-August 13, 2277-
"Hey girl."
Korin smiled and turned to greet Amata.
"Hey! What're you doing down here, Ms. Future-Overseer?"
"God, don't call me that. It's bad enough my Dad's so formal about it… you won't need to be." She huffed. "Just checking to see if we're still on for that sleepover tonight."
"Of course, Mata. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Amata smiled.
"Great. Just made my whole day." Amata gave her a quick hug. "See you tonight."
Korin watched her walk away and wiped her sleeve across her forehead. The thought of hanging out with Amata made her feel better, too.
She went back to the jukebox and sighed. When she'd been assigned her position as jukebox technician, she'd been doubtful about her hours. After nearly two years of working, however, she realized the damn thing was always on the verge of failure. She spent every week going back and forth between helping Stanley and repairing the jukebox. And with Stanley starting to feel under the weather more often than not recently… Korin constantly had her hands full.
"Hey, Korin. Figured I might find you here." Korin felt the happiness from her encounter with Amata drain from her body, and the energy drain from her limbs.
"I'm working, Wally. I don't have time to talk to you." She droned.
"You got all the time in the world, doll." Wally leaned against the jukebox, and accidentally kicked her toolbox.
"You are wasting your time, Wally, and mine. I suggest you move along."
"Hey, I'm tryna have a real conversation, here! Quit shootin' me down."
"Sure, let me just stop to talk to you, Wally. And when the Overseer comes to see how I'm doing, you can tell him it's your fault I'm not working to my full potential." She opened the front panel to the jukebox and tried to lose herself in the wiring, hoping it would deter Wally from talking to her more.
"All I want is one measly date, Korin. That ain't much to ask for, an' you owe me for keeping Butch from beating up your dumbass brother."
"I don't 'owe' you anything, Wally." Korin pulled back and glared at him. "You should have stopped Butch because it was the right thing to do, not because you thought it would score you a date." She turned back to her work, and noticed a few of the wires were bad. She sighed. Another thing to add to her to-do list.
Wally grumbled loudly and kicked the side of the jukebox, making Korin jump. Before she could yell at him, he was already out the cafeteria door. She grumbled and got back to work.
Several hours later, Korin stumbled down the hall to Amata's apartment, which was still the Overseer's apartment. She was dead tired, but extremely happy to be spending the night with her best friend. In fact, the thought of being with Amata was the only thing keeping her on her feet.
When she got to the door, it opened before she could knock. Amata smiled at her from the other side of the threshold.
"Dad's working late in his office, so it's just us for a while." Korin smiled weakly.
"I think I'm going to need a nap." She yawned, and Amata giggled.
"Sure. You nap, and then we can go down to the cafeteria and get dinner, and come back." Korin nodded, and stepped past Amata. She laid down on Amata's bed as her friend sat down at her desk with a book. Korin closed her eyes and slept.
After an hour of deep, dreamless sleep, Amata woke her, and the two went to the cafeteria. After a filling but particularly lackluster meal, they returned to the apartment.
"Hey, Amata?" Korin mumbled as they came to her front door.
"Yeah, Korin?" Amata opened the door, but didn't step inside.
"I've got something I want to talk to you about. Inside." She twiddled her fingers as she spoke. Amata glanced down, but didn't comment.
"Okay." Amata nodded. "C'mon."
They stepped inside, and retreated to Amata's room. Korin sat on the edge of the bed, while Amata sat behind her and played with her hair. Korin sighed softly and let herself relax for a moment, in silence.
"Wally's becoming a problem." Korin broke the short silence.
"Wasn't he a problem already? And basically since we were ten?" Korin snorted.
"Well, yeah. But…" Korin rubbed her face. "He visited me while I was working today. Practically demanded a date because he'd been 'keeping Butch from beating Carter'."
"Oh… have you said anything to Carter?"
"No. That would just get him all riled up and into another fight he can't win."
"What about Freddie?" Korin looked down at her hands.
"Freddie knows. He can't do anything about it because the Tunnel Snakes are on Wally's side. If Wally even knew about Freddie and I, he'd probably blow a gasket." Korin scoffed. "Besides, Freddie and I aren't a thing."
"Oh girl." Amata clicked her tongue. "If you're sneaking off to kiss someone in a dark closet, you are definitely a thing." Korin sighed and gave her a half-hearted glare.
"Why do I even tell you things?" Amata laughed.
"Because you know I'm right. And I give great advice." It was Korin's turn to laugh.
"Yeah. You do… sometimes." Amata smacked her arm playfully.
"Hey!" The girls giggled, and soon Amata went back to playing with Korin's hair, braiding a few strands.
"So," Amata started, her tone changing, "is your brother seeing anyone?"
"Not that I can think of…" Korin turned around. "Why."
