Rich beyond your wildest dreams

Jackson

Summer + 6 weeks

Fucking weird-o, why would you have one shelve out of all the shelves in your basement set up like this. Back in the far corner there was a metal five shelve high storage unit with barely anything on it. Every other set of shelves down here is overflowing with boxes and junk, this one had 5 empty boxes on top shelve, next one empty then 47 small alphabetical wooden blocks, like the kind kids play with, another empty shelve then 19 empty jars on the bottom. Like I said weird.

"If this guy had spent as much on up keep of this building as he did on that vault, the damn floor would still be intact," Tabby's the muffled voice drift in and out of my hearing range as she swung her flashlight at the ceiling. Tabby, who was in her mid thirties, worked on the same crew as Joel did, refurbishing and rebuilding homes and stores here in Jackson that were repairable. Or tear down any that were beyond hope. They do more of the former then the latter, so she had a lot of experience when inspecting these old places.

Jackson wasn't like a lot of towns and cities Joel and I passed through on our way to find the Fireflies, here the looting and destruction was more … contained, I guess you could say. Whoever had lived in this little town before the world took a huge shit, had left before the Infection had a chance to spread very far around here. Jackson was also remote enough that looters, bandits and just plain folk looking to survive mostly by-passed this area for bigger towns to the South and West.

Not to say that no one has been through here before Maria and her dad Kevin moved their group here a few years ago. There is plenty of damage around town that wasn't done just by nature.

"Must have had a lot of stuff he didn't want anyone to get," I said glancing behind me to my awaiting treasure chest.

Like my three so-called business partners, Joel, Maria and Tommy … fuck just about everyone in town; I had visions of boxes and boxes of ammo littering the floor. Enough to keep Joel and the rest of my fellow guards safe against any assaults, whether they be bandits or Infected.

Or maybe … salt, pepper or even sugar; man wouldn't that be something.

Salt especially would be great … we use a lot of it to make food last longer, even with the refrigerators working, mostly. Joel explained to me once how salt and pepper had been so cheep and plentiful back in his day that they use to practically gave it away in restaurants and gas stations.

Give it away …pftt ... you better believe I called bullshit on that one. I once saw a fistfight break out in Boston between a group of six people over a container of salt. So Joel had to be pulling my leg, I keep thinking that right up until Maria's father confirmed it. They were so rich back in the day. The older people have no idea how fucking annoying it is, sometimes, to listen to them talk about all that they had once and knowing how little it meant to them.

Like those stupid posters of those really disturbingly looking, skinny women I've seen in different cities and magazines. Imagine … having enough food to eat three fucking meals a day without worrying about going out to hunt for more. To have enough so you didn't have to try to make a steak, three carrots and couple small potatoes last a couple days for two people. To go to sleep on a full stomach every night must have been so fucking awesome. But no, let's not be smart and grateful for all we have; let's be a damn unless stupid bitch who think 'oh no, I want to be a gross looking skeleton. So I won't eat, and I can make all the men feel bad for me.'! Fucking idiots.

"Doesn't do you any good having a vault if your damn floor keeps you away from it," Tabby said as I pulled myself away from that enigma and hurried to catch up to her. She was down here with me, wearing Joel's mask, since she was small enough to squeeze through the same opening that I got through and not immune as I am. Still, it was terrifying watching her climb through that hole, knowing that if she damaged the mask or it got caught on something and moved just a few inches … I don't want to watch anyone else die because of me. "See here," she said shinning her light at the ceiling. It was hard to see with all the spores and dust in the air, but she kept flashing her light between two different sections until I saw what she was trying to show me.

"That wood over there," I said pointing to the section near the stairs. "That is darker, then over by the vault. And those smaller … smaller boards …"

"They're called cross beams," she supplied for me.

"Right, cross beams," I repeated so I would remember the word better. "Some of those cross beams are missing as well."

"I can't smell a thing in this mask but I bet it smells really grungy and musky, right?"

