[Krylo]

This Way Madness Lies

I grab what I need from my room, leaving everything else behind. Judging by the quiet, it should all be safe enough here. And then I'm off.



Glad to see the wasteland hasn't changed while I was away. Still dead as far as the eye can see.

Guess I may as well head back to Arefu. They didn't seem to have much in the way of supplies, but Evan at least deserves to know the truth about Ian... and that he doesn't have to be worried about the family anymore.



Well they seem to have noticed the attacks have stopped--none of them are locked in their houses anymore. Maybe I can get some food and water out of them for free? After all I did save the town.



I walk up to Evan and he looks up at me.

"Never thought I'd be seein' you again, after you disappeared, what, a month ago, now! But... if you don't mind me askin', where abouts Ian? He never came back either..." The old man's voice is quiet, like he's almost afraid to hear the answer. I... don't particularly want to tell him either.

"Evan..." I start, looking off to the side a bit, not wanting to look him in the eyes when I say it. A sigh escapes my lips before I can force the words out. "Ian's dead." I shift my gaze back to the old man. "I... killed him. He was one of them... he's the one who mutilated his parents, he told me so himself."



The old man's demeanor changed quickly, and he pulls assault rifle from his back."You're lyin'! I don't believe a damn word o' it, except maybe that ya killed the boy! He woul.."

"He did! He told me so hims..."

Gun fire. One round being fired, I can feel the cut on my cheek where the old man's bullet passed by, the other residents are looking over too, some of them with hands on their side arms. "Listen, Missy, the only reason you ain't dead right now is you took out that gang for us, and I'm gonna go ahead and believe maybe you didn't kill the boy, but if I ever see you around here again, I'll put a bullet between your eyes."

I just nod dumbly and start off.

I knew he wouldn't be happy... but... this? I saved their lives and THIS is how they act? ...The people in this place... I just wish I was home again.



I wander back into the wasteland. I'm not quite sure where to go now, so I just set off in a random direction.



It isn't long before I find signs of life. An old house being patrolled by people with guns. I doubt they're friendly so I go in low and quiet.



One on the bridge too.



I decide to siddle along the far side of the bridge. Might not see me there.



Damn, more of them here. Busy with a pack of feral dogs.

. . . I'm not feeling lenient.



My burst tears through two of the dogs, and one of those psychos. All three drop instantly.



I don't give the other time to react to the gunfire before filling him with lead a a dog leaps at his face.



However, the remaining dogs decide I'm next on the menu. Gratitude seems to be a rare commodity in the wastelands.

But that doesn't matter, as I have plenty of lead for all of them.

As the last dog falls, however, I hear a sound to my right. Much too close for comfort, I spin and. . .



Christ! My finger pulls back on the trigger as instinct now, as the barrel is directed toward his head, and his face is torn apart before he even knows what's happening.



He was the last one. Finally.




There's no supplies at all in their building. Not even a bed worth sleeping in. Nothing really worth taking other than the flame thrower that one tried to use on me, and an old hunting rifle. Grab some ammo off a couple of them as well.



I sigh and head off as the sun begins to set, and turning into a rocky valley I see a man come running down toward me.





I crane my neck a little and look at his gun, noting the nervousness in his voice, and the way he's shaking. Besides, most of these people just shoot first and ask questions later.

". . .You're missing your clip." I let that float for a second before adding, "And I'm not."

"I'm. . . just gonna go."

"Yeah, probably a good idea," I respond as he nervously lowers his gun and walks away. For a moment I ponder putting a 5.56, or twenty, inbetween his shoulderblades, but I quickly dispel the idea.

I'm not like those crazy bastards I've been shooting. I'm better than that.

I'm not sure why I even thought about doing something like th

He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster, and when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.

. . .I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and look up at the sky.




Air tastes funny. . .


Doesn't matter, night has come to the wasteland. . .



and I can see a nearby cave. Better hide in there for the night.

I wonder if that would-be mugger will survive the night.

. . .I'm not sure why I care, but I hope he does. Guilt for wanting to shoot him, maybe?



A vault?

I decide to see if the entrance console works.



It takes a minute, but it opens.



This... it doesn't seem right. If they all left why was the door still closed and if not... why this? I suddenly feel really happy I took that flame thrower, as I head deeper inside.

A few doors later, a man in a vault uniform comes around the corner. I try to speak to him, he just tries to attack me with a knife. I've got no idea what's going on, but I pull the trigger on my flame thrower.



I hold it on him until it stops working, but the crazed vault dweller just keeps attacking, even as his body is in flames, I run backwards, until my back is against the wall, more and more fire spewing toward him until he finally falls, burning, to the ground.



I'm panting now, the man's crazed attack taking more out of me than I thought possible. I decide to sit against a wall and catch my breath. I drop the flame thrower. It just feels. . . too heavy all of a sudden. Much too heavy.

Still, I know this vault should have some kind of food, ammo, other supplies I can take, but I also need to know what's going on down here. What happened?