"I saw Suzie Mack leaving your apartment, the other night when I returned that holotape." Korin's eyes widened.
"That's news to me."
"I thought Carter told you everything?" Amata rested her head on her hand.
"Not everything, apparently." She sighed.
"If Wally finds out, you know he'll be pissed. Not to mention if Stevie knew… Carter could get in a lot of trouble."
"Yeah." Korin scoffed. Of course he hadn't told her. He knew he was walking a thin line, and he didn't want to hear her yell at him for it.
Korin yawned, and stretched her arms above her head. Amata giggled a bit.
"Ready to go to bed?" Korin nodded and stood up. Amata grabbed an extra pillow and put it next to hers.
When they were kids, Korin and Amata always shared Amata's bed. Amata only had one extra pillow and that wasn't enough to make the floor comfortable. Back then, at least the two of them could fit on the single bed easily. As they got older, space became tighter. Neither of them liked the idea of sleeping on the floor, so they just learned to sleep closer. Neither seemed to mind, and Korin found she enjoyed the closeness.
The two girls settled in. Korin was too tired to complain when Amata lied down and squished her arm and shoulder in the process.
"Sorry." Amata mumbled, before she relaxed and closed her eyes. Korin's eyes drifted shut not long after, having been too heavy to keep open. Her exhaustion claimed her quickly.
Korin woke quickly, to find herself alone, in her own bed. She felt strange, as if she was not entirely in her own body. Her eyes saw through her, and above her, like she had split on some level and part of her floated in place above her, like a balloon tied to her wrist.
She sat up, and walked out of their apartment into the hallway. It was barren, looking even more empty than she had seen it as she grew up. She was the sole tenant.
She found herself walking past the classroom, past her father's clinic, and the cafeteria, and all were just like the halls. Empty.
Her feet continued to pull her on, until she reached the atrium. She stood in the center of it, and looked up. The Overseer's symbol lay above it, like it always had.
All at once, she felt the room fill around her. She whipped around, but saw no one but herself. Panic swept through her blood like spiders crawling under her skin. She turned again, and saw Wally. She turned and moved forward down the long hall that led to the vault door. She intended to run; every muscle and ligament in her body screamed at her to run, but she walked.
Calmly, she opened the door to the control room. The cog door stood imposingly in front of her, loomed over her and kept her in its shadow. She walked to the controls and her hand stretched out, as if it was controlled by a marionette string, pressing buttons and pulling a lever. An alarm and red lights filled her senses. She wanted so badly to flee, to run back inside, but her feet held her in place. They would only go forward.
She blinked once, and the door was open. Not just open, but gone. The vault had fallen back from her view, and was replaced with a deep and blinding red. She looked ahead, and saw her brother. He stood with his back to her, the 101 in his suit burning holes into him. Before he could turn to look at her, three figures came around her from behind, snakes writhing against their black leather jackets. Her blood ran cold as they approached him. Faceless bodies stretched out and began to beat and kick him. She fought to try to help him, but her body felt like it was encased in ice or glass, cold and frozen perfectly still, despite the anger burning inside her.
They pushed him to the edge of the red. Nothingness lay behind him. He fell to the ground, where his eyes locked to hers. No matter how they beat him, their gaze never broke.
"This could have been avoided, if you had listened to me!" Wally's voice echoed from one of the Tunnel Snakes. "All I wanted was one stupid date."
"This is all your fault, Korin." Carter's voice whispered in her ear. His body remained where it was, now twisting and convulsing. His gaze held.
Wally picked Carter up by the neck, and held him over the edge of the red. He didn't scream. His gaze still held, and was only broken when he fell behind the red's edge. The Tunnel Snakes turned to her, but didn't move. Behind them, a mushroom cloud went up. White noise filled her head, and she screamed in pain. The blast moved forward, and just before it reached her, a single whisper reached her ears, louder than all else around her.
"Procreation is your civic duty."
Korin was absorbed in white.
Korin sat up shaking. Beside her, Amata was already up, and pale, watching her with quickened breaths.
"You're awake. Thank God. You wouldn't wake up, wouldn't stop screaming." She raked a nervous hand through her curls. "Are you okay?"
Korin felt cold, and her jumpsuit clung to her skin. She shook her head.
"I'll be okay. It was just a dream. A horrible, bad dream but a dream." Korin ran her hands through her hair, and found it cold and damp close to her scalp. She grimaced. "I could really use a shower. What time is it?"
"It's four am." Amata stood up. "I'll go with you. I'd say you can use one of my vault suits, but I don't think you'll fit." Korin smiled.
"That's okay. Not all of us can be as flat as you, Mata." Amata scowled at her.
"Hey! You take that back." Korin stuck her tongue out at her, to which Amata did the same while wrinkling her nose. Korin laughed and stood up.
"Walk me back to my apartment?"
