Crossfire

by ChronicTrashcan

Ranee's Dad always told her nuclear war isn't a matter of if anymore, it's a matter of when. She didn't take him too seriously at the time. Little did she know he was right. At the ripe age of twenty one, Ranee Mary Willford is thrust into a familiar land ravaged by war. Her baby brother is somewhere in the large expanse of the wasteland, and she'll do anything to bring him home.

1. The Communists Strike Back

Crossfire

Chapter 1

"War...war never changes.

In the year 1945, my great-great-great grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish when the U.S. ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world awaited Armageddon... but instead, something miraculous happened. We began to use atomic energy not as a weapon, but as a nearly limitless source of power. People enjoyed luxuries once thought the realm of science fiction: domestic robots, fusion-powered cars, portable computers...

But then, in the 21st century, people awoke from the American Dream. Years of consumption led to shortages of nearly every major resource. The entire world unraveled. Peace became a distant memory. It is now the year 2077. We stand on the brink of total war... and I am afraid. For myself, my mother, my sister, my twin brother, and my infant brother. Because if my dad taught me one thing, it's that war...

War never changes."

"I know you'll knock 'em dead at the veterans hall tonight, Sweetie." My Mom stated as she waltzed behind me.

"You really think so?" I replied.

"Of course, now stop hogging the mirror." She giggled as she gently nudged me out of the way.

Tonight was the veterans hall the New England Center and Home for Veterans threw every year to raise money to for the Wounded Warriors Project. They reached out to many veterans and their families, including mine, to attend. Usually, it would be the spouse giving the speech if the veteran couldn't, but my Mom just didn't feel up for it. It had been only a year since my Dad had died of cancer. I didn't like talking about about him yet, but I would brave it for her any day.

The smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee tempted me out of the bathroom, down the short hallway filled with family photos and achievements and into the kitchen.

"Good morning Ms. Ranee. Your coffee. 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection. A plate of bacon is by the stove, just how you like it. Oh, and today's newspaper." Codsworth's British accent rang through the air pleasantly as he passed me the the paper to me.

"Thanks, Coddy." I grinned as I sipped on my coffee. I took a glance at the paper. More of the same-old same-old. Communist conspiracies and fears of total nuclear annihilation. I strolled over to the pile of fried pork Codsworth made just as my baby brother, Shaun, began crying.

"Uh oh, looks like someone made a stinky." Our robot helper chided as he floated down the hallway and into Shaun's room.

My eyes scanned my surroundings out of boredom, trying to occupy my mind while this slow morning went by. My gaze shifted over the shelf by the door that was stacked with awards from my siblings and I's sports and martial arts tournaments. My eyes finally settled on our family portrait. There was my mom and dad in the back. My older sister Anne next to my dad on the left. Then my twin brother, Richard, and I next to my mom on the right. Another portrait of my Uncle Nick and his late fiancé Jennifer hung next to ours. I really need to call them today.

"Ya know, I'm real happy the rest of the family chipped in to get Codsworth for me. I don't know what I would do without him." My mom stated from the bathroom.

Just as mom made her way into the living room, a knock at the door shattered the tranquil atmosphere.

"Ugh, it's that sales man. He's been bothering me all week. Could ya get the door for me, Sweetie?" My Mom sighed. I muttered an okay as I set down my coffee and trudged towards the door. Interacting with the outside world so early wasn't ideal, but I wasn't about to tell my mom no either. The door opened to reveal a peppy middle aged man, clad in a tan trench coat and fedora.

"Good morning, Vault-Tec calling!" The over-enthusiastic salesman announced. Oh boy, here we go.

"Hello, what do you need this lovely morning?" I forced out not really wanting to deal with people at 8 fuckin' am. I was too polite to tell him to fuck off. That had been my Dad's job.

"You couldn't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's of the almost urgency, I assure you." He stated, putting on a mask of worry.

