DAY 18, November 9th

1:38 AM: Could only sleep for about three hours. Besides the dirty, uncomfortable sleeping bag, I can't risk staying here any longer than that. Feeling a little better but honestly still exhausted. I think the best thing I can do is head back to the nursing home while everyone is, ideally, sleeping and then decide next steps in the morning.  Heading that way now.

2:14 PM: Stowed Nora for Edge and moved out slowly, Dogmeat crawling low behind me quietly as we went. Moved down the stairs exiting the pool and the rear of the apartments, across the road, and stuck to the shadows of the buildings there. It was the middle of the night but the sky was pretty clear and vision was not bad. 

Spotted a raider patrolling the empty street heading back towards Mystic Pines. Watched him through my scope walk away before moving forward to the heavy machinery storage yard, taking cover behind the shell of a van. Dashed from the van to some large yellow forklifts and then through a break in the chain link fence that had surrounded the yard. Was able to cross a large open field, using the few dead trees as cover, and make it back to the nursing home without being seen. 

I'm back in my "room" now...ironic since we dreaded being in a place like this that now I'm relieved to be here. Going to sleep till dawn and I’ll think of a plan then...

8:00 AM: Woke to the sun having just risen and though I'm still tired I’m feeling better. Need to take some meds when I get home, which is my next stop. Decided to play it safe and stash the heavier clothing and armor, along with the two shotguns Dogmeat brought me back in the plant, then head back to Sanctuary with the rest of our salvage. Strapped as much as he could carry to Dogmeat and we are leaving Mystic Pines through the south door which offers a clear shot over some hills towards the Starlight. Hopefully it will be uneventful. 

9:44 AM: Crossed the hills behind the Super-Duper Mart then under some large power lines. Spotted the Starlight and headed straight for it. Was back on the road to Concord and passing the billboard with its hidden mattress shortly after. Stuck to the now familiar streets and made it the bridge leading back home with no issues. Jun greeted me from his post outside our gate as I returned. I have to admit it feels good to be home.

In my room now, going to sit here in my chair for a bit and then get to work on going through all this junk. 

10:47 AM: Woke with a start to Dogmeat barking, I must have dozed off in my chair. I was dreaming for the first time since I left the Vault. Nora...

No time now, need to focus. I have a lot of shit to sort through. Heading over to the Rosa's, maybe Sturgis can help.  

11:52 AM: Dogmeat have been barking because there was something in the mailbox at the roses. Cigarette carton, never thought to look in there. Went over to the workstation and chatted with Sturgis a bit then gave him a leather left arm to match the right one he had before I got around to stowing all the junk that we had brought back home.

Stored everything except the empty bottles, that monster’s hand that I found, my gold lighter, the money (still struggling with using it to build stuff even though I know it has little value), and a straw pillow. I also kept some of the toys that I had found to put in Josh's room. I know it's silly, but somehow it makes me feel better. Placed the pillow on one of the beds in the Rossa's home for someone to sleep on and set about filling up all the empty bottles with water. 

On my way home, to toss the toys in his room, I showed Preston the giant monster hand I had found that looked like the one I killed in Concord and the mosquito-thing's proboscis. "Deathclaw" and "Bloodbug", pretty accurate names for the things, if not too creative.  Bad news is he says there's more of these Deathclaws and sometimes they hunt together. Good news is they are a rarity compared to the other creatures of the Commonwealth.  Tossed the dried hand on the shelf in our living room by my folded American flag, partially because I have no idea what to do with it, and partially to remind me of the dangers out there.

Going to use some of the freshwater I've pumped and the cleanest toothbrush I have come across to brush my teeth. Just realizing it's been a while since I've actually done it, also need to think about finding some better implements to keep my head clean and my beard trimmed. Going bald was a decision I made to stop fighting the inevitable, and Nora dug the cueball look. Now with the condition of most clothing and bedding I've seen, it just makes sense hygiene wise as well.

