Ninety years without slumbering

Tic Tock Tic

His life seconds numbering

Tic Tock Tic

It stopped, short never to go again

When the old man died.

I never liked that song when I was younger. The song was played on an old music box. Then quickly turned morbid. At least that's the only morbid thing about this vault.

I was born in a nuclear vault, along with many other people. It's a safe place, nothing bad ever happens. Except roaches and rats. That's the worst it ever got. I've never seen the outside world before, our leader here always told us there was no need to go outside. According to him a bomb dropped exactly 105 years ago and It's dangerous out there. I learned a little about the bomb when I used to go to school.

The fat man was a bomb used against us. Instead of firing it at another country it landed here. Some effects were documented like people suffering from radiation, animals mutated, and the air being so thick, many suffocated. Scary...I'm lucky I wasn't around during the blast. Our leader told us the air outside was still dangerous. A single breath could kill all of us. With that, I never thought about leaving, most people never did. Those that tried to insist on leaving the vault had a long chat with the leader..... actually now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever saw them again....?

"We have everything we need here.", Our leader insisted. Water is filtered and boiled to be as clean as possible, food is grown and small animals like chicken and rabbits are here for meat. To keep the vault working, people are assigned jobs through a test called S.A.A.S, special abilities and skills. It's a long test with no wrong answers. It consisted of scenarios, what would you do in them, and interests. Once the test is finished you are immediately selected into a job for the rest of your life. Jobs include: cook, officer, teacher, farmer, breeder, and a few other necessity jobs. I got placed into a farming job while my brother was a breeder. Occasionally on slow days me and him would talk or discuss what's going on in our jobs.

Up until I was about twenty, me and my brother had no problems with the vault or the leader. Then things got a little odd. My brother started coming back to our room shaken up just a little. He assured me that he had a bad day and the rabbits fought. I would've believed this if it was a one time thing. However every other day he seemed to come home pale. Then my job got a little weird. Our leader gave me new fertilizer to use for the crops. It worked well, I'll admit but...the room where we grew plants smelled horrid. That day I talked to my brother when we were both in bed.

"Hey rabbit ....", He got that nickname since it was his favorite animal,"Have you....noticed the vault is a little weird now? Like I was given new fertilizer and it's red colored...it smells awful."

Rabbit stared at the wall and sighed,"...I don't think we're going to be safe down here anymore.", He said quietly. He shifted and sat up, tapping his fingers against the bed.

Tap tap tap

"Why do you think that? We've always been safe! We have water and food. A good bed! I mean...the meat has been tasting a little off but maybe-", before I could finish Rabbit cut me off.

"Well about that meat... we're running out of rabbits and hens. They're all too old to breed and the younger ones aren't mature enough. We only have maybe three rabbits that are old enough to breed. Also, Have you noticed people who go have a 'talking to' with our so called 'leader' never return from his office?"

"I noticed ...maybe they're around here somewhere or moved floors?"

"... I'm not supposed to talk about this ...", he bit his lip and crossed his arms.

"Talk about what? What's wrong?"

"... We're taking in mutated animals from the outside and breeding them with our normal animals."

"That's cross contamination!", I was horrified. I really didn't want to believe we were taking in animals from the outside. Out there is a horrible place with dangerous things, why would anyone bring them in here?

"It is ...that's why the meat tastes off. I took in rabbits the other day. Huge. Rabbits. I let it breed with a few other rabbits that were deemed old enough and then we killed the mutated thing. Then y'know what? I got curious. That smell from your workplace....it's awful. I thought maybe it was new weird chemicals or something to make the plants grow. It's something much worse....much much darker.", He stood up and went to grab a chair.

"Well what is it?! You can't just lead me on like that and not tell me!", I was still trying to wrap my head around everything my brother told me. What if people got sick from eating mutated animals? Do animals carry radiation? How would that affect us?

"Shh! You're getting loud. We can't be caught like this...", Rabbit stood on the chair and messed with the vents, opening it. Two backpacks were inside, "What's in the fertilizer is bodies. They ground people up and mix them in with other fertilizers. It's why it smells so bad in there. You've been putting dead people in the ground and hiding the bodies. Doing all the dirty work."

"No....I haven't! I didn't know! I didn't! I would never do such a thing on purpose.", I felt my eyes tear up a little. If I had a stomach, it would be twisting and churning right now. I can't believe the entire time I was helping bury the remains of the dead.

"Our 'leader' knows we're running out of food and nobody knows this yet but, we're also running out of water. Hell, this vault wasn't even made for people to live forever in. Only long enough where the radiation outside clears. I was snooping in the leader's office. I found files after files after files of plans that were supposed to happen. You know what they said?", He turned and closed the vents, hiding the backpacks.

"No...what were they?"

"Plans to prepare us for the future of leaving this vault! How to boil radiation water, how to make weapons, armor, hypothetical scenarios and what to do in them! We were supposed to be trained on this and leave the vault if we wish! The leader is completely ignoring his duty's to teach us. I found files saying the vault will sustain life for one hundred years. After that? Downfall. We were supposed to be trained and read manuals about the outside world. You know what we've learned?!"

"Nothing....we know nothing. "

"Exactly!... Tomorrow we're leaving.", He got off the chair and pushed it back into the desk.

"What?! You're leaving?! I-"

"No...both of us are!"