"Sure thing, best friend."
They walked the halls in silence, for fear of a patrol discovering them up past curfew. Korin spent the walk thinking about her dream, and what it could have possibly meant.
The red still haunted her. It had been as if someone had taken an old pre-war coloring book, and filled in a whole landscape blood red. She figured that wasn't what it really looked like outside, although she'd never know.
As far as the rest of the dream, she was still pretty shaken. Her brother was never one to blame her for his beatings, even when it was in her defense. And Wally's role as the main actor in her dream frightened her. Maybe her subconscious was picking up on things she had just shrugged off, or ignored? Or she was reading too much into his crush on her?
"Korin?" She stopped walking, and turned to Amata. "Where ya goin', best friend? We're here…"
"Oh. Right." Korin walked back, flustered that she had nearly walked past her own apartment. "Wanna wait out here? I won't be long."
"Sure."
Korin walked inside and took a deep breath. She walked to her room and grabbed a fresh suit, undergarments and a towel, but not before catching a strange set of noises. She stopped and slowed her breathing, trying to figure out what was going on.
She heard it again, a light gasp and a weird smacking noise this time, coming from Carter's room. She walked over. Her hand hovered by the mechanism.
She pushed it, and the door hissed as it opened.
She saw her half naked brother and a very much naked Suzie Mack. Korin threw her arms up and covered her eyes.
"Jesus, Korin, can't you knock?!" Carter struggled to cover his girlfriend, who was laughing.
"God, Carter, just can't catch a break, can we?"
"You should have left me a note, or... something! If I had known you were going to have company, I wouldn't have bothered opening the door!"
"Okay, okay, we can talk about this later-"
"I'm going to shower." Korin backed away from the room. "Let's never speak of this again."
"Yeah. That's a great plan." Korin closed the door and practically ran to the hallway. Amata was startled when she popped out of the apartment.
"I thought you said you'd be quick?"
"Let's just say I didn't realize my brother had 'company', and now I can't unsee Suzie naked."
Amata tried to contain a fit of laughter but snorted.
"I'm sorry… that sounds traumatic, but it's also very funny." Korin rubbed her face.
"God, she's seared to my eyelids." Amata laughed a little more before sighing.
"Come on, let's get to the showers."
The women's locker rooms were closer to Korin's apartment than Amata's, and walking there took half as long as the walk to the apartment. Korin couldn't keep her mind off of her dream.
She glanced at Amata, tempted to share just how much of a grip her dream held on her, but she couldn't find the words.
The two girls entered the locker room. Korin undressed in a stall and turned on the water, wincing at the initial chill. The water warmed after a minute, and she stood under it, the stream hitting the top of her head and flowing both down her body and down her face. She let the hot water wash away her anxiety, if only for a few minutes, while she washed. Amata started humming somewhere to her right, and she smiled. She finished her shower quickly and wrapped a towel around herself. She dried off, vigorously toweled off her hair and wrapped it up before slipping into the fresh undergarments and suit.
She finished faster than Amata did, as usual, so she took the towel from her hair and brushed through it with her fingers. In the mirror above the sink, she caught sight of something familiar, something that startled her. She whipped around.
"PROCREATION IS YOUR CIVIC DUTY."
It was in bold, yellow capital letters across one of the Vault's propaganda screens. She stared at it, unblinking. The sign was a blatant reminder of her dream.
Procreation… Korin never felt comfortable with the word. Sex wasn't something she was interested in, nor had she ever been. The whole idea was alien to her, eluded her - she couldn't picture herself in that kind of situation, not even with Freddie, even though she enjoyed kissing him. The message only existed to make her feel outlandish in her own home.
The water from Amata's stall ceased to run, and Korin blinked away her thoughts. The screen changed to something about the officers. She ignored it, and leaned against the edge of the sink.
Amata came out dressed as she had, and smiled at her while she dried her hair.
"Feel better?"
"Only a little." Korin sighed. "I'm a little bummed I'm not sleeping right now."
"Yeah-" The words died in her mouth as voices echoed down the hall. The girls shared a panicked look and rushed to the toilet stalls. Korin climbed up onto the seat and bolted the door closed. She heard Amata do the same in the stall to her left. She closed her eyes and hoped it was just a passing patrol, and not the Tunnel Snakes.
Laughter grew louder as footsteps stopped just outside the locker room. Her hopes died as the voices became louder and clearer.
"I thought I heard somethin', comin' from the girl's locker room." Butch's voice rang out, and Korin silently cursed her luck. She held her hand over her mouth to keep herself from making any noises.
"Let's check it out, then." Paul's voice joined in. Korin prayed they would get bored and leave soon. "Hey… there's water on the floor." She cringed. "Warm, too. Someone's been in here recently." Korin wished she and Amata had hidden in the same stall. She felt very vulnerable by herself.
