ch 1: Out of time
Nate gasped as his lungs filled with air after what seemed like an eternity. In his arms, Shaun began to cry again, wailing loudly as the chilly vapor started to dissipate, leaving them dripping with chilly condensation.
"manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended.." A voice echoed inside his head, somewhere beyond the sound of the infants cries. Across the room, Nora was just coming to, struggling to breath as she squinted out the window to her pod, hand still touching the glass.
"This is the one." A far off voice called out as she shivered furiously, peering through the frosted over window as two mysterious figures approached her husbands decontamination chamber. "Here."
"Open it." A distinctly male voice ordered gruffly, his graveled voice grating against her consciousness like sand paper. Through the frosted window, she could see movement, and then a loud hissing noise filled the room as the seal to his pod was broken, releasing the pressure within and allowing fresh oxygen to whoosh in.
"Nate..." Nora whispered against the chattering of her teeth, hearing him cough outside as he struggled to recover his breath.
What happened? She wondered through the fog that seemed to be clouding her mind- Dazed and confused, She braced herself against the glass and attempted to clear away the frost crystals obscuring her view.
"Is it over?" Nate rasped, struggling to stay upright as his muscles nearly gave way beneath him. "Are we...are we okay?" There was a roaring in his ears, and everything sounded far away, echoing inside his head like a tin can.
"Almost," the man standing before his door assured him as a woman in a strange white suit reached out to take Shaun. "Everything's going to be fine." Regaining his faculties, Nate realized these weren't the same people he had been with before- The middle aged, balding man beside her had a gun, and the look in his shrewd black eyes was predatorial.
"No, wait- no! Ive got him!" He insisted, refusing to let go of the crying child as his paternal instincts kicked in- Nora couldn't quite make out the features of the man and woman outside the pod, but she did see the gun- and when the man raised it, aiming it at Nate's head, she began to beat against the glass urgently, calling out to her husband as she did so.
"Nate- let go!" She begged, tears of terror streaking her cheeks- but he didn't appear to hear her. "Just let go, PLEASE!"
"Let the boy go." The man threatened calmly, finger on the trigger. "I'm only going to tell you once."
"No!" Nate responded defiantly, sealing his fate. " I'm not giving you Shaun!"
BANG
Nora's heart stopped as a single shot was fired, striking Nate in the frontal lobe at point blank range- His body jerked, releasing the baby as his hands fell limply to his sides, blood soaking the material of his blue vault suit and spattering the walls of his pod- The fatal shot echoed loudly in the confines of the small room, making her ears ring painfully as she watched in helpless horror.
No. She thought, struggling to process what she had just witnessed. We were safe- we made it!... he cant be gone.
"Godammit...Get the kid outta here, and lets go." The shooter ordered briskly, shaking his head in disappointment as blood began to pool at Nate's feet- The woman was quick to exit the room as Shaun wailed loudly in her arms, but he lingered behind, coming close to peer into Nora's chamber. Terrified, she backed away, falling against the cushions of her pod as he sized her up through the small window.
"At least we still have a backup..." He commented nonchalantly, giving her a clear view of his gaunt, scarred face before turning away from her to make his own exit- He appeared to be in his mid to late forties, with pale skin that was just starting to show signs of aging, and a rapidly receding hairline that left the top of his head exposed. A Pair of shadowed black eyes hung over sharp, narrow cheekbones and a long, crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken many times in his life- but his most distinguishing feature, was the long, narrow scar marring the left side of his face; it stretched from forehead to jawline, splitting the thick black hairs on his brow and miraculously leaving his eye untouched, before continuing down his cheek.
Traumatized, she was sure she would remember that face as long as she lived.
"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized." The computer informed Nora monotonously, before her pod was once again filled with the chilly, disorienting vapor. She coughed as the air began to thin, struggling to take deep, even breaths, until all she could hear was her own heartbeat.
No! She thought desperately, fighting to stay conscious. Not again...
Unable to resist, Nora braced herself futilely against the walls of the Pod as she succumbed to the suffocating cold and the world rapidly faded to white around her.
