FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Fallout

By Kendo Kawabata

Chapter 2 : Into the Light

Adam had to hold his hand up as the cover of the lift opened above him, the sealed hatch grinding loudly and dropping dust down as it let the light in. Adam coughed a few times from the amount of dust that had collected on-top of the hatch. The dust settled in his hair and on his shoulders, coating him in a fresh layer of brown.

The lift ground to a halt with a low grinding noise and a shudder as Adam found himself back on the surface world. He slowly lowered his hand from his eyes, blinking several times as he had to get used to the actual sunlight again.

Whatever he had been expecting, it was not what he saw.

"Oh no...." he said as he looked over the view of what used to be his neighborhood. Used to be was a very good term, because .... it was gone. Everything that used to be in that view of the horizon, was gone.

The trees were nothing but enormous wooden poles sticking out of the now parched ground. There wasn't a single leaf in sight, or sliver of green anywhere that Adam could see. The towering power-lines that used to be hidden from view due to the abundance of greenery, but now they were standing naked on the horizon, rusted and breaking down.

And then there was the silence. He couldn't hear anything at all. There was no sound. No birds, no trees rustling, there wasn't even the sound of the wind. It took him several moments to realize, that there was no wind. It was just.... still.

There were barely any clouds in the sky, but it wasn't hot. There was barely any heat at all that he could feel. No breeze, no warmth. It just didn't feel normal at all. It was almost scarey how unfamiliar everything felt just by the most of basic of absences that he had never really taken notice of before.

And then there was the neighborhood of Sanctuary. It too was gone.

The houses looked like miniature models that had been dropped repeatedly on the ground. Or they had aged so rapidly that they had just simply started to fall apart. The way he remembered the houses were so picture perfect and brightly colored, but now, it was almost unrecognizable. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew it was the same place below, he would have sworn that it was a completely different part of the land.

"How long... was I down there for?" he asked himself yet again as he surveyed the horizon before him. "I can't...I can't be the only one left, could I?" he asked himself. But there was no-one else around to answer him. He was alone.

Adam slowly turned around and found himself facing the wreckage of the construction zone surrounding the vault. The machinery was still there, but it looked like it had aged as well. Corroded and rusted over, they were now just silent shells of their former glory.

Weeds had poked up through the ground everywhere around, thick ugly reeds covered in thistles that gave Adam the impression not to go anywhere near. And among them were the skeletons of the crew that didn't make it. He slowly began to move forward, unable to really comprehend everything that he was seeing.

He could make out the faded camouflage uniform of the military soldiers that had been assisting everyone when the siren had gone off, slumped onto the ground where they had dropped dead. The metal shack that had held the elevator controls had slanted to its side, the operator laying halfway out of a wall that had folded out. His uniform was barely holding on, just rags on a petrified skeleton.

"Did... did no one else make it? Did the vault guys just let them all die?" Adam said in disbelief. How could the army have just been left to die there? Weren't they supposed to protect them in a time like that? Not to be sent to die.

Slumped again the chain-link fence was the skeleton of a feline in faded camos clutching a decayed clipboard against the remains of its chest. What appeared to be a rusted pistol lay against its side. The chain-link gate that had been the only way to access the overlook was cracked and doubled over from the blast of the dust-cloud.

"You didn't make it, did you" Adam said to the skeletal corpse of the army officer that had denied Stuart access into the vault. It was then that he remembered that the army officer had struck him with the handle of that pistol across his jaw. He brought his hand up against his his jaw where he remembered it striking him, and touched his fingers against his flesh.

But there was no blood on his fingers when he inspected them. He pushed his tongue against his lip but he felt no pain either. He carefully felt around his lip but there was no split as far as he was able to tell. Did the cryogenics pod actually heal his lip during his time frozen?

It was a slightly confusing moment for him, but he pushed it out of his mind. Nothing was really making sense to him at that moment anyway. One little thing like his lip being healed wasn't going to matter all that much.

Adam walked up to the officers corpse and brought his rubber soled foot back and kicked the skeleton right in the skull. He actually stumbled backwards when the skull exploded from the impact of his foot into a small cloud of dust and shards of bone. It surprised him how easily that skull broke apart, but then again it had been sitting rotten in the sun for .... however long.

"Jerk" Adam said to the now headless corpse on the ground. He couldn't really bring himself to smile though. It didn't really make him feel any better. He then turned his attention to the gate and proceeded to walk towards it.

It was a very solemn sight that greeted him at the gate itself. The gateway was littered with the corpses of those that never made it through the gate. From all the faded and torn clothing was hanging off their skeletal remains, it was the rest of the neighborhood that never made it.

"Oh god" Adam said softly at the scene before him. From the way they were strewn and curled up, they had just simply dropped where they died. More then a few had their heads tilted back, their jaws wide open in silent screams, their hands clutched into claws from the obvious agony that they had to go through.

"Oh Stuart, please don't be here" Adam with a sudden horrible realization. What if Stuart was amongst these remains?

Adam glanced back and forth as he swept his gaze over the piles of bones and tattered cloth. He couldn't recognize any of those remains, or could even tell them apart. They were just bones and cloth laying on the ground.

He swallowed a lump in his throat as he carefully stepped forward, not wanting to actually step on any of them. The dirt under his rubber soles ground into itself, the soft gravelly sound just sounding so lifeless and useless. What had Stuart been wearing that day? He couldn't honestly remember. What if he had already passed him and didn't even know?

However, by the time he cleared the piles of bones and cloth, it took him a moment to realize that he hadn't seen a single canine skeleton amongst them. His hearts hammered in his chest a few times as he realized, that Stuart wasn't there when the bomb went off.

"Maybe...maybe he survived somewhere" he said out loud to no-one as he actually felt a smile cross over his face. If that was true, then there was a chance, even slight, that maybe he was alive. He actually felt his heart grow a little lighter, his body felt a little less weary. His smile was actually there on his face, his face feeling like it hadn't smiled in years.

He slowly made his way down the path through the woods, the sandy dirt crunching in a dead way under his feet. There were leaves and branches scattered on the ground in dead piles, no wind to blow them away. More of those huge clumps of bony weeds had broken through the ground, making the path overgrown in some places.

Adam came across the base to the Vault-Tech sign, several large rusting squares laying on the dirt and covered in dead fauna. He looked up and saw the giant sign, once a happy colorful beacon for the Vault, was now rusting and falling apart. Through the square holes, he could see through to the wire frame that held everything up, the image of the gleeful Vault-Tech Cheetah almost unrecognizable.

He stopped when he came across another pair of skeletons laying on the ground near the base of the sign, their faded remains clutching at one another. Beside them lay the rotting carcass of a hastily stuffed suitcase. The wife and husband that had lagged behind had never made it to the shelter, and had died clutching at one another.

His ears flicked around his head a few times as he continued to walk slowly forward. He couldn't hear a damn thing around him. Aside from his own footsteps, there was nothing. Just silence. The trees in the once vibrant forest were now just barren wooden poles, scarred and bare of leaves and many of their branches.

"This is so surreal" Adam said as he made his way down the once familiar path. "It still feels like it was only yesterday. But it wasn't yesterday was it? How long does it take for everything to die after a nuclear bomb has gone off? Oh, if I could remember the answer I'd' be able to tell myself" he said, before he felt an actual laugh rise up inside him and escape his lips.

"Great, now I'm talking to myself' he said with a giggle as he continued to walk forward. He could see the small bridge that covered the creek up ahead. He was almost to the neighborhood now. "It is nice to hear a voice, even if it's my own" he said.

The bridge had rotted and become derelict, which wasn't completely unexpected. What did surprise him was how dirty the water looked in the creek. As he got closer, he noticed the water was clouded over, and rubbish was sitting in it. He could make out plastic bags and Nuka-Cola bottles floating against the reeds, having washed downstream from somewhere. The water wasn't moving, as if the creek had just stopped flowing and decided to simply sit there doing nothing.