"Well, I'm here now." I quipped with a cock of my head. 'Pleasegoawaypleasegoawaypleasegoa-'

"That you are, heh, that you are." The salesman muttered as he gazed at his clipboard. "Now, I know you're a busy women, so I won't take up much of your time, time being an...important commodity these days. I'm here to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entry into the local vault. Vault 111." The salesman pitched with a wave of his hands.

"The Apocalypse? Well hell, sign me up." I tried to joke as the clouds parted to let the sun scorch my eyes. Thanks god.

"Heh, that's the spirit. Now, you've already been cleared for entry in the case of...ahem...total atomic annihilation. I just need you to certify some things." He said as he handed me the clipboard. I filled in my name, Ranee Mary Willford, and other miscellaneous information.

"That's everything," The salesman concluded as I handed him the clipboard "Just gonna run this over to the vault. Congratulations on being prepared for the future!" With that, salesman sauntered off.

"Uh, thanks again." I called after him weakly, not really meaning it. I puffed the air out of my chest before closing the door.

"Well, now I'm glad you answered the door. I didn't think he was from Vault-Tec." Mom voiced as she looked up from the newspaper and her breakfast. Her rose pink lips pulled into a pleasant smile.

"Still though, he could have came later instead of coming at the ass-crack of dawn."

"It's 8:39, Ranee. Ya know, I remember when ya first came back from college, you were waking up at 6 am every morning no problem. You should go back instead of worrying about Shaun and I. You're twenty one, you should be having the time of your life right now." She nagged as she pushed her newspaper to the white marble counter.

Feeling yet another lecture storming my way at the hands of the 5" freckled Southern woman before me, I shifted on my feet, refusing to look her in the eyes. My Mother always did have a way of letting her disappointment be known with barely even a change of voice, her emerald green eyes let you know all you needed to know, and right now, those eyes were peering at me like she just turned down my offer to help her clean, before ranting about how no one in this house helps her out.

Before I could reply, Codsworth, the saving grace he is, hovered into the room.

"Mum, I have changed Shaun's diaper but he absolutely refuses to calm down. Could you give him some of that maternal affection you seem to be so good at." Codsworth pleaded to my Mom with Shaun still wailing in the background. Just as Mom went to get up, I stopped her.

"I got it, Mom. Ya just eat your breakfast, alright?" With that, I skipped past Codsworth, who was oblivious to the torture he just rescued me from, and to Shaun's room at the end of the hallway.

There he was in his crib, sobbing for all to hear. I heard the familiar clinking of my Dad's dog tags and wedding ring coming down the hall as I made my way to Shaun and stroked his cheek.

'Oh no.'

Shaun relaxed a bit at my presence, but I knew my Mom was the only one who could really calm him down.

"I'm serious, Ranee. I'll be fine on my own. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your education for my comfort. Go back to Boston University, please." My Mom lectured. Her blonde hair bouncing as she took a seat on the red arm-chair in the corner of the room. Shaun began to gum my finger. I wrenched my hand away with gasp just as his teeth almost broke skin. Fuck, his teeth are really coming in. I swear the little shit smirked up at me too. The staple Willford sass was already presenting itself.

"Mom, it's not like the University is going anywhere. I'll stick around till Shaun is old enough, then I go back. I promise." I pleaded, trying to get her off my case. Of course, she completely ignored me as she continued her bombardment.

"But your only young once. The faster you can pursue your Political Science degree, the better. Your just what this country needs right now." You see, political science isn't what I really wanted to study. I'm just fucking pissed at my government right now and I think I could do a better job than most of those greedy fucks in DC. What I've wanted to study since I was a little girl was engineering so I could go work for NASA. Technology and space interest me. Politics? Not so much.

"Look Mom, you weren't prepared to have Shaun, and let's face it, you're not as young as you used to be. Just let someone help you for once!" I stated passionately. Shaun had been a surprise for all of us. Mom thought her tubes had been completely tied off, but apparently they grew back together.

"I can't when my own daughter is sacrificing her livelihood just help me take care of Shaun. I have Codsworth,"

"There's only so much he can do, Mom." I said in frustration.

