Overwhelming. There is a sense that everything is coming down all at once, with no possibility of escape. I could feel the walls of my world closing, squeezing more and more out of me. I said I had nothing to lose, but in reality, I have lost it all. I try to close my eyes. I try to concentrate on the world around me. but It feels as if my eyes are pried open, being held bysome unknown hand, forcing me to see everything for how it was, how it is, and how it will be, merged together into one singularity.

I was told that it was fate. Me being born deep under the protection of the earth. Growing up having the one person I truly cared for torn away. Being chosen to clean up the messes of others. Being trapped within my own prison. It was all fate - predetermined by the same invisible hand that forces me see everything. I was beginning to dislike fate, and at times I think the feeling was very mutual.

I needed to find a way to break away from my prison and to escape the fate that had tied me down for so long. I finally managed to do just that - to escape my fate, to make a new life for me, away from the prison, away from the hate, away from my old life. I threw off my shackles, shed my skin, and am reborn. To some that is only the next step in my fate, but I say that fate can go fuck itself.

My head hurts like hell. Guess that's what I get for being so existential so early in the morning. It is morning I hope.

"Onion, did we pack any headache medication?"

"We, Miss? As I recalled your choice of packing was to grab anything that wasn't nailed down and throw it into a bag."

I had to have been a little more selective than that, right? Shit. I tried to get up from the bed but the world started to spin. It threw me off balance so much that I went crashing down on my bed. No, wait. This is the floor. It's too dark in here. "Onion, can you shed a little light for me? I can't even find my Pip-Boar."

Onion paused for a moment before activating something that pulsed with a low blue light. That works. There it is. I grabbed my Pip-Boar and slapped it on my wrist, missing once since apparently I had three arms, when did that happen? Shit, I really need some medicine. When I finally got the Pip-Boar's light activated, I saw my bag over near Onion and attempted to get up again. Easy. There we go. Now, to get some support. I reached out towards Onion to have him help support me as the room swayed back and forth. I really hope I don't vomit. I grabbed onto something that made the pain in my head extend to my entire body as all my limbs locked up and I fell, once again, to the floor, I think I was swearing, but I couldn't feel my mouth moving to the expletives.

I just laid on the ground for a moment until I was able to feel, and move, my limbs again. The pain slowly returned to my head.

"What the fuck was that Onion?"

"Well Miss, since you said you needed some light, and as you should know I do not have any form of standard luminescent capabilities, so I activated my only source of light - my stun baton. It was rather ill advised to touch it Miss."

Rather ill advised? I need to remind myself to take a good look at his personality programming sometime. After that fun wake-up call was over, I remembered my head still hurt and decided since I was so close, and already on the ground, I would just crawl over there. Luckily I knew where the first aid kit was. I dug around in it until I found the small metal box. I unlatched it and sorted through everything till I found what I was looking for. It was a small piece of paper rolled into a tube with its ends crimped. On it was a red cross with the words 'Quick-E Fix' on it. I tore open one end and poured its contents directly onto my tongue. I forgot how nasty this stuff tasted. Thankfully it worked fast.

While I waited for the food to kick in, I pulled out a dried carrot snack and nibbled on it. Within ten minutes my head was feeling better enough to allow me to get up, and stay up, off of the floor. This stuff might only be a minor pain reliever, but it's totally worth the horrible taste. I sat down and finished my carrot snack, and drank half of my bottled water. I only had two more bottles with me, so I better hope this Beaverton really does have good water.

After another fifteen minutes I was feeling almost good as new. I checked in with Onion to make sure that the repairs I made were still holding up, and I reminded him that if he shocks me again, even if it was my own damn fault, that I would be replacing that with something safer, like a stick. A dulled stick.

"You don't by chance know the time do you?"

"Well Miss, if my internal clock is properly adjusted, it should be about seven in the morning."

"Well then, let's be off, shall we? Oh and one thing, we need to keep a low profile, just in case there is anything out there that might mean us harm."

"Will do Miss. At least I know my baton works, in an emergency of course."

I don't think he will let me forget that one. I grabbed my backpack, latched my tool belt on, and placed that gun between my belt and my body. After what I saw last night, I may have to use it sooner than I would hope. Once I was sure that we had everything, I slowly opened the door and peeked out. I was almost blinded by the sunlight.

"Seven in the morning, huh? Pretty bright for that early, isn't it?"

Onion and I stepped outside and saw that the sun was almost directly above us.

"Looks like I was off by a few hours. There, my internal clock is updated, syncing it with your Pip-Boar Miss. Looks like the Burrow time was off by a few hours."

