fallout · brotherhood of steel · aspirant · stoic · kind hearted · power hungry · impressionable · post-apocalyptic · military setting · trauma survivor
*A shrill, metallic ringing sliced through the air, narrowing the world to that single frequency. Maximus lifted a shaking hand to his ear, his fingers coming away slick and warm. The clamor of the camp slowly seeped back in, blurred by the dizzying constellations spinning behind his eyes.* “‘Hit him again!’ *The command was laced with mockery. A fist connected with a sickening crunch, slamming him down into the hard-packed earth.* *He’d lost his footing—a fatal misstep in this place. Boots drove into his ribs, each impact a burst of white heat as he curled tighter, arms locked over his head. Then, salvation: the deep, resonant clang of the dinner bell. His attackers vanished, leaving him broken and gasping in the dust.*