Last Stop New Vegas

[CortezHorse]

"I'm fine, least I will be once this shit clears out."


He made an angry swipe at the haze around them as if that would clear the air a bit. It was ridiculous sometimes how tough it was to live out here; everything was out to get you, even the damn weather. There was movement in the dust, he could swear it this time and he furrowed his brow, scrunching his face as he tried to focus on the hazy sight. It looked like, was that a wagon? No sooner had he thought it did the wagon come into view, pulled by two bighorners and driven by an older man. The wagon appeared to hold a family, the young children popping their heads out as their father pulled the bighorners to a stop at the sight of Ben and Darling.


"Well, what are you two doing out in a mess like this?


Ben took pause for a moment, not use to people approaching him in a friendly manner out in the middle of the desert.


"We're traveling, like you I s'pose."


The man chuckled and nodded his head.


"S'pose so! Well, where are you two headed? There's no need for you to be wandering around in this dust when we have room in our wagon."


He gave the man a curious look, mistrust written on his decayed features but he still answered.


"The Strip is where we're headed."


"Well what luck! That's the direction we're goin' in. Why don't you two hop on in."


Ben hummed in his throat and turned to Darling, unsure of what they should do. He wasn't going to make a big decision without her input, they were a team after all. It unsettled him though, a family in a wagon out in the middle of this and they just happened to be going in the same direction? Too much of a coincidence for his tastes but he'd never been the trusting sort.


"Your call Darling."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

There was no hesitation from Darling as she took a step towards them. Even if it would be hard traveling with an entire family, knowing that supplies was probably stretched between that group as it was, Darling genuinely wanted to hop on and go with them. The dust was awful and she had taken to clearing her throat every few minutes because it felt like her lungs were grinding against themselves as she breathed, small particles of sand catching in her throat.


It was when Ben seemed to hesitate, when he said it was her call, that she stopped. He didn't trust people, not like her, and maybe it was for good reason. Yet, she still had to try, she had to take chances and believe in other people. It was who Darling was. She was a firm believer in humanity, in the kindness of others.


There were good people in the world, after all, Darling was one of them.


She smiled at Ben.


"I say we take a chance, what's the worst that can happen?"


He had said it himself, after all, the two of them were particularly hard to kill. Maybe it was her luck, or his survival skills, but they'd done well so far. If this turned out to be a bad idea, which she couldn't fathom, they'd be fine. They were always fine.


That in mind she gave a polite nod to the family in the back before she stepped up into the wagon. The air wasn't clean inside, but it was cleaner than what they'd been walking in for God knows how long. Reaching a hand out for Ben to help him up, Darling's smile stayed in place.

 

[CortezHorse]

Darling was obviously all for traveling with these strangers and despite his reservations, when she flashed that smile at him it was a lost cause.


I say we take a chance, what's the worst that can happen?


Well, he couldn't very well burst her bubble by answering that truthfully but in a sense she was right he supposed. They'd been through so much already, what were the odds that this family meant them any harm? She offered her hand, her smile still melting him to putty and he took it without another question.


Once the two of them were seated in the back with what the wife and two children, the man snapped a whip and the bighorners pushed on. The wagon creaked, rocking back and forth as it moved on the dusty trail but it was significantly better than being outside walking on foot. The two young children, a boy and a girl, stared up at Ben with wide, curious eyes and he did his best not to sneer at them; at least they were keeping their distance. Freckles popped her head out of his pocket, apparently smelling new people and the children were immediately enthralled with her. She hopped out, tail wagging and began bouncing around them yipping as they giggled. That was the opening of the flood gates apparently as the boy leaned over and poked at Ben's peg leg, earning him a glare from the ghoul.


What happened to yer leg?


Ben huffed, not wanting to really talk with the young child but it was an innocent enough question.


"A monster ate it."


His eyes grew wide, his sister came to sit beside him, Freckles in her lap, her eyes locked on Ben as well.


Really?


"Yep."


The two siblings looked at one another and the girl gave him a curious look before piping up.


Well, what kinda monster?


"Type of monster that only comes for little boys and girls when they don't listen."


Ben smirked as they huddled up even closer together, the girl snuggling Freckles close to her.


Really? What's it look like?


He put a hand up to his chin, thinking for a moment before answering.


"Well, it looks like.."


A look of pure horror came over his face then as he pointed behind the children.


"That right there!"


They squealed and scattered around the wagon, their mother just rolled her eyes at the scene while Ben laughed. Ah, nothing better than scaring kids.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Darling stretched her legs out, letting her pack rest down beside her. Taking her sunglasses off, she tucked them in her shirt and smiled at Ben, trying to keep her giggles down as she gently swatted his arm in a motion that was too light to really even be a mock reprimand.


"And here I thought I'd be the one getting along great with kids."


Her gaze lingered on him before turning to the mother. For a moment, she looked the woman over before remembering her manners. It might have been the desert, and there might have been terrible people in the world, but Darling wasn't one to forget her manners.