12:30 PM: Put a scalpel and a pair of scissors and our medicine cabinet as well as a plunger near the toilet. It's the little things like gravity that you are thankful for when you realize that's all you need for the plumbing to work! Been thinking about setting up a generator with Sturgis and trying to get some electricity rigged up here in our little settlement.  Before I do that though I need to deal with those Raiders at the plant. My hope is that the strike I made on them is enough to have disorganized them, of course it also means that they're going to be on guard for me when I return. At best I'd be striking again this evening, I don't want to wait longer than that and lose my advantage. Going to tear down any extra weapons and armor I have and see if I can modify my gear before heading back out with dogmeat.

2:50 PM: Was able to break down three of the hot plates, a toy car, camera, some gas canisters, and duct tape to give Edge a three crank capacitor. Probably her biggest shortcoming right now has been that I can only get two shots off before having to crank her up again.  The extra shot could make all the difference. Used some scrap to add a pocket to my leather left arm as Codsworth was hovering by, seeming to admire my work. After spending a little more time organizing my inventory I think we are set.

One hundred eighty rounds of .38, forty fusion sell, and five bullets for Nora. I decided to take Nora and the Edge as well as the auto pipe rifle as a backup. I'd ditch the rifle when I ran out of ammo if need be. Gently placed the mini nude I have recovered in the shower of my bathroom, mostly since I was not really sure where else to put the damn thing. On my way out I grabbed a gourd and a melon from my room, antibiotics, and some grilled stag from the kitchen. Stored the Nuka Quantum and other foodstuffs in the cooler as well as the chems I had found.  Mama Murphy will have to wait for her next hit. Quickly planted another Tato (Jun informed me that was their name) as well as that carrot I found in the plot outside my window. Hopefully they take. While I was by the pump I injected my last antibiotic and filled up on water. Hopefully this'll help me shake my inability to feel like I'm ever rested. I Have enough water on me but I'll hit Maria's crops on my way out also to see if anything is ready to harvest. 

3:08 PM: Well, Maria's crops were still not ready so I'm standing at the bridge heading south, the Concord water tower visible off in the distance to my right.  Preston told me that the Minutemen could "use a man like me", I just want to make good on the promise to that woman at Tenpines first. Going to take the same path I took to get home and see if I can get back into the plant through that pipe. Hopefully they didn't think to add security or replace that turret. 

4:41 PM: I ate a gourd and wild corn on my way back to the city and a little after that, as I was crossing the hills towards the electrical towers behind the super Duper mart, I came across an open grave. Nothing really, just a broken wooden coffin and some scattered bones with just a wooden post as a marker. Can't tell if it was dug up before or after all this happened but, just another reminder that this world is mostly full of death. 

The afternoon is stretching on, with any luck I'll be getting to Mystic Pines by dusk. Thinking that it's smarter to infiltrate in the cover of night anyhow.

6:01 PM: Made it to Mystic Pines quicker than I expected. All my stuff is in the dresser where I left it, so it might be safe to assume that this is still a secure location. Going to spend an hour resting, maybe read a little, until it gets a darker. I'll make my way back to the pipe and see what I find.

7:53 PM: wWith the setting sun we made our way out of the nursing home and north along the street, off to the side in the brush to stay hidden. Just outside I saw that raider who had been patrolling last night, he was looking at the building I had cleared of the raider camp the other day, the one with the turrets and the cook-pot on the roof. He never saw me shoot him from across the street. Took the bottle cap and sixteen rounds of .38 ammo he had along with a pipe pistol, left the rest. I drug his body into the building he was examining, no point in leaving it there to draw attention.

Made it past the two raiders high above the street on The Nuka-Cola billboard walk away again, but I'm pretty sure they heard me. We are in the tunnel right now and about to go back in. I can't lie, I don't want to go back, but those people need my help and I'll have no chance at finding Josh if I don’tI have allies in this wasteland. 