"Come on, guys. Let's just get out of here." Korin's heart skipped a beat. That was Freddie's voice. Just hearing it made her feel better about the situation she and Amata were in.
"When did you get to be such a square, eh Freddie?"
"Yeah!" Wally's voice caused Korin to cringe, though, and she held her breath. "Feels like you ain't ran with us since we were kids."
"Well if you guys weren't assholes all the damn time, I'd run with you more." Freddie huffed.
"You talking about the Autry fuck-ups?" Paul laughed. "They deserve it."
"There's perks to makin' their lives hell, Fred." Butch spoke. Korin tried to keep herself from grinding her teeth. "Overseer lets us run this place, so long as we give 'em hell. Ain't hard, and we get immunity from security. Pretty nice if ya ask me."
Korin felt herself pale. The Tunnel Snakes… worked for the Overseer? God, no wonder it felt like the Tunnel Snakes were untouchable… it was because they were.
"The Overseer? Are you guys idiots?" Freddie hissed. "He's using you… When he doesn't need you anymore he'll turn on you. No more perks, no more immunity."
"Nah… I don't believe that for a minute. You're just soft, cuz you like the Autry bitch."
"She's not a bitch." Freddie growled.
"What?" Wally's voice silenced the others. Korin felt herself pale.
"Oh, you didn't know, Wally?" Butch's smugness bled through his words. "Bet you didn't know that your sister's fucking the other twin, too."
In the silence that followed, Korin could feel the tension between the Tunnel Snakes. She felt like the situation was going to blow up at any second, with Wally beating Freddie to a pulp for infringing on what he saw as his 'territory', and the rest of the Tunnel Snakes just watching. She really wished they would just leave.
"What's the matter, Wally?" Butch chuckled. Before he could continue, Wally cut him off.
"Shut up, Butch."
"You don't tell me what to do, Wally-"
"How long?" Wally spit. "Huh, Freddie? How long have you been eyeing her?"
"She's not yours, Wally. Never was. And she isn't interested in you."
Korin heard a loud smack and cringed.
"Consider that a warnin', Freddie. Keep goin', and I'll make sure you can't." She heard footsteps and prayed that was the other Tunnel Snakes were leaving. She peeked through the gap between the stall door and saw that it was just Freddie, leaning against the wall, his hand over his face. She got up and opened the door slowly. He looked up, and paled.
"Korin?"
"Hi." She whispered. Amata opened her door and stepped out.
"You heard that, then?" He looked at the floor.
"Every word." Amata nodded. "I can't believe my father has them working for him… and just to mess with you guys." Amata glanced at Korin apologetically.
"I'm not surprised." Korin sighed. "He's always hated us." Korin gently took Freddie's face in her hands. He gently held her wrist with his right hand and ran his thumb over the back of her hand.
"Looks like it hurts." She whispered.
"I've had worse." Korin bit her lip.
"I was afraid of what would happen if he found out about us, or about Carter…" She grimaced. "This is bad."
"We'll work everything out, Korin. It'll be okay." He stood up from the wall. "I'll walk you guys back to Amata's."
"Sounds like the safest thing right now." Amata nodded. "Let's go."
They exited the locker room and walked out into the hall. Korin sighed in frustration. She'd only just learned of her brother's free time 'activities'. How the hell did Butch find out?
"Well, well, well." She froze when she heard the voice, and stopped walking. Beside her, Amata and Freddie did too. "So there was somebody in the girl's locker room… The fatty, and the bitch."
Korin turned and saw Butch, and behind him, Paul and… Wally.
Freddie put himself between the Tunnel Snakes and Korin and Amata. Even with him between them, Korin could feel Wally's eyes on her. Her blood ran cold.
"You've already made your point. Let us go." Freddie said. Korin and Amata shared a worried glance.
"Nah, I don't think so." Butch crossed his arms. "You went behind Wally's back, went behind a fellow Tunnel Snake's back. There's consequences for those kinda actions, Fred." Freddie tensed. The Tunnel Snakes advanced, and Butch and Paul went for Freddie. Amata and Korin backed up as Freddie put up his fists and blocked a punch from Paul. Butch came from the other side and hit him in the side.
Korin looked and saw Wally coming at her. Amata jumped next to her and grabbed her hand.
"We need to go get help." She pulled Korin back. Wally stomped up to them before they could get very far, and grabbed Korin by her arm. She tried to jerk free. Amata grabbed Wally's hand and tried to pry it off. Wally threw his arm. It collided with Amata, and she flew backwards. Wally flung Korin into the wall. Her head hit the metal and dazed her. Wally had her trapped between him and the wall.
"Look at me."
The words didn't quite register. She heard them, but didn't look up.