"Yea … well, I mostly I smell … you know ... him," I said pointing over my shoulder at the source of our spore problem. I didn't like looking at him or her … like I told Joel before, whatever it had been before it died a long time ago. It look more like a mass of fungus then a person. "But yea, I can smell rotten wood too."

"Yeah, that discoloring you see is wood rot, that whole section of flooring probably had another season or two before it started collapsing as well. Good thing you came down here when you did, kid. In few years, it would been a lot more work to dig this basement out. Of course, we wouldn't have known about the vault so … hell, we might have never even tried." I let the kid remark pass,I know she didn't mean it like a lot of adults in Boston meant it. Tabby meant it like a lot of people said 'dude' or 'girl', just a term nothing more. She walked around a couple of the shelves, running her fingers across them. "Joel told me you figure there was too much dust down here to burn out our 'problem'. Looks like you were right."

"Yea, we tired once in Iowa. Man, you wouldn't believe how damn fast that fire spread."

"I bet," she said looking over the ceiling above the Infected without getting to close to it. I notice she wasn't thrilled at looking at it either. "Okay, I think I have seen enough. Unless you want to have a little private time with prince charming over there, I say we head back upstairs."

"I think I'll skip on that offer," I said smiling.

"I wonder if it was the owner of this place," Tabby commented as she headed for the stairs.

"Maybe, but … I kind of doubt it. I don't think it has been down here for more then a few years," I said glancing back at it one last time as I bend down to get past the rubble.

"Well, you're the expert."

It is kind of freaks me out when people twice my age say that, 'I'm the expert'. He-he, yea some expert, they only say that because I seen more Infected then they have; well, seen them and lived to lie about it … as Daniela Star would say anyways.

Once we got upstairs, we got the joy of going through D-com, meaning that I'm getting hosed down by a Todd and Brett with water hoses and buckets of very cold water. At least, this time I was wearing something called a shower cap on my head so I didn't have to repeatedly pour fucking cold water over my hair, over and over again, to make sure all the spores were washed away. Tabby would have been in worst shape then me without the cap and hoodie covering her head, her hair reminds me of Marlene's hair … only fuller. She took off her jumpsuit and shoes, throwing them in a trash can to be washed separately later. I left mine on since I knew I would be going back down again in a few minutes, if they were still going to go through with the plan.

Once Tabby was done, Tommy, Bruce, the head guy of construction, and two of the younger boys from town, walked over to us. Shawn and Jimmy were couple years old then me, they had been recruited to go thought the papers in the office, looking for the combo to the vault.

"Can I go down there now, Tommy," I heard Shawn whine as they got closer.

"Not now Shawn," Tommy said absently, Shawn has been bothering him all the way over here about getting to see a mushroom head. "Well."

"Joel's little sweetheart here was right on the money," Tabby said as she fluffed out her hair a bit. "We'll need to pump out the dust and spores down there before we even think of lighting any thing up. For a building almost a hundred years old, its not totally a wash."

"But," Bruce's rougher voice said eying the roof.

"But I wouldn't want to trust the floor over here," she pointed down to where we were standing, "it's rotten to the core. I'm surprise its hold us up right now. The stairs are in worst shape; Ellie and I are both tiny, but if we have you big strong … err large size … men walking up and down them, they will fail. Lets forget about taking any equipment down them that we might need to crack that nut."

"All it is going to take another good snow season, and this roof will cave in completely," Bruce said. "If we're going to get this done, we should do it now. Next spring, it will probably three times as hard and most likely six times more dangerous."

"How do you want to do this," Tommy said without much hesitation.

Joel told me that Maria and him was just as anxious as we were about getting into that vault. I guess what Joel said is the truth, sealed vaults are unheard of after all these years. We caught a lucky break with this one.

"'L' takes down the hoses for the d-com like we originally plan. Instead of clearing out the stairs, we will need to take out part of the floor," Bruce said walking over to the section near the vault, "here. We can use ladders for us and that engine hoist from that repair shop down the street to lift anything heavy."