"Then I can hire a babysitter. There are plenty of teenagers looking for a job, Ranee!" Her voice raising slightly, cracking with emotion. I wasn't liking where this was going.

"We're too tight on money to do that. The fucking VA is still looking for loopholes to flake out of paying you. I have to do this. Someone needs to be earning some damn money, and I can't do that as a full time student!" I raved, the air thickened around us, weighing heavily on my chest. I know where this was heading.

'Please just drop it, Mom.'

"Have you been taking your anxiety meds?"

"Yes-"

"I this about your father?" She croaked. I sighed and leaned against Shaun's crib. Did she really have to bring him up?

"Mom, no-" I was cut off promptly once again.

"It is, isn't it? Are you depressed? All you do when you are home is hide away in your room playing video games, reading comics, or working out. When I do see you, it's to look after Shaun. You push away your friends, and the only person you've talked to in the past week is me." My hand came to message the bridge of my nose, hoping to ease the impending headache. It had only been a year since dad passed, I still couldn't bear the thought of him.

"Mom, I'm not depressed. I swear. I'm just focused on the two of you right now." I tried to reason. She kept on though.

"So much that you've even given up singing, and playing your instruments? Even when you were busy raising money to go to France during highschool, you were never too busy fo-"

"MOM! Please. Just listen to me. I am not depressed. I'm just..." I trailed off, searching for the right word. She wasn't wrong, something had changed in me when dad passed, but I wasn't about to admit that. I didn't smile as genuinely, my laughs weren't as boisterous as before, friends heard less and less from me, and soon enough, so did family. It was almost as though my true self curled into a shell like a hermit. This false layer protection for her fragile, broken heart. Fuck...

Without even having to utter a single word, my mom read the silence as confirmation that I was too stubborn to give yet. I was cemented to the spot as she brushed past me to pluck Shaun out of his crib. The baby blue of his room darkened. The rays of golden sunlight seemingly paling. Mom exited the room to give me the alone time I desperately needed right now.

A few hours later

My back leaned firmly against the wooden chair as I loaded more BBs into the gun, before closing the chamber and aiming down the sights. An empty Nuka-Cola bottle twenty feet away shattered into fine pieces of glass. Some larger pieces clattered to the ground, other finer pieces drifted to the ground like snow.

Around me birds sang, the cool autumn breeze combed through the orange, yellow and red leaves, sending them gently fluttering towards the ground. I was a little ways outside of sanctuary behind our house, set up at the moddest make-shift gun range my dad had set up for my brother, sister and I when we were younger.

Picking up my chair, I moved it back another ten feet before lining up my sights with another bottle. With accuracy only achieved by years of training from a veteran, another small soda bottle exploded into a glittering mist.

I came here some times when I needed fresh air, or to have some sense of privacy.

My dad had been adamant about my brother, sister and I learning how to fight with guns and without guns. According to him nuclear war wasn't a matter of if anymore it was a matter of when. I remember the first time I ever picked up a gun was at twelve. It was a 9 mm revolver. He had been so adamant that the recoil was enough me to handle that he actually let me fire it. Dad had to go home that day and explain to my mom why I had a black eye.

With his constant encouragement and guidance, my aim improved steadily, my hold became more confident and at the age of sixteen I won my first gun competition. My Dad took me out for ice cream and bragged to everyone, whether they wanted to listen or not.

All the bottles were gone as I came back to reality. I huffed as I put the safety back on, before gently setting the BB gun aside. I got my feet and treaded over to the stockpile of targets we collected over the years.

As I sat on the ground, the crunching of brittle leaves permeated the air behind me, forcing me to look up, only to see my mom with Shaun tucked against her chest.

"Hey." Her whispered.

"Hey." Was my response. The silence between us was tense as my mother stood behind the chair for a moment, before making her way around to gingerly take a seat. She opened her mouth, only for it to snap shut again. Words wanting to form but not finding the right ones.

