FO4 | Book 1: Bombs on Monday Morning ✔️

Ch 3: Time in a Bottle

Everything went almost pitch black on the elevator ride below. It took several seconds to reach the end. When we finally stopped, all was quiet.

Nate whispered, "We did it," with a look of astonishment plain on his face. "We made it. We're okay."

I laced my fingers together and looked up above in silent prayer, thanking God that we were alive. If we had waited a moment later or if that salesman hadn't shown up when he did... I shuddered to think of how we would have wound up.

A man in a lab coat at the elevator's rising gate asked us to step off the platform. "Welcome. I'm the Overseer. Everyone please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion. No need to worry, folks. We'll get everyone situated in your new home. Vault 111 — a better future underground."

Some of the group of survivors were still crying, some were calmed down by now. I personally struggled with my current state of reality, standing in silent shock.

Mr. Russel spoke up. "So... we just...?"

"Yes," replied the Overseer. "Up the stairs."

"I can't believe it..." Mr. Able mumbled. "If we had left a minute later... we'd all be —"

"No, no!" The Overseer waved his hands. "Don't get caught up thinking about all that. You're safe now. Everyone just head up these stairs, and through the door there."

I rested my hand on my husband's arm. Nate and I walked side by side with Shaun in his arms up the stairs. We were positioned in the middle of the group. I felt somehow comforted and allowed this bubble of human companionship to consume me and calm my nerves. All the while, I subtly admired Nate's protectiveness of our baby.

A prerecorded female voice spoke overhead on the loudspeakers above as we made our way up the stairs. "Vault-Tec is here for you. All new residents please proceed in an orderly fashion. Welcome home!"

Vault-Tec operatives in blue and yellow jumpsuits mumbled to themselves as they fiddled with our machinery and high-tech screens. One in front of us motioned a few people to the table to our right, where another person was handing out the same jumpsuits to the new arrivals.

I stepped up when it was our turn. Nate was right behind me. The nice woman there handed me a suit and told me to head straight down the hall. I handed Nate his jumpsuit, and he followed me.

"Alright, you three. Follow me," said a gray-haired doctor in the hall.

Shaun started cooing in Nate's arms.

"See? This is our new home..." Nate whispered absently to Shaun.

The doctor spoke up as we walked. "Oh, you're going to love it here. This is one of our most advanced facilities. Not that the others arent' great, mind you..."

"How long do you think we'll be down here?" Nate asked.

"Oh, we'll be going over all of that in orientation. Just a few medical items we have to get through first."

Inside the Vault, it looked less like a housing facility and more like a laboratory. The walls were made of metal, and the door frames were thick, white plastic with large metal screws holding them into their frames. You could see the pipes on the walls that supplied the Vault's water and oxygen. Metal and plastic boxes and containers littered the edges of the halls as if they hadn't even finished unpacking the essentials. Everything looked... strange. They made it sound like it was an underground five-star hotel when they advertised it.

We finally came to the end of the hall where a large room awaited us. It was considerably chillier than the rest of the Vault so far. Inside were large chambers that lined the walls. Tubes and electrical wiring connected to the back of the chambers in tangled heaps. A fine, white mist surrounded us inside the room.