FO4 | Book 1: Bombs on Monday Morning ✔️

Ch 14: Teacher-For-Hire

"I'm not so sure..." I looked down at Bobbi's bloody, hole-filled body.

"Don't second guess yourself. We can rarely afford to these days. I was itching for a fight, but this works, too." She smirked. "Hancock will be happy to hear about your loyalty. You should go pay your respects in person. It's best to stay on his good side. Trust me."

"Are you... heading that way now?"

"Yeah. Goodneighbor's better than anything this hellhole of a wasteland has to offer. There's nothing more for me out here."

"I could, maybe, walk there with you?"

"What, afraid of the dark?" She sighed. "Alright, let's go."

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It was a long walk back to Goodneighbor. I was surprised that Hancock's storeroom was this far away from his house.

"What is this place?" I asked Fahrenheit as the two big guys led the way.

"This is the NH&M Freight Depot. Back before the war, this was a hot-spot for rail cars to bring in their goods."

"Why is it so far away from Goodneighbor?"

"Lemme give you some advice, Doll. Don't keep your money under your mattress. It's where everyone will look first if they decide to screw you over."

I thought about what she said and nodded. Sometimes the best way to keep something safe is to keep it far away from you.

"In this wasteland, everyone will milk you for all you've got, down to the last cap and the clothes off your back."

We continued on a ways before either of us decided to speak again. Distant gunfire and explosions sounded somewhere deep within the city.

"What's the story with Hancock?" I asked, breaking the silence. "How did he really become mayor? He doesn't seem like the type to be interested in politics."

"It's not the politics that matter. It's keeping everyone safe and happy. The misfits like us. The drifters and the gamblers and the swindlers. The forsaken, the broken, the lost, the damned, and the forgotten. Goodneighbor is a refuge to those in need, so long as you remember who's in charge."

"And what are you to Hancock? A business associate?"

She laughed. "Nothing so high and mighty. I'm his bodyguard. You mess with Hancock, you mess with me."

"I suppose every good politician needs those," I murmured.

"Yeah, they do. You make a lot of enemies while paving the way to freedom. You'd be surprised how many people want him dead. I'd take a bullet for him in a heartbeat."

I smiled. "It's refreshing to see someone show that kind of dedication these days." In a weird kind of way, she reminded me of Preston.

"Hey, he doesn't just mean a lot to me; he means a lot to everyone in that town. he's what keeps us going and what keeps people in line. He's respected because he's just the same as us, but he stepped up to the plate when no one else would."

If she kept talking the way she was, she was going to turn me into one of Hancock's followers, and not just because she looked like she'd punch me square in the jaw if I said anything against him. Hancock was rather charismatic and charming for a Ghoul. His personality was unlike any other I had met so far.

"Have you and Hancock ever —"

"Fucked? No, Doll." She smiled coyly.

"I was going to say 'dated,' but if you want to put it bluntly..."