Prologue

The super mutants fell in quick succession. Three muffled yelps and the dust billowed as their hulking frames struck the ground with a concussive thud. The father and his daughter, both trembling with fear, had difficulty registering what had just happened. As they slowly peered out from the building, a voice, low and smooth, echoed out from somewhere across the street.

'Hey! You okay?'

The father struggled to find the source of the question but managed a weak nod, holding his daughter close as they made their way past the trio of dead mutants. As they reached the middle of the road, a figure emerged from the shadows. Leaping down from the balcony, the man straightened up instantly.

Scanning the street, his eyes darted from place to place, examining each window, each doorway. His head tracked something. A shadow unseen by the other two. He slowly raised his rifle, the scope now glinting in the noonday sun. A breath of wind carried across the street, tousling his hair slightly, though his focus remained. His finger tightened on the trigger, pulling slowly before he slowly relaxed his grip. Letting the rifle rest on the sling around his shoulder, he made his way into the building the pair had been hiding in.

A muffled shot pierced the air, the man had fired his silenced rifle. A moment passed before a wailing filled the air. They shuddered as they heard the cry before feeling it resonate through their bones. Low and guttural, it was a noise completely inhuman, and it chilled them both to the core. Taking his daughter by the hand, the father slowly backed away to the other side of the street, hiding in the shadow of the balcony. Another muffled shot. Then another. A body fell to the floor with a loud thump.

The man walked out, a grimace replacing the focused stare. He managed a gruff chuckle before revealing his adversary.

'Damn hound. Nearly bit me in two.'

He looked at the pair closely, scrutinising their shabby, torn clothes. Both of them had mud-streaked faces and tired eyes. The man's expression softened.

'Where've you come from?'

The father cleared his throat carefully, eventually croaking out his reply.

'Mystic Pines.'

'Long way to come' said the man, grabbing a canteen from his hip before passing to the father. 'What you looking for in Concord?'

The father swallowed the cool water and gave the canteen to his daughter.

'Our home. It… it-'

'Raiders?' The man's lip curled as he said the word. The father managed a shaky nod before speaking once more.

'Thank you for saving us, stranger.'

The man gave a curt nod before holding out a hand.

'Marcus,' he said, gripping the father's hand firmly. 'The name's Marcus.'

'I… I'm Jacob,' stammered the father, still visibly shaken from the previous encounter. 'And this is Amanda.'

He gestured to the girl, who merely hid behind him. A sad smile crept onto Marcus' face for a moment before his focused demeanour returned.

'You run into them in Lexington?' he said, eyeing the mutant corpses with obvious disdain.

'Just outside,' came Jacob's reply, more confident than before. 'There. By the overpass.'

He pointed to a crumbling part of the gigantic overpass system, which now snaked its way across the Commonwealth. Marcus grunted in reply, identifying the position for future reference.

'They don't usually come this far west,' he said, grabbing his rifle from the sling. 'We should keep moving.'

He started off down the street, heading further west. Suddenly, one of the mutants roared to life and began charging at Jacob and Amanda. Turning around, Marcus realised the shot was too close. Cursing, he ran into the fray, pushing the pair away from the mutant. The full force of the mutant slammed into his side, throwing him hard against the wall and knocking the breath from his lungs. The mutant turned frantically, his crazed eyes spotting Jacob once again. Moving slowly now, he made his way towards the pair.

With a flash of steel, Marcus was on the mutant. Holding onto his neck, he began stabbing and slashing wildly for what felt like an eternity. As the knife found its way into the mutant's throat, he gave a great gurgling roar, throwing Marcus off before falling to the ground once again.

Not wasting any time, Jacob ran over to the downed Marcus, holding Amanda close all the while. He felt for a pulse before reeling as Marcus sputtered back into existence, coughing blood and phlegm onto the ground beside him.

'He dead?' he said, barely managing to look up at Jacob.

'I… I don't know.' He helped Marcus to his feet slowly, scrunching his face up as he spotted the blood stain slowly expanding across his right side. Standing on his own feet slowly, Marcus grabbed a stimpak from the small satchel at his waist, and jammed it into his side. The sharp hiss of the stimpak's auto-injector masked his wince. He threw away the used stimpak before walking over to the mutant.

Retrieving his knife, he hefted his rifle up from the sling and fired two shots into the mutant's chest. Moving quicker now, he carried on back down the path.

'Come on,' he said over his shoulder, managing to flash a sharp grin. 'Sanctuary awaits.'