As he stepped up to the bridge, he jumped when he heard a clicking tapping noise coming from his side. With a yelp he jumped backwards and pulled his gun up, holding it in his hands as he aimed it left and right, trying to see what the heck had made that noise.

"Who's there?" he shouted at nothing as he looked around him. "Show yourself...I'm armed" he called out, but all that answered him was the clicking tapping noise. He almost laughed out loud when he realized that the noise was actually coming from his Pip-Boy.

He lowered his gun with a weak chuckle as he lifted his arm up to see the screen. The screen showed an image of himself as the Vault-Tech cheetah, indicators pointing to his body to identify damage in any area.

"This thing actually monitors my health?" he said in surprise. "I really should take a closer look at this later" he said, noticing for the first time the different dials and buttons that were on the device on his arm. Underneath the screen was a small half circle meter with a little red marker that was slowly wiggling back and forth in a rather minute way.

He recognized what it was, and the clicking tapping noise it was making suddenly made sense. He carefully squatted down, grimacing slightly as he felt that tight suit he was wearing ride up his backside in a rather uncomfortable way. He extended his arm towards the murky creek, and the clicking tapping noise got louder and quicker, and the little needle marker started bouncing back and forth quickly.

"A built in Geiger counter" he said, feeling impressed. "The waters radioactive" he realized as he stood up. "I better watch my step from here on out. If the water is radioactive then anything around here could be" he said as he carefully put his foot on the bridge to test his weight.

A slight creaking was heard but the bridge didn't move as he began to carefully step over it. The clicking tapping noise continued as he crossed over the creek, as he glanced over the side of the bridge as he passed. He thought he saw another body under the water, probably some poor soul that had died trying to run. Adam didn't dwell on it as he made it over the other side.

He was about to continue through the path when something on the ground caught his eyes. Something that sparkled in a dull way in the sunlight. He knelt down on one knee and brushed the dirt back with his fingers. And then his heart stopped for a few moments as he had to choke back a sob.

It was a BFF pendant, on a tarnished silver chain. The ends were snapped, as if it had been pulled off and thrown into the dirt. He didn't have to guess who it actually belonged to, as he had seen it around Stuarts neck often enough that it was the other half to his own.

"What....what is this doing here?" Adam asked as he stood up. "Did... did he rip it off? Or did someone try to...try to take it?" he said as he looked around almost hopefully, as if someone was nearby that could tell him what was going on. But he was still alone in that forest of dead.

There was a body in the river....

"Oh please no" Adam said as he turned around, clutching the pendant in his hand. That..that couldn't be Stuart under the water, there was no way. But he couldn't go near the water to check without getting sick from the radiation.

"No...no it's not him" Adam said as he clutched the pendant in his fingers tightly. It probably wasn't him anyway. Maybe just one of the neighbors, or even one of the soldiers that had tried to run. There was no real way that it could have been his boyfriend.

But.... but what if it was?"

He clenched his mouth shut, his lips pursing together in worry as he looked around for something he could use. Thankfully the ground was littered with branches everywhere, so he didn't have any problem finding one thick enough that he could use. The wood felt sturdy but it also felt like it was going to snap just from being lifted up.

"Please don't be him, please don't be him" Adam repeated to himself as he set his pistol down on the ground and carefully moved forward, holding the stick up in front of him like it was a sword he would use to defend himself.

The Geiger counter started clicking again as Adam reached the edge of the creek and he slowly squatted down carefully, holding the stick in front of him.

"Please... please..." Adam said out loud as he carefully dipped the stick into the water. The surface of the water broke with a wet noise, like he was dipping his stick into off milk. He felt the tip push against something as he started to poke, trying to get a good angle.

"Please... don't be him" Adam said as he kept poking back and forth, feeling the stick push against something and slide against it in a rather sick sounding way. Then he felt the stick catch on something and he couldn't pull it back.

"Not him, anyone but Stuart" Adam whispered as he carefully pushed the stick up, trying to pull the body up out of the water so he could see what it was. The dark shape under the water got clearer as he slowly lifted the body from the water.

Slowly, its back came into view, wearing a discolored cloth over its torso. Adam had the stick jammed into its exposed rib cage, the flesh soggy and a very off white color. There was no fur on the body as he continued to lift upwards, feeling the stick strain.

The shoulder came into view, then its neck. Adam felt the contents of his stomach rise up again, feeling his throat contract and gag as he wanted to just be sick and throw up all over the place. But he swallowed it down. He just had to know, he had to as he lifted it up just a little further.

He let out a scream when he saw the face. Even dead and covered in bloated white flesh and sunken dead eyes, he barely did, but he recognized the face of his once living boyfriend.

He screamed again as he dropped the stick, the corpse falling back into the creek along with the stick with a wet splattering splash sound, the body sinking back into the shallow depths. Adam could only stare at the creek in shock as tears began to flow down his cheeks as his eyes burned once again.

Stuart was dead. He must have turned around and ran when the dust cloud was rushing at them, and got caught in the dust storm. He must have ripped the pendant off by accident, either before or after he fell into the creek and then....

Adam howled as he just let out his torment of seeing his dead boyfriend, a final nail to drill into him with everything that was happening. He howled and screamed out loud until he had nothing left to scream, and his eyes burned as they once again bled out every tear he had.

He fell onto his back, feeling the earth crunch under him as well as the dead fragile leaves. He suddenly felt both emotionally and physically drained, his body feeling like it was made of lead and his brain just wanting to shut off for good.

Adam stared up at the sky through his blurry vision, the sky looking dull and lifeless. The life had been sucked out the area, along with everyone and everything in it. He was surrounded by death, everything around him was dead. He was just one person in a land of dead.

How long he lay there he didn't know. He expected something to happen, almost anything to happen. But nothing did. There was no sound anywhere, no animals, no birds, no people. He wanted death to come along and sweep him up in his arms and just take him away from all this.

Or he just wanted to wake up. Wake up and realize it was all a dream. He closed his eyes and just willed it to happen, just willed this very realistic, horrible nightmare of reality to go away, to wind back time so he could wake up and realize he was back in with Stuart.

And if he was, forget his parents walking in, he was going to give himself to that wolf. He would wake up and be so happy and pleased to realize it was all a dream and that he was back in the world of the living that he was going to rip the clothing off of Stuart and just take him as hard as he could and be damned with consequences.

He smiled as he felt his mind drift, his body feeling limp as he could almost feel himself drift off. He felt a peace wash over him, as he felt his mind leave his body as he willed himself to wake up.

"It's working" he whispered as he felt his mind sink deeper adrift. "I'll be awake in a moment Stuart...I'll be awake and with you" he whispered softly.

And then he opened his eyes, seeing the light above him, the light of his bedroom ceiling. That god awful pale blue ceiling his father had insisted on coloring that way, the light bright and lighting up his morning. He smiled wide, never being happier in his life to wake up and look at that stupid colored ceiling.

"Hey Stuart...good morning" Adam said as he rolled onto his side and reached his arm out to wrap around his boyfriend, wanting to pull him close to kiss him good and hard.

All his hand touched.... was dirt.

He could feel the tears well up in his eyes like burning acid as he rolled over onto his back again, clenching his eyes shut as the tears burned. Why couldn't all this just be a dream? Why couldn't he just wake up and be home again? Why? WHY ? WHY ?

Adam just didn't have the energy to cry as he slumped on the ground in defeat. He felt exhausted, mentally and physically unable to care. Or want to care. What could he possibly have to care about when he had nothing?

His mother was dead, shot on the floor like an animal. His was dead, dead in his sleep in a steel coffin. His boyfriend was dead, just a corpse in the river. He was surrounded by death, the only living thing there. Everything he knew, everyone he knew. They were all gone.

The tears finally stopped burning as he had nothing left to cry with as he lay there on the dirt, feeling no wind or warmth around him. The only thing he could feel himself willing do at that point was to breathe.

He slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the blank sky. It didn't hurt to look up at the sun anymore, not that it was much of something to give him comfort. The tips of the dead trees were in his vision, just sticks against the sky that weren't moving.

Adam licked his lips, they were dry. How long had it been since he ate? Since he drank even? His throat felt parched, his stomach starting to growl with hunger. Where would he even find food around here? Or even something to drink?

He just stared blankly at the sky, the big wide empty pale blue sky as the sun slowly moved across. It didn't hurt his vision to stare at it, not anymore. But the sun didn't warm him, he couldn't even feel it.

Something moved.

Adam blinked as something black flew across his vision, too fast for him to see what it was. He sat up in shock, gasping in surprise that something in this world of death and silence had actually moved as he looked around to see what it was.

"What was that?" he asked himself as he looked around, trying to see what it was. He pulled himself to his feet, not even dusting himself off as he turned his head back and forth, his eyes darting everywhere he could.

Then he heard it, a sound. It was a sound normally quiet, but with the total silence around him it was loud enough to make him jump out of his skin. Then he looked up as he realized where the noise had come from.

It was the sound of a raven cawing. And there was one, sitting on a branch above him in the trees, the large black bird ruffling its wings as it sat on its perch.

To Adam, it was the most beautiful thing he could have actually seen that morning, the only sign of life around him that he had been able to find. The bird looked down at him, cocking its head to the side to get a better look at him.

"Wow" Adam said softly as he looked up at the bird. and it looked right back at him. Literally, looking at him. Its beady bright eyes were staring at him, as if the bird was watching him, waiting to see what kind of move he would end up making.

Adam actually felt a shiver run down the back of his spine as he couldn't help but take a step back. He felt... uneasy, very unsettled actually. It was just a bird, the only piece of living anything that Adam had seen. and yet, just by it being there, watching him.... it felt ....

Wrong.

Adam slowly backed up, keeping his gaze on the bird as he walked backwards slowly. The raven kept its gaze on him intently, only moving its head as it watched him back up several steps. It didn't even blink, making him wonder if birds actually did.

He let out a yelp as the raven suddenly cawed again and then spread its wings and launched itself off the branch. Adam went for his gun, but his hands only touched against the material of the vault suit, he felt for sure the bird would attack him.

But it just flew itself overheard, cawing again as it flew over the rooftops of the neighborhood, disappearing into the distance.

"It's just a stupid bird" Adam said to himself as he felt himself relaxing a little, and then he found himself laughing at himself. A bird? He was going to shoot at a damn bird? How could he anyway with his gun just laying on the ground out of his reach.

"I'm so... I'm so stupid" he found himself saying to himself rather weakly as he stepped over to where he had been laying and picked up the gun. "It was a freaking bird" he said again to himself as he sniffed a few times.

Then he heard the sound of a branch breaking.

Adam felt his heart stop as he heard that noise. It was right behind him in the trees. and it was very close.

He swallowed a lump in his throat as he very carefully and slowly began to turn around. his hand was shaking as he carefully brought the gun up, the damn thing rattling in his fingers as he turned to face whatever made the noise.

It was a person, at least, it kind of looked like one. It was completely fur-less, the skin sunken and stretched tight over nothing but bones. He couldn't tell if it was male or female, but it was covered in ratted tangled clothing. With the skin stretched so grotesquely tight over its face and its features seemingly melted back into its skull, it was also impossible to tell what kind of species it was.

"Who are you?" Adam said to the slouched creature. It was hunched over, staggering slowly forward as its feet shuffled on the ground. It slowly lifted its head upwards, turning its rotten sunken eyes towards Adam. "Are you hurt?" he asked. It was moving like it was in pain.

The thing, person, creature, whatever it was, regarded him for a moment with its sunken reddened eyes, its breath catching in his throat, like coarse sandpaper on metal. It opened its mouth slowly, revealing a mouth full of broken rotted teeth and a tongue that slithered around like a dying slug.

Then it let out a scream.

It sounded like the scream of someone dying a very horrible and painful death, so loud and horrible that it made Adams ears want to bleed. He felt his heart hammer in his chest as he struggled to hold the gun up in front of him.

"Don't.... don't come any closer" Adam stuttered as he tried to warn whatever the hell it was. But then it lunged at him.

It lunged forward, its arms swinging wildly in front of its body as the creature started to run at him with speed that defied its withered grotesque appearance. It screamed at him, blood frothing from its mouth as it ran at Adam like a wild animal.

Adam didn't react at first, shocked at the creatures speed, but then he squeezed the trigger. He felt it again, that strange twitch in his fingers as he pulled the trigger over and over again as fast as he could.

The gun jerked backwards in his grip with each shot, whipping back almost wildly as the bullets were shot from it. Adam kept firing until all he heard was a clicking sound coming from the gun, indicating that he had spent the entire clip.

The creature let out wild howls of pain as the front of its chest exploded in several spurts of blackish red blood, spurting like small explosions through its ragged clothing and withered skin. The trees behind it shattered with small puncture marks as some of the bullets found them instead of the target.

Adam kept pulling the trigger back as he watched the creature stagger, blood draining down the front of its clothing from several holes in its chest. Adam was panting, short shallow breathes of fear as he watched the creature stop in its tracks, the look of expression on the creatures face telling him it didn't bother it that it was now full of holes and bleeding.

"Oh no" Adam said as it let out another wild scream and began to lunge at him again. Adams hands were shaking so badly he couldn't even fumble properly for another clip in his pocket, so he did the only thing he was able to do. He dropped the gun and ran.

He turned and ran on the path leading back into the neighborhood, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he could hear the creature screaming at him as it gave chase. Adam turned the corner around the nearest house and kept running, not even bothering to take stock of what was around him.

"HELP ME" Adam shouted as he kept running along the ruined road in Sanctuary, hearing the creature running behind him, still screaming as it gave chase. Adam screamed in fear as he kept running fast, passing the houses on either side as the creature didn't stop in its pursuit.

Adam cried out again as he fell forward, his foot catching on a fallen lamp post that lay across the road like some large trap. He cried out as he landed with a crash onto the ground, feeling pain rock his body from the impact.

He heard the creature scream at him again as it crashed on-top of him and started to flail its limbs and body on-top of him, blood frothing from its mouth as it pummeled at Adam with its fists.

Adam screamed in both fear and pain as he felt the blows rain down on him, trying to contort his body into a ball so the creature had nothing to hit. But it just kept hitting and hitting, screaming all the while at him as blood frothed from its mouth like a rabid animal.

Adam couldn't think straight as the creatures fists pounded on his head and around his shoulders as he flailed about, trying to do something, anything. But the creature was flailing on him like some crazed animal and its blows were getting more and more violent as he felt the creatures long sharp nails or claws start to strike at his skin, slicing through the flesh on his arms as he tried to keep his face covered.

"UNHAND HIM YOU CURR"

The creature screamed as something from behind grabbed it around the neck, cutting off its painful screaming which turned it into a rabid gargling noise. It was then dragged backwards from on top of Adam, the creature still flailing and swinging its arms as it continued to scream in agony.

Adam panted and whimpered in pain as he brought his arms down from his head and scrambled backwards, his gaze on the creature as it was dragged over the wall of a nearby house and was hauled up against it, slammed up against the surface with surprising strength.

The creature continued to struggle and flail its limbs around, blood spilling from its mouth as it screamed in agony and rage. Adam watched in shock as the buzz saw came up and started to spin loudly, the noise of metal on metal grating from having been unused for so long. Then there was the sound of whirring metal on flesh as a fresh spray of blackish red blood decorated the wall of the house as the screaming suddenly stopped with a disturbing gurgle.

The creature was let go as it simply slumped down onto the ground, all life in its body now gone as it felt like a bloodied potato sack onto the parched ground. Its head came next, falling with a sick thudding noise onto the ground next to the decapitated body.

