D'you ever heard of split personalities? Right, didn't think so. Well, imagine there's like two people living in one body at the same time. Strange, huh? But you ain't seen nothin' yet! Imagine this - today I've met one person that lived in many bodies, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning, or at least 'a' beginning.
At the beginning there was me, standing stupidly at the hotel neon, looking puzzled at my new, self-made, shitty... I mean shiny gun, with not a single cap or bullet. If things work here just like in L.A. then to earn some caps I need to kill someone or something, to kill something I need to shoot it, to shoot it I need some ammo, to get some ammo I need to have some caps. In other words to get some caps all I need is to have some caps. Bummer. Now, if I has one of them beach-blond bunnies, I'd know how to get my hands on some caps, without ever leaving bed. Too bad I'm just a petite brunette with skin like sandpaper.
Desperate as I was I started to ask around, and surprise, surprise! I found some help - again! Things like that almost make me regret not having any faith in humanity. Almost, and you'll soon see why. A few Family members took pity on me and gave me a brick of ammo for my gun. I'm saying 'a few' but that's not the whole truth. You see I was speaking with one of them, he told me to wait where I was, and he headed for the hotel, then after a minute or so another guy comes around from the camp, hands me some ammo and keeps on talking as if he was the same guy that just went inside. I didn't care much then, I needed ammo, I got ammo. And it was good ammo. It was the best kind of ammo you can get. FREE ammo. Things got strange later on, but I'm getting ahead of myself again.
So, why wasn't my faith in humanity restored by this act of compassion? Well, one of these generous guys, led me to a nearby mine for some target practice. I was thinking I know what I'll have to face - defending miners from rats. I tried that before and failed miserably. Boy, was I in for a big one! We went down into the mine, he pointed at one of the miners and told me to shoot. I took me o moment to realize that these were slaves - human cattle, chained by the ankle, collared, branded, forced to work in the dark with no hope for a better life. I took out my gun, checked the clip, chambered a round, clicked the safety lock and pointed the gun at the slaves head. And I couldn't do it! How could I kill an unarmed man in cold blood and look myself in the mirror in the morning? But how could I back out now? I remember what one of the mobsters said about weak people... I didn't want to end up myself as another bead on a slave chain...
The shot in the confined space of the mine was louder then I expected. I'm not sure if I actually saw his face in the brief flash of the shot or I just imagined it - but it was not horrible at all. He looked calm, happy to have found freedom at least in death. I realized I could do nothing to make the life of these slaves better, but I could put an end to their suffering. I wish I could say I gave them all a clean, swift death, but I will not lie - it was a mess. I'm not a good shot and my hands where shaking but after a few minutes and 3 clips it was over. Almost over. The guy that lead me to the mine smiled at me and pointed behind a big rock - two more slaves where hiding there. I wanted to get over with it, so I put the gun against the head of nearest slave and puled the trigger. Nothing happened. I pulled it again. Nothing continued to happed. I guess the gods wanted to remind me I had an ill luck name. The gun jammed for good. The last shell got stuck halfway in the ejector window, I pulled the lock back trying to remove it but it only got worse - all I managed to do is to shave of the brim of the shell, so on the way back a new bullet pushed the empty shell sideways down the barrel - the only way I could kill with this gun was to use it as a club. Lucky I still had a knife. Lucky me, huh? The last two kills where... Shit! Why am I even telling you this? I don't want to talk about it, ok? I don't even want to remember... The look in their eyes... they didn't want to die, and it made it so much worse.
I was still thinking about it when we got back to the hotel. Can't remember what we talked about but I do remember this - I had half of a conversation with a handsome dude (well, almost handsome, but I ain't Miss Universe myself so...) and another half of the same conversation with a cheerful chick.
She said a assignment would do me much good - I must have looked terrible, because she gave me some stuff to cheer me up and I must say it worked for a while. We done a mission, it went good, so feeling cocky (as girls do on a night out) we took another job. She was doing most of the work, but I didn't stand around, I did my part... until the gods again decided to remind me about karma. The enemy had numbers on their side, but we were smart, we took'em one by one - until a loud explosion brought every god damed raider in 5 miles to the very spot where we where. It took me some time to realize what made the sound. At first I was thinking I stepped on a mine, or someone has thrown a grenade, but then I noticed the gun in my hand, or rather what was left of it - the gun exploded.
For a moment I was thinking that this must hurt as hell, but before my body had the time to check in the pain bill I heard 4 shots behind me. There was no pain - Darkness filled me and I welcomed him as a long lost lover. And just like every other lover I had, he left me alone in my bed, between bloodstained sheets, with my body aflame with pain, no recollection of how I got there, and not even a bottle cap on the nightstand.
Story of my life. Fucked again.