Vault 117

Just some Fan Fitcion I did in creative writing class

     I feel that I have to write this down somewhere and I can't seem to find a much better place in this hellhole, so this abondon gas station will have to do. My name is Chris Rolston, and I was a typical teen/young adult until about one week ago. The year is 2177, 40 years since the bombs dropped and most of our parents climbed into Vaults. At least the lucky ones did. Some days I wish we would have just started a life out here, but that's all in the past. My story begins five years ago, I was 16 then, a legal adult in the Vault, and the last of my innocents was slipping away.

     I guess I'll start on my birthday. I had just turned 16 and I can recall the whole day. Everyone had gathered in the Vault assembly hall, as the Overseer put a smile on and announced the birthdays for that month. Only three people this month: me, and two younger boys. One of them was turning 10; the legal working age, and the other was turning 12. Once you turn 16 in the Vault, after the daily announcements, you go and take a test. This test will decide what you do in the Vault for the rest of your life. Since no one was allowed to enter or leave, you can see how this was crucial. After the announcements, I was told to make my way to the testing rooms by one of the "security officers". All the security officers were, were people that had buddied up to the Overseer enough to get a gun on their hip and some riot gear. Their existence was necessary to the Vaults' survival. Ha, what a laugh.

     Instead of heading straight to the testing office, I started to head to the doctor's office. There was only one doctor down there and the Overseer was to busy hiding skeletons to assign a predecessor. He was kind for the most part. Sometimes he would lash out but quickly apologize. This usually happened after a fight with the Overseer. The doctor was one of the only people who could do this because the Overseer needed him. Lately, the doctor had become very ill and no one knew why. Thinking back on it, I wonder if even he knew, He wasn't bed ridden, mostly on his own reassurance that it was nothing but a common flu.Soon everyone would know differant.

     I walked into his office, a large room with beds along the back wall and a computer terminal sitting on a desk facing the right wall. The doctor was pale and breathing heavily. He was slumped in his chair with most of his upper body sprawled on the desk

     "Doctor?" I stuttered, "Doctor? Are you ok?" He didn't answer. I moved quickly over to him and smelt the vomit he was laying in. His breathing was labored, and I checked his pulse. His heart was beating slowly.

     "Help! Anyone! There is something wrong with the doctor!" One of the Overseer's security officers flew into the room. I think he was scared more than I was.

     "What's wrong? What did you do to the doctor?" At this moment the power went out and the familiar hum of the lights and computer terminal died. After a couple of seconds, everything in the doctor's office awoke again, but the hallway remained dark. The smell of vomit hit me again.

     "What do we do now? He was the only doctor here!" I blurted out.

     "We don't do anything. You get out of here and do whatever you're supposed to be doing. Don't you dare tell anyone about this or I'll find you-" He was cut short as the Overseer walked into the room.

     "Get this boy out of here now! Aren't you supposed tobe taking a test? Officer, escort him to the testing room." He barked. The Large man grabbed me by the arm and hauled me away.

     The hallways were dark, and so were most of the rooms. Only vital rooms seemed to have power. As the man dragged me along there was a scream from somewhere deeper in the Vault. A woman, by the sound of it.

     "You know the rest of the way, right?"

     "Yeah, I...I think so, isn't it-"

     "Ok, I got to go check that out. You get your a*s to that testing room and you better be there when I get there." He darted off into the darkness that was now my home.

     I soon found my way to the testing room,(that man never came back to check on me) and took the test. It was only ten questions and a waste of my time. I got Vault Supervisor. It sounded good at the time, but then time passed and I moved up the ranks quickly. There were disappearances. Lots of them, some whispered about the Vault being opened during the power outage. People spoke of terrible creatures that now occupy the outside. Some called it the Wasteland. Washington D.C., was now in ruins and we were stuck in a hole, to scared to leave.

     After about five years, I was one of the top supervisors. I was so farup the food chain I was considered the Overseer's successor! I was only 21! They would let a kid run the Vault if that shriveled up heart of his bit the dirt. I soon found the Overseer didn't like that idea. I was friends with the doctor, who had regained consciences, then suddenly died in a coughing fit late one night. The Overseer's only threat had died, or so he thought. It turns out there was something much more deadly lurking in the dark corners of the Vault and it had kin waiting for the day that door opened. That day, happened one week ago today. That day I discovered the true reason for the Vault.