"I said. Look. At. Me." A hand grabbed her roughly by the chin and pushed her head up. She tried to blink away the haze.
Wally's cold eyes startled her, and she panicked. He pressed her against the wall to keep her from flailing. She was forced to look up at him.
"You're mine, you hear me?!" He hissed. Her heart beat faster. She tried to break her face from his grip but he held her tight. She shrunk back against the wall. "Not Freddie's. Not Amata's. Not even your own. You're mine." She struggled against him.
"Wally, stop!" She heard Amata shout. He turned his head towards her.
"Shut up!" His shout made Korin flinch. He turned back to her. Her heart was racing. She tried to break away but he pressed against her tighter. His knee dug into her thigh.
"And since you're mine, you're going to do what I say. Because, if you don't…" he chuckled dryly. The sound made Korin's blood run cold. "Well. Let's just say it'll hurt you more than it will hurt me."
"F-Fuck you, Wally." Korin stammered. She could barely get the insult past the panic building in her throat.
In an instant, Wally's hand left her chin and collided with her cheek. She cried out in pain.
"Say that again." He growled. "I fucking dare you."
"Hey, Wally, man…" Butch's voice came from behind Wally, with a nervous tone.
"I ain't done here, Butch."
"Wally, let her go!" Amata shouted.
Before Wally could turn to yell at her again, loud footsteps echoed through the corridor.
"Get the fuck off of my sister!"
Carter?
Korin looked and saw her brother running at them, full speed. He slammed into them, knocking Wally off of Korin. All three tumbled to the floor. Korin landed on her left elbow, and pain spiked up her arm. She scrambled to her feet. Amata ran to her.
"Are you okay?" She grabbed her face and turned it, examining the cheek that had been hit. Korin tried to pull away to see her brother and Wally.
"Amata you need to go get help. I don't know what he's going to do to my brother if he gets the upper hand." Amata nodded and ran down the hall. She glanced at Freddie, who shook off Paul's hold and ran over to her. He stopped and looked towards Carter and Wally, and rushed over.
The initial impact of Carter hitting the floor jarred him, but it had Wally stunned. Carter scrambled over to him and climbed over him, sitting on his chest and pinning him to the floor.
"You fucking think you can talk to my sister like that?!" He huffed. "Think again." Wally struggled underneath him. Carter smashed his right fist into Wally's face. It hit his cheek. Wally spat on the floor next to him and bucked. Carter's balance failed, and he wobbled. Wally pushed him to the floor. Carter put his hands up to block Wally's fist's from his face. Wally's fist hit Carter's chest, and forced the air from his lungs. He gasped for air, wary and anticipating the pain that would follow Wally's crooked grin.
Suddenly, the weight on him shifted. Freddie came up from behind Wally and threw him aside. Carter quickly got to his feet and tried to catch his breath. Freddie rushed Wally and shoved him into the wall. He threw a punch, but before he could throw more Wally pulled his head back, and slammed it into Freddie's. Freddie staggered back and fell to the floor. Wally stepped past him, and Carter stepped to meet him. Carter squared up. Wally lunged forward, but his face met Carter's fist, and the impact broke his nose. He staggered and put his hand up to it, pulled it back and stared at the blood. His eyes leaped up from his hand to Carter, and lunged at him. Carter couldn't move in time and was knocked to the floor. Wally's hands lunged at his throat and squeezed.
Carter gasped for air but couldn't inhale. He clawed at Wally's hands and arms desperately.
"No!"
"Wally, what the fuck, man?!" Butch appeared over Wally's shoulder, as did Freddie. Wally moved, but his hands kept at Carter's throat. He could feel the edges of his vision start to fuzz. His ears felt thick.
More hands grabbed Wally and pulled him away. His hands were torn from Carter, his nails grazing skin as Wally tried to keep his choke hold.
Carter inhaled sharply and coughed. His head pounded suddenly and he was in pain. His vision divided, then blended again. Korin's face appeared above him.
"Are you okay?" He wheezed, his voice raspy. Korin nodded. Tears slid down her cheeks and he felt one fall on his cheek.
More people appeared above him, people he recognized. Freddie's father. Paul's father. Officer Richards. Hands grabbed his upper arms and hauled him to his feet. He looked around, feeling foggy. He saw Korin again, but this time she was screaming.
Cold touched his wrists. He looked down. Handcuffs?
"You're under arrest."
-August 14, 2277-
Korin sat on her family's couch.
She felt cold, numb even.
Hours prior, just after the fight, Amata returned. With help.
The vault's security officers arrested her brother.
After Wally had tried to kill him, tried to hurt her.
She'd always felt like the whole vault was against them. This was the truth that proved it.
Carter had been choked within an inch of his life, and instead of going to the clinic, to go see their father - he was ushered straight to the holding cell. Korin's eyes watered just thinking about it.
