Dorian Winters was the closest thing the Vault had to a true celebrity. Blessed with good looks he was also the mouth piece of the Overseer. Watever needed to be said, Dorian was the one to say it. Posters on the walls had his face on it, advising Vault citizens the dangers of the outside world and the importence of good hygiene. Life in the Vault was good to him, he carved out his own little niche of escorting women to events which often doubled up into something 'extra' afterwards. Indeed, life in the Vault was good and his latest 'employer' seemed quite the bored little vixen.
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Angel Face glanced upwards towards the burning sun and took another swig from his bottle of Rotgut. The radiation from Gecko's power plant seeped into his system and gave him a warm buzz. Closing his eyes he fell back into a deep sleep.
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"What a wonderful evening... Th... Thank you."
"No, thank you... I have to say... and I may be being bold here. But you're the most beautiful woman in the Vault."
She laughs. "I bet you say that to all the women you accompany."
"Yes I do. But this time I mean it." Dorian leans in for the embrace.
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"Wanna play cards?" Wooz said with a glint in his eye. Angel Face sneered at the Ghoul, he was sure the son of a bitch cheated but he couldn't prove it.
"No."
"Your loss Angel Face. Oh by the way your face is looks like shit." With that Wooz wandered off to prey on more poor bastards. Angel Face touched his face softly with a trembling hand. It was tough and leathery, the skin had clearly dried out due to exposure. He would have to find a new one soon which meant leaving the relative safety of Gecko and heading passed Vault City.
There was nothing he hated more than those uptight mother fuckers. They'd even open fired on him once. Called him an 'abomination' and a 'monster'. Yeah well see how those fuckers like radiation in their water. He took another shot and closed his eyes.
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Dorian gave her a kiss and stood up. Approaching the mirror he smiled a perfect smile and admired himself. Damn he was good looking. He maneuvered his head to get a different pose. Frowning gently he peeled of a piece of dead skin from his cheek. Had he caught the bug that was going around? Many of the other Vault Dwellers had started showing signs of sickness and had flaky skin.
No. He thought. Life was to good for that.
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Angel Face stood up and tore his face off, throwing it to the ground. Giving it a quick glance he began to wander out of Gecko and into the wasteland. Some poor bastard would have to die for his little complex.
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Dorian, like the rest tried to cover up the physical effects of the 'sickness' going round the Vault. He even resorting to putting on makeup to cover the sores that were slowly seeping through his skin. Some people, he had heard, had started going into comas. There was panic everywhere and rioting looked inevitable. The Overseer begged Dorian to continue with his service announcements. To tell the people, to lie to the people that it's just a temporary thing, that life would return to normal. But Dorian was just as terrified as the rest of them, and terror is a poor bedfellow when you are trying to lie.
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Angel Face saw the man before he saw him. A holy man, Angel Face assumed, on some sort of deluded Jet driven pilgrimage to save the wasteland. He'd seen a fair few over the years each as crazy as the last. The holy man was sat on a rock, taking refuge from the midday's relentless sun. Angel Face made his presence known by coughing and walking towards the young man. The holy man didn't seem fazed by Angel Face's appearance, probably because of the empty Jet canister discarded next to him.
"My child! See you walking before me! You walk out from the evil that is the wastes and into the light! To me! I see you have been hurt! I see that fear in your eyes! Some of us would reject your kind brother! But not I... Not I! For you have suffered the greatest in this world of impurity!" The Holy Man held out a hand to Angel Face.
"Shut the fuck up." With that Angel Face stabbed the man several times until he finally went limp. Smiling a toothy smile, Angel Face begins to slice the dead man's face off.
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It didn't seem so bad anymore. The screaming and the shouting that had lasted for months had subsided. The Vault Citizens were... Adapting to their new selves. Many were just greatful that they were still alive. But not Dorian. He held a tattered poster of himself and looked in the mirror. His looks... His beauty was gone. Along with most of his sanity.
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"Hey Angel Face. Wanna play a game of cards?" Wooz said to him.
"Yeah... Sure Wooz."
"Hey by the way your new face is lookin' fine."
"Thanks Wooz."
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