Adam was still in shock, staring at the blackish red spray of blood on the wall, the now dead body on the ground bleeding into the parched soil. He panted, tears in his eyes from the ordeal as he saw the one who saved him turn around.

"Master....Adam?" said Cadwell as it turned two of its inner eyes towards him through the cracked glass dome. "My word.... can it really be you? After all this time?"

"Cad... Cadwell?" Adam said as he slowly stood up. He felt his body tremble, his knees wobbling as he clutched at his injured arm. "You're.... you're alive?"

"Oh Master Adam" Cadwell said, its voice rising in happiness as the floating octopus extended its four arms and floated at Adam quickly, giving the boy no time to escape as he was grabbed and hauled off his feet before those metal arms wrapped themselves around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Adam had to actually gasp for breath as he felt his chest get compressed in the tight hug. The robots metal arms kept him in the hug for several very long moments.

"Oh Master Adam, I am so happy to see you've finally returned" Cadwell said as it finally released Adam, who had to gasp rather deeply a few times in order to get breath back into his lungs. "I was starting to believe that you and the family weren't going to return, can you believe it?"

"Cad...Cadwell" Adam panted as he inhaled several times over and over again, feeling air slowly make its way back into his lungs as he regained his composure. "You....you're still here?"

"Well of course I'm still here Master Adam" Cadwell said as it hovered in front of Adam. "Why wouldn't I be? I have a duty of care for the family. I can't simply leave because of an emergency situation."

Adam coughed a couple of times as he took the chance the look around the neighborhood, now that the threat of the creature was gone.

Everything was just....dead. Again, it was all dead. The neighborhood used to be so pristine, all the houses painted brightly and the gardens overflowing with colored plants of every species. Neatly trimmed hedges had framed the yards and white picket fences had laid out neatly between the homes.

Now, the houses were just broken shells of what they used to be. From what he could see, every single pane of glass in the windows had shattered and was now gone. The roofs were blown open, revealing the frames that used to hold them up. The walls were falling apart, entire panels gone revealing the wiring in the walls.

The hedges were dead, just big thick lines of dead twigs and brown leaves. The white picket fences were broken and the paint peeling, the gardens just dead twigs sticking out of the even deader ground.

The street lamps had all fallen over or buckled under their own weight. The cars were just sitting on the ground, the tires gone and the interiors rotted into nothing. The whole neighborhood had just .... died since Adam had last stepped through it, and it seemed like such a short time ago.

"Oh Master Adam, you're injured" Cadwell said as it grabbed Adams arm in its claw like arm and held up his limb to inspect it. "Come with me, we must get that looked at before your mother scolds me for letting you get hurt" Cadwell said as he started to pull Adam behind him.

Adam was forced to tag along as the robots grip was unbreakable as he was dragged down the cracked and broken sidewalk. Cadwell kept a firm grip on Adams wrist as he was pulled into the house, suddenly letting go of him as it left Adam standing in the hallway as Cadwell started to rummage.

The living room was ...trashed. The windows were gone and the curtains were just rotted piles of cloth on the floor. The floor itself was covered in dust and dead leaves. The television was rusted and the screen cracked down the middle. The couch was slanted, the material faded and worn. Was it really that long ago that the whole family had been in his very room, all together, and still alive?

"Now where did your mother keep the first aid kit? I can never remember" Cadwell said as his four arms were rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen as he searched. "Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my head" it said.

The kitchen was even more run down, the dining table had collapsed onto the floor and the chairs were falling apart as well. The cabinets were rusted over, the fridge door had fallen over and was now on the floor, the fridge just a rusted over shell. The food inside had collapsed to the bottom of the fridge, a mixture of rusted tins and broken glass.

The dishes he and Stuart had been washing were where they had been left, still on the counter and in the sink. They were cracked over and covered in dust, but they were right where Adam and Stuart had left them. He felt a lump in his throat rise up as he had to swallow it back down, feeling the urge to move away.

Adam clutched at his injured arm as he left Cadwell to search the ruined kitchen as he slowly made his way down the hallway towards the bedrooms. The floor creaked in the worst possible sounding way, the wallpaper peeling everywhere around. One of the pictures that used to hang on the wall, a landscape image of a lighthouse amongst crashing waves, was on the floor in pieces, the painting almost unrecognizable.

His room, it was just a mess. The bed had collapsed onto the floor, the still bare mattress now faded and stained with age, several large springs poking through the padding and insulation in places. His desk was still in place, but all his books and comics were just yellowed rotted papers sitting on the surface and across the floor. His chair was on its side, the material gone leaving behind just a wooden frame.

The window was gone, the glass having shattered onto the floor. It crunched on the dusty floor under his feet as he stepped in. His room felt so familiar to him, but at the same time, it felt out of place. Like he didn't belong there anymore.

He spotted Stuarts backpack laying where he had left it as he slowly and carefully bent forward and clutched at it in his hand. But the fabric was so rotten that the bag fell apart just from touching it. The contents were also rotted away, the clothes simply fell apart as Adam did nothing more then touch them with his fingers.

Adam slowly sank onto the bed, feeling the springs in the mattress creak under him through the worn material and stuffing. He clutched his arm against his body as he stared at the useless scraps on the floor, on his ruined floor, in his ruined bedroom.

"Master Adam?" Cadwell said as he floated into the room, one of his arms holding a dented metal box with the words 'First Aid' written across the front in faded letters. Adam jumped slightly, he hadn't heard him come in. "I found it. now let me tend to your injuries. Your mother will certainly try to remove an arm if she finds you battered like this" it said.

Adam took the moment to actually look over Cadwell as it floated in front him. Cadwells metal coatings had once been brilliantly reflective and shiny, the glass dome polished to perfection without a single fingerprint or scratch.

But now, the metal had rusted over and it had even fallen apart in some places. One of Cadwells eyes had broken on its stalk, hanging down inside the cracked dusty dome like a broken twig. It looked like Cadwell had been knocked over and thrown in the dirt multiple times. His circuitry wasn't lighting up properly anymore.

The robotic Mr Handy only had one claw like hand now. The circular saw was on one arm, the blade still coated in the creatures blackish red blood. Another arm ended in a very large blade that looked like it had come off a piece of gardening equipment. The other arm ended in what looked like a water pistol.

Cadwell had pulled out a faded piece of bandaging and started to wrap it around Adams arm, its two remaining eyes focusing on Adams injury.

"What... what was that thing out there?" Adam asked. His voice was starting to croak, and his throat felt sore. As well as the rest of him.

"I believe it is called a Ghoul, Master Adam" said Cadwell. "After the bomb was dropped, not everyone ended up dying. Some lived but they appeared to be sick and started changing their appearances. They became what you saw out there, they are called Ghouls now."

"It....that was a person once?" Adam asked as the bandage was wrapped around his arm and then Cadwell started to open up a large jar of ointment. What could have happened to a person to turn into such an....animal like that?

"I believe some Ghouls are able to keep their minds and be hospitable towards others, Master Adam. The one you saw out there, was the kind who's mind has rotted due to radiation" Cadwell said as he started to dab ointment onto the cuts on Adams face. Adam winced a few times, the ointment stung.

"How...how old is that ointment?" he asked, suddenly wondering.

"I'm not sure. The expiration date on the bottle has worn off" Cadwell said. "but it is still medicine, so that means its good for you" he said as he continued to dab the ointment over Adams exposed cuts. There must have been plenty over his face and neck, thanks to the creatures boney claws.

"How... how long has it been since the bombs went off?" Adam asked. Cadwell hovered there for a moment as its eyes looked over Adam.

"It's been about two hundred years since, give or take ten years due to the earths rotation and a few dings to the old chronometer" Cadwell said as it dinged the side of its globe with the bloody blade for emphasis. "That means you're over two hundred years late for dinner. You're mother will definitely disassemble me that you've gone so long without food."