She'd screamed herself hoarse trying to get them to stop, to listen. And when they left, she ran home and cried until she couldn't.
She couldn't help feel so… useless.
Utterly useless.
A knock came at the door. She made no move to answer it. If it was Amata or Freddie, they would know how to open it.
She didn't want to be fooled into opening it for Wally.
The door opened, and she barely looked up. Amata walked in, and the door shut behind her.
"I spoke to my father." She said quietly, barely loud enough for Korin to hear. "About Carter." She held her unsteady hands at the end of her ribs, with her eyes to the floor. "Korin, I- I couldn't get my father to let him go." Her voice shook. "Not even after I told him what really happened." Korin closed her eyes as more tears threatened to come. "He said he's a threat to the vault, and he'll stay locked up until… until he's convinced otherwise." Amata sniffled. "I'm sorry."
Korin sucked in a small breath.
"I don't blame you, Amata." Her voice wavered. "You tried."
Amata walked over and sat beside her on the couch. Her hand found Korin's, and held it.
"We'll think of something." Amata whispered.
-August 16, 2277-
Korin stared at the door.
She hadn't seen or heard of Wally since he attacked her, three days prior, but she knew he hadn't been arrested.
He was at large somewhere in the vault, planning his revenge, or his best path to get to her. If he truly believed she was his alone, it wouldn't be long before he attacked her again.
The worst part, for her, was the apartment that protected her proved to be a tower. It offered protection from Wally, but lacked the basic necessities she needed for long-term survival.
She was lucky that Freddie and Amata brought her food, but she needed a shower.
Her whole situation had started with her needing a shower.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I can't let him control my life. I can't let him win." She muttered to herself, and stood up from the couch.
Her legs shook.
Korin grabbed a bag and filled it with a towel and fresh clothes. Then, she pulled up the mattress on her bed and grabbed her mother's knife from its hiding spot. She tucked it into the bag, somewhere she could grab it easily, and walked to the door.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and hit the door release.
Korin stepped out into the hall carefully, her head swiveling quickly to either side. The hall was empty, as usual.
As she walked, the phantom sound of footsteps startled her and her hand darted into her bag. She clutched the handle of the knife desperately and whipped around.
The hall was empty.
She turned and continued to walk.
Her footsteps echoed around her and pounded in her ears. Her hand shook as she ventured further from the apartment, and closer to the locker room. Her hand shook in her bag as she gripped the knife harder.
Just a few more steps… She drew her limbs closer to her body.
When the sign for the women's locker room came into view, she nearly sprinted towards it. She bolted inside and locked herself in one of the shower stalls. She tried to calm her wild breathing and ran shaky hands through her hair. She'd been so sure that Wally would show up as soon as she left the safety of her apartment.
Korin stood still in the stall and waited until she was sure she was alone in the locker room. Several minutes had gone by, and she hadn't even heard the footsteps of patrolling officers go by.
She double checked that the stall door was locked before she undressed, slowly. She grabbed the knife and put it close, then turned on the water and stepped beneath it.
She washed quickly. She felt very vulnerable, even behind a locked door. Her fingers trembled as they scrubbed her scalp and worked their way through the tangles in her hair. Seconds raced by. She tried to keep herself from hyperventilating.
Korin turned off the water and retrieved her towel from the duffel bag. She toweled off quickly and dressed quickly. Only when she was fully dressed, with the knife in her hand, did she stop shaking.
She hated this feeling, this fear, this realization of just how dependent she'd become on her brother for protection. She hated how weak and vulnerable she was, and, as she'd come to realize, had always been.
Korin braced herself for the walk back to the apartment. Her hands still shook, but she found a sliver of strength in the thought of taking her life into her own hands.
She walked the hall at an even pace, but her heart beat at a speed beyond her control. Every perceived noise spelled her doom, every perceived motion, the arrival of danger.
When her apartment came back into view, she ran for the door, opened it and hurried inside. The door locked behind her, and she let out a shaky breath.
Tears came to her eyes. She hated this fear, this sudden realization that life was now much, much harder. She couldn't help but wonder, what would have happened if she had given Wally the date he asked for?
She shook her head. Wally believed she was his from the beginning. A date wouldn't have changed that; A date would have left her alone with that monster.
She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to calm down.
It didn't work.
Her breathing sped up as tears fell from her eyes, and she broke down. She dropped her bag, vaulted onto the couch, and buried her face into a pillow. The scent of it reminded her of her father, and she bit her lip. He hadn't come home since before the attack, and she was too afraid to seek him out.
His prolonged absence wasn't new, but right now it hurt. He was more preoccupied with his latest experiments than with his own children, and while that didn't matter so much when she was working her ass off, right now she wanted nothing more than to be held and comforted by him.
