Chapter 30: Facing Your Demons part 2

Blackhall looked out at his congregation, and held up a strange looking book (that appeared to be covered in blood), over his head. A roar escaped from the tribals, and they began to cheer at the sight. There was no doubt in Marcus' mind that this was the Krivbeknih Marcella was talking about.

Blackhall brought the book close to his chest and began speaking in the tribal's strange language. Marcus observed the tribals, and they seemed to be in a trance as they listened to their leader. A scream from the church's side room got everyone's attention, and Marcus watched as two tribals dragged a young girl over to the alter. The woman was obviously not one of the "flock", and she was begging and crying for her captors to let her go. The tribals bent the woman over the alter, so that her head was facing the congregation. Blackhall placed his hand on her head and began to chant in a strange tongue. Two more tribals appeared caring a marble basin, and it was placed in front of the alter underneath the frightened woman's chin. Blackhall placed the Krivbeknih inside the basin, then removed what looked like a ritual stly knife from his robe. The tribals began chanting and working themselves into a frenzy, and the young woman began struggling even more. Blackhall said a few more chants, then in one swift motion, slit the girl's throat as the tribals roared in approval. In a few seconds her blood filled the basin, and the Krivbeknih was covered by the crimson fluid.

Marcus watched the entire scene in silent disgust. "Come to Point Lookout - great idea, Marcus." he mumbled to himself as the tribals continued to cheer. "Religious zealots, inbred-ed mutants, and now...the Temple of fucking Doom!"

After a few more chants, the tribals dragged the woman's corps away, and Blackhall picked up the blood soaked Krivbeknih. Using his fingers, he smeared some of the blood covering the book on his face, drawing two lines from his eyes to his jaw. He turned and headed back to the side room, and the tribals began to disperse. Marcus did his best to blend in, and as he made his way to the front of the church, he spotted a young tribal female with red hair. Nadine!

Marcus had to be careful approaching her; he wasn't sure how much she was under Blackhall's influence. He decided to wait until they could be alone, that way if she turned on him, he could kill her without being seen. Following her into one of the church's side rooms, he closed the door behind him and decided to make his move.

"Nadine?"

The young woman turned around. "Well, looks like another newbie in the tribe."

"Your mother Catherine sent me her to find you."

"Ah, and still able to string together whole sentences - ain't you the lucky one."

Marcus began to relax. Nadine certainly wasn't acting like most of the other tribals, so perhaps she hadn't fallen under Blackhall's spell. "What are you doing here with Blackhall and his people?"

"I came here to find my fortune, and instead I get kidnapped by these religious nuts. They think this guy Blackhall is some kind of god, but if ask me, everyone here seems to be on a permanent acid trip! He tried that voodoo shit on me, but I was able to fool'em into thinking he'd succeeded. I've been trying to find a way out of here ever since."

Marcus took a look around the room. There were dozens of punga fruit scattered around in what looked like some kind of incubation chambers. "What are they doing with all this punga fruit?"

Nadine shrugged. "Beats me. They say they're "refining them", whatever the hell that means. Listen, I just want to get out here, okay. Can you help me?"

"These people seem to think Blackhall's power comes from that book. Now you and I know that's bullshit, but if I can get it away from him, then maybe his flock will begin to loose faith. Do you know where he keeps it?"

Nadine nodded. "Yeah, in the ritual sight below this church. We're not suppose to know where it is, but I did some snoop'n and found a secret entrance: there's a well over by the cemetery not too far from here. Down there is a back way inside the catacombs."

"Perfect. As soon as you can, meet me over by the well. We'll grab the book and then head for the refugee camp."

Nadine sighed in relief. "Okay."

Forty-five minutes later, Nadine made her way over to the well, where Marcus was waiting. Deciding it was better to stay in disguise, he left his armor and weapons where he'd hide them, and he followed Nadine down a ladder inside the empty well. Once they reached the bottom, Nadine lite and torch, and Marcus followed her into the underground catacombs. Inside these ancient caverns were tombs, many of them going back to the American Civil War. A few were still intact, but most had been broken open by scavengers and grave robbers long ago. Soon they reached what looked like a central chamber, with a sacrificial alter in the center of it.

Nadine stopped at the chamber's entrance and pointed. "There - the Krivbeknih is in that basin on the alter."

Marcus looked and sure enough, there was the evil book, lying in a basin full of blood. He entered the chamber and headed for the alter - and that's when heard a loud crash behind him. He spun around and saw that an iron gate had sealed the chamber's entrance - and Nadine was on the other side.

