[color=gray]"Hmph."[/color]

The displeasure was not more evident in the Guardsman's face. The beret he had on shielded some of his features from the moonlight, but the frown he wore was telling.

The group he was following was a ragtag bunch of misfits, including himself. The mayor of Silvershaw had decided that enough was enough and they [b]had[/b] to send someone to Oking to figure out what the balls was going on over there. Bad enough that they just had to send a [b]group[/b], but they had the town's resident super mutant with them. All eyes, professional or otherwise, would be on them, even in the dead of night. The shadows had eyes, he'd learned early in life. A group this size heading to someplace considered dangerous would be spotted easily.

Approaching the outskirts of Oking, John kept his rifle up, hands clasped tightly on the sturdy wooden body of the weapon. His eyes were not on the group, but their surroundings, ears peeled for any sudden movement or noise.

Then, ahead, sounds. An argument. Raised voices.

Followed sharply by the sounds of murder and death.

With Duela and Cassandra ahead of him and McTavish to his rear, he hunkered down in the brush just behind them. Then, as the ghoul left their cover, he followed close behind, rifle raised in a ready stance. He knew that without bullets, this thing was useless, but the knife that hung from its barrel was still shiny and deadly sharp, a testament to its use and his upkeep of it. As Duela held her hands high, indicating a willingness to talk, he stalked behind her and to her left, eyes constantly focused on the woman and her deadly longbow. 

Then his course was interrupted by the ghoul that sort of fell out of the wall, and as McTavish slammed his sledgehammer down on the floor just beside him, John rushed up to his other side and held his rifle steady at the ghoul's face, the long bayonet's blade resting gently on his thin, frail neck.

[color=gray]"Don't. Move."[/color]

He looked up at McTavish and gave him a shrug.

[color=gray]"I got this one. Go keep watch on that couple. Bad news, those two."[/color]