My New Life - A Fallout 4 story from Bunker Hill

[it4edda]

http://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/1151/5944827-1451926956.png

 

 

My New Life

 

Hi! My name is Judy Nails. I'm writing this as a log of my visit outside the fence.

I'm living, no - I used to live in Bunker Hill, now I'm living outside The Hill. I might return for supplies and aid, but I'm not living there anymore. I can't stand the constant drama of raiders and caravaneers. That's not my business.

 

I want to see what's out there.

 

Take the promenade by the river: the water is clean and it has a great view. Why not live there? If I don't advertise me being there, surely the raiders will let me be. I know there are gunners at the bridge, so I won't go there...

 

I'm in fact a good swimmer. I bet I can swim to the other side, to the Shipping Yard. It can't be too a difficult swim, right?

 

Did I say I'm nineteen years old? And, I CAN SWIM!!! It was no trouble at all. And a lot of the grown ups can't even dare to dip their toes. They think the water is radioative. But that's not true anymore. The scientists at the Company must have come up with a solution and made the water safe to explore. That's really cool. I might want to be a scientist. Too bad you can't drink the water - it's too salty. Mom always said that it would kill me if I drank salt water.

 

Duh. As if I would drink it without destilling it first.

 

I have my backpack and I have stuffed it with what little a own. That is not much.

 

*****

 

The swim across the river was hard work. There were some icky plants growing on the bottom, tangily plants that kept trying to drag me down, it seemed like. Just my imagination, I guess.

Well, I'm on the other side and have found a ware house on the western side of the Shipyard. It says on a sign it's an Irish company, Irish Pride Industries.

 

I took a sneak around the shipyard and found a DEAD body on the water side of it. Someone had been killed on a walkway just by the water. I scavenged what I could from the dead boy and let him to the river. He floated in stream through the murky water. It felt sad somehow. I mean, I didn't knew him. But he could've been my friend. Now I only took his stuff.

 

****

 

I killed my first monster! Yeah, I did. A blood sucking really horrible bug. Large as a dog, it was. We don't have those on The Hill. Only pesky mosquitos. This was something else. I did shoot it with the gun I borrowed from a weapons locker at home. Or what used to be my home. I better return it when I visit.

 

****

 

This could be my home. It could! Sure, there're broken windows and it needs a sweeping. But so did Bunker Hill, big time. I have no fence, though. It feels strange to not have the protection of a fence or a wall. Maybe I can get one of the machines working and manage to move some scrap to mend the fence. Or drag the cars to fill in the gaps.

 

*****

 

Strike that. The cars are too heavy.

 

*****

 

Oh, there are a shed here too. It's more fixed up than the warehouse, but it's still in bad condition.

It feels easier to make a home. More like a den. This will be it. I spent the first night in my new home. I need to get myself a real matrass, sleeping on old papers won't do it. And I need food. And a fire. We always had a fire on The Hill.

 

I will see if I can get inside the big building today. I hear there's someone moving about in there and a voice can be heard - like a readio or something. I wonder if they need help with something and if they will share food for work.

 

I will report back when I get back.

 

Did that sound strange? I'm new to this and will probably get better at it.

 

 

This has been Judy Nails.

 

This is my new life.

 

 

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

My New Life

 

Hi! It's me, Judy.

 

I found a couple of extra doors at a storeroom on the east side of the Shipyard. With a few hinges they fit quite well in the shed. Not perfect but I can close the door behind me. Found a mattress too! I'll sleep really good tonight.

The weather has got worse. Not much sun. It's been weeks since it was a sunny day.

 

I wonder if it's just seasonal or something else.

 

*****

 

I didn't manage to get inside the Shipyard. The doors leading in were locked. I'll need to find food elsewhere. A road leads east and west from 'my shed'. I need a name for my shed. "Lucky Clover" would suit fine. The shipyard has that as a logo on each side of the roof. Yes, my shed is The Lucky Clover.

 

Neat.

 

*****

 

It took the whole day to get the doors to shut properly. But now it's done. A heavy rain is falling and I'm going to bed.

Sleep tight and don't let the mirelurks bite!

 

This has been Judy Nails.

 

This is my new life.

 

 

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**********************************************************************************************************************************************

 

My New Life

 

It's Judy.

Sorry for not writing. Silly right? Asking for forgiveness when I don't know if anyone is going to read this.

It's been a week. A week of rain. The water is rising and I can hear those things in the shipping yard.

 

Now, I've been inside. I managed to get a crowbar and pry the door open. Inside there were a some living quarters with furniture and even food. I took what I could carry and hauled over to The Lucky Clover. Now, I can even have guests over!

 

That is if I had any friends.

