Chapter 1- 'Welcome to the Wasteland'

"Verdun....that's right, ok I'd like to see him when hes available, I need to thank him"
Was it Daniel?

(Doctor)
=i nod and give Ben a small smile=
I'll let him know. If you have any problems, wave over a nurse, okay?

(Markis)
=i found a small crate of wiped tapes and took them over to the requisition officer. I signed my name, and they became my responsibility. If anything happened to them, I'd have to pay to have them remade, or replaced. I slotted one into my helmet and stifled a yawn. I decided to head over to medical to check up on Ben. I walked over, and a doctor came up to me, told me he wanted to see me anyway. Then he noticed my bloody arm and chest=

"You're injured."

Flesh wound.

"Flesh wounds can be deadly if left untreated."

I'm fine.

"I'll be the judge of that. Come. I'll treat you as you talk to Ben."

=i sigh and follow, dropping off my weapons at the front with a receipt. I walked over to Ben's bed and sat down on the next one. The doctor came by with bandages and other medical things=

Hey Ben. You okay?

"Take off your shirt."

=i sighed and did as I was told=

"What? You too?"
F*ck....
"I....wanted to thank you, for not leaving me. "

=the doctor pokes and prods at my wounds=
"You have an infection."

I'm fine, Doc.

"No, you aren't. So now, shut up, and let me work."

=i sigh again and the doctor starts to work on my wounds. He pours some alcohol into a rag and slaps it firmly on the wounds. I flinch=
"Baby."

=i look at Ben=
No problem.

He seems casual about this, and his infection of his
"So, do you have any family of some sort?"

"Lift your arms."

=i lift my arms up and he takes away the rags and starts wrapping them up with bandages=
"Keep these on as much as possible."

Yes, doc.

=to Ben=
Some. Mother, brother, two sisters. Utah, DC, Michigan and DC. We don't talk much.

"What you been up to lately Chris?"

"I've been fine thanks, what of you?"

"Good, I suppose."

Chris nodded and brought his friend a drink. He hadn't saw him in a while.

=I nod and lay back.=
Where are you?
=I fall asleep with that question in my head=

(Daniel)
=With all the excitement, I'd been ignoring my stomach, which was now growling so loudly, I mistook it for a dog=
Better find some food.

=I remembered the pieces of meat I had in my pack, and looked for a place I could cook them=

=the doctor finished up and walked off. I patted Ben on the shoulder=
Sleep well.

=i stood up and headed off towards the barracks for some sleep=

"Ahhhhh!"
=I had just woken up by a nightmare. Not like I could get much sleep anyway=
"Jesus!"
=I stand up to the best of my ability's=

=i found spare bed in the barracks and took it, quickly falling asleep=

=I grab my leg but continue going=
"I should've never had left you, I'm coming back just hang on. Just still be alive, please."
=I say quietly as tears form in my eyes=
=I walk out of the medical area, grab my shotgun and go towards the exit or at least where I think it is=

=I go back into the tent, seeing the woman is still unresponsive=

Probably dead..

=I go back outside to sit in a chair=

=People see him as I hobble through the halls, clutching my leg=
=I kept going, looking for the exit. Eventually finding it, I exit the base in a fluster of anger at myself, hope for her survival and pain=
=I go towards the metro I came from previously=

I find myself arriving at Megaton after 2 days out in the wastes dragging my recently acquired trade with me. I greet the friendly robot at the entrance of Megaton as the door slides open. I wave to the sheriff as he nods to me as I walked in.
We converse a little as we head to Craterside Supply to trade will Moira.

