Part 35 (1/2)
This time Luther and Derek stood to either side of the ladder, guns ready, eyes skyward, while Tuck helped the Dead up the ladder and into the building, one at a time.
The twins, Matt and Mary, followed, then Tuck and Luther who went up together, hauling one of the food coolers. The box was too big to fit through the bars, so Ashley took out anything that wouldn't go bad, and the cooler was put back into the truck which was then closed and locked until they could come back for it. Luther and Tuck went up and in, and then Derek pulled the ladder up and in after him.
As soon as everyone was in and safe, they all collapsed on the floor. After allowing for ten minutes' rest, Ashley cleared her throat, and said, ”Alright, let's see what we've got here. We need to get the cars and trucks inside and seal off any exits.”
They explored as they went, opening doors and going down hallways to see where they went. From what they'd seen so far of the building, they couldn't tell if they were in a school, a hospital, a prison, or an office building, because they found rooms along the way that would have been at home in any of those places. Here's a cla.s.sroom across the hall from an exam room. On the bottom floor, a corner of the building housed five padded cells. If necessary, they could erect a barricade in front of the doors just using the empty desks they found.
”Welcome to The Trust,” Ashley said.
”What?” Sara asked.
”Welcome to The Trust,” she repeated. ”That's what the sign said when we pulled up. Welcome to The Trust.”
”What's The Trust?”
”No idea.”
”This place is huge.”
”Which should work to our advantage, I hope,” Ashley said. She opened a door. Another office. ”Doesn't this place have a kitchen? Some place to store the food?”
”A place this size, you'd think so.”
”Yeah, you'd think.”
She had sent Tuck and Derek to find a way to get the cars inside, while Luther took the twins to find a safe place for the Dead. Meanwhile Ashley and Sara explored.
The electricity was still on, and there wasn't as much dust as either had expected.
”It's almost like the place has been waiting,” Sara said.
”That doesn't fill me with hope.”
”Why not?”
”What if we're not what it's been waiting for. If there's someone else due here?”
It made sense. Power to all the abandoned buildings had been cut off decades ago, and the last place Ashley had been in like this had had a carpet of dust.
”Here,” Sara said, bringing Ashley out of her own head. ”Cafeteria.”
”Sure?”
They went in and Ashley was greeted by a room longer than it was wide, and lined in five rows across from one end of the room to the other with long tables and light blue plastic chairs.
”Great,” Ashley said, heading for the back of the room. ”If the power's on in the rest of the building, there might be a refrigerator where we can put the food.”
They found it and went to find the others and bring the food down.
The plan was to meet back where they'd split, on the second floor. When Tuck and Derek returned, they'd bring the tools to close this door off and make sure no one else entered the building, at least through there. But by the time Ashley and Sara found the way back--opening the door to make sure it was the correct room and Ashley saw one of the birds clinging to the bars, its head in the room, squawking and shrieking, but not able to force its body through--Tuck and Derek still hadn't returned.
They leaned against the wall, waiting, listening to the birds on the other side of the door trying to claw their way into the room. One squawked so loud, Sara jumped. Ashley, however, seemed too zoned out to notice. She had her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. Her eyes were closed and she was thinking about Phillip and Millie.
Tuck and Derek returned and they went to work covering the door. They took the top off one of the desks lying around the place and nailed it directly to the doorframe.
”You got the cars inside?” she asked, sliding up the wall to her feet.
”Yeah, pretty much,” Derek said. Tuck handed him a nail and Derek drove it through the desktop.
”Pretty much?” Ashley asked.
”The Viewliner,” Tuck said. ”There were a few birds in it, so we left it out there.”
”We should be able to get it later, maybe tomorrow,” Derek said.
Ashley nodded.
She let them work while she wandered to the other end of the hall.
She still wasn't sure what this place was, but she'd make finding out a priority. Get everyone settled and then explore and find out where they were. Who knew what they might find lying around here, but if it was something that might help them--canned goods or extra clothes, maybe--it would be nice to find out.
She opened a door, looked in. She'd never heard of it before, The Trust.
”All done,” Tuck called down to her.
Ashley closed the door and joined them again at the other end of the hall.
”Now we wait for Luther and the twins and they'll take us back to where they took the Dead. We'll set ourselves up somewhere near them and . . . ” she trailed off.
”Then we'll start the wait,” Sara said.
”Get comfortable, folks, and take it all in 'cause this is home for the next year.”
”If we last that long,” Derek said. ”We don't have enough food for a year.”
”If it comes down to it,” Ashley said, ”we'll last as long as we can then send someone out to loot a store.”
”Send someone where?” Tuck asked. ”There wasn't anything for miles.”
”In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not having the best time of it right now, so please, if you have a better idea, give it to me.”
Tuck shook his head, kept his mouth shut.
”Then like I said,” she went on, ”we go as long as we can. If we don't find anything here--.”