emptymouthpiece

Dry Fire

Part One

He sits down on his side of the bed. The tired old springs give way and sag, forcing him to plant his feet so he doesn’t slide right off. The sound of those old springs reminds him of all the times she mentioned how old and uncomfortable their bed was becoming. Months of that, hell, maybe a whole year of it,...
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Spare Parts

Part Seventeen

The haves really did have everything in this bunker. Physical books of course, a giant library plus individual collections, and undoubtedly a horde of online resources when online still meant something but some genius here really went above and beyond. A computer with a hundred terabytes of downloaded movies, serials, episodic shows, even documentaries. A catalog of human endeavor all recorded...
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Spare Parts

Part Sixteen

The floor of the bunker that stood between the old haves and the have nots was the last floor that Garrett got to while clearing things out for Sarah. She was largely distracted with the garden outside and the chickens by then and that was good enough for him. He figured, given the line of bullet holes and blood stains, what...
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Spare Parts

Part Fifteen

There was something gnawing at him, something he had to do, something he was meant to do. All the loose thoughts about time not being of the essence and lying in wait for the raiders to come upon him there was just that, loose thoughts. Looking at the internal clock of the terminal in the power plant told him a date...
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Spare Parts

Part Fourteen

Over the previous days in the bunker Sarah was always awake first, mucking about and trying her best with the ready to eat meals or attempting something on the stove for breakfast out of ancient freeze-dried ingredients. Garrett made sure to beat her to it that morning. He never quite forgot his Aunt’s penchant for omelets. As Garrett told Sarah to...
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Spare Parts

Part Thirteen

Garrett’s midnight walk across the creek and up the hill was a simple affair. There was no sign of the struggle had over by the barrel washing station. No bodies or signs of immediate retribution had against the rest of the pail men. It wasn’t until Garrett got to the first rows of dark huts that he began to notice signs...
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Spare Parts

Part Twelve

It took two full days just getting the bunker door cleared and cleaned using ancient solvents and brushes so that it would close and lock. Another full day just taking stock of the first-class suites on the top floor and making a suitable place for the girl to sleep. She made quick work of understanding the stove in one of the...
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Spare Parts

Part Eleven

The bunker would need tending, and someone to follow the instructions on the screens. Someone who could read, someone who could get around up and down stairs with ease. Garrett felt pity for the palsied girl, she deserved a better life than what was given her. Most everyone he had ever met, even the tacit and hypocritical people of his home...
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Spare Parts

Part Ten

The final two floors of the bunker were really one massive induction chamber with catwalks and a single second story control room. The door leading to the plant was painful to the touch leaving Garrett no choice but to take off his shirt and use it to help open the door. What waited on the other side was beyond all belief....
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