"City of the Dead,
Full of the Living,
Washington D.C"
"Wake up!" the silence spoke. However, it wasn't the calming speech he would hear in his dreams. That of her. He could see her sometimes and he could see her now as well. He wanted to stay. But he couldn't.
"Wake up, my love." she said.
"I can't." he said. "I won't leave you again."
"You have to." she said, her voice calming him again. "Now, will you please WAKE UP!"
Alexander jumped. "Sir, are you okay!?" he could hear his squadmate asking.
"I'm okay. It was a small hit." he answered.
"That's not the problem, Corporal." his team leader said. "We've got raiders around us. We managed to push them off for now, but they will regroup."
"There's only three of us." Alexander said.
"The private is gone. The blast threw him out the verti-bird." said his leader, Jason.
"We need to get away from the crash site." said Alexander.
"Working on that." said Jason. "See that building? That's our target."
Alexander looked out the verti-bird. He could see the Capitol building. He was a soldier for years, but the look of that place scared him. "Are you sure that place is safer then here?" he asked.
"Anywhere is safer then here." said Jason.
"Alright then. Let's go." said Alexander.
"Sir, may I make a suggestion?" asked the private.
"Of course." said Jason.
"You and the Corporal are important to the mission. I'm not. I can go the other way, draw them from you. We can meet later at a safe place." the private said.
"That's too risky." said Alexander.
"It's the only chance the mission has to succeed." the private explained.
"He's right." said Jason. "It's the only way. We will meet at the Washington Memorial. From there, we will go north towards Boston. In two days, we have to be at the Memorial. If we miss the time, we continue north alone, meet in Boston." he explained.
They took all the things they could, weapons, ammo, food and meds. The private also took a flare gun for the diversion. Alexander and Jason started running towards the Capitol building. As they came nearer, they could see bodies all around. Raiders, super mutants and several power armors. The bodies were fresh.
"Sir, this place is a warzone." said Alexander.
"I can see that." said Jason. "We have to get inside.
At that moment they could see a flare being fired into the sky a few blocks away. But it didn't work. They could also see raiders. First swarming the verti-bird crash site and then moving towards the Capitol. They were spotted.
"Help me break the door down." said Jason. The doors were old and broken but still needed a little push to open. As they got inside, they could see the raiders coming up the Capitol stairs. The closed the doors and pushed an old locker on it, completely blocking the way in.
They looked around. The main hall was mostly dark if not for the small beam of light coming thru the ceilling cracks. There were also pictures of past leaders of the old world. The entire hall commanded respect from the two soldiers. They both knew what a place like this meant to the whole nation. The same what Shady Sands meant to the NCR. What Hoover Dam meant to New Vegas.
But, it was also an example of what the new world is. A constant struggle to keep life together. And that they can't stay here for long.
"We need a new way out." said Jason. "Those doors won't hold for long."
"Agreed." said Alexander. "Let's try the upper floor. Maybe there's a fire ladder."
"Alright. Stay close and watch our six." said Jason as they made their way towards the stairway. Their flashlights showed the way forward, but around them was the dark, and when there's the dark, there are monsters that live in it.
As they found the stairs, they could hear a loud bang from where they came. The raiders were inside the building.
"You still got those tripwires?" asked Jason.
"Yes, sir. I'll set a few here." Alexander said as he threw a grenade to Jason.
The raiders entered the main hall. Unlike the two soldiers, they were prepared for the darkness. "Stench. Fire flares." their leader said. The main hall bursted with light. "Spread out! I want those fuckers on poles around my bed!" he ordered his men. "And keep the light shining bright."
They were prepared for the dark, not for what was in it.
As they neared the stairs, something jumped on one of the raiders, throwing both him and it out of the light. As the other raiders pointed their flashlights after them, all they could see was the dust settling down near a hole in the wall.
"What the fuck was that!?" panicked one the raiders.
"I've seen this shit before." said their leader. "Ants."
"What?" asked one of them.
"ANTS!" the leader yelled. "Now move!" he ordered as they started running up the stairs. As they neared the top, their leader stepped on a wire. As his foot ripped the wire, the grenade exploded, sending shrapnel into him and the man following him. The ones behind them stopped and looked in terror as their leader became a red mist.
Alexander and Jason stopped and looked behind. "They actived the tripwire." Jason said.
"Yeah. But they screamed before. Why?" Alexander asked.
"I don't know." said Jason as he illuminated the wall next to them. The wall was covered in holes and some kind of slime.
"What the hell is that, sir?" asked Alexander.
"Run." said Jason. They started running towards a window they could see at the end of the hall. As they neared it, Jason stopped to set another tripwire.
"Sir. We have to hurry." said Alexander. As Jason armed the trap, a giant ant leaped out of the dark onto him. Jason fell on his back.
Alexander raised his weapon but couldn't get a clear shoot. "Try to raise him above you!" he yelled
Jason managed to do it, but just as Alexander fired at the mutated creature, the ant stang Jason. The ant fell dead, but Jason was bleeding.
"Sir. We need to patch you up." said Alexander as he started pulling out his medikit.
"No." said Jason as he pushed the kit away. "Don't waste the stimpacks. You'll need them and they won't help me now."
"Sir, I can help you." said Alexander.
"We lost the maps in the crash, but you know them. You memorised them. The NCR needs you. Now more then ever. I need you to do this. Go to the Memorial, find Doss and get to Boston." explained Jason.
"Is that an order?" asked Alexander.
"That is an order." said Jason. "Now, go."
Alexander nodded and they shook hands. He stood up and went towards the window.
"Good kid." said Jason, turning his head towards the dark hallway, as an ant jumped at him.
Alexander made it to the window. As he turned towards the hallway, he could hear the ants. The noise was getting louder and closer. He took out his last grenade and armed it. As the ants entered the light casted by the sun, he threw the grenade. But one of the ants jumped at him. As the grenade hit the ant, it exploded, blowing up the ant and sending Alexander flying out the window with some of the shrapnel hitting him.
He landed in the flooded area behind the Capitol building, hitting a rock with his head under the surface.
He could see her again. Her white hair. Her wide smile. Her green eyes. He could stay with her.
She came closer. She put her hands around him. Brought her lips to his ear. And whispered.
"Someone's in the water."
Replies
First chapter looks great. You did a great job of capturing the chaos of crash landing in enemy territory, and the giant ant attack was certainly a surprise.
Thanks Curse! I waned to add a pre-crash part, but I think this works better. And yeah, imagining and writing that ant attack was a fun bit of writing, and I needed something scarier then Talon Company mercs or super mutants.
I'm glad you like it. Still two chapters to go to finsih the prologue part and cahpter 2 is coming soon.
I had almost forgotten about Talon company. Those guys are fun to mow down i Fo3. I spent a lot of time with Rieley's Rangers fighting off the Talons.
Yeah. But we've got the Gunners now. And I like them more. You can actually see a story there and find the big players. Not just Talons "kill everything" note.