[quote name='pishowda']pretty cool! what did you have to do?[/QUOTE]
Had to write a short story of 1000 words or less using the Fallout "world" as the backdrop:
Michael hunched down behind the remains of a wall that used to keep the school children protected from the outside world during recess. The mass of concrete was now cracked and crumbling in places, huge chunks of the wall are now missing creating a network of cubbyholes. He knew it was dangerous to be on the streets after midnight, but now it was more dangerous during the daytime. "Da, where are we going? My feet hurt." Michael turned and saw his son, Javan, standing up in plain sight. "J-Bob, I know your feet hurt but you need to stay low. We'll be stopping soon." Javan nodded and sat down next to his father. They have been on the run all day, Michael was actually surprised at the stamina his son had for his age.
The school looked empty; the only movement he could make out was the creaking of the swing set. "Stay close J-Bob," Michael whispered as he motioned for his son to follow him through a hole in the wall that was barely large enough for his frame. They quickly made their way across the playground to the large wooden doors. From the looks of the doors, they had been locked securely at one point, but someone or something had to get inside in a hurry. Slowly Michael swung the left door inward, trying hard not to cause the door to squeak.
Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, Michael stepped inside the front hall with Javan tagging close behind. The hallway echoed with their footfalls as they carefully checked each classroom. All of the classrooms were ransacked and covered in graffiti. Michael and Javan made quick work of checking all the desks and closets for anything useful. Javan found a pair of gloves and a comic book, which he deftly slid into his back pocket for later reading. Michael found a few things: some pencils and rulers for firewood, a couple of ancient (but hopefully edible) candy bars, and locked in the bottom of a teacher's desk drawer he found a gun & a few bullets.
Michael wiped a tear from his eye as he gripped the handle of the ancient revolver. This had to be a sign from above, and a comforting sign at that. Just then they heard some rustling above them, coming from the second floor. Michael whispered to Javan to stay still as he poked his head out into the hallway. He caught a quick glimpse of a figure climbing the stairs to the second floor. Michael pulled his head back into the classroom and slouched against the wall. "Javan, I need to take a look upstairs. If I don't come back in 10 minutes, wait until light and keep moving. You know the way to grandpa's house in Old Towne. Remember to travel out of sight. I love you." Michael winked at Javan to assure him, silently sneaking out into the hallway, staying as close to the wall as he could to avoid being detected.
Michael could hear faint voices talking as he entered the stairwell. Slowly he crept up the broken concrete stairs, trying as hard as he could to blend into the darkness. As he made his way up the stairs, the talking turned into shouting. He could hear scuffling and the moans of someone as they hit the floor. In what seemed like an eternity, he had made his way to the top landing. Shadows danced along the hallway in the flickering light of a small fire.
Peering down the hallway, he saw a group of Scavs surrounding a Super Mutant lying on the floor bound with a crude rope made from what looked like old bed sheets. “Where is your base? Speak up! Where is it!” an older Scav said as he kicked the Super Mutant in the stomach. “Miles, let’s take a break. We’ve been interrogating this “thing” for the past 12 hours. Give it a rest for a while. He will tell us soon enough, if not, then he will take that secret with him to hell.”
Michael decided he was going to take a chance. Javan and he had been on the run since the massacre of their village by the Enclave a year ago. They were a group of desert farmers, enemies to none except those wishing for their own peace & happiness in the bleak wasteland. But those days were dashed in an instant as he watched his own people mowed down like dominoes. Even his wife could not escape the hail of gunfire as the Verti-Birds unloaded on their small village.
He mustered up all of his courage and slowly approached the fire with his hands palm-side up. "Hello," he said in a soft but firm voice, "Please don't be frightened. My son and I have been on the run and are looking for a safe place to crash for awhile." The group quickly stood in a defensive position brandishing what weapons they had: sharpened sticks, a metal ruler securely tied to the end of pool cue, broken bottles, etc. The leader of the group stepped forward and looked Michael up and down to assess whether he was telling the truth or not. Michael had hidden the pistol in the waistband of his pants, praying his clothing would camouflage the lump of the handle.
Miles stepped forward and peered into Michael’s eyes for the longest time before a broad smile appeared across his dirt-ridden & scarred face. "Welcome to our fold. I am Miles and these are the other Scavs. I can see that you're hungry, come over to the fire. We don't have much, but we are always glad to share." Michael was about sit down when he remembered Javan. “Wait, I have to get my son. He's hiding out in one of the classrooms downstairs." "Take this," Miles said as he held out a small flashlight, "Keep the light to a minimum, the fanatics are heavy in this area."
I'd like to expand the story someday...
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