"Ranee...I...I'm sorry. I crossed a line I shouldn't have crossed. I know you don't like taking about...him yet." My Mom stammered out, voice thick with unshed tears.

"It's okay, Mom. I know I should listen to you more." I said without looking her in the eyes, or saying what needed to be said. I didn't want to have this discussion, but it necessary. We needed to mend what we damaged.

"Ranee, look at me." I really didn't want to

'If I do, I'll start crying.'

I peered at her anyway. Her eyes glistened with her own grief.

'Stop being selfish, you're not the only one mourning right now, Ranee.'

"It wasn't okay, I shouldn't have taken it that far. I should have dropped it." She croaked, her sad eyes and scrunched eyebrows only deepening with every word.

"I...I worry you too much, Mom. I get it. You don't need to apologize." I managed as my throat clenched.

"Ranee, we all deal with grief differently. There is not wrong way to handle it. I just don't want you to ruin yourself over this." The first tear began to fall, and I knew my own would soon follow, because if my mom starts crying, it's a given that I will too. My eyes became misty, the tale-tale signs presenting themselves already. The forest had gone oddly quite, or was that the blood rushing to my ears? My throat constricted even more.

"Does...does it ever get better? People say you'll move on but does one ever?" I rasped out. A warm wetness soon found it's way down my tanned, freckles cheeks.

'God fucking dammit.'

"No, you never get over it. It's like carrying a brick around with you everywhere. At the beginning it's heavy, it's cumbersome, you can't seem to find a way to take it with you without it getting in the way. As time goes on it gets lighter only because you've gotten stronger. You learn how to carry the weight. You can take it you without it slowing you down, and bring it out when your ready." Her advised through her tears. I could only nod before my throat constricted too much for me speak.

"Come here." My Mom spoke before joining me on the cool earth to wrap her free arm around me. I buried my face into her bosom as the dam finally broke. The first sob wracked my body as more came.

We stayed in the serene forest for awhile, finding solace in one another, letting the burdens of the real world drift away.

Soon enough, I untangled myself from my mother's embrace and began packing my things. I reached my hand towards hers and helped her to her feet. During the trip back to the house, the world seemed more lively. Children screeched with laughter as they chased each other about the neighborhood, their family dog scrambling after them. Father's pulled in the drive way, eager to greet their wives. Mother's stepping out onto the porch calling their children in for snacks. The air seemed to have lifted and the world more colorful.

"You know, we should take Shaun to the park today." My Mom spoke up. I smiled gently before glancing at her.

"Yeah, we should." I stated. Just as we approached the front entrance, Mom stopped me.

"Oh and Ranee, remember to get your good dress out of the floor safe in my room. You need to have it ready for tonight."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm way ahead of you." With that, I was off to her room.

One week later

I drifted back to consciousness sluggishly. I rolled over and squinted, my eyes blurry from sleep. 5:24, damn that's early, even for me. I maneuvered myself onto my back and stared at the ceiling. My stomach ached and I felt my throat tightening. A bad feeling had settled into my body. I forced my emerald eyes shut in a vein attempt to go back to sleep.

I groaned in frustration and rose from my bed before heading down stairs. My hairs stood on end, the air feeling electric as I descended. I glanced into Shaun and then my Mom's room to see they were both still asleep. My hands came up to sluggardly rub my eyes as I continued to trek towards the living room. The sinking feeling in my gut never left and only seemed to get worse as I walked. I padded over to Codsworth at his sleeping station in the corner of the room.

"Hey Coddy, could ya wake up please?" I whispered as I scanned the room. My senses seemed to be on high alert. I could hear every little sound such as clinks in the walls, or Shaun's light snoring just down the hall. Paranoia set in quickly. Codsworth came to life before noticing something was wrong.

"What is it, Ms. Ranee? You're usually asleep right now. Did you forget your anxiety medication?" The floating robot pried worriedly. I shook my head before responding.

"No, I don't know why. I just have a bad feeling in my stomach right now...something just feels...off."