"Two...did you say....two hundred years?" Adam said in utter disbelief. How the heck could it have been two hundred years? It was only yesterday wasn't it? It had to be have been yesterday.... or a few days at least. Or even a couple of years, yeah that could work.

But two hundred years?

"It... it can't be two hundred years" Adam said as he slumped back on the rotten mattress. "That... that can't be right. It just can't be...." he said.

"Well it is young Master" Cadwell said as it suddenly thrust backwards, the circuitry in his dome suddenly flaring up with angry shades of red. "I'm sorry that I can't adhere to your problems, after all I did just tend to your wounds. But apparently, I must lie to you to make you feel better!"

"What?" Adam said in shock.

"Why don't you ask me about how I am doing, but apparently a ghoul is more interesting then I am" Cadwell snapped rather fiercely. "Do you have any idea what it's like, to try and clean a house when all the cleaning equipment breaks apart and only creates more dirt and dust?"

"Do you have any idea that you cannot get nuclear fallout out of polished floorboards? You can't. It took me ten years to find that out, scrubbing and toiling away like some common house maid" Cadwell continued as the blade started to spin on the end of its arm.

"And the car. Your father valued that car very highly indeed. Do you have any idea what it's like to polish rust? NOTHING makes rust better" Cadwell, its voice getting louder and even more angrier as the blade on its arm started to swing back and forth.

"And the solitude. You all left me behind and either hid yourselves away or you died and left me behind on my own. For two hundred YEARS" Cadwell was now shouting at Adam, who had crawled back against the wall in utter fear of the now furious robotic servant. He had never seen Cadwell show any kind of emotions before, and certainly not such fury.

"I can't even head into nearby Concord without being shot at, repeatedly. And all you care about is a damn ghoul that would have taken your life if I didn't feel the need to actually save you" Cadwell practically shouted as it pointed the water gun at the window.

But it wasn't a water gun. It didn't send a stream of water through the open window, it sent a stream of what smelt strongly of petrol into the air, before it was suddenly burning in an aerial blaze. Adam was pressed up against the wall well out of the way, but even he could feel the heat of the blaze from where he was huddled.

"You... you all just left me behind.... like...like I didn't matter" Cadwell said as its arms drooped to the floor, the buzz saw slowing down till it came to a stop, the blade clattering uselessly on the floor and the petrol gun dripping out of the front nozzle.

"Why... why didn't you come back for me? Where is everyone else?" Cadwell asked, his voice sounding tired and .... so depressed. "Why... haven't they come back? Why haven't they returned to me?"

Adam slowly moved himself away from the wall and carefully moved up to the edge of the bed. His robot was actually making sobbing noises, like Cadwell was crying. He didn't even think it was possible that the Mr Handy was even capable of having feelings.

Had he really been left behind, in this dead neighborhood for over two hundred years? By himself? No-one here, just silence and solitude? Adam couldn't fathom being on his own for a weekend without anyone to turn talk to or communicate with. But how could a robot do that for two hundred years and still stay ... sane?

"Cadwell, I'm ... I'm sorry" Adam said as he gently rubbed his hand over the cracked dome. The surface felt scratched and rough, his fingers leaving smear marks in the dust. "I'm sorry we left you behind Cadwell, we.... we didn't think of you" he said. He suddenly felt a tremendous amount of shame and guilt as he gently stroked the dusty dome.

"Oh, no... no it's alright Master Adam" Cadwell said as its eyes focused on Adam as best they were able. "I... I shouldn't have acted in such a way, it was very unbecoming of me to act like that. Do forgive me" Cadwell said as Adam continued to rub his dome gently.

"Two hundred years... look at you" Adam said softly as he felt the scratches and gouges in the thick glass. "You're all broken and dinged up" he said.

"Tis but a scratch, young master" Cadwell said as it reached up and gently brushed Adams hand away. "I will survive. I have so far. Anyway, you don't need to worry about me. I'm sure your parents are sure to be returning soon. We should start cleaning up right away" it said.

"Cadwell... mother and father aren't coming home" Adam said as he brushed at his eyes, feeling fresh tears start to well up. "They're.... they're in a better place" he said softly as he sniffed a little.

"A better place you say? Did they move to Boston without telling you?" Cadwell asked him. Adam chuckled, unable to help himself at the robots question.

"No... no mother and father are... they're dead Cadwell. They won't be coming back, ever" Adam said softly. He had to wipe his eyes again. Why couldn't he stop himself from crying? It was already hurting too much to do.

"I'm sorry Master Adam" Cadwell said to him. "I....I will miss them. They were... they were good people to me. And good parents to you as well. Oh, before I forget, I found this while I was attempting to clean up their bedroom from some naked mutated mole rats that had gotten into the house" it said as it hovered over to the ruined desk and removed one of the drawers with a sharp pull.

"Here you are Master Adam. I believe your parents left you this holo-disk for you and were intending to give it to you at some point" Cadwell said as it handed over the small white and orange plastic square. "Unfortunately, the disc player in the living room is severely damaged, so I'm afraid you wont be able to play it there. But, I'm sure that fancy new Pip-Boy of yours is compatible. You should be able to play it on that" Cadwell explained.

"Thank you Cadwel" Adam said as he took the small disk and held it in his hand. There was a small sticker on the surface that simply read "For Adam", although Adam had no idea how to even play it on the Pip-Boy. "I'll...I'll play it later" he said.

"Jolly good idea, Master Adam" Cadwell said to him. "Perhaps it is time that you took a rest. I know the bed might be a bit... unwelcoming, but you do look like you need a rest before I get something for you to eat. You have not rested properly or eaten for over two hundred years after all" he pointed out.

"I suppose you're right" Adam said with a nod. He couldn't really deny that he felt both mentally and physically exhausted, and it became even more apparent when Cadwell pointed it out to him. "I think I do need some rest for now" he said.

"You like down and get some rest, Master Adam. I will attempt to search for some suitable food for you for when you wake up. I'm sure there will be something" Cadwell said as it started to float out of the door.

"Cadwell?" Adam said, causing the robot to pause in the door and turn its remaining eyes towards him. "I'm glad your still here. And, thank you" he said.

"You rest up Master Adam. Take as long as you like. I'm sure the school is still closed, so there's no need to concern yourself with your homework or your uniform" Cadwell said before it floated out of the doorway.

How could Adam even think of school like that at this time anyway? But... there wouldn't be a school there anymore, would there? If it was, the building would be ruined and everyone who went there was probably dead and gone anyway.

Everyone was dead and gone.... everyone he knew...

"My head is really starting to hurt" Adam whimpered to himself as he carefully laid himself down on his side, curling himself up on the mattress. The material smelt dusty and old, the scent of him and Stuart together long gone, nothing left of either of them.

Stuart... just a corpse in the river behind the house.

Adam brought his arm around in front of his head and looked at the screen of his Pip-Boy, his eyes wandering over the dials and knobs that covered the surface. He noticed a small sunken button on the top of the device, which he pressed.

The top part actually popped open like the receptacle on the disc player in the living room. It had enough space in the open slot for the Holo-Disc to be inserted. He picked up the disc from his side and carefully slid it into the open slot, the slot suddenly sinking back into the device with a soft clicking noise.

The screen suddenly lit up bright green, with the words 'Play Holo-Disc? Yes No" on it. Adams finger hovered over the option to play it, but instead put his finger down on No. He was not in the right frame of mind to be listening to his parents voices at that moment, he could actually feel himself beginning to drift off already. For real this time.

"Sorry.... but you'll have to wait" he said, his voice coming out too tired and worn out as the screen returned to normal. Instead he fiddled with one of the dials and watched the screen flicker a few times before it came across a listing for radio stations.

Another dial ran down the rather miniscule list until it settled down on a signal called 'Classical Music'. The bottom of the screen showed the strength of the signal as a series of waving bars. When Adam clicked onto the music station, the sound of notes from a piano filled the air around him.