"It will take longer," Tommy said letting out a sigh.

"Maybe, maybe not; it is definitely safer then using the stairs." Tabby nodded over to the pile of debris in the corner.

"How long," Tommy asked looking at his watch.

"Depends on 'L' here, if she can get her end done quickly enough; we could be all but done by lunch." He said with a shit eating grin.

'L'? Did he just call me 'L' again? Oh man … So Fucking Cool, I got a nickname! 'L' … I am the 'L'; fear me evil doers!

"I meant to get the tools you need from your shop," Tommy grinning as well.

"I brought the tools we need to cut through the floor, just in case." Bruce said sticking a piece of wood in his mouth.

I've notice he like to chew on toothpicks a lot, never asked why. Joel thinks he might have been a smoker back when there were cigarettes … which of course made all kind of sense to me ...not! These old people forget sometimes that a lot of what they talk about, us kids have no clue what they are saying. It's like they aren't even speaking English but some weird old people speak.

"That's our boy scout for you," Tabby, Bruce, Tommy and the other adults laughed … old people are so weird sometimes.

"Will the generator be able to handle the load?"

"Should," Tabby nodded as Bruce spoke. "We run just as much off it when we are rehabbing a house."

"Okay, we will do it." Tommy jerked his head up and down quickly. "Tabby, take Todd, Jimmy and Shawn here and go get that engine hoist. Don't forget to give Joel his mask back, I still need him to check the sewer line."

"On it. Come on boys, time to earn your pay."

"I can stay here and cut open the floor if you want," Shawn said quickly.

"No, I need you to get that hoist."

"Come one Tommy, I want to help ..."

"And you will be … we need that hoist."

"This is so lame," Shawn said in a huff as he headed out the door.

I kind of feel for him, I remember how much I wanted to have Joel let me help him before he finally did. I should feel worst since he is such an expert at so many different things. Don't believe me … ask him, he will go on for hours about his skills. I mean hours, the fucker wouldn't shut up all morning since we all gather at the stables. Yeah, my first time getting to work with anyone my age and I get stuck with Mr. All-talk-will-shit-my-pants-if-I-hear-a-gunshot. At least Jimmy is kind of cool.

"Bruce, get your tools ready. Ellie take a breather; I don't want to start up that generator until Joel gets those explosives in place."

"Right," I said going over to sit against the wall while Tommy turned to my other two partners who had washed me down.

"Brett, Charlie; give me a hand getting the generator and hoses in here."

"What happens if we can't find that combination?" Brett voice the same concern Joel and I have had since we found the vault.

"Those vaults are designed to slow down potential thieves," Bruce said, looking unconcern. "If we have too, we cut out the combination wheels, use a torch on the internal guts. It slow work, as I said they are design to be hard to break in but they are not fool proof."

As I sat alone in the empty store, I looked around the ruins, all the empty shelves, some still up while others laying on the floor broken, and wonder what it must have been like before. Did everyone in town come here? Like Best Mart or those other huge stores I've seen across the country or did only a handful ever shop here? Joel had told me, in the past, that most people, especially those who lived in the cities, didn't really own handguns or rifles. He told me that even though he had owned a .357 pistol in Texas, it was only used once.

Back then … back then people trust each other for the most part. They had trust in the military … no wait … not the military, they weren't used like they are today. Back then they had something called police officers. Yea, that is what Joel called them. These police officers enforced the laws, made it safe to walk down the street, unarmed, any time of the day … and they didn't shoot you on sight if they caught you breaking the law.

Weird times indeed.

However, in this part of the country, as he tells me, it was normal for most people to have various kinds of weapons in their homes. Like Joel and I, they had handguns, shotguns and rifles. The police could be an hour or more away, so if some fool was trying to kill you, you need someway to fuck him up. Plus, they had certain times of the year when they were allowed to hunt deer, elk, rabbits and fowl.

