Arek the ghoul trembled slightly as the two shadows approached again. He was the last survivor of a group of ghoul raiders that had smiled in delight when dawn had brought with it two lone travelers near their watering hole.
The now dead Gabo had roused them all quickly and prepared the ambush as the two men entered the clearing. The ghouls had jumped screaming from their hiding places the assortment of their melee weapons glinting in the morning light. Machetes, combat knives, shovels sharpened to killing instruments and even a couple of hammers where the instruments of death that the gang had used in the past to double effect. Fear and intimidation as well as killing power was combined in these items and the ghouls knew how to use them.
Arek had realized something was wrong when neither of the men flinched nor showed unease.
As the battle was joined he stayed back a moment and took in the details of their “victims”. The first figure was a thin, scrawny man, a large trench coat covering his body, his face seemed strangely sinister and his black eyes dark as the entrance of a deathclaw cave. Arek’s practiced eye immediately noticed the outline of the pistols in the man’s pockets before they had even fired dropping two of the closest ghouls with neat holes in their throats.
The other four ghouls stopped for a second but Gabo urged them on bellowing defiance. His comrades were not dim though so as they charged forward they chose to approach the figure that had yet to draw a weapon.
As they jumped him, like mutated hyenas trying to bear down a Brahmin, the man or creature extended his arms from under his weird poncho. It was the first time Arek had seen such musculature in a non-mutant. Rippling muscles and hands the size of tree trunks. The fingers and the first itself looked like a sledgehammer and the sounds that came to him as the fists connected with his fellows faces assured him that the effect was probably similar, Wito and Mihael were dead before they hit the ground.
The creature was about 2.20 tall and where his companions face was passionless and his look calculating this one was an open book. It said death. And not just any death, but a painful, screaming agony filled one. The scars on that face made it not only ugly but gave it a menace that few things on this Earth could master and depict so vividly.
The remnants of the gang turned to flee. The little short man stopped that. His shots, precise as before, struck at the knees and the runners flopped on the cold hard ground. They cried in fear as the big one approached slowly his sadistic smile making them shiver.
Gabo ran towards Arek the earlier smile having turned into a riktus of dread. The bullet from the magnum passed through his right eye and grazed Arek on the temple and filled his face with blood.
When he came around he saw that it was late afternoon. The dry blood caking his eyes and the men who would be his doom were standing above him as if waiting. He realized he had not woken naturally when his nerves responded to the burning sensation of a red hot poker going through his left hand and pinning him on the ground. He stifled a cry and realized that the huge human was holding the poker with bare hands.
“So, friend…” said the lean mean one in the tone of one using the word friend to describe his worst enemy, “Would you care to tell me and my associate here where the nearest town is? We seem to be relatively lost so to say”
“But Mr. Pin” boomed the voice of the muscled terror. “He is a –ing ghoul! We can’t trust a –ing ghoul! They eat -ing babies and rape –ing Brahmin”
“Behave Mr. Tulip. We need directions and this… man may be able to help us. It is better than nothing anyway and our guide failed to navigate the dangers of the wasteland as he said he could”
“Well I guess Mr. Pin that the –ing guide didn’t expect us to be one of those –ing wasteland dangers” returned Tulip.
“Well, that is what I call a lack in situational awareness Mr. Tulip. This ghoul’s leader also lacked that vital survival trait” he said smirking at the confused Arek.
“Sit-uatiotution-nal awareness” Repeated as if puzzled the brute. “Yes you had mentioned that –ing thing before Mr. Pin. Before we hanged the –ing mayor of San Jose. I guess I see your point. So you fucker, go on tell the man what he asked”.
Arek was speechless for a moment but tried to regain his wits.
“ShadySands” he spat as he saw Mr. Pin frowning. “It’s the capital of NCR and home of many a rich citizens and traders sir. Its about 4 hours to the north of here as the crow flies. Please spare me, I have a wife and kid and… why is he looking at me like that?” He implored of Mr. Pin as Mr. Tulip licked his lips slowly.
“Oh no reason really, he just likes kids.” Returned Pin.
“Yea, them -ing Kids!” Tulip cried
In a strange moment of courage Arek turned to the one identified as Mr. Pin
“Why does he talk with pauses like that?”
“Just a small speech impediment, friend. Don’t mind him”
“So who are you guys?” Asked Arek and if he knew that would be his last words he would have tried to say something more heroic.
“We…” Pin said and smiled “Are the New Firm” and with that he shot the ghoul twice on the chest.
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Topic: The New Firm. (Read 1947 times)