CH 1: Out of the frying pan.

“Hell yeah! Finally scored some drugs, time to get fu- ACK.”

-Cade

Motherfucker.

I was SO close to that chem stash I could literally taste it! But that bitch just had to survive that shot to the chest long enough to nail a good one through my collar. Being shot through the neck sucks by the way, you just lay there bleeding out, gasping for breath and drowning in your own blood, would not recommend.

That said, lying there staring at the ground as I bled out gave me a pretty good eye full of my surroundings, enough to know that they had changed drastically while I was…

While I was what? Unconscious? No one cares enough to drag me out of that place and patch me up, not to mention how difficult it would be to save me from a shot like that. So how am I conscious right now?

I’m spurred from my thoughts by the slightly sour sweet smell of disinfectant hitting my nose and decide the best course of action right now is to take a look around.

In front of me is a small room, its clean white walls and the single large window to my left implies a hospital room of some kind, that theory is further supported by the unmistakable beeping of a heart monitor to my right. Opposite me is an ornate wooden door with a small window running down the middle, through which I can barely see through.

I attempt to get up to get a better look when I realize my body is bound under thick leather straps.

Shit…

Well that explains it, there’s only one fucker demented enough to patch me up just to strap me down so he can torture me later;

Dr Nosh, professional creepy bastard.

It all comes together in my head, that zombie had dragged me out of a pool of my own blood and brought me back from death's door, just so he can watch the light fade from my eyes.

Him and the rest of those twisted bums I used to hang with.

I have to get out of here, fast. I struggle against my restraints, I feel them loosen slightly when I pull in certain directions, which means they’re not very tight.

Perfect, it doesn’t take long for me to slip a foot out, soon the other, and slide down and out of the one around my chest, finally I remove the small pad taped to the underside of my wrist, and turn off that infernal fucking heart monitor.

New problem, I don’t see my stuff, all I have is my jumpsuit and pip-boy.

That's… fine, wouldn’t have lived this long if I didn’t know how to improvise.

First I get to rummaging through the cabinets around my room, that nets me an empty syringe, and a clipboard that looks like it was scribbled all over by a two year old, consisting entirely of basic pictures.

I knew Nosh was messed up in the head, but Christ… probably shouldn’t have expected much from a sadistic cannibal though.

Now that I'm armed with something vaguely lethal I make my way to the door, peering out of the window I can barely make out shapes walking by through the smoked glass.

Okay, this is a tough spot, but I've made it out of worse.

At least that's what I tell myself as I wait for the figures outside to disappear. After a little bit more waiting just to make sure, I carefully open the door and peek into the hallway, which to my relief, is empty, so I carefully slip out into the corridor.

I’m met with lavender colored stone walls, lined with ornate tapestries, large windows, fancy light fixtures, and pillars that reached up to the roof.

Am I… in a castle?

I have little time to ponder the question as I am startled by shouting from my left.

“Hey you! Stay right where you are!” The voice, while gruff, is notably feminine.

I don’t even look to its source as I turn and bolt in the opposite direction.

I’m painfully aware of the clanking footsteps trailing just behind me as I move, by the sound of it there’s roughly ten of them.

Crap, I don’t think I can win that fight, thankfully I have a head start, as long as I keep my distance I should be alright.

That proves to be false as I watch a ball of reddish-pink energy fly past my head.

From the roughly spherical look of that blast, as well as its somewhat slow speed I’d wager some sort of plasma. I’m starting to think this isn’t my old gang anymore, but if that's true, then who did bring me here, and… why?

“Please stop running! We don’t want to hurt you!” That same voice from before yells, sounding much more agitated, (and a little out of breath). Like hell, it doesn't matter if I know them or not, if you wake up strapped to a table you’re probably not there for a friendly chat.

As if to advocate my point, I am nearly hit by another shot from behind, yeah very peaceful.

I take another right turn, nearly avoiding bashing into a… tiny horse, weird, I don’t get a good look at it though, maybe it was just a mutated guard dog or something.

Then I pass a second, and a third, soon I'm running through a crowd of miniature horses, and they’re not even normal ponies, their eyes are too big, and they’re all in rainbow colors.

Maybe I got to those chems after all, there’s no shot this is real right? It’s like the longer I’m here the less I learn about the place. Like really? Where am I? Why am I in a castle filled with tiny technicolor equines?

I push the thought out of my mind as I push through the sea of four-legged bodies, it’s better to focus on the whole running for my life thing, I can ponder reality later.

As I take another corner I come face to face with a new weirder thing, this one is big, roughly my height, with weird flowing transparent hair, a horn (because why not), and… a crown, like a proper royal crown, with a large purple gem inset in the middle and everything.

I stare at her, and she (at least I think it’s a she) stares at me, the last thing I see is her opening her mouth before I feel a strange tingle enveloping my head, and everything goes black.