Joel couldn't explain why you could only hunt a certain times … I mean you get hungry any time of the year. He just reminded me that back before the Outbreak, hunting was more of a sport and the meat was use to supplement their diets, not the main source. Also, even though it was severely frown upon, some hunters didn't hunt for meat, they just wanted to shoot something. Sometimes, the more I learn about the so-called 'good ole days' the more I think it was populated by complete fucking idiots … well , mostly idiots. Joel is no idiot.

More importantly, it didn't matter if you live in a city or out in the middle of nowhere … carrying weapons around like we do here, out in the open and ready to shoot … was very much frown upon. And like in the QZ, many people back then didn't want anyone to have them, let alone let someone carry one at all times.

Seriously; if you had a gun, why wouldn't you always carry it around and out in the open. If I was a bad guy, and had above average IQ for a bandit, you know as high as a wet sponge, I would want to know if my target is armed or not. If he was armed, I wouldn't fuck with him. Duh!

I also wonder … why would anyone set up their shelves so weird?

Old people … they're so fucking strange.

"Hey 'L', can you give me a hand over here?" Bruce's voice said jarring me out of thought.

"Sure thing Bruce."

It was taking me hours to get this D-com done. There was a large yellow hose that was sucking most of the air out of the basement and sending it to a portable incinerator to be safely destroyed. The large hose was like the kind that workmen, back in the day, would use to work in confined underground systems, like the sewer pipes.

The incinerator was a system of electrical dust eaters and an actual oven that the air was pulled through. This was supposedly the same system that the military used early in the Infection to get into places they need to go. It worked really well but Bruce told me that the only problem with it was the amount of time it took to get even a small area like this clean. I know from my classes at the military boarding school and from dealing with soldiers, they weren't the most patient people in the world.

As well as the large hose, there were two smaller hoses I had to use, one was a vacuum hose as well, while the other was used to shoot out air. For those larger clumps of spores and dust that were too heavy to get sucked up by the larger hose. Lets not forget the paint scraper and broom I used as well to get those really stubborn bits moving. So I had to move around the room, scrapping, sweeping and blowing chucks of … stuff, then get them suck up to be flame-broiled.

Should had let Joel take me out to the lake today so he could teach me a new way on how to drown with style.

Well, unlike my drowning … er … I mean swimming lessons, I could see some progress here … some. I could see from one end of the room to the other clearly and my light would reach down there was well. Mostly, if I could get rid of my bestie buddy there, I could be almost finished.

I was also waiting for them to finish cutting the hole in the floor so Joel could join me down here. Maybe he could figure out that weird shelve. I have to remember to show it too him before we put up the plastic sheet.

Thump

Ah speak of the devil.

Joel lowered four ropes down through the holes he drilled into the floor, while I crossed tied them, I could hear and see the saw ripping through the support … cross beams … that was holding up his side of the ceiling. The plan was to lift the section of floor up by using that engine hoist so we could get the ladders down here. Once Joel could join me, the two of us would use some of the last plastic sheeting to closed off a small section of the basement so we didn't have to scrub the whole damn area.

Joel was also going to help me … dispose of something else as well.

"Hey," he said simply as he finally climb down, wearing a jumpsuit similar to mine. He said he grabbed ours before he left the Fireflies back in Salt Lake. Mine was a given, I had no clothes other then that stupid gown. Fucking hell, wish he would just tell me … fuck never mind. "good?"

"Good", we both just had entire conversation with two words. See, this is why I love this old fart, even if he did lie to me once. Everyone else saw a causal greeting, I saw 'how are you holding up? Are you okay with this or do you want me to do it by myself?' See, this is why I know one day I will forgive him for that whole lying to me deal … or beat the truth out of him. Still not sure myself, yet. "Come here a second and look at this."

"We don't have much time Ellie."

"I know," I grabbed his hand and dragged him over, "But this has been bugging me since I found it this morning." I watch his eyes behind his mask as he looked at the shelve, then to the surrounding area and back to the shelve. He did this a couple times before scratching the back of his shower cap. "I know, right."