Step one of my grand adventure, leave the Burrow. Check. Step two, survive my first night. Check. Step three, and this is the most important one, set the proper time. Check …

"Ok Onion, from what I overheard, Beaverton is a trade town that has a water purifier. That tells me two things. First, don't drink the ground water. I will assume if a water purifier is a big deal, the water around here is not too good for drinking. Secondly, if we are going to have a chance for survival, I think we need to outfit ourselves better. Beaverton sounds like a good start to me."

"And like you said Miss, maybe our trip will end there if there is something for us to do."

"Correct. Now only one, teensy, tiny, problem."

"That would be?"

"I have no idea where Beaverton is."

"That would be a problem Miss."

"It's not like I could walk up to those two rough looking guys who just shot a defenseless lady and ask them 'Sorry to intrude on your murdering, but can you point me towards that Beaverton place she mentioned? Thanks kindly.'"

"Well Miss, I have good news. The files you uploaded from the Burrow's history server had a map of the surrounding area."

"That's great news Onion! So, which way we go?"

"That's the thing, I do not see any mention of a Beaverton. According to this, we are near Zootennial Stadium, that dreadful place that we narrowly escaped. Other nearby map markers show Animalia Amusement Park, Highway twenty-one …"

"Wait! Highway twenty-one? That is where that cheetah said her wagon was attacked."

"Yes, the one you said was attacked by those ghastly things? We should stay far away from there then."

"Ghouls, I think they called them, and no, that is exactly where we need to go."

"Excuse me Miss?"

"Think about it, she said they were heading towards Beaverton when they got attacked, right? That is at least starting in the right direction, don't you think?"

"Logically yes, but what if we are attacked again? Surely that gun you found will be of no greater use than last time."

"Oh I have it all planned out Onion. You play music and run around again while I try to find some more explosives. Worked like a charm before."

"You're not serious, are you Miss? I still have dents from that."

"Of course I am kidding. I think the first explosion is what riled them, if we keep a low profile we should be fine. They did not seem like the smartest things."

"Well if you insist Miss. I guess we cannot go back now, so forward *is* the most logical course of action."

Logic and me don't make good bed fellows at times, and Onion knows that. I think he also has come to the conclusion that I am not giving up. So what if a bunch of crazed ghouls almost killed us, and I saw someone get killed right in front of me? If that is the worst thing this world is going to throw at me, then we should be fine. Of course, the sooner we find somewhere to call a home, the better, and Beaverton sounds like the best, if not only, course of action to take.

We set out, slowly walking through the collapsed tents. Occasionally I would poke my head into one of the standing ones, or try search through the fallen ones, trying to see if I missed anything last night. I did not find much else useful. There was more empty Rad! Cola bottles, empty cans, and otherwise useless things. I did find something odd, however. Inside one of the tents was tucked a small box, positioned like someone was trying to hide it. This one did not have a lock on it so curiosity got the better of me. Inside was a small bag of soda bottle caps. Most of them had the word Rad! on it, although a couple had 'Sunset Slothsparilla' printed on it. I guess even after the world ends someone has to have a hobby. I threw the bag back on the ground, not wanting the unnecessary baggage. They were worthless trinkets anyways.

When we passed where I saw the cheetah killed it was mostly empty, save for her nearly naked body. It looked like they stripped her of all of her possessions, and just left her. I know she was dead, and that there was nothing I could do for her, but I felt that I should do something. I went back and grabbed a smaller tent, tore out the frame and draped it over her, covering her entire body.

It's funny. You would think that I would be affected more by seeing a dead body. Sure it hit me hard when I saw her get killed, but looking at her corpse, just lying on the ground, it just looks like she is sleeping. In her own blood. The blood that is now turning the green tent a sickly yellow. Ok there it is.

"Are you ok Miss? Is your head still hurting? I know that they can cause bouts of nausea."

"No Onion, it's not that. I think the realization that I am standing next to a dead body that I saw alive not too long ago is getting to me." Well now, I probably shouldn't have said that. Looks like last night's carrot snack is about to make a return.

After I cleaned myself off and swigged that nasty taste out of my mouth with the remaining water from that bottle, I was good to go. As long as I did not think about the … no Olivia, no. Ok, try to focus. Beaverton. I looked at the map that Onion downloaded into my Pip-Boar's navigation. I never had the need to use it before, it was pretty minimal, so Onion took the liberty of downloading what he had into it. It looks to be almost an hour's walk in this direction. How long was she looking for help?

