Wasn't able to have this one beta read! So please let me know if you catch any typos, thanks!
Chapter 9 - Up and Away
When Marilyn awoke, tears stained on her face, it was still the dark of night. But despite the passage of a few hours, the turmoil within her had only grown. Only now, her sorrow was long since expended. Now, she only felt anger. Anger not only at her grandfather, but also at herself. How had she been so foolish? She should've known, should've questioned it more. It never sat right, it never made sense. But she had forced herself to swallow down every worry, telling herself to just trust in the Vault. That she just needed more time before she eventually became happy with it. But now she knew that it was all a lie, and that she was a fool.
And she refused to play along any longer.
Throwing off the covers and barreling out of bed, Marilyn vigorously ripped open the drawer of her bedside dresser. After first changing into a new set of underclothes, she pulled on a clean Vault suit and then clamped her Pip-Boy to her wrist. As she slid into her boots, she clamped her messy black hair into a loose ponytail, not the neat bun she had grown accustomed to. It was such a small change, but it already felt so freeing.
Her first stop would be to gather some supplies from the security floor, and then she would circle back to get Dick. She didn't know whether he'd agree to come with her or not, but she had to try. Or, at the very least, say goodbye.
Glancing at the time from her Pip-Boy, she could see that it was just a few minutes past 4 in the morning. She knew the corridors would be pretty empty, with most of the other dwellers being fast asleep. There weren't many security guards on a graveyard patrol, thankfully, which made her job easier. Steeling her nerves, she hit the button to open her apartment door and stepped out into the dim corridor.
The elevator wasn't very far from her apartment, and she quietly made her way to it without problem. But then just as she reached out and hit the button, the sound of approaching footsteps made her tense. Marilyn glanced over her shoulder, wondering if she should try to make a break for it to duck around a nearby corner. But before she could do so, she heard a voice that made her blood simultaneously boil and grow cold.
"Well, well," Craig chuckled, approaching her with his baton tapping against his shoulder, "Little miss Alden."
"What do you want, Craig?" Marilyn snarled.
She was in no mood to deal with him now. Not after everything.
"I could ask you the same thing," Craig perked a brow from behind his visor, "A bit late to be running around the halls, huh?"
He stepped closer to her, getting way too far into her personal space. Leaning away from him put her off balance, knocking her back against the elevator doors.
"Do you think the curfew doesn't apply to you, hm?" Craig narrowed his eyes, "Well, maybe a few hours in a holding cell will give you some time to reconsider that."
Craig reached out and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder, and Marilyn pushed him back on instinct. That may not have been the best move though, she quickly realized. Craig stumbled back a few steps before looking back at her with murder in his eyes. For the first time in her life, Marilyn actually found herself intimated by the raw violence exuded from him. He had always avoided directing it towards her, probably because of his undesired infatuation. But in an instant, it was as though all of that supposed love he felt for her had withered away to unadulterated hatred. She barely had time to duck before Craig brought his baton down where her head had previously been, smashing it against the elevator doors with a loud clang.
When he reeled to swing at her again, Marilyn gave him another hard shove, knocking him back to the ground. His baton skittered away just as the elevator doors finally opened. Marilyn stumbled backwards into the elevator, still having been leaned against the doors. She was barely able to catch herself against the elevator wall and looked back at Craig just in time to see him reaching for the pistol holstered at his hip. As he whipped it towards her, Marilyn kicked out in a panic, hitting the button for the doors. They rolled shut just moments before Marilyn heard the gun discharge. Stumbling forward with her heart about ready to hammer out of her chest, she hit the button to the security floor.
The elevator lurched and then began to ascend upward. Marilyn collapsed back against the far side of the elevator, the metal cool against her sweaty neck. This wasn't at all how she had wanted this to go. Craig would be after her now, no matter what. He'd opened fire on her! She always knew he would make a poor security officer, but she never realized just how quickly he would jump straight to murder. Either way, whether he waited for the elevator she was in or ran off to hop aboard another one, she wouldn't have a very large window of time to dally. She had to grab the essentials and then get to the door as fast as possible.
As Marilyn felt the elevator rise, she also felt her heart sink. Thanks to stupid Craig and the time limit he imposed, she wouldn't have a chance to go and speak to Dick. Running a hand over her face, she held back tears. Maybe it was for the best, she tried to tell herself. She still wasn't even sure if Dick would be willing to leave the Vault with her, and she couldn't fathom trying to actually say goodbye to him. Not that she'd ever have the chance, anyway.
It took the entire elevator ride for Marilyn to wrestle control of her emotions. Being left to her own thoughts in silence had made the gravity of what she was doing really hit. This was going to change everything in her life forever. Nothing would ever be the same again. Thinking about it, there wasn't much she would miss about the Vault other than Dick and her parents. Heck, maybe even Quinn too. She supposed she wasn't the worst sister she could've had. But there was no more time to think about that as the elevator doors rolled open.
Marilyn immediately stepped out onto the chilly security floor, beelining for the armory. She braced herself with her fists clenched, in case she ran into anyone, but the room was thankfully empty. Dropping her fists, she hurried over to the gun lockers. There were five guns missing from the rack, meaning there were five armed officers on duty. She had already been acquainted with one of those guns and wasn't very eager to get to know any of the others. Especially once she pulled one of the pistols from the rack and grabbed one of the nearby holsters, clipping it to her belt. She hoped she never had to use it, but there was no way to know for certain what she'd find out there.
Moving past the gun rack, Marilyn grabbed a couple of ammo pouches, clipping them to her belt. Spotting a nearby knapsack, a leftover from the Scouting supplies, she shoved a few more ammo pouches into the bag before pushing it over her shoulders. The bin for contraband was next and while most of it amounted to dirty magazines or slingshots, she did manage to find a switchblade in the midst. Pocketing it, she then turned to the first aid kit on the wall, raiding it of a couple stimpaks and some medical gauze, which were promptly tucked away into her sack.
Glancing around quickly and seeing nothing else worth taking from the armory, Marilyn threw stealth to the wind and sprinted back to the main corridor. Now was not the time for sneaking around cautiously. That ship had long since sailed, as the old movies said. Now it was just a matter of getting to the door and getting it open. Fortunately, she knew just the way. Moving to the far end of the hall, she nearly tripped on her way down the stairs. But then there it was. The Vault door.
Less than 24 hours ago, she had been standing amid the crowd with every other Vault dweller, watching the Scouts depart. But now she was alone. Approaching the podium, she stared up at the door, fingers tracing the button softly. This was it. End of the line. No more waiting, no more wishing. No more lies. Whatever was out there, that was where she belonged. And, deep down, she was pretty sure some part of her had always known that.
That's why she was able to hit the button with no hesitation, staring ahead with determination even despite the blaring alarm and flashing yellow lights. This was her destiny. No matter what her grandfather or anyone else said. Flicking her eyes up, she watched as the hydraulic arm came into view. It was busy locking into the gear when she heard the elevator doors open with a clang.
Looking back over her shoulder for just a moment, she could see Craig and several other of the officers making their ways towards her. But then they froze as they were met with the sound of metallic screeching, faces stricken with fear. But not Marilyn. She grinned, looking ahead as the gear was pulled away. Then there it was. That dark, dank cavern.
"Marilyn! Stop!" She heard the voice of Officer Evans call from somewhere behind her, but she didn't look back.
Instead she stepped forward, each stride determined and unbroken. Nobody would stop her. Not anymore. Never again. Not even as the security officers called to her.
Because as she stepped over that barrier, boot landing into a dirty puddle, she knew it was the right decision. Because at long last, she was free.
