The Wars Within

Chapter 4

Walking down the street of Citadel feels like a ghost town at times. Though, this time felt different. It felt as if I was being watched, and that kept my alert up even more. I have been through these buildings more times than I could count, and I sometimes find something new but that is rare. Not many people stay in the Citadel because the radiation is still high in some parts. If you do not bring the right equipment, you could feel like your skin is falling off or you are losing oxygen. So, the fact of feeling watched was hard to believe in how, or why even.

Before entering the city, I put on my hazmat suit and my mask. The suit is worn and ripped in a couple places, but it still works. This city is where most of the Mutans come from. Since it is people that have been affected by the radiation, they morph into a toxic creature that is almost half dead in a sense. They are not hard to kill, but they do attack hard when you face them. I have heard other people respond to them as ghouls or such, but since I have seen a human form into such with my own eyes, it is hardly a ghoul.

I come to the building I always go through to get deeper into the city and begin to head in when I hear footsteps behind me. I am being watched. I turn around, look down at the streets, and see no one. I graze my hand over my gun in the holster and look around cautiously. I look up at the buildings and that is when I see it. A face that is looking down at me, watching my every move. Quickly pulling out my gun and pointing it at them, I speak.

"I can see you, come down. I won't hurt you unless you give me a reason to." I yell up to the building. They leave the window, and I can hear them running. I quickly ran over to the building and ran up the steps after them. I get to the floor they were on, and I can see the footprints that led to the direction they headed. Following them, I found myself at the top of the building. I could see the entire city up here and beyond that. I look around to see where they have gone and that is when I spot him standing in front of me.

He is built, but nothing I could not take down if needed. His eyes were goldish-brown, and he had dark hair and a short beard. I could see on his arms that he had ink on him. His gun was strapped to his back, and he wore a hooded cape.

"Looks like you found me." He spoke; his voice was deep, yet soothing. "I've been watching you since you've been attacked from the Raiders."

"Raiders?" I questioned. I never heard that term used for the men I just killed who attacked me.

He nodded and pointed behind me over the building side. I could see the bridge perfectly and the bodies that were still out there. I turn around and he walks over to me slowly. I change my stance to be ready for a fight and he pauses in his tracks and holds up his hands.

"I'm not going to hurt you unless you give me a reason to," he says, repeating what I said to him in the streets. I see him give a side smile and I release my tension. He looked at me confused about my suit and mask. I decided to take the mask and the hood the suit off and he looks at me surprised.

"You're prettier upfront and closer." he smirks. I gave him a look and he cleared his throat.

"Why have you been watching me?" I asked him. He seems to know how to take care of himself, so I am not worried about saving him or helping him so much.

"Well, you almost got killed out there and it looked like you were almost r***d, but you killed the man on top of you before I could." He whips his gun around to give me a better look at what he is carrying and that's when I see that it's a sniper rifle.

"Thanks for the... help? But I got it managed." I tried to sound sincere, and he chuckled.

"Well, no s**t! Your fighting and defenses are incredible from what I have seen amount other people." he says and looks at me up and down. "The suit on the other hand..."

"You know this city is filled with radiation, right?" I say, a little annoyed. He looks at me and back to the city, then back to me.

"Sweetheart, this whole world is full of radiation." he says, spreading his arms and looking around.

"Yeah, well I'm not about to turn into a mutant or something." I say with a smirk. He lets out a laugh.

"A mutant? That's one I haven't heard of." He says between chuckles.

"Same goes to me with the term 'Raider'." He looks at me and sighs.

"That's what their whole tribe is called, or that's what they call themselves at least."

"I didn't know they had a whole tribe." I say, confused.

"They have an entire city North of here, filled with people just like the ones you fought. They kill innocent people and take heads as trophies. They are not the best to be reckoned with but they're not the brightest either." he says.

"I haven't ever traveled past Citadel. I didn't know that they had an entire city filled with them." He looks at me confused and I know why. "Citadel is what I call this city." I say to him, and he nods and smacks his lips.

"That's different. This city used to be a big city known before the bombs and war. This city was Kansas City. That bridge there used to go over the Missouri River." he exclaims. I look at him puzzled. I never knew much about the wars and the bombs or what the towns and such were called. "You don't know much about that stuff, do you?" he asked me, noticing that I was confused.

"Not really. I never grew up knowing this kind of stuff." I was learning some with my father when I was younger, but I did not get to know much before he died.

"This used to be green and had life around. Now it's all dust and such from the wars destroying everything." I looked around and followed the land where the water used to flow here and tried to imagine it with trees and such, but I could not see it. I shake my head and look back over to him.

"Well, it was nice chatting you, but you seem to have yourself handled and taken care of so if you don't mind, I need to head out now and find anyone else that might need my help." I say as I turn around and start heading back down.

"You're not going to find anyone else here. I have been here a few days and swept through the whole city. There's nothing and no one." I turned back around to him.