"Oh dear, here, take a seat on the couch. Would like some of the herbal tea you like so much?" Codsworth questioned as he went towards the TV to flick it on.

"Yeah, thanks Codsworth." Just then I heard Shaun start crying; moments later creaking came from my Mom's room as she made her way to my baby brother. I rose to my feet to drift towards the bathroom to freshen myself up seeing as I won't being going to back sleep. The sinking feeling never dissipated. Just as I got done brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I heard Codsworth shout from the living room.

"Mum, Ms. Ranee, you should really come see this."

I briskly walked to the living room, with my Mom in tow asking what's wrong.

"Yes, flashes...blinding flashes. We're getting confirmation that we have lost contact with our affiliated stations." My Mom gasped behind me while I gaped at the screen in horror. "We have...we do have confirmed reports. I repeat confirmed reports of nuclear detentions in New York and Pennsylvania...my god." The news anchor whimpered the last part into his hands.

My body felt as though it had been electrocuted as adrenaline began to surge.

"We need to get to the vault, NOW!" I cried while peering at my Mom. Her quivering arms held Shaun tightly as we tore out of the house, not even bothering with ours shoes. Sirens began to blare, screams and cries could be heard. I ignored it all as I raced my mom, baby brother and I towards the vault. As we made it to the rocky path up towards the vault, rocks dug viciously into the soles of my feet. I paid it no mind though. We approached the gates of Vault 111 only to see that Vault-Tec Representative demanding entry only to be threatened by a couple tons of power armor clad soldiers and their mini-guns.

"We need to get in, we're on the list!" I pleaded

"Two adult females, and an infant male. Alright, come on in." We raced past towards the vault.

"What are going to happen to all those people?" I asked on of the soldiers waiting by the vault entrance.

"Don't worry about them, we'll do everything we can for them. Right now, you need to get on the platform!" He yelled over all the commotion.

We did just that. My Mom quickly turned on her heel to look me in the eyes.

"I love you." She whispered. I went to hug her and didn't even have time to respond before white flooded my vision. I hugged my mom and Shaun tighter as I fell to the ground in pain. My eye sight barely cleared up enough for me to see a giant mushroom cloud reaching for the skies. I could just make out a soldier screaming for someone to send us down. The platform descended before a shockwave raced past the surface. Everything afterwards was just a blur. I was rushed off the platform and up the stairs into the vault. My eye sight finally started to clear, though there was still a faint blurry line around everything. I doubt that would be going away anytime soon. Employees were buzzing around, rushing to accommodate everyone. A vault-tec scientist smiled at my mother and I, before instructing us to grab our vault suits, and were given a little privacy to change into them. We were escorted down a long metal hallway and into a room full of pods. I took this chance to observe my surroundings. Families were huddled together in sorrow and panic. Some were excited about their new life down here. Others had this thousand-yard stare in their eyes.

"Alright, just step into this decontamination chamber so we can begin orientation." One of the Vault-Tec scientists urged. Before I could move I heard Shaun begin to whimper. I peered over and gently cooed at him.

"It's okay Shaun, I'll just right over here. I love you." I kissed his forehead before moving away towards my pod.

"See, sissy's not going far." Mom reassured him before we both climbed into our pods. As the door hissed closed, I glanced at my mom for, little did I know, the last time. A chill racked my body as I heard gas enter the chamber. My eyes grew heavy as I succumbed to unconsciousness.

In what only seemed like moments I awoke to voices outside my pod. I swept my hand over the condensation that had gathered on the glass. My exhausted eyes could barely make out three figures surrounding my Mom's pod. Two were clad in what seemed like white radiation suits. The other was covered head to toe in leather. I squinted, trying to make out the finer details.

"Here, this is the one." A female voice announced, pointing at my Mom's pod.

"Open it." A gruff voice sounded from the figure in leather. The pod hissed open as my mom awoke. Coughing, she could barley get out a single question.

"Is it over? Are we-" my mother fell into a coughing fit then. As the female approached, Mom clutched Shaun to her chest.

"Yes, now if you could just give me..."

