After Deux left I started getting ready for the journey. I grabbed my freshly cleaned and oiled pistol and rifle along with so rations and so dried tobacco and other things to trade. I threw any at I knew would spoil while I was gone into the usual spot for Gus. After that I took a final look at the map, grabbed the notebook I kept to give updates to the guides in Jasper and Potts Field, and headed out.
It was a little over a mile from my boat to get out of the deadzone and on the road to Jasper. I left my cart behind, and felt oddly uncomfortable without the soft noise of its treads to keep company. It made feel a bit more twitchy and paranoid than usual. Still, the path I took to Jasper was well worn, and the familiarity of it mixed with the discomfort I felt without my cart evened out into my usual levels of paranoia and caution.
The windmill was always the first part of Jasper to co into view. I watched its lazy turn as I walked, finding the sight oddly entrancing. After that ca the towers. There was a circle of settlents around Jasper that tended to absorb any raider attacks and trouble, so they didnt bother with walls. That said, the guard towers had so of the best marksn Id ever seen, so even if trouble did co, theyd send it running.
The rest of the town was the usual ramshackle hos, but with lots of farmland and wider roads to allow trade to pass through. Id chosen to live outside Jasper primarily because of its existence as a central trading area for a number of other settlents. Easy place to pick up a route, or even just the odd single item delivery job. With my last attempt at a route, specialty jobs were likely all Id be able to get from now on, if I kept doing courier work at all.
I didnt approach with my arms raised, they were relatively used to here. Not enough to walk around with my face uncovered, but enough that I could walk around with only dirty looks instead of bullet wounds. I even got a curt nod from one of the guard tower snipers as I walked in.
I walked the streets a short while, until I ca to the seediest establishnt. There were bullet holes in the walls, the door was halfway open, and an old neon bar sign saying Murphys was lit green along with a smattering of four leaf clovers that surrounded the word. I walked in and saw various goods arranged haphazardly around. I gently stepped over a few old ammo cases and made my way to the counter in the back. At the counter sat a skinny man in patched up jeans and a flannel. His eyes were covered by thick mirrored aviators and an old baseball cap covered his sunburned bald head. He was working on what looked like a small radio, and didnt look up, even when I was standing at the desk towering over him.
Bill. I said.
Nas Murphy when the signs on, he responded, still not looking up.
Murphy.
That got him to look up at , showing my own face through his mirrored lenses. As always, it was easy to see why people were scared of . Even covered up I was still a six foot seven figure wearing all black who clearly had no ears or nose. Bill didnt flinch though Donovan.
Going on a trip. Just wanted to see if youd managed to find a good trade on those guns for , find a good route trade, or get anything on my list.
Rolled his chair back a few feet and started rummaging through one of his many piles. No good news on the route. You managed to turn it from easy points to a potential death sentence.
It wasnt , I lied.
He paused to give a look that told what he thought of that statent. Sure it wasnt. Only nibble was from Nico, and once she found out what happened Lets just say shes happy with her current route.
I nodded. Cant bla her.
Your guns are gone. Did you want points or credit?
Credit. That way you actually give what theyre worth.
He nodded unashad. Smart. He finally stopped digging in the pile he was in, stood, and walked to another one, Ah, here we go. He walked back to the counter and placed a well worn book in front of . There was an image of a man with the head of a dragon, wielding a massive claymore and fighting off a lion while a maiden clutched to his leg for protection.
I smiled from behind my face covering. You found a new one for .
Yep, number twelve. Gavain and the Thousand Trials. A trader with a trunk of books passed through just yesterday.
I held the book to my nose and flipped through the pages, enjoying the sweet sll of the decaying paper. Take it out of my credit.
Already done.
I looked down at the radio hed disassembled. Whyre you fixing that? I thought the only radios that worked were short range.
Fella nad Dave ca through the other day. Bit of a weirdo, reminds of you. He says theres different tones to the type of static he gets depending on where he passes through, so he keeps about a dozen radios playing when he travels. Says he enjoys the music they make.
Sounds like his brains are mushed from rads.
They certainly are, but hes a good source of scrap and nice in his own way. Anyway, he said he was traveling East between settlents and instead of the music, he heard a voice.
A voice?
Yeah, a man talking.
What about?
He wasnt sure. He was really just complaining to that he couldnt hear the music in that spot. He even said hes been in a few other spots that had the sa problem, sa voice too. Hes really missing his music.
So youre repairing your radio to try and hear a voice a man who listens to radiation noises heard?
He nodded, unfazed by my implication. Yep. Not fixing it though technically, just trying to boost it a bit.
I put my hand up under my bandana and scratched my chin. Got any youd like to sell?
After I was done in Jasper I made my way to the Undertaker caravan. They werent inconspicuous. Three massive wagons made up of wood and scrap with a massive black canvas top draped over it all. The wagons were in a triangle and I saw two of the deadn on guard as I approached. They were dressed in all black like , except their outfits were looser and billowed with the strong wind that ca across the plain. They shot a wave as I got close. I nodded in return and slipped through into the center of the triangle. There was a camp in the center, with a breakfast fire, and so sleeping bags scattered about, and I could see the massive forms of the wagon pulling mounts. They had a lot of nas, but I usually defaulted to horses with teeth, and kept my distance at feeding ti. I counted a little over twenty other deadn. My guess was that the caravans would separate here and each hit different settlents, eting up at certain points to check in and exchange any supplies. There was no one I recognized outside, but that wasnt unusual. Potts Field was a big place, and I was never one for eting people. Didnt help that I didnt arrive until I was fifteen.
Deux appeared from one of the carts Donny!
I nodded my head at him. Deux.
Ready to do your civic duty?
For selfish ends? Sure.
That drew a few frowns in my direction, but I noticed at least one smile too.
Were headed southeast first to Tilly. Then we swing by a wild settlent, Ill brief you on that one along the way, said Deux.
Any little ones yet? I asked.
A couple we found northwest. Twins actually. A real blessing.
Glad we could gather them. I was. Potts was the only safe place for Deadn, and I knew how bad things could get for them when they didnt wind up there.
Oh, let do one thing before we get underway. He turned and faced the group. Everyone! This is Donovan. Hell be taking Randalls place at least down to Fette.
That stirred up so whispers, but only one of them was bold enough to ask the question the others wouldnt. A woman, dressed in the sa black robes as the others with a rifle slung over her shoulder and small circular sunglasses. Is he that Donovan?
Deux hesitated to answer.
I didnt. Yes. Is that a problem?
That drew another stir, but the woman whod asked just shook her head.
Deux took control of the situation. Lets keep our minds on the job everyone. The little ones cant afford for us to be distracted.
That drew so nods, and people dispersed to get to the work of readying the wagons to move. I had hoped to keep a low profile, thats one of the reasons I didnt stay in Potts. Hard to stay unknown when the first thing people hear in town is that you were found on top of a pile of corpses covered in blood.
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