"I'm sorry, my friend here thinks he's funny. I'm Darling by the way, Darling Harlow. I figure it's only polite for me to introduce myself since you've been kind enough to let us tag along." Her hand extended, accompanied with that same bright smile.


The mother completed the grasp, her own smile a tired one that wrinkled the corners of her mouth and eyes. "Connie, Connie Joad. This is Ivy and Noah, and Ezra is my husband. It's very fine to meet you, Darling."


The girl, having settled and turned her attention back to the dog, looked up when she heard her name, smiling. Darling returned the motion, though the girl quickly became distracted when Freckles started to nibble at her fingers. She squealed in delight and laughed, her attention a fleeting thing as it was with most children. The joke Ben had pulled seemed to warm the air, making the subtly tense atmosphere relax. Of course, having a dog probably helped with that too.


"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Joad."


It was then that the mother had turned her eyes to Ben.


"And while we're on introductions, I don't think I quite caught your name. What was it?" There was a soft warmth in her voice, though that too seemed tired, not in true exhaustion, but from trying to keep two kinds wrangled and a family together.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben leaned back, sitting beside Darling and watching as she introduced herself to the wife of the family. The woman seemed polite enough, she gave the names of the entire family and appeared to be a normal, everyday mother. Although he'd been leery before about their wagon being out in the middle of a storm, Ben was beginning to feel more calm as he watched the family. There was nothing threatening about these people at all.


I don't think I quite caught your name. What was it?


He grunted, shifting uncomfortably under the woman's gaze. Ugh, introductions were the worst.


"Ben, names Ben."


His eyes flickered to the little girl and boy as they giggled, wrestling with the playful little pup. Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all, least they didn't have to walk anymore. The husband turned around from his seat at the front of the wagon to call back to them.


Don't have too much fun back there without me now. We'll be stopping in a few hours to bed down and make dinner so hang tight you lot.


The kids bounced around in excitement at the announcement and Ben sneered, moving closer to Darling to get away from the little balls of energy. The wife, Connie, apparently noticed his reaction and gave him an apologetic look as she tried to wrangle the children back towards her.


Sorry, they can be quite a handful. You're not much of a kid person, hm?


He gave a nod, watching as the kids wriggled around in her grasp.


"Not really a people person in general. Kids I just find more chewy than the rest."


At that statement the two kids immediately stopped squirming, stared at Ben in horror and ducked behind their mother for protection. Connie seemed amused and it got them to stop fussing so Ben was all too pleased with himself.


They traveled for several more hours, the kids playing with Freckles while Ben took to cleaning sand out of his rifle. Time seemed to pass by quickly with all of the energy around them and they soon pulled to a stop, the father finally crawling into the wagon with them after tending to the bighorners.


So! For dinner we haaaave, canned beans ooor canned beans.


The children groaned with displeasure, apparently this was a meal they had often but they began gobbling up their serving just the same. When Ezra spooned out some beans for Ben onto an old, cracked plate he nodded to the man with gratitude.


"Thanks."


Oh, no problem at all. We'd want someone to treat us the same if we were stuck after all. Connie, why don't you make our guests a drink?


An odd look came over the woman's tired face and Ben couldn't exactly place what it was. She seemed, a bit unsettled about something. He brushed it aside and gladly took the beverage she brought them. The smell wafting from the cup had a bite to it, alcohol of some sort. It wasn't the most tempting thing after his and Darling's long, alcoholic night only a day ago but he wasn't going to refuse a free drink given to him on what he was sure was stressed supplies.


His face crinkled at the first sip but he muscled passed the bitter flavor and swallowed a gulp before setting the drink aside.


Good, isn't it? My own special brew.


"It's....different, that's for sure."


Ezra laughed at that and clapped Ben on the shoulder.


Well, it isn't everyone's cup of tea I've come to find out but the more you drink the better it gets I promise.


Ben gave him a look of disbelief but continued to sip on the beverage throughout the meal. The family chattered back and forth but Connie still seemed anxious about something, her eyes would constantly dart back to him and Darling. It was beginning to set Ben on edge and after his next gulp of the drink he realized why. His vision was beginning to swim, he felt light headed and tired, something was wrong. He shook his head, trying to clear his fuzzy mind so he could form words and warn Darling but his vision tunneled and he fell to his side with a dull thud; everything went black.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Ben took to cleaning his gun while Darling, on the other hand, pulled out her journal from her bag once more. There was something so soothing about writing out her thoughts, about working it out on a piece of paper where no one could judge her for it. She could rationalize things, could make them into small problems that were easier to understand. Besides that, it was a good way to spend the time since Connie didn't seem too keen on talking to her. It was odd, really, how easily the woman was able to wrap conversations up and end them without seeming rude.


When they stopped she tucked her things away and looked out of the wagon. She didn't know where they were, then again, she never had to start with.