She closed her eyes and held the pillow tightly. She could pretend, for now, and ask Amata or Freddie to look for him tomorrow.
She drifted off slowly.
-August 17, 2277-
As Korin slept, she dreamt of darkness. It wasn't like the darkness she felt after a dreamless sleep, but the immeasurable depth of the darkness of the void. It made her feel small and alone as it threatened to engulf her.
Thoughts of her brother's condition plagued her sleep. Her head ran through a thousand scenarios of what would happen when their father appeared, when he knew what they'd done to his son. In half of her scenarios, their father simply dismissed her, didn't seem to care. And when he did care, there was never anything to be done. Every action was futile. She cried in her dreams and knew she was crying in her sleep, too.
"Korin!"
A voice pulled her awake quickly. She looked around in alarm. "Korin, you have to wake up!'
"Amata?" Korin felt panic bubbling in her stomach. "What's happening?"
"My father's men are looking for you! They- They killed Jonas!"
Korin sat up quickly.
"What?" Her lips moved faster than her brain. Jonas?
"It's your father. He left the vault, Korin." Amata sobbed. "My father's men were questioning Jonas and Stevie beat him to death and now they're looking for you."
Korin's limbs felt like concrete blocks. Her brain raced to try to understand the information Amata'd thrown at her, and it neglected the rest of her.
"Korin didn't you hear me? They're looking for you! They're probably on their way right now!"
"What about Carter? Is he okay?" Korin blurted. Amata pulled something from her pocket and handed it to her.
"They can't get to him without this." She grabbed Korin's hand and shoved a key into her palm. "At least, not until they find out its missing and find the spare. You have to hurry. Grab Carter and leave the vault."
"Leave? Are you crazy?" An image of the red landscape from her terrible dream flashed through her mind. Panic began to rise from the pit of her stomach.
"If your dad left, then you can too. There's no way he would leave if he didn't think it was safe." Amata pulled a pistol from her other pocket. "Take this. Go to my dad's office' He has a secret tunnel." Korin took the gun hesitantly. "I hope you don't need it." Amata ran to the door. "Now go, get out of here. They'll be here any minute. I'm going to try to stop my father. Don't wait for me, Korin. Please." She left.
Korin forced herself to get up. She looked up and saw her brother's BB gun, his baseball bat, and the bag that held her mother's knife. She rushed across the room and grabbed all three. She hesitated at the table by the door where the framed photo of her, her brother and their father sat. She snatched it and shoved it into the bag, along with the BB gun.
Chaos met her as the door slid open. Orange lights flashed and a siren blared. She held the pistol tightly and stepped forward.
She made her way towards the security office. Her heart pounded in her chest but she wasn't shaking. The gun in her hand made her bolder than she'd felt for days. If anyone tried to hurt her, or her brother… She'd put a bullet in them.
"…Radroach infestation…Mandatory curfew for…ease stay in your room…." The Overseer's voice echoed through the vault's intercoms above her.
Voices echoed in front of her. Two security officers rounded a corner. One spotted her immediately and began shouting. Before they could come closer, radroaches crawled between them and Korin. She continued on despite their shouting.
She sped up to a jog as she got closer to the jail.
"Korin!" She winced and flipped around. She didn't have time for more distractions, and yet Butch was running towards her. "Korin ya gotta help me! My mom's under attack by radroaches!" Korin stared at him. The panic in his voice told her he wasn't lying.
She hesitated, before grabbing the bat.
"Here." She tossed it to him. He caught it and looked at her in surprise. "You've beat up my brother plenty of times. A few radroaches should be easy for you." She turned and ran, leaving Butch behind her.
She ran the rest of the way to the security office. She threw the door open and held the pistol up. There was only one security officer in the room, and she pointed her gun towards him. He looked at her and paled.
"Don't shoot, Korin." She recognized the voice. Officer Gomez.
"I'm here for my brother. I'm getting him out of here, and we're n-never coming back." Korin's hands started to shake. She didn't want to shoot Officer Gomez.
"Good." He stood back. "Get him and get the hell out of here. It's not safe for you." He turned and rummaged through the desk. Korin hesitated. "Go." She rushed for the door and pulled out the key. It slid into the lock and clicked as she turned it. The door swung open.
Carter lay across a cot on the far side of the room. His face and neck were covered in nasty purple bruises. She could see the outline of Wally's hand from where she stood.
Officer Gomez came up beside her and handed her a canister of bullets and a stimpack.
"Take these. Hurry." She deposited them in her bag. Officer Gomez slipped past her and the two of them pulled Carter upright. He groaned at the movement but didn't rouse.
"Carter. Carter, wake up." Korin patted his cheek quickly. The other security officers would surely check the cell once they found their apartment empty.
"Korin?" Carter grunted. "That really you?" His voice cracked and screeched. Korin winced at how horrible he sounded.
