Prologue: Addiction


I remembered my first cigarette, given to me by the Lone Wanderer himself, back in Megaton. He had told me it would calm me down when I needed it, and I thanked him. Now I hate him with every fiber of my being for it. Out in the Wasteland, addiction is a potent threat, where it may be your only salvation from the harsh world. I coughed, imagining my lungs in my chest, black and sickly. "Troy, throw me my last pack," I said, followed by a sigh. I stuck two cigarettes in my mouth and lit them efficiently with a BIC lighter, tossing Troy a stoge.

"Eh, if that's yer last pack, ye might want to make it last. We're in the middle of mutant country and you wouldn't want to get caught out here without some grits," Troy advised, patting me on the shoulder and taking a seat in his beach chair. Me, him and Topaz were camping out in some burnt out building somewhere near Big Town. Anton and Josh were supposed to be on their way back from there, but the sun was getting low, and that's when the mutants are the most viscous, so they say.

Troy was a nice enough guy, and always had my back, so I heeded his advice, "Don't worry, mate. I won't smoke too many right now, just need some to end the day, y'know?"

He chuckled, and scratched his stubble, "Don't think I wouldn't know, man. I've been around for just as long as you."

I nodded, and swiveled around in the desk chair I had been sitting in to face where Topaz was, asleep on the floor. Her red hair spilled out of her baggy hoody, and her jeans covered her legs entirely. Shaking myself out of a daze, I noticed her eyes open. She yawned, and winked at me, "Mornin', guys."

"It's at least eight o'clock at night, Topaz."

"Same thing more or less in the Wastelands."

We all jumped, noise came from outside our shelter, and it sounded like Anton. "Oi, mates!" came his gruff voice, and I heard his boots stomp into the building.

I got to my feet and approached the stairs to greet Anton and Josh, "Hey, Anton. How was Big Town?"

Anton rounded the corner to the bottom of the stairs and looked at me hard and cold, an almost empty look in his eyes. My heart leaped in my throat. "Where the [censored] is Josh?"

And that's when I heard the grumbling and grunting of the Super Mutants hot on Anton's trail.

Interesting story so far. It would be bothersome to be addicted to cigarettes when the last tobacco plant died two hundred years ago.

Yeah ... Glad you liked it, next chapter'll be up by tomorrow hopefully.

EDIT: Oh and for anyone wondering:

Grit(s): Cigarette(s)
Stoge(s): Cigarette(s)

Very nice. But if I'm gonna go, I'll go with a ciggie in my mouth! Please don't turn it into a government health warning as it is great so far.

Thought stogies were cigars...........

I'll wait for the next chapter to pass judgement on this.

And since this revolves around cigarettes, you've got a great opportunity for some zippy one-liners, use it!

Idk about stogies, but stoges are definitely cigarettes.

Ah, totally spaced out on that one, didn't notice the missing I. :facepalm:

Chapter Two: He Brought Some Friends

I grabbed Anton's extended hand and hoisted him quickly up the stairs, rolling into cover being a bookcase near the railing lining the top of the stairs. Dusty spiderwebs assailed me, but I shook it off and grabbed my assault rifle from the holster on my back. Anton grabbed the 12 gauge, and Troy followed up as his loader, slamming eight slugs into the shell spots. He pulled out his .44 and snapped a shot off into the shoulder of a mutant - the first one to round the door. It stumbled back, only to be kicked savagely in the back by the mutant behind it.

Anton howled something in Italian and fired a slug into the two mutants, pepper-spraying the first full of holes, and ripping through the tendons on the second one's leg. I finished it with several assault rounds, sending it toppling over a half-burnt chair, where it squirmed for a second or two before it realized it was dead. Three more poured into the room, and I could hear more grunts outside. Making a split-decision move, I shouted, "Fire in the hole!" as I un-clipped a frag from my belt, bit off the pin, and hucked it into the stomach of a mutant, which didn't do much damage initially.

A mutant armed with a shovel was making its way up the stairs, and as I expected, the 12 gauge fired again, sending the thing hurtling back over the steps. The grenade exploded with an ear-shattering bang, sending one mutant to the floor clutching its bloody face, and one slammed into the wall. It shot its shotgun into the second floor, and several bullets pinged around. One smacked the .44 out of Troy's hand, and he clutched his fist in pain. Finally, Topaz made a move and emptied a clip of her SMG into the mutant by leaning very far over the balcony that makes up the second floor.

Another Super Mutant peered its head into the doorway, and I held up my hand to signal to hold fire. "Raaaah!" I howled, shooting my assault rifle vertically, bullet holes getting smashed in the some-what intact roof. The mutant exited the building quick as possible, grunting and howling to its surviving allies. I heard heavy footfalls, and then silence. I looked Anton in the eyes, finally finding a moment of calm to ask him. "Where, the, [censored], is, Josh?!" I snarled, pushing the 12 gauge aside and pressing the barrel of my gun into his throat.

"Back the [censored] off, Oscar," he spat, using his muscle to slowly and powerfully move the gun away from his head. "Josh is an idiot. I told him to remember the [censored] flashlights. But no, he had to god damned forget them like a moron! He deserved what came to him. I warned him we'd get ambushed, and even though we met up with a Brotherhood contingent, they didn't do [censored]. One got killed and the other two ran off to supposedly 'get reinforcements'. [censored]. Anyways, if you want to bury him I can probably lead you to him, even though it was pitch [censored] black."

I raised my lip in a scowl, and backed off. "You're a bastard, y'know?"

Topaz was obviously the most effected, and she curled up in her sleeping bag. I couldn't tell if she was crying or just breathing, but I felt bad for her. "You should've looked out for him."

"Yeah, well he should've [censored] gotten those flashlights."

"It's not about the flashlights! Just shut up!" I grimaced, and sat back in my desk chair, propping my legs up on the desk. I pulled my hat over my face and we all had a little moment of silence, before I drifted off to sleep.

Stogies= Small thin cigar's that look similar to cigarettes but are even thinner.

Stoges= Cigarettes of any kind.

Also, interesting idea so far Scatmang. Not really sure about it, but it's an interesting idea none the less.

Thanks, Strangelove. I'll be glad to see you critiquing later on in the story.

No criticism for that chap?

I like it Scat, my favorite part was in the prologue "I hate him for that, for giving me that cigarette"

This seems pretty great so far. Please, continue!

Also, it's good to see proper spelling, and the use of paragraphs. 5/5 for that. Story gets a solid 4/5.