January 3, 2078
I was running out of dog food for Taylor so I decided to make a stop at a local Super-Duper Mart to see if I could find any food for him.
Back from the store, took 2 large bags of dog food for Taylor, and should last for the next couple of months if we're lucky.
January 18, 2078
I think this place is taking its toll on me; I sometimes have dreams of Anita and that girl I killed at night. I'm getting homesick. I wish Anita was here with me. It would be better than traveling with just a dog though I do admit that Taylor is useful. He can find things that I would never notice and alerts me to nearby danger. I don't know what else is out here but I would like to not meet any of radiation's children.
I'm getting close to the border. From there I'll have left Texas and have to travel through Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland and boom Washington. DC! Then I'll have to go all the way back.
Fuck.
With only about 10 months left. I need to find a way to travel faster.
January 20, 2078
I crossed the border into Arkansas today. For some stupid reason I thought I'd be different here than in Texas but my hopes were immediately proved wrong. Just like in Texas there is barren wasteland as far as the eye can see. Huh Wasteland. Sounds like a good name for this place.
Taylor and I decided to rest at an abandoned cabin at night. Everything had been taken inside except for the bed which was fine with me as long as we had a place to sleep for the night. Taylor went to sleep quickly but I was awake for hours thinking about Anita and wondering what it was like at the Vault. I wondered if anyone else had died from the reactor's poisoning.
Then a horrible thought came to my head. What if Anita had died? What if she was the next person to die from the reactor, I had spent so much time thinking about her that I didn't realize she could die like anyone else in the Vault. Then I heard something walking outside. Taylor popped his head up and started to growl.
"Sshhh boy" I whispered quickly.
But whatever it was had heard us, we couldn't hear it walking anymore. I sat there terrified holding Taylor's mouth. I had a Geiger counter on the Pip-Boy and the radiation bar was still high, I doubted that a human could survive those conditions which didn't help comfort me in what was out there.
The thing kept on walking around the cabin and I followed the sound of its footsteps. Then it stopped, I realized too late that there was a window on the wall where it had stopped.
CRASH
I yelled as I saw the thing break the window, I was right whatever that thing was, it wasn't human. I caught a brief glimpse of its hand. It was reddish and shaped like a crab's hand. As soon as its hand came through the window, it pulled it out again. It kept circling the cabin.
We couldn't stay here together. The window was not big enough for Taylor and I to go through and I did not want to go outside with that crab-thing still out there. I stayed in the cabin for hours wondering what to do when I got an idea. I crouched on the floor and ripped of a wooden plank from the floor. I walked towards the window and threw the plank far away. My plan worked, I could hear the creature running towards where the plank had fallen.
"Come on Taylor let's go!"
I opened the door to the cabin and we ran outside but I tripped on something. I looked up and saw the crab-thing in full view. It must've figured out our trick and ran back to the cabin without us hearing it. It was a stealthy creature. The creature was horrific to look at it and gives me shivers just thinking about it. It was pale white except for its hands and it stood on two legs. It had a long spiky tail dragging from behind it and it had multiple spikes across its body. It somewhat resembled a crab and I could see 2 black eyes looking from the very top of the creature's body. Its face however was kind of hidden.
The creature started to walk quickly towards me. I quickly pulled out my pistol and shot it. The bullet hit the creature in its right hand but it didn't even stagger. It was getting closer towards me, and then I heard a familiar bark.
BARK!
I saw Taylor jump at the crab and biting it but the crab just swung its hand at Taylor sending him flying away. I saw Taylor hit a boulder and fall to the floor. He wasn't moving.
"NO TAYLOR! YOU BITCH!" I yelled at the crab. I shot it about a dozen more times but the bullets weren't affecting it at all until I realized that the crab's skin seemed to be armored. In fact its whole body appeared to be armored. That was it! I needed to find a weak spot! I looked at its entire body, killing precious seconds until it got to me when I found it. Its face wasn't armored, it was a small area that would be hard to shoot but it was my only hope. I lifted up my pistol and aimed it for its face. BANG! I missed; the bullet went flying across its shoulder. I aimed at its face again. BANG! The bullet almost nearly hit its face but hit its shoulder instead. The crab was getting close to me, this was my last chance. I aimed at it and pulled the trigger. BANG! The bullet hit it directly in the face. It staggered and started to walk towards me again but I noticed one hand was grabbing its face. I aimed and shot it again, this time the bullet hit its left eye. Its eye splattered open and I saw the creature stumbling around. It was blinded. I ran close to it and aimed my gun so it was about a foot away from it. BANG! Its face burst open and I could see green blood running down it. The creature fell to the floor. I had killed it.
I didn't have time to embellish in my victory. I ran towards Taylor, he was still lying motionless on the floor. I pushed on his chest thinking desperately of anyways to get him to move again but nothing came to my mind. I fell to the floor and wept.
BARK!
I stopped crying and looked at Taylor. He was standing above me, his tongue out and his tail wagging.
"Taylor you're alive! Come here boy!"
Taylor jumped in my arms and I hugged him keeping him close. I saw him still wagging his tail.
"Let's have a feast boy"
We went back inside the cabin and I pulled out a bunch of food and dog food and treats for Taylor. We sat there eating for the rest of the day.