"It's fine, I got him." My mother's fingers turning white as she gripped his blanket even tighter. The female, not paying any heed, continued to reach for Shaun anyway. I banged on the window of my pod, hoping to get their attention. I was not liking where this was going. At that moment, Shaun started wailing. His sobs echoed off the walls. I wondered why no one has happened upon us yet. Surely the Vault-tec security could hear the commotion. The female latched onto Shaun and began prying him from my mother's arms.

"LET GO! I GOT HIM!" My mother roared as Shaun clutched onto her breast for dear life as he weeped.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" I raged as I pounded on the glass in a vein attempt to break it. It only served to fracture my knuckles. Blood began to appear on the glass but I kept wailing on it.

"I'm only going to tell you this once, let the boy go." The man in leather growled as he aimed a revolver a my Mom's head.

"I'M NOT GIVING YOU SHAUN!" She cried as she fought the female's hold on my baby brother. A resounding bang tore through the room as my Mom's body went limp. I didn't know if it was the blood covering the glass but I saw red. I screamed until my voice was raw. My vision blurred with tears.

"God dammit, get the boy out of here," the murderer ordered as he waltzed over to my pod as though he hadn't put a bullet in an innocent woman's head. "At least we still got the backup." I got a good look at his face then. White, bald, a scar over his left eye, and a short beard covering his face. I glared at him with all the hatred I could muster. As he walked away my screams turned to out right sobbing. My broken fists continued to their assault on the glass. As gas permeated my pod once more, I turned towards my mother. Crimson seeped down her face, a look of horror permanently etched into her face. Her tears haven't even dried yet. I pressed my forehead to my bloody hands and weeped before sleep claimed me once more.

Sirens were blaring as I drifted back consciousness. My hands aching terribly. Nausea wrenched at my stomach before the door to my pod opened. With no support, I collapsed on the ground. I didn't even have time to catch my breath before my stomach emptied it's self. Pulling my hands and knees underneath me, I quickly collapsed once again as pain shot from my hands and all the way through my arms. I instead pulled myself over with my elbows and hit the switch with them.

"Come on, come on! Oh god..." I lamented as the door raised. Her skin was almost translucent, and was cased in a thin layer of ice. The look of panic still marring my Mother's skin. I stumbled to my feet before reaching for the dog tags and wedding ring around her neck. I slipped off them as best I could with my hands limited function. As I went to take her wedding ring, I swore to her.

"I'll find who did this, and I'll make them pay. I promise." I pulled the dogs tags and my dad's wedding ring over my neck and clutched my mom's ring as best I could with my busted hands as I stumbled my way down the isle of pods. Many of the occupants seemed as though they were sleeping, but I had a feeling they were in a more permanent state of rest. The automatic door slid open and with that I trekked through the vault.

"HELLO, IS ANYONE THERE?" My cry rang through the eerie silence which permeated the metal halls as I staggered down the hallways, hoping I would chance upon a stimpack or two. I tried getting out the same way I came in. The door refused to budge though. Great, now I need to find another way out. I finally made it a bathroom and went straight for the first aid kit. With a frustrated growl, I pried it open. A couple minutes of fumbling with the delicate syringe, I finally injected it into my arm with a hiss. I shrieked as the bones in my hands snapped back together. My back hit the wall behind me to stabilize myself as I caught my breath.

I trudged over to the next room. A giant window on the wall to my left revealed a fusion reactor. Bolts of electricity wizzed a crossed the room and would strike anything unfortunate enough to get close to it. Before I could make my way through the sliding door leading to the reactor, I heard a chittering behind me. My body wiped around just in time to see a cockroach the size of a small dog about to pounce on me. My legs moved on their own as my instincts kicked in and crushed the abomination under my foot with a sickening crunch. I grimaced as yanked my leg out of it chest. It's entrails caught on the sole of my boot.

"Giant...cockroaches. What the fuck?" I muttered to myself. I continued into the reactor. The electricity made my curly dark brown hair frizz up. I squinted at the bright lights as I stomped my way through more of the dog-sized roaches. Before exiting the room I glanced down at the remains of a resident. Is this all the that's left?