     Late that night I was on my terminal with the backup generator running it( the power was stil out, yes from five years ago, all in due time) and then it ran out. i swallowed a curse, and walked to the computer lab to see if any of those were working. Of course, they weren't. I saw a small light creeping from under the "Authorized Personnel Only" door. I looked around to see if anyone was heading down the halls. I could only see maybe, 20 feet. I felt watched, half expecting a pair of eyes to start glowing further down the hall. I convinced myself I was tired. The computer lab was dark and the steel was cold to the touch. Everything was cold to the touch down there. I moved closer to the door. I was about to open it when I heard the noise. A scrapping noise along the floor. Claws. One thing about the Vault is that it's one long, twisting, steel tunnel with many rooms coming off the main hallway. I stopped moving. I swear my heart stopped. If I knew what was out there, it probably would have. The claws got louder, and louder, closer, and closer. When I was ready to scream, they began to fade away further down the hall. I thought about following it. It tool only a second to realize that was a stupid idea.

     I began to move to the door, listening for the claws. I opened the door, shot inside and shut it quickly. I didn't want the light pouring into the black Vault. In the room were five things. I remember them clearly: A computer terminal, a desk, a pistol, a dead maintenance man, and blood splattered walls. Why was this room not locked? Maybe whoever did this wasn't done. I'll never know and glad I won't. Whatever was in this room most have been worth dying for, or killing for.

     I got on the computer, trying to forget the man in the corner, and the blood splattered walls. I have never seen such a terrible sight. I can't get it out of my head! But I must finish the story, or it will be lost forever. At first it seemed to be a regular terminal, and then I found something I wasn't looking for. I found the secret of the Vault! We were an experiment! The power was designed to go out after 35 years. The doctor was injected with a deadly disease that would kill him around the time the power went. The Overseer was picked out as a corrupt, evil man to run the Vault. The leadership postions weren't filled for a reason, so he could fill them with the people he wanted there! Finally, after 40 years, the Vault's door would open and the "inhabitants of Vault #117 would be released into the world". That was today. It had been 40 years today. I began to wonder if the door was open, no one had access to it so it wasn't possible. I decided to go find out.

     I was making my way through the Vault when I remebered the claws. I thought about going back to my room and waiting till this blew over. I knew that woudn't happen, so i pressed on. On the man in the corners' body I found a password for the room with the Vault's door. He must have had the same idea as I did. Ironically, the password was:nowayout. I finally reached the door. It was a large, mechanical, sliding door with a key pad off to the side. I thought about what I was about to do. The Vault, I had lived in my whole life, was about to become my past. I typed in the password and the door hissed and opened.

     Just as expected, the Vault door was wide open. The room was filled with a harsh light from outside. I could see the exit, but there was something blocking it. To this day I have never seen such a terrifying creature. It stood at least 10 feet tall, and had a long black tail with a spikeon the end. Its head reminded me of a dragon, with long black horns on top. It walked like a human with a slouch. The huge muscles on its legs indicatec that it could move quickly. It's arms were long and slender, connected to two hands, and long sharp claws. Then I saw the talons on its feet and remembered earlier that night. The sound they made my spine shiver with fear.

     I stood there hoping it didn't notice me, but I knew my luck had to run out soon. The thing's head jerked toward me and sniffed the air. I wondered if it could see me. Before I could form another thought it charged me. I jumped off to the side and the creature flew past me into the Vault. Then I had an idea: if I could close this thing in there I would be safe. Quickly, I got to my feet and smashed my hand down on the button. The door slid closed and my assailant crashed into it. The door remained rock solid. I sighed with relief not really considering what I had done. I locked that thing in there with the people I have spent my whole life with. 

     It has been a week since then, I now live out here were sanity is scarce. Slowly, I am ggrowing mad. I need to write down the wrong that was done to us in there before I lose what sanity I have left. I have killed at least ten people since my journey through the wastes has begun. I try to convince my self that they were in self defense, but I don't believe it. I see the creature in my dreams, and in the dark corners of the wastes. i think after he is done stalking and murdering every Vault member, I will be next. That day is coming soon. For now I will hold my hunting rifle close and wait for sleep to come.