Chapter 11
2277
A small noise awoke Harris. He sat still and listened, but didn't hear anything else. He'd been having a dream he met a girl with red hair.
He carefully glanced around as he reached for his gun. Then he saw the girl from the dream lying a few yards away. He relaxed as he remembered the previous day and realized she had been the source of the sound.
He had never met someone from a vault. He had crossed a few empty ones, but had never gone inside. He was envious of the vault dwellers for being born in a place where everything was provided for and nothing could hurt you. Why someone would leave one was beyond him. Then again, everyone knew strange things went on inside vaults.
Moira said somebody who grew up in one had come through Megaton a while back. She'd sent him off on some errand, and he never came back. It wasn't really surprising. They couldn't be well-equipped for surviving in the wasteland. The girl next to him sure wasn't. She was a decent shot, but she would probably die if she didn't stay with him the rest of the way to Megaton.
She was turned the other way, but he remembered that she looked like the type of person who would smile a lot if she weren't under such stress. As it was, most of the time she just looked bewildered.
He had expected her to run when she saw him, like any other vault dweller would have. Honestly, he had half-hoped to be rid of her that way. But she hadn't, so he was stuck with her now. He supposed he would have been saddened if she'd left, anyway, knowing what would probably happen to her. And he knew that he would never have made it to this point in his life if not for people who had decided to help him along the way. He owed it to them to pass on the favor to the next person.
The girl suddenly turned over, looking wide awake. Harris frowned. She'd been awake? She was very still for someone who wasn't deep in sleep.
She blinked, then raised her eyebrows at him. He raised his back. She turned to face the other direction again. Harris shrugged to himself, and went back to sleep.