[u][b]Mary Hawthorne - Her house[/b][/u]

“Teach me", Shelby said, "Tell me what type of shit I have to do to learn. I still am in disbelief, but I can't unsee what I witnessed so I know it's real.”

"Are you sure?", Mary asked sternly, "I'm concerned that you don't realize what the price of such knowledge is." After a pause, Mary continued. "For one thing, you can forget normal relationships. Everyone and everything you care about will turn to dust while you live on. Fame, renown, wealth...learning what I know will bring you none of those things. You will learn and see the most amazing things....but one terrible day you will realize that the world of men has passed you by, and that you are truly alone....and you won't care anymore. And if that wasn't enough....you'll know about those Outside...who, if they could, would gobble up this whole world and every soul in it like you would a Fancy Lad Snack cake."

She settled back in the tub and continued. 

"Ignorance is bliss, Shelby", Mary said, "Those Outside cannot enter our world unless someone lets them in. People have tried to let them in, but so far they have failed....because there are those who will gladly kill someone like me to make sure that door is never unlocked. Witchfinders, Hunters, whatever you call them...you'll always be looking over your shoulder for them, iff'n you aim to live, that is." 

Before Shelby could answer, the faint report of a pistol came from out in the street. Mary climbed out of the tub and reached around Shelby to grab the bathrobe on a hook on the door behind her. 

"Think on it and come back to me after dark and we'll discuss it some more", Mary said as she put on the bathrobe and tied the belt, then walked out into the hallway and into one of the front bedrooms. 

"What the hell is going on now?", she muttered to herself as she approached the window. Just before she got there, more shots were fired and a bullet flew through the window and hit the wall with a thud. Mary looked out to see the young woman who lived next door frantically running down the street, with a familiar looking Deathclaw hot on her heels. 

"Damnation! A Deathclaw!", Mary exclaimed as she whirled about and sprinted towards her bedroom, where her double barrel 12 gauge leaned  in the corner. She opened a drawer on her dresser, rummaged through the contents until she found a worn, half full box of shotgun shells marked "12g Sabot Slugs - For Police and Military Use Only" and dumped the box's contents into her pocket, then snatched up the shotgun and broke it open, jamming two of the shells inside, then closing the breech and running for the stairs. As she ran out the front door, the Deathclaw had cornered the foolish child between the houses and was closing for the kill. Mary raised the shotgun and fired, first one barrel and then the other, then as smartly as she could broke open the shotgun, ejecting the spent shells and loading two more, hoping if that didn't do the trick, others were on the way to help out.