Fallout 4 Journal (2015)

Fallout Diary Day 1:

Awakening in confusion and fear, I scavenged everything I could, with the ever present knowledge that at any point I could become over encumbered, but not sure which items would be most important. With the tragic events that had occurred what seemed only seconds ago still fresh in my mind, I had only one purpose - to find that which was stolen from me. I was able to arm myself and fend off a swarm of mutated roaches long enough to emerge into the light and become witness to the desolate wasteland I had left behind.

The ruins of my once lively neighborhood sprawled before me - a junk graveyard of forgotten memories. The silence was nearly deafening as I crossed through the archway that had prevented so many of my friends from finding refuge - but no more deafening than their frightened shouts and confusion still lingering in my recent memory.

In a daze, I wandered through the remnants of Sanctuary Hills, foolishly hoping to find someone alive, or to find some trace of...him. Stocking up on as many items as I felt might be necessary to survive in this barren new world of mine, I swallowed my heart and headed in the direction my home once stood.

To my surprise, Codsworth was still in one piece. Although seemingly shaken, or malfunctioning, he filled me in on everything I had missed - for what appeared to be a much longer time than I had even begun to realize. Could everything I had ever known really be gone...forever?

As night fell, I knew I should probably rest up and fortify the area around me. Tomorrow, at day break, I would start fresh and head toward Concord, to see what was left of humanity as I had once known it.

Fallout Diary Day 2 Part 1

I barely slept more than an hour. My dreams were plagued by a twisted labyrinth of fragmented memories. Flashes of light, screams of terror and confusion, nightmare roaches, a desolate expanse in place of everything I once knew and...the two souls I loved most in this world, taken away before my eyes. The suffocation of being entombed while the world decayed around me.

Rolling off the dirty mattress I had thrown into a corner, I ran my hands through my hair and tried to center myself. It was colder than anything I had ever felt before. Without the protection of a solid shelter or the comforts of blankets or electricity I felt more exposed than if I had been completely naked. It was still night, but the sky was clear and the moon pierced through the veil as though it were an empathetic soul of the departed, providing its small comfort of illumination to chase away the shadows.

I don't think I will ever grow accustomed to the sound of the death of humanity. Where once the sounds of planes overhead, cars rumbling by, children laughing, and the low murmur of a lively neighborhood once flourished, there now hung an unsettling heaviness. The only companion I had was the subtle howl of the wind whipping through the ruins, and the gentle whirring of Codsworth nearby.

I had planned to rest the night and leave at first light, but instead I took my inability to sleep as an opportunity to improve my surroundings. I had slept 200 years, now was the time for action.

I spent the rest of nightfall scavenging collapsed houses and the scraps of metal, rubber, and wood littered around the neighborhood. I managed to patch up a few holes in the roof of my house and the home I had turned into a garage of sorts. The work helped to distract me from the pounding fear in my head that I was completely alone in this world. Surely others must be alive out there somewhere..

Before I knew it, the sun was filling the sky. I stored most of my items in a toolbox in my garage and began my trek toward Concord. I was no more than halfway out of the town before I noticed how strangely beautiful everything was, in its quiet, fresh way. The world I had known was gone, and this new world was frightening and lacking the color of life. Yet I could not help but appreciate the silence of a new beginning.

Fallout Diary Day 2 Part 2

Despite the footprint of humanity having been erased, I couldn't help but notice that life had endured. A flock of birds danced through the clouds into the distance, which brought on a feeling of peace. I have always enjoyed the sight of the most free of creatures, soaring through the heavens.

Passing the Red Rocket gas station just outside of town, I noticed there was a chestnut colored dog sniffing around the area. He caught sight of me, and rushed to greet me. His demeanor was friendly and non aggressive. Startled at first, I was immediately overcome with emotion, and collapsed into him, hugging his rough fur to my face. He pulled back and and I felt his warm tongue on my face, kissing away my salty tears. Suddenly, I no longer felt alone in this strange world.

Concord sprawled below the foot of the hill the gas station rested on. I gave it a quick scan, but could see no signs of life. Most of the buildings were collapsed or boarded up with no entry, however I managed to find several useful items in one of the old shops. While on the second floor, I heard shouting outside. I quickly crouched low and peered through one of the windows.

Two men were shouting toward the end of the road, threatening what seemed to be a group of people holed up inside of an old war museum. Before I knew it, I had unloaded a round into the exposed torso of one of the men, piercing his heart. He dropped with a sickening thud to the ground, and I watched, horrified, as the light faded from his eyes. His companion, startled, began running toward my building. I flew back into cover with my back against the wall, breathing heavily and quivering. I held the shaking gun in the direction of the stairwell entrance, waiting for death.

