บท 232: Strange House

After buying Anja her weaponry, they both hopped onto Dirt-Bird again and started driving in the direction of the Vault. With the [Explorer] Perk Afton knew exactly where he needed to go, as well as the fastest route to get there.

The route they'd take would be the highway that heads north-west from Westside. But before any of that Afto wanted to sit Anja down and teach her the basics of gun-safety as well as everything else that came with accurately and efficiently shooting a firearm. The last thing he wanted was to be shot in the back by his own companion, his [Miracle Maker] Perk was still recovering so he'd need to be careful.

They drive a couple miles before stopping at a gas station. Afton told Anja to wait near Dirt-Bird as he checked the place out, finding a couple molerats that he unceremoniously butchered. The place seemed to have sold food and drinks before the great war, but now all that was left were empty bottles and cans that'd been torn to pieces, presumably by the rats.

He rolls Dirt-Bird through the front doors into the building to keep it out of the sun, and most importantly, out of view. He takes an armful of the empty bottles and heads outside, finding a waist-high rock that's relatively level. He places the bottles standing upright atop it before heading back to Anja who was watching with nervous anticipation.

Afton takes her weapons and shows her how they function, how to reload, cock, unjam them, and even how to clean them properly. She picked the skills up fairly easily, her Perception and Agility allowing her to come to terms with the advice he was giving relatively quickly.

He instructs her to try and hit one of the bottle wit her pistol, he watches as she drops into the stance he'd taught her, raises the gun, takes aim, and... *Click*... The safety was still on...

Afton didn't think he'd have to explain how the safety works to her, but apparently, he did... "Anja, the safety for god sake." he says with extreme exasperation.

She looks at him and then down at the gun sheepishly, tapping the small button before taking aim again.

*Bang!*

...

It was clear she'd missed the mark by a fair distance due to the dirt kicking up behind the bottle. "Adjust your aim based on where the bullet had hit." he advises as she fires again, much closer this time.

Afton is thankful he'd purchased a lot of extra ammunition for her practise, otherwise they'd be out by now. He'd continued teaching her for hours, getting her comfortable with the kick, and the act of shooting.

He'd gotten her to practise briefly with the 9mm submachine gun, but he'd almost had a heart attack when her form dissolved as she started shooting. Holding it in one hand while looking away, allowing the recoil to force her weapon to the sky.

Fortunately, neither of them had gotten injured from it, and he'd berated her enough for two people. Hopefully she'd learn from her mistake. Regardless, night was soon drawing in and Afton wasn't comfortable with this gas-station... He'd found tracks that seemed relatively recent, and not those belonging to the molerats either.

It was incredibly likely that raiders used this as an ambush point, meaning they could be back at any moment. Afton wasn't sure whether he'd trust Anja to properly do sleep shifts yet... She was perceptive, he'd give her that, but she'd likely freeze and panic, becoming unable to do anything as the raiders butchered the both.

So, they hopped back on Dirt-Bird and start moving again, travelling down the highway to look for a good place to camp for the night. Afton would preferably pick an area that gave a good view over the area, so a large hill, cliff, or a roof of an abandoned building.

Afton spotted a light in the distance and didn't know whether or not he should approach... First rule of the 'Afton survival guide' was, don't trust anyone... Though, maybe getting Anja some proper practical experience with firearms would be a good idea? He was sure he'd be able to handle whoever was over there. 'Single-handedly'...

He shakes his head from the rather poor joke and self-dig and starts driving over to the light, eventually finding that it belonged to a relatively clean-looking two-story house. The white paint even looked freshly applied, as if the great-war had just been an inconvenience.

It even seemed to have electricity active, as light streamed through the windows undeterred. Anja pats his shoulder to grab his attention, "I don't think coming here is a good idea." she says, probably having bad memories of her time as a captive.

Afton shrugs, "Whether it is or not, I can't see outcome too terrible. At worst you get to try out your new weapons, at best we get an apple pie, a clean bed, and maybe a hot shower." he says with a smirk.

Anja just shakes her head, lacking the confidence to press the issue further. If Afton thought approaching the house was a good idea then she'd follow his lead.

He stops the bike out-front and turns ht engine off, calmly walking up the porch and rapping his knuckles against the door, stepping back and waiting for a response.

...

The sound of scrambling feet caused Afton to tense up, but the sporadic movement stopped once it reached the door. The sound of many latches being unlocked could be heard and after a moment the door slowly opened, revealed a short figure.

...

No, not short. The man before them was middle-aged but had a severe hunch-back, making him a few heads shorter than he should be. He has balding black-hair that seems to be forcing itself into a monk-hairstyle and an almost stereotypically crazed look. His face seemed permanently frozen into a half-smile, half-sneer.

His clothing wouldn't suggest he was crazy though, it was a fine suit that had no creases, splotches, or anything else to suggest something was out of sorts. It was this exact thing that made Afton the most uncomfortable however, you didn't just have immaculate suits hanging around the wasteland, especially with a house that seemed to have everything it needed to operate... Something was seriously wrong about this situation.