A/N: Reviewed and proofread the first few chapters at the bequest of a reviewer; (thanks BTW). I made punctuation, grammatical, and clarity changes to improve the story's readability. Hopefully it will be an easier read now. Also, I noted the cover art is a little too dark. I'll see if I can upload a brighter image. The metrics show that in the first week, nearly 100 people found the story. Thanks to all who checked it out!

Chapter 1

In the dark depths of Vault 106, silent figures drift past the faint glow from the door access panels. The eerie sounds of shuffling feet and dripping water echo from dark passageways. The survivors of the experiment exist in a nightmare underground ruin, amid an acrid smell of extinguished fires and rotting corpses. It is a not unlike the Friday night horror movie once shown in the media room. The gas left the Vault dwellers little more than automatons, with vague memories that now play out before their eyes. The gas that surrounds them, has reduced their existence to scavenging for what containers of food and water remain while enduring fits of narcotic-induced paranoia.

In the cafeteria, William is eating with family and friends. It doesn't occur to him that the scene is repeating over and over in his head. In reality, he is in a dark and littered room of overturned shelves, crouching among the desiccated remains of the experiment's victims.

William savors the smell of the colorful food on his tray, as he listens to his sister Bethany tell a favorite funny story. A smile spreads across his grimy face, and his laugh echoes in the empty room, as he scoops another finger full of meal type-3 out of a bent tin can. Bethany's story continues but something catches his attention. He turns to look at the entrance way and sees Mr. Benson wave, as he pushes a broom past the door. William waves back, but in the darkness, the figure shuffles past, his dull eyes unaware; his hand still clutching the blood-dried pipe.

William turns back to Bethany, and sees her waving goodbye. She is talking in slow-motion, but he can't hear what she is saying; then she is gone. He blinks as the people in the room disappear and the scene turns blue. He is alone, and he feels his heart begin to race, as the hairs rise on the back of his neck. A cold sweat prickles his skin, and a chill runs up his spine. The can clatters to the floor, as he grabs a knife near his feet and flattens his back to the wall. Something is out there! It's here to kill him. It must have killed the others; where are they? William's thoughts shift to Bethany and his Mom. He has to get to them before the killer does; he has to save them. William looks out into the hallway, but it's empty. He starts making his way towards their quarters; sneaking his way through the twisting halls. He's sure at each corner, he will come face-to-face with the killer. He thinks, "Where is Security? Shouldn't they be here by now?"

William rounds a corner, and just ahead, there is a flash of movement; it was Bethany! He tried to call out, but dared not alert the killer. He knew his mother must be leading Bethany to safety, and he ran to catch up. William raced through the hallways and stairwells, always just as Bethany darted around another corner, glancing back at him. His heart was pounding and he kept looking over his shoulder, expecting to see the killer closing behind them at any second. He pressed the hatch door switches as he passed, to slow the killer. They were heading towards the sealed security room door, he knew they would be trapped. He risked calling to them, but they didn't hear him. As he rounded the last corner approaching the computer rooms, he saw to his amazement that Bethany and his mom were running through the open doors and he stopped. The doors had always been sealed; the corridors beyond were off limits, and led to the outer world. His stomach turned, the paranoia tore at his brain, and urged him to go back to the safety of the lower levels. William started to turn, then tears filled his eyes. One thought surged past the effects of the drugs; he must save his family. With his father gone, their safety was his responsibility. Love pushed past the fear, and he turned and ran after them, closing the security room doors behind him.

The moment of indecision had cost him; he couldn't see them now. He ran through the empty corridor to a mechanical room. William thought he heard the doors opening behind him. He ran through a ventilation room, and in it was an opened pressure door. He ran through the door and into another mechanical room with the vault blast door, and he saw it was open. He pushed the switch for the pressure door and ran to the blast door control console. Ahead was his only chance; in the distance was a wooden doorway at the end of the tunnel. Surely beyond it was the outside world, where his mother and sister waited. He ran his hands over the control panel, as his eyes searched the labels. Then he saw it; one switch was labeled "Engage/Disengage." He pressed it; a klaxon sounded, and a yellow caution light turned, casting beams of revolving light around the room. Escaping air pressure hissed in the blast door room. Then a loud grinding sound accompanied the jerking motion of the blast door edging into place. William took one last look at the still sealed pressure door, and ran down the tunnel towards the wooden gate. He could hear the wind howling through the wooden slats before the blast door sealed behind him. William grasped the wooden door and stepped out into the world. He stood there a second, the dark sky loomed over him, making him feel exposed and naked. He wondered why his family wasn't there with him. He looked at the dust on the ground but couldn't tell if there were any footprints.

Then the blue world around him began to flash between blue and black. He covered his face as a sharp pain stabbed through his head, and his brain began to throb. He fell to his knees and wretched in uncontrollable spasms.

In the back of his mind he knew he couldn't stay there. He began to claw his way up a ravine, crawling from place to place, stopping as the nausea overcame him. The flashing stopped and he glimpsed the dark world around him. It was cold; lights twinkled in the sky, and everything was cast in the dim-shadow of an overhead moon. He thought, "It's like the movies."

He made it to the top of the ravine and looked down into the surrounding flats. There were buildings and fires far off in the distance. The nausea was easing, but his head was mud; he couldn't think clearly. He staggered to his feet and headed off towards the fires. Sights and sounds blended together as a blur in his mind. Twice, some primitive part of his brain locked onto the fires to correct his course, but now he was close to passing out, and he wandered blindly away from his goal. He could hear voices and staggered towards them. The voices sounded strange and slow, and then he collapsed.

More blurry images passed before his eyes; a dark figure looming overhead...the ground sliding past as he was dragged...a campfire drawing near, and finally two forms in the flickering light of a camp fire as he was dropped face first into the dirt.

William heard himself ask, "Mom?" He heard deep, cruel laughter, and then he passed out.