February 5, 2078

The Corvega was zooming across the road and Taylor had his head out the window, his tongue being blown backwards from the force of the wind. There was nothing to stop us from our travels to Washington D.C now! Well except for the astounding amount of cars on the road that we have to clear when they block our path. Turns out the Corvega can't exactly go offroad as I learned yesterday.

After I got the Corvega a couple of days ago I still needed to find a way to fix the suit. I placed some metal plates over the tear and placed super glue on the rip. Should work for a while until I find a proper way to fix the suit. Although there are some obstacles we're making good progress in our travels. We should reach Tennessee in a couple of hours.

February 10, 2078

Taylor and I have long left Arkansas and we're now traveling peacefully across Tennessee. I'm quite glad to not have to worry about deranged robots or rapists anymore.

Yet something still troubles me, why can't I remember anything about my parents? While Taylor and I drive it's the only thing I can think about. It seems like every moment that passes I forgot more and more about them. What's going on?

Based on our encounters at Little Rock I've decided to avoid any large cities. I attribute this to the fact that it's almost impossible to drive around by car on city roads due to the large number of cars still around so I'm driving around cities. So far we've had to go around Jackson and Memphis. Takes a while but it's all worth it.

February 14, 2078

When I woke up today I had one thought: Valentine's Day. It seems silly to think of something like that out here where death and monsters lurk around corners. Good thing I haven't encountered any so far.

As the days pass I wonder about Anita and how she's doing. I want nothing more than to leave this nightmare and return to her and see that loveable face and feel her warm arms around me… but that will have to wait.

I was thinking about her when a beeping noise was coming from the car. I looked at the dashboard and saw the gas meter was dangerously close to empty. Guess I have to make a gas stop. I kept on driving and saw a burned sign that informed that there was a little town called Red Wood about 2 miles away. I drove on.

Later I arrived at the town. At first I was amazed by how much it looked like Green Oats with its little diners, small streets and… well signs of the apocalypse really. I stopped at a food mart to restock my supplies but all of the food was gone and I mean all of it. Not even a can of beans.

I stopped at a police station as well in hopes of finding ammo but once again there was nothing, perhaps the supplies died along with the town's people?

As I drove around the town looking for a gas station I started to doubt that the town was empty. I swear I can feel eyes watching me out of the windows in the town's buildings. There's something else here. I finally found a gas station but there was no gas left, I even checked the little mart and there was no food left either.

I was driving in the car towards the road out of the town when I heard a yell.

"HELP!"

I stopped the car so quickly that Taylor hit the dashboard headfirst. After I checked to see that he was all right, I listened intently waiting to see if I had really heard what I thought I had just heard. Then:

"HELP PLEASE, SOMEBODY!"

There was no doubt about it somebody needed my help and fast. I drove to where the scream was coming from. A place that looked like the town hall. I got out of the car and took my pistol and many extra rounds with me. Taylor got out of the car and started to follow me.

"No Taylor", I told him.

He started to whine and looked at me with those brown begging eyes of his. I decided that oh what the hell? I guess he could come; I might need his help after all.

"Alright come on then"

I opened the door to the town hall and we ventured forth inside.

Despite the bright sun outside, it was impossibly dark inside. I turned on the Pip-Boy light and was reminded horribly of the basement/bunker back in Green Oats. I shock off the feeling and walked onwards. Taylor seemed to know where he was going so I stayed close to him. I was searching around when I heard that unearthly yell again.

"HELP, I'M OVER HERE! SOMEBODY QUICKLY!"

I ran towards the voice and finally tracked it down to a door that was labeled "Multipurpose room". I pushed the door open and then everything went to black.

I woke up, my suit wasn't on me, my limbs were tied to ropes and my first thought was "Oh not again". My view came back into focus and I saw someone standing over me. I looked up at their face and yelled out loud. Its face was almost exactly like hers… the woman I had killed. Then the person spoke in the same raspy voice and I saw he was holding a baseball bat.

"Not a pleasant sight to see am I?" it said.

I gulped hard and responded "Who are you sir?"

He laughed hard "Sir eh? I like your manners, your good etiquette will postpone what we'll be doing to you in a while"

I gulped hard again.

"By the way, for your information my name is Jack Hernandez, maybe you've heard of me?"

I shook my head and he laughed again. I started to notice that he was licking his lips every time he finished a sentence.

"Ha well there's no problem is that… I'm the mayor of this town you see, well newly appointed mayor since the last mayor was our dinner 2 weeks ago" he said and then he gave that raspy voice laugh again.

My heart was beating so fast I thought for sure I would die but I didn't so I decided to talk again.

