the sole survivor

sanctuary

"War." I stared at my reflection in the mirror. "War never changes." I'd practiced this speech a hundred times, but something about it still didn't feel right. My wife came into the bathroom behind me.

"You're gonna knock 'em dead at the veteran's hall tonight, hon." She said with a smile.

"You think?" I was always nervous about these kinds of things. Nora could usually make me feel better though. This time was no exception.

"Absolutely, you always do." She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "Now, get ready and stop hogging the mirror!" She grinned, leaving me to finish up.

My hair was a mess, still wet. I trimmed my beard in the shower, so it looked fresh. My scars looked more promiment than usual, as they always did after I showered.

My time in the army had left me with dozens of scars. Small faded marks dotted my arms and legs. My chest and back were littered with long deep cuts, long since scarred over. They still hurt when I stretch wrong, sometimes. My face was the worst, though. I had a light scar going across my left eye. Two faded marks running through my lips. A fading pink cut across my eyebrow. And a dark pink slash across my cheek and through my nose. I hated them all.

I didn't really mind them at first, but as the years went by, every time I looked in the mirror I'd be reminded of my time in Vietnam, the reason I thought I was a monster. Nora always tried to reassure me, telling me they looked 'cool', but I didn't buy it.

I dried my hair with a towel and played with it a bit before deciding to leave it the way I always did. Messy, but a styled messy.

"Bathroom's yours, babe." I called to Nora, who was reading a book on our bed. I walked into the living room to find something to do while I waited for her to get ready. I saw a 'Grognak the Barbarian' ,comic on the kitchen counter and I went straight for it. Our robot was waiting for me, holding a pot of coffee.

"Good morning, sir! Your coffee, brewed at 420 degrees fahrenheit to perfection!" Codsworth said in that oh-so chipper tone, pouring me a cup.

"Thanks, Codsworth." I said, smiling at him. I took a sip and it was amazing, as always. One more perk of having a robot butler, perfect coffee every single time. I sat at the counter and picked up the comic. 'Grognak the Barbarian and the Jungle of the Bat Babies.' My favorite! I flipped through the pages, mostly just looking at the pictures.

After a while, I could hear Shaun crying from his room. I started to stand up until Codsworth stopped me.

"Not to worry, sir! It sounds like someone has made a stinky, allow me!" The robot said, floating past me and down the hall to Shauns' room. Nora had finished getting ready and sat down on the stool next to me.

"You know," she said, looking towards Shauns room, "I was nervous at first, but Codsworth's really good with Shaun." Before I could respond there was a knock at the door.

"Would you get that? I bet it's that salesman again." Nora said, plucking the comic from my hands. "He comes for you every day." I reluctantly went to the door and opened it. I was met by a salesman in a tan suit.

"Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!" he said with that cheesy salesman smile.

"Good morning." I smiled back.

"Isn't it? Just look at that sky out there!" he cleared his throat. "You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you." he said.

"Then I'm glad you caught up with me." I said, only partly concerned about the 'utmost urgency' part.

"Now, I know you're a busy fellow, so I won't take up much of your time. Time being a, um, precious commodity..." He looked nervous, which worried me a bit. "I'm here today to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault. Vault 111!"