2277/08/17 - Hindsight is 20-20

After yesterday's entry, I finally saw what was on the other side of that old wooden door. It was late afternoon by then, though what I'd just seen inside the vault felt like it had happened days ago. Mr. Brotch never really went into much detail about what happened during the Great War. I don't think the Overseer liked him talking about things that happened outside of 101. I wasn't really expecting the place to look like it did. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, to be honest.

I stood there, on some "scenic lookout" outside the tunnel, long enough that my legs started to feel stiff. That's when I realized that in my flight I should have tried to grab something to eat or drink. Here I was, locked out of the only safety I knew of, having not eaten in half a day. Seeing what was left of a town (what the old map system on my Pip-Boy called "Springvale," I later found out), I made my way toward it. The road was littered with burned-out cars. I found a refrigerator with some old cans of cram and tore into them like they were the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten.

That's when I started hearing this weird radio playing in the background. Sounded like a recording of somebody playing a flute. There was this round robot floating up and down the streets in town, playing music. I hid from it for a while before I realized it was totally ignoring me. By then it had switched to talking about somebody named John Henry Eden, who said he was the current President. The last I'd heard of America having a President was before the bombs fell.

It was getting dark by then, and I was starting to worry that my first night outside the Vault was going to be spent curled up in the corner of a blown-out house, hoping nothing attacked me in the night and trying to ignore the robot. That's when I saw the metal sign by what might have been a fuel station, a big rusty thing with "Megaton" spraypainted across it and an arrow leading up, away from town. I had no idea what this Megaton was, but it sounded like there might be actual people living out in the wasteland.

I followed this and a few more signs, which led me to a big, dark junkpile of a place with a funny glow from inside. I almost shot the Protectron outside when it welcomed me to the town, as I hadn't even noticed it on my approach. I have to be more careful about things like that. Not paying attention could probably get me killed quickly.

I'm writing this from inside its walls. The place was really quiet when I came in. People walking around, doing their business. Other than glancing at me every so often, nobody seemed to care that I was there. The place was kind of odd, all funny angles and buildings sticking out, on supports that didn't look like they enjoyed holding the weight. I found a nice quiet place to myself under a house near the gates. With any luck, I'll be asleep before someone finds me.