 

Wait, I didn't tell you. In the shipping yard there were locked doors to the dry dock. I managed to get them open and this is crazy scary! On the other side was a hive of water critters. Really large ones. One looked like a rad scorpion and the others was like mirelurks but with huge claws. I bolted the doors shut. And I'm not going into the water again. I don't care if the gunners have the bridge. I'll have to talk my way over or even sneak past them.

 

I scouted out the nearby area. right to the east of my house is a small shed with a yao guai sleeping in it. I will have to take a shortcut to get past that place. I know that beast is more danger than the critters in the dry dock. And I have no chance at hurting even a mire lurk. I'm no fighter I'm a rocker.

I want to live in the outdoors but I don't want to get eaten by it.

Man, I need a friend.

 

I will try to check out the hills north of The Lucky Clover tomorrow.

 

This has been Judy Nails.

This is my new life.

 

**************

 

My New Life

 

It's me. I had an idea: what if I could gather enough explosives to plant in the dry dock? Then I would be able to kill the critters without fighting them. I need to check with Deb at the Hill. I must go there and say where I'm staying.

She'd worry her hair grey if I didn't.

 

Maybe I can talk one of the other girls in to joining me, now when I have a place that's safe. As safe as I can guess. Besides, I need to sleep properly and that isn't possible when I'm alone.

 

**********

 

Inventory -

 

I have a pistol with ten bullets.

And one shotgun thingy with 4 shells? Pellets? Round cylinders...

 

My most treasured *weapon* is the sight.

 

I have food for one week more. After that I need to find another place to scavenge.

 

And, I have found a number of outfits in the shipyard. Jeans and shirts. Now I can mix and match -really fashionable I am.

I might even be allowed in to Diamond City Arena! But I don't know if I want to go there. Too much risk of running into those synthetics.

 

***********

A patrol of Police Suits walked by earlier, with their exo-skeletons and heavy weapons. Police? I say they are raiders if I saw any. They are even worse than the raiders who work with Kessler, the leader of Bunker Hill. I kind of miss the place but am also glad to be rid of it. A strange feeling.

 

***********

 

I'm back at The Lucky Clover.

The rain stopped.

It's looking up.

 

Tomorrow, I'll take the bridge back to the Hill. Have to see if I can get some grenades.. if I get past the gunners.

 

This has been Judy Nails.

 

This is my new life.

 

*************************************************************

 

My New Life

 

I'm leaving the Lucky Clover to cross the bridge and get back to The Hill. I'm in desperate need of some provisions as well as those grenades Deb has under the counter. And as you understand I did manage to get back alive.

 

Not so lucky were the others. They, they are all dead. All those who I faced on my way there and back. Almost everyone. Now, it's just I and Meg. You know Meg, Kay's daughter, the veterinarian at The Hill. Her mother that is, Meg is only twelve, just a kid.

 

*************

 

I followed the river bank west towards the bridge. The moon was out and it was quite dark and chilly. When I reached the bridge I could spot three gunners walking on the bridge, guarding. There was no way I could have got passed by talking to them, I could tell. Instead, I crept by the side on the bridge and at the last instance ran for it, ducking from the bullets they fired after me. I thank the moon being hid behind clouds just then when my lunatic rush was performed. I hid behind an old car on the other side of the bridge. One of the gunners said to leave me be, that I was merely a child. I'm no child.

 

But in a way, it's good to be perceived as one at times. As with Meg, I guess. More on that later.

 

*************

 

I was two blocks away from The Hill. Slowly I passed over a graveyard to avoid the raiders pestering the buildings surrounding The Hill. Sure enough I found five, you here that five gunners by the wayside next to the graveyard. Now, I have enough bullets to last me a lifetime. They even had a pair of boots I could use. The woman I took them from had no use of them anymore.

 

A bit ashamed of myself. And sad for the men and women I dragged them in to the graveyard. I told myself to return with a shovel.

 

However, that time may never come.

 

Other graves have first to be dug.

 

**********

 

When I reached the wall and the gate to Bunker Hill, the lights were on, casting a friendly and welcoming light to the area. I saw Meg up on the roof where she use to stay to spot caravans and raiders alike. Now, all huddled and quiet she just stared at me. "Y..you are alive?", she asked.

 

Am I alive, sure I am, I answered and wondered what she was on about. Then I looked at my hands. They were all dark red, and I know I must have smeared my face when I had brushed my hair from my eyes.

 

"They are all gone. Mom, Deb, Kessler... Everyone are gone." Meg climbed down to me outside the wall. "The Hill has fallen. All are dead... The raiders took it."

 

My reason to leave the Hill had been my own. The result was a stroke of luck. Had I stayed I would be dead as all the others.