. . .
. . .
Coughing, Nora gasped for air, springing into consciousness as if she had been asleep- The vapor inside the pod had already dissipated by time her vision focused, leaving her shivering and dripping wet- Desperately, she shoved against the door, heart racing as she peered across the room to her husbands chamber, where he lay slumped against the seat inside on ice.
"Critical failure in cryogenic array- all vault residents must evacuate immediately." The computer warned- Abruptly, the seal on her chamber released, lifting the door free and dumping her unceremoniously onto the wet floor below.
Nate. she thought, straining with weak muscles to lift herself onto her knees so she could crawl to his pod. Breathing heavily, she drug herself to the access panel beside it, using the sturdy object to pull herself to her feet. Come on, Come on, COME ON!
knees wobbling, she swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, feeling her eyes prickle- severely dehydrated, tears refused to form though, making her eyes burn as she tried not to cry- With shaking fingers, Nora pressed the green release button on Nate's pod, bracing herself against the control panel as the seal released and the door lifted free once more.
Inside, still covered in a layer of cryogenic frost, his body lay still in suspended animation- perfectly preserved against the cushions of his pod. Blood stained his suit, and had frozen in rivulets down his knees, pooling by his feet- shaking her head, Nora covered her mouth with trembling fingers.
This cant be happening...
But it was.
"Critical failure in cryogenic array- all vault residents must evacuate immediately."
Devastated, Nora's knees buckled beneath her weight, and she fell to the floor once again. Sobbing, she asked herself repeatedly how all of this had happened, and why- they had made it, they were safe! and then...and then he was just gone... Yesterday, she had been taking care of a family, and planning for their future- looking forward to teaching Shaun how to ride a bike, and wondering who he would become. now, she may never know.
She couldnt accept it.
Nora didnt know how long she sat there, whimpering pitifully in the middle of the cold, wet floor- but after a long while, when the shock had worn off, leaving her feeling strangely hollow inside, she somehow found the strength to get back to her feet, stumbling reluctantly back to Nate's body- He might have been dead, but Shaun was still out there somewhere- alive- and she owed it to him to get their baby back, no matter what.
"Critical failure in cryogenic array- all vault residents must evacuate immediately."
Taking one last look at Nate's face, Nora stole a moment to commit it to memory, eyes tracing the smooth planes of his soft, high cheekbones and the perfect curve of his lips slowly so she wouldnt forget.
"Im going to find who did this, and im going to get our baby back- I promise." She vowed, reaching in to gently remove Nate's wedding ring before pulling the door back down, closing him into his frozen coffin.
Taking a deep breath, Nora stole herself to turn around, and started toward the door, looking curiously into the windows of the other pods as she passed. Are they...are they all dead? she wondered, peering inside at the frozen occupants. Why would vault tec do this?
"Hello!?" She called out, listening to the sound of her voice echo ominously down the expansive corridors. "is anyone there?!" I cant be all thats left...She thought, starting down the hallway, headed back the way she came- The blue lighting that had illuminated the hallway before had shut off, giving way to a dim yellow artificial light used to conserve energy, and the silence was suffocating- all Nora could hear was the sound of her own heavy breathing as she moved slowly toward the next door.
Passing the window by the rec room, she caught a sudden movement in her periphery, startling her. Adrenalin flooded her senses, causing her heart to nearly jump out of her chest as she wheeled in search of the movement. What was that?!
with a heightened sense of urgency, nora turned, putting her hands on the closed door before trying to pry it open- but it was sealed tight.
"Malfunction in emergency exit door override." The intercom told her, registering her position by the door. "Please contact your vault tec maintenance representative for service."
"Fuck- there's gotta be a way around..." She whispered, examining the door- a toolbox and a few scattered tools lay strewn about the floor, indicating that someone had tried to fix it at some point. Moving to the right, she neared another door with bated breath, letting it out in a huff of relief as it opened automatically to allow her passage into the next hall, leading to some sort of storage room. She passed it bye, entering into a long, curving tunnel that brought her to a narrow intersection before another door, and the mess hall.
