January 15th, 2278
It had been a whole year since Vault 909 was opened and most of it's occupants were killed. A whole year since Josh Romano and Bri Larson escaped and ran away to a small town in the wastes, Ailsville, and began their new lives, in the Wastes. But it was also a whole year since Josh learned that the attack on his home, his friends, and family, was an inside job. Someone he knew, caused it to happen.
Josh woke up, fresh from a good nights sleep. He looked across the room to see that Bri was still asleep. He got up and got dressed, wearing his polo t-shirt and ripped blue jeans. He had grown a small beard within the year he had begun a new life. He looked at his Pip-Boy, and saw the date. Realization struck him, today is the day that his family had been killed. Everyone he knew had been dead for a whole year. He prayed for them all before he left for work.
He opened his front door and walked out into the nice cool air of dawn. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He had grown fond of the life in the wasteland. Even if everything was dank and dead. He ran down the hill and walked toward Shawn's bar. He walked in to find Shawn at the bar, washing glasses.
"Mornin'," he said when he saw Josh walk in.
"Mornin'," Josh replied gloomily.
"What's your problem?" Shawn asked.
"It's been a whole year man," Josh told him.
"Really?" Shawn said, eyebrows rising. "Wow, to think, you've been pissin' me off for a whole year," the ghoul said, chuckling.
"Yeah, and it's been a year since I first laid eyes on your ugly as fuck face," Josh said. "I still nearly have a heart attack whenever I see you." He and Shawn always talked rudely to each other, they didn't really mean any of the things they say and the other knew that.
"Heh, yeah yeah, now get to work slacker before I throw you out with the Muties."
Josh walked over to a table, laughing softly. He took the chairs down from on top and set some glasses down. By the time they opened the bar looked less like a hellhole and more like home. Of course, no one would really be in the bar until noon. As much as civilization had gone downhill people still stuck to one moral, drinking after noon, unless of course you just got back from a job that involved pissed off Muties and a gun with 5 bullets left.
Come eight o'clock however, Bri came in to visit Josh before heading out to help any who needed it. She had been crying.
"Hey," Josh greeted her, and when he looked up he felt even worse than he had when he came into work. "Realized what day it was, huh?"
"I realized it last night, I didn't get to sleep until five," she said with a yawn.
"Well, just think, we've lived a good life out here, I nice happy life for a whole year. So don't think about it as the first whole year we left the Vault, think of it as the first whole year we entered our new life."
This seemed to cheer Bri up because she looked up into Josh's eyes. Something had been up with her lately, Josh had been catching her staring up at him a lot in the past few weeks. He looked into her eyes too when he heard Shawn whisper to him.
"Josh," he hissed. "Lemme talk to you for a minute."
Josh broke eye contact with his life long friend and walked over to the corner that Shawn led him over to.
"You see the guy at the corner table?" he asked. Josh saw him and nodded. "That's one of the thugs that was with the Vaulty I saw before you showed up last year."
Josh took a minute to process this, then his eyes shot up to Shawn's and Shawn nodded. He glanced over at the man again, thinking of a plan on how to approach him, when just then the man raised his hand up and called to them.
"'Ey, barman!" he called, slightly slurry, "can I get another over please?"
"I'll take it," Josh said.
"Alright but don't get too hasty, I don't want blood in my bar."
Josh walked over with a beer and set it down.
"Here you are," he said. "Have I seen you before?"
"Ahh?" the man grunted.
"I think I saw you, a year ago. You came through with another large gentleman and a more small man, kind of old?"
"Oh yeah!" the man said, face brightening up. "Good old Morty McCole!"
"McCole you say?" Josh said, trying to keep his voice even, McCole was the Overseer in Vault 909. He was their leader!
"Yep! I hear he's in the city now, runnin' with the Ragin' Raiders."
"You mean... that incredibly dangerous Raider group?" Josh asked, terrified.
"Y... HIC... yep."
"Son of a bitch..." Josh swore as he walked away. The man looked down and saw the Pip-Boy on his wrist, his eyes widened and he downed the rest of his beer and got up and stumbled out.
