» Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:19 am This isn't like all the other huge FanFics that are more like novels. It's more like a short story, but if people think the characters are strong then maybe I could write a separate story about them.
It would be cool if you explain why you voted for whatever choice. Even if you think it's garbage, be as mean as you want lol.
Thanks.
Surviving Vault 87
I awoke in a dark cage smelling of [censored], piss, and something unmistakably inhuman. A ringing in my head suggest that I was just hit with something very hard, and the moaning from the cell to my left suggest that my head was the least of my troubles. And it was. After soaking in my surroundings my mind went back in time. I remember watching my Brahmin frantically run off and a figure???someone, something of monstrous size. I keep thinking, and suddenly that figure is out of my mind and directly in front of me. Through the door walked a muscled, yellow skinned giant. Covered in a tattered, comically undersized leather vest. If it wasn't the most frightening and surreal moment of my life I would probably laugh. It walked up and down the aisle admiring me and the other prisoners with a primal sense of pride. Its skin looked blistered and poisonous. I tried not to look it in the eye but did so on one occasion. It had a scar going through its closed left eye. After a couple of minutes it walked out, leaving me and the two other men.
"Hey, what's your name?" I ask the crying man. He looked about 10 years younger than me, in his thirties.
"Ma-ah name? My name is D-Dav-id, David"
"David, do you know where we are?" I asked as nice as possible given the current situation. All I got back was a garbled mess that was probably "I don't know".
"We're locked up in cages surrounded by muties. Does that answer your question? To get more descriptive, we are in an inescapable nightmare that will only truly end when we are dead, or worse." Said the man in the cell across from me. He was tall, and very pale. He was probably younger than me, but older than David. His face showed more frustration than fear.
That was obvious. They were super mutants. Everything you heard about since you were nine was true. "If the super mutants take you away, you'll never see the light of day". Yes, that was an idea I had to get use to, or maybe not.
As a scavenger you know a day like this is right around the corner. You run into a group of raiders, or Radscorpions. Ghouls even. But super mutants? They don't even have the decency to tear me to shreds.
I look around my cell for anything resembling a weapon. I find a rusty screwdriver in the corner of my cell. Its edge was splintered, producing a razor sharp end. I hold it to my neck. Could I do it? I bring it closer until the very edge is poking me. It's very sharp, I start to bleed. Forty years and nothing to show for it except for some junk that even hideous mutants will find useless. No woman, no kids, no friends. Everybody I've ever known is dead or rotting out west. My skins been punctured, just a simple shove and it'll be over.
"Trying to kill yourself?" Said the man across from me with a sick tone of amusemant.
I pull the screwdriver from my throat, and try to wipe the droplets of blood away. I desperately try to say something but nothing manages to come out.
"That's actually a pretty good idea. If you wouldn't mind, could you slide that?.uh?..shank thing over here when you're done with it" he said even more amused. He flashed a smile, something I thought impossible with his skeleton face. I was about to say something else before David had another fit.
"Whaaat are they going to do to us?"
"I have a couple theories, David. Most involve murder, torture, and maybe even [censored] if these guys up for it"
David let out a scream.
"You know, there's not much to eat in the wasteland, but super mutants never look hungry. I wonder why" Added the thin, white man
"st-stop" groaned David.
"They may turn us."
"Turn us?" I ask
"Yeah, turn us. Into one of them, a mutie. It's just a legend, of course, but they didn't drag me halfway across the waste to rot in this cage."
Looks like I may live after all, as a Frankenstein. Only in the capital wasteland. All I heard was "the wasteland has clean water" and "It was the capital of the world before the war". As an idiot and a guy whose life revolves around old junk this sounded perfect. I came to find the capitol is more burnt out than an old raider on jet. Every meaningful piece of equipment was being hoarded by brothers of steel or Enclave outcast's or whatever they like to be called. My best customers worship a bomb, not that it matters. I spent most of my days running for my life and???starving. This may actually be a good career move for me if it didn't involve becoming an inhuman freak.
I see the man with the skeleton face stand up. At first, he looked like a floating head. His jet black armor and gloves blended into the dreary, dark cell. He started playing around with the cell lock, getting more impatient after each minute.
"What are you doing?" asked David.