 

"Come with me sister mine.", I told Meg. "We have another home now. On the other side."

 

I took her down to the waterfront and gave her the scope.

 

"There, there's The Lucky Clover." I believe I smiled. "It's mine... ours, now."

 

I gave her the shotgun I carried and told her we must take the bridge and that we had to clear it first.

 

 

 

This has been Judy Nails and Meg White.

 

My New Life

 

 

My name is Judy. I'm sharing my shack, The Lucky Clover, with the sole survivor of what once was Bunker Hill. We are in Boston. If you read this you are one of the good ones. The raiders seem not that keen on reading. Neither do the Returned. The other factions of the Commonwealth seem only to be waring between each other. I, or rather we now, are trying to survive and let live. We scavenge what we need and safe keep what we find. If I ever find my mother and little brother, they will have somewhere to stay and we all will have what we need. I guess Meg is my sister now, I'm all she's got.

 

We've taken refuge near an Irish Shipping Yard. We still have not cleared the dock from Mire Lurkers. I dare not enter without grenades. And I found no explosives at the Hill. Only death.

 

I'm bringing the shovel with me to bury the bodies of what once were the residents of Bunker Hill. Meg's mom, Deb and the others. Then, I'm burning the place down. There's no way to live to be reliant on Raiders or attract caps-hngry thieves by caravaning goods.

We're stockpiling and I'm not planning on advertising it.

 

The sun is setting and I'm telling you about mom and Tim tomorrow. Now, we need to rest. Tomorrow I'm rowing the boat across to Bunker Hill. Tomorrow there will be no place for the gangs to raid, ravage or pillage.

While I'm taking care of that, Meg will have the assignment to mend the fences with wires.

 

This has been Judy and Meg.

This is our new life.

 

 

This is our new life.

 

I returned to the Hill. It was totally ransacked. The bodies were gone. No Kay no Kessler, no one was left to bury. The Raiders must have come back to take them. I scavenged what was left, a pack of gum, some metal bars and tin cups. Not much but the task to bury my old friends was a task I was glad to pass. Now, with the place empty, I only unhinged the doors. To let the animals leave. To let visitors come and go. I even went back to Amy's floor painting. I made an addition to it. We will remember you. Amy & Meg.

When I was finished, I checked the supply room beneath the bar. It held some cleaning utensils and I found a hole had been made in the brick wall. Was it through here the

Raiders had come? On the other side was a maintenace tunnel for water and sewage. I came upon a door and listened. Not a sound. I entered and followed a corridor. It opened up in a large warhouse area, an underground cavernous room. With an observation deck two floors up. One way lead from there to a sto

rage room and a factory like walkway to the observation deck. Another door lead to a long winding corridor. I heard music and arrived down a few stairs to a music with a radio playing music, with two sleeping bags and a fully stocked kitchen. A pile of furniture blocked an elevator where a sign said "Out of order!". I think this could be a good place to stay instead of the Lucky Clover. I can't stand the recorded messages being played over and over at the Clover. I'll talk to Amy later. But first I must see where this elevator comes from.

My plan is to count the steps and see if I can figure out where it comes from.

 

I took a holdall and packed down grpceries from the cupboards, in case we took our time to return. On my way back I made sure I locked all the doors to keep visitors off. I have been quite the locksmith by chance.

 

This has been Amy and Meg.

This is our new life.

 

 

My New Life

 

A new dawn. More rain. I sent out Amy to gather firewood. That, I shouldn't have done.

While I prepared some of the scavenged armours from our boat trip to The Hill, she was gone for a long time. When I missed her, I went out in the downpour and looked for her. Up on the slope to a neighboring place up north I spotted her, face down in the mud. I ran up after her, hoping she had slipped, fearing she had been shot.

At close-up I saw the back of her head was blown off.

 

I was gutted.

 

In the place where a large hole in her young head should be empty, a sparkling component could be seen. I reached in and turned it slightly so it popped out. On inspection the letters RSB could be read.Had she not been human?

 

********

 

Not even scouting the hill for enemies, I simply dropped the component and let the rain pour into my eyes, not blinking. I sat myself on the metal grate outside Irish Pride and pulled out the shotgun I had taken from that boy a few days ago.

 

Or had I?

 

Was that me?

 

This has been Judy and Meg.

 

Has this been my life?

 

Placing the barrel's end against my head I pushed the trigger of the short-barreled shotgun.

 

*********

 

 

Through a tactical scope, the scene at the Shipping location, an observer watches as the second girl fire a shotgun at her head and fall into Mystic River which divides this quadrant. Time to return to homebase.

[ronahattingh2]

Loved the story, it4edda!