In the flash of what had seemed like an eternity, my dog was flying down the stairs to meet our attacker with bared fangs and sharp claws. I heard the man scream once, then go silent. Moments passed. My friend came back up to greet me, his muzzle crimson stained. I realized then that I had been holding my breath, and exhaled heavily. After a few minutes, I stood up slowly, and descended the stairs.

The man lay in a pool of his own blood; his throat had been ripped out. A queasy feeling passed over me, but I forced myself to check his pockets for anything useful. I sat on the ground next to his body, still warm to the touch, and stared into the earth. I had taken a life. I did not know what had possessed this man to come here, and threaten these people, and now I never would. What if he was like me? Lost and confused in this desolate wasteland, trying to find a shred of hope to hold onto? What if he was a good man, driven to the brink by his need to survive...how was I any different than he was now?

A man's voice shook me from my thoughts. I turned my gaze toward the war museum to see a tall man in a cowboy hat peering at me from the balcony. He was motioning me toward him.

I took a deep breath and glanced at the two men whose deaths I was responsible for. I had committed myself to those people when I took these mens' lives. Standing up, I dusted myself off and headed in the direction of the panicked survivors, leaving my decision behind me.

Fallout Day 2 Part 3

Opening the museum door caused time to slow down. A heavy trepidation hung over me as I walked into a possible trap. So far, my experience with the modern example of humanity had not been very pleasant.

I was greeted with a barrage of bullets flying overhead. The raiders had already entered the building and were advancing toward the group of survivors.

When I think back to this moment, I can't find myself in the chaos. Before I entered the vault, I was a human being. It was multiple lifetimes ago, but I guess I had hoped I could hold onto that person. Within a breath, I was a monster, snuffing out life as I advanced forward. How many of these people were brothers, or daughters, or had children of their own? Whose heart would sink when they realized the ones they loved were never coming home? In the blinding panic of survival and rescue, I couldn't help but imagine that Shaun might grow up feeling the same thing.

In a flash, it was over. I stood amongst a sea of carnage, and only I was to blame.

The group of people I was fighting to reach turned out to be a sorry sight - An older woman, two adults clearly distraught, and two men; only one of which seemed to possess any immediate strength. The Minutemen. That's what they call themselves. They had been headed toward Sanctuary Hills when they were forced to hole up inside the museum. My fate seemed intrinsically entwined with these people. I learned my dog had a name: Dogmeat, and that he had apparently been sent to find me. The older woman, who called herself Mama Murphy, claimed I have a destiny.

A destiny...

I'm just a broken soul, displaced in time, trapped in an alien world.

I just want to find Shaun.

And that is when the blood curdling roar ripped through the silence.

Fallout Day 2 Part 4

I escorted the Minutemen back to the town to make sure they didn't encounter anymore raiders. Now that I was well equipped with an ancient suit of Power Armor, I felt it was my duty to see that they came to no harm. I had crossed a line when I took my first life and there was no going back.

It is inconceivable how anyone was even still alive in this wasteland. My mind was still reeling from what I witnessed. A fearsome, mutated behemoth with claws like death, towering above me. Without the Power Armor, I would have never stood a chance. And yet these people, these Minutemen...they crossed this expanse with barely anything but the clothes on their backs.

Determination is a powerfully motivating condition of the human race. It was the only thing that fueled me after waking from a centuries long sleep to crawl out from my tomb and see the light of day again. I had to find Shaun. But I also had a new mission - to protect these people. Whether it was an inherent sense of duty, or atonement for the lives I had taken, I could not say. I just needed to know that there was some good still left in this world.

We spent the rest of daylight patching up holes and building beds from the supplies we had scavenged. For the first time since I had awoken, I felt almost happy. It felt good to be working toward a sense of community in this war torn reality. Despite the visual reminder, things almost felt normal.

And then, as the sun sunk below the trees, the sky turned a dark green, and a haze permeated the town. Emerald lightening scorched the heavens and illuminated the miasma of radiation. Panicking, I entered my Power Armor and cowered under shelter until the radstorm had passed. Even after the stars had returned to poke holes into the obsidian curtain, I remained in the suit, trying to process what had happened. The Minutemen didn't seem troubled at all, casually moving about the town and completing patchwork.

I felt sick from the brief exposure to radiation, and started to wonder if maybe these people were immune...or at least resistant...to the effects of such a storm. They had been born into this existence, whereas I was a foreign visitor, without the luxury of having been inoculated by a disastrous unnatural cleanse.

After some time, I exited the suit and made my way into the remnants of my old home. Collapsing onto a mattress, I stared into oblivion and felt the tears begin to flood my eyes. Dogmeat nuzzled my arm, and I smiled as he made himself comfortable at the foot of the mattress. Feeling safe for the first time since I had left my stasis pod, I drifted into a dreamless sleep.