JIM: A FALLOUT STORY
Chapter One
My name is Jim.
I saw my wife murdered by two strangers and my infant son kidnapped by the same people. I couldn't do anything about it. I'm stuck in some sort of sleeping chamber. All I could do was yell and pound on the glass.
We were all led into this shelter by a company called Vault Tec. They brought us down here when the bombs started dropping. The last thing Nora and I saw as we were being lowered into this "vault" was a mushroom cloud. From where I stood, I think the bomb dropped somewhere southwest of Boston.
Not much of a welcome home. Nora and I grew up in Boston. We were high school sweethearts. After high school I joined the military and did some time in the special forces.
The Army was a hell of an experience. Fought in quite a few engagements. Got involved in quite a few, let's just say, morally questionable assignments. That was the job though. I signed up for it, regrettably so. Many times I thought about leaving but desertion in this day and age is automatic execution so I guess I just decided to stick it out. Did plenty of things that I thought were wrong. Killed a lot of people that may or may not have deserved to die. That's the military for you.
But I did my time and once it was up, I got out. You couldn't get me to sign those discharge papers quick enough.
I have only been back a year. After getting back from my last deployment, Nora suggested we move into the north suburbs to raise our son Shaun. Get away from the big city. Good idea. So we bought a home in a housing development called Sanctuary Hills.
We had a good life there. Made a few friends. Things were going well.
Then one day, a Vault Tec salesman ended up on our door. He told us that due to my prior service I was eligible for a spot in one of their Vaults.
The world has been going to hell. Rumors of nuclear war have been widespread for a while. Vault Tech started building these underground shelters in and around some of the major cities in the country they called Vaults.
So, since I served in the military, my family and I had a guaranteed spot. Fine with me. I didn't think it would really happen anyway. Then Nora and I saw the reporter on the television fade in and out. He seemed like he was having a panic attack. And then, the transmission went dead. We were all told to head north and get to Vault 111. Nora grabbed Shaun and we ran as fast as we could to where everybody else was running. We got through the gate after the guard checked our names and got on the platform. And then we saw it, wondering if this meant the end of civilization.
So here I am. Still in the Vault. Having watched Nora shot to death and Shaun stolen from her arms. My chamber has opened so I'm going to look around the Vault and see if I can find any other people here. Find out who killed my wife. Find out who took my son.
They will pay for what they've done.