» Sun Oct 09, 2011 11:55 pm You won't need any previous knowledge to understand the story; It starts from Cole's first day of departure from Little Lamplight.
I really encourage all of you that read to tell me your opinion of the story, so that I may improve as a writer and learn from my mistakes. I hope all of you enjoy reading the story as much I enjoyed writing it.
Chapter One:
Little Lamplight
October 3rd: 2271
"Come on, Anders," Said Emily, "Time for us to ditch this dump,"
Cole smiled at the girl as she announced their departure. She had been his protege for quite some time now; She was cunning, witty, and deceitful. All the things Cole had raised her to be. Emily had come to Little Lamplight when she was only seven or so, and Cole was nine at the time. Every time a new toddler came around, they were assigned to one of the older kids; Cole, either by fate, or by chance, had practically gotten a copy of himself. As he raised her, she began to respect the boy as her father figure; The one person in the world who had shown any care for her. And now he had to leave her behind.
"Emily.." Said Cole, "You know I can't take you with me," The two teens stood at the gate into Little-Lamplight, discussing how they would carry on. "I'm not letting you go without me, Cole!" Responded Emily. "I'm tired of this place; I don't want to live with all these pipsqueaks anymore. If you leave.."
Cole cut her off. "You'll be safe here. Your not ready to go out into the wastes; I am," Emily pouted, crossing her arms and glaring at Cole. The same glare that a child would give a parent when they wouldn't give the child what they wanted. "That's complete Bull, and you know it. I'm only two years younger then you!" Emily was stirring up a commotion, and the kids of Lamplight had gathered around not only to see their beloved leader leave, but to witness the crowning of Emily as their new leader. So far, she wasn't proving herself to be as "Just let me go with you!" Pleaded Emily, "You already have the Caravan Escort; It shouldn't be that hard to add one more!"
Cole sighed. Their was no reasoning with this girl; When she set her mind to something, she was determined to see it through to the end. Something Cole respected her for. Still, The pink-cheeked, Combat-Armor wearing brunette wasn't one to back down easily. It was truly going to be a test of Cole's skills to get her to stay willingly.
"Listen, Emily; Your the last of my legacy. Your all these kids have now. You have to teach them and lead them, the same way I have all these years. Without you, this place will be royally screwed. And as the President, I cannot allow that to happen. You can understand that, can't you?"
Cole's speech had granted him the desired affect. The girl lost her edge; She looked down, and Cole could notice tears running down her cheeks. He really was all she had; He began doubting leaving her behind.
"I promise, two years from now, I'll be back. And I'll have an entire Calvary by my side," Said Cole, lifting the girls chin up. "And I'll sweep you off your feet from my trusty steed, just like the prince in those books we read. And will ride off into the sunset together,"
Emily smiled at the remark, her eyes continued to tear up. "You.. You Promise?" She sniffled. Cole nodded, and the girl jumped into his arms, embracing him in a warm hug. Cole, surprised by the outburst of emotion, awkwardly hugged her back. And they continued embracing like that for several minutes, before Emily titled her head back and gazed into Cole's eyes.
And then she kissed him.
Cole, this being his first kiss, was unsure what to do. He simply followed her lead, their mouths connecting for several moments before backing away. Cole looked down, and then remembered all of Little Lamplight was still watching him.
"My People," Shouted Cole, turning to address the crowd. "It is on this day, That I must leave you all to face the wasteland that lies on the other side of those gates. My sixteen years in this slice of heaven are up. Through my career as President of this fine town, I've tried to improve Lamplight in every way I can. Most importantly, though, when I bested all the previous leaders six years back, I made three promises to all of you. I believe that today, I can truly say that those promises have finally been fulfilled. My First Promise: I said that I would bring order and peace to Little Lamplight.. And I did!" The group cheered in union. "My Second Promise: I Said that I would teach you all the skills needed to survive in the wastelands.. And I did!" Another cheer erupted from the crowd. "And the most important promise of all... I said I would make Little Lamplight a family once more." Cole stopped himself, looking over the crowd as they anxiously awaited his answer. .And I can proudly say, that I did!" The Lamplighters cheered once more, applause booming from the crowd, and the entire town began praising Cole for what he had done over the last few years for Little Lamplight. He rose his hand for silence, and the children and teenagers alike quelled themselves.