Josh sat down at the bar and ran his hand through his hair. Shawn walked over and put a beer in front of him.
Josh looked at it, "You know I don't drink," he told Shawn as he pushed it away.
Shawn pushed it back, "I think you need it today."
Josh sighed and rolled his eyes. He took a swig of the poison and instantly felt at ease.
"Damn," he said, "I've been missing that? hm."
The rest of the day went along smoothly, he served the people that came in, greeting them all lightly. They all gave their consolidations for his loss the year before.
M
"Boss," he said, panting. "A hawk just came in from Larry near Ailsville. He says... he says one of the Vaulties survived the attack!"
"Hah!" Morty snorted, "Impossible, they would've all died out during the raid."
"He says he was just at the Vault, there were four of our men dead at the entrance!"
Morty dropped his bottle of beer, it smashed against the floor. He looked up at the man standing before him. Face growing red with rage, Morty slammed his fist on the table and stood.
"I want every available son of a bitch here to pack up and get ready to head to Ailsville!"
Everyone looked around and jumped up. They all scrambled around to get their things together.
"Boss that's over a week's travel, do we have the supplies for that?"
"I... don't... care..." Morty said, face getting purple now. "I just want that Vault dwelling son of a bitch DEAD!"
8:00pm January 15th, 2278
Josh was leaning on the bar, watching the late night buzz of commotion. Bri came in and walked over to the bar. She sat sat in front of Josh, looking him over.
"Hey," she said cheerily.
"Hey," he said to her. "So, I found out who the inside man was that let the thugs into the Vault."
"What," she hissed, staring at him. "Who was it!"
"The Overseer." At that Bri started shaking her head wildly.
"No," She said. "No, McCoy was a lot of things but he wasn't a traitor. He wouldn't let men into the Vault so they could kill everyone."
"Well," Josh said, "There's something I never told you, when we got here Shawn said that the Vault had been open over 50 years ago. He figured that McCoy was a Raider back then and got in before the Vault was sealed."
Bri stared at Josh. "The Vault was opened?" She asked. "How come you never told me?"
"I don't know," Josh said, staring at an ashtray on the counter. "I didn't think it was very important, that's all."
Josh was thinking really hard and then he felt Bri's hand go over his. He looked up at her, he never really realized it before but she was a beautiful woman. They stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes.
"Kiss her you idiot," Shawn hissed from behind him.
Bri grinned and looked down at the counter and then back up into his eyes. She started moving closer and Josh followed her lead, their lips met and they stayed connected for several seconds before parting. They looked at each other up close for a few seconds.
"Hey, kid," Shawn called over to Josh. When Josh looked up, he said, "Why don't you take the rest of the night off," Josh looked at Bri and smiled. "I got things for the night," he added with a wink.
Josh and Bri walked out of the bar together and went up to their house together, locking the door.
Josh woke up, and looked at his Pip-Boy: 8:00am, it read. He looked to his right to find Bri asleep at his side.
He stared at his life long friend for awhile and realized, this was the greatest time of his life. He had a girl, a house, a job... all he was missing was the cherry red sports car and he would have the perfect life! Bri woke up and looked up at Josh.
"Mornin'," Josh said, smiling.
"Morning," she said, returning the smile.
"I have to get to work," Josh said.
"Okay," she said, kissing him.
He waited a minute then said, "I'll need my arm back."
Bri moved, giggling, letting Josh get his arm out. He got up out of bed and walked over to his dresser and grabbed his clothes. He turned back to see Bri staring him down.
"Come by later," Josh said, smiling like a fool.
"Okay, see you later," she told him.
Josh walked out of his house and started down the hill, still grinning broadly. He walked into the bar ready to work, but there was something missing...
"Shawn," Josh called. "Hey ugly, where are you!" He looked around the whole bar. The Ghoul was nowhere to be found. He walked outside and looked up at the guard tower. "Hey Mark," he called. Mark's head popped up from the chair. "You seen Shawn around?"
"Nah," Mark called. "Go try his house."
"Right."