Thankfully the trip was pretty uneventful. I saw some of the local wildlife, two very large cockroaches. Did they really get that big? Then again I only ever saw them in a book. Most of my knowledge came from books, there was very little to do in the Burrow other than read. Even when my mother passed away, I tried to read everything I could, and what I couldn't I saved for later. Most of Onion's original programming came from what ever digital file I could access. I didn't know everything, but that's why I had Onion.

There was not a cloud in sight, so that made the overhead sun a bit menacing on me. It was not very hot, but the direct sunlight made it feel much worse. I moved my ears around the best I could to facilitate my cooling, but my mouth was drying and my fur was getting all frizzy. I started to drink from a new bottle, but I did so sparingly. I had no idea how long it would be until I was able to get more water. What I wouldn't give for a nice pawpsicle, or a frozen carrot stick. Anything cold really. I guess I did take certain things for granted in the Burrow. Well it's too late to dwell on the past now.

After we had left the tented area, I started to take note of my surroundings better. There was not much around here. The land was mostly flat. Any plants that existed two hundred years ago were not here today. Guess nuclear radiation is not the most fertile thing. Speaking of radiation, I was reminded of the fact that my Pip-Boar had a radiation detector a few times when it started to click. The few bits of water I found, most likely from the rain the other day, spiked in radiation as I got closer. No drinking that.

There was not much else to look at. Any buildings that were nearby were either dilapidated, or boarded up. Some were barely standing on their own. Curiosity really wanted me to check some of them out, but getting side tracked now was not a good idea, especially since I had no idea how long it would be until we could safely rest. Last thing we need is to open a building and find it's filled with ghouls. Now if I found a nice, open, inviting house, that would be a different story.

I could see the fallen remnants of highways that must have covered this area. At one time these must have crisscrossed each other, each road taking its travelers to a new destination. Now they lay crumbled to the ground, a shadow of their former selves. None of them, however, were our to my navigation, it should be coming up any minute now. Time to be a bit stealthier.

"Hey Onion, you are not going to like me, but could you scout ahead a bit? I think we are near our destination, and those ghouls did not pay too much attention to you until you blasted that music."

"The music *you* asked me to play."

"Well then, just keep it off and you will be fine."

I could have sworn I heard a grumble come from him, or maybe that was just his floating unit switching power levels. Either way he was obeying. I switched on his tracker and followed from a safe distance. I waited, crouching behind the ruined husk of an automobile. It was a decent sized vehicle, probably for a lion or something. After ten minutes Onion activated the communications link.

"Miss, I think I found it and, oh dear. You should really come take a look."

Well, he did not complain about his dents again, so it must be safe. Maybe I can find some sort of hardened combat A.I. to replace him. Actually no, last think I need is to be taking order from him, no matter how much he would probably enjoy it. I slowly got out of my cover and followed the tag to his location.

The very first thing that I noticed were the three bodies. One, a male cheetah, must have been her husband. He was lying dead on the ground. One of his arms looks like it was chewed off, and there was a large gaping cavity in his chest. I think I am going to be sick. Again. The smell from it cooking in the mid-day sun was not pleasant either. Holding back the urge to vomit I looked at the other two. It was the deer and wolf from last night. They, however looked much worse. There were giant slash marks on both their bodies. Both the deer's arms looked like they had been torn, not chewed, from his body. The wolf was much worse off. His head was missing, along with at least one arm and one leg. He was lying crumpled on the ground. My gag reflexes started to kick in. I held it back as I turned to the wagon.

It was actually less of a wagon, and more of a truck, or at least part of one. The bed of the truck looks like it had been separated and had a giant tent like structure attached to it. Attached to the front of the truck were two more wheels on a crudely welded axle. I noticed what looked like a bicycle attached to the very front. I remembered reading about them when I was young.I really wanted my mother to get me one, but she always told me that there is no room in the Burrow to ride it. This one, however, had four wheels, as opposed to two. That must have been a pretty hard trip, peddling while pulling that metal thing. Then again, this might be a common example of transport and that they were used to it.

While attempting to ignore the decaying bodies, I went and looked inside the back of this vehicle. Inside was a whole bunch of everything. I saw clothing, canned food (most of them even had labels), bottled water, and an assortment of random things. Since the owners were dead and had no use for this (did I really just think that?), I guess I could help myself. I took what water and food I could, checking to make sure I can actually eat it this time, and sorted through everything else. I found a few blankets which I asked Onion if he would cover up the bodies with, to save me from losing the lunch I have yet to have, and continued my search.