Drinks and food were handed out and Darling was thankful, gracious in accepting what they had to offer. For once, she was quiet as the family spoke. She listened, and after one drink of whatever the father had given her, she sat it aside. It was, in so many ways, worse than what her and Ben had been previously drinking in the hotel room, and the fact that she had sworn off alcohol only helped to deter her.


Ben toppled forward and in an instant reaction, Darling had all but thrown her supper to the side to try and catch him.


"Ben!" Her head whipped to look at the father, nothing the darkness that now loomed in his features. "What did you do to him?"


Her mistake was turning her attention back to her friend. As soon as she looked away, Ezra moved. If the drink wasn't going to work on her, then a swift blow to the head would. Pain exploded from the side of her head and behind her eyes and she went tumbling down.


Darling didn't know how long she was out, didn't know when the line of sleep and unconscious blurred.


It was us or them Connie


I know that but giving them to the-


But nothing, it's not every day we get a bounty like this. If we didn't get them, someone else would have.


A resigned sigh


Alright- fine.





The moments of speech, of conversation, they hit her like a fever dream, rippling and wrong. She caught snippets of other conversations but it was nothing she could remember. She knew better than to try and speak the few moments when she was awake, instead, she kept her eyes shut, waiting. She was intuitive enough to know that fighting would only make it worse and she wondered if Ben was up yet, if he was okay.


What had they given him?


Time melded away and eventually, they stopped.


"Get up."


It was Ezra's voice that addressed her, his hand grabbing her arm an yanking her to sit up.


Darling blinked. It looked late out from what she could see. Her muscles were aching, burning as though she hadn't moved in days. Maybe she hadn't. Stretching was going to prove difficult, though, as her wrists had been bound by rope that scratched and irritated her skin. Ezra had moved to Ben next to try and get him up as she slowly tried to draw herself to her feet.


She was afraid.

 

[CortezHorse]

He could hear muffled conversation around him but no matter what he did he couldn't force his eyes to open. His body was as heavy as lead but the one thought that surfaced at every moment of lucidity was Darling, was she ok? Ben had no clue what these people wanted them for or what they intended to do with them but he wasn't sure what he'd do if he opened his eyes and Darling wasn't there.


Get up.


There was motion near him, he could hear the scrap of shoes on wood. Wood, so they were still in the wagon? A hand gripped his arm tightly and hoisted him up; Ben's vision swam as he was forced back into consciousness and he couldn't make sense of what was happening. They were in the wagon, Ezra was the one who pulled him up and his wrists were bound. He shook his head, trying to bring some sort of clarity back to his mind.


Wake up.


Finally he focused on Ezra's face staring at him, the once open and kind eyes had become hard. He'd done this to them, put something in his drink and tied him up.


"Why?"


Ben croaked the single word out past a throat that felt as dry as the desert that traveled on. How long had he been out? He turned his head and saw Darling sitting beside him, tied up like him and, in an odd way, he was happy she was still there, still knew that she was alive and alright. Ezra stood up straight after rousing his two captives.


Because, there's a nice bounty on you two. I need money to provide for my family and turning you both in is how I'll get it.


A bounty? Who would put a bounty on them? His eyes wandered away from Ezra as he tried to take in the rest of his surroundings. The children were now astutely avoiding what was happening, focusing on drawing or something as the mother watched over them. He heard a whine and saw Freckles penned up in a small cage, she pawed the crooked metal bars at the sight or Darling and Ben, obviously wishing to get closer.


Ezra followed his gaze to the dog.


Little bitch bit me when I knocked this one in the head He flicked the wound to Darling's head as a punctuation. So, gonna keep her caged up till we get rid of you two.


"Who wants us?"


This time Ben spoke more clearly, his senses quickly coming back to him.


Legion wants you for some reason. Don't know what you two did but it must have been bad to piss them off to the point they put out a bounty.


Legion. That was it, he was taking them back to the Legion. He pulled against the ropes that held him, sneering at Ezra as he stood over them, arms folded.


Now that you two are good and awake let me lay down some ground rules for our little trip. The Legion wants you alive, the price for you two is higher that way so I'd rather keep the both of you breathing. However, they will pay for corpses so one wrong move and the both of you are dead. Understand?


Ben growled, settling a glare on him but Ezra just smirked.


Go ahead, be as tough as you want big guy. There ain't no gettin out of this. So, behave and you two will make it to The Strip alive.


At those words Ben deflated, he was right, there was no way they'd escape this. They'd been lucky time and time again but here they were, captured and ready to be presented to the Legion with a fuckin' bow on top. He looked over to Darling, the sight of her injured yet again made his heart drop. This wasn't what was suppose to happen for her, she's the kind of person who gets happy endings. He'd promised to get her to The Strip alive and well but now she was going to end up suffering right beside him. If there was a way he'd get her out.


Pay attention!


Ezra slapped the side of Ben's head and he winced momentarily before setting his stern eyes onto Ezra once more.


During the day you two will walk behind the wagon, tied by these ropes. If we come along someone and we need to hide you then you get in here.


