Calli approached the spot marked on her map with more caution than mere ruins would warrant. She knew something was there, but it was very well disguised. It could just be that the ruins were overgrown, but it could mean something else. She moved more uphill to approach from the side.
An inhuman scream from beyond the building caught her attention and she froze. She didn't know what it was, but it didn't sound friendly. At least it wasn't close. Dusk would be closing in soon. She turned her attention back to the visible part of the building. Someone was moving in the shadows. Calli pulled out her glasses and studied the stranger.
The man was old but he didn't appear weak. He stood tall, shotgun in hand, looking in the direction of the scream. A large dog sniffed the ground at his feet. Suddenly the animal looked toward the tree line where Calli crouched and growled. The old man immediately turned in that direction.
"Come on out here where I can see you", he demanded. "Lessen I turn Pit here loose on ya."
"That won't be necessary", Calli called back. "Just hold your gun down, and I'll come out. I'm not looking to hurt anyone. I coulda killed you already if I was." The old man considered the truth of this and lowered his shotgun.
Calli stepped from the shadows of the trees, her rifle pointed at the ground, and slowly approached. The man stared at her.
"What's a tiny thing like you doing traipsing about these mountains all alone?", he asked curiously.
"I'm looking for salvage.", Calli replied. "What was that scream?"
"You're not from these parts, are ya?", he asked. "Or you'd know that there was a mountain cat. We better go in afore it takes a notion to come this way and make a meal of us." He motioned for Calli to go ahead of him into the cabin she could now see hidden in the foliage.
"Release your firing mechanism,", she said, slowly lifting her rifle, being careful it was not pointed in his direction, and placing it in the scabbard on her back. She watched him release the mechanism then turned her back to him and went in. Maybe he thought it was safer having her in front of him, but that was because he wasn't aware of her acute hearing and lightning fast reflexes. If she heard the click of the shotgun being cocked he would be dead before he could fire it.
"May as well have some supper with me. Name's Caleb. It's kinda nice to have some company for a change.", the old man said, going over to the stove where a delicious odor emanated from a steaming pot. He stirred the pot, peering at the contents. "Stew's nearly done.", he pronounced. "Have a seat." He waved toward a table where a chair was pulled up at an empty bowl. Calli looked around and got another chair from along the wall and sat down at the table.
"My name's Calli. Nice to meet you, Caleb. So tell me about the mountain cats.", she said.
"Well, the story goes when folks came outa the vault after the war, they brought their animals with 'em, the cats and dogs and birds and goldfish, whatever they had. The dogs, they're pretty sturdy, they haven't changed much, but the cats, well, that's a bit different. They got bigger, ya know, and went wild. They're pretty big now, they feed off them there devil hogs. Ya don't wanna tangle with either one of 'em if you can help it. Now, how about you, youngen? Where ya from?", he asked, taking another bowl from a shelf and setting it in front of Calli.
Caleb dished up the stew for Calli, himself, and Pit, and then sat down with her at the table. They enjoyed a quiet supper, Calli telling him about the wasteland between bites.
"So", she said. "you said the people came out of a vault? Is it anywhere around here?"
"Sure is.", Caleb said, rising to take their bowls to the sink. Calli got up and went over to help with the cleaning up. "It's just over the next mountain there. The people locked it when they left and no one's been able to get in it so I don't expect it'll do you much good to go there. I found it when I was a boy, used to roam these mountains all the time. I's small enough then to get in the cave, couldn't do it now, I expect. No one believed me anyways, they figured I was just a kid making' it up to get attention. Ain't been anyone lookin' for it in years I'm aware of."
Calli smiled. "I'd like to give it a look anyway. Want to show me where it's at?"
"Why not? I ain't got nothin' better to do. We'll go on over in the morning. I'm too dang old to be traipsing about these mountains at night."
"I doubt that. But I sure don't feel like it.", Calli said, grinning at the old man.
The cabin only had one bed and no other chairs, so Calli just tossed her pack on the floor and cradled her head on it. The big dog stretched out beside her. It was a warm night so she wasn't going to get cold at least. She had slept in far worse places.
The old man was up before the sun and fixed breakfast. Calli watched the sunrise from in front of the cabin before they set out. She held her rifle at the ready. If the old man thought he was going to have to watch out for her he soon found out different.
The morning passed slowly, the sun getting hotter as the day wore on. It was getting on to noon when Pit stopped, looking off to his right, growling low in his throat. Calli immediately faded into the foliage, the old man going still. He crouched low, watching her disappear, motioning Pit to be quiet. She was so tiny, so strange looking, and she moved without leaving a trace. Maybe she was a wraith, he thought.
