"You cant hit it kid" wheezed the man to his right.

He didn't hear these words, not really. All that existed in his world was hunting rifle, the target and the steady movement of his chest as he kept his breath steady. The target in question was an unaware mole rat. One last breath in, and he fired the rifle. As the lever was pulled back the spent casing hit the ground.

Down the hill the mole rat was knocked over. He lowered the rifle down to his hip, "Can't hit it huh?"

"Damn kid you're pretty good," rasped the armored figure behind the shooter. The polarized gaze shifted over to him. "Maybe you are good for something after all"

"Hey I've improved since I found you outside of Linn." Micheal brushed his hair out of his eyes and began walking down to examine the dead rat.

"Kid that was back in Missouri,if you hadn't improved you would be dead, or I would have left your ass along the way," he reached out with his heavy metal boot and kicked the carcess of the rat onto its back. If you want to eat tonight you better get started cleaning this thing, remember we have a schedule to keep."

***
Micheal sat looking at the fire, trying desperately not to think about what he was shoveling into his mouth. The meat had a greasy feel as it slid down his throat, and settled uncomfortably in his stomach. His thoughts kept going back to Linn, had it only been two weeks since he had emerged from his home into that hellhole.

Micheal glanced up at the sky, it still made him feel insignificant, tiny in the vast scope of things. On his left arm his pipboy's screen said that it was eight forty seven central, on the way to the train Steven said that the time zone would change.

Steven sat across the fire from him, the bulky power armor emitted strange sounds whenever he breathed, it reminded Micheal of air escaping under pressure.

Wanting to break the silence, Micheal asked "Do you think that they were telling the truth?"

"The tribals? About what the train, or Donovan?" he rasped.

Micheal shrugged, "either, they just didn't seem very..."

"Bright?" Steven made a wheezing noise and it took moment for Micheal to figure out he has laughing," Kid in this world no one is very smart, but its too late to think about it now, tomorrow we'll find the metro and find out for our selves if they know there head from their ass."

"Yeah, it would be great if it still ran." again he felt the need to fill the empty silence in the nite, "The other nite you were telling me about why you're chasing Donovan, something about Fulton."

"Not much more to say, I fixed the reactor Donovan showed up shot me and blew the place up, but I plan on returning the favor." He heard something kick on in Steven's suit, causing air to whoosh out of the suit.
"No I mean what really happened,"

The polarized lenses focused in on him "Kid I don't know what you want to know, but we had better get some sleep before morning, we have a lot of travelin to do tomorrow. "

...This is great. Little to no spelling or spacing problems, and the story seems to be setting up well, with the slightest bit of mystery. I like it.

Me too.
:)

^{Sorry, finding yself too tired to come up with a witty original response other than 'woof', which in this sense should very well be taken as a compliment. As apposed to a 'miauw', which of course svcks}

My computer just got fixed so ill be writing the next chapter, ill try to have it up by the weekend

Chapter: On the road again

Dreaming was always the worst part of sleeping. No matter how hard he wanted to he would never forget their faces. Micheal sat up, looking over at the wheezing behemoth. Ever since he had found him, Micheal had never seen Steven without the armor.

Steven looked over, and when he saw that Micheal was up he said, "Good your up, we can get going."

Micheal looked at the cracked asphalt ahead of them, and beyond that he could see the city looming at them from the east. "So this place has a train huh? Wonder whats living in it."

"I guess we'll find out kid."


***
He could see the sign from a ways away. He still wasn't close enough to read it but he could tell that someone had put another sign right next to it. When they were finally close enough to read it, he shuddered. The sign had originally read "Westside population 10,000" These words had been aged out to the point that last three zeros were faded away. Someone had wrote something that looked like "Wistside Mall taken, caravans turn back" at the bottom of the sign. The sign next to it proclaimed that the town belonged to, and was under the protection of Carter. It also announced that all traders were welcome.

"I guess that we aren't going to the mall then, I wonder what took it anyways." Micheal asked.

With any luck kid we won't have to go any where near the mall," Steven had squatted down on the side of the cracked road. "This map we traded for says that the mall is at the other side of the town, if this is right all we have to do is follow main street down and turn off at S central and the train station would be about here" his finger landed on the ancient spot on the map.

"Where did you even get that map?" Micheal looked at the paper doubtfully.

"It's a copy of a copy of real map kid, there was this town that had maps of all of this stuff stored in this old computer." Steven stood up and began walking into the city of Westside, as Micheal followed him he pulled the bolt action rifle off of his shoulder and check to see if it was loaded.

* * *

He should have seen it coming earlier, he let his guard drop and they attacked. The concrete maze had hid the raiders. There were six of them, three on the overpass and three hiding behind the car. The raider to the left on the overpass shot true, it was a shame for him that his bullet hit Steven's helmet.

The bullet knocked Steven down, Micheal leaped behind one of the many cars that littered the streets. He had seen where the bullet had come from and rose looking down the rifle's sights. The raider still stood on the overpass, Micheal saw him and aimed for his head, Micheal felt the recoil of the gun and fired.

He pulled the lever back, before the spent shell hit the ground he had the second man in his sights. He squeezed the trigger and pulled the lever back again. A third man panicked and started to run. He didn't make it very far as Micheal's third shot hit him in the back of the head.

Less than seven seconds had passed since the first shot had been fired. Micheal lowered his rifle to raiders behind the car. He aimed at the man ducking behind the end of the car, about two thirds of his head was peaking out over the top. The bullet went low and hit something in the car. He watched with an unattached fascination as the car lit on fire. The three people cowering behind it attempted to run away from it in vain.

As the car exploded Micheal ducked down covering his head. The car exploded with a boom, Micheal began lifting his head as the second explosion knocked him back down. Micheal waited for the next explosion but when it didn't come we stood up and looked at the smoking wreckage fifty yards away from him.

Micheal looked over at Steven. There was a small dent in the side of his helmet. As he got closer he could tell that the air was still pumping when it was released with a whoosh. Micheal reloaded his gun as and prepared for another attack