Hello everyone! This is my first Fallout: New Vegas story, and it's hopefully going to take the horror route. This is a relatively short chapter, and I hope you'll review it so I can make it better.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Bethesda owns Fallout, not I.


Darkness. Suffocating, pushing in all around. The tiniest ray of light is a blessing when you're trapped in the dark.

When you're lost in a Vault, light is safety.

The ex-NCR Ranger sat directly in the center of a small ray of light from an overhead lightbulb. It was the first he had seen since entering the vault, and it was a blessing. He checked over his gear, making sure his Assault Carbine and his .44 Magnum were reloaded. He stood up, adjusting the red-eyed gas mask that topped of his Riot Gear. He turned on his Pip-Boy light, and delved deeper into the Vault.

He wasn't here by choice. He was helping the Brotherhood of Steel. One of their men had gone missing in this particular Vault, and the last message he had sent out was a warning about some giant monster. He hadn't returned, so the Ranger had been sent out to find him.

The halls were just barely lit up by the weak light of the Pip-Boy. Sounds echoed all around. Every once in awhile a shadow would suddenly appear on the wall, and disappear just as quickly, accompanied by whispers and growls. It was...unnerving, to say the least. Yet the Ranger stood strong, fearless in his search for a lost comrade. No matter the horror, he would push on.

He continued down the hallway, taking a few turns. Dead bodies lay propped up against walls, some so decomposed that the creepy smile of their skull showed. Yet, none of it affected the armored savior, as he pressed on through the halls of the Vault. Even when his Pip-Boy light gave out, he continued, guided only by the small flashlight that he kept, for times such as these. The darkness can get to you, though. Maybe not instantly, but it will wear you down. It will bring you to your knees.

However, the Ranger still remained unaffected, so he kept on walking, eventually coming to a stop at a door.

He pressed the button, opening a large door that led deeper into the Vault. As he stepped through, he saw the disgusting remains of ghouls, killed by energy weapons. Spent microfusion cells littered the ground, obviously signs of the Brotherhood Knight's struggle with the darkness of the vault.

The sound of movement made the Ranger look up, just as a feral ghoul leapt forward and knocked him to the ground. What remained of its flesh hung from its bones, and the smell of rotting bodies filled the air. The ghoul screamed, and jumped again, looking to finish off its prey.

It didn't get the chance.

The Ranger raised his assault carbine and pulled the trigger, unleashing a spray of bullets that tore through the ghoul, shoving it back until it crashed to the ground. He stood, reloaded his rifle, and walked over to the ghoul. It still twitched, and growled defiance at what was once its prey.

Unaffected by the smell, sight, or how close to death he just was, the Ranger lifted a foot and brought the steel-lined sole down on the creature's head, crushing it.

No matter what was ahead, the Ranger would press on.