The card killer Options

[Lopov]

Inspired by TheChesireKhajiit, who created a separate thread for raider Victoria, I decided to post my latest tale in a separate thread as well. There'll be one story per week and if all goes according to plans, I should post them every Friday. Matching screenshots will be posted after each text, most of them but not all will be taken through the eyes of the main proantagonist.. Some stories will be long, some short, and sometimes you may recognize references of your own characters.

The stories ahead are dark though I'll try to make them humorous at times but most of all I hope you'll like them.

Enjoy.

_______

I

For the past two hours Lina has been spying on the pretty young guy sitting alone by the burning barrel – not because she’d be after him but because she wanted to be sure that he wasn’t some weirdo. She might have been a rookie in the bounty hunting profession, but she was very good at sneaking and thanks to her PipBoy who showed the [HIDDEN] icon on the top of the screen at all times, she knew that the young guy didn’t spot her.

Not seeing anything that’d make her suspicious, Lina joined him, and the stranger who introduced himself as Clive, gladly offered her some cram and a bottle of Nuka-Cola. Nobody could resist Nuka-Cola except undead and since Lina was very much alive, she gladly accepted the drink. It turned out that Clive wasn’t just pretty, he was also funny – so the more the Sun was setting, the better feeling Lina had about the coming night.

After Clive told her a little bit about himself, Lina revealed him that for the past few months she’s been on the track of the so called ‘card killer’. “In the wasteland it’s easy to get away with almost any crime but this guy or girl, I don’t know, but I think he’s a guy, always cuts throats of his victims, who are always women, then leaves behind a card depicting death. Like he wants to be recognized, you know? After one of my friends got killed, I decided to go after him. Or her, but I think he’s a guy. I pursued dangerous raiders before so I have some experience in tracking people down. Anyway, sometimes the trail would go cold for weeks but then rumors about a new murder and a new card would reach me, and the trail eventually led me here. The Capital Wasteland is just a few miles north of here and I’m sure I’ll catch up with him. Make him pay for his crimes. Sooner or later.”

Lina got a feeling that Clive wasn’t particularly interested in her story, either he didn’t take her bounty hunting profession seriously either he was hoping there’ll be some action between them this night. Well, Lina couldn’t blame him, after all she was also hoping for some action and it wasn’t long before Clive held her firmly in his arms.

***

Pleasantly tired, Lina was getting dressed as she saw Clive throwing her shotgun in the burning barrel. As he was pulling a blood-stained knife from behind his leather pants, his face didn’t seem nice anymore. Frightened Lina realized that she just had sex with the man she was after.

One slash at Lina’s neck was enough to end the aspiring career of a bounty hunter. She died not knowing that the stranger, whose name wasn’t Clive, had intentionally placed a camp in this location, waiting for her. Already down south he put a tracking device in her satchel and thanks to his own PipBoy he knew of Lina’s movement. He also knew that she liked men a lot, and hoped that she’ll stop by.

As ‘Clive’ was walking north towards the Capital Wasteland, he thought of Lina’s words, realizing she was right about many things – he was a guy, he cut throats of his victims, he preyed on women and he always left a card depicting death behind. However, she missed one vital information. Before killing his victims, ‘Clive’ had sex with them.

_______

Lina talks

Lina has some Nuka

Lina talks again

Lina on top

Lina frightened

Lina is gone

The killer's signature

Leaving

[Lopov]

@Acadian - Sonora hasn't been killed (yet).

@SubRosa - the regulator vs the card killer!

@TheCheshireKhajiit - Sonora shouldn't be underestimated but neither should be the card killer.

@Renee - there were supposed to be three chapters left indeed but I cut one (I became like Bethesda, cutting things out before the final release) and I merged the today's story into one chapter so...

...what's ahead is the final story of the card killer. And for a change, this entire story and pics are taken from the perspective of Sonora Cruz.

