Chapter 2 Lost and Alone

"WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO!" Douglas yelled into the sky as he paced around on the ledge near the entrance to vault 101, A N99 10mm pistol tucked into his suits jacket and a travel pack hanging loosely on his shoulder. "Ohh god I think I'm going to be sick" as he said that to himself he leaned over losing his stomach contends onto the dusty ground below him. "Ok ok ok ok ok not ok not ok" He continued pacing for a good 15 minutes before he found himself in a fetal position trying to regain his composure. "Ok what do I have with me" Opening his pack and turning out his pockets to take stock of what he had stopping when he found the picture of Amata and his 9 year old selves. "Oh God Amata I already wish you were here with me now you're the only one who could ever keep up with me." He sighed looking at the photo until he placed it in his left chest pocket, "Ok Douglas inventory time 50 rounds of 10mm, 5 bottles of water, 3 boxes of food, a telescopic baton, 17 bobby pins, 3 N99 10mm pistols, 13 stim-paks, 2 pills of rad-x, and an assortment of random crap I grabbed so not totally boned." As Douglas sorted through his pack he also examined the horizon seeing a town almost directly below him. "Ok that's where I start where I go from there I have no damn clue one step at a time Douglas one step at a time."

As he descended the hill from the vault into town he took note of a few buildings many being derelict homes, if you could even call them that most were little more than debris though a larger building and a small home stood out seeming to be in modest condition. What really caught his attention was an odd looking robot that looked similar to the Russian sputnik satellite hovering his way, He drew his 10mm and approached slowly as it grew closer he heard it muttering what sounded like a radio broadcast "Greetings America it is I your president John Henry Eden and I-." It flew by continuing spouting its broadcast to any that could hear it, "Well that was interesting wonder what it was on about could there really be a remnant of the old world government never mind not important." He carefully made his way into the town stopping to check out a few mailboxes and two of the derelict homes for anything useful. Finding a safe in one of the homes he spent a few moments and a few bobby pins picking the lock. "Wow I didn't expect to find anything useful in these derelicts," he went over his findings packing them away for use later. "Ok three frag grenades holy shit an inhaler of some unknown substance a Pugilism Illustrated magazine and some random crap I could probably sell good haul I guess."

As he finished his looting he made his way over to the small home that he noticed on his way into town he couldn't help to mutter to himself. "I suppose I should see if there is anyone that could point me in a general direction of a settlement of some kind, but will they be the type of person that's hostile." As he entered the home he reached for the pistol in his pocket in case this seemingly abandoned home wasn't so abandoned. He couldn't help but imagine what he could be getting himself into. Getting a brief glance around was all he managed before a woman in her early forties-ish came around the corner from the bedroom of this small home." Who the hell are you?! Did that prick Moriarty send you to get his money I ain't giving you anything." Douglas had a few moments to think before things got violent, "Ok just the type of reaction I didn't want to walk into how do I play this she doesn't look armed I could try to restrain her- no no bad idea I could tell her the truth I have no idea what she's talking about." Whilst in his thoughts the woman was becoming impatient. "Hey hey hey easy I have no idea what you're on about, I just came in here to see if he place was abandoned and if it wasn't if I could get directions who's this guy your on about?" She remained on guard but relaxed a bit "Moriarty he owns the bar in Megaton nearby I owe him 400 caps, And he won't leave me alone because of it." Megaton Douglas read about that in the overseer's terminal though the details were sketchy a good file keeper he wasn't. "Caps? As currency I can see that happening and if she has 400 of them maybe I can get directions and some money in the process. Hey look if you give me the caps and directions to town I can tell Moriarty you've taken off should be free then right?" Douglas continued to hold onto his 10mm in his jacket pocket preparing for a fight. "Ok take them just make sure you tell him I'm gone I've grown sick and tired of living like the next person that comes through that door is going to kill me for that prick." As for directions head right out the door then left at the road you'll find a sign follow that." The woman handed Douglas a jingling pouch of caps and went back into the room on the other side of the small home. Douglas proceeded to promptly make his exit from the home not wanting to over stay his welcome.

Exiting the home he was greeted by the blazing midday sun and the wasteland heat that came with it. "Jesus it's hot out here better make my way to Megaton now before I get heat stroke." He said to no one in particular as he opened one of his few precious cans of pure water, drinking some of its contents and looking around before refastening the lid and returning what remained to his pack. To his left he could see a sign stating Springvale Elementary, and the remaining Derelicts he hadn't searched yet. "Hmmm an old school could be things in there I could use, no no I need to get to town search the place at a later date." As he took in his surroundings he decided to walk over the last remaining homes to finish his search of the derelicts. Finding only a bottle of vodka and a half empty bottle of scotch in a cabinet in one of the houses and a foot locker with some random items in the other. He turned back toward the woman's home he had just left a few minutes ago and looked to his left the direction the woman told him to go. He made his way following the woman's directions coming upon a makeshift sign with the word Megaton and an arrow pointing the way. "Megaton ok signs lead the way". Coming over the hill he set his gaze upon a mess of rusted metal salvage making up walls of this settlement, with what appeared to be rusted up air plane parts making up the towns entrance. A robot which he recognized as a RobCo Industries Protectron stood guard at the gate. "Oh thank god civilization if you can even call it that hell I'm not choosey right now hope I don't get tetanus."

Coming upon that rusted wall of metal gave me the first bit of hope I had since I left the vault, it wasn't pretty but it did and still does beat the wastes any day. I had no idea how far I was going to go if I would find dad or not I just knew at that moment I had hope that Ide live past this day no matter what the next one held that was my life now. Though that didn't hit home for awhile yet.