Even so, when I move forward again, it's with more caution. Whatever it was turned the vault dwellers into madmen.



Everything goes blue for a minute. What the hell is going on? Is it affecting me too? Will I end up like them.



I should leave... I should... keep going. Deeper. There are good things down here...



Everything's blue again... it's a soothing color... and... Dad?



DAD!



As I reach out to him he vanishes, everything vanishes, the blue fades and I'm left in a dirty room by myself. Just. . . a dirty room.



I run into a few more of the survivors, but, even though they run through pain as though it's nothing as well, this time I was expecting it, and they die pretty easily. I'm going to run out of ammo at this rate, though.



Holstering the pistol I decide to use a baseball bat to conserve ammo.

. . .Wait where'd I get th--mmm, it'll be more fun, who cares?



Soooo much more fu--urgh what am I. . . I'm just. . . did I?

Ugh, gotta keep moving.

I start to feel more myself, but as I enter the living quarters I see more of them. They haven't seen me yet, though. I quietly draw my pistol without putting the bat down, and eliminate them before they have a chance to attack.



But the bat would have been so much more fun. Why don't I use that?

I think I'll use that.



It looks like someone set up a barricade here. The insanity must not have set in on everyone at the same time...



The door behind is locked, however, and I can't get it open. Guess I'll have to find another way around.

As I travel through the winding corridors my curiousity only grows. What could have driven these people to such depths of madness that they'd let the vault fall so far.



I see another one. This one has a sledgehammer and he charges in.



His head makes a hollow thumping noise as I smash the bat against it. It's a pleasing sound.

Thwump.



Thwuuuump.



Everything goes blue again... and the vault looks new. The power is working, everything is where it should be.

I check one of the computer consoles.













And then it stays the same. I power down the console and step away.



It's back to being destroyed.

I move on down the hallway and two more of them run up the steps.



They're close, but why should that stop me from having fun?



Boooom. I can feel blood and bits splatter on my face and exposed torso. It feels good. So good, but one is still alive. One is still fun.



He didn't stay fun for lon--fuugh fun? That. . . I almost blew myself up. I shake my head, trying to clear it out but. . . it's still so foggy. I should. I should check this place out, see what's going on.

I need to know.



They died in bed. There's a gas leak above them, though it doesn't smell like anything dangerous. Just smells nice.

Smells blue.

Blue blue bluuue. . .

Urgh, no. Got tO keEp MovING. . .

I hold my head as I search around, forcing my thoughts back into a proper pattern. I'm going crazy, but I know that, and that means I'm not crazy yet. Just need to figure out what's happening so I can stop it. Fix it. Just have to stay here to find out what's happening. . .



Soon, I find a note on a dresser in one of the other rooms. It talks about a love mist, and the sky being blue. Something about a... cat in his head, and being unable to remember things.

What the hell. . ?

Were they drugged... is that... I should leave. I should get out of here befo... before I feel as happy as they did... Ugh.

I shake my head, trying to free my thoughts from the mist and stumble out of the dorms.




I run. I try to leave. I don't know where I'm going. There's blue... and mist... and the corridors seem to warp around me laughing.



I see more of them. More people. I don't even think anymore, I just attack. I slashthem apart... and it feels good. It feels... happy. The blood splattering on my leather armor, almost as good as it splattering on my ski--

Wait? Leather armor? That's not what I was wearing was it?

When did I--

ARGH! I grab my head with the hand not holding my weapon, shaking it.

NO! I won't lose myself! I can... where...

Blue is such a beautiful color.



The tunnel snakes! They're... they want to hurt me...



I lash out, and they vanish. I begin to laugh. I don't know why...



A scientist? Her too... hehe...

No...

NO...




WHAT IS IT! A ghost... a ghos! I cut and cut and cut... for a moment I feel clarity again... I look down at a woman.



Just a woman, the blood from her body slowly draining away.



Where am I?

Deeper in the facility?

I need to leave.




Blue again... the overseer?




He disappears.




Everything returns to normal and the one computer console, it's screen blinking weakly, calls to me.

It... tells me everything.

This vault was sealed and flooded with psychoactive chemicals ten years after it was sealed. On the day that the doors were to open. It was an experiment to test man's reaction to constant exposure to psychoactive drugs.

But all the vaults were sealed in 2077, and it's now two hundred years later... then how... the survivors?

Were they real?

Is this all... I need to get out. I need to get out.




I stumble through the hallways, barely keeping on my feet. Every ounce of my concentration is on holding my sanity.




I finally escape... the vault door closing behind me as I flee.



I get outside, I can see the sky... but I feel wobbly, weak... I can't...




---------------------------------

Sorry that one took so long. Took me awhile to decide where to go as you guys had no unity in your voting.

Also: Writer's block hit once or twice.


Anyway, we can pretty much end up anywhere now. So up to you guys. Try to get more than two votes for any one place, though.