"Okay but your right, we know nothing about the outside world. We have what we need here still! Food-"

"Food that's contaminated and mutated...like the outside world. Like I said, we may have food going for a while but, water? That's about to run out. People can't live long without water. I have two backpacks up here, it has everything you and I need to prepare us. Food, bottled water, I snuck out two of the survival manuals, blankets and flashlights for the two of us. Either way I'm leaving tomorrow, early. If you join me, fine ...but I love you. I do...please don't fight me on this."

"Rabbit please...I don't want you to leave...what if you die out there?"

"I would rather die trying to survive then be grounded up and put into the ground.", he went back to bed, ,"Just follow in my footsteps. Me and you will make it through this. Tomorrow will be a busy day. "

I couldn't sleep that night. I had so many thoughts in my head. Would my brother really leave and go out into the wasteland? Is that a good idea now? Should I follow? Tell someone? Isn't the air out there dangerous or....is it safe? They're bringing in animals, surely it's safe...?

I wasn't sure when I fell asleep that night. However when I woke up I found myself in the middle of a storm. An alarm blared in the hallways and some guards ran by my room. People were yelling about radiation and exposure. Mixed together was crying, yelling and angry voices. My brother seriously left...he left everyone and me here. I peeked outside to see guards snapping at each other.

"Fucking Rabbit is going to kill all of us! He left us and exposed everyone to whatever is outside!", one of them snapped.

I'll admit I was a little scared and went to drag out a chair to retrieve the backpack. Fiddling with the vent, I popped it open and dragged out a large backpack. I didn't know what to do at this point. How do I leave? Where do I go? Can I make it out of here in this stirred up mess? I scanned the room, my brother must've left me behind something to help me. A note paper was sticking out from my brother's bed. Picking it up I scanned the paper for any help.

If you're reading this, you already know I am gone. I wanted to take you with me but I feared you would fight me. If you want to leave as well you have to go to the main office and open the door through the computer to leave. I'm leaving the username and password for you to gain access. While people were out bringing in mutants they talked about a busy town. I'll be there for awhile. Please follow in my footsteps... know that I love you and when you find me, I'll tell you how I got the user and password and answer any other questions you may have.

I couldn't help but feel a little angry, he left me here in this busy vault. However...he was right about what he said about the vault. It got a little grim down here and many things would go wrong. It's best to leave before the downfall of this vault is set into motion. I slinged the backpack over my shoulder and looked out of the hall. Guards were still running up and down, trying to calm people down and assure safety. The main office was down the hall, with this commotion, it might be a little difficult to get past everyone. I felt my heart beating as I dash down the hall. Lights flashed and alarms blared as I passed by people looking out of their rooms with worry. I checked down the halls for any guards before dashing again.

This whole vault was a mess...

Up ahead I could see the office, with everyone busy nobody will be inside. Has it been this easy to leave the entire time? I cautiously look inside, with nobody around I quickly move towards one of the computers, entering the username and password my brother left behind. A few options appear on the screen.

Files - 35 files on computer

staff updates - 10+ updates

Vault door - awaiting approval

Vault door lock - unlocked

My finger hovered over the enter key for a moment. I can leave...I can leave right now and find Rabbit. This isn't my home anymore...not without him. With that I tapped the enter key, the screen turned black with a loading icon. Then under the desk clicked, it shifted upwards and to the side, slowly moving out of the way. The desk rubbed against the carpet as it moved, revealing a stairway down. A warm breeze surrounded me. 

"Hey! Stopped right there!"

I froze as I looked over at the doorway, a guard glaring at me and holding a knife.

"With the state the vault is in now, I have been given permission to use force if needed.", the lesser dog barked,"Step away from that opening!"

I almost stepped away. However something else urged me on. Maybe it was fear or the excitement to see the outside world...but, I ran. I ascend down the metal stairway. Immediately I could hear brisk footsteps behind me and the dog snapping at me to stop. I continued to run until I reached the bottom of the stairwell. A long thin hall stretched in front of me with a cracked open door. That had to be my exit surely. I don't know where else to go with a dog behind me.

The barking got closer as I reached the door. As I tried to push it open more for me to get through, the door didn't budge. I couldn't get through with this backpack on me. I dropped the bag off my shoulders and slid through. While trying to get my backpack through the door, the lesser dog rammed at the door, barking and slashing their knife though the opening. The blade grazed across my chest, just barley cutting it.

"Ah!!", I yelped as the wound stinged. Finally the backpack popped through and I fell backwards with an 'oof'. For a moment the world was spinning, my head was aching as I slowly got up. Around me were many control panels, levers, buttons and switches. Which one do I press to leave? What happens if I press the wrong one? Some buttons had labels, others did not. As I looked further around the room I noticed how dusty and dim it is in here...I guess nobody had to come in this room for over one hundred years. One control panel was yellow and a large button with a case over it. The lock that was supposed to prevent someone from pressing the button was broken, and the case was flipped up. Maybe Rabbit pressed this button? I slammed my hand against the button. What followed was a metal grinding and screeching. A chill went down my spine as the metal door opened up. Rays of sunlight shined through the room. 

The guard behind me was urging me to come back but I ignored him. I left the vault and I could never go back. I ran out of the dripping cave with only the backpack my brother provided. I'll admit when I first saw the world I was amazed...it looked so dead. The world looked like it was frozen. Roads were cracked, buildings were barely holding together. I didn't know where else to go at this point. I just ran in a random direction and hoped for the best.

From here, Horror already discussed what happened to me. I was freaking out in this new world, I was almost killed , I was saved in a bar. He took me to his home. From there, our adventure together already started.

(Author's note here! The next and following chapters will be third person for the rest of the book!))