Chapter 10
2277
Lydia ran through the rough rock tunnel with bounding strides, and as she watched the irregularities in the walls pass, she already felt a sort of shock, though she knew this was the least of what was to come. All her tunnels were standard Vault-Tec size, and this one was two feet wider and taller. It was disorienting, and she felt as though she would run into something even when she could clearly see that there was nothing in front of her.
At the strange wooden door at the end of the tunnel, she stopped and looked back. The security officers had stopped shooting and were looking out at her from the mouth of the vault. The door siren sounded and the door began to grind shut. Her heart dropped. The metal disk thudded into place with an ominous finality. How could she have been so elated when it opened and so terrified when it closed?
No more sound or movement came except settling dust came from the doorway. It was as if it had never opened at all. Lydia turned to the rickety door next to her. She could feel a faint breeze and see bluish light through the cracks. The air smelled and felt different. It made her hair stand on end.
Tentatively, she pushed open the door.