As he stared at the girl in disbelief, he noticed she now had the same blank stare in her eyes as the rest of the tribals. "I'm sorry," she began, "but Blackhall has shown me enlightenment. I will serve no other."

Marcus clenched his fist; he couldn't believe he had been lead so easily into a trap. "You just made a big mistake, kid."

"Not as grave as your's...I assure you."

Marcus slowly turned around to where the voice had come from. Standing before the alter, covered in his black rob and holding the Krivbeknih, was the evil prophet himself.

"Blackhall!"

Obadiah Blackhall removed his hood and stared the Lone Wanderer down. "Let's not stand on ceremony here...Marcus Lincoln!"

Marcus was taken aback by that. How the hell did this madman know who he was? He would have to worry about that later, because now over a dozen tribals had entered the chamber, and were slowly surround him. Marcus looked around and realized he only had one chance: he had to put Blackhall down now. Activating his VATS, Marcus drew his desert eagle, targeted the man's head, and fired three shots.

Nothing. Marcus expected the man's head to be in pieces, but instead he just smiled at him. Marcus looked down at his PIPBOY. Was his VATS malfunctioning? Taking aim at Blackhall's center mass, Marcus fired again and again, until his gun was empty.

Still nothing. The man didn't have a scratch on him. Marcus looked at his now empty pistol and back at the smiling Blackhall. This didn't make any sense! Dropping his empty gun he reached for his sawed-off, but was struck in the face by the handle of a tribal's spear; breaking his nose and knocking him on the ground. The rest of the tribal's descended on him, and once he was disarmed, Marcus was forced on his knees and found himself staring up at Blackhall. "What the FUCK are you?"

Blackhall flashed an evil smile. "Something beyond your understanding, infidel." He began to pace back and forth. "I'm curious as to why the great Lone Wanderer is here. Marcella must be getting desperate. Hu...little heathen bitch! You broke into my house, tried to steal my property, and killed my men. I should skin you alive, but I think you would be better suited serving me."

Marcus laughed. "You think you're going to convince me to join you? You're a damn fraud! You play on people's superstitious and you drug them..."

One of the tribals punched him in the jaw. Blackhall held up his hand, and the tribal backed off. He grabbed Marcus by the hair and force him to look into his eyes. "Is that what you think? Well, soon you will know the truth...just as all will come to know it." He released his hold on Marcus and addressed his followers. "Take him to the Sacred Bog."

The tribals let out a cheer and dragged Marcus from the chamber.

Just as Marcus thought the Point Lookout swamp couldn't get any creepier, his captors dragged him to the Sacred Bog. Most of the area was covered in murky water that looked to be at least waist deep, and it was infested with mirelurks. To Marcus' shock, these beast did not attack them, but kept their distance. If he didn't know any better, Marcus could swear these creatures feared Blackhall. It didn't make any sense...none of this made any sense! Soon they dragged him to what appeared to be a giant, nine foot tall punga fruit. Strange vines were protruding out of it, and the vines were covered in what appeared to be spores. The tribals forced Marcus to kneel in front of the fruit, and they held his arms as Blackhall stepped in front of him.

"Beyond! The Mother of all Punga. Magnificent, isn't she? She survived the slaughter of the Civil War, the nuclear fires of the Great War, and now she will help me to fulfill my creed."

Marcus let out a mocking laugh. "So this is your god? A fucking fruit!"

"NO, you troglodyte!" His eyes were filled with rage, and he held up the Krivbeknih. "This is where the power of the Dark Heart comes from, and very soon, you will be introduced to it." He turned and began pulling spores off the vines.

"I told you," Marcus growled, "I'd rather die then serve you!"

"Yes you did - and I believe you." Blackhall put the spores in a wooden bowl and began crushing them. "You do not fear death. In fact, I think you'd welcome it. The Mother's spores help tap into a person's deepest fears..." he turned and looked at Marcus. "...and everyone fears something. The human mind can only handle so much fear before it is destroyed. Before that happens you will come begging for me to end the nightmares...and then you will serve me."

Marcus struggled against his captors as Blackhall approached him with the bowl. "If you will refuse submit, then your mind will be lost to insanity...and your body will be fed to the mirelurks." He reached into the bowl, and pulled out a handful of the spores. "Either way, you will no longer be a problem."

