Sole Survivor Blues

Nora shielded her eyes as the giant steel doors above her opened and the elevator leading up from the Vault slowed to a stop. She couldn't believe her eyes at the total devastation that met them and small shocked sighs and gasps of disbelief escaped her lips.

"SHAUN!" she screamed even though she knew the kidnappers wouldn't be stupid enough to stay in the vicinity of the Vault. "I'll find you son, I promise." Nora stepped off the platform that led into that Vault-Tec manufactured hell and quickly took in her surroundings, seeing the ruins of Sanctuary at the bottom of the hill, she decided to go back down there primarily to see if anyone would be there, warily she clutched the handle of the 10 mm pistol in her hand, and began her walk back to town.

As she reached the bottom of the hill noise to her left alerted her to the presence of an animal she first thought was a deer until she saw the horribly disfigured body and second head. "What the hell...?" she whispered to herself as the animal spotted her and bolted the way it had come from, "So everything is either dead or horribly mutated" she muttered as she began thinking about just how much radiation the bombs must have held for things to be this bad so soon after seeing the bombs fall and retreating to what was believed to be the safety of the Vault. She cautiously continued into Sanctuary and another sound off to her left this time made her turn crouch and steady her pistol as she looked for its source only to see "Codsworth? is that really you?" "As i live and breathe its..its really you!" Codsworth stated as he flew towards Nora at a fair clip, and although it was an odd thing to do Nora pulled the robots body close hugging him as best she could, thankful that she had found something of her old life still surviving.

"how did you survive the blast Codsworth?" Nora asked, "please mum it will take a little more than a blast wave to deter the pride of General Atomics International" he replied "but i must say i feared the worst, the bombs came and you all left in such a hurry i thought for sure you were well dead." "We made it to the vault just before the bombs hit but everything happened so fast we didn't really even know what was going on." Nora replied. She took a deep breath as she looked at her and Nate's old home seeing it in a state of complete and utter disarray. "the bombs did more damage than I expected, but I didn't think a home could fall apart this badly in a span of 7 or 8 months," "Oh mum it's been far longer than 8 months"

Codsworth answered. "What do you mean? it can't have been a year could it?" "It's worse than i though, you're suffering from hunger induced paranoia, not eating properly for 200 years will do that to a person I'm afraid." the shocked look on his masters face worried Codsworth more than he could show "200 years? that can't be right, it just can't be." "A little over 210 actually give or take a little for the earth's rotation and a few minor dings to the old chronometer." Nora couldn't believe what she was hearing, how could she possibly have been in that Vault for over 210 years..."Shaun, Nate this can't be happening it can't." It was all to much for her to process and she sank to her knees "Best not let the Hubby see you in this state hmm," Codsworth stated "Where is Sir by the way?" "They...They Killed him Codsworth" "Oh mum...these things your saying...these terrible things...I believe you need a distraction..Yes! a distraction, to calm this dire mood, its been ages since we had a proper family activity, Checkers or perhaps charade's oh Shaun does so love that game...is the lad erm with you...?"

"Shaun's been kidnapped. But I'm going to find him Codsworth I'll get my baby back." "Shall we search the neighborhood together? Sir and young Shaun may turn up yet!" Nora paused a moment and decided to not worry too much about the comment of Nate showing up after she had informed him that he was already gone believing it to be a glitch in his system. "Have you seen anything dangerous?" "Oh, just the usual mum, pesky neighborhood dogs and mosquitoes, shall I investigate?" "Alright" she agreed and the took off together in a slow sweeping search of the neighborhood. upon entering their former neighbors house she squealed in disgust and shock as she was attacked by what she could only assume was a horribly mutated fly that seemed to shooting small stingers at her but after the first one hit her she nearly retched as she realized it wasn't a stinger but the flies own larvae it was shooting at her, Codsworth came flying in the house and using his buzz-saw arm cleanly sliced the creature in two. "Mum are you alright?" Nora was visibly shaken by the experience "What the hell was that thing?" she managed after a few moments of taking deep breaths and trying not to vomit "Ah yes i believe that is what the locals call a Bloatfly, hang on there's something moving in the next room mum" Nora raised her pistol and slowly followed Codsworth down the hallway when two more of those creatures flew out of opposite rooms Codsworth tackled the first one and Nora steadied her aim exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger, upon her bullet impacting the Bloatfly exploded in a shower of gore and body parts some of which sprayed on her. "Blechh" Nora squealed and failed to control her urge to vomit. after she emptied the contents of her stomach on the floor she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "Are you all right mum?" Nora nodded that she was as she took slow deep breaths.

