Jacob Burns and the Order of the Algorithm #Wattys2017

Chapter 7: Same Old Story, Whole New Century

We were packed in tighter than a can of Longneck Lukowski's, with a smell that was twice as bad. Of all the carts we could have picked, we managed to find the one that was filled with fresh salvage scraped off the bottom of the Charles. The stench of rotting fish and mirelurk could have peeled the flesh off of a ghoul's backside, but I held myself together as the cart slowly came to a stop.

I looked out and watched as the driver walked into one of the newly constructed warehouses sitting on the edge of town. As soon as the coast was clear, we tore off the tarpaulin and clamored out as fast as we could. We only enjoyed a few short moments before we heard the driver coming back, and so we dashed down the darkened alleyways until at last, we were able to slip in with the rest of the crowd as they bustled from shop to shop during the mad midday rush.

As we made our way through the main square, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Colorful neon lights dazzled us from all sides as the once dingy shanties now shone with new coats of paint. Not only were there renovations that made my old home look almost new, but there had been massive expansions into the outer stands until the city had nearly doubled in size. Even Ilya looked a little impressed, as the shopkeepers struggled to keep up with the trader's demands and the line for Takahashi's noodle stand snaked beyond the chapel door. Even old Moe Cronin was doing well as he stood on his soapbox, calling out to passersby "Swattahs here, get ya swattahs! Can't say ya really from Diamond City without ya very own, gen-u-ine swattah!"

The contrast to the outside couldn't have been more stark. While the world around us had been crumbling beneath our feet, it seemed life behind the Wall had only been getting better than ever. As the once familiar sounds and smells of the Diamond surrounded me, I began to wonder why I had ever left it in the first place.

That was, until I saw the sign.

Though the rest of the city may have passed it by, it hadn't changed one bit. Crooked, cracked, and written in a style straight out of a history book, the words "Publick Occurrences" bore down on me with a green glare that always reminded me of a certain someone else I knew...

There really was no way of knowing how she would react to seeing me again, especially after all of this time, but it wasn't as if I had a choice in the matter. She was my last hope, and if I was lucky, it would be in and out with no questions asked and I could finally get out of the Commonwealth at last.

A pang of guilt ripped through me at the thought. As we walked up to that red door I'd seen so many times before, I knew I hadn't been a saint in all of this, and she had been there for me more times than I could count. Still, I shoved the feeling down as I reached up and knocked on that door, and we waited.

And waited.

And waited...

But nobody answered.

I tried once more, but still, there was nothing.

Curious, I tried the handle and to my surprise, the door fell open at the slightest touch. Checking to make sure no one was watching, I slowly peeked my head inside and called out.

"Hello?"

At last, I got my answer, in the form of a lamp cracking over my skull.