Food. She thought longingly, stomach growling loudly at the thought. Famished, Nora rushed into the room, moving around the tables toward the kitchenette, only to be disappointed by empty cupboards. She was about to despair again, when she spied a drinking fountain across the room.
Slurping the cool liquid greedily, Nora could feel the water rushing through her veins and springing to her tear ducts to lubricate the dry, stinging tissue. Breaking for air, she wondered vaguely how long she had been out- it felt as if she hadnt eaten, drank, or stretched her muscles properly in days- and yet, the vault looked as if it had been abandoned for years. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and every surface seemed to be covered in a layer of rust, dust and dank.
Thirst quenched, Nora moved on again, determined to find a way out of the vast, echoing tombs. Exiting the mess hall, she went through the doorway on her left, following it to where it opened up into a large generator room, where a massive reactor sparked menacingly in the center- The cryogenic array?
keeping close to the wall, she skirted the malfunctioning piece of technology, making her way slowly to the other side and stopping just before the door, where a long dead corpse lay against it, clad in vault tec blue spandex.
What...What happened here? She wondered, examining the dry skeletal remains with wide, frightened eyes. Where is everyone?
Apprehensively, Nora continued into the next room, hoping for answers- instead, she found another body. Like the first, it was old- skeletal. All that was left to identify it was its decay stained white lab coat, and a tag labeling him as "The overseer". He had been sitting in his chair when he died, in front of a desk and dusty terminal, where a small stockpile of Stimulation syringes and bullets sat next to a standard 10 mm pistol- untouched.
Is anyone alive? Did anyone get out?
Curiously, Nora wiped the dust away from the terminal screen and moved the mouse, relieved when the computer hummed to life, giving her the option to either unlock the main door- or view the Overseer's log entries. Giving them a quick read, she discovered that the vault project had been a sort of social experiment, and that it had always been vault tec's plan to cryogenically freeze the survivors of the nuclear holocaust, to preserve their DNA until the radiation had cleared. The vault staff had been put in place to guard the cryo-pods and make sure their inhabitants were safe until they received the" all clear" from their superiors- only it never came... Finally, when the rations ran out, the desperate staff staged a mutiny in a last ditch effort to escape the vault.
"I wonder if they managed..." Nora thought out loud, looking around the spacious room- it was more of a reception area, than an office, with a barred armory next to the square archway leading into a dorm room with several beds lining the walls, complete with their own personal locker space nearby- unfortunately, the armory was locked- but she did find a sealed pack of Newports next to a flip lighter on an end table.
Wasting no time, Nora ripped open the top, picking out one of the mentholated tobacco sticks and popping it eagerly between her lips to light it, before returning to the reception desk to unlock the exit. As the locking mechanism released and the panels opened, she exhaled a minty cloud of smoke, grabbing up the Overseer's small hoard of supplies before taking her leave.
While traversing down the next corridor, she readied the small hand gun, checking to see if it was loaded and making sure the safety was off before crossing the next threshold- it felt familiar in her hand, bringing her back to a time long ago, when she had been less...domesticated.
More Confident with a means of self defense, Nora began to move quicker through the winding hall, her excitement picking up as things started to look familiar again- At last, she made it to the wide, open chamber housing the sealed exit- the air smelled different here; not stale, but not quite fresh either. Cautiously, she made her way passed a flipped over table, and stepped over another body as she wandered further in
Am i really the only one left? She wondered, observing the mess of strewn papers and half folded vault suits scattered around her- the vault door was still sealed, indicating that the mutineers had been unsuccessful in their attempt at making an escape. A few paces ahead, laying on the floor below the access panel on a grated metal platform coated chipping yellow hazard paint, was the doctor- he had died mere inches from his goal, failing his attempt to escape the confines of the vault.
Snorting ironically, Nora bent to pick up the doctors Pip-boy, letting his brittle bones fall carelessly back to the floor as she recalled her envy the first time she had seen it- She had always wanted one; it came with a GPS, bio scanner, Radio, flashlight, and a drive that could connect to other devices- everything a self sufficient working class citizen could need to make navigating life a little easier. how nice of life to provide her with such a tool, after everything was gone.
