A familiar weighted feeling pulled Abe out of his bargaining persona, and truth be told, he was exhausted, hungry, and unwilling to lead his charge back towards the depressing and destroyed town of Sanctuary. The boys had been ready to collapse from exhaustion before theyâd run into Iron Maiden, here - they sure as hell wouldnât be thrilled to make the trek back to the place theyâd just left. Sanctuary. Heâd made sure to steer clear of the Blue house on the corner when theyâd looted around for food and supplies. Oddly enough, it was the only one with a door still attached to its hinges.
âIâll take you there.âÂ
It came out quicker than heâd expected, and his head was still nodding with eyes drearily unfocused at a point on the Synth girlâs face, long after heâd finished speaking. Even from his periphery, he was hyper-aware of the tremendous power of destruction that burned within the weapon at her shoulder; could see its glowing barrel-eye focus a line across his head and upper body.
It was a movement from Tess that snapped him out of his fatigued trance: sheâd begun reaching for the metal hand that clawed slowly through her hair. Abeâs eyes narrowed and he grimaced in uncomfortable silence. She thought it was a game - her young mind couldnât comprehend that people existed within this tortured land for the sole purpose of ending lives, and relishing in the act of it.
âYouâll let her go, of courseâŚâ came Abeâs voice, stern and calculated. âThatâs the deal. We take you back to where we came from, you get⌠whatever it is youâre looking for⌠and I get her back.â
Cackling, the womanâs mouth opened wide with white teeth flashing brighter than any wastelander should be allowed, and she dragged a rubbery, pink tongue across the upper row of pearly whites. This was a nightmare for him; for her, it was an amusing day with the potential for greatness.Â
Similarly to him, the childâs touch caught her attention - a reaction she for a split second found unusual given the sensors theyâd been deprived of after the fleshy exterior had long been lost. But the weapon was still hoisted in eager aim, another metal digit bent around its full-piece trigger; even if it took a moment for the weapon to fire up, there would be nowhere to run in time to avoid the steady shower of 5MMS. She was alone, however, and she couldnât be certain of what dangers may be lurking back at his prior location; given he traveled among children, she doubted their security was anything especially threatening.Â
âDeal?â she echoed as her fingers tangled idly between the girlsâ. âWhat makes you think yâer in any position to be makinâ deals, huh? This is MY show, MY treasure. Youâre just the dummy that gets to lead me to it.â Then a pause, and her head tilted so that some hairs loosened from the draped mohawk over her scalp, and fell across her forehead.Â
âHereâs what Iâll do for ya, since youâre so damn hell-bent on keepinâ this one.â A yellow-eyed glance lowered to the girl, then quickly flicked back up to him. âIf I like what I see, then ya got a deal. If I donât-â Just a small amount of pressure applied to the trigger, and the MINI-GUN began to spin slow, but with gradually hastening speed and volume; a low hum and the click of the belt dragged into the chamber as bullets dropped into each barrel.Â
âI donât think I can make myself any more clear.â