Wasteland Greetings and Dogs

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Holotape Entry 2:

Time: 20:46

Date: August 18, 2279

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Today gave me a clear understanding of my environment and some aid to help in my survival. It began as the sun graced the world atop the distant mountain range. Its intense glare and warmth washed over me as I slowly awoke from my deep sleep. I got up to stretch and remember what had happened the previous day. The sight of bloody corpses reminded me as I turned the other-way in remorse. Now that my head had felt better I decided it was time to gather what I could and leave this cursed scrapyard.

I found little else then what I had last night other then some med-x that helped with my pains and a few stimpacks hidden in a dumpster. I carefully walked around the scrapyard, neatly picking every corner to try and find what I could, but alas it was to no avail. I had just moved around a bus as I heard gunfire and men screaming. A shot blasted past my head as I jumped for cover. I figured those were the men that ambushed my team and had come back for me, but as I drew my gun from right pocket, I heard more screams. I slowly peeked my head over the glass-less window of the bus as I saw more shots fly in different directions and what looked like a fight. My vision was impaired by a stack of rusted cars, but the men seemed to be aiming for something fast. They ran around firing and swinging at something out of my viewpoint and as a corpse was thrown out from the skirmish, I knew whatever it was....I had no chance. How humorous now, the wonderful fact I was so wrong.

As I slowly shifted myself towards the back of the bus, the screams stopped. I started to prepare myself to run the opposite direction when a dog ran around the corner towards me. It was a well built dog, it's fur mostly black, and had a rough mutt look to it. I held my gun up, ready to defend myself, but as it got closer I realized it wasn't going to harm me. It made....dog sounds as it stood before me, whimpering. I looked around and tried to reason what to do when an animal kills a group of men and comes to you peacefully. I never did have a pet, animals were not allowed on the base. Only deathclaws, but those were monsters used as weapons....sick bastards....anyways the dog just stood there. I slowly move my hand out, preparing to run at the slightest of hostilities, and patted the dog on its head. The dog barked and wagged its tail in what seemed bliss. I looked around again and reasoned if the dog could take down a group of armed men, it could handle as a good companion.

"Would you like to come with me?" I had asked the dog. It seemed to unreasonable to ask an animal a question, but I guess now there's a first for anything.

"Bark, Bark!" the dog said back.

I stood there for a few seconds, trying to reason it. I decided I wasn't an animal mind reader, so I walked over to the dead men to find out what just happened. The dog followed my every move as I got close to the horrid corpses. They were dirty and rough, with custom clothing made from various fabrics and what seemed to be tires. One man had spikes jetting out around his shoulder. I slowly reached down and grabbed a gun from a woman's grasping hand. It was the same model of gun I was currently in possession of, so it was easy enough to swap around better-working parts. After a few minutes of tinkering, I realized I only had two clips of ammo left. After searching the rest of the bodies, I found only two other clips and what seemed to be a sub-machine gun of the same caliber. Funny how all my life I had spent crafting and repairing various weapons, yet had never used one other then a time or two to make sure they were in working order.

After gathering what I could and leave the useless parts and items left, I made a mental count of what I had with me. A pistol, sub-machine gun, 4 rounds of ammo, 3 stimpacks, 1 med-x, 3 bobby-pins, a knife,my lab-coat, and......a dog. A quick note: everyone in that group seemed to carry a rather large sum of bottle-caps. I wonder if these people really liked nuka-cola? I never did like that stuff, but you have to suffice when everything else is irradiated. As I left the scrapyard, my luck again seemed to be on a high-note. Or so it seemed at the time.

I saw a town in the distance and quickly ran as fast as possible towards it....with the dog following my every-step. As I got close to one of the houses I heard a rather annoying noise. I looked around for the source as an explosion went of close by. Extremely close by. I jumped back....or more stumbled back from it as again my ears rang as they did from the explosion that got me into this situation. I grabbed a stim-pack and injected its continents into me. I felt better for the time being and slowly approached the house. Again the same noise, but this time I had enough time to react. I jumped backwards to see a rather large explosion involving a rusted car. As I glanced further, I found the road next to the house filled with small....blinking lights. *laughing* I decided not to go that way.

So, simply put, I walked in the opposite direct to what was a freeway. As I rounded a rather large boulder....another dog rounded the opposite side. *sighing followed by a pause* I guess due to my last experience with a canine, I didn't react as I should. As it got close I realized it looked more deformed then my companion, its face and body littered with blisters. What happened next was more a blur to me and a survival reaction, but from what I could remember the thing lunged and I shot. As it flew towards me, the bullet hit right in the jaw. This dropped it for the moment, but the thing stood back up! It growled and came for me again, and my mind went blank. I screamed and unloaded a clip into its skull. And well....that was that.

I sat down after my ordeal and caught my breath. I put another clip into my gun and started back on my journey. I figured that was the last and...in a way I was right! I was almost at the freeway when I heard a dog whinning. I did a quick 360 to find my companion being attacked by a whole pack of the deformed dogs. I didn't want to hurt my companion with my horrid aim, so I took my knife out of my right pocket and lunged for the closest one. A quick thrust into the back of its neck and two remained. I was quick to find the second already dead as I slashed for the last. It was a quick and brutal scene, with blood painted all over my once-white labcoat. Now that I think back to it, I was more killing my old self then a simple dog. In a few brutal thrusts I had forgotten everything about comfort and science, and had gone into a primitive state of survival. I had killed close enough to smell it, taste it, and drown in it. No longer can I call myself civilized. I had become what I must to survive. I don't know how I can come to doing the same to a man....to a thinking individual.

Finlay I got to the freeway to find a abandoned refuge. Everything gone except a few tin-cans, shelves, and two mattress. Extremely dirty mattress I must add. It's a disturbing and creepy feeling to be in such a place. It raises many questions of how and what happened to end what seems to be a decent refuge in this barren wastland. I decided with the one-way access and vantage point, this will make a fine place to stay for the night. I figure three more hours of sun-light, but I don't want to risk anything else today. My stomach ached for food and I realized I must eat something. It didn't take a while for me to drag over the carcass of one of the dogs and start a fire by breaking down a wooden barricade. *unintelligible noises* To be honest it isn't half bad when cooked right....to be honest I think I have had this before!

I am going to sign off for now to get a decent rest. With Dioje around I'm sure he will alert me to danger before I can even see it. Oh yes, I had named him. Seemed appropriate since he has been a big help so far. Signing off for now, this is Devs, luckiest man in the world.

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