"This is goodbye, My fellow Lamplighters!" Said Cole with a wave of his hand. "My legacy is now in the hands of my protege!"
And with his final words spoken, the young, sixteen year old Cole set off from the gates and out into the wastes.
______
Cole emerged from the cave disoriented, the sun shining high and bright over the dreary wasteland. His eyes attempted to adjust to the light, but it took a few minutes before he was actually able to see anything. A few yards ahead of him, he could see the caravan escort, right on time. Cole strode forward, and as he approached the caravan, a man broke from the guards and approached, his arm striking out and reaching for Cole's.
"Mr.. Anders?" Inquired the man. Cole nodded, smiling and shaking his hand. He looked the man over; He surely stuck out in the crowd. While the rest of the group was wearing combat armor and other protective equipment, this man simply walked around with a pressed and cleaned business suit. Cole found his attire rather pleasant; Certainly a change from the lamplighter trash he was used to wearing.
"Its wonderful to meet you, sir. I- I have the items you requested right here," The man snapped his fingers, and one of the guards ran over, a small brief case in his hands. "Ah- But first, our agreed terms of exchange?"
"Of course," Responded Cole, a devilish smile across his face. "Annie, Come on out sweetie!" Yelled Cole. And, just as he had planned, the little girl emerged from her hiding place in the shack nearby. She waddled over to Cole, and then hid her face in his pants while the man looked her over. "As promised, Sir,"
"Oh, Where are my Manners? Please, call me Brooks," Brooks, done conversing with his customer, called over another guard. He then bent down to Nannies level, and started speaking with her. "What's your name, little girl?" Brooks asked in a soothing voice. The girl, unsure what to do, simply looked up to Cole. "Tell him your name, Sweetie," Said Cole.
"Its.. Its Annabel," She said, inching bit by bit away from Cole. "But my friends call me Annie. Are you my friend Mister?" The girl stuck her fingers in her mouth, then gazed up innocently at Brooks. "Why yes.. I am your friend. Everyone here is your friend," Said Brooks, acknowledging the rest of the caravan. A couple laughs emerged from the guards. "Especially this man here,"
The guard he had Called over bent down to Annie's level as well, the stuck out his hand to shake hers. She caustically shook it. "This man here," Said Brooks, "Is going to take you to a magical place, where all your dreams will come true!" Exaggerated Brooks. "But your going to have to go away with him for a while. Is that okay?"
Annie gazed up to Cole. "Is it okay, Cole?"
Cole, beginning to second guess himself about what he was doing, nodded. Annie then nodded to the guard, who picked her up and hoisted her onto his shoulder. Annie began giggling, and Cole simply stared in remorse as the guard carried the child of to the caravan, setting her down on the Brahmin. The guard ordered the second group of guards to move out, and Annie waved goodbye to Cole as they carried her off.
"I'm sure Paradise Falls will be quite happy with this agreement of ours, Mr.. Anders," Said Brooks, handing Cole the briefcase. "Everything you requested is inside; The suit, the carbine, and the fedora. Mr.. Burke even threw in a complimentary pair of sunglasses for organizing this whole shin-dig,"
Cole wholeheartedly took the briefcase, proceeding to unpack his equipment as Brooks addressed the remaining escort team.
"Alright! Mr.. Burke wants the supplies and Mr. Anders at Tenpenny Towers before Sunset! Mount up!" Following his orders, the guards organized into formation surrounding the caravan. Brooks turned to Cole, "Whenever your ready, Mr.. Anders,"
Cole nodded. As he began removing his pathetic lamplight wear, he gazed off in the direction of the recently departed Caravan. He squinted his eyes to see if he could still make out the second escort, but the once six-man platoon had transformed into a simple dot on the horizon. Cole sighed, taking a moment to thoroughly rethink through what he had just done. When he finished reassuring himself that what he had done was necessary to his survival, he hurriedly dressed himself and took his position in the escort.