"Shut up" snarled the skeleton man, showing a human emotion other than cool apathy.
After about an hour the skeleton man's door clicked and swung open. He walked out with a noticeable limp.
"Help, pl-please help. Open my door. Please help. PLEASE g-get me out of here" David begged, getting more worked up after every word. "I HAVE A FAMILY. PLEASE, get me out of here"
"Shut up" said the pale man with a harsh whisper. "You're a grown man. Shut your mouth before I make you."
David tried to sober up. "Please get help" he said in a very pathetic manner.
"Yeah, sure" Said the thin man with a sly grin. He grabbed the assault rifle against the wall and walked through the same door the super mutant did earlier. Thirty seconds later two guns can be heard going back and forth. A couple more guns add to the sound, and soon there are none at all. The only sounds that remain are David's occasional sniffles.
One thought still races through my mind. Why come to the capital Wasteland? Sure, I lived a pathetic existence out west, but at least there weren't super mutants or scavengers wearing power armor. Raiders and opportunists? Sure, they're everywhere. I've done things I regret, but I wouldn't change any of it. The name of the game is survival. Everything is fair game in this hellhole; nobody is entitled to anything, not even their own lives. That's why I knew a day like this was coming. Still, this didn't seem fair. At least you knew what you were dealing with out west; everything was on an even playing field. Outwit or overpower the other man, animal, or whatever. In this wasteland you're just trying to survive amongst a bunch of overpowered mutants, and power hungry technology [censored]s blasting each other with energy weapons. What's a man like me to do?
Through the door walked another mutant, noticeably smaller than the first one. It stopped by my cell and stared at me. Its eye's looked distinctly human despite the fact they were bulging out of his head. Like they were trapped and trying to escape this grotesque and primitive creature. Despite being unbelievable muscled, it was a model of disease and sickness. Rashes and tears covered its body. Its skin looked like it was about to rip apart. Oh, and the smell. I don't even want to get into the smell.
David's whimpering shifted the focus to him. As the monster got to David cell he absolutely broke down. When the monster opened his cell David went into total hysterics, throwing himself against the corner of his cell, and curling up into a ball.
"PLEASE GOD NO. HELP. NO PLEASE?..OH GOD"
"QUIET. GET OVER HERE" screamed the monster. These things could talk?
"PLEEEEESE HELP ME." David did not go towards the monster, in fact, the monster went to David. When the monster grabbed David's arm he started kicking and flailing, even breaking his grip a couple of times.
"NOOOOOO. I HAVE A FAMILY. I HAVE A SON, PLEASE GOD. GET OFF OF ME. SOMEBODY HELP ME. I HAVE A SON. I HAVE A SON. I HAVE A FAMILY"
The mutant was starting to lose its patience. After trying to be gentle with David, the Mutant developed an iron tight grip on David's arm and even began to smack him around a little. Soon David's screams were cries of pain instead of panic.
"STAND STILL. STOP KICKING" howled the monster.
"AHHHH. GETTT OFF OF ME. HELP. HELP. NO" cried David.
By now the Mutant had really lost its cool. It grabbed Dave by the neck and picked him off the ground. This only intensified David's resistance.
"AHHHHHH. I CAN'T BREATH. I CAN'T BREATH. L-LET ME GO. PLEASE. I CAN'T BREATH"
"SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP."
The mutant was taking everything David could give him. Kicks to the stomach, fingers to the eyes, and fists to the neck. The Monster was taking a beating it couldn't ignore. It gave out tremendous screams but refused to throw a bunch or release David. After about 5 steps towards the exit the mutant decided he had enough and threw David to the ground, beneath me feet. David's neck gave out with a snap, and his fingers flittered, giving off one more flash of life as he lay face down on the dark, dirty floor. In the frame of the doorway stood the bigger mutant, with the one eye. He had a face of anger and disgust, but then again, they're faces all looked angry and disgusting.
"YOU IDIOT. HUMAN NO GOOD DEAD"
The bigger mutant charged ahead and slapped the smaller one before he could put his hands up. The small mutant fell to the ground and curled up into a ball. Much like David did earlier. The one eyed mutant held himself back, and turned around in disgust. He walked out, dragging David's body with him. The smaller mutant followed shortly after with a defeated look on his face. Like a Yao guai when a deathclaw takes his prey. The cell was quiet again.