_______

XV

Rusty was young, quick and agile and as such served as an ideal messenger. In the Mojave he’d probably be called a courier but in the Capital Wasteland the word “messenger” was more popular. He exceled at sneaking and managed to slip by even the most dangerous creatures without being seen. Lucas Simms stressed out the importance of his mission – carry the news about deputy Costner to Sonora Cruz – as fast as possible. That wasn’t a problem for Rusty, he was a quick runner. He ran all the way from Megaton to the Regulators HQ, occasionally sneaking past some raiders and vicious dogs, but only when he made it close to the HQ, his running gradually slowed down until it became cautious walking. Something wasn’t right there. He spotted dead brahmin from the distance but that didn’t alert him, perhaps they were old and just died, but as he got closer, he saw a bunch of bodies outside the HQ. None of them seemed to be moving…at least that’s what he thought at first. Yet as Rusty got closer, carefully walking towards the shack to see if he’d recognize any bodies, someone’s hand firmly grabbed him by his ankle…

***earlier that night***

Sonora Cruz was awakened by silence. An odd thing to wake someone up, but until tonight there was never silence in the regulators headquarters. Except now it was.

Ernesto should be walking downstairs, he was on duty inside the shack tonight.

But she didn’t hear any footsteps.

Even a faint smell of cigarettes that was always present in the shack when Ernesto was on duty, was gone. Earlier this day Sonora gave him some of her own cigarettes because as usual, Ernesto was out of them.

But she didn’t smell any cigarettes.

The radio was silent as well – the radio which wasn’t supposed to be silent because Ernesto liked listening to the GNR when on duty. But the only thing Sonora heard was silence – dead silence.

Did Ernesto step outside to talk to Johnny and Silvia? Unlikely.

Sonora got up from her bed and immediately noticed something at the entrance to her room. A small black figure – what was it? Before thinking she grabbed for the 9 mm gun next to her bed and pointed it in the direction of the…

Sonora wakes up

The little man

...…garden gnome? Yes, that’s what it was – the garden gnome. Sonora quickly checked her gun – it was loaded alright. Even if this one wasn’t loaded, Penelope was, but still, it was better to be sure.

Who put the gnome there? Definitely not her henchmen, they never joked in such a way.

Something was wrong this night. Something was very wrong.

Carefully she stepped over the garden gnome and out of her room on the first floor, then slowly leaned over the wooden fence from where she had a good view of the ground floor. Her eyes immediately shifted to the left to the radio and as she had correctly assumed – it was turned off.

Not a sound

Except that - silence. Sonora felt like she could almost touch it.

“Ernesto?” she asked the empty shack.

No answer, not that she expected any.

For the first time a startling thought crossed Sonora’s mind – the card killer. Did he come for her?

Sonora dealt with many dangerous lowlifes and until tonight she wasn’t afraid of the card killer because he usually preyed on hapless victims but what made her scared, was that there was no sign of her henchmen – they were tough guys, all of them, they’ve been regulating the wastes for years, and if whoever was after her, killed them, then she better be careful. Her sixth sense was telling her that her henchmen were dead and that their killer intentionally placed the gnome to her room to be the first thing she would see as she would wake up. Obviously someone wanted to play some game with her.

‘Alright, bastard, let’s play’ Sonora was encouraging herself, as she was slowly stepping down the stairs, careful not to step on some concealed trap.

Beside the main room on the ground floor there was only one small room, which served as a storage. Just like the main room, that one was empty too. Ernesto’s ashtray next to the radio wasn’t as full as usual which meant that he was probably…gone for quite a while.

Emptiness

Only one thing remained for her now – she had to step outside. And she better does it quick because the killer is probably expecting her to cautiously crawl out.

Head-on Sonora kicked the door so they opened wide with a loud sound, then jumped outside, clutching the gun. As she landed, she almost tripped over a pile of…

…three bodies.

Ernesto, Johnny and Silvia, her dead henchmen. Shivers ran down her back– they were lying on each other, dragged together to ensure that they’ll be the first thing to see when coming outside.

Sonora stepped back, quickly looked right, then left…left, that’s where he was. Crouched behind the freshly slain brahmin. Waiting for her.

