Chapter 2: The Final Hour
The air outside was warm and engaging. Sunlight washed over them and almost seemed to pull them closer and closer into the beautiful green quad. Practically resembling a nature reserve or a state park, the quad was vibrant and inviting. A smooth, rocky trail zig-zagged through the field of grass and luscious foliage. Following along both sides of the path was a lively assortment of flowers and park benches. Occasionally, they would pass a decorative plaque to commemorate individuals deemed important by the university. It all looked so pretty given the time of year. The calming assortment of leaves falling from the trees, only to immediately be swept up into a neat pile by one of the Mister Handy workers. The crisp October air was careful not to be too hot nor too cold. Everything was just perfect.
Todd pointed out a large tree in the middle of the quad and the two agreed it would be a fine place to sit. Max continued to enjoy his Nuka Cherry as he slung his backpack off his shoulders and sat comfortably against the trunk of the tree.
"I was talking to Lizzy, earlier." Todd said, sitting down against the tree. "She wants to hangout today."
Max's face lit up with excitement from Todd's news. His heart start to beat faster. The involuntary reaction was impossible to hide from Todd.
"I'm sure you're excited about that." Todd added, mischiefly.
"What makes you say that?" Max shot back, breaking out of his brief daydream.
"It's not that hard to notice, dude. Whenever she comes up in conversation you get that stupid grin on your face."
The two laughed and Max admitted that Todd's accusation was true. Her name was Elizabeth Bates, but everybody just called her Lizzy. She was a mutual friend of theirs. It was painfully obvious to everybody that Max had feelings for her. Max always enjoyed when she was around. Although he still hadn't found the opportunity to be alone with her yet, Max didn't mind it when they hung out as a large group. As long as she was around. Besides, he still really liked her as a friend and didn't want to do anything to mess that up. He often thought to himself that things were fine the way they were and that her friendship was good enough for him.
"I told her we would be in the quad after class so she'll know where to find us. She'll probably be here any minute."
They continued to talk and enjoy each other's company in the nice weather.
They didn't have to wait around for too long before they heard their names being called from across the quad. They turned to see Lizzy walking out of the campus library waving to get their attention. Max and Todd waved back as she walked through the grass to join them under the shady tree.
"Hey, guys! How about this weather, huh?" She grinned.
Elizabeth Bates was tall and thin. She had shoulder length hair that shined a natural red. Her face held an abundance of freckles. So many that her face looked more toned than the rest of her pale body.
"Yeah, it's such a beautiful day!" Replied Max. "How are you?"
"I'm wonderful! All done with classes for the day!" She gleamed
Max admired the way she always seemed to emanate positive vibes. She always had a smile on her face. Always so happy and full of life. She threw down her bag and sat herself down next to Max.
"Is that a Nuka Cherry?" Asked Lizzy.
"Yeah! Todd got it for me! Do you want a sip?"
Max handed the bottle over to Lizzy. She accepted the offer and took a sip, being careful not to accidentally drink the last of it. She handed it back and smiled
"Thanks! Cherry is my favorite!"
"Really?! Mine too! It's the greatest!" Max smiled back, losing all senses of the world around him. Goosebumps shot up his back and he felt every muscle in his body start to relax. It was such a small similarity between the two of them but it made Max happy to share it with her. He tried to wipe his stupid smile away but it wouldn't budge. He was feeling happy now that Lizzy was around.
"Great minds think alike! You have good taste!" Lizzy laughed. "There was this one time when-"
Lizzy was interrupted. Cut off. The distant chit-chat of people lounging around the quad had also stopped. The entire world went silent in substitution for one blood chilling sound. The sound pierced the air as it started low and quickly climbed in pitch until it reached its peak and slowly descended back down again. Max immediately knew what the sound was. His stomach tightened. His hands clenched. His body was a battlefield of emotions, feeling heavy and unable to move. His skin felt cold while his insides began to flood hot with fear. The world moved in slow motion around him. He turned to lock eyes with Todd who shared his facial expression. They both knew what it was. Sirens. War Sirens. They had only heard them once before during freshman orientation as a drill. But they were strictly informed that the sirens would never be a drill after that day. This was real.
"V-... Vu-... V-..." Max stuttered. He couldn't speak. His mind was racing. His entire body was numb. He turned and this time made eye contact with Lizzy who was no longer the beaming orb of positivity. He had never seen her so scared before. Max's world sped up and returned to normal speed and he could finally bring himself to scream the only word on his mind.
"V-... VAULT!"
Todd was the first to get on his feet. He looked to Max and offered his hand. Max, shaking and unsure if he could stand, dropped the bottle, grabbed Todd's arm and was hoisted to his feet. Almost collapsing under his own weight he shook himself out of his trance and helped Lizzy to her feet as well.
"We need to get to the vault right now!" Screamed Max, voice cracking with fear.
The three of them turned and bolted towards the vault entrance, located in the very center of campus. They ran as fast as they could, leaving their bags behind under the tree.
Max's head was drowning in sporadic thoughts. What about his family? What about college? What about his life? What about the entire world? None of those things could afford to be a priority right now. There was only one thing that mattered right now. One thing. Get to Vault 136.