Unaware of the horror several miles away, the inhabitants of the sanctuary went about their daily lives. Lawn mowers were mowing the grass, some were sitting in the sun, while others were getting ready for work.
Edward, a former U.S. Army soldier, had just returned from shopping, his son Shaun left his room and headed for him, and Codsworth began to unpack his groceries.
- Did you buy? Shaun asked.
Edward grabbed a bottle of Nuca-Cola and handed it to him.
- Thanks. He said and went back to the room.
Edward could see dogmeat's tail and the hind leg of their Husky Hunter there.
He opened a second bottle of Nuca-cola and was about to take a drink when someone knocked on the door.
He walked over and opened the door, his neighbor Curie was standing there. She was wearing a flannel shirt, baggy pants, and work boots. She must have just finished gardening because he could see the dirt under her fingernails.
- Hi, Curie. What brings you here?
- Hi. Today is the day of this murderer's trial, it will be on the news but my TV is broken. If...
- Come in. He said, stepping aside for her to come in.
Curie enters the middle, nothing has changed since the last visit.
They sat on the couch and turned on the TV, the picture was of the journalist in court, Nora was standing next to her.
The conversation lasted a few minutes when something started to happen in the background, the camera moved there to see a crowd of people running away from a horde of some strange beings that disturbingly resembled humans.
Before the picture was interrupted, they saw one of the monsters grab Nora by the hair and bite into her neck.
The sound of a bottle breaking snapped them out of their shock, Shaun was standing there, he must have seen everything.
Suddenly, their screams came from outside the window, they saw their neighbors running away, they heard these strange screams of beings.
Edward grabbed the double-barrel shotgun and the assaultron blade from the holders above the fireplace and they went out the side door, went back and ran to the storage shed, it was a large shed, it had an annex on the side, windows covered with steel, went inside and closed the entrance.
They sat there for three days, for three days they heard these monsters walking around, sometimes they heard gunshots, sometimes they screamed. Fortunately, there were canned goods and a manual water pump in the storage room, and there was also a mattress on which the three of them slept. The problem was that the food was almost running out.
Edward made arm legs and torso pads out of scrap metal, put on a helmet he had from the army.
He went to the door.
- Are you sure?... asked Curie... We can go a few more days without leaving.
Edward sighed heavily.
- We'll have to go out eventually, better go now while we still have something to eat.
Curie walked over to him and hugged him.
- Be careful.
- I will be.
Curie opened the door and closed it as Edward left.
His house had already been thoroughly searched, he had to check the houses of the neighbors.
Slowly he crossed the street to the other side, Curie's house was open, he pushed the door open with his shotgun, nothing was waiting for him, he exhaled, he only had fifty shotgun shells and he didn't want to lose them so quickly .
At Curie's house, he found some vegetables, stale bread, and, interestingly enough, a pipe revolver, with shiny sights, an elongated barrel, and a comfortable grip.
- She never said she had a gun. He thought.
He took a gun and a handful of bullets. He also grabbed some medicine and put it in the backpack, he also took the leather jacket she asked for.
He left her house and headed for the house to the left of his.
The door was locked but the window was broken, judging by the bloodstains, someone been thrown through it with great force. There was a body in the middle of the road, gnawed of flesh, these monsters must have been picky eaters, only bits of skin and muscle at random places.
When he got inside, he couldn't see that the corpse's eyes opened, glowing with a yellow light.