"It's really me. We have to get out of here. Dad's gone."
"Gone?" Korin nodded. Officer Gomez helped her get Carter standing, and placed his arm around her shoulders.
"Good luck you two."
Korin tried to keep a quick pace as she drug her brother through the hall.
"Fuck." he coughed. "Feel like shit." She winced at his voice.
"You look like shit. Sound like it, too." Korin responded quickly. "I need you to walk on your own; I can't carry you and defend us at the same time. Can you do that?" He nodded and pulled away from her. On his own two feet he wobbled, but kept upright.
They continued on towards the Overseer's office, passing corpses left and right, both radroach and human. Nothing could have prepared them to see Jonas' body.
"J-Jonas…" Korin knelt down, grief hitting her hard in the chest. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
Jonas lay in a pool of his own blood, with lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. Korin reached out and closed his eyelids. She held in a sob.
"Gotta go, Korin." Korin knew he was right.
There was a square shape in Jonas' pocket. She reached in and grabbed it, as well as his glasses, before standing. The square shape was a holotape, one labeled with hers and her brother's names. She slipped both items into her bag.
"Goodbye Jonas." Her voice cracked. "I-I'm so sorry-" She started to cry. Carter grabbed her arm.
"You deserved better." He whispered hoarsely to the body, and Korin saw tears fall down his cheeks. The twins left, only hesitating for a moment.
"Gotta get out of here." Carter struggled to speak.
"We will." Korin urged. "Anything has to be better than this hell hole." She grabbed his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they continued on.
A familiar voice stopped them as they approached the Overseer's office.
"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave them be?"
"Amata, be reasonable!" Korin glanced at her brother. He grabbed the gun from her hand and burst through the door the voices were coming from. Korin followed, and heard a shot ring out. Stevie Mack fell to the floor before her eyes, blood pouring from his chest. Amata sat in a chair in the middle of the floor, with her father standing over her. Both were stunned by what had just happened.
Amata jumped up and shoved past her father. Carter aimed the gun at him. The Overseer ran from the room.
"I-I just-" Carter looked at Korin, then at Stevie's lifeless body.
"We don't have time, Carter! We need to go, now." her hand shook as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back out the way they came.
Another minute of running, and they reached the Overseer's office. Carter locked the door as Korin set herself upon the terminal.
"The terminal is password protected." She whispered to herself. "Carter, look around for something that might have the password on it." Carter nodded, and set to work searching the room. Korin stared at the screen.
"It's Amata." Carter rasped from behind her.
"Of course it is…" She typed in the password, and the terminal unlocked. "Should have been my first guess." The command to open the secret tunnel was there, just as Amata had implied, but Korin noticed several files. She plugged her PipBoy into the terminal and quickly downloaded all of them. Then she hit the command. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
The desk shifted, and slowly revealed a staircase underneath. Korin glanced at her brother, and realized he was shaking. His eyes were wide, and he stared past the staircase rather than at it.
"Carter?" She spoke softly.
"Not now." He didn't look at her.
The stairway to the secret tunnel finished opening, and the descended. Korin hit a switch on the wall, and the opening started to shut behind them. Neither looked back to watch it close.
The tunnel took them to a hidden door. Korin hit another switch, and the door slid aside. The door to the vault stood imposingly to their left. Korin swallowed hard.
All their life, they were told death waited just outside the two ton door. Now… death was behind them, and that same door offered them salvation. Their father had gone through… Korin figured he wouldn't have, not without a plan, or a good reason.
She grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him to the controls. Her hand hesitated as it hovered over the controls. She took a deep breath before pushing a few buttons.
Lights flashed red and a new siren blared from speakers above them. A large metal arm moved to connect to the cog-shaped door.
"Oh my God." Amata breathed behind them. Korin whipped around. "You- You actually opened it."
"Come with us, Amata. Please." Korin felt her eyes water when Amata looked to the floor.
"Korin… I'm sorry… but I-I can't." She sniffled. "I can't leave the vault alone to be ruled by my father." She spit. Korin ran to her and threw her arms around her.
"Be careful, Amata." She whimpered. "And- t-tell Freddie…" She sucked in a ragged breath. "Tell him I'm sorry, and goodbye."
"I will. You two take care of each other." Amata whispered back, holding her tight.
The hug broke quickly as the door screeched open, revealing a tunnel with a bright light at the end. Korin looked back at Amata, and jumped when she saw security officers behind her, far down the hall.
"Carter, we need to go, now!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the end of the tunnel.
"Good luck!" Amata shouted behind them.
Halfway through the tunnel, they stopped and looked behind them. The security officers Korin had seen were in the control room, but they wouldn't go past the threshold. Korin held onto Carter's arm tightly as they watched the door to the only home they'd ever known close forever.