"You're- you're a cannibal?" I said shaking.

"Now that's not a nice term is it?" he said "What am I a Jap? No I prefer the term 'survivalist' sounds much cleaner wouldn't you agree? And we all have to do it to survive now."

"We?" I answered.

"Hell yeah we, what do you think I'm the only guy left here? I got a whole town to feed and I'll be honest boy it's not thrilling having to kill someone you know or worse eating them but it's what's got to be done to survive." He said quickly.

"You ate up all of the food and now you're killing your own…" I said slowly, "Why not just go out and find more food?"

Jack's face started to turn into an angry look and I could immediately tell I had said the wrong thing.

"YOU THINK WE HAVEN'T TRIED THAT ALREADY!? LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO US, LOOK!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry!" I replied quickly.

He walked around for a while breathing heavily apparently trying to calm down and he finally did so.

"No need to be sorry, you were just being curious and quite frankly it won't matter in a while boy." He growled then he licked his lips.

I had to get out of here now before he ate me. I tried to convince him.

"Look Mr. Jack, I'm honestly sorry about what's happened here and I understand why you're doing all of this but I need to leave. Please sir you have to I have something important I need to do for my Vault" I said quickly.

His eyes turned towards me and I saw a dark gleam in them.

"Which Vault are you from?" He asked.

"Vault 69" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Then when I'm done with you, I'll gather my men and pay your fellow Vault dwellers a nice visit, who knows? We might even have a feast." He said then he liked his lips.

I felt a cold rage building up in my chest and thought of Anita. No. I won't let this man get to her.

"No you won't" I said in a dark voice I didn't think I was capable of doing.

"What did you say?" He growled in his raspy voice.

"I SAID NO YOU WON'T YOU ZOMBIE-FACED FUCK! I WON'T LET YOU!" I yelled at him then I saw his face. It was pure rage.

"I think our talk ends here" he said. He went forward towards me and scratched my face. I started to feel pain and I felt blood running down my cheeks.

"Before we eat you, let's start with an appetizer. They say there's a first time for everything and I've never had dog before so this should be fun." He said then he gave a wicked grin.

My strength immediately fell as I realized what he meant.

"Taylor where is he?"

But Jack wasn't listening to me anymore. He snapped his fingers and quickly 6 people burst into the room carrying a dining table. Then a woman came in carrying Taylor, he was knocked out.

"TAYLOR!" I yelled but one of the men came up to me with duct tape and tied it around my mouth. Even though it was useless I still yelled through the tape. Taylor heard me and he woke up. He spotted me and started to bark, I kept on yelling and started to cry.

The men put the table in the middle of the room and they brought out ropes and tied Taylor down. I was still yelling. Jack walked up to Taylor and I saw him take out a large silver knife.

"Men let us gather around in prayer." He said.

They all held hands and started to pray while I kept on yelling and I prayed myself for Taylor's safety.

"Please God" I thought, "Let Taylor live, please I'm begging you!"

Jack finished praying and he brought up the knife, my eyes met Taylor's eyes on last time and he gave me a look of understanding a look that seemed to say 'My time is here'. Then Jack brought the knife down into Taylor's skin and he gave a howl as blood started to drip down the knife. I sat there against the wall crying my eyes out. Nothing mattered to me anymore, I wanted to die.

Jack brought the knife down 3 more times and Taylor was wriggling around trying to escape and then he stopped moving. I saw his eyes and saw sadness in them and then they closed. And they didn't open anymore.

"Well finally" I heard one of the men say and they all laughed. All of them except for Jack. He started to cut Taylor into pieces and served him on plates. They all ate greedily and started to like their plates.

"Mmm good, I wish there was more." Another man said.

This was the last straw for me. As though some ungodly force had given me the will to, I broke free of my ropes and ran towards the table, pure rage in my heart. I grabbed one of the knives and stabbed one of the men in the heart; he crumbled to the floor dead. Then one of the men next to me took out a gun, my 10mm pistol. My rage grew, so now he would use my own weapon against me? Well he's fucking wrong.

I pulled the knife out of the dead man's heart and slammed it against the man next to him. He fell to the floor dead as well and I took my gun back. I shot all of them quickly in a manner I never thought possible of me then only the girl remained.

"Please" she said.

I aimed the gun for her head, my finger on the trigger but I brought the gun down. She looked so much like Anita and like the girl I had killed that I spared her. I turned around ran out of the room. Jack was gone he had escaped and was nowhere to be found. He had left his knife though and I took it. Then I went back to the table and kneeled.

"I'm sorry Taylor."