Calli slipped through the foliage, following the sounds of movement that had alerted Pit. The high pitched squeal and loud crashing heading her way didn't sound like an enraged animal. It sounded like a terrified animal. Calli held her rifle ready and waited to see what came at her.
The high squeal of a devil hog mixed with the yowling screech of a mountain cat was quickly accompanied by the rattling fire of a rifle. Caleb started up. What kind of man was he, cowering here while a mere slip of a girl was caught up with those creatures, even if he did have only 2 shells left for his shotgun?
"Pit", he said urgently. "Find the girl." The dog took off through the foliage, the old man following his baying into the woods.
Caleb stepped out of the woods into the small clearing and hurried over to where Calli was kneeling.
"Are you all right?", he asked anxiously, then stopped and stared. Calli was just finishing the job of skinning a large mountain cat. He cleared his throat.
"Um, what was all that squealing about?", he asked.
"Devil hog.", Calli said. "Just a small one, no bigger than Pit there. Mountain cat was hungry, I guess. Want the fur? I don't have time to cure it, thought maybe you'd like it." She held out a leaf wrapped bundle. He stared at it, slowly reaching out to take it. Mountain cat fur was a valuable commodity.
"You took a cat out by yourself?" he asked.
"Hardly had a choice, did I?", she asked mildly.
She walked over to a small stream meandering through the clearing and cleaned her knife, noting the slight ticking on her Pip boy indicating it was slightly irradiated.
"Is the vault far now?", she asked, washing her hands and arms. He couldn't miss the cuts running down her left arm. The cat had got at least one swipe in. He watched her take a powder from her pack and sprinkle on the deep cuts.
"Just up that cliff over there.", Caleb said, pointing up. "What happened to the hog?"
"Don't know, it kept going. It was kinda cut up but I guess the cat decided I looked like an easier meal.", Calli said vaguely, studying the cliff. "Is there a path up?"
"Used to be.", Caleb said. "A rock slide a couple generations ago took out part of it." Calli sighed.
"Of course", she said.
The altercation had taken too long and now it was getting late. Caleb wanted to be back in his house before dark.
"Wait, Caleb.", Calli said, reaching in her pack. She pulled out 2 boxes of shotgun shells. "Here, take these. I appreciate your help and your hospitality. I probably won't be back by your cabin before I have to leave. Maybe I'll come around some time if I get back this way."
Caleb took the shells. He was no longer afraid for the girl. She could obviously take care of herself.
"Thanks, Calli", he said. "I do hope I see you again. Safe travels, girl." Calli flashed him a smile.
"Stay safe, friend", she said shouldering her pack and heading toward the cliff. Wraith or not, he decided he liked the girl and really hoped she'd come back someday. He had a good story for his friends next time he went to the bar.
Calli followed the path to where the boulders had blocked it. They were large and it required some hard work and agility, but it wasn't impossible for a small person to get over the slide and slip through an opening into the vault entrance. It had been built back into the mountain as most vaults were and was thus protected from the slide. Still if she had been much larger she wouldn't have been able to squeeze in. Even if she couldn't get in the vault this cave like area should be a good place to spend the night, which was closing in fast.
With the aid of the flashlight on her Pip-boy Calli located the usual wooden door that would lead into the mountain and the big, gear like structure that closed off the vault. It was protected under the edge of the cliff and so was still sturdy and strong. It took a little effort to push it open to gain access to the short tunnel. It was littered with the usual debris found in these tunnels.
It only took a few minutes to come to the big vault enclosure and locate the terminal next to it. As with all such terminals it was powered by an energy cell, built to last for centuries. It was late and she had determined that nothing inhabited the access tunnel so she went back and closed the door. There was sufficient debris for a small fire to heat some food and light the passage. She would spend the night here and open the vault in the morning. Who knew what was on the other side of the vault door?
Calli slept lightly and rose early. According to her Pip-boy it was just after dawn, though she couldn't see any light coming from the end of the tunnel. Of course the glass and wire window still intact in the wooden door was probably too covered with grime to admit light. She left the Pip-boy light on to see what she was doing as she pulled some water and dry food from her pack to fortify herself.
She then relieved herself in a corner before packing up all the items she had removed and making sure her weapons were properly loaded and secured. She checked her location on the Pip-boy and determined the best route back to the Tradewind. By her calculations it should take less than a day if she didn't run into trouble. That meant she had only about 12 hours to search the vault. Calli pulled open the terminal and began the process of hacking into the computer.