"Huh..." he said, not recognizing the tune but it sounded nice enough. A radio station in the middle of a wasteland? Nah, he was too tired to really try and figure it out as he closed his eyes, feeling himself fall down into the depths of sleep as the music paid him company.

He was in the woods, standing on the bridge. Just looking into the water. The water was green, a very sickly green, like an open vein of rancid blood. He could actually see the surface bubble in the middle of the stream, like there was something underneath the water.

Adam couldn't move as he stood there, looking down at the bubbling water. He tried to move his arms, but all they could do was twitch uselessly, not responding to his thoughts or orders of movement.

He could feel his heartbeat screaming in his ears as it thudded in his chest so hard he thought it was going to break through his flesh. His breath came through his lips and through his teeth, panting out loud as the bubbles in the water grew in intensity.

The raven flew overhead, landing on a branch that extended over the stream, the bird cawing as it turned its eyes toward Adam. Its beady yellow eyes glared at him, almost glowing like lights as its gaze fixed on him.

He felt his fingers tremble as his arm began to lift up, bringing his gun up in front of him. The gun held still, against his trembling fingers. The sights of the gun was narrowed to the bubbling in the creek.

Something broke the surface as the water continued to bubble, a wet slimey mass of worms broke through the water and began to slowly rise upwards.

Adam wanted to run, he wanted to scream, he wanted to do something as he watched the mass rise up, but all he could do was stand there and aim the gun in his shaking fingers.

The rotting mass of worms slowly dripped off the head of Stuart, the wolfs dark sunken eyes no longer blinking as his gaze stared at Adam, water running off his water damaged skin, clumps of fur falling off as the wolfs neck became exposed.

Adam felt his finger tighten around the trigger, not quite pulling it back as the gun was held steady on Stuarts head in the water, a clear shot was obvious from the way Adam could see the sights line up.

Stuarts mouth opened, his lips parting like bloated cracked slugs as green water spilled out between them, several thick worms sliding out and dripping into the water. Stuarts tongue dangled like a bloated black tendril, drooling copious amounts of slimey bile.

"Please... don't make me..." Adam whimpered as he felt his finger tighten again, that trigger digging between his skin.

Stuarts mouth opened wide as his eyes almost bugged out of their sockets, his shoulders sliding out of the water, ragged cloth clinging to his boney shoulders as he let out a scream, a gurgling pain filled scream that made Adams ears want to bleed.

Adams finger pulled the trigger, and there was a small explosion from the front of the gun.

Stuart continued to scream as the bullet

Adam sat up in the bed, screaming out loud from the vision of where that bullet had gone as he let out all the terror that had built up during his nightmare. He screamed for several long seconds as his throat felt like it was going to catch fire before he couldn't scream anymore.

"Master Adam, are you alright? Do you require assistance?"

Cadwell suddenly emerged through the doorway, its various weapons brandished before it as its eyes surveyed the room quickly to determine a threat. Once Cadwell was sure that there was nothing in the room that could have actually posed a threat it lowered its weapons and turned its two eyes to Adam.

"Master Adam, I do not see an immediate threat in the vicinity. Are you in pain from your injuries?" it asked him.

Adam though, didn't respond. The horror of his nightmare still fresh in his mind, he was unable to actually speak at all as he simply reached for Cadwell with his arms and pulled the robot close, just feeling the need for any kind of comfort.

"Master Adam?" Cadwell said in surprise as the robot octopus was pulled up against the bed and felt Adams arms encircle its midsection, falling itself onto the bed as Adam clung to it like a needy child.

Then Adam just started to sob, breaking down in the robots arms as he just couldn't hold it in. There weren't many tears, there was nothing left for him to cry with. But the howling pit of misery that he had found himself in was very evident as his upper body heaved and convulsed with his sobbing.

He just clutched at the robot, holding on tightly with his arms as he sobbed and wailed into the robot embrace. His body racked with his sobbing, his pitiful wailing the only sound that was heard in the empty neighborhood against the constant sounds of the classical music.

It took him a while to actually stop, but Cadwell did not ask him too stop, or say a word at all. Adam soon settled, still holding onto the robot as tightly as he could, only sniffling and inhaling sharply to get his breath back as he felt completely ruddy.

Eventually he was just whimpering against the robots arms, not really focusing on anything as he stared off into the distance. It was dark outside, some time in the night. But it was still light enough to see clearly. The nighttime wasn't what it used to be anymore. It was more like a twilight out there.

He felt something in his hair as he sniffled, a cold firm set of fingers that were gently stroking on his head back and forth slowly, like he was being petted. Cadwell was sitting on the bed, two of its arms dangling off the edge, creating a lap for Adam to lay his head on, while one was draped over his back and the other was being used to gently comfort him.

"Were you having a nightmare, Master Adam?" Cadwell asked in a quite tone of voice. It's claw fingers continued to gently stroke over Adams hair.

Adam could only nod with a whimper as he clutched at Cadwell like he was a frightened child.

"I heard you call for Stuart, before you decided to startle me by screaming. I take it he was the source of your fright?" Cadwell asked again as it continued to gently stroke.

"Stuarts dead" Adam croaked softly. "In the river. He's gone. Like everyone else" he croaked again as he clutched gently at Cadwells arm under his head, wrapping his fingers around it and holding on as best he could.

"They're all gone.... everyone" he said, his voice croaking again. He curled himself up a little further, pulling himself into a ball. "I .... I don't have anyone left" he whimpered as he held himself as close to the robot that he was able to do.

He felt the robots clawed fingers stroke his hair gently before those claws gently slid under his chin and guided his gaze upwards towards the robots surviving eyes.

"You are not alone Master Adam. I am still here. And I am still in service to you. I do not plan to leave you for anything other then a just cause" Cadwell said to him, the lights in his dome glowing softly with each word.

Adam sniffed soflty as he hugged his arms around Cadwells sides, just hugging onto him as hard as he was able to to the robots kind words.

"Thank you Cadwell" Adam sniffed again as he felt those clawed fingers stroke through his hair again. "I...I am glad you're here" he said softly, his voice croaking again with each word. His throat felt raw from everything that had happened.

"I must admit, Master Adam, that I know how much young Master Stuart meant to you" Cadwell said. Adam paused his breathing for a moment as he slowly looked up. Both of Cadwells eyes were focused on him in the dim twilight of the night as he felt that clawed hand gently hold onto his shoulder.

"You.... you knew about us?" Adam asked slowly. He suddenly got a bad feeling in his stomach, a hollow pit that was growing rather steadily at the thought of everyone knowing that the two of them had been together.

"I'm surprised your parents didn't find out" Cadwell said to him. "Of all the times young Master Stuart spent the weekend over, you only had one bed in the room" he pointed out. "And his sleeping bag was never used either. And the looks that you tended to give one another when you thought no-one was watching. It was rather obvious, young master, that you two were, indeed, involved."

Adam .... did not know what to say to that. He actually felt for a moment that he was unable to breathe properly. And somewhat sick as well. He had honestly thought that no-one knew aside from himself and Stuart. But...but Cadwell knew the whole time?

"You... you knew.... oh god.... oh god you knew" Adam said as he started to pant a little. "Oh god.... you... oh god what you must think of me.... oh dear god...." Adam said as he clutched at his face in both hands as he took several deep breathes through his fingers. "God I feel so ashamed" he whimpered as he brought his hands away from his face and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

The lights in Cadwells dome began to flash that bright angry red as it slowly rose above the bed. The arm with the blade began to twitch back and forth on the carpet. The buzz saw began to slowly grind in a spin, then it began to pick up speed.

Adam quickly scrambled backwards, seeing the flashing lights of Cadwells fury begin to get even brighter as the robot seemed to be gearing up for yet another outburst of anger. He pushed himself up against the wall, seeing the eyes on the robot glare at him from behind the dome.