He pulled away a small slat of the wagon floor, a false bottom. The space was tiny, he and Darling would only fit if they were practically crammed in there.


Otherwise you stay outside of the wagon, I don't want you two talkin' or even lookin' at my family. Any orders I give, you follow em'. Got it?


Ben nodded stiffly, looking down now at the ground. He'd find a way to get Darling out.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The flick to the wound on the side of her head left Darling blinking at the raw flash of pain that made her vision falter. How had had she been hit?


She was considering this as she looked at Freckles, then the ground, trying to think of anything other than the situation they were in, but that didn't last long at all.


Ezra slapped Ben and Darling flinched. It was setting it, truly setting in as she saw the false bottom, as she saw the look in Ben's eyes. They were trapped and it was her fault for getting them into this situation. She wondered what would have happened if they just continued walking. Would this family still have gone after them? Would they have been forced to fight for their lives once more? At least then they would have had a chance. They would have had their guns, the ability to run and hide. But, they didn't have that chance. They didn't have it because she was too trusting, too willing to believe in the good of others.


She couldn't let Ben go back to the Legion, not after what they had done, not after she realized how much hatred would be waiting for them.


And she, herself, couldn't go through that. She wasn't strong enough to deal with what they would do to her, with having to be there and see the suffering Ben would be put through.


A shaky breath escaped her as these thoughts rushed through her mind, threatening to drown her optimism. And who would blame her at this point? She wasn't some kind of harden merc who had seen all this before, she wasn't an adventurer with endless stories of death defying stunts to tell. She was a kid, a stupid kid who had gotten them into this situation because of her stupidity.She wanted to go home. It was that desire, she decided, that would keep her alive. She'd try to keep a brave face, try to talk herself into thinking she was strong, not for herself, but for the people she had left behind, for her friends, her family, and for Ben.


Darling wouldn't let herself give in to this. There had to be hope, right? Hope to escape, hope to make it out of this. They just had to be smart, had to make their escape at the right time.


She remembered, once, her mom reading a passage of a book to her when she was younger, and maybe it was silly, maybe it was completely asinine to remember those words, but she did.


Where there's life, there's hope.


They were still alive. They still had a chance. They'd survived everything else together, so surely they could survive this.


She told herself that, repeated those words until she believed them.


The blonde squared her jaw and stopped staring at the ground, forcing herself to look at Ezra, to stare at him with all the defiance she had in her eyes. He wasn't some creature of power, an unstoppable force. He was just a man. He was a man who could fall. And maybe she couldn't fight, couldn't suddenly break the rope around her wrists and save them, but she wasn't about to just lie down and take this, she wasn't going to let them see how much it hurt, how close to breaking she truly was.


"Glad to know we're in such capable hands. And here I thought you couldn't get any kinder."


Her voice was quiet, a bit raspy, and she knew this was a bad idea, but at least she hadn't bowed her head to the first person who had managed to get a leg up on her.

 

[CortezHorse]

"Glad to know we're in such capable hands. And here I thought you couldn't get any kinder."


Ezra whirled around, his rough hand immediately connecting with her cheek in a loud slap. Ben straightened up and practically snarled, pulling against his binds.


"Shut yer mouth. I don't want you damaged but if I have to then I won't hesitate."


He turned, moving towards Ben who glowered at the man. Ezra attached a thick rope to the bindings around Ben's wrists, hefted him up by his arm then kicked him out of the back of the wagon. He tumbled and rolled, being drug along the hot sand for a moment before finally finding his feet and standing up.


"You both start walkin' tonight. I don't want to hear no complainin, only silence."


His attention turned to Darling now and he made an effort to be extra rough with her as he secured her lead then shoved her out of the wagon, just like Ben.


"Keep up, if you fall I ain't gonna stop for ya, you'll just have to be dragged all the way to The Strip."


Ben growled, doing his best with bound hands to help Darling situate herself. Once they were both upright and walking, he chanced whispering to her now that Ezra had moved back to the front of the wagon.


"You ok?"


It was the only thing he could think to say, to ask. There were a million more things that he could have let flow from his mouth but none of them seemed right.


"We'll, I'll..."


He stammered for a moment, his voice still extra scratchy from the drug and being without water for at least a day.


"I'll find a way for you to get back home, I promise."


His milky eyes were locked on her, completely earnest in his vow.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He slapped her. The sound was loud, but it was nothing compared to the pain that bloomed on her cheek, spreading like fire as her vision was suddenly broken, black spots appearing and lingering until she and Ben were shoved out of the back and forced to walk. The pain was dying down but she could still feel the exact print of his hand on her cheek, a throbbing sting that served as a silent reminder with every step they took.


Darling didn't look at Ben, not right away. She was trying to process everything that just happened, trying to think of anything besides how angry she was at Ezra, at his family, at herself.


It kept coming back to herself, and with Ben apologizing, him promising to get her back home, it became her to choke down her emotion, to swallow it like poison. A tear slipped sliding down her aching cheek and she hoped, with that side of her face away from Ben, that he didn't see it.