Strapping the dusty Pip-boy to her wrist, Nora connected the drive to the vault control panel, using it to override the controls and release the lock- Hacking. Another skill she had nearly forgotten from her time in the military. A loud metallic groan echoed from above as a large device lowered from the ceiling, suspended on steel cords as it connected to the door- it melted the lock, releasing the gears and allowing them to spin, hissing as fresh oxygen rushed in through the openings. Finally, a magnet activated, grabbing onto the escape hatch in the center and moving it away from the opening as the rusty catwalk extended, forming a bridge to the other side.
following the same arrows she had walked upon her arrival, Nora made her way back to the elevator- alone this time. Standing in the center, in the very place she had stood when the bomb went off, she gave the vault one last lingering look before hitting the red button that would send her to the surface.
"Goodbye." She whispered sadly as the platform shuddered, metal gears groaning loudly as the various pullies and gears came to life, beginning to lift.
"Enjoy your return to the surface- And Thank you for choosing vault tec."
. . .
. . .
Nora shielded her eyes as the elevator reached the surface, the light blinding her while she struggled to view her surroundings.
"Oh god..." She breathed as her eyes adjusted to the bright ultraviolet rays. Gone. she despaired, observing the surrounding forest of dead, charred tree's covered by spongey, green grey moss with wide, disbelieving eyes- The construction materials and tools that had surrounded the platform before were toppled, covered in rust and ivy- again, she wondered how much time had really passed since the bomb dropped.
Standing still, in the same place she had been when the bomb struck, nora looked out toward the horizon line, where the sky was ablaze with colors of pink and orange- sunset. The sturdy metal beams of the city powerlines still stood, silhouetted against the burning backdrop- if she looked to her left, she could see the riverbed winding through what remained of the woodland- and beyond that, the remains of Sanctuary hills laid out before her.
Home.
Quickly, she forced herself to move, stepping over the scattered bones of the people who hadnt been fortunate enough to escape the blastwave. The whole world's a graveyard now. She reflected dismally, heading back down the hill toward the compound fence, where all that remained of the rest of her neighbors was another small area littered with old, mudcaked bones- some even had chew marks on them, as if an animal had gotten ahold of them. Respectfully, she tried not to step on any as she passed.
By the time she made it to the top of the small rise at the base of the hill, where the dirt road met the faded, cracking pavement, the colors of sunset were just beginning to touch down on the horizon. Nora kept to the sidewalk, moving slowly as she surveyed the damage wrought by the bomb- Miraculously, only a few of Sanctuaries "homes of tomorrow" had completely collapsed, with the majority having withstood the blastwave, only to rust, falling into disrepair at the hands of time.
All around her, junk and debris lay scattered amongst the overgrowth- tires, ceramic tubs, toilet bowls, and shards of broken glass littering the once pristine, manicured landscape. Barefooted and sullen, she made her way toward home while preying silently that home was still there- and to her surprise, not only was her home still standing, but hovering in the lawn, attempting to manicure the stunted shrubbery, was Codsworth.
"Codsworth?" Nora asked quietly, approaching the dented, scuffed up Handy bot with caution. Pausing briefly, the robots sensors wheeled in search of the familiar voice, before emitting a robotic gasp of surprise.
"As i live and breathe!" He exclaimed, recognizing her immediately. "Its...Its really you!"
"Codsworth! Your still here- So other people could still be alive too!" She concluded, a glimmer of hope sparking inside her for the first time since she had stepped out of her cryo-pod.
"Well ofcorse im still here!" He boasted, almost puffing up with pride. " Surely You didnt think a little radiation could deter the pride of General Atomics International?" As he spoke, his sensors tightened as he scanned her disheveled appearance, his programming conflicting the information his sensors were inputting as logic told him she couldnt really be there- or perhaps his internal temporal sensors had malfunctioned, and he had imagined all that had passed?