I quickly made my way to what seemed like a reception area. I breathed a sigh of relief as I found a 10mm pistol and some rounds sitting on the receptionist desk. My paranoid Dad may have forced me to learn martial arts but nothing says fuck off like a gun. Considering the roaches in this vault, I would take a guess and say other animals have been affected too. I stumbled upon a pair of glasses too. Given that my eye sight still hasn't quite recovered, I would say the damage is permanent. Immediately upon putting them on my eye sight clear drastically. I crouch down to inspect the terminal. Unlock emergency tunnel? Well ain't that convenient. I hit enter and the door in front of the desk slid open.

My eyes snapped shut as I was greeted with the bright lights of the vaults main entrance. As my eyes adjusted, I spotted an old Pip-Boy on the skeletal remains of one of the Vault-Tec scientists. I shuddered as the arm clattered to the ground when I retrieve the device from their wrist. Various ticks sounded from it as I strapped the Pip-Boy to my left arm and booted it up before plucking the USB from the device and plugged it into the console in front of me. With a press of a button, the Vault door shrieked as it was sluggishly removed from the entry way by god-knows-how-old machinery.

I carried myself to the steel bridge as it extended to the entrance. Cautiously, I stepped into the blinding light that the led to the lift. I had no idea what awaited me above ground, and I wasn't eager to find out. I carried on anyway. I stood on the platform and it cranked it's way up the tunnel. I looked up at the sky as hit revealed itself to me.

As the platform stopped, I was greet by the soft moonlight and the twinkling of stars. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I gaped in shock and horror. As far as the eye could see was destruction. The skyline that was once filled with massive skyscrapers were now hollowed out husks of their former selves. Once bustling interstates now laid in disarray. The trees completely bare of leaves and no flowers to be found.

I turned away to scout the area. I left no stone unturned. I picked up as many supplies as I could carry and began making my way towards the familiar trail leading to Sanctuary Hills.

As I traveled along the trail, I heard the snapping of twigs and rustling of bushes. I picked up the pace, eagerly awaiting the promise of shelter. The noises grew in volume as I trekked along. Before I knew it, I could hear shuffling not far behind me. I spun on my heel to come face to face with shit straight out of those zombie flicks my brother and I watched religiously. I froze on the spot, not wanting to make any sudden movements. One of the zombies stopped and sniffed the air. Bad eyesight? I stood like a statue, hoping they would leave well enough alone. Just as the walking corpses began hobbling up the trail, a gust of wind blew right past me.

Simultaneously, the fuckers all stopped and wiped around to face me. A gurgling roar pierced the air, and they rushed me before I could even switch off the safety on my gun. I ducked out of the way just one tried to grapple me, letting it crash into the tree behind me. As I rolled to side, I switched off the safety and leveled my gun with one of their heads and fired. One down, four more to go. Before I could get another shot off, I was tackled to the ground. Just as it open it's maw I slammed the butt of the gun into it's jaw, breaking it with gruesome crack. That didn't stop it though as it tried to gouge me with its claws. I kicked it in the side and rolled us over before pressing my thumbs into it's eyes. Crimson splattered all over my face as it screeched in agony. I pressed my gun to it head and pulled the trigger. I pulled off just as the others came sprinting towards me. I dived out of the way and cloths lined the last before putting a bullet in its skull. The other two geared around and rushed me again. I blew off the other zombie's head just before the other tackled me. Together, we tumbled down the hill and didn't stop until my head bashed the trunk of a tree. I yelped in pain as my vision swam. The zombie jumped on top of me again and latched onto my right arm as I tried to block it. I took that time to put a bullet into it's head. It collapsed in a heap on top of me.

I looked over and noticed it left a crater in my arm. I unzipped my vault suit slightly to fish out a stimpack. The last thing I remember was jamming it into my arm and a British accented voice calling out before fainting from the pain and exhaustion.