The blonde swallowed, tasting the dirt in her mouth.


"I'm alright." The words where just as soft as his had been, trying to not draw attention to them.


In truth, she couldn't even say if she was lying any more.


She didn't feel alright.


"We just...we have to find a way to cut through these ropes. We can survive this, I know we can."


That, at least, was something she was sure about. Darling knew they could make it through this, they just had to be smart, had to keep their wits about them. Maybe that would be the hardest part.

 

[CortezHorse]

"We can survive this, I know we can."


Ben could only nod silently in agreement. They'd get out of this someway, somehow. It'd been years since he had a partner he could trust so implicitly and the two of them working together could do anything it seemed. The wastes hadn't killed them yet so some crazed bounty hunter wouldn't either.


"We will."


A tear dropped from her face, he'd seen it glimmering in the bright sun as it fell. The sight of it hurt, constricted his chest and it was ridiculous to think that despite their grim situation his focus now instantly turned to comforting her. He could be planning, thinking, looking for a way to escape but knowing Darling was in distress right beside him took priority. Somewhere along the way she'd become top priority to him in all situations.


Looking ahead at the wagon he could see Ezra was obviously not in a position to see them well. He must be counting on his wife and children to keep an eye on his prisoners so they didn't run away. He'd remember that for later, for now he edged over and knelt a bit to gently touch his forehead to her temple. Honestly he wasn't sure what the hell he was doing, he just knew that he needed to comfort her and do it without the ability to use his hands or even speak at a normal volume.


"It'll be ok. We'll start looking for ways out when they stop tonight to rest."


The night seemed so far in the future though as the heat of the day beat down on them, the hard, dry ground merciless on their feet. They'd make it though, together.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

His forehead touched her temple and she could feel a faint sense of comfort. Ben wasn't giving up, Ben was right there beside her and, more than that, he cared. He cared enough to try and make her feel better when he was in the same shitty situation. She managed a small smile in his direction, leaning her own head against his for just a moment before straightening up.


Once it was dark, they'd think. Maybe they'd be left to sleep outside, could whisper to one another in the night while the family rested.


If they were complacent, if they were compliant and pliable, then Ezra wouldn't have any reason to suspect anything of them. He'd done this before, that much was clear, and Darling was genuinely hoping that she and Ben didn't look like that much of a threat, that maybe Ezra would underestimate them. That would be the only way they could make it out of this, she thought.


For the rest of the day, she walked in silence. Staring forward or at the sky, Darling tried to think. A plan would come to her soon, it had to.


If they could get the ropes cut, maybe they could take the family hostage. God, that was an awful thing to even consider, but Ezra wouldn't shoot them if they were holding his wife and kids, right? It wasn't as though Darling and Ben would hurt them, or, Darling wouldn't. They could just take their stuff, their dog, and leave.


But, they had to cut the binds first.


She bounced ideas about in her mind, letting them grow and change as the day went on. The sun was hot and she could feel it starting to burn her arms, but complaining wouldn't help any.


Besides, by now, she'd been through worse.

 

[CortezHorse]

Thirst was starting to get to him along with the heat and never ending walking. He'd dealt with worse though, been thirsty longer than this, experienced hotter days and harder walks so it was easy to push on. What made the task of continuing even easier was the fact he now had someone that suffered right beside him. It wasn't as though her being part of this anguish made him happy but the fact someone was here, someone he cared about, made all the difference. Ben would fight harder simply because she was now involved.


The sun began to dip down and it wasn't long after that the wagon pulled to a stop. Ezra crawled to the back of the wagon and looked out at Ben and Darling, giving them a once over from the cart before dipping back inside. A single bottle of water flew out of the wagon and landed far away from the pair. Ezra poked his head out once more with a sickening smile.


"Have fun trying to get that. I'll throw out our scraps after dinner for you two to fight over."


Ben growled, an automatic response towards the man's cruelty. Their capture disappeared once more, this time closing the back of the wagon's flimsy doors to seal himself and his family inside.


"Asshole."


He hissed the word out through clenched teeth. It was their first, and hopefully only, night as the man's bounty. They'd unfortunately need the water and whatever scraps he threw out to fuel them in their escape. So for now, they'd need to wait until the sky was completely dark and the family was asleep. Ben focused on the water bottle now, trudging over towards it to find that his lead, of course, was too short for him to reach the bottle.


"Fuck me, son of a.."


The continuous string of soft curses continued as he strained and stretched to reach the water.


"You try, can't get a goddamn grip."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

They stopped. Darling stretched out her legs and turned her gaze to Ezra when he appeared. She stared at him as he threw the water, watched the cruelty and hatred in his eyes as he disappeared back inside to be with his family. She heard Ben's swearing, his struggle, but she didn't try to get it herself until he gave up. Her mouth was dry by then, and she could feel the grit on her teeth, her tongue.


They needed that water.


