Vault 79

Chapter 4: Maybe...

My feet hurt from all the walking, we had been walking only for an hour but we weren't use to it, the brown dirt had sharp rocks that dug into my feet. I looked at Bailey and I wish I had his hat it was blocking out the sun for him. Feeling thirsty I took my canteen and starting drinking, *gulp *gulp Aliysa looked at me with disgust and punched my shoulder I spat my drink out and looked at her "what?!" "We have to save the water" her anger in her eyes "are you a retard that guy said that there's clean water everywhere geez" Bailey said pulling a stupid face which was meant to be Alisya she rolled her eyes looking away, sweat poured down her face she wiped it away with her rolled up sleeves.

The ceiling started getting darker which was amazing, we ran into a few overgrown moles with no eyes and rotten flesh peeling off their backs. Bailey made quick work of them using only a few bullets. We walked on before seeing a settlement down the hill, our muscles ached and our heads throbbed. the crunching of the dead leaves under our boots were massively loud, rustles in the bushes made us jump and the force of wind was freezing, we began jogging to the tiny settlement.

As we walked in we saw two headed cows, I stared at them uneasily and backed away, There was a entry path which lead to a path that went through the forest, a bar and general store were facing each other and a few torn apart brick houses were rebuilt into made do homes for wastelanders. A few small farms with veggies and mutated food growing very well. A few horses with six legs and lion tails stood hitched to the hitching post head butting each other and their stamping their hooves and shaking their heads, a dog walked the side path,

As we walked on the main path two children ran past us giggling and grinning. "get back here!" A elderly woman choked. She looked troubled so we walked over "do you need help m'am?" Aliysa asked. She just laughed "don't call me that hahah oh please I was a grand adventurer and I'm only 53!, ahhh those cheeky kids are my grandchildren. they're poor parents passed away from getting nasty bites from molerats, ugly things. so I look after Jack and Suzi and they love it here in little Sunnyville, they just don't want to go to sleep or stop playing... if you wouldn't mind getting them for me?" She sighed with a tone of saddness "sure uhh mrs?" I asked
"Just call me Mary"
"Okay Mary thank you"
"Thank me? Oh god no thank you!" She laughed again
"Alright" Aliysa said kindly
"Just a warning" Mary said "Suzi only follows Jacks lead so get Jack first then Suzi"
She waved and went back to a cup of tea she was having, and smoked a cigarette. We walked around the back of shops and behind crates and broken walls, we found feral cats and foul smelling trash, as we turned the corner behind the bar two little kids jumped out behind us making gun sound effects with their mouths "Pew pew pew!!!!" Holding sticks at our heads, these kids were Jack and Suzi, Jack wore a pelt of some sort on his back with feathers tied into his messy long hair. they both had a reindeer skull on their faces, I knew what to do "pew pew pew" I said back feeling silly I held my hand in a gun and pretended to shoot "Suzi he's got me!" Jack cried holding his chest, he feel to the ground and moaned. "NOOOOOOO!" Suzi yelled.

They laughed and laughed "hey mister you is funny!" Jack smiled showing missing teeth, "yeah mister thanks for playing!" Suzi grinned, I smiled "thank you but you have to get home to your dear grandmother" "oh Mary?" Suzi asked "grandmother Mary" jack corrected her "yeah!" She yelled they bolted back to the brick home laughed and pretended to shoot each other. "they sure are energetic" Aliysa said smiling, "I like them" Bailey laughed. "Nice work with pretend gun fight" Aliysa said impressed, I shrugged "I used to play with my dad"

"Then he shot me and I fell it so so fun!" Jack said jumping up and down I smiled "thank you uhh?" Mary asked "oh I'm Rhett, this is Bailey and this is Aliysa" I said "well thank you, your welcome to stay with us anytime!!" She joyfully said. The kids fist bumped. We all looked at each other and smiled "thank you very much may we stay tonight?" Bailey asked "well sure!" She smiled so sweetly

We went up stairs and went into a old room and laid our things on the ground "I love it here" Aliysa said "the kids are cool" Bailey shrugged I nodded, all I could think about was my dad "you know when I was younger my father seeked adventure so he went out the vault and never came back I crossed my fingers everyday wishing for him to come home... He never did and my fingers didn't cross anymore" I sighed "maybe just maybe he's still out there hunting and wandering, lost looking for vault 79, maybe just maybe, I'll find him." I turned over and laid my head on the ground the word that ran through my head was maybe... I crossed my fingers and fell asleep.