Blackhall blew the yellow powder in Marcus' face. He screamed as it entered his eyes and lungs, and within seconds he began having convulsions. The world around him was becoming dark, and soon Marcus was consumed by it.

When Marcus woke up, he was lying flat on his back at the foot of the Mother Punga fruit - alone. When he stood up, he realized he was back in his Ranger armor, and his desert eagle was once again in it's holster strapped to his side. 'This has to be some kind of an illusion', he thought as he began walking away from the Mother Punga. He could hear the sounds of the swamp, but there were no creatures - not even the mirelurks were in the bog. As he slowly began to retrace his steps towards the bog's entrance, he noticed something on the ground a few feet in front of him. He approached, and realized it was a Vault-Tec Boy bobble head - the same kind that Jonas had on his desk back at the Vault. Everyone used to tease Jonas about it, but he didn't care - he liked the Vault-Tec novelty. Marcus picked it up, and noticed there was something written on it's base. It said: "This doesn't look right, not right at all."

Marcus tightened his grip on the strange bobble head and then tossed it into the swamp. He continued to move forward, and eventually he came across another one. Picking it up, he read the inscription on the base: "This is one situation your not going to be able to fight your way out of."

Marcus snorted and tossed it away. "Is that the best you've got!" He yelled into the bog.

"Funny how you keep getting into these situations."

Marcus drew his gun and turned around. A man wearing a grey suit, dress hat and dark shades was leaning against a tree. It took Marcus a moment to recognize him - and his mouth dropped open. "Burke?"

Mr. Burke gave a slight nod and smiled. "I'm flattered you remembered me. After all, it's because of you I'm dead."

Marcus continued to train his gun on the man. "This is a trick. Blackhall's trying to get into my head but it won't work!"

Burke lite a cigarette and walked towards him. "News flash: he's already in your head. Consider me your...tour guide through your conscious."

Marcus tightened the grip on his pistol. "Whatever you do it won't matter. I'll beat you. I beat you at Megaton and I'll beat you here!"

"Yes...you did beat me. You've beaten everybody. The Enclave, the slavers, Super Mutants. Why, the Wasteland is just littered with the corpses you've left behind."

Marcus suddenly felt a cold wetness from the waist down. He looked down and realized he was standing in waist high water - and it was filled with hundreds of dead bodies. Bodies of Raiders, Enclave troopers, slavers, and Super Mutants. As he struggled to wade through the lake of corpses to reach dry land, Marcus spotted the bodies of Eulogy Jones, Richardson, O'Brian, and Dukov. After what seemed like an eternity, Marcus finally found dry land and was out of the sea of corpses. He turned around, and the bog water was once again empty.

"Wow, that's quite the body count." Burke sneered.

Marcus turned and fired his pistol, and the apparition disappeared. "Shut up! Everyone of them fucking deserved it!"

"That's true," Burke was once again behind him, and Marcus spun around, still pointing his gun at him. ",you've killed many evil people, Marcus." Burke walked towards him, and for the first time, Marcus began to back away from the apparition. "But they are not the only ones who paid the price for your victories, are they?"

Marcus bumped into something, and when he turned around to see what it was, he found himself staring at Jeanette's corpse hanging upside down from a tree. He screamed and jumped back, but found himself bumping into the corpse of Lucy West. Soon Marcus was surrounded by corpses hanging from the trees: Vargas, Dr. Kaplinski, Garza...everyone he couldn't save. He screamed and fought his way through the gauntlet of swinging bodies, until he tripped on a log and fell face down. Only instead of falling onto the soft ground of the swamp, Marcus found himself lying on a floor made of steel. He quickly got up and looked around. In front of him was a glass door, and on the other side was his father. Panic began to fill Marcus as he realized where he was. "No! This is not real!"

His father placed his hand on the glass and began screaming. "Marcus! Help me! Help me, Marcus!"

Marcus shut his eyes and covered his ears. "Thisisnotrealthisisnotrealthisisnot real..."

His father's screams were getting louder, and Marcus opened his eyes. James' skin was beginning to melt off. "MARCUS! HELP ME!"

"DAD!" Marcus began pounding on the glass, only this time, it began to crack. He began hitting it even harder. This time, he was going to get his father out of there. He was going to save him! "Hang on Dad, I'm almost through..."

The chamber exploded, and Marcus watched as a fireball consumed his father.

"NOOOOO...DAAAAAAD..."

