Adam took Deccanus and Rae with him as he walked through the 'gate' and up the ramp towards the settlement with Arden.
"How did this settlement come to be? If you don't mind me asking?" Adam asked as he followed, glancing over the edge of the concrete railing that bordered the road seeing the landscape slowly shrink below them.
"I don't mind at all. Though I hesitate to call this a 'settlement' this is more of a haven." Arden said without breaking his stride. "When the hordes of feral ghouls poured into this area they pushed out all the other nasties that couldn't afford to hide. This meant all the raiders, super mutants, and all the other things that could threaten a gentle soul." He gently ran his hand along the concrete railing as he paused for a moment. "It was the perfect place for those of us who were looking for someplace safe to settle."
"But why here?" Adam asked, curious.
"Near the tops of buildings, great vantage points, only one entrance, and tough sturdy ground." Arden said, stomping on the ground twice. "Plus it was easy to corral the ferals off the road to keep it free for us to move around."
"But it can't possibly be structurally safe.." Adam said hesitantly.
"No doubt, but what is structurally safe these days? It hasn't fallen in 200 years and I doubt it will fall anytime soon. Though I admit it's not an ideal situation. Merely the one we settled on."
"Then why did you settle here? Surely there were other communities that could have taken you all in?" Adam asked curiously. Arden was about to open his mouth to speak but then was interrupted by another ghoul who was leaning up against one of the makeshift shack-like buildings in the 'town'.
"Because I sure as hell am not going to be treated like an invalid by going to 'ghoultown'." The man said within a rough accent. Adam turned to look at him and saw a man that was wearing a weird mix of combat gear that did not mesh well at all, however he did seem more armored than the gate guard, which was something. Though why was he wearing the armor when the guard needed it more? Maybe it belonged to him?
The man walked up to Adam, staring at him with an unamused expression.
"You are that Adam Baxter?" He asked with an accusatory tone.
"Yes?" Adam responded confused. In response the man let off a heavy grunt, clearly annoyed but not ready to start a fight or anything.
"I'm not one to mince words, but you ain't got many friends here, Mr. Baxter." He said with a mocking tone. "You killed our greatest defense, all those ferals were keeping the raiders away and now we are vulnerable again. So thanks." He frowned and then turned to leave.
"Don't mind ol' Greg over there, he is just not fond of looking over his shoulder." Arden said before he sighed. "None of us are."
"I… am sorry." Adam said slowly. He was not sure what to say to that. Truthfully he had not even considered if Famine's horde was bringing any benefits to the area, he assumed they were just a threat. To think some ghouls were using it as a shield from other threats was not what he expected. Of course he did not regret his actions, after all the ferals would have destroyed Chicago, not to mention, perhaps, that Chinese officer too. Still he couldn't help but feel responsible for ruining the lives they had built for themselves up here.
Now that he was thinking about it, their lack of security made sense. They are ghouls, surrounded by ferals they only needed a wall good enough to keep the ferals out, they didn't need to worry about guards or anything since nothing would be able to get this deep into the East without being killed by the horde.
"Think nothing of it, my lad." Arden said with a soft smile. "No one here blames you for what you did, though most had gotten comfortable with the shield, most of us haven't led easy lives. Finding somewhere safe to live… well that was what drew us all here."
"Is the settlement even sustainable? I mean you live on a highway, it can't be great for living." Adam asked, curious. As he spoke Arden started to lead him around the settlement again, showing hims the handful of scrap buildings, all of which looked to be one room, that had been built on the highway and the makeshift community they had managed to form under the circumstances.
"We get by." Arden said as he led Adam to one of the sides of the Highway. Adam was noticing a few glares from some of the residents of the town, but no one looked like they would start anything, at worse it was looks of disapproval. "We get our water through this pipe." He said as he showed Adam a pipe that went all the way to the ground connecting to a rainwater drain and had a handpump for people to use. It was… of poor construction to put it kindly, but it seemed at least somewhat workable.
"And food?"
"We grow what we can, which is not much, but this place was never truly meant to be a forever home, it was just… a good place to not worry about life for a while." Arden said with a shrug.
"You sound like you want to move." Adam asked, guessing.
"You… are not wrong about that, lad." Arden sighed. "Truthfully this place has already become less appealing now that Famine is gone but most of us… have nowhere else to go."
"Do you all feel the same way about ghoultown?" Adam asked.
"Indeed." He said as he turned to look at Adam now. "I suppose it's a matter of pride but living as someone else's dirty laundry is no life to lead. I'd much rather struggle to build something of my own instead." He said firmly, which seemed to get a few nods from folks nearby who overheard his words.
Adam remained quiet for a moment as he looked around the 'town' seeing how most of the people here seemed to be living lethargically and seemed hungry, lacking adequate means to sustain themselves up here. The houses look slipshod and very drafty, the road was cracked and full of holes where someone could fall through, and they seemed very unprepared for defending themselves. It was a very cool and innovative idea but it truly was not meant to survive forever. There had to be a better place for them to be, to go.
"I… have a place in mind… if you are interested…" Adam said slowly. Arden raised an eyebrow.
"I am listening." He said curiously.