"It's some kind of code," he said, even with his face and voice hidden by the mask, I knew he was just as interested in this as I was. I smacked him in the arm, "It's a way for him or someone to let others know something but hidden in plain sight."

"Like those smuggler marks you followed back in Boston?"

"Yep, just like those," he said … his eyes told me he was please I was making the connection. "What it means, what it leads to … we will never know without knowing what kind of code it is. Come on, lets get the plastic up."

"Shit, you know this is going to bug me now," I said as we walked back to the hole.

"You got to learn when to let things go, Ellie." Joel reminded me as he climb up the ladder.

"I know," I took off those goggles and dusk mask that I used to protect myself from the heavy dust. Dust mask, surgical mask … anything but military grade gas mask like Joel's were ineffective against the fungus. Andy, a former military medic who defected with Steven and the closes thing we had to a doctor, had told me one night that no one understood why. Just that they lost a lot of people before they stop trying. "But you know, one night during patrol I'll start thinking or I see something just as odd around town and BAM. I will be all like 'I wonder if this is the same.'"

"Ellie," it is still amazing to me how he can say so much with just one word.

"Fine," I mumbled as he dropped the bundle of plastic sheets, stapler guns and the precious duck tape.

We started by the steps, hanging the plastic from the ceiling to the floor, stapling the top and using the tape to seal around the hoses … can't wait till we shut off the damn generator, fucking thing is annoying. Then we walked it back to the vault, leaving enough room for about three adults to stand side by side. Once we were done with that part he climb back up to get the shovels to remove prince charming over there, we need to move him to away from the vault to cement wall to burn it.

"Here," he said coming back down with a shovel and something else. "Lizzy sent these out while you were down here. She agree to give us four plastic garbage bag, so we can just bag it and take out to burn. Less chance of anything else going wrong. I already told you partners we would eat the cost of these."

"How much," I cringed, Lizzy didn't like to sell things cheep.

"Deer or equivalent of any goods we find here."

"Fuck, a whole deer?"

"Cost of doing business Ellie," he said shrugging. "They are the largest they made back then, so maybe we can get him into one or just two and save the rest for something else."

"Okay," not really … damn she is cheep, but if we didn't have to burn it in here less chance of losing the whole building. As we both closed in on our silent partner, I cringed again. "I hate this part."

"Yeah," was all he said as we both took opposite sides of the corpse. "Okay, one … two … three!"

See! This is why I skipped breakfast this morning! God damn it! It broke into three pieces, one at the waist and we both had a piece of the top half in our hands. Thank God, there were no creepy crawlies running around in there and it was a dry husk or I would really be cursing up a blue streak! I looked down on my half and notice a something dangling from where its wrist would be, it looked like a chain with a bear and heart hanging from the chain. When I told Joe about it he got real quiet and began poking around the bottom half.

"Yep, I can see parts of a dress under here."

"Wait, my man is really a woman?"

"Yeah, and … with that chain, they use to call it a 'charm bracelet'; they were big with … girls your age."

"Fuck," great, another reminder of what could have happened to me … what happened to Riley … Sam … great. I shoved my pieces into the bag and set out to finish the job as quickly as possible so I didn't have to see it anymore.

"Ellie," to anyone else hearing him, his voice would have sounded just the same as when he was reminding me to forget things. But I knew better, I knew what he was not saying by saying my name.

"I'll be fine Joel," I answered quietly sitting back on my heels. Giving him a weak smile I added, "Just … don't be surprise if you find me in crawling into your bed tonight."

"Anytime," he said.

We both still suffer nightmares and sometimes, … sometimes even with us in separate rooms, we know when the other needs us. There been a few nights, we start out in separate rooms but end up together.

