Thanks to all of you that are still faithfully following the card killer's tale. Today's story features a twist of sort and the card killer's plans get disrupted.
Also, in the following story late scavenger Violet and her tamed yao-guai are mentioned again so in case you need to refresh your memory, I recommend reading
story V again, at least the beginning.
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XISonora Cruz welcomed the newest member among their ranks, briefly explained him the rules of “regulating” and handed him the duster that’d identify him as a lawman of the Capital Wasteland.
The legend among the regulators, Sonora Cruz was considered one of the toughest women of the wasteland – numerous good-for-nothings tried to take her life but every single one of them met his death at the hand of Sonora. She wasn’t a woman to mess with and in her long career of a peacemaker she acquired what she called a sixth sense for people.
And she sure as hell didn’t like Cory Costner. “He’s trying too hard to be cute. I don’t like his pleasing smile at all,” thought Sonora. But when Cory was putting his jacket down, Sonora got another, even better reason not to trust him – in the inner pocket of his jacket she noticed a
yellow radio head set. Such sets were extremely rare, and so far Sonora Cruz saw only one in her entire life, and it belonged to her friend Violet, who roamed the wastes with her tamed yao-guai Willy. And by now it was well-known that Violet was found dead with the card next to her.
“Hey, Cory! Where’d you get that yellow headset?”
She noticed that he “froze” for a second, like her question unsettled him.
“I bought it from a scavenger,” he answered and the kind smile was gone from his face. “Why?”
“Did you? And was that scavenger a woman?”
“No, a man. But he told me that this headset belonged to some dead woman. Some well-known scavenger. He wanted three hundred caps for it.”
“Did he now?” The disbelief in her voice was hard to miss.
Well he got me now, she thought.
Maybe he’s talking the truth, maybe some scav found Violet’s corpse and took her radio set, then sold it to this guy. But if he’s lying…then we’ll have to keep an eye on him.“The late scavenger was a good friend of mine,” continued Sonora, her eyes firmly fixed on Cory’s. “She also had a lovely pet – a tamed yao-guai called Willy. Did you ever see a tamed yao-guai, Cory?”
“No,” he curtly replied and Sonora sensed that she’s making him slightly nervous.
“Well this friend of mine had this particular radio set. Probably the only one around that’s yellow.”
“So I reckon you want it?” he asked.
“No, no, just keep it. I wanted to be sure, you know. She was killed by the card killer. You familiar with the guy?”
“Lucas Simms told me about him.”
“Good. Then you wouldn’t mind if my guys search you thoroughly, would you? We have to be careful these days with the killer on the run. This guy's really sick, you know? I bet he has a small d!ck so he has to please himself by having sex with his victims before killing them. I bet he has all kinds of complexes, maybe he was even molested as a child.” Sonora's eyes never left Cory's and the same could be said for his. "Anyway, back on topic...you don't mind if Ernesto and Johnny search you, right?"
“No problem,” shrugged the newest regulator though Sonora sensed that she unsettled him.
Sonora’s two henchmen searched Cory but didn’t find any cards.
“Satisfied?” asked Cory.
“I’ll have to be. Alright, kid, good hunting out there. I’m looking forward to hearing about your deeds. I bet there will be plenty.”
“Hope you’re not mad about the headset. I believe it brings me good luck so I always carry it with me since I bought it.” The kind smile was back.
“It’s alright, kid. Now let’s see you at work!”
Cory put his new hat on, nodded in goodbye and left the shack. A distance east of it he approached the raider which he killed on his way to the shack, and took a set of tarot cards from his pocket.
“You’re as good as dead, Sonora Cruz.”
He clenched the cards. It always made him nervous when people were asking too many questions. Even more nervous as they talked about his complexes!
His!They were the one with complexes! All of his victims deserved it! Deserved it right through their necks! Wh0res! All of them were wh0res! Stupid headset! Why didn’t he get rid of it? “F**k you, Sonora.”
He clenched cards even more, tearing some of them.
This wasn’t what he was planning.
“Why did I even accept this stupid role of a deputy?”
He was careless and now it were better if he left the Capital Wasteland. Too bad, he could see himself living with Lucy. He wouldn't harm her, she was better than others, she cared about him. He felt good with her. He really intended to try and stop his killing habit and live an ordinary life with Lucy but this bleeding b!tch Sonora Cruz ruined everything. She's going to pay! Many, many of them are going to pay! Nobody f***s with the card killer.
Disturbed more than ever, the newest regulator headed northeast. He should return to Megaton but he wanted to enact his vengeance on the first woman he'll come across. If he hurries, he should be in Megaton by tomorrow. By then he would think of another plan.
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Sonora CruzLucy West