Nuka World Wasteland

Chapter 4- The Widow

Annalee managed to pull Jason onto the front steps of the Museum, but she couldn't go on any longer, both her body sore from the earlier fight with that monstrosity, and her earlier injuries from the raiders.

"Help me please! Jason's hurt! We need to go now!!" She cried out, not wanting to set him down onto the floor where his wounds would get even dirtier.

"Sturges?! Preston?!" She screamed, but the dented helmet made her slightly muffled. She groaned and tried pulling him up another step and reached over with her leg, pounding on the doors as though she were frantically knocking.

Preston finally burst out of the Museum, a wide smile on his face, "You actually beat the Deathclaw- I can't believe it-" he froze mid-appraisal after noticing the state the two were in.

Jason writhed in her arms, trying to escape her grasp, wanting to touch and scrape at his face as blood covered his eyes, mouth and nose. He breathed heavily and spat often, as blood would drip into onto his lips and into his mouth like poison.

"Please-" she sobbed, noticing only now that tears were streaming down her face, "help him."

"Jun, get a stimpack or two out of my bag and hurry! Mama Murphy, we need your head wrap!"

Jun returned to Preston's side with two stimpacks in his hand, while Mama Murphy quickly hobbled over as fast as her old legs would let her and unravelled the scarf from on top of her head, revealing short white hair.

She and Preston carefully laid him down on the steps and Preston pulled out a can of clean water from his inner coat pocket.

"Guess I won't be drinking this later," he laughed dryly as he started to drizzle water onto Jason's face.

Jason clenched up and Annalee held his arms down as he struggled underneath the two, as the water stung as it helped clean his wounds of blood and particles of dirt.

She tried not to look at his face, the gashes that tore his flesh making her sick to her stomach. Pieces of skin seemed to peel back from his wounds that continued to bleed, four large cuts across his face and a small piece of his right nostril missing.

Jun helped once again with the stimpacks.

"H-hopefully this will help him heal faster, and deal with- with the p-pain," Jun stuttered and drew back once he had finished, no longer wanting to share the close space they were taking above Jason.

With Mama Murphy's blue worn head-scarf, Preston started to bind it around Jason's face, hoping to help stop the bleeding and cover the wounds.

"He needs stitches badly, but I suggest we hurry to shelter in Sanctuary before we start trying to patch him up," Preston stated.

After they finished, Annalee finally started to breathe normally again and let her adrenaline wear away from both the fighting and caring over Jason. Jason also calmed down as well, his breathing stabilizing, but his jaw was still clenched tight at the pain. She reached up and took off her dented helmet to breathe fresher air.

"What did you call that thing?" Annalee finally looked up at Preston.

"That's called a Deathclaw. It's one of the most dangerous creatures in the wasteland."

"And is that what you call this place now? A wasteland?"

"Well, to be fair, everywhere is a wasteland now. Boston and the surrounding cities? We refer to them as the Commonwealth."

"Interesting," she stated, and looked down again at Jason, who was mumbling incoherently.

"So you're from before the war? What was it like?" Preston asked her.