We worked quicker to finish cleaning up the remains, neither of us like the implications. Me because that could been … should have been ... my fate if it wasn't for a fluke. Joel was probably think of Sarah as well as me. God … I will never, ever tell anyone … especially Joel … he would hate me for it. Hell, I hate myself for even thinking it … but … Sarah sounded like such a sweetheart, I am … it was better she died like she did. After Tess … I would hate to have Joel go through seeing Sarah get the infection. I think he wouldn't have want … he would never had let her go and … no, … he never would have left her behind. I wouldn't have either.

It was after lunch before we finished scrubbing down the clean area and making sure it was safe for everyone else.

"Shit! Did you have ice in that bucket," I gave Brett a dirty look as he finished pour that ice cube on my head.

"Well, duh, 'L'; had to keep my beer cold somehow," I would shot that grin off his face but Joel had my pistol.

"'L'?" Joel asked as he handed me a towel.

"Yea, it is her new nick name." Brett said same stupid grin. "Hey maybe we should call you 'J', you know J and L, how does that sound?"

I smirked as Joel let his opinion of that idea be express by the silence that was colder then that bucket water.

"Or not … not um … Joel is a great name … right Joel, um Joel sir? Mr. Joel."

"Ellie, go ahead and get change in one of the back rooms, they are still looking around the office."

"Rodger Dodger," I smiled all the way back to the backrooms. I love Joel, especially the way he can say so much without wasting a single breath. I got out of my jumpsuit, and put on my long, red, flannel shirt and bib coveralls and sneakers. My work boots, that they make me wear when I am on the clock, and jumpsuit went into a can so it can be washed with the other contaminated gear. To get my mind off the Infected, I returned to the code.

I did consider that the blocks might have the message hidden in them but then why were the other two shelves set up like they were? The reason it was taking them so long going through the office wasn't because Shawn couldn't tell his ass from a hole in the ground, the guy keep detail records of everything. I swear somewhere in this building is a box of used tissues from every time he blew his nose. So given everything they told me about those records, I'm thinking it was the owner who left the code. But for who and why?

As I dragged the can out, I briefly wonder if the numbers corresponded with a letter but yea 47 is not a letter and "e" + "d"+ "g"+"s"= nonsense. Maybe 4+7 but that is 11 and that would be "k" and that made no sense either. Damn, 5 47 19?

"Hungry?" Tabby said handing me a couple sandwich and glass of water.

"Starving, thank you." Hmm, rabbit … so good. 5+47+19 would be 71 or 7+1 which would be the letter "h" … again nonsense.

"They still haven't found the combo yet," she said leaning against the wall next to me.

"I know," I said with a sigh, "you think they can break into it."

"Maybe," she said in the same tone as Joel said maybe, which means no. "If they cut those dials out wrong or make any mistakes it could activate its failsafe mod, and lock us out for good. Then we would need diamond tip drills to get into it and we don't have anything like that around here."

"Can we blast it open," I asked chewing on my second sandwich. I am so glad I don't work the stables. I hate to make friends with my food.

"Not without bring down the entire building," she said glumly.

"Maybe we could dig to it on the outside ..." but cut myself off as she shook her head.

"Same problem, only slightly better since we would only destroy half the store."

"So … can't we just you know spin the lock around till we hit the right combo?"

"Oh, we can do that alright, it's just you have to get the right three numbers in the right order and you just have to guess all the numbers from 0 thru 80 … you got a few years you want to spend spinning the wheel?" She shrugged her small shoulders as she pushed away from the wall. "I betting this guy has it written down somewhere though, he must have been one anal retentive bitch the way his filing system is set up. The idiot even kept a list of his meals."

She walked away and my thoughts were chasing themselves around my head like rats in a sewer.

Three numbers!

Damn it!

Three numbers, three lousy little numbers could be all that is keeping me from being one of the riches bitches in Jackson!

There could be anything in that vault … anything! Sure, it could be empty or it could be filled floor to ceiling with ammo or guns or … anything!

Three numbers …

I'm not big on the whole God thing but sometimes I swear he as a nasty sense of humor.

Three lousy little fucking …

…

Three numbers?

…

Three numbers, shit!

"Joel!"