"-But you look a little worse for wear im afraid- best not let the honey see you in that condition...Where is sir, by the by?" Nora looked down, tears welling up again at the mention of her husband as she shifted her weight between her feet anxiously, the scene of his death replaying inside her head like a living nightmare.
"They... They came into the vault- maybe you saw them. They had guns- and strange outfits!" She told the bot urgently, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. Codsworth read the desperation in her expression, and dutifully sifted through his memory bank in an effort to please, though he wasnt sure what exactly she was talking about, or what it had to do with her husband, Nathan Stryder.
"hmmm...only mrs. Rosa's boy, running around in his Halloween costume more than a week early-.I swear, The nerve of that woman, letting her brat run around unsupervised...Not like you mum, your a perfect mother!" He backtracked, before changing the subject nervously. "so uh, where did you say sir was again?"
Mrs. Rosa? Nora wondered suspiciously, recalling the neighbor who had TP'ed their house several Halloweens in a row- nate had been plotting all year on ways to get her back, and to prevent her from succeeding again- Surely she and her family were long since dead now though.
She had to look away before she could bring herself to finally answer his question.
"They...They killed him." She admitted, feeling as desolate as their surroundings. Again Codsworth paused as he struggled to compute, before resolving to simply change the subject to something easier to deal with.
"Oh mum- these things your saying- these terrible things...i believe you need a distraction. Yes- a distraction to calm this...this dire mood- its been ages since weve had a proper family activity. Checkers perhaps? or maybe charades? young shaun does so love that game...is the lad with you?"
Jaw set, Nora shook her head stiffly in response, exasperated by the lack of progress she was making with the bot- did she have to spell it out for him? Nate was dead, and Shaun was gone!
"Codsworth- listen to me carefully." She told him sternly, reaching out to place her hands on either side of his scuffed chrome hull. " have you seen him? Have you seen shaun?" She asked, remembering what he had said about mrs. Rosa's boy running around in a costume.
"Why...Sir had him last, remember?" He responded strangely, sounding unsure of himself. "Perhaps hes gone to the parker residence to arrange a playdate? im sure hell be back with the lad momentarily..." Surely, if she was alive, then maybe he was just malfunctioning, and nothing had really changed after all?
frustrated, Nora released him abruptly and turned away, shaking her head and muttering to herself angrily.
"It just doesnt make sense- why would someone take my baby?"
Still trying to make sense of everything, Codsworth gave her body another quick scan, before humming thoughtfully to himself while filing through his internal databank and coming to a conclusion based on the information at hand.
"its worse than i thought..." He stated gravely. "-your suffering from hunger induced paranoia- not eating properly for two hundred years will do that im afraid..."
Nora balked.
"Wait- two hundred years?" She exclaimed, in blatant disbelief. " There's no way- i wasnt out that long..." Was I? breathlessly, she recalled her observations within the vault- how the bodies had decayed to nothing but dry, white bone, and how rust and dust had covered nearly every metal surface, giving her the sense that it had been abandoned for many years...Even now, she could see the evidence as plain as day, growing on every surface, and hanging from every beam and gutter in the form of moss, ivey, and rust...
"A bit over two hundred and ten actually- give or take a little for the earths rotation, and a few minor dings to the ol chronometer, hehe...Perhaps i should whip you up a snack? you must be famished!"
Forgetting to be annoyed by his familiar humorous banter, It struck Nora that Codsworth was being strangely casual as she struggled to process the information he had just dumped on her- as if he were in a state of denial- could robots go into shock?
"Codsworth, your acting a little...funny. you feeling okay?" She inquired, watching him carefully. In response to her concern, Codsworths sensors tightened strangely, and his multiple arms seemed to twitch as he hesitated to answer.
"I...I...oh mum, its been just horrible!" He admitted, his chipper, casual façade at last falling away- and once the handybot had begun to vent, it was as if the floodgates had been opened, and everything that had been bothering him came rushing out.