Cadwell hovered above the bed, the blade on the floor starting to whip back and forth like an angry snake that was just daring for something to move. The buzz saw was spinning around so fast the blade was nothing short of a blur. And the gun was already dripping petrol onto the ruined carpet like it was about to start spewing like a fountain.

Adam was very sure he was going to get hurt as he could do nothing but whimper in fear at the sight of the agrivated Mr Handy.

But then Cadwells lights suddenly flickered back to yellow as its arms dropped to the floor rather suddenly, going limp as if the robot had forgotten how to use them. The buzz saw stopped turning and fell silent as the robots gazed turned towards him.

"Master Adam, I do not think any less of you now then I did when I saw you yesterday, or even when I saw you two hundred years ago. It is actually rather hurtfull to me that you would think I'd consider you and Stuart together being something to be ashamed of" it said rather promptly.

"You.... you don't mind?" Adam asked slowly as he very carefully lowered himself back down on the bed and carefully uncurled himself from himself.

"Mind? Of course I don't mind you silly noggin" Cadwell said, its voice sounding rather amused from the assumption. "My core programming consists on only two functions. To do what is right by you, and to do what will make you happy."

"Stuart was someone that made you happy. And to me, that seemed right. So there was no reason to raise any objections about it, at least from my standpoint. Your parents though, they may have had a different idea about it, come to think of it" Cadwell said as its voice trailed off.

"Did...did you tell them?" Adam asked slowly as he hugged himself with his arms. He had that sick feeling in his stomach again at the thought of his parents knowing, if Cadwell was designed to gossip about such things.

"Of course not, I saw it as your business" Cadwell said to him. "It was your business to tell your parents about your interest in the boy next door, and when you were capable of doing so, I would have voiced my support of you" it said firmly.

Adam did not know what to say as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Cadwell had not only known the hole time, but he had actually found no reason to consider it wrong? He could sort of see why Cadwell had gotten angry with him assuming that the robot would have had a problem with the situation. Although he still felt nervous with how close the robot had come to violence.

"Cadwell, thank you" Adam said as he wiped his eyes again, a small smile on his weary face. "I really did need a pick me up like that. I'm starting to feel better already, even it is just a little" he said.

"The fire of our victories makes us warm and content. But the fuel of our losses makes us burn harder in our fights" Cadwell said to him. The alignment of his eyes and the soft flickering of his circuits gave Adam the impression that the robot was somewhat smug with himself. Adam just chuckled and shook his head a little.

"Have you been reading my comics? That's from Grolgar" he pointed out.

"Issue number ninety-five: Grolgar the Barbarian Orc and the Talons of the Harpy Seductress" Cadwell exlaimed, his tone of voice containing a good measure of pride. "Not...all of your comics ended up getting destroyed in the nuclear dust cloud. And I did seem to have an abundance time to kill, so to speak" it said.

"And that message from Grolgars father to his son did seem appropriate advice for this occasion. Although I'm sure that in this instance you are not a barbarian orc without clothing who was ravaged against his will by a bird woman with rather astounding....assets" Cadwell admitted.

Adam couldn't help but chuckle to that. That had been one very interesting issue to be sure. But he was feeling better.

"You are right though, in a way" he admitted with a small smile on his face. "And thank you for making me feel better."

"That's the spirit. I must say you look a hundred times better when you smile" Cadwell said as it floated off the bed properly and hovered over the floor at the right height. "Now, you really should attempt to get some more sleep, hopefully the kind without nightmares."

"Cadwell... could you just stay here, in the room with me?" Adam asked him as he carefully laid himself back on the mattress. "I....I feel better with you around" he admitted.

"I feel the same way with you Master Adam. I believe that we're good for each other" Cadwell said as it simply hovered in the air, its arms dangling just above the floor. "Perhaps having you around will prevent me from having discussions with myself. I am growing rather tired of having one sided arguements" it said.

"Thank you Cadwell" Adam said with a smile as he suddenly felt the exhaustion of the day and the nights horrors crash into him like a small freight train. His eyelids became so heavy that he just couldn't keep them open any long as he slid his arm under his head and felt himself start to fall down into the void of sleep.

He was glad that Cadwell had decided to stay with him. The robot was a good thing.... no, he was a good person.

A somewhat crazy, metal person with deadly implements on his arms.

There were thankfully no more nightmares to disturb him during his sleep as the rest of the night managed to pass by without any incident. Although, when he did eventually wake up, he didn't feel all that much refreshed. He felt more like he had just slept during the afternoon when he wasn't supposed to be.

Daylight was streaming through the window, but the sky was still pale and empty. And it didn't feel any warmer or cool then it had the day before. If he hadn't actually slept the night before, he could have sworn there was no real difference. The Pip-Boy was still playing the classical music, although now it was violins. He clicked the dial to turn off the noise and yawned again as he stood up off the bed, groaning a bit.

His head felt like it was full of cotton, and his mouth felt even worse. He could actually feel his lips stick together as he slowly stretched his cramped body. His stomach was growling rather severely. It had been far, far too long since he had last eaten or drunk anything.

"Here boy. Here boy."

Adam stared dumbfounded through the window of his room as he saw Cadwell suddenly fly past, apparently chasing something with his blade held high like he was wielding a club. Adam forgot about his tired body the moment he saw the robot fly past as he bent over his ruined desk and leant out the window to see what was going on.

"Here boy. Come here boy" Cadwell was shouting as the robot was apparenlty chasing what looked like a pink naked ....pig? running down the ruined street. "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you" Cadwell shouted at the running creature as it and Cadwell disappeared behind one of the houses and out of Adams view.

"What in the world?" Adam said out loud, just as he heard a rather messy sounding animal scream and the sound of what could have been paint splashing on the wall, as well as Cadwells rather victorious sounding "Ah Hah." Adam saw him re-emerge and hover his way back towards the house, carrying a new dead pink skinned ...thing from his claw and dripping blood down the sidewalk.

"Ah, Master Adam. You're up. I hope your hungry. I have breakfast" Cadwell said triumphantly as he hovered through the front door.

"That thing, breakfast?" Adam said in disbelief as he pulled his head out of the window. He really did not want to know what that pink thing was, but his stomach grumbled again at the thought of actually eating, and his hunger won over his natural feeling queasiness.

The kitchen had actually been cleaned up somewhat during the night, which must have been what Cadwell had been doing before Adam had woken up. The floor had been swept, revealing the nuclear fallout scarred wood that Cadwell had pointed out. The broken furniture had all been removed from the open area, leaving only the televsion, the couch and one chair for the kitchen table.

"Did you clean up?" Adam asked as he stepped into the much cleaner space. It was cleaner to be sure, but it was obvious that the house had suffered. And with the absence of the broken furniture, it was a lot more spacious. He could actually see the broken furniture through the kitchens window, the discarded objects strewed over the lawn in a haphazard way.

"Well, you are home now Master Adam. I no longer have a reason to slack off, as you say" Cadwell said as he dropped the creature onto the kitchen counter, spreading it out across the surface as blood dripped down onto the floor.

"What in the world is that thing?" Adam said as he got to have a look at 'breakfast'.

"A naked mole rat" Cadwel said proudly.

"That is a disgusting animal" Adam said as he stared at it. The creature was the size of a medium dog, and it was completely furless. Its saggy pink skin reminded Adam of a chicken in the butchers shop. It was very fat though, which did not seem to fit with the saggy skin. And its head was just disturbing to look at. Its mouth was taking up most of its head, and it had two giant beaver sized teeth protruding outwards. The rest of its face was covered in wrinkles so thick it covered the things eyes. If it even had them.

Then Cadwells blade came down and there was a splatter of blood as the head was severed rather easily. And it made Adams stomach churn in the wrong way.

"I'm happy to report that I found a spare change of clothing for you. I left them in your parents bedroom, as I didn't want to wake you up" Cadwell said as he started to slice up the dead creature, the rats intestines getting pulled through a fresh slice in its stomach.