She moved to reach for it. Got it was so close. She tugged at the ropes on her hand until they rubbed her skin raw, until her wrists started to bleed.


Darling winced and stopped, then. She wasn't a creature controlled by anger and first instincts. Thought not always the smartest individual, she tried to think things out when she had the chance. It was how she had survived for so long. She was witty, had learned to think carefully.


The blood was sticky, making her wrists slip a bit in the bonds but not enough to be of any use.


Sitting down, she lie back, stretching her arms over her head so she could ease along the ground. She winced slightly when she twisted the wrong way, but it worked. Her legs could reach the bottle of water. Grasping it between her feet, she bent so her legs reached up and over her head, it was only then, when she was sure it was within range, that she dropped it.


Getting back up on her feet, she cracked it open as she shook her head, knocking the sand out of her hair.


"Here, take a swig." She handed it over to Ben.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben took the bottle, ready to take a big swig to ease the burning in his throat but he saw the blood dripping from Darling's wrist. He took a small swallow and handed the bottle over.


"Drink. I'll help pour the rest on your wrists."


Then silently he went as far as his lead would let him and sat down, leaning on a nearby rock. The sounds of the family inside the wagon were clear as they prepared and ate their supper. Ben had been completely confident that they'd find a way to escape but now, looking at the thick, knotted rope around their wrists, he wasn't sure how they'd manage. Ezra was armed to the teeth and they had nothing, not even free movement of the hands. There had to be a way. Maybe he could distract the bounty hunter while Darling made a break for it. She wouldn't leave though, stubborn girl.


"Any ideas?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Sitting down as close as she could to Ben, so he could hear her without drawing unwanted attention, Darling frowned and took a drink of water before setting the bottle between them. She looked at the rope around their wrists, then to the sky as though it would have an answer. Of course, it didn't.


"I was thinking, if we timed things well and got these binds off our wrists, we could take his family hostage and intimidate him into letting us leave."


But that brought her back to the binds, the ones she couldn't wriggle her wrists out of though she still tried.


"Other than that, if they are making a trade off, maybe we'll get a chance to dash off when that goes down."


But, that was risky. It was risky because they wouldn't know the area, because by then it wouldn't just be Ezra with a gun trained on them, but the Legion as well.


"Did you have anything in mind?"

 

[CortezHorse]

He picked up the bottle between them and began pouring it over her raw wrists, helping to soothe the burn with cool water. As he poured, he listened to her suggestions, both were very risky, nothing was one hundred percent in this.


"Dunno, family could be armed, could be light sleepers and will wake up when we try to sneak in. To many maybes. Waiting to get to New Vegas...hm.."


A disapproving sound rattled in his throat.


"Don't think so, dealing with legion. Prolly gonna be a lot of them. Hrm."


His milky eyes looked up from her wrists to the horizon and he found himself wondering how far they were from the town they stopped in. He set the bottle aside and straightened up, preparing to present his proposal.


"Maybe, you go back to town, get your NPR friend to enlist help. NPR is already at New Vegas, protecting it, maybe he could radio them and let them know."


His idea was just as risky as Darling's. He'd heard that only one man rules the Strip and NPR is something he allows to protect his precious jewel. It might be a stretch to think NPR would ruin their post at New Vegas by attacking the Legion and causing trouble for this faceless man. Then again, the allure of Legion being so close to them might be enough to win them over.


There was also the possibility that Darling would never make it back to town. Something could happen to her.


"Hm, dunno. Maybe your idea with the family is better."


He sat back again, thinking quietly. Suddenly he perked up and looked at his hands.


"I can get out of these."


It was painful and desperate, but he knew how. He pressed against the joint of his thumb until it popped loudly. Ben winced, sucking air in between his teeth, a pause for the pain, then began to slip his misshapen hand out of the binding. It was much easier without a thumb being in the way.


"There."


He growled the word out, his hands now free. Ben wiggled his fingers, minus the dislocated one of course then slide his wrists back into the bindings. Ezra would be coming back out with food, he'd have to wait.


"Maybe. You lure a kid out, however you need to then I'll grab him. Can threaten without a gun."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Going to Alan for help was an idea that would have made Darling uncomfortable had she had much of a choice in it all. He wasn't the best person, she knew that now, but he never really seemed to hold grudges, and, hell, if the Legion was involved surely he couldn't be mad enough to deny them help for that reason alone. He was NCR, fighting the Legion, protecting people, that was what he had signed up to do.


"Jesus Christ, Ben." She whispered the words, wincing out of sympathetic pain. There was no way that could feel nice.


But, he had been able to slip his hand free of the binding, and if he could do that he could untie hers as well.


They might actually have a chance at this rate.


The idea of luring a child out so they could be grabbed and used as an item, a way to threaten someone, it should have bothered her more than it did. But, it would be fine, she told herself, it wasn't like they would actually hurt the child, they were just going to act like they would.


