocks. Jessica had taken the time to tell Kenzi about her pip boy.
"So see this dial here? This shows an up to date map of our surroundings, and the date and time! Look! It's 1:16 p.m! On October 23rd! And it's a Monday! Okay, and when I twist this knob to this dash here it shows my current status! Hydration is good thanks to my water here, I'm a little hungry and all my vitals are good! There's even a setting that shows what I'm carrying! This is amazing! Now this one shows..."
"Jed! Movement on the rocks at 11 o'clock!" Stella shouted from the other wagon.
"I see it Stella!" Jed called back. He brought the brahmin to heel and Stella did the same, bringing both wagons to a stop. "Everybody out! Somebody's up there on that rocky hill and we're in a bad place to get ambushed! Vex, Kenzi! Take point! Stella, Andrea! take our sides! Everybody else, get behind me!"
Soon everyone was out of the wagons and in formation. The group advanced slowly as they headed towards the rocks and the terrain got steadily rougher. Dust and hard dirt gave way to gravel, sand and patches of grass. It was like walking into a forest of boulders and even though it made for plenty of cover, visibility was low. The hill wasn't for dozens of feet and that gave whoever was up there plenty of time to set up an ambush as soon as the group stepped onto that hill. The rocks were big and tall there and had been blasted into makeshift barricades. The sand and gravel made climbing difficult and charging up dangerous. This was not a good spot to be in.
"See anything Stella?" Jed asked in a low voice, not wanting to give anyone up there any more advantage than what they already had. He pumped his caravan shotgun in anticipation.
"Not yet Jed. Rocks up there are good cover and we can't see very well." She checked her laser rifle to make sure all was well. Then she kept her eyes and ears open.
"Why the fluff are we going up there man?" Ricky asked, clearly scared. "Let's just turn around and get the fluff out! We're walking into a fluffing ambush!"
"Keep it down you idiot! We're exposed enough as it is. They don't need any help from you."
"Besides, you're a 'fluffing storm of death' remember? We should be fine...right?" Jessica said, shaking with anticipation. Her laser rifle was out and ready and her plasma defender was loaded but she was so very nervous. She had never been in a real battle before and now she was just being thrust into one. What had she gotten herself into?
"We're gonna be fine Jess. Just stay focused and stay behind the rest of us. If you see a bullet hit near you, get to cover and stay there, okay?"
"Right. Take cover. First rule of engagement. Brotherhood Codex, Combat Tactics, page 7 paragraph 1."
The neared the hill. Vex and Kenzi had taken cover behind two boulders at the hill's base and signaled the group to move up. Everyone moved as close as they could and took cover behind the largest boulders they could find. Jessica and Ricky shared a boulder and both of their hearts were hammering. Their fear and anxiety fed off of each other and amplified the effect. Everyone else was completely silent. Moments passed and Jessica's heart was beating in her throat. Ricky's breathing was so loud that Daryl on the next rock over could hear him. He stuck his foot out one inch too far and it was found by the glint of a grenade rifle. The loud P-THUMP of the rifle was all anyone could here before a round hit Jessica and Ricky's boulder.
The world above them exploded in a shower of dust, heat and shrapnel equal parts metal and sandstone.
"TAKE COVER!" Jed yelled as a hail of bullets rained down on the group. He shot off both his shotgun barrels in quick succession and then took cover to reload.
"EVERYBODY STAY DOWN!" Stella shouted. "ONLY SHOOT AT WHAT YOU CAN HIT! USE SUPPRESSING FIRE ONLY IF YOU NEED TO! DO NOT WASTE YOUR AMMO!" She fired several shots with her laser rifle and managed to tag one of the gang members in the shoulder, producing a burning red wound and causing him to drop his light machine gun just as he was ready to fire. It stumbled down the hill and out of reach. Two more shots from Jed's shotgun found his head.
Acting on instinct, Jessica got down and curled up into a ball with her back against the boulder to minimize her profile. She was pelted with bits of dull rock but her armor protected her. She cradled her laser rife and clutched it for dear life. As the noise of combat erupted around her she closed her eyes and prayed. Ricky wasn't fast enough to dodge everything and a small piece of shrapnel grazed his right foot. Adrenaline immediately took over and he returned fire in the general direction of the rifle. His 10mm submachine gun was held together with a large piece of duct tape and immediately jammed when fired. After seeing this, Ricky dropped his weapon and panicked. Jessica simply curled up into a ball and waited for it to be over, tears of fear streaming down her face. There were over a dozen of them up there, all armed with various firearms and plenty of dynamite.
Kenzi hopping back onto the wagon brought Jessica back to reality. "There we go! Should stop me getting a sunburn and safe from bugs. Did you know it keeps you cooler? Funny how interesting the small things seem now. Is this trip making you nervous, or is it just me?"
"Actually, yeah, it kind of is." Jessica confessed to Kenzi, looking up at her. "Before I fell asleep, we'd gone a full twenty minutes without seeing another soul. Now, out here, there's absolutely nothing. It's beautiful but eerie. Back home you couldn't walk to the bathroom without running into someone you knew. Now we could go for miles without seeing a soul. All this open space, it...well...it kind of scares me."