"How? I come here often and find people almost every time." He shrugged and walked over to me. I could see his face closer here and can tell he has some scars across his face that used to be deep.

"You must have waisted your time coming out here then." he says looking me up and down. "So, I guess you don't need that hazmat either." I look down and then back up. He is giving a smirk that was sexy.

"Sorry, but I'm not stripping or having s*x with you." I say as I begin to head down the stairs.

"I never got your name." he says, and I look over my shoulder at him. "I'm Ace."

"Amni." I say and keep walking. " I guess it's time to head back home."

"You can stay here for the night. It is beginning to become night. It’s dangerous when it's dark out." he says. I keep walking. "I'll watch over you." I stop in my tracks.

"I can take care of myself." I sternly say. I take offence to people offering to help me. I made sure to train and push myself to be able to survive on my own. Not to mention that I had just met this man, and I do not know if I could trust him entirely yet.

"I know, I'm just saying..." he says. I look at him and he shrugs. "If you want to sleep tonight, I'll watch over you. We can get to know each other. Two warriors who are trying to save the world kind of crap." he exclaims, trying to be funny. I could tell he wants some company. I look around and then back to him and sigh.

"Fine. But I'm still not having s*x with you." I made a point. After the almost attempted r**e, I am still on edge of it.

"Fine by me." he said with a smile.

This should be interesting; I think to myself.

*. *. *.

We sat around a campfire that night that was close to the bridge. The sky was filled with stars, and I loved the sight. Ace sat near me but not close. He was assuring to keep his distance from me ever since I told him we were not sleeping together. I study him and his body closely. He had tattoos down both of his arms and his cloak covered most of him. When he noticed me staring, I looked away. I made sure to focus on the fire and not look toward him.

"So, Amni," he began, and I slowly turned to him. He was looking into the flames. " Where are you from?"

"I live west of here. My friend and I grew our own town in a sense." I told him and he nodded. "What about you?" I ask him and he tenses up. He looked at me, and his eyes were completely black.

"I don't really have a home. I travel from place to place. It is better that I stay alone," he had a soft yet harsh tone from what he said.

"I'm sorry. I know how that feels and how it is. I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere until I found the town with Rogue, and we built it into what it is." I told him. I winced when I realized I said Rogue's name. I look away and back to the fire.

"Whose Rogue?" he asks and now I regret saying his name. I let out a sigh before I replied.

"He's my best friend. We grew up together after his parents died and he was the one that helped me get out of my situation with my mother." I look at him and he is focused on me. His look is calm, steady, and willing to listen. "I was abused growing up. I was the eldest of five and was blamed for my father's death. I had to get out of that situation growing up and Rogue helped me do so. We are close..." I pause for a minute, and I realize I am in deep thought of Rogue... You love him... Ace breaks my thoughts.

" Wow... He sounds like a keeper." he says and investigates the fire again. I study him again and without thinking, I blur it out.

"You can come to our town." I bit my lip. "You can come with us, and we can get you settled with your own home and place to feel safe." He is tense but he calms as he looks at me. I stare into his eyes, and I can feel myself blush and feel a rush of butterflies, something I have not felt in a long while. His muscles look broad and firm. I want to see what is under his cloak.

"Amni, I would but..." he stops himself and bites his lips. "I'm better off alone. I have been since I lost the one I loved." My heart sank for him.

"You don't have to be alone." I say to him, and I move closer to him. He pulls himself closer to me as well.

"You know, you don't have to keep wearing that hazmat suit." He chuckled at me, and I looked down and blushed. I stood up quickly and began taking off the suit. As I do, I can feel him watching closely and watching my body reveal from it. When I finally am undressed, I look over and see he is staring at me with a smirk.

"Damn, you're beautiful," he states, and I blush again. The f**k is going on with the blushing?!

I sit back down next to him, and he finally takes off his cloak. He is wearing a ripped t-shirt that seems too small because you can see all his abdominal muscles and his curves. My stomach fluttered from the thought.

"You cold?" He gestures to his cloak, and I nod as he wraps it around me. I turn to look up at him and he looks back. I lean in and meet his lips with mine and he gives in for a minute but pulls back.

"You said no, so I'm sticking with that." he said softly and chuckled a little. He wraps his arms around me to keep me warm and I rest my head on his leg.

I wake up the next morning with the sun rising over the horizon and I still have my head on Ace's leg. I look up to him and he looks down on me, still wide awake.

"Good morning." he says softly. I sit up and look around.

"Good morning. You didn't get any sleep?" I asked him. He nods

"I keep my promises and I told you I would keep watch over you." He smiles at me, and I feel butterflies again.

"Thank you." I say as I get up and get my belongings together.

"I thought about what you said." he says to me, and I look over to him, stopping what I am doing. I am unsure of what he means.

"I'll come with you." he says and stands up to help me. I look at him and I smile and give him a nod of acceptance. Looks like this adventure was not for nothing.