Fallout 4: AR

70. Skill Up

Despite my brave words, the protection of the ballistic armor in my outfit, and knowing MacCready had my back, I had to dredge up every ounce of my courage to force myself onward. My rifle was slung over my shoulder, and I presented myself as a harmless target, hiding the grenade in my sleeve. I focused on breathing deeply and steadily, my eyes scanning the environment for any additional forces we may have missed. Ahead of me, the two raiders had taken notice of my presence, but their only reaction was to assume a slightly more alert pose, watching my approach.

Please, please just listen to reason, I thought at them. This doesn't have to end in violence.

As soon as I reached conversational distance, the leftmost raider, a lanky woman dressed in stained, mismatched armor pieces barked out in a harsh voice. "That's far enough, citizen!" She laughed nastily, echoed in a deeper voice by her companion on the other side of the bar; a tall man who might have been muscular once, but years of a slovenly lifestyle gave his body a soft, roundish outline.

The sawed-off shotgun in his hands was more than enough threat to compensate for his lack of physical intimidation.

"Now," the female continued in a nauseating overly-sweet tone. "This here is a toll road. You pay us," another harsh laugh, "and we let you skitter off to whatever cesspool you call home. And before you get any ideas, we can shoot you faster than you can get that rifle off your shoulder." Her companion chortled, licking his sweaty upper lip in an unmistakably lewd manner, watching her with adoration in his gaze.

This... is not going well already. Nevertheless, I had to at least try.

"This is an open caravan route. Why should I pay you?" I asked, hoping the fear in my voice wasn't too noticeable. "I don't have any caps!" Of course I did, about half of our stash was in my pack, but I wasn't about to give them to a couple of raiders. I desperately tried to remember my reasoning to MacCready, that they would jump at the chance for a better life. "Why are you doing this? There are better ways to earn a living!" I spoke slowly at first, my words speeding up as strong emotions roiled in my gut.

The woman snarled, "You mean digging in the dirt like a couple of mole-rats?! Growing crops for every hungry scavver in the Commonwealth? Not my style. I like this much better." She caressed her rifle in a possessive manner, her smile growing even nastier.

The man echoed her outburst with his own guffaw, gesturing to a putrid pile of rotting bones and scraps of fabric at the end of the alleyway next to the barricade. "We are providing a public service," he sneered, answered by a bark of laughter from his companion, "keeping the streets clear of ferals and stuff. All we ask for is a little gratitude from dirt-grubbers like you. In the form of caps."

My lips pressed together in anger at the lie. "I know for a fact you had nothing to do with clearing out this stretch of road. Those," ugh, "corpses have been rotting for months! They were here the last time I went through this way, and that was long before you showed up."

The female raider spat on the street. "Whatever!" She raised her weapon, pointing it at me. "But, you see, we own this little barrier and you're not getting past. You're going to pay us. Now. Caps or blood, it doesn't matter to me." She grinned, a feral, wild expression. Her bloodshot eyes raked my form from head to toe. "Come to think of it, that weapon on your back would be a nice upgrade for my own kit."

Why does MacCready have to be right all the time? I gestured behind my back with our prearranged signal and dropped to the ground on my belly.

Crack! The female raider's head exploded in a mess of bloody fragments, showering the ground about her as her body dropped silently, fountaining blood. Her slovenly companion stared in dumbfounded shock for a brief moment, mouth open. I took that opportunity to pull the pin and invoke V.A.T.S. hoping fervently that it worked on grenades. I hadn't thought to try it before.