=I woke up in a pile of bodies, blood, bones and.....other things. Last I remember the town I was in got attacked by super mutants and I was captured while everyone else died.=
=I try to remove the stuff off of my body eventually doing that, I see a mutant standing guard, but asleep.=
=I laugh a little and attempt to run away, to not be eaten, to not die=
=It turns out they forgot to remove my laser rifle, this will come in handy=
=I have no idea where I am or where ben is=

=I hobble across what's left of this once beautiful city I used to vacation too.=
=I see more mutants as they stare at me as I limp.=
=I'm still quite a ways from the metro=

=i carry on with my journey to find ben=
=i went off track cause of the mutants i've been trying to avoid them but they are everywhere!=

=I inch closer one foot by aching foot=
=I notice movement to my left, my weakened area of course. Probably some animals=
=I gave it little notice, trying to keep it thinking I didn't see whatever it is.=
=I continue 'walking' through the street, toppled buildings everywhere, trash, cars, fires and......bodies.=
"Great, what's going to be here?" -I say quietly-
=Thats when I hear it, the loud screeches, the howling of a Death Claw shredding a animal=
"God...what am I going to do? Frick....The cars, I have to use the cars"
=I climb inside a rust bucket, completely annihilated, but able to hide a man. =
=I close the car door and climb under the seat, python in my right hand and M1 in the left hand=

=as i walk along the destroyed road i come across some gun shells=
"it might be ben's"
=so i continue in the direction of the shells=
=as im looking down at the road i forgot to pay attention=
-i look up-
=i see a massive hoard of mutants not that far from me=
=i try to run for cover but nothing is there to cover me=
=i make a run for it. I manage to escape=
"i just hope im going in the right direction"
=i say in the back of my head=
=i stay on the trail that has signs of life hoping ben is the one leaving it behind=

=I stay completely still other then breathing, Paralyzed from fear.=
=The Deathclaw had come close, deadly close, sniffing the air. =
=It had picked up my blood scent. It wasn't to hard to pick it up, I had been bleeding for some time=
I need to get out of here but how?
=I look up at the DeathClaw, it was looking to the left of me. Inspecting the car=
Gotta get him off my tail
=I reach down, grab a rock and throw it off in the distance. My arm stings with pain as I do so.=
The DeathClaw runs off in that direction, away from me.
=I sigh, crawl out, look around and run into the ruins attempting to hide. I rip off a piece of my shirt and cover my leg tightly.=

(Daniel)
=So I found a place to cook the meat: a grill that had been set up in what could only be called the food area of the camp. Yeah, that's right. End of the world, and camps still had food areas, with grills. Apparently, having your own meat was enough to let you use the grill on your own, so no one bothered me when I placed the strips of meat on the grill, and began cooking them=

=I have found some eaten animals on my journey it looked who ever ate it tore it tissue by tissue=
"what if it was an animal not ben"
=i got scared for a moment=
=but i shove the though in the back of my mind and keep on going=
=i went ahead and took a break=
=i sit down, shoving my aching feet in front of me=
=as i look around i notice a building on the horizon=
=i went along to check out what it was turns out it was a little snack bar i start stuffing food in my pocket=
=the eaten animals were every once in a while=
=as i get to one of the animal=
=a horrible beast jumps in front of me to protect its food=
"i've heard of these before but i just cant think of the name"
=i take a few shots at it just then i remember what they were=
=a blast of fear shoots through my body=
=i start to run backwards shooting at it i trip the beast runs over me like a truck=
=its claws slashed my face a little=
=i run away from it but it turns around it noticed i wasnt there=
=i shoot at its feet it slows it down just enough to get away=
=at this time im about to fall on my face of exhaution i find a board of wood i take the wood put it on two rocks and sleep=
=i wake up with crust in my eyes i eat one of my twinkies=
"i need water"
=i say to myself=
=i go looking around i find a puddle but it looks very dirty it has plants floating in it=
=i get an idea=
=i rip off some of my shirt and use it to strain it. it still was gross though=
=i stay in my makeshift shelter for the day planning out how to survive the next few days=

I remember now. The town was Canterbury Commons, It was attacked by super mutants a mass amount of them.
They had no chance, I was out at the time finding the nuka-cola factory. When I came back everything was on fire, bodies littered the ground and blood trails leading off to God knows where. I couldn't find anything alive but I remembered a mutant base/encampment nearby.
I didn't bother, I was devastated by the death of my sister. I knew she hadn't survived, I found a body who's left part of her face was burned. She looked exactly like her in many ways, I assumed it was her. I ran off eventually to find the station.