Adam could not get out of there quick enough as he backed away from the grotesque sight and made his way to his parents room as quickly as he was able to, hearing the sound of messy carving going on behind him. There must have been a lot of blood in that fat naked creature.

His parents room, Adam rarely went into it. It was one of those off limit places that you just didn't go into, because even just opening the door his parents were able to tell that it happened. He got the feeling of being out of place again as he opened the door, the metal hinges squealing so loudly Adam wondered how he had slept through them getting opened.

There was a large obvious hole in the wall that looked like it had been dug through from the outside, which was possibly where the mole rats had dug in as Cadwell had pointed out. The floor was covered in dirt and the bones of several small animals. And it smelt. Badly.

The bed was tilted, the sheets rotted and the mattress had been chewed through by probably even more rats. The chest of drawers was laying face down on the floor, a hole in the back from where the rats had gotten through.

And against the wall, lay Tommys crib. The blue baby bed was missing several wooden spokes, and the rocket themed mobile only had one rocket left hanging on it. The teddy bear that Adam had bought him was sitting in the cornor, covered in dust and looking so sad without his little brother to play with it that Adam couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

"Tommy.... where are you?" Adam said softly as he picked up the teddy bear and held it in his hands. How the teddy had survived, Adam didn't know. But he didn't care. "Where could you possibly be? Why did they take you?" he asked the bear. But the plush animal didn't reply. He didn't want to put it back in the crib where it would be lonely. Instead he crossed back to his room and placed the bear on his desk after dusting him clear of dust.

He returned to his parents ruined bedroom and found the pile of clothing that Cadwell had managed to find for him. Sitting ontop of them was the gun that he had dropped, as well as the spare clips. Cadwell must have picked those up as well. The robot had been busy during the night.

How these clothes managed to survive without being turned to rags Adam did not know. Especially considering that almost everything he had encountered so far had been reduced to nothing but scraps. But he didn't want to bother wondering about such things. He picked up the clothing in his arms and carried them across to his bedroom.

Cadwell must have scrounged them up from around the neighborhood during the night, as some of the clothing was definitely not his size. Or his gender. So they were easy enough to put aside. There was a pair of suede coloured pants that looked about his size, so he kept those.

There was a dark grey polo shirt that looked a size smaller then he was, but it was the only shirt that wasn't a girls shirt. Or could possibly pass as one, so it was kept. At the bottom of the pile was a black coat that looked like it could possibly have been made out of leather. But he wasn't sure. But it looked like it would fit.

Adam slowly unzipped the vault suit that he had been wearing and slid it down his body. It reminded him of how tight it was as it seemed to peel from his body like a second skin, and as it was peeled off he felt his body actually breathe a sigh of relief as it was removed. It really had been that snug.

There was no extra underwear in the pile, so Adam had to make do with what he was already wearing. He didn't bother asking Cadwell about the possibility of having a bath or a shower. Neither were bound to be working anyways. And he couldn't be sure, but if there was any kind of water that wasn't radioactive out there, he didn't feel like he could waste it cleaning himself.

The clothing did fit, although the shirt was a size too small so it felt as snug as the suit had been. But he didn't want to complain if this was all that there was. Maybe he'd find new clothes out there somewhere. Or if he didn't, it would have to do. The coat felt cool though. His father would never have approved of such a thing, and he couldn't help but imagining the immense look of displeasure for him to be wearing such a thing.

His fingers ran through his mane a few times, hissing a little under his breath from the knots that had formed that he had to pull out. His teeth felt kind of gross, like he hadn't cleaned them in a long time. It was only the morning and already Adam was missing all the little things he used to do each day to get ready in the morning.

He picked up the gun last and made sure that the clip was full and the gun loaded. There was only a couple of clips left, the ghoul had a full clip emptied into it the previous day and somehow it had lived. What if he ran into another one? Or something worse?

"Master Adam, breakfast is ready for you" Cadwell called out from the kitchen.

"Oh boy" Adam said, suddenly feeling another sense of dread. What the heck did naked mole rat even taste like? Did he even want to find out? But then he remembered that Cadwell had a short fuse now, and if he didn't turn up to eat it, he might end up setting the house on fire. With Adam in it. He sighed and tucked the gun into one of the pockets of the coat and left his bedroom.

"Here you are Master Adam. And I have purified some water for you, so you can keep your liquids up" Cadwell said as Adam walked back into the kitchen. The table had been set, kind of. A plate covered in what looked like barbecued steaks and a large cracked water jug filled with water.

"You purified water?" Adam asked as he pulled the chair back and settled himself into it.

"One of my many functions that I was not aware of" Cadwell said as he ran the buzz saw into the kitchen sink, bright red splattering everywhere. "It should be perfectly safe enough for you to drink without suffering the effects of radiation poisoning" he said as he ground up the remains of the mole rat in the sink.

"Now eat up. You need your strenght" Cadwell said firmly as the buzz saw whirred through what sounded like guts and bones in the sink. Adam only gulped as he picked up the fork next to his plate and poked at the barbecued meat a few times before closing his eyes and placing a chunk into his mouth.

It didn't taste too badly he found. He could taste the char from, he assumed it was the flame thrower that cooked the meat, and it was somewhat tough. But it had the taste of beef that was out of its prime and just going off. Not bad, but not good either. Just bearable enough to eat.

But his growling stomach pushed all thoughts of the fact he was eating a naked mole rat and just started eating. He couldn't really afford to go any furhter without eating or drinking, and now was not a time for him to be picking.

"Master Adam, a thought occurred to me this morning" Cadwell said as he cut the buzz saw off and then actually managed to pick up the kitchen sink from the counter. The contents gurgled inside it as Cadwell carried it towards the back door beside the kitchen. "When you spoke of your parents yesterday, you did not mention anything about young Tommy" he said as he easily tossed the contents of the sink out of the door and across the scorched ground. The ground was easily painted red with the well pureed mole rat.

"Tommy.... Tommy was taken" Adam said once he swallowed the lump of meat in his throat. He took a drink straight from the pitcher, swallowing several large and long mouthfulls of the room temperature water. His stomach filled very quickly before he finished with a long sigh of relief.

"Whoever.... whoever shot mother.... he took Tommy with him... and left me behind" Adam said as he put the pitcher down. The water tasted a little bland, like it had no minerals or vitamins in it. "I have no idea where he is. Or even where to look" he admitted.

Cadwell said nothing as he placed the sink back into its position before he turned and hovered over beside Adam.

"How about we go find him?" he suggested. Adam looked up at him.

"You want to go look for him?" he asked. "As in, together?"

"Of course. He's my young master as well. And he will be in desperate need of his older brother. And quite possibly a changing as well" Cadwell said. "And yes, we should do this together. You do not seem capable of defending yourself, and I am quite well equippped to handle a threat" Cadwell pointed out ot him.

Adam really couldn't deny that.

"Where would we even start?" he asked as he pushed the last couple of mouthfulls of meat into his mouth and chewed them down. He had absolutely no idea where to even begin as he chewed the mole rat meat. "Is there even anything out there to even begin looking at?" he asked once he swallowed the last of the meat.

"I suggest we start at Concord" Cadwell said to him. "It is the closest town to your home, and the locals there have only shot at me a few times when I last visited" he said.

"There are people out there?" Adam asked. "Actual people out there? As in living people? And they shot at you? Why would they do that?" Adam asked as he let out his small barrage of questions at Cadwell.

"I was unable to ask why they shot at me" Cadwell explained. "They didn't seem interested in letting me get close. And they were rather rude, shouting the most foul obscenities at me" he explained. "I would not ask you to go there unescorted for fear they would do the same to you. And you are not capable of surviving being shot" he said.

Adam nodded as he pushed his chair back and slowly stood up, feeling his stomach settle from such a large meal. If there was a place to head to, then it would be Concord to start.

"Alright. Lets go. It's a good place to start" he said to Cadwell. The roboys circuitry glowed, showing how happy he was to accompany Adam.