He is here

Evil in waiting

Though he was wearing the raider-like leather helmet which covered the upper half of his face, the familiar kind smile was playing on his lips. The smile which she disliked as soon as she saw it but it was thanks to this smile that many innocent women were killed. The card killer was here and he definitely didn’t come to talk.

Didn't come to chat

“’Hola senora Sonora,” he stood up, and Sonora saw a bloody knife in his right hand – one of the last things which his victims saw and her late henchmen as well.

“Die, bastard!” yelled Sonora without a second though, aimed and pressed the trigger but all she heard was a dull click and no bullet left her gun.

“Too bad,” smiled the card killer and boastfully stepped over the dead brahmin. “I could have slit your throat as you were sleeping. But it was so much fun to switch ammos with blanks. To see your reaction. To see that you’re lost. Guess what happens now, Sonora Cruz? Guess what happens now?”

Yet now a sly smile appeared on Sonora’s face, causing the killer to momentarily stop. “I bet you will never guess,” she said and threw the 9mm gun on the ground, while at the same time quickly pulling another gun from the inner pocket of her jacket.

This was no ordinary 9 mm gun, this was her own modified version of a 10 mm gun, Sonora’s favorite weapon called Penelope, the last thing which many lowlifes heard and saw. She always slept with Penelope next to her heart and once again this habit proved to yield a good result. Now the kind smile was completely gone from the card killer’s face.

“Guess what happens now, punk?” Sonora repeated the question, aimed, fired and…

…missed!

The bastard was fast, she didn’t expect him to react so swiftly, as he leaned right when she fired. As a result, there he was now, already at her.

The card killer attacks

He fiercely swung his bloody knife, cutting a deep wound in Sonora’s right cheek. The pain was immense but Sonora fired again, the aim was bad but she hit him in the left shoulder. The killer staggered, obviously surprised by the powerful blow from Penelope but before she could fire again, he again jumped at her, slitting her forehead, nose and part of the left cheek.

Penelope at work

Sonora was used to pain but the killer’s knife was obviously coated with something that stung like hell and was making her legs weak.

‘Poison! His knife is poisoned.’

He never stops,

until he kills...

who he...

wants!

She tried to run away but because of blood running in her eyes and her weakened legs, she fell over some rock. Without faltering, the card killer was behind her and stabbed her in the back. Only thanks to her thick vest which she was wearing beneath her duster, her life was saved this time.

‘Get hold of yourself!’ she encouraged herself yet words won't be enough and Sonora Cruz knew that very well.

Penelope vs Knife

Who laughs now?

Because there won’t be the next time if she won’t react fast enough. She tried to stand up but the card killer kicked her in the head, turning her over. This time her nose ached, and blood came pouring out. It was broken, no doubt but that was the least of her worries.

‘He’s playing again. He thinks he already got me.’

If she deceived him for a few more seconds that she’s already defeated, her last plan might work.

“Already on your knees, Sonora?” mockingly asked the card killer. “I am disappoint. I expected more. I hope you won’t be disappointed if we don’t have sex? I’m just not in the mood tonight and your bloody face isn’t of much help either.”

Still on her knees, arms clutched around her belly, Sonora Cruz did what she saw as her last chance. Her powerful gun obviously wasn’t enough to penetrate the killer’s armor, just like her, he was probably also equipped with some thick vest beneath it. Yet in her pocket there were two special bullets – capable of piercing even the thickest armor. Such ammos couldn’t be found in the Capital Wasteland but she hailed from the west and in the Mojave such ammunition was a fairly common sight. She already spent most of such bullets on some powerful enemies, so only two remained. She obviously stood no chance against the killer in melee combat, he was too damn quick and agile yet Sonora knew that her next bullet must hit the target – or she will be gone for good, in the same place with the card killer’s other victims, wherever that was. No mistakes allowed this time, Sonora Cruz. In a matter of seconds all regular bullets were out and Sonora put two armor-piercing ones inside.

“Alright, Sonora…” the card killer mocked her again. “Time to finish…”

That was when Sonora quickly turned around and fired. Straight to his chest. But…

…the card killer merely staggered.

