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 was once considered the recreational level of the bunker would lead to any final clues of old horrors. There was a gym, with long since worthless equipment save for weights that he didn’t imagine that Sarah would have much use for. There was of course the old, empty pool with its dire reminders, an arcade and lounge area long since plundered by its own inhabitants for useful mechanical parts. A bar, with most of its liquor long since gone. Garrett took one bottle of old whiskey for future trade and sorted the rest upstairs mixed into cleaning solvents and first aid gear. The last room, and one of the largest was farthest away from the staircase and blocked off by old furniture and a few riot barricades.
Two days, it took that long to push and pull and pry away the barricades that revealed the theater. The haves, the last ones that hadn’t been killed or ran off already were trapped in there. There were ten of them, moldy and still festooned in their fancy clothes. A few more beside them dressed in grey overalls holding onto ancient weaponry spelled the ending of the bunker’s security forces. This was the score Garrett had been hoping to find all along. Trade goods, jewelry, gold and silver that could be melted down into small bars that would become precious down the road. Better clothes, if threadbare and old-world. Trinkets and curios, the kinds that traders everywhere still coveted. Most of all, legitimate old-world weapons, after proper care and refitting, they could be worth something sure, but moreover, if ammo could be traded for, they would go a long way to helping Garrett with his raider problem.
The bodies were easy enough to dispose of, they all took one last trip to the heart of the power plant just like the rest of the trash that had no purpose. Likewise, material to smelt was easy enough to come by and then dispose of down there. Another week and a lot of cleaning and airing out and finalizing his own packing later and Garrett was ready to give the theater new purpose by handing it over to its new caretaker.
Garrett was careful in guessing as he sorted through all the old-world clothing, there were things more elegant, racier, and more refined, but a blue summer dress with light yellow flowers stood out, along with a pair of white slip on shoes and a simple yellow hat made from a sort of straw. He tucked that all away and secreted it up in the dead of night along with his cleaned and ready spoils meant to be tucked away into his pack for his departure. He did all of that and set the date of departure for the two days later. Those last two nights he finally found a quality of sleep.
They had dinner like any other night, Garrett didn’t want to give it all away by making anything special. Once eating was done with he gathered the dishes and deposited them and looked to Sarah. “This might sound, odd, but I planned something for tonight. It’s something special, so well, I laid out some clothes for you, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed but she shrugged her shoulders. “Not sure what a change of clothes will do, but sure.”
Garrett took the time to dash into his side of the suite they shared and did his level best to change into the slacks and square collared shirt he chose. The shoes were the worst part but he had to admit that along with the old-world sports coat they did the trick. Did some men have naturally pointy feet, he thought to himself as he looked at the wing tips in the mirror.
Sarah was already waiting for him when he came out. The dress was the right size but she was already blushing just looking down at her own knees. “This…is this really how they dressed back then?”
Sarah was still looking down when she spoke, trying her best to use her crooked hands to smooth out the dress and pull it down to her knees. She stopped bothering with that when she looked up at Garrett. She gasped and raised one clumsy hand up to her mouth. “You look a lot better than I do.”
“I look like a confused blind date who couldn’t decide if the night will end in a live show or a cold walk home, but thanks.”
“So um, playing dress up, is this the surprise?”
Garrett shook his head, “Not all of it, I found something down below, something you need to see to believe. Follow me and when I tell you to, close your eyes and I’ll carry you the rest of the way. Promise me.”
Sarah nodded and they were on their way. When they reached the doors to the theater Garrett picked Sarah up and carried her into the lobby and halfway down the isles to the seats he had set up. Once settled he asked for a few more minutes of patience before she opened her eyes and he went dashing off to the projection room as she nodded.