Almost died yesterday.

According to Isaac, Sic Boy, Echo, and Wyndham of all people dragged my ass out of the rubble left behind after Rose's sweaty handful of TNT went off. Before the rocks did their work on my body, I had at least one bullet in me, not to mention the two I nearly caught runnin' around in the dark between Rose's people and those shark-toothed maniacs with Barker.

How'd I end up there? Curiosity, mostly.

I heard the fireworks in the main shaft around the time the dust storm came over the canyon. Went down to take a look, met some of Barker's robes guarding the outside. I sorted out that they were planning to evict Vicious and take over New Tuscon. News to me; never even heard of these cannibal fuckers before then. Guess they figured on using the dust storm to cover their hostile takeover, seeing as the town was all shuttered up. 

Anyways, I said I was no friend to Vicious and offered to help, so one of the sharp-tooths escorted me to meet Barker. They were pinned down by some of Vicious' people, being as they only had pointy sticks to fight guns with. Barker himself? Not much of a change from Vicious, 'cept maybe worse. Another skinny little bald sociopath, only this one liked eating long pig. Offered me some fresh leg jerky, I politely declined, so they decided I wasn't worth keeping around. 

And then I ran. Ran a ways, getting completely lost and shot at in the process. 

By the time I sorted out where I was, I was standing in the company of Rose and her people, which were planning to blow the whole reservoir as per Vicious' orders. I tried to convince them not to, but they took my suggestion as a sign to work faster. 

So here I was, standing next to a bunch of cornered, suicidal kamikazes with old sticks of dynamite. On the other side? Cannibals who had no use for me beyond my nutritional value. And who were blocking the way out. Any way you looked at it, I was completely fucked.

Since they were so dead set on killing us all, I decided to stir the hornet's nest and get out in the confusion. And confused it was. Shot three of Rose's goons, then ran for the only way out I knew. So, with Rose's remainder in close pursuit, we all plowed right into Barker's bunch. Peppered those assholes with some rifle rounds, so they got all fired up comin' the other way, and - well, that's all I really remember. 

Don't know if Rosie set off the sticks herself, if they just went off of their own accord, or if Barker's gang was to blame, but I imagine the explosion pretty much settled the argument. 

Next thing I know, I'm twisted up under the rock pile and what's left of both sides, bleeding out, broke leg, broke knee, just one big bruise. And Wyndham is pulling me out into the light with that Brainer and Sic Boy helping. Passed out a few times after that. Felt like I was swimming upstream in cold black water, only my arms and legs were on fire. 

Come to again, and its at least a day later and I'm in Isaac's place. Alive, no wiser, and out another jacket. That's two in as many days.