The orange wagon led to another train that was leaving the station. It was very short, with a total of four cars. I found a mattress to put Katy on, she was struggling to stay alive. Poor child...

"How the hell can I help you? Please Katy, don't die now!"

 

 

          She stopped breathing. I couldn't let her go, I had to do something. I tried to revive her by doing CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) to get her heart pumping again.

"One, two, three! One, two, three! Please Katy, come back to life!"

 

 

            I was able to restart her heart but she was still very weak. I had almost forgotten what I picked up earlier in the day. I grabbed the other Stimpak from my breastplate and stuck it in her chest. I hoped it would be enough to get her back on her feet. 

 

 

            I waited for the Stimpak to kick in. When I saw Katy put her hand on her chest and move her head, I was comforted and glad, it worked and she seemed to feel better! She was going to need some rest. This would give me time to find out who was in control of our train.

 

 

            I was exhausted, filthy as hell, and my feet were aching, but I had one last thing to do tonight: figure out who was in the driver's seat and where the train was going. I climbed the crates between the car and the locomotive. I knew one thing for sure, I would sleep soundly after all that drama in a single day.

 

 

            I moved carefully until the doors of the locomotive opened and the pilot held me at gunpoint.

"Freeze! Put your hands behind your head woman."

"Okay, I surrender! Please, I don't want any trouble!"

"What's that light around your neck? Are you a fucking slave???"

"Look, it's not what you think, I've been through a bad day."

"Like I give a shit. Get on your knees, slowly."

 

 

            "I'll come down and join you. If you try anything, I'll shoot you. Do you hear me, bitch?"

I was bound to act quickly, the second he lost his focus, I had to get rid of him. My gun was still safely tucked into my breastplate. It was him or me and my choice was already made.

 

 

          The second he looked down at the crate I drew my revolver and dove forward. I aimed at his head and blew it off with a clean shot. That was my last stunt for the night, I was done, I just wanted to go home.

 

 

            I went into the train control room. I started looking at the dashboard until my eyes caught a map hanging on the wall that was not unknown to me. It was the map of the Boston area, my home... The terminal that controlled the steering system was running on voice recognition. 

"New destination, Boston, Massachusetts. Avoid the main roads, take the safe lanes."

"Processing. ETA: 3 days."

Now I could sleep peacefully.

 

 

            I slept like a baby in the driver's seat. I was so dead tired, my body needed a good break. I had managed to find a roughly cozy position where I put my dirty feet on the dashboard. They also required some care and attention. I was awakened by the sun's rays coupled with the railroad tracks' rattle. 

 

 

          Outside, Katy was looking at the landscape, sitting cross-legged on some crates. She found a sniper rifle, the smart one! I joined her to formally introduce myself:

"Hi sweetie! My name is Calista. You seem to be feeling better, I'm so relieved! It's safe now, we're going to my place in Boston, is that alright for you?"

Katy didn't answer me. Instead, she stared at what I still had around my neck. I had completely forgotten about the collar, slave life habit... But this little girl was able to take it off! 

 

 

            I sat down in front of Katy. She pulled a black rectangular object from her pocket and connected it to the collar. I moved my head slightly away to let her work some magic. After a few seconds, I heard several beeps and the pressure on my neck stopped. Katy took the collar and threw it into the wastelands we were traveling across.

 

 

          "Thanks Katy, my guardian angel!"

She threw herself at me and kissed my forehead. I hugged her back. We had helped each other. I saved her life earlier, Katy saved me from being a slave. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that we met, maybe our destinies were meant to be the same.

 

 

          The three days of traveling flew by. I learned that Katy was mute, about half my age, a terrific markswoman with her rifle, and that she loved to venture out. I identified with her a lot, without the slavery aspect. The train had stopped under a station in Goodneighbor. We had gathered all the supplies from the train stored in a backpack. I got off first, and offered my help to Katy. 

"Take my hand, sweetie!"

She pointed her finger at my bare feet.

"Yes I know, I have no shoes and I couldn't find any on the train! Just hand me yours, I'm sure I can fit in them!"

 

 

          Even though Katy couldn't talk, she was very smart and very sassy. She apologized in her own way, making a heart with her fingers.

"How funny darling... Mocking a barefoot woman... You're lucky I like you! Besides, we've arrived! Are you ready to discover my place?"

 

 

            I was so excited to get home, I took Katy's hand and started running up the station's stairs.

"Come on cheeky girl! Let's see if you can keep up with a woman wearing no shoes!"

She wasn't the only one who was clever at being sassy, I could be a little bitch too. And I had a lot more experience than Katy in this department.

 

 

            I took the longest bath of my entire life. The dirt I had accumulated over the past week required a good hour to wash off. Katy was reading vintage comics at the counter. Until something unexpected happened:

"Well, look who's early on our schedule!"

 

 

          Wiecek had just arrived, I rushed into his arms. I was happy to see him again, and why I had fought so hard to get back to Boston. Because in the end, when our arms were around each other, all the worries went away. 

 

 

            We had a lot to catch up on. I first made the introductions between him and the little girl I had rescued a few days ago: 

"Wiecek, this is Katy. Katy, this is my boyfriend Wiecek. To make it short, I met Katy when I came back to Goodneighbor. She was sick so I brought her back to my place to take care of her."

I was still reluctant to tell Wiecek the whole story, I had to tell him about my findings during that night before I was abducted. 

 

 

          "Katy honey, can you go play in the bedroom? I need to talk to Wiecek."

She pointed dubiously at the room behind me.

"Yes, please. I'll tell you about that life another time, okay?"

"Calista, you don't have to take the kid away, I wasn't planning on sticking around anyway."

"Oh, don't you dare say that to me! I need to tell you everything I've been through this week first."

 

 

            We sat down in the kitchen. I made myself some tea and explained my recent events to Wiecek:

"The robbery went well, I had evidence to prove the cartel was involved in the slave trade. That was before I got into a fight with Isabel. She beat me up and turned me over to her slave-trading friend where I ended up tied up on a train. I was forced to struggle for a whole day to get out of that hell. Katy was there, we saved each other. It took us three days on a different train to get back to the Commonwealth. That's it, you know the full story, more or less. What about you, why did you come sooner? Are you going on a trip?"

 

 

          "Wow, that's a heck of a ride! But it now explains what happened this week. You created a monster. This chick, the Queen as she called herself, got into an argument with Liemanto over what happened to her. And guess what, she killed him. Mykola too. Luckily I wasn't with them at the time. I didn't hesitate, I sold the house to the mayor and got the hell out of Diamond City."

"He wanted to play in the big league, he got what he deserved."

"Damn it Calista, can you think any better? The cartel is gone, and we're next on her hit list! Especially you."

 

 

            I took his advice and sat down to think this through. I had to get past my trauma caused by those slavering scum.

"Look Calista, we need to split up. I'm really sorry, but it's for our own sake. I'm going back to my family in the Pittsburgh area. With the house's sale, I bought you a boat, here is its key. It is docked at the Four Leaf Fishpacking Plant factory. You've often told me about your passion for sea travel, so I thought you'd be pleased. Leave Boston and don't come back. Farewell, my love."

 

 

          "Farewell Wiecek."

We hugged one last time on the stairs. For the first time in the Commonwealth, I felt an emotion from an age long past: the sadness of a breakup. I was devastated, it had affected me so much that I was troubled by it.