18 Hello

'Still observing?'

Looking towards the farmhouse I spotted a ghoul spying on us in…. Fearful Curiosity. 

They don't seem to be aware that they've already been caught by me. It's only natural, a Deathclaws senses are not to be underestimated. 

Trying to wrack my mind around the situation, I felt my tail swipe at the dirt in annoyance.

I was contemplating on how I should go about interacting with them. Leaving now wouldn't do me any favors. My presence has already been discovered. That being the case…. Why not use the opportunity to dig for important information….. 

'Snow has already spoken to them. They may have already concluded that I have some level of intelligence… So if I were to act like a clueless animal, it may draw needless suspicion. Getting any useful knowledge from them is already going to be hard… No need to increase the difficulty.'

Even as I said this, there were still doubts in the back of my head.

Is it really alright if I reveal my intelligence? It could easily be written off as a successful mutation. But it may also cause trouble later down the line. If a powerful group were to learn of us… They probably wouldn't be too keen on allowing such an uncertain factor to move around unobstructed. A Deathclaw is one thing… But intelligent Deathclaws are another. 

I absentmindedly stared at the farm house not too far away.

'Regardless.'

I needed knowledge. Of this world. Of this region. But getting that information would be very difficult…. 

I can't just look at them, open my mouth and say 'Hey, what part of the United States are we in?' or 'What year is it?' Those are questions a Deathclaw wouldn't ask. 

'Perhaps I could try goading them into giving me information?'

That sounds more reasonable. But how do I go about asking for the information without outright asking for it?

I could try asking for general information. Like a curious child. I wouldn't get the information I wanted immediately, but maybe I can piece things together bit by bit.

This will have to do. For now at least.

I brought my attention back to the two ghouls looking at me from the house. My enhanced hearing picked up a couple of words here and there, but the distance made it hard to hear anything clearly.

He or she turned to look towards Snow and I when our eyes abruptly connected. The gray ghoul's eyes widened and the door was quickly shut.

'Thier terror is justified…. But It will make things harder.'

"Sigh"

There isn't much I can do about it at this point…. Let's just get started.

'Snow.'

I formed a connection before calling out to mother. After a moment, I heard her reply.

'Bal?'

'…..I'm gonna go "play" with those ghouls. I won't be long.'

'Play safe….. Snow will get food to eat.'

Now that she mentioned it… I am pretty hungry…. I never ate anything yesterday, did I?

'Alright Snow.'

She wouldn't be gone for long. The longest she's ever been on a hunt was 2 hours.

We both got up and I watched as she left towards the destroyed exit. The only reason she would leave me here after I almost died was because she knew those Ghouls were afraid of her… We also needed food. 

'Contrary to the giant holein the fence, this was probably the safest place around.'

I looked to the gaping entrance before walking towards the farmhouse.

'Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to repay these guys in some way. Not only are they half responsible for saving my life. My mother destroyed their gate.'

Striding to the stairs of the farmhouse I began climbing them…. Each step releasing a creaking noise as I pulled my weight forward.

Arriving in front of the door I raised my hand to knock but stopped just before I did.

'Knocking? where would a deathclaw learn such a thing?'

'It's rude but, do I just go inside? I don't really have any other choice. I'm definitely not going to scratch at their door like some dog. That'd destroy both my pride and their wooden door.

I don't want them thinking I could just sneak into their minds whenever I want either. So using [Mind Link] is out.

I thought in silence for a minute or two before reaching a consensus.

The doorknob it is then. One could also ask how a Deathclaw knows how to open a door…. But we're intelligent so it wouldn't be as far-fetched as knocking. They could attack me in surprise… But there isn't any other intelligent way to force a conversation to start… I need that information. As completely clueless as I am about my situation, I'm not sure just how much longer I can stay ignorant without any negative consequences. My Hp is full, so it should be fine… If we get into a confrontation then I can easily tank enough damage to retreat back outside. 

'Their terrified of mother. So that might also play in my favor....'

I made my decision.

'Someones about to get a heart attack.'

I reached out and grasped the knob, turning it…. The door opened with a creak and the inside was revealed.

.....

.....

.....

"Carly…. You gotta stop opening that damn door…. You're making me tense."

Bruce spoke up, annoyed. He was sitting around the table with the others… They were in the middle of cleaning their guns. Who knows if that thing will attack them. It's not like they can just leave. They got nowhere else to go. They won't attack first, Marcus would make sure of that..... But, they needed to at least be prepared. All the usable ammo was already gathered and sorted. Bullets were actually pretty rare. In all, they only had around 600… That was the various ammos combined. They had bows as well, but something like that would never work against the monster from before… So they weren't gathered.

'Lay off Bruce. You know she's just antsy….. Like the rest of us."

Tommy rebuked the cranky mutant in a flaky yet amused tone.

"Antsy my ass. She's been opening that door every 5 minutes."

"I can't help it! I'm nervous! You saw what it did to the gate. This old wood house wouldn't stand a chance."

