You don’t even consider the possibility of leaving anyone in this valley. If there’s the slightest chance of someone still here, you’ll do everything in your power to bring them home. And if they’re one of the unlucky tribals who have seen their home taken over by monsters…well you just hope Daniel and his flock heeded your warnings.

You spread out all of your gear on the Dave floor and light a fire to cook the first warm dinner you’ve had in days. You have half of the .308 rounds left, most of your flamer fuel and a healthy supply of explosives remaining. the plasma pistol has been giving you fits but there’s little you can do about it out here. You doubt the ammunition will get you halfway across the valley so you begin to look around for whatever was left behind.

Joshua’s reloading bench has a small supply of gunpowder and miscellaneous shell casings left in a footlocker. While none are the .308 rounds you need, the scrap metal left lets you create Tin Can grenades and other improvised explosives using the shell casings as shrapnel.

It’s been a long time since the odds have been so stacked against you and it would be a lie if it didn’t give a thrill to use your expansive knowledge to truly use every resource available.

Sticks and stones are turned into spears while any useless gear is shed for the extra speed. You combine different drugs into powerful cocktails that can be taken at once to give further inhuman speed, strength and perception. This trip will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done but you’ve walked the wastes too much to be done in by some plants. Sleep comes easy as you come to terms with what you’re prepared to undertake.

You plot out your path the next morning. Due to the water being too dangerous to travel by, you decide to double back and cross the bridge to travel across the central island. From there, you’ll move directly across the island until you reach the dock and hope to find a boat to get you across to the old Vault 22 camp. Anything left from the research team will be there.

From the camp you’ll hug the cliffs and move into the Sorrow’s camp where you hope to find anyone else. You refuse to plan much further as you’re unsure you’ll even get that far.

The trip back goes quicker as there’s less foliage to clear but you notice how fast it’s growing back. Within days, it’ll be like you were never there. Perhaps more worrying is the complete lack of bodies from enemies slain previously. You camp at the mouth of the old Rockville bridge and hope for quiet through the night. Luck 10 doesn’t shine through.