9:27 PM: Everything appeared to be the way I left it: All the bodies are where they were and if the rest of the raiders came down here to investigate they didn't stick around. Took another pipe pissed off the woman I had killed with the Molotov cocktail in the lower tunnel before continuing forward and scouting out the longer tunnel at the top of the stairs that turn back in the other direction.

At the end of the long hallway was the raider I had shot. He had some .38 rounds and a stimpac on him. Just beyond him was a pile of ashes from the raider that I had first killed. Sifting through it I found some usable shotgun shells. On the cabinet behind his remains was a chem box with a simple lock. Inside was a plastic bottle of buffout and a syringe of Med-X. Also found some mentats in a cooler next to it. Slowly sneaking back down the hallway I noticed two wooden crates on the shelf. The bottom one had a couple RadAways and another tin of mentats. The crate above it had a lock on it which was easily picked but other than a power relay coil and more RadAway, there was just a wooden cutting board.

The hall had two open doorways exiting the into a large open area with a staircase heading up several stories to my right. The openness of the area made me feel uncomfortable so I retreated back down the hallway into the right where the open blue door was. The room beyond that had the turret and ghouls in it was as I left it yesterday. Making my way through it I found a pair of double closed doors which I opened slowly.  Beyond them are some stairs heading up, turning back on themselves as they went, and the waypoint marker indicates we need to go that way.  Heading out with the Edge ready and Nora loaded... 

10:44 PM: Feeling sleepy again, but it feels like normal tiredness, which is a good thing I suppose. Took the short flight of stairs up and right grabbing some ductape and a pack of cigs from a metal shelf. On the next floor a hallway stretched ahead of us and looked like it ended with some sort of stairs, there was also an opening to the right a ways down with a door of some sort. To our left were more stairs heading up, so we took them to another blue door. I heard someone say "What?" from behind it and held my gun ready as I opened it slowly. 

Beyond was a short hall with a pass-through looking into another hall l in the far wall. To the right the hallway had been barricaded with old furniture and to the left was a door. I crept almost to the end of the hall and they came...just walking into the hallway unaware of me. I swung Edge up and took the head off the man who was walking through the opened door then fired off a second shot through the passthrough at a dirty-faced woman but hit the wall.  Still crouched I backed down the hallway while Dogmeat rushed in, gunfire echoing. From back out at the top of the steps I saw them firing at Dogmeat and shot wildly, blinding one of them with the blast. Another shot through the passthrough to the head and he was down as Dogmeat fought on. As I caught my breath one rushed at me screaming with some sort of weapon, I managed to get a shot off and his momentum carried his body past down the steps behind me.  Advancing forward I could hear at least one more but Dogmeat's whimpers let me know he needed help. I rushed through the open door at the end of the short hall  into a room with a desk.  Beyond that lie another open door back through the same wall and I found myself where the passthrough looked into. It was another room, not a hallway like I thought. Two raiders lie dead on the ground and Dogmeat was curled up behind another large desk. There was another open door that led back into the hall, on the other side of the barricade, so I closed it quickly before going to my companion. 

He was ok, but in need of a stim. After administering it I turned to the door. Lack of sleep was making me sluggish but I had to take out the remaining raiders. As I heard two raiders, one more commanding then the other, bicker over wether we were gone or not their voices faded into the distance. Needing something to help keep my focus I downed the one Nuka-Cola I kept, the rush of caffeine winding my eyes. Looks like the coast is clear for now...

11:21 PM: Made it through what felt like a little maze of halls and rooms thanks to that barricade.  Amazing amount of junk we could scavenge but not now with the raiders.

Found the reception lobby of the plant at the end of it all, the only way forward was back outside to the guarded front I scouted the other day so that’s not an option. While I was examining the empty frame of a Corvega V8 that was on display in the room I heard more voices. Cursing my carelessness I slunk back towards the hallway I entered from, lucky for me too since I set off some improvised explosive near a Nuka-Cola machine. Other then the shit being scared out of me I think I'm ok. Going to lay low here a bit, poke around quietly, and see if there is anything useful. Let them think we are gone or dead...