Bryan
Place the observer device inside a clutch of Mirelurk eggs in the Anchorage War Memorial, Moira had said. And don't kill any of the Mirelurks if you can avoid it! Well, that was all well and good, but the problem with that was that the Memorial was on the other side of the Potomac- an entire radioactive river. Ellen could swim a little, sure- there'd been a small pool in the Vault to allow people recovering from injuries to be rehabilitated in a low-impact environment, and she'd learned to swim in it- but the river was far too wide here to attempt on top of setting off her Geiger counter. Well, nothing she could do about that but try to find a bridge somewhere-
"Heeeeeeeeeeelp!" came a cry from behind her. Ellen whipped around to face its source: a boy of about six or seven, running at her like all the legions of Red China were at his heels. "Monsters!"
He skidded to a stop in front of Ellen, half-panting, half-sobbing. She crouched down to match his height. As she reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, she realized he was shaking all over, and not just with the effort of running. "What is it?" she said gently. "What's the matter?"
"Those. Those-" He gulped, tears of terror running down his face. "They're- they're gonna- I can't-"
He couldn't get out a more intelligible word than that. Ellen sighed. "Easy, now," she said, and craned her neck to look past him. "Nothing's following you. You're safe for now. Take a deep breath and count to five before you let it out."
The boy nodded, pawing at his face with one fist, and still shivering. He had a smell about him, Ellen realized- partly the smell of an unwashed body, but mostly the smell of smoke.
"Now," said Ellen, checking again and finding nothing bearing down on them, "tell me what's wrong."
"They- those-" The boy pawed his eyes again. "There were monsters. Ants. Bigger than me. All over the place."
Ellen remembered the gigantic ants beneath the Springvale School, and winced. "Where?" she said.
"All over," the boy repeated. "My dad- my dad was trying to- he tried to fight 'em off, but they tore everything up! And then they set it on fire!"
She couldn't have heard that right. "Fire?" Ellen said cautiously.
The boy nodded. "I saw 'em! They breathed fire all over the place. They tried to set my Dad on fire, and he said to hide, and I tried but the ants found me and Dad used to shoot at the antenners but my pop gun didn't help and, and, and-"
"Easy, now," said Ellen, putting both her hands on his shoulders this time. "Slow down. You can't tell me what happened if you're choking on your own tongue."
"'kay." The boy took another deep breath and wiped his runny nose on his forearm. "I don't know where my dad is. I'm scared the ants got him. Will you help me?"
Ellen bit her bottom lip. "I can try," she said doubtfully. "I can fight a little, but fire-breathing ants-"
"Please?"
That got a wince. "All right," she said. "How about I start by trying to find your father?"
"'kay," said the boy, fidgeting a little. "I'm gonna go hide in the shelter next to the old diner. The ants can't get in there."
"All right. Show me where the shelter is, and I'll come find you once I've found your father. Where did you last see him?"
As the boy started to lead Ellen away from the river and back the way he had come, he said, "Back in Grayditch. I kind of ran a lot."
Ellen nodded. "If you can show me where you saw your dad last, that'd help," she said. "What's your name, by the way? Mine's Ellen Park."
"Bryan," said the boy. "Bryan Wilks."
"Heeeeeeeeeeelp!" came a cry from behind her. Ellen whipped around to face its source: a boy of about six or seven, running at her like all the legions of Red China were at his heels. "Monsters!"
He skidded to a stop in front of Ellen, half-panting, half-sobbing. She crouched down to match his height. As she reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, she realized he was shaking all over, and not just with the effort of running. "What is it?" she said gently. "What's the matter?"
"Those. Those-" He gulped, tears of terror running down his face. "They're- they're gonna- I can't-"
He couldn't get out a more intelligible word than that. Ellen sighed. "Easy, now," she said, and craned her neck to look past him. "Nothing's following you. You're safe for now. Take a deep breath and count to five before you let it out."
The boy nodded, pawing at his face with one fist, and still shivering. He had a smell about him, Ellen realized- partly the smell of an unwashed body, but mostly the smell of smoke.
"Now," said Ellen, checking again and finding nothing bearing down on them, "tell me what's wrong."
"They- those-" The boy pawed his eyes again. "There were monsters. Ants. Bigger than me. All over the place."
Ellen remembered the gigantic ants beneath the Springvale School, and winced. "Where?" she said.
"All over," the boy repeated. "My dad- my dad was trying to- he tried to fight 'em off, but they tore everything up! And then they set it on fire!"
She couldn't have heard that right. "Fire?" Ellen said cautiously.
The boy nodded. "I saw 'em! They breathed fire all over the place. They tried to set my Dad on fire, and he said to hide, and I tried but the ants found me and Dad used to shoot at the antenners but my pop gun didn't help and, and, and-"
"Easy, now," said Ellen, putting both her hands on his shoulders this time. "Slow down. You can't tell me what happened if you're choking on your own tongue."
"'kay." The boy took another deep breath and wiped his runny nose on his forearm. "I don't know where my dad is. I'm scared the ants got him. Will you help me?"
Ellen bit her bottom lip. "I can try," she said doubtfully. "I can fight a little, but fire-breathing ants-"
"Please?"
That got a wince. "All right," she said. "How about I start by trying to find your father?"
"'kay," said the boy, fidgeting a little. "I'm gonna go hide in the shelter next to the old diner. The ants can't get in there."
"All right. Show me where the shelter is, and I'll come find you once I've found your father. Where did you last see him?"
As the boy started to lead Ellen away from the river and back the way he had come, he said, "Back in Grayditch. I kind of ran a lot."
Ellen nodded. "If you can show me where you saw your dad last, that'd help," she said. "What's your name, by the way? Mine's Ellen Park."
"Bryan," said the boy. "Bryan Wilks."