by Tom Germann
Susie took another deep breath and continued,. “As soon as I could work part-time, I went out and bought modern underwear. She hated them. There are no modern style underwear in this house. A sixteen-year-old girl wanting to attract the guys and feel good about herself wears clothes that make her feel special. Everything here is NOT doing that. No French cut, no thongs, nothing remotely suggestive. Every bikini swimsuit I have has less material than this. This is NOT right. It could be her grandparents are strict, but she would still have underwear that was more current. It’s the clothes that go over it that the grandparents would freak over.”
She put the underwear down and picked up a white sweater. “This sweater is all natural, I THINK. There is no tag on it, but I guarantee it may be a blend of some sort, but there is almost no synthetic material in it.”
Vajjer interrupted her. “So her grandma or mom like making stuff.”
Susie shook her head. “This is machine made and not made that well. If someone had sat down and made this, it would be better quality, unless they weren’t really that capable anymore.. Not my point. This is super high maintenance. You need to hand wash this and then flat dry it. DON’T bring anything near this that could spill and stain or you aren’t getting that out, ever.” She paused while turning the material over in her hand, feeling it. “Everybody has some high maintenance clothing. ALL of her tops are like this. I only found two t-shirts and they look like they are part of a gym uniform.”
Susie put the sweater down and pointed to what appeared to be a ‘bobby soxer’ outfit that was carefully placed on the table in the centre. “This is my biggest problem. It looks like a bobby soxer outfit from the dark ages. My grandma had me wear one she had when I first hit the teenage years. NO ONE would ever have one of these unless it was for Halloween. This has been worn a lot.”
Vajjer put his hand up. “Maybe she likes to role-play like from video games?”
Susie just stared at the corporal until he put his hand down. “This chick is flat as hell. She makes Tracy look busty. I could wear a cheerleader outfit and rock that costume for a cheerleader or as a zombie-fighting cheerleader or whatever. Hell, I did and every boy in the area was checking me out. This chick wouldn’t know how and it’s way too conservative.”
She pointed at the socks. “Those were made by hand and not really well. A skill that every young lady should know so that she can properly look after her hardworking husband while she stays at home preparing for his arrival. Also she should be able to cook and mend his clothes.” She sounded like she was quoting someone and both men just stared at her.
She shook her head. “I told you I was raised by my grandmother and she was INTO the fifties, even if that lifestyle was never that real except for a few. This girl made her own socks as practice.”
She pointed to the books and the radio on the table. “I only had a minute, but I went through every spot that a girl could hide contraband that the grandparents would freak over. There is no porn or modern woman’s magazines. There is not a single digital piece of equipment. She has a small record player and some forty-fives. The books she has are ‘primers’ that cover a bunch of stuff a good housewife should know. She could have hidden it outside but that’s not how people hide stuff. You hide stuff close to you.”
Susie stared at the items spread across the kitchen table. “If it was a guy’s room, it would be easier as there would be metal posters everywhere and porn magazines. She could be a freak that’s into the fifties thing or maybe her grandparents are that strict. I just don’t know.”
Wagner just stared at the clothing. “Okay, so we have paperwork that says we are in the nineties and this place looks like it comes from the fifties. It still doesn’t change anything. We go through a few more places and then we go back. It can’t be a movie set. This place is lived in and it looks like people were maintaining it, but not great. So we carry on. Leave the boxes at the door and we swing by tomorrow and grab anything we can use. Does anyone have any other points?”
The other two shook their heads and all three headed for the door, which was where Vajjer stopped.
“Hang on a second, I want to check something.” He was swinging the door back and forth, checking out the hinges and the way the door hung. “I should be able to pop one of these open without too much noise if they are all like this.”
They moved down the road to the next house and passed it by as the door was locked. The following house was unlocked and they carefully went in again. It was the same layout as the previous one, but only a single couple was living there. The basement had been partially finished with a large room and was decorated like it was Christmas with a large artificial tree that was in bad shape.
Corporal Vajjer checked out the Christmas decorations throughout the room and brought one of them to Wagner. “I find this really interesting. There are stamps and stickers on some of this stuff and nothing is made in China.”
He looked at the small Christmas cookie decoration and frowned. “Nothing?”
Corporal Vajjer shook his head. “I went through his tools in the workroom. Everything is made in the US, or Mexico.”
“Okay, we need to get out of here.”
They went back upstairs with nothing to show for checking the house out.
The next house over, Vajjer tried to break the door in using some tools he had grabbed at the previous place. The door came right out of the frame. Once inside, they found the same things that they had found in the previous two. A local newspaper dated March 6th, 1998 had an article circled about a local dinner and dance being held at the community centre in a coming weekend. There was little information in the newspaper and nothing else useful in the house.
Wagner looked at the others after they quickly went through the home. “Okay, every place we check is taking us time. I don’t see us gaining anything and I think maybe we should head back. Thoughts?”