" Two centuries with no one to talk to- no one to serve! i spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood- nothing! And dont get me started on the futility of trying to dust a collapsed house! And the car- the car! How do you polish rust!?"
"Woah- Codsworth, stay with me hon..." She interrupted, surprised by the depth of emotion in his outburst- his whole purpose as a handybot had been to clean, organize and take care of their household, so when all of that had been destroyed, he had to find a way to cope- just like she was going to have to. Codsworth seemed to deflate, the rest of his stress releasing in the form of a heavy sigh of defeat.
"Im afraid i dont know anything mum... the bombs came and you all left in such a hurry, i thought for sure you and your family were...dead."
Dead. Just like everyone else they had ever known.
" I did find this holotape though- i believe sir was planning to present it to you as a surprise...but then, well...everything happened!" As he spoke, he opened a compartment in the side of his main hull, using his pincers to pull out a small, dusty yellow holotape.
"A holotape? Whats on it?" She asked apprehensively as he handed it to her. Codsworth made a motion resembling a shrug, before explaining honestly.
"I believe its a private message to you, mum- my etiquette protocols wouldn't allow me to play it for myself, but any standard holotape reading device should be able to play it back for you- like that pip boy on your arm there! that should work brilliantly!" He informed, sounding proud of himself.
Curiously, Nora raised her arm to look over the pip boy strapped to her wrist, wondering how its creators had managed to fit so many functions onto such a small piece of tech.
"Thank you Codsworth." She told the bot seriously, closing her fingers tightly around Nate's holotape and breathing in deeply through her nose before letting it all out in a deep huff- she had no idea what the content would be, and she was reluctant to play it, knowing that it would be the last words she would ever hear from him.
"Now, enough feeling sorry for myself- shall we search the neighborhood together?" Codsworth coaxed, his frustrating sense of optimism returning. " sir and young shaun may turn up yet!"
Nora shook her head, looking around the culdesac nervously- it was like a cemetery; quiet, and still as death. The last thing she wanted to do was go poking around people's graves.
"Have you...have you seen anything dangerous?" She asked, licking her lips nervously as she looked back at him with wide, anxious eyes. He perked up at the question.
"oh just the usual- pesky neighborhood dogs, and mosquitoes'- shall I investigate?" He asked eagerly- he might not have been as brave as a Mr. Gutsy, but he was excited my the prospect of finally serving a purpose again.
Nora nodded an affirmation, looking passed him at what was left of her home- the attic had completely collapsed on itself, being made mostly of wood, but the cement foundation remained in tact and the sheet metal exterior walls still stood strong around the interior- She wouldnt know the full extent of the damage until she went inside, but from where she was standing it looked like a suitable refuge.
"Sure- Im gonna stay here though." She informed him, gesturing to the house. "I want to listen to Nate's holotape."
Understanding her need for privacy, the bot gave her one of his signature salute's, before wheeling around to carry on his task.
"proud to serve, mum!"
Alone once more, Nora approached the entry slowly. The door, once a deep, vibrant orange, was now faded and cracked, with the glass missing from the window near the top- She would have to cover it with something to keep out the night time chill if she wanted to stay here... Reaching out to turn the door knob, she held her breath, pushing it open carefully to avoid making noise as she crept inside. without electricity, it was too dark to see, so she used the light on her pip boy to illuminate things while holding her gun at the ready.
Letting out her pent up breath, Nora leaned heavily against the open door, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob as she beheld what was left of her home- The vinyl wood tiles and plush carpets had all but worn away, rotted out by two centuries of neglect. The wood paneling on the walls, once a bright white, had faded in color and fallen away in places, revealing small patches of twilit sky beyond the rusted sheet metal exterior.
For the most part, at least her furniture had been sparred- maybe it was covered in a layer of dust, char and drywall debris- but everything was there, almost exactly as they had left it over two hundred years prior. Gingerly, she bent down to pick up her husbands tri-folded American flag, shaking off the dirt and ash before placing it back in its place, centered on the wall shelf by the coat closet, next to the empty space where her law degree used to sit. Alot of wasted nights...She thought dismally, before moving on.
