February 15, 2078

Taylor is gone and it's all my fault. I should have never fallen for that trick that drove me in here. I should have just driven out of the town. I wish I wasn't so damn gullible. I haven't left the town yet I feel like I should stay here for now in Taylor's memory. I swear if I ever see that Jack again I'll… I'll…

That's another thing… I just killed those men. I promised myself that I'd never take another person's life after what happened with that woman and here I am… a cold blooded murderer. I should stop what would Anita think if she saw what I've done? I feel so guilty… and the fact remains that no one can stop anyone from doing this now that the law is gone. If I just killed all of these people and there are people already raping others out there, then God knows what the future of this Wasteland will be.

I'll end this journal entry here, I need to do something.

February 16, 2078

I dug Taylor a grave yesterday and today I buried what was left of him. I broke of a piece of the floorboards and wrote on it marking Taylor's grave. I wish I could have written something better but here's what I put on it.

HERE LIES TAYLOR, A MAN'S BEST FRIEND

2075- FEBRUARY 14, 2078

I've never really been a religious guy myself but I prayed for Taylor wishing him a happy life. Hopefully it's better where he is. I prayed for my safety, Anita's safety and all of the other people's safety in Vault 69, even Geneva's safety. Huh how funny to think of Geneva as a bully, she's nothing compared to what's here.

I've decided to leave tomorrow as quickly as possible. I've managed to find my supplies or what's left of them. All of my food is gone and true to Jack's word, there's none left in town. I did however find a storage room in the town hall where Jack and the town members had stockpiled their weapons and other useful supplies. I managed to find my Laser Rifle, many extra microfusion cells, a couple of assorted grenades and mines and best of all many containers full to the brim with gasoline.

I've already added to the gasoline to the car in preparation for tomorrow. There was something else I found as well, there were a couple of bottles of beer in the storage room that hadn't been drunk. I was trying to sleep tonight but I couldn't, every time I tried to sleep I saw Jack standing over Taylor with that knife of his. I decided to drink the beer as there probably wouldn't be any other time that I could. I opened the bottle and raised it high.

"To Taylor" I said. Then I started to drink.

February 17, 2078

I woke up feeling groggy and shit faced then I saw someone standing over me. You can probably guess that due to recent events what my first action was, I punched the person.

"Ow!" they said.

It was a woman's voice and my view came back to focus. There were several beer bottles strewn across the floor, I had drunk them all. I looked up at the person I had attacked she was wearing ragged clothes and though she still looked a lot like a regular woman (and quite pretty too I might add) small amounts of her skin had fallen off. She was one of the victims of radiation.

"No problem I mean I'd do the same if I were you..." she said

Her voice sounded familiar and I realized where I had heard it. I pulled out my gun, stood up and aimed it at her face.

"It was you, you were the girl who was yelling, and you brought me in here… if it wasn't for you…Taylor…" I started but once I said Taylor's name I could feel a tear running down my cheek.

She opened her mouth as if to say something but she seemed to hesitate then she talked.

"Look I'm sorry… I never agreed with what he did" she began.

I knew that "he" was Jack.

"He was forcing me to… if I didn't do what he said he would have killed me…"

"Then you should have stood up to him! You should have strong" I said angrily. "Then he wouldn't have had to die you bitch!"

For a moment she looked as if she wanted to say an insult back but she apparently changed her mind.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss and I know what it feels like" she said in a soft voice. I looked at her face and saw a tear running down it. I felt guilty; I wasn't the only one who had lost someone.

"I'm sorry" I told her "Who'd you lose if you don't mind me asking?"

She looked past me tearfully then looked back at me.

"My parents… they died in the fire from the bombs "she told me.

I felt sorry for her and regretted being angry at her. She was just trying to live life and I had been so rude as to insult her. I had a change of heart.

I sighed. "Why are you still here? I asked her.

"It felt kind of wrong just leaving you here and I wanted to say… thank you for… well not killing me to be honest." She said.

I nodded.

"I have a question to ask you." She said.

"Okay ask it." I said grimly.

"I- I'm responsible for his death… you killed all those men in front of me… you we're mad… why didn't you kill me?" she said slowly.

I already knew the answer to this question of course. I didn't kill her because she reminded me of Anita and the poor girl but it felt wrong telling her this so I decided to give a vague answer.

"You reminded me of someone I knew" I said quickly.

She nodded her head in an understanding kind of way. Then she swallowed hard and spoke again, I could tell she wanted to say something important.

"I have something else to ask you." She said carefully.

"Ok shoot" I said confidently.

"Well you didn't kill me… "She began "I'm responsible for killing the thing you cared about the most and yet you didn't kill me, I feel in… well debt to you and I wanted to help you"

I looked at her closely because I knew what she was leading to.

"What are you saying?" I asked her.

"Well you said you needed to do something for your Vault and it sounds serious and well I want to go with you, because well I don't want to stay here and I want to help in any way I can so I'm asking you to let me go with you. Can I come with you?" she said excitedly.

I had been expecting her to say this but still it came as a blow to me when she finished. I looked at her carefully. She looked nervous but optimistic. Why should I trust her and why should she trust me? She was in league with Jack and I don't think I could forgive her for that… but I saw her and I knew that she regretted it. She was asking me for a second chance and we should all give people second chances, no matter what. I knew my answer.

"Okay. You can help me on my Vault mission. You'll help me and I'll help you, and in the end we'll both benefit." I began.

She looked happy and nodded quickly.

"But understand this, if you show any signs of going to your former ways and taking advantage of my trust, I will not hesitate to kill you. Understand?"

"Yes I do." She said understandingly.

"Ok we'll you are now officially my… hmm let's see ah companion on this mission." I told her.

"Sounds great! When do we start?" She said happily.

"Today" I said but there was still something bothering me in the back of my mind something I wanted to ask her.

"Okay time for me to ask you something" I told her.

She looked surprised then she cleared her throat.

"What is it?"

"You saw me kill those men in cold-blood, yet you still want to come with me. You don't know what kind of person I am. Why do you trust me?" I finally told her.

"The night when you…lost him… you killed them all and I saw you. You were furious and dangerous but I saw past that and saw what kind of person you truly are inside. I know that inside you're a good man, one who cares for his friends. One who would die for them and that's the person I want to trust."

Her answer surprised me. Me a good man? I couldn't even save my dog for Christ's sake. I don't think of myself in the way she described me. But now I knew her answer and we had wasted enough time.

"Alright, get your things and then we'll go."

She ran off and a short while later she had a small bag with her and a knife in her belt.

"I'm ready" she said.

"Let's go then." I told her.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" She said.

"Okay what is it?" I replied.

"What's your name?" she asked curiously.

I told her my name.

"What's your name?" I asked.

It seemed like she didn't want to say it but she relented.

"Tatiana" she answered.

Tatiana. I liked that name.

I smiled at her. "Well Tatiana, come with me on this adventure."

I opened the doors to the world and we stepped out into the burning sun.