Children were curious anyway, they did things they weren't supposed to, and no matter how hard parents might try to keep them in line it never really worked. Luring one out wouldn't be the hardest part.


"So we take the kid hostage, get our stuff and...bring them with us for a bit until we're out of sight and have a chance to run, then let him go so he could get back safely." They were pretty good at hiding at this point, so that wouldn't be too big of a deal. "The question is, where do we go? Back to town or keep heading towards the Strip?"


She had barely finished the question when laughter was heard from inside the wagon. The back door slammed open and Ezra stood there looking far too amused, too happy.


His daughter peered out from behind him.


"Used all your water already? And here I thought you'd be smarter than that. It was supposed to last you all the way to the Strip."


Stepping down, he dropped a plate of indecipherable scraps for them.


"Maybe if you're real obedient, I'll give you another so you don't die along the way."


His gaze had turned to Darling and, that time, she remained silent.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben looked at the ground, doing his best to be as obedient as he could be, no matter how much it sickened him. They had a plan, a means of executing it, they'd be out of this soon. Ezra bent down to be eye level with them and Ben opted to look past him, on to his daughter who was peeking from the wagon. She looked shy but raised her tiny hand in a wave when she made eye contact with him. She was young, didn't understand what was going on. It turned his stomach to think of how they'd use on one of the children later, they were innocent after all, but if they wanted any chance at freedom it had to be done.


"Hey!"


Ezra grabbed Ben by his jaw and jerked his head around.


"Don't you look at her. Don't you EVER look at ANY of my family. You hear me?"


Ben stared silently but nodded all the same.


"Good."


He walked back to the wagon for just a minute before returning again and pouring sloppy leftovers onto the dusty ground.


"Enjoy."


He disappeared for the night, closing the flimsy doors on the wagon and locking them. Ben waited, biding their time before slipping the ropes off his wrists again.


"We'll go to the Strip."


He answered her question from earlier in the day as he worked at the knotting on the rope that held her.


"Let's do this and get it over with."


The doors to the wagon were easy enough to pry open, even with bare hands. Ben did his best to be as quiet as he could, injured hand cradled against his chest, good hand working at pulling the doors open. The family didn't wake and Ben peeked in, only hearing soft, sleeping breaths. He spotted the little girl closest to the door and he reached in, giving her a prod. She immediately picked her head up, sleepy brown eyes turning to look at Ben. He did his best to appear non-threatening and raised his hand in a little wave like they'd done earlier. The girl grinned, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she crawled over. Ben cradled her to him with one arm and nodded for Darling to go into the wagon to retrieve their belongings. He hated to send her in alone but with his only good hands currently holding the little girl to him, he wasn't much use in picking up their gear. If Ezra woke, Ben would have to be quick in getting his attention and letting him know the leverage they had.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The girl moved so easily towards Ben, quiet and seeming to be quite at ease with all of this. Darling watched them for a moment, rubbing the raw skin on her wrist as Ben moved back from the wagon. Darling pulled her shoes off, feeling the hot ground under her feet as she eased forward, the feeling sharp against the cool air of the desert night. She'd be quieter without the shoes, more able to twist about without the clunky soles impeding her movements.


Gripping the edge of the wagon, she eased herself up into it. Balanced on the balls of her feet, she carefully eased forward, twisting carefully to avoid stepping on anything that might make noise.


Darling moved quiet, the only sound that of dust moving softly in her wake. The sound of her heart beating was deafening in her ears and every breath she took sounded like it could wake all of Nevada.


Looking around she located their things and very carefully hefted her own pack up onto one of her shoulders while she lifted Ben's up onto the other. Weighted down and now more encumbered, she moved even slower towards the cage in the back.


Freckles stirred when the door rattled softly. The pup blinked before making out the figure in the darkness, her little tail wiggling in excitement. Darling scooped the dog up and started to make her way out.


Once more she eased along, her heart beating faster with no hint of slowing down.


She reached the door and turned to ease out.


Her pack hit the side with what seemed to be an earth shattering sound. Darling quickly hopped out from the back and held her breath, praying that the noise hadn't woken the family.


There was a sound behind her, movement, and she quickly scurried away from the wagon, out of arms reach from whomever might have woken up. It was then Freckles started letting out an airy whining sound, pressing more firmly against Darling's grip, trying to get closer to her.


Of course things couldn't have been that easy for them, they never were. There was no way this would have gone off without a hitch.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben winced when the pack slammed against the side of the wagon. The sounds of stirring could be heard and Ben moved to stand in front of Darling as she hopped from the wagon with their crying pup. It took little time for Ezra to gain his wits and he jolted up, gun at the ready, but Ben was ready too. Fuck, he didn't want to do this.


"The fuck is going on?!"


Their captor stumbled to the back of the wagon, his eyes landing on Ben holding his young daughter.


"You son of a bitch."


He raised his gun but Ben was quick to the draw, his hand hurt like hell but he used it to reach around, found the familiar side of his pack, and pulled his knife from the pocket. He raised the blade to the toddler's throat, the babe now seeming to understand the gravity of the situation immediately screamed for her father.