Vajjer spoke up, “I don’t think we are gaining anything and I feel bad about going through people’s stuff. I half expect the cops to show up, but we all saw that cop car abandoned outside so I keep thinking something worse is going to show.”
Susie shrugged.
Tocker looked nervous. “Sergeant Caisson saw a rifle rack in the back of a truck just a bit further down. It looked like it was parked in front of a house. Maybe we could check that out?”
Everyone just shrugged. “Okay, we check it out and then head out. You’re on point Tocker as you know which house.”
They kept moving further into the subdivision and passed two houses before Private Tocker stopped and pointed at a truck parked on the street.
Vajjer walked over to the truck and carefully looked at the windshield then came back.
All four stopped at the side of the house and Vajjer whispered to the rest as they leaned in close. “There is an empty rifle rack in the cab. There are also some sort of veteran stickers on the windshield. Walk around the house and check it out first?” He looked at the warrant officer, who nodded agreement.
All four carefully moved around the house.
The building looked secure with all the doors and windows closed and locked. In the backyard, like the rest, there was no full fence, just a small stone patio and the ever-present shed. When Private Tocker tried the shed, he found an old lock on the door that looked like it had rusted shut.
They finished circling the house and stopped at the side again.
Susie looked at them and whispered, “How do we get in? Break a window?”
Vajjer shook his head. “The sound of the breaking glass will carry. Those doors are light and the locks are junk. We’ll go through the front door and check it out.”
Tocker looked upset. “But, Corporal, this is a veteran’s house and we’re going to break in? That’s really wrong.”
Vajjer grinned and nodded. “Yes, we are. He or she is not here and we are, and may need what h
e has.”
Wagner held a hand up to stop the conversation. “Private Tocker, I do not want to break into or go into anyone’s home,. but something happened here and I would love to find some rifles, some hand grenades, and maybe an armoured vehicle or two, like a LAV. But I’ll settle for what we find here before heading back. Every time you feel guilty, just remember, we’re whispering and creeping around and EVERYONE is missing from this place. Move.”
Vajjer moved up to the front door and popped the lock open with almost no effort. He stopped and waited just outside the door until the other three joined him. He and Wagner went in first, followed by the other two.
Inside was neat and organized. They went through the first floor while Tocker kept watch. After the warrant officer and corporal had cleared the first floor, Susie started looking through everything. The two headed downstairs.
This basement was different from the rest. It was left as one big open room, but the outer walls had been finished with a pine wood covering. There was very little downstairs other than some boxes in a corner, bookshelves in another corner, and some pictures on the wall.
The two wandered over to the pictures and leaned in, looking at images of a young man in uniform in a field setting and others of the same man in different uniforms and armed.
Vajjer stepped back and looked around while Wagner continued looking. “So he was a soldier and made colonel before he retired. I don’t know what the Asian war was, but he was in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and some other places I never heard of. That was in the fifties…”
Vajjer called him over. “Something is really weird in this basement. It looks like we are missing a few feet off the far wall.” He pointed at the small windows. “Every basement we went in has three windows on the back wall. They are spread out with equal spacing. That window is by the wall, but it should be off the wall by a few feet.”
Wagner looked. “False wall. See if you can find the door.” Both men walked over to the wall and started slowly moving over it, looking and checking for a door.
The corporal put his hand on the wall and pressed, putting his entire weight against it. There was no bounce or flexing.
Both stopped after a few minutes and looked at each other. The warrant officer rapped his knuckles against the wall. “Pretty damn solid, and I think that this is the door but there is no way to open it.”
Vajjer turned and looked at the bookcases in the far corner. “You know, those look like they are secured right to the walls in the corner there. Think he ever watched any spy movies?” He walked over to the bookcase and started moving books, looking at the inside shelves. After a second, he called over his shoulder “got it” and then pulled on something.
There was a click and then part of the wall moved, swinging outward. Wagner stood there and opened the door further. “Good job. Bring your flashlight, it’s dark in there.”
He turned his flashlight on and Vajjer followed him in. “Jackpot.”
Vajjer tried to look past him, but the room was narrow. “What do you see?”
“A rifle case, books, and some more stuff. Here, let me move. Wagner turned and pressed himself back against the concrete wall, and the corporal quickly shuffled by him and then knelt in front of a metal case that was attached to the wall and floor.
He stared for a minute. “This weapon safe has a glass door. It’s secure enough, but come on, I could smash the glass and grab the weapons. Oh, hang on…. No, you have to open the door.”
Wagner leaned forward and dangled a key in front of Vajjer. “Try this. It was on the blotter on his desk here.”
Wagner looked around while Vajjer tried key after key in the lock. There were more pictures of the same soldier in uniform. On the wall above the desk was a large American flag with a smaller unit flag to the side. Below the flags was a shadow box with several medals. There were dozens of books on bookshelves, which the Warrant glanced over before a muffled “Ah…HA!” came from the weapon safe.
