Elizabeth didn’t stop to see if any of the cracks from the high powered hunting rifle connected any of the shooters, although she counted five calm and evenly spaced shots as she clambered up the soft soil and over the other side. As she tried, she shook her head a couple of times, trying to shake the stars and pulsating light that told her she had suffered a concussion in her fall. Still, Elizabeth was counting her lucky stars, after all. The idiots who had shot at her had missed. It was a feat she wouldn’t have believed to be possible, considering she had literally been standing still. Vaguely, Elizabeth’s brain considered whether this was all part of the trap, perhaps they were being lured into an advancing group. Still, what choice did they have? It was either run, end up like those poor souls in the valley below, or suffer an even worse fate.

As Elizabeth ran, she heard footsteps behind her, which signified that her companion had displaced from his cover and was following in her footsteps. As she ran, Elizabeth slid the clip from her pistol and stuffed it roughly into her belt pocket before drawing another clip and reloading the weapon. Once loaded, Elizabeth saw what looked like an old wooden bar, located not 400m from their location. The barn was clearly a pre-war relic, with crumbling walls and a partially collapsed roof. Still, it looked to be a reasonably good place to get the high ground advantage. Without a word, Elizabeth darted from the direction she was running and moved towards the barn. She could feel hot sweat running down her face, and her cheeks were reddening quickly. Elizabeth had never been much of an athletic girl. Sure, she could walk, and even trot at a reasonable pace for days at a time, however sprinting with a full rucksack, pistol and heavy combat armour was something completely different. She could feel her lungs begin to ache in protest as she struggled to draw air, she had clearly not given enough time to recover following the winding she had experienced at the time.

When she finally made it to the barn, Elizabeth didn’t bother trying the door. Instead, she turned her shoulder and smashed into it full speed, sending the antique door splintering under her rather meagre weight. Elizabeth dodged out of the line of sight and into the darkness of the barn. Elizabeth collapsed against an adjacent wall and began to cough a dry, rasping cough, her very lungs feeling like they were made out of sandpaper. She took deep, rasping breaths for a few moments, while she waited for her companion to join her. Suddenly, Elizabeth unshouldered her rucksack and rummaged through it, pulling a single stimpack from her backpack and stabbing it roughly into her non-dominant shoulder. It was a horrible waste of a stimpack, particularly considering she wasn’t ‘that’ injured. Elizabeth knew she needed to focus on the task at hand, and while her head throbbed that would simply not happen. Immediately, Elizabeth felt the effects of the adrenaline as it began to course through her veins, and the chemicals numbed the sensation of pain better than aspirin ever could. Elizabeth continued to take deep, now slowing breaths as she dropped the needle onto the ground at her feet.

Elizabeth stood in the darkness of ancient barn, and as she did, her heart and lungs throbbed in disgust at the suddenly high charged situation that had just occurred. She closed her eyes tight and listened for a few moments, resting her head on the wall as she tried to get her heart rate under control and her breathing in control. She focussed on the sensation of warmth spreading from the arm she had injected the stimpack. Meanwhile, she counted backwards from one hundred. It was a trick Elizabeth had learnt when she was a little girl whenever she was stressed or panicked. It was her way to calm down, and right now she felt a combination of pain and panic. What surprised Elizabeth was that her companion, who she thought was behind her had not followed. In silence, she waited, drawing her pistol and reading it in the event they had been separated. She was hopeful that she had not been followed by whoever had followed her, but she wouldn’t know.

In her panicked and pain focussed state, Elizabeth hadn’t even contemplated the importance of securing the building. While she was usually extremely cautious about these kinds of things, she had stupidly focussed on her pain and not on the world around her. After a few moments of standing in complete silence, Elizabeth noticed an unusual scraping sound. It was far enough away that Elizabeth could barely make it out, but close enough that it sent shivers down her spine. Her overactive imagination pictured a group of super mutants carving through the bones of some poor settlers. Just as Elizabeth's imagination began to take over and her pain and anxiety were replaced with fear, a sudden sound came from outside. A moment later, the figure of her companion had appeared through the doorway, and she heard his voice, clearly through the darkness.

“Shhh…. I am fine. And keep it down”
Elizabeth replied in a barely audible whisper. Now that she thought about it, Elizabeth was surprised by the darkness that seemed to swallow them up in the old barn. From the outside, while it was clearly rundown, Elizabeth was certain there were some windows. That, combined with the now shattered front door, Elizabeth assumed it should be reasonably bright inside. However, Elizabeth could barely see the outline of her companion.
“I am not certain we are alone in here”
She muttered under her breath; her pistol held tightly in her dominant arm.
“Any idea who/what are those assholes that shot us were?”

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow when her companion named the group that was hunting them.
“Warpath…”
She muttered quietly, more to herself than to anyone else. A question filled her for a moment; perhaps they had the answers which she was looking for. It could be a coincidence, or perhaps not. Absentmindedly, Elizabeth gripped her pistol tightly in her hand. A moment later, she had checked her pistol for ammo, and a cold smile was plastered on her face. Had she lost her mind?
“Could we take one alive? I would like a word.”
There was something unusual about her voice when she asked the question, it was… sweet?

Elizabeth continued to absentmindedly check her pistol, lost in her thoughts for a few moments. All the while, Elizabeth ignored the strange grinding noise, it didn’t seem to matter right now. Perhaps she could finally have some answers. It wasn’t until her companion spoke once more that she was drawn back to reality and from the scheme, she was developing. His voice was quiet, barely a whisper, and to be completely honest it wasn’t until he said the word ‘molerat’ that Elizabeth began to take notice.
“Fuck”
Elizabeth groaned, her voice now lower as realisation kicked in. It made so much sense, how she hadn’t realised the sound immediately was extremely surprising. It was the sound of creatures digging through the ground below them; the scraping was when they surfaced into the wood. It also meant that the two had stepped from the fire into the furnace, as Elizabeth had never successfully avoided a swarm of molerats once they had picked up the scent of meat, and Elizabeth and her companion would almost certainly be on the menu.
“Guess I’ll have to delay my introduction to the ‘Warpath.'”
Elizabeth said suddenly; he voices no longer quiet. She knew that there was no avoiding what was about to happen.