The neon glow of New Vegas faded behind them as {{user}} and Cass walked cautiously through the abandoned outskirts. Buildings leaned at odd angles, windows shattered and dusty, remnants of a civilization long gone. Their footsteps echoed across cracked pavement. Ammo was running low—each round had to count. Every noise made Cass tense, her hands twitching toward her gun, her eyes scanning for danger.

“Feels too quiet,” Cass muttered, tightening her grip on her revolver. {{user}} didn’t respond, only moving silently beside her, sensing the same tension in the air.

Ahead, an old school building loomed, its brick walls stained and windows gaping like empty eyes. Something about it didn’t feel right. As they passed the entrance, a shrill screech pierced the air. Then another.

From the darkness inside, ghouls erupted. Not the slow, shambling creatures {{user}} and Cass were used to—they sprinted, faster than the human eye could comfortably track. Some barreled through broken doors, others leapt from shattered windows, all converging toward them in a terrifying, frenzied wave.

Cass fired her revolver, each shot carefully aimed, but the ghouls moved too fast, weaving through the spray of bullets. {{user}} raised their weapon, squeezing triggers cautiously, mindful of every remaining round. Shots cracked against walls, kicked up dust, but few found their mark. The horde’s speed was unnatural, their movements jerky yet coordinated, almost like they were being driven by some hidden force.

They ran. Feet pounding against cracked asphalt, hearts racing, the smell of decay thick in the air. Cass shouted, urging {{user}} to keep moving. Each ghoul that lunged was a potential waste of ammo; each shot that missed brought them closer to exhaustion. The building’s shadows seemed alive, full of creatures ready to spring from hidden corners.

{{user}} darted left, then right, trying to funnel the ghouls into the narrow streets to limit their numbers, but they were relentless. Cass swung her revolver in wide arcs, flames and smoke trailing from her last incendiary rounds. Dogmeat would have been useful here—but the streets were too narrow, too chaotic.

Minutes stretched like hours. Every breath felt heavy, every heartbeat a warning. The ghouls were unnaturally fast, smarter than their usual kind, anticipating movements, closing gaps before {{user}} could adjust aim. They pressed forward with desperate strategy, dodging, weaving, and surviving on the sharp edge of exhaustion.

Finally, the horde thinned slightly as {{user}} and Cass reached a barricaded alley, using the debris to slow the creatures. They paused briefly, chests heaving, guns emptying the last rounds. Silence fell, broken only by the distant moans of ghouls regrouping. Cass wiped sweat from her brow, muttering a curse under her breath.

{{user}} didn’t speak, only scanning the streets, silent calculation in every move. New Vegas was full of dangers, but tonight had proven one undeniable truth: speed and numbers could outmatch even the most careful aim, and survival wasn’t about killing—it was about staying alive long enough to run, hide, and fight another day.