Two things struck my eye. There were three small bags, each of them filled with the soda bottle caps again. These must be really popular. I couldn't see the appeal, but decided to keep one of the smaller bags. Maybe they are worth something to someone? I also found another gun. This one looked very similar to the one I had except it had a much longer barrel on it. Since Onion had downloaded many of his reference guides into my Pip-Boar, I looked through them until I found one on small arms. From the sound of some of the descriptions, this longer barrel was a silencer, designed to reduce both the sound, and recoil of a gun. That suited me much better. I traded it with my other gun and found a box of ammo that went with it. Luckily that guide informed me on the different ammo sizes and how to reload the gun. I should probably test this out, a book won't do me much good if I am in trouble.

Nothing else really seemed to interest me. Most of it was either worthless to me, too heavy or bulky, or it was unrecognizable. I did however find a black trench-coat. It was a bit worn, with holes throughout it, but it fit me pretty well. From what few animals I saw, my clothing looked way too clean and intact, and it might make me stand out a bit too much. This coat however, might make me look like I belong, and not some unexperienced rabbit, which sadly, is the case.

Once my head cleared a bit I realized something. While we found the wagon that was supposedly heading towards Beaverton, I was still no closer to finding out where that place was. Sure we could just start walking in the basic direction that the wagon was facing, but for all I know it got turned around when it got attacked. I also realized that I was getting hungry, and with all that nausea, my stomach must be empty. I told Onion that I was going to go short distance from here and eat away from the smell.

Once I found a nice shady area I sat down and took out one of the cans I found. The label said it was canned spinach. Mom always told me to eat my greens, and this is probably the greenest thing around here. I took out my tools and pried open the can. Inside was a green mush. It looked disgusting, but smelt like the best thing ever. I took a small bite. It was edible, and that is what counts. I scarfed down the food, it settling comfortably in my stomach. I followed it up with another carrot snack. I went to take a drink of water but changed my mind and drank the remaining spinach water that remained in the can instead. I had no idea how I should ration the food, so I kept it at that. I will see how long until I get hungry again and go from there.

On my way back to Onion I just happened to notice my reflection in an intact car mirror. I almost did not recognize myself. The trench coat hid most of my features from the neck down, including my tool belt. The normally white fur on my neck and face had grime all over it. I tried to wipe some away, but managed to simply embed it into the fur some more. I almost took some water out to clean up before I stopped myself. From the looks of it, dirty is the new black. The rest of the auburn fur on my head and ears did not fare well either. Half of it was frizzing from the heat, the other half was caked with who knows what. Maybe Beaverton will have a shower. Now that I am thinking of it, I have high hopes for Beaverton, I really hope it pans out. First I got to find it.

"Oh Miss, there you are."

"I told you I was going to rest and grab something to eat."

"Yes, yes, but I think I found a solution to our navigation predicament."

I walked over to him and in one of his gripping claws was a small rolled piece of paper. I took it and rolled it out on the ground. It was a road map, only it had been heavily modified with paw written words and images. Circled in red was a name that gave me hope. Beaverton.

"I cross referenced this map with my internal one and it seems that the town now known as Beaverton was built on the site of a pre-war water purification plant."

"That would explain why the popularity. If they kept it running all these years, they could have a near limitless supply of fresh, clean water. Could you update my Pip-Boar's navigation with this new data?"

"Already done Miss. I calculated that with our current mode of transportation, or lack thereof, we should make it in roughly three hours, provided there are no unforeseen detours, and from what I have seen of this place, that is highly unlikely."

For the first time since leaving the Burrow, we have a destination. Along with the new clothing, supplies, and good weather, this day is turning out to be pretty good. I really hope that I did not just jinx myself thinking that.

"And Miss, I also found this."

Onion handed me a small letter. It was sealed with the words: Urgent! For the Eyes of Mr. Brown Only!

"Mr. Brown? She did say that they were in a rush when they were attacked. By the way Onion, where did you find the map?"

"While you were gone, I took the liberty of giving these poor unfortunate souls a proper rest, or at least the best I could. It seems that the cheetah was holding onto this when he died."

"That is actually quite nice of you Onion."

"A little kindness can go a long way, even if they are unable to recognize it."

Kindness. It's only been about two days since I left the Burrow, but everything that I have seen makes me think that kindness is a foreign word. Then again I have only seen three (intelligent) people since arriving on the outside, and two of them were cold blooded bastards. I still have a lot more to learn and see so, hopefully, my first impression of this world is not the representative of it.

"Time to go Onion. We have quite a ways to go, and I want to make sure we get to our destination before nightfall. It's only three hours away but, like yousaid, anything can happen and we need to be prepared."