Josh walked over to the house next to the Bar. He knocked three times.
"Shawn," Josh called, knocking again. "Get up ya lazy bastard."
He tried the handle, the door was unlocked. Josh walked in and looked around. The house was two stories, like the bar. He looked around the first floor then trekked upstairs. He walked into the bedroom and let out a shout.
The bed was covered in blood and a corpse lay, half on the bed, half off. It was Shawn.
"Shawn!" Josh yelled. He ran over to the ghoul, checked his pulse, then ran over to the window and threw it open. "Mark!" he shouted. "Mark get over here, now!"
Mark appeared at the doorway a minute later, gun at the ready.
"What the hell happened here," Mark said, walking over to the bed. "Josh, there's a note."
Josh walked over and read over Mark's shoulder.
This is only the beginning, more will die within the week. Better watch yourself Vaulty.
Signed,
Larry
"Who the hell is Larry?" Mark asked.
"I don't know... I... wait," Josh thought of the thug from the morning before. "Oh my god..."
"What?" Mark asked.
"I think McCole is gunna come after me..."
"Who?"
"McCole, the guy that let the men into the Vault. He was our leader, now he's the leader of the Ragin' Raiders."
"What! You know how dangerous they are!"
"Yeah, and now they're probably on their way here."
Mark looked horrified, he ran out of the house and to the guard tower. He sounded the alarm that signaled a town meeting. When everyone had formed in the center of town Mark ran to the platform where he delivered news.
"Sorry to wake you all up so early," Mark announced, "But we need to evacuate the town."
There was chatter amongst the townspeople.
"Listen!" Mark yelled, "Josh Romano just found Shawn dead in his room. He was killed by a Raider, a Ragin' Raider."
At the name of the most dangerous gang in the Wastes everyone started to freak out.
"OI!" Mark bellowed. Everyone hushed. "Listen! We need to leave now. Before the can get here. Pack up all essentials and meet at the entrance to the town."
Josh sat on the porch of the Bar, barely listening. He knew what he had to do. He had to step up and face what was coming to him. He knew McCole wouldn't stop until he was dead. So he was going to stay behind. Bri saw that in his eyes when she found him.
"No!" she cried. "No I won't let you! They want me too!"
"No," Josh argued, "they don't know about you. You are going with the rest of town."
"But Josh, I can't leave you here!"
"Bri listen to me," Josh said, grabbing her shoulders. "They will not stop, until I am dead. If I stay here and die now they may not even touch the town. They may leave it untouched. Go with them and when you see that my beacon on your Pip-Boy goes out you know it's safe to come back."
Bri started to sob and Josh brought her into a hug. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes.
Everyone met up at the entrance of the town. They all prepared to leave. Mark walked up to Josh.
"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked him. "I doubt you'll come outta this alive."
"I know," Josh said, "and I am prepared for that. Just do me a favor, if I do die, take care of Bri for me."
"Of course." Mark said.
"So long, man." Josh said, patting Mark's shoulder.
"See yeah Vaulty." Mark said. He turned and told the townspeople it was time to go.
The day had just been coming to a close when Josh heard something walking around outside his house. He grabbed his shotgun.
"Showtime," he breathed to himself.
He kicked the door open and looked left, then right, no one. He ran around the other side of his house, nothing.
"What the..." he started but just then he was ambushed, tackled to the ground, his gun was taken and he was thrown up against the wall.
"Keep your trap shut smoothskin," came a strangely familiar voice.
"Shawn," Josh breathed, shocked.
"Yeah, that's right ugly," he muttered, grinning in the darkness.
"But how," Josh asked, "I saw you, you were dead."
"I'll explain later, lets just get the hell out of here!"
"No, I'm not leaving. I have to stay and finish this."
"You don't get it do you," Shawn muttered. "They won't stop at you, they know about Bri too."
"How did they..." Josh started but Shawn stopped him.
"That big oaf from the bar must have run across her. The important thing is that we have to get you as far from here as possible!"
"O-okay," Josh said hesitantly. And so they left Ailsville, not knowing if they would ever return.