"Maybe I should continue ahead incase more of those creatures show up mum?" "No its okay Codsworth i just wasn't ready to be covered in bug guts this morning is all." She moved back towards the living room and then out into the street when Codsworth held her up "hold on mum I'm detecting movement in another house follow me" Nora allowed Codsworth to take the lead this time making sure to have her pistol at the ready, before entering the house she saw the creature through the window and took aim. Her first bullet missed and alerted the creature but her second one found its mark and again the creature exploded in a shower of gore. "Oh good show Mum Sir would be so proud!" Nora didn't really have time to celebrate as two more Bloatflies emerged from the half ruined building and began firing their larvae at her and Codsworth. Nora raised her pistol and fired back but after three shots she heard the worst noise possible CLICK CLICK "Damn!" Quickly she ducked behind the massive oak tree in the cul de sac and ejected the magazine from her pistol grabbing a new one and inserting it in the grip then ducked out from behind her vantage point in time to see codsworth take out the last of them.

"Mum Sir and young Shaun don't appear to be here either," "It's okay Codsworth it was worth a try" Nora replied. Inwardly she knew they wouldn't have found them anyway but she didnt want to give up the hope Codsworth had instilled in her when he offered to help search the neighborhood. She bent down to retrieve the empty magazine and felt a tearing in her Vault suit and saw where one of the larvae and made a small hole just below her left breast ans silently cursed the creature, after all she had no idea what Vault-tec had done with her other clothes after being instructed to put her Vault suit on and had not taken the time to search for them after she exited her pod.

Nora slowly made her way back to her old house hoping silently that she could find some clothes but upon entering she realized it would be hopeless as her eyes took in the wreckage and noted that her house had been ransacked by looters long ago. She sighed and sat in one of the dirty chairs in her old living room trying to focus her mind and wondered what she should do next when Codsworth floated into the room, "Mum perhaps you could try looking for young Shaun in Concord." "Concord? you mean there are still people living there," Of course mum and last I was there they only briefly pummeled me with sticks before i was forced to retreat back here." "Thank's Codsworth it may help to fan the search outside of Sanctuary." Nora began to have that feeling of hope again that all was perhaps not lost but then her stomach reminded her of her mortality as it grumbled loudly. "Oho sounds like someone is indeed hungry," Codsworth stated matter of factly and swiftly moved to the kitchen and began pulling what looked like cans of Cram out of a cupboard and within a few short minutes had managed to assemble something that was at least edible (though to Nora it was the most amazing thing she had enjoyed in over 200 years, though that was likely due to not having eaten in that long.)

After finishing the food Codsworth had brought her she fished the small package of cigarettes she had found in the vault and the lighter thought Fuck it and lit one as she lounged in her old living room. The rush of the smoke in her lungs and the taste of the tobacco on her tongue made her relax slightly for the first time since leaving the Vault earlier that day, she could hear Codsworth mumbling in the background about her smoking but she didn't care she figured the world had ended the least of her concerns was health issues caused from smoking. She found an old ashtray on the floor in the corner of the kitchen and after taking the last few drags off her cigarette crushed it out in the ashtray. Outside the sky was beginning to darken and she looked at her Pip-Boy for the second time since picking it up the digital readout told her that Codsworth was indeed correct, the date read August 23 2287 some 210 years and 10 months since the world as she knew it had come to an end. She fiddled with the dials and buttons trying to get an understanding of the device and found another readout that seemed linked to her personal health via her heartrate or pulse (she wasn't sure which) but also showed the time which now read 05:37 pm, going to Concord at this point of the day wouldn't be the best tactical plan she surmised and decided she would remain in Sanctuary until morning.