Leaving the door open to let in the last of the days light, Nora forced herself to continue, making her way slowly down the hallway, clearing the laundry room and bathroom first, before reluctantly entering Shauns room- The picture frames and shelves had been knocked from the walls, leaving the floorboards strewn with blocks and other small toys, but like the living room and kitchen, everything else remained- for the most part- in its place. Sadly, she bent to pick up a faded, tattered teddy bear off the floor, placing it on Shauns changing table as she looked into his empty crib, surprised it was still standing after so long.
Giving it a long, lingering look, she sucked in a ragged breath, remembering the last time she had seen her son, safe in that very room- if she tried hard enough, she could piece it all back together in her minds eye, so real that after a minute, she could almost feel Nate with her again, standing close behind her in the doorway, before the smell of dank and must reminded her that all was lost.
"dont worry honey." She whispered in the silence, still looking at Shauns crib. "Mommies coming."
Abruptly, Nora turned away, retreating from the room before she could begin to cry again, to examine the remains of her and Nate's bedroom. What was left of their belongings was scattered amongst the overturned furniture barring her way inside. The bedframe was broken, sagging beneath the weight of the faded, moldy pillowtop mattress, and the the bookshelf that had fallen on top of it. Carefully, she heaved it upright, using all of her strength to push it back up against the wall.
kicking away the remains of her old, ruined books, she pulled the dilapidated bedframe back into place in the center of the room, before making her way over to the dresser by the foot of the bed, where their clothes had been- what remained was moth eaten and ratty, so she closed the drawers, before bending down to retrieve her video camera from the floor- it contained photo's of their last vacation together. Hopefully, she wondered if she could still develop them somehow.
Sighing, she set the camera down, flopping unceremoniously onto the old pillowtop mattress and coughing as a cloud of dust sprang up around her. Waving her arms to clear the air, she huffed- once upon a time, she migh thave laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the moment- but now, it only made her want to cry more.
Angry and miserable, Nora pulled the holotape out- she was so desperate to hear nate's voice, she would have done anything to get him back...but she couldnt bring herself to put the tape inside the cartridge. Sadly, she remembered his last words to her, before she had turned away from him to get into her pod...He had told her he loved her- and she was okay with that.
"miss nora..." Nora looked up at the sound of Codsworth's voice as he returned from his patrol, coming to hover in the doorway. "sir and young shaun...Im afraid they arnt here." He despaired, finally accepting the truth for himself.
"come on codsworth, i need your help," She reminded him, hoping to take his mind off of things. " where can i go?" She couldnt be the only one left alive in the world...
"Well, you can go into the city- concord is near by, though the people there arnt as... put together as i am."
"Theres still people alive in concord?" She echoed, perking up at the prospect.
"Yes, although they are a bit rough." he warned dutifully. "You remember the way? just across the southern foot bridge, out of the neighborhood and passed the red rocket station?"
"Yeah, i remember- its too late now though. I'll head out in the morning." She informed him politely, looking out the corner windows to the dusky sky outside- the stars were out now, and the moon was rising at a steady pace.
"Very well mum, venture out at your leisure- I'll stay and secure the home front!" He told her, fronting in an effort to hide his reluctance to leave the safety of sanctuary- the one time he had found the courage to venture out, he had been pommeled with rocks by some frightened unfortunate- and that had been enough to convince him to go back home, and stay there from then on.
"Right...Thanks again Codsworth." She told the bot, laying down in her spot on the ruined mattress. "Good night."
Nora didnt really think she could sleep- it was cold, and she was frightened, heart broken and alone- but as she lay still in the silence, the scene of Nate's death replayed behind her lids over and over, the sound of the shot that killed him echoing in her eardrums like thunder on the wind. low and rough, the killers voice grated against her mind as he came to stand before her, starring at her with shrewd, cold black eyes.
His face was the last thing she thought about before sleep finally found her.
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Thank you "Somerandombastard" for your favorite and follow on the last chapter- and thanks for reading to everyone. Please follow, favorite, or review!