=I continue hiding sometimes checking the area to make sure its safe before I move to the next hiding area, towards the metro I was going
to. I was forced, the deathclaw was in the way=

=i leave my makeshift shelter with a plan to survive=
"i cant stop thinking about these peices of food and water i keep finding "
=i see a hill i hear a voice hoping it was bens i run up the hill as fast as i can and it was not ben it was a traveling trader=
=he says to me=
"you want some of my stuff your gonna have to pay for it"
=i check in my pocket for any caps for extra food all i had was a paperclip and about 50 caps=
"you got any food for 50 caps and under?"
=he nods=
=he brings out some span and canned goods=
"these are all 50 caps choose one'"
=i go for the spam=
"is it ok if i travel with you? its been kinda lonely"
"sure"
"i'll stay with him until i find ben hopefully he is on the same path"

=I uneventfully find the metro the deathclaw no where to be seen. I sit down a little deeper in it, taking a break.=
=After a few minutes I get up and go through the metro uneventfully also other then bodily pains=
=I exit the metro, look around for the other metro I used before I found the new one=
=I couldn't find it and I wasn't going to survive out in the open so I headed back out to the gas station I found also.=
I don't know what I'm going to do? Maybe go back.....?

=I pack up the rest of my gear and start to head out of the city, keeping my weapon close=


=The doctor catches me just in time, he grabs my shoulder and tells me that the woman is responsive=

=I nod and lower my bag from my shoulder and carry it to my side=

=I limp onwards=
Several Molerats Attack Me But The Shotgun Was Quite Useful In This Situation.
=After about a hour I can o longer take it anymore and fall to the ground.=
Now Its Really Is The End, I Only Hope She Survived. I Have No Regrets
=I cough several times and lay there, eventually giving in to sleep. I await the angel choir.=

=i keep on walking i see a bump way ahead of me=
=i keep on running i get to it=
=oh my gosh it ben!=
=i give him some food=
=i look around i see a nearby puddle i use my hands to carry it to ben=
"its gonna be alright"
=i grab his legs and drag him to shelter=

=I get pulled along, unresponsive. Just Barely Alive, if you would it that.=

=I begin to wake up from my stupor=

Well, lets see what those N.E.A. pricks are up to...

=I give an ironic salute to the guards up front and head to my home=

=I then unlimber my Mk. 14 as I head out the gate=

Alright, just WHAT are you bastards up to...?

=i wake up and head over to the medical office to pick up my weapons. I get them on, check for ammo, and then walk around to see if I'm needed anywhere=

=I stopped being dragged, whoever saved me was in shelter I guess=
=I roll over, I could never sleep in one position. I hit my face on something hard which causes me to wake=
=I don't bother to sit up or get up just laid there with my eyes open=

=i notice ben's eyes open i run over to check if he is alright=
=i bandage up his wounds with whatever i had=
=i try to pull him up with all my strengthe he finally budged and got on his feet=
=i say to him=
"lets get going"

"No"
=I slink down=
"I'm.....no....I'm....just bury me....near....home"
=I close my eyes, this time an inch away from death=

=I then get to my house and have some breakfast=

Well...one man alone once again

=I then go to my armory and check which weapons I should go out with=

=I then select my MP7 SMG, AK-47 and AA-12 shotgun=

Teddy was right when he said 'Speak softly and carry a big stick' as a good way of diplomacy...

=I then head out--locking the door--to meet the NEA=

Dear Lord give me strength...