This time Jacob chimed in.

"I got to agree with both of ya. That thing.. Ripped our gates off in one swipe. This old house wouldn't stop anythin if it decided to attack. Honesty it'll probably fall right on top of our heads. But you opening and shutting the door constantly isn't gonna help. We need your attention focused over here."

"Hahhhh Fine"

"Bert, stop sulking. It isn't even that big of a deal."

Bert was quiet as he cleaned the gun in front of him. He wasn't very good at using them. But cleaning them was something he's done for years now. He huffed and responded to Jill

"You wouldn't understand."

"I get it, Bert…. You're upset because the evil dinosaur decided to use your dirt as a bed."

"It's not dirt…. It's soil. Soil I've been working with for years. That heavy devil outside is probably compacting the soil with its massive weight right now… You didn't hold the small one. It was heavier than me Jill. That little thing…. The mother must be the weight of an elephant. If we manage to survive, I wouldn't be surprised if I went outside only to find out my precious soil was condensed into rock."

"Do you even hear the words coming out of your own mouth? You're worried about that dirt in our current situation? I knew you were starting to go insane but this is a new level. Even for you."

Bert didn't respond and just looked down. He even seemed a bit... Depressed.

"Sigh….. Damnit….. Your soil is probably fine….. Even if it's ruined, we have time you can start over."

She looked towards Carly and Tommy for help. They were the ones who usually cheered up others, They just pretended not to notice her stare and continued cleaning their guns. Carly even began innocently humming.

Marcus was the only one who didn't talk amongst everyone in the room. He was the type that focused on his work. It was easier to stay on track and get things done faster. He didn't know if there would be any confrontations with the monsters outside…. But he wanted to be ready for anything. He wouldn't have survived until now if he wasn't always cautious… Nobody would have.

"What do ya think Marcus? Of those things outside."

When Jacob asked the question Marcus ceased his hand movements, but after a brief moment, he started again.

"Nothing we can really do about it. We can only hope they don't become hostile. If they did, most of us would die. Even if we tried scattering. And if we tried fighting head on we would never win. We can only prepare to defend ourselves. We may be able to kill the little one. But that would just enrage the mother. Unless they attack you, don't try to fight them. I'd rather not antagonize something that could cause a giant stampede like the one we saw the other day."

"Or like how it swooshed our gate into the air!?"

Carly chimed in a bit hyperly. Raising her hands up to emphasize her point.

"like how it swooshed our gate into the air."

Dully repeating the words Marcus examined the gun… The loss of the front gate truly was a thing to be mourned.

"Our chances in a fight are really zero huh?"

Jacob asked in confirmation.

"If our walls were stronger we could have put up a stronger defense. Maybe then we might have stood a chance. But I wouldn't be too sure."

The chatter in the room died down as everyone had a depressed look on their faces.

*Creak*

"Carly, I thought I told you... to….."

Bruce began to speak but cut himself off as he noticed the woman he called out to was sitting right next to him. He was confused. Everyone was sitting at the table, right?

"If she didn't open the door then who did?"

His question was answered after a few seconds when a small figure appeared from around the corner.

Everything in the room stopped, the chatting, the moving hands, and even the breathing.

The moment didn't last long though as someone broke out of their trance.

Jacob reflexively grabbed his gun and took aim, but before he could press the trigger Marcus shot over the table. Forcing his gun down.

...…..

...…..

...…..

'Thank goodness. It didn't escalate.'

The risk may have seemed a bit unnecessary, but how else would I be able to interact with them face to face? Surely, they would never go out of their way to try and speak to me. I had to go to them first. It might seem foolish, and it was, to an extent. But the likelihood of any of them potentially trying to kill me was low. And if they did. The chance of them actually succeeding was far lower. One looked like he was getting ready to shoot and I prepared myself. But thankfully another stopped him.

I examined each of their faces. Most of them looked fearful. I knew this would happen. I knew it would happen beforehand, yet, it still felt a bit strange. Having the appearance that made others fear you. Surprisingly, not all of them seemed to be afraid. The one that was getting ready to open fire on me earlier looked to be having some kind of internal struggle. Should he shoot me? Should he not shoot me? Probably something along those lines. The one who stopped him on the other hand, had a serious expression on his face.

"Careful Jacob. If you do it, everyone will die."

The man, now known as Jacob hesitated for a bit, before lowering his gun. But he still held onto it firmly. Everyone seemed to be doing the same.

"Everyone stay calm. It doesn't seem threatening…. Just..... Carefully back away."

Seeing everyone start following the man's orders I took him as the leader of the group.

I opened my mouth and used actual words to speak to him.

"Do you…. understand?"

Hearing my voice caused them to shutter slightly. It was a bit deep… Yet it held some childish quality.

For a split second the man's eyes widened. Then replying in a cautious tone, he spoke.

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

How to get started?

'I…. Am interested….. I wanted to know…."

End of chapter.