Jack of Clubs Pt. 3

(Edwin)

Shit, two Clyrojacks?! It’s been a while since I’ve seen these specific dwellers. I figured they were only native to the Milonian surface area. How the hell did they end up here?

No matter, they should be easy to deal with. All it takes is a couple of shots to the head and they go down. My UV-70 still had battery in it. Back in the apartment building, I noticed that my gun was unusually low on battery. Lars must’ve left them on while we were in the elevator to deplete us of fighting options. Luckily, I noticed just in time to preserve about ten minutes' worth of fighting power.

With the gun, I charged up a few shots and began spraying toward the dwellers. The Jacks began weaving around the shots and even used each other’s bodies to push off and build more momentum. They were coordinating?!

Most dwellers weren’t capable of such intellect. I know there are a few but I haven’t experienced any Jacks like this, yet. They moved closer towards me and once they were only a few feet away, their necks stretched from their bodies and their heads leaned into mine to swallow me whole. At least this stayed the same. When in this position, the Jacks enter their most vulnerable state.

I ducked and sprinted forward as I began shooting their extended necks. Their gurgles turned into hissing screeches as they yelled in pain. Shooting their backs wasn’t an option as for whatever reason, their backs were reinforced with a steel-like texture that somehow repelled these radiated bullets. I had to wait for them to turn around.

In the meantime, I would reload my gun and gauge the next best move. If I’m going for a kill shot, I can only choose one at a time to prioritize. The one on my left seemed relatively unfazed by the barrage of bullets in its neck. It must be older. The one on the right, however, was clearly leaking unnecessary fluids. This was the one I had to kill.

The Jacks took only a couple of seconds to recompose themselves before charging at me again. The injured one was slightly ahead of the other. A stroke of luck from God? I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by. My gun raised towards its filthy mouth and blasted the creature.

The Jack's head exploded and its orange blood sprayed all over the remaining Jack and myself.

The last Jack seemed almost shocked by what just happened. It froze for about a second before resuming its attack.

Were these two creatures related? Did it hurt to lose a family member…? I understand your pain. I know what it’s like to lose those you love. You were fighting for something you believed to be right, and in the process, those you care for must perish. You’re primitive in nature. You can’t understand the depths of your sins and the need for repentance. But I can. Don’t worry, there’s no greater honor than to be killed by the savior of humanity. No matter the cost, I will ensure peace for our species. War has become a concept of the past and it’ll stay that way. We will never have to question our survival again. No matter how many of you come at us, I will save the human race, over and over!

The final Jack didn’t stand a chance. It was furious from what I did to its companion and its fighting became a lot more predictable as it threw away any sense of tactics. It only took about five seconds for this Jack to perish in my hands.

Orange liquid covered the entire side of this block. It almost reminded me of my rookie days during scavenging…

My side was taken care of. I had to hope things worked out as I intended for Bane…

“Dad, help!”

I looked over and Bane was in the hands of the Jack. Goddammit, it looks like I’d have to put on a rescue attempt.

I reloaded my gun for a final shot. “Don’t worry, I got this Bane!”

(Bane)

Shit, how did I get caught by this thing!? I thought shooting it in its mouth would work but my gun didn’t even have any power! How did my father manage to kill two of them on his own?

I feel so useless. Relying on my father was all I ever did in life. He provided for me. He sent me to school. He had a status that I took advantage of. His name got me through scavenger training. Nothing in my life has ever been mine. Even when I thought my dream to build a roller coaster was something of my own, he was always at the center of it all! It began to piss me off… I don’t want to just be someone he’s satisfied with. It was my fault for putting him on such a pedestal. If I could go back and change one thing in life, it would be to enter a trance. One where I can become myself… I want to be me!

Yet, here we were. My fiery body was caught in the hands of a dweller about to be consumed. With a save from my father once again, it seemed as if my life was doomed to be in his shadow. This is reality. Maybe I should just accept that.

… He missed? The sound of the UV-70’s bullet was loud enough to pierce my ears. It barely flew past me. How the hell did he miss?! My life was about to end here! No, it’s not fair! I don’t want to die here! There’s so much more I still need to figure out about myself. I could feel my soul begin to rage. There’s no way I would accept a death like this. I used every ounce of my strength to somehow get out of the dweller’s grasp. I was raised so close to its mouth, that I began to feel its breath caress my cheek. Punching every part of it I could, my body refused to give in.

The dweller’s neck extended and its mouth widened. I will die here… But I don’t want to.

In a second, orange fluid covered my entire face and almost got into my eyes. It seemed as if the afterlife was nothing like I expected. That’s at least what I would think if my leg didn’t hit the ground with such force that I could’ve sworn it broke just like last time. Luckily, after quickly looking at it, it didn’t.

The sound of a hoverpack was above my head. It made quick work of the dweller that was holding me hostage, someone came back to save me?! I looked up to see who it was…

Lars?! Lars was flying in the air as he moved quickly to finish off the dweller with ease. His movements in the air were beautiful. You could tell that in any form of combat, Lars was the best of the best.

He floated down towards me. I got ready to fight and pointed my empty weapon at him.

“Haha, don’t worry, Bane. I’m not here to fight. Quite the opposite. I’d take the time to explain, but there seems to be a big guy in our way…” He looked over to my father. “How about it, Eddie? I’ll fly Bane back to the elevator and you see if you can outrun this fat bastard-”

I shouted at him. “No way! We’re still here to kill you, Lars. Don’t forget that. I’d never go with you.”

Lars' smile wore off his face. He got serious for a moment. “Hey kid, let’s not forget that I already killed one of your dear comrades. I can fly back to the elevator now and finish off the rest of them as well. The old man doesn’t stand a chance with a missing arm. Fence’s size means absolutely nothing to me, and I’m willing to bet that sweet Clarine isn't in the best condition to go against me. Learn to take your defeats, like a man, stupid kid. You think because you were born to survive fire, you’re special? I’m offering you guys a truce. In turn for not killing all of them and revealing your secret, you won’t have me arrested. This is your best option right now.”

I grimaced in pain knowing he was right. There is no better option for us. Born to survive fire… What does that mean? Does he know even more than what he has already told me? The truth of the scavengers and their mission has become something I doubted. Ever since meeting my father, I’ve become more and more sure that Lars was wrong about that. But he is right about many things and now is one of them.

My father spoke, “Go with him, Bane… I’ll be able to make it back on my own. We both know that.”

He was right, without me holding him back, my father would make it to the elevator in no time… I prepared myself to be carried by Lars. We would finally see if my embrace burns someone in a surface-resistant uniform.

As he carried me, his body stayed completely immune to my flames. He wasted no time flying into the air as we made our way back to the elevator.

“That was the right choice, kid. I have no malicious intent towards you, anymore. This expedition was a fun one… It feels like we’re learning a lot about ourselves, wouldn’t you agree?”

I remained silent. I was furious at my inability to do anything aside from give in. It’s all I ever do. My blood boiled. This was far from the end of things. Before we go back under, I’ll change everything…