There was another explosion, and Marcus was knocked on his back. He wasn't sure how long he was out, but when he awoke, he realized he was no longer at Project Purity. He was lying on a pile of rubble and twisted rebar. He got on his feet and looked around. At first he didn't know where he was - until he spotted to mangles corpses of the residents of Tenpenny Tower scattered in the twisted rubble. Even though the explosion would have left nothing of their bodies, there they were - all around Marcus for him to see. He began feeling sick to his stomach, and it was all he could do to keep from throwing up.

"It's okay, son."

That voice. It wasn't Burke, it was someone...worse. Marcus spun around, his pistol at the ready. Walking through the rubble, in his tan coat, was Colonel Augustus Autumn. He smiled at Marcus and looked out at the devastation. "Collateral damage happens in war."

Marcus' throat went dry. That was exactly what he told himself before...

"NO!" He screamed as he fired his pistol again and again at the apparition. "I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!"

Marcus lost his footing and slipped off the pile of rubble...only to land once again in the bog of Point Lookout. He quickly picked himself up and began running. He had to find the bog's entrance and get the hell out of here. He ran and ran until finally coming to a clearing. He frantically looked around; he didn't know where he was.

"Face it, Marcus."

He turned around, his pistol at the ready. Burke appeared from the shadows and slowly walked towards him. "You can't escape the truth."

Marcus heard foot steps behind him and he spun around. Colonel Autumn also walked out of the shadows. "No matter how much you try to fight it..."

Marcus heard more footsteps, this time from his left. He turned - and nearly screamed when he saw Alphonse, Amata's dead father, walking towards him. "...no matter how much you try to run away from it..."

A fourth apparition entered the clearing. This time it was Chief Hannon - the first man Marcus had killed in cold blood. "...the truth is, you've been a killer since the day you were born."

Marcus suddenly heard the sound of a heart monitor flat-lining, and when he looked down at it's source, he realized he was standing in front of a hospital bed. Lying on the bed was a female skeleton, wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit. The skeleton had a birthday hat on it's head, and the bed was adorned with birthday balloons. On the balloons was the date July 13th, 2258. His birthday.

"Mom?" Marcus whispered as he stared at the skeleton. It was becoming difficult for him to breath, and it seemed that his heart was about to beat out of his chest. His body was trembling so much that he dropped his pistol into the mud of the swamp. Marcus looked at the four apparitions, and they each flashed him an evil smile. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARCUS!"

Marcus overturned the bed, knocking his mother's skeleton to the ground. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" He ran into the swamp screaming as the four apparitions laughed at him. No matter how far he ran, he couldn't get away from the laughter. He continued to run until he was finally out of breath, and he fell face first in the mud. Lifting his head up, he spotting someone standing in a clearing - someone wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit.

"Amata?" He whispered. He stood up and got closer, and soon her beautiful face came into view. "AMATA!"

Amata smiled at him. "Marcus! I've been waiting for you."

Marcus sprinted over to the woman he loved, and fell to his knees, wrapped his arms around her and wept. "AMATA! Oh thank God! Don't leave me! Please...don't leave me! Please..."

"Shhhh, it's alright." Amata gently began to stroke his hair. "I won't leave you."

Marcus held on to her tight. He didn't care if this was a hallucination - he was not going to loose her. Not again. He carefully stood up, not letting go of her, and he slowly began to calm down. Everything was going to be alright now. He pulled away to look at her beautiful face - and was staring at a rotting corpse.

"You're coming with me!" the Amata corpse said with a demonic voice.

Marcus was pulled down with the corpse, and they both landed in a six foot deep grave. Marcus screamed and scrambled to get out, but then the corpses of the Tenpenny Tower residence began falling into the grave, knocking him back down. He screamed and thrashed around, trying to get out, but soon the pile of bodies began crushing him further into the grave...until finally, he couldn't draw enough breath to scream...

Marcus let out one final scream before collapsing at the foot of the Mother Punga. Jackson, the tribal's field commander and Blackhall's right hand, kneeled down to examine him. After a while, he looked at his master and shook his head. "I'm afraid his mind is gone, Master."

Blackhall sighed. "What a waist; he could've been such a great addition to our community. Oh well...dispose of him."

Jackson bowed. "I obey." He and two other tribals picked up the catatonic Lone Wanderer away from the ritual sight, and placed him feet first into the waters of the bog. Off in the distance, the mirelurks prepared for their next feeding.