‘How can this be?’

Yet a second later blood came pouring from beneath his armor like a small yet torrential waterfall.

He bleeds

“You b!tch,” he yelled and coughed up some blood. This was a good sign for Sonora Cruz. The bastard bled after all.

She expected him to fall but unbelievably the card killer gathered his strength to make another run-and-jump at her. And she had just one more armor-piercing bullet.

It was nor or never.

As he got close to her, once again faster than she expected, and his knife cut another fresh wound on her left cheek, Sonora fired her last bullet.

The killer staggered again, looked at Sonora and smiled.

But as he smiled, more blood came pouring from his mouth.

“Die, damn you, die!” yelled Sonora and tried to stand up yet her legs wouldn’t allow her.

The final round

Sonora's last chance

Bang!

“That’s not…” the killer faltered back. “…possible. I…am…invulnerab…”

"No, you ain't!" victoriously yelled Sonora and as the card killer was falling back, a deck of cards flew from his jacket, and as he landed on the ground, cards strew all around him like signatures which he left behind one too many times.

The fall 1

The fall 2

The fall 3

Among cards

“Dead among cards,” sighed Sonora and crawled to his body. Her face probably looked worse than a used pre-war cutting board and her back ached horribly but there he was – lying in front of her, encircled by the very cards he loved so much.

Even before Sonora removed his leather mask, she knew who was behind it - the same man who enlisted as a regulator a few weeks ago. If she only listened to her sixth sense more closely, some people might still be alive.

Masked

Unmasked

When he came to recruit...

Getting more dizzy with every passing second, Sonora managed to put an ordinary bullet in Penelope, aimed at the killer’s face and fired – turning his head into a bloody mess. He was dead before, she knew it, but it was better to be sure.

“Adios, amigo.”

***back to the present***

“Help…me. Please,” Sonora barely had any strength to talk yet when she sensed someone walking close to her, she knew this might be her last chance for survival. She was bleeding, she was poisoned and she definitely didn’t want to end like the last of card killer’s victim. She grabbed the stranger’s ankle whoever he was, it could be a raider for all she knew, but fortunately it was Rusty of Megaton.

A few minutes later as Rusty’s stimpaks were already having an effect as was his antivenom, Sonora Cruz made sure that the killer’s corpse was still there, next to her. And it was, still encircled with its damned cards. The price was high but the wasteland was safe at last.

_______

The epilogue

In the following days news of the card killer’s demise spread over the Capital Wasteland. The young man, who went under many different names and whose real name would now never be revealed, neither would be his motives, if there were any at all, was dead for good. Some like Lucas Simms couldn't believe how easily they fell for his life. Some others like Lucy West, still refused to believe the truth. Susan Lancaster from the Tenpenny Tower, however, wasn’t surprised at all – she linked the young stranger to Millicent’s death immediately but why would she care as long as he paid for her sex services.

The remaining ten killer’s cards were taken by Rusty to Megaton yet it wasn’t long and they caused a huge interest among various wasteland collectors of rare items. Immediately recognizing an opportunity to earn some proper caps instead of small fees which he got paid as a messenger, Rusty left Megaton and traveled across the Capital Wasteland, selling the cards of death at ridiculously high prices yet some devoted collectors were prepared to pay for them no matter the price.

Sonora Cruz was recuperating from her injuries and though deep wounds on her face would leave her scarred for the rest of her life, she considered it as a punishment for not reacting quicker because she knew that she could at least save some girls if she only acted against the deputy of Megaton earlier.

When Lucy West found out that she was pregnant, it was just another reason to leave Megaton for good. Many people avoided her since the card killer’s identity was revealed and Lucy still stubbornly refused to believe the truth. Pregnant and sad, she left Megaton, and traveled to Arefu where she moved in together with her brother Ian.

For most wastelanders, though, life soon returned to their old habits, and the card killer became just another fading memory in the dangerous wasteland.

The end

This post has been edited by Lopov: Nov 17 2017, 05:19 PM