The door creaked open and Vajjer started pulling weapons out and passing them back to Wagner. “A shotgun in good shape, some sort of hunting rifle in a larger caliber. It’s almost a carbine it’s so short. I have a smaller calibre revolver and a military style nineteen eleven… AND I have ammo here in the bottom of the case. Mmm, this is a really crappy sword and I am leaving that. Oops! Wait! I have cleaning kits for the weapons!”
They could hear footsteps on the stairs and Susie calling them quietly. After a second, she leaned into the small room. “Hey, I’ve gone through this place. It’s sad, but I found some useful stuff upstairs! What did you guys find?”
The warrant officer and corporal collected the weapons and stepped out into the main room, leaving the door open. Susie had a small bag.
She nodded at what they were carrying. “So you found some guns? And ammo? Cool!”
Vajjer was checking the weapons over in the dim light of the basement. “Yup, so what did you find?”
Susie beamed at both of them. “Underwear! And bras with underwire support!”
Both men stopped and looked at Susie. She frowned. “Ah, men, you just don’t understand. You have no clue how important support is to us well-endowed girls!”
Vajjer put the weapons down and pulled out his backpack. Opening it up, he started loading all the accessories in. He broke open a box of shotgun shells and started loading the shotgun, then he methodically loaded the two magazines he had for the rifle. “Okay, we have a shotgun and rifle that look good with no blockages. The forty-five here looks fine too and is well maintained. But this last one is a twenty-two and it’s a piece of crap, so we aren’t using that until I check it out more.”
Wagner said, “Hold on a second.” He disappeared into the room and came back with several books that he loaded into his backpack.
Susie watched as he carefully loaded the books and a loose sheath of paper. “What’s that for?”
He smiled at her. “Light reading for when we get back. I also found this.” He held out a newspaper, which Susie took. This was a bigger newspaper than the local papers they had found so far. It was something called “The National News.”. There was a grainy picture on the front of a boat sinking and the headline read, “Communist Flu Strikes Down Europe! God’s Will or a New Terror Weapon?”
She folded it up and handed it back. “Great, so is this like a bad horror movie with a super flu?”
Vajjer stood up after zipping up the backpack and passed Wagner the shotgun, putting the unloaded pistol in his pocket. He started walking toward the stairs with the rifle and two magazines in hand. He called back over his shoulder, “Nah, this is more like the flu that turns into an alien-spread disease that caused the victims to come back from the dead and eat flesh.”
Susie watched him leave. “Can I get a rifle? I am actually quite a good shot.” She turned to look at Wagner. “I’m not as fragile as Tracy is. I can handle myself.”
He nodded. “I don’t doubt it at all. Here.” He handed her the shotgun and some loose shells. “Put those in your pocket and if someone does come charging and we start yelling fire, then make sure you hit the target. Remember to aim for centre of mass. Or if we have a zombie thing going on like our sarcastic corporal thinks, then go for headshots. The targets are moving too.”
She pulled back. “I’m good on a range and I’ve even done some rundowns, but I think I would hesitate to shoot someone. Maybe if we find some more guns.”
He nodded and put the shells back in his pocket. “I understand. It can be hard to picture shooting people instead of targets.”
They moved back upstairs and looked at what they had pulled together. There wasn’t much that was useable in the house, aside from the guns and ammo, but there had been some canned goods. All four looked at each other and then Vajjer spoke. “Do we keep going? All these houses are abandoned and we aren’t going to find much more useful stuff unless we find ano
ther batch of guns, but I just don’t see it.”
Tocker was standing by the door, looking out while trying to remain hidden. “What do you mean, Corporal? You found some guns already, there could be more.”
Susie was the one who shook her head. “I agree with Corporal Vajjer. This is like a retirement subdivision full of old people. They won’t have guns. They’re all just waiting to die and holding on trying to relive the good old days. The one war hero that they had built himself a hidden room for the army stuff and had his guns and trophies hidden away. He did that because guns and war scared them. I know this. My grandmother was like that.” She had been speaking in a quiet, almost monotone voice, which was completely unlike what everyone expected from Susie. Her facial expression was blank as well.
Wagner nodded at her. “I agree with you. If this is a retirement community, then the odds of finding any firearms drops through the floor. We just happened to get lucky with an ex-soldier that had kept his trophies. I am going to suggest that we take on one more house. I want to go into one that has been completely busted open. I don’t think we are going to find anything useful, but I want some information. I want to see if there is evidence on what happened.”
Vajjer shrugged. “But we aren’t really some CSI team. Whatever happened was a while ago and I don’t think anyone left a script for us, sir.”
He shrugged. “Of course not, but maybe we can see what it was like and get a better feel for what we’re up against. I mean, are we facing off against zombies, drugged up psychos, or alien invasion?”
Tocker choked back laughter and then everyone gathered themselves up and the group started moving down the road, looking for a house that had been at the centre of whatever had gone wrong