As they rolled along, Stella and Jed had their eyes on the rock formation to their left. The dull gray rocks ranged from chest high boulders to huge, towering ones ten feet high and at least five feet wide. They led up to and were settled upon a large grassy hill that led to a cave with a wooden door. There was clearly a camp here and it was in the perfect spot for an ambush. Two Powder Gangers were watching them with a pair of binoculars and a scoped varmint rifle.
"Better get the boss." One said. "Looks like we got ourselves another score."
"Damn that's a big one. Probably got a lot a good plops on em. Assuming our guys at the outpost didn't shake em down for everything."
"plops man, these guys probably wasted those fluffbrain retards. That means we get all their gear, ha ha!"
"Ha. Hell yeah. Let's go get the boss, set up a little "welcome party." They're probably gonna come up here and see what's up."
"Ha, yeah. fluffin' idiots. We'll be ready for 'em."
Jed was the first to spot movement along the rocks. Jessica had taken the time to tell Kenzi about her pip boy.
"So see this dial here? This shows an up to date map of our surroundings, and the date and time! Look! It's 1:16 p.m! On October 23rd! And it's a Monday! Okay, and when I twist this knob to this dash here it shows my current status! Hydration is good thanks to my water here, I'm a little hungry and all my vitals are good! There's even a setting that shows what I'm carrying! This is amazing! Now this one shows..."
"Jed! Movement on the rocks at 11 o'clock!" Stella shouted from the other wagon.
"I see it Stella!" Jed called back. He brought the brahmin to heel and Stella did the same, bringing both wagons to a stop. "Everybody out! Somebody's up there on that rocky hill and we're in a bad place to get ambushed! Vex, Kenzi! Take point! Stella, Andrea! take our sides! Everybody else, get behind me!"
Soon everyone was out of the wagons and in formation. The group advanced slowly as they headed towards the rocks and the terrain got steadily rougher. Dust and hard dirt gave way to gravel, sand and patches of grass. It was like walking into a forest of boulders and even though it made for plenty of cover, visibility was low. The hill wasn't for dozens of feet and that gave whoever was up there plenty of time to set up an ambush as soon as the group stepped onto that hill. The rocks were big and tall there and had been blasted into makeshift barricades. The sand and gravel made climbing difficult and charging up dangerous. This was not a good spot to be in.
"See anything Stella?" Jed asked in a low voice, not wanting to give anyone up there any more advantage than what they already had. He pumped his caravan shotgun in anticipation.
"Not yet Jed. Rocks up there are good cover and we can't see very well." She checked her laser rifle to make sure all was well. Then she kept her eyes and ears open.
"Why the fluff are we going up there man?" Ricky asked, clearly scared. "Let's just turn around and get the fluff out! We're walking into a fluffing ambush!"
"Keep it down you idiot! We're exposed enough as it is. They don't need any help from you."
"Besides, you're a 'fluffing storm of death' remember? We should be fine...right?" Jessica said, shaking with anticipation. Her laser rifle was out and ready and her plasma defender was loaded but she was so very nervous. She had never been in a real battle before and now she was just being thrust into one. What had she gotten herself into?
"We're gonna be fine Jess. Just stay focused and stay behind the rest of us. If you see a bullet hit near you, get to cover and stay there, okay?"
"Right. Take cover. First rule of engagement. Brotherhood Codex, Combat Tactics, page 7 paragraph 1."
The neared the hill. Vex and Kenzi had taken cover behind two boulders at the hill's base and signaled the group to move up. Everyone moved as close as they could and took cover behind the largest boulders they could find. Jessica and Ricky shared a boulder and both of their hearts were hammering. Their fear and anxiety fed off of each other and amplified the effect. Everyone else was completely silent. Moments passed and Jessica's heart was beating in her throat. Ricky's breathing was so loud that Daryl on the next rock over could hear him. He stuck his foot out one inch too far and it was found by the glint of a grenade rifle. The loud P-THUMP of the rifle was all anyone could here before a round hit Jessica and Ricky's boulder.
The world above them exploded in a shower of dust, heat and shrapnel equal parts metal and sandstone.
"TAKE COVER!" Jed yelled as a hail of bullets rained down on the group. He shot off both his shotgun barrels in quick succession and then took cover to reload.
"EVERYBODY STAY DOWN!" Stella shouted. "ONLY SHOOT AT WHAT YOU CAN HIT! USE SUPPRESSING FIRE ONLY IF YOU NEED TO! DO NOT WASTE YOUR AMMO!" She fired several shots with her laser rifle and managed to tag one of the gang members in the shoulder, producing a burning red wound and causing him to drop his light machine gun just as he was ready to fire. It stumbled down the hill and out of reach. Two more shots from Jed's shotgun found his head.
Acting on instinct, Jessica got down and curled up into a ball with her back against the boulder to minimize her profile. She was pelted with bits of dull rock but her armor protected her. She cradled her laser rife and clutched it for dear life. As the noise of combat erupted around her she closed her eyes and prayed. Ricky wasn't fast enough to dodge everything and a small piece of shrapnel grazed his right foot. Adrenaline immediately took over and he returned fire in the general direction of the rifle. His 10mm submachine gun was held together with a large piece of duct tape and immediately jammed when fired. After seeing this, Ricky dropped his weapon and panicked. Jessica simply curled up into a ball and waited for it to be over, tears of fear streaming down her face. There were over a dozen of them up there, all armed with various firearms and plenty of dynamite.