"lets try this again"
=me forces ben up lay him on my back and drag him to a town=
=i look for a doctor=
"just hang in there"

(Ben)
=I look around and realized I was being carried.=
=I point to the signs which lead us to the clinic=
=We walk in=
(Nurse)
=I look at the person who walks in...wait is that someone on her back?=
=I turn my head to the left=
"I need some help!"
=I go to help the new arrival=

=i sit in a chair awaiting for him to wake up=
=as he opens his eyes, i am right in front of him=
"i'll be back soon i have to go get money somehow someway"
=as i walk out of the clinic a women runs up to me and says her son is in trouble=
=i ask her where he is as she explains i start to run to the area=
=i run until i see a little boy being ripped apart by a wolf=
=i start taking shots at the wolf, and he finally dies=
=i pick up the boy and run as fast as i can to the clinic the nurse takes him=
=the woman gives me 150 caps for saving her son=
=i then go back to ben and tell him all about it=

(Ben)
=I barely keep my eyes open. I'm still tired and in pain=
=I can't or it'll hurt so I just nod as she talks=
(Nurse)
=I walk into the room and grab a clipboard=
=I prepare for what I have to say=
"I'm sorry but we have to put you in a coma for medical reasons. We'll try our best to fix you up but there's a slim chance you'll keep your leg. You could very well lose an arm and may have paralysis after also. I'm sorry but you're pretty banged up, I don't know how you survived."
=I leave to let them discuss=
(Ben)
=I nod to her as she leaves, sore pain everywhere in my body now=

=as i watch ben go into a coma a tear goes down my face=
=as he starts to close his eyes i say=
"its going to be ok"
=his eyesight goes black=
=i leave the room in pure depresion=
=it has been a week since he has been in his coma i walk in to the room as the nurse stops me to say something=
=she says=
"im sorry but he is not going to be able to feel in his arms"
=i run out of the building with tears running down my face=
=all the support i have is knowing that ben will be alive=

Nick wrote:

=cheerfully=
"You certainly can little missy!"

=stretches=

"So when your finished eating, I'll show you yer loft."

=Some time had passed since Esther had rested in her hosts loft=
=She watched the sun flicker through the cracks in roof=
=Esther moved her stiff neck, stretching as she approached the blocked door to the Nicholas loft=

=In Esther's typical habit she had barricaded the door to prevent any intruders in the night=
=Slowly she moved the stacked furnishings back the their original place=

=Sighing to herself she reflected on what little sleep she had=
=The nightmares that disturbed her waking hours only worsened in the night=
=The memories of her time in the Cages haunted her=

=Esther stopped her reflection to brush her bedraggled hair away from her dirty face=
=Finally she had removed the door's obstruction allowing free passage between her room and the rest of this shack=

=Cautiously she gathered her things and quietly step out into the hall wanting to escape before her host demanded something for her stay=

(Nurse)
=I feel bad for the girl, shes so young, why does she care so much for that zombie...I mean Ghoul?=
=I set up Ben to wake up, we had been working on him for about a week.=
=So much had been done to him hes going to be sore and traumatized.=

=i over hear what the nurse said as i walk into the room=
=i go over to ben and wait for him to wake up on my walk i picked up his favourite food pizza=
=its not the same but i tried i took bread put some tamato on it some cheeze and sausage=
"oh man i hope he likes it cause he is angry without food"
=i giggle in my head=
"im not taking this chance again he is not l;eaving till he is fully healed we will stay in this town till that time comes"

(Ben)
=After about thirty minutes I awake from my stupor.=
=The first thing I see is the Meds I'm hooked up too.=
=Then Chey and the food she brought me.=
"....."
=I couldn't talk for some reason, hopefully its only temporary.=
=I smile a small smile.=

"dont worry ben the mute thing is only temporary"
=i hand him a pen and a pad of paper=
"if you need to talk just write it here"
=i step out of the room so he can have some space=
"oh man i hope this is over soon"

=An NEA trooper spots me as I walk up to them=

Well, well...Look who showed his face.

Stow, it.

(Annoyed)Watch your mouth, Copperhead.

Why the hell are you here?

That's for us to know, and for you not to find out.

=I draw out my MP7 and guns are drawn=

Tell me, or I'll be blowing your smug face off. That, and I won't be doing business with you ever again.

=Guns start to lower when I say that=

Money...always the universal motivator for people like the NEA

=I nod to indicate that I meant it=

(Ben)
=I take the paper and pen.=
=I write "I camt feel mv arns.'
=I reposition my body, this 'bed' is very uncomfortable.=