I've gotten use to death. It's everywhere. In the wasteland, out west. Nowhere is different. I've never felt bad about any of it. As a scavenger I know that death is necessary. There's only so much junk in this dead world, everybody can't live. Only the best can survive, and I'm obviously not the best anymore. I've always been proud of the fact that I've lived while my associates have not. I never thought I would live this long, and here I am. Heck, I'll live on to some capacity as a freak. The consummate survivor.
Still, David's death bothered me. Not because I liked him, I didn't. It's ridiculous that a man who has lived in the wasteland for so long, and I assume he has, can be so afraid of death, or whatever these muties were doing. Heck, if I had some balls I would be there with David. I've never been afraid of death. In all likelihood it's much better than life, especially my life right now. Even being a Mutie would be better. I probably won't be aware enough to recognize my existence, and past. Hopefully they'll really melt my brain??.
I know why David's death bothered me. I like being alone, but this was unbearable. He was the last one left in this world, my world. A world surrounded by the unknown, and the dangerous. Much like a miniature Wasteland. Now I was alone, and much like the wasteland my only choice is death, or life as a monster. Literally a monster.
Maybe I wasn't so alone. I could hear the faint sounds of gunshots, and explosions. The gunshots and explosions grew louder and louder and soon I could hear roars and screams from super mutants. What was happening? Obviously a fight. But with who? I don't know, but it means I have a chance. All my self-loathing was thrown out, and was replaced with a more familiar objective: survival.
I clinch the screwdriver tightly in my hand as a super mutant comes charging into the room. It's the very same one eyed mutant that was in the room earlier. I slide my screwdriver into my pocket, as it tears my cage open. It grabs my arm but I don't struggle, I actually walk ahead of it. Now I take out the screwdriver, and stop. Instead of dragging or hitting me, it just stopped and looked at me. Now was my chance. I swing my knife towards its right, working eye. The monster was so tall that I had to hop a little just to get the knife up there, and I still couldn't see if I hit my target. I didn't have to see though.
"I CAN'T SEE"
The mutant still didn't let go, in fact, he tightened his grip, almost breaking my arm. The blind mutant went insane, swinging in all different directions. I dodged his swings and violently stabbed his arm and slashed at his fingers. He still wouldn't let go. The slashes only drew his attention to my location.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU" it screamed.
I see his fist rise up like a hammer, and I hide my head. A tremendous blow knocks me to the ground and out of the mutant's oversized hand. The breath and possibly a few ribs are taken from me, but I don't care. I get up and run through the door, sprinting past piles of super mutants and the occasional suit of power armor.
"WE'VE GOT A LIVE ONE! DON'T SHOOT!" Shouted one of suits of armor standing upright.
They didn't shoot me so I stopped running.
"CITEZEN, what are you doing?"
Citizen? Who does this guy think he is? There are no citizens or government or laws in this god forsaken land.
"Getting my ass out of here"
"Well I see that, but what are you doing here?"
"I was captured, and locked up, but I broke free." As I said that the blind mutant's screams were silenced by a few rounds of gunfire.
"Are there any others?"
"There were two, but they were killed"
"Killed? The Muties use this place to turn humans into freaks, like themselves."
"Yeah, that's what I figured. One tried to escape and the other was an accident. "
"Oh??"
I stopped him before he could say anything else. "Hey, when they captured me I was carrying a lot of equipment. I had a bag and I could identify it. Could I talk to somebody about finding it, or getting it back?"
"You're free to go anytime, citizen. You'll find free aqua pura at the entrance of Rivet City, Courtesy of Elder Lyons and the Brotherhood of Steel"
I can take a hint. That's the Brotherhood for you. Kill the eviler guys, take your stuff, and proclaim themselves heroes. I can't complain though, they did save me. The stuff was junk anyway, but I would've liked to keep the bag. I've had it for 20 years, and it was the only proof of my past life, out west. Come to think of it, it's probably best that it's gone. Maybe I will go to Rivet City. I'm tired of surviving. This life is too much for me, mentally and physically. Almost 25 years and I still live, even after this. I don't know if it's for any reason other than dumb luck, but I do know one thing. Survival is worthless if you don't live, at some point.