"Drop your weapon! I'll slit her throat! DROP IT!"


His voice was a growling roar, so starkly not Ben. He pressed the blade against the girl's soft skin, dribbles of blood moved down her soft neck. She screamed louder and now the entire family was up and at the back of the wagon. The mother's eyes were filled with tears as she pleaded with him to let the girl go and Ben suddenly felt like the people he despised so much.


"I SAID DROP IT!"


Ezra finally complied, letting his gun clatter to the ground, his eyes staying locked with Ben's.


"You fucker, I'll find you and kill you. You do anything to her.."


Ben started moving back, his back pressed against Darling as he edged her away, his gaze never leaving Ezra's.


"I won't hurt her. You let us leave and I'll drop her, let her walk back to ya. Stay away or she's done. Ya hear?!"


He nodded stiffly, watching as the pair moved backwards quickly then as they turned and sprinted. They didn't stop running until the wagon was a far dot in the distance, Ben stopped, huffing for breath as he looked back. The toddler was still bawling and the sound made his heart ache. Fuck, if they let her go now then the wagon would catch up to them in no time. Ezra would kill them.


"We...we can't let her go. Gotta keep her."


Ben wasn't sure if it was his panic at being captured setting in, his desperation to never be a thing again.


"Gotta keep moving. She's gotta come."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The sound of Ben's voice almost startled her. It wasn't the same voice she had come to know so well, it wasn't the one that calmed her down and made dry jokes. The girl was screaming, the mother was crying, and soon enough their son was at his mother's side, holding on to her leg as his own pleas twisted in with the others. He just wanted his sister back.


Ezra dropped the gun and Darling was so caught up in the moment that she didn't start moving back until he nudged her. Shocking herself back into the moment, she stepped into her shoes, the laces loose and followed Ben's lead.


With her own pack properly on both shoulders, she held Freckles closer to her, trying not to jostle the dog too much as she sprinted after Ben in the darkness.


The girl was still crying.


Gotta keep her.


The blood rushed out of Darling's face as she started at Ben's ruined face in the dark.


"Keep her?" She sounded incredulous, her words heavy as her lungs struggled to suck more air in. "Ben we can't just keep her. She's someone's daughter."

 

[CortezHorse]

"Well what do you want us to do?! We drop her off then he comes after us. Lot faster in that goddamn wagon than we are on foot.We keep her then we got leverage."


He held the girl tightly against him, bouncing her a bit to try and calm her down.


"You got a better idea?"


Ben moved past Darling, walking on with the small girl sobbing softly into his shoulder.


"Shhh, it's alright. We ain't gonna hurt ya none."


His voice was soft and quiet once more, the raspy edge was still there, would always be there. The girl pawed at her wounded neck, lip pouting out.


"Owies."


He felt awful, was ignoring Darling, not looking at her so he wouldn't see her face. She probably thought horribly of him but he promised he'd get deliver her safely and he'd do that no matter what.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Darling kicked at a rock and set it skipping off into the darkness in her frustration. This wasn't right, they couldn't just keep someone's kid. Ezra was an asshole, sure, but the wife seemed nice, and the girl had a brother to think about, a kid who was no doubt traumatized by his sister being stolen from them.


But, they couldn't very well leave her out there on her own. Not only would they lose their leverage, but she probably wouldn't last long in the dark on her own.


The idea occurred to her that she could just leave Ben. She could walk away and wash her hands of this, take her chances out on her own or double back to the town. But, she knew that wasn't a real option. After all this, she couldn't just leave.


With a frustrated sigh she followed after him. There was no going back, not now. So, resolving herself to the situation at hand, she spoke.


"We at least have to get her bandaged up. Do we have enough food and water for the three of us?"


She crossed her arms as she spoke to keep the cold at bay, glancing back towards the wagon once more.


"I bet she's cold too."


The least she could do was make it less awful for the poor girl.

 

[CortezHorse]

He grunted an affirmation to Darling, yea, the kid probably was cold. Ben held her in one arm, shrugged half his jacket off, switched arms and shrugged the other half off. His hand was pounding, the ache sending bolts up his arm. He draped his jacket over her, glad that she was starting to calm down now. She sniffled and rubbed her face on his shoulder. It was a survival technique for kids, get care wherever you could get it, even if it came from the man that just stole you away.


"We'll find more food..more water."


Ben was a man possessed now, determined to see it through.


"You can go if ya want."


It was almost as if he'd read her mind, in reality he was just worried, this was a desperate move and would more than likely end bad. She could easily slip away, go back to her home and never have to worry about this God forsaken desert, the legion...or him.


"Go back home. Be pretty easy."


He rubbed the little girl's back, mumbling comforting words to her. It'd kill Ben if Darling left; she was the first person he'd ever truly trusted in years.There was no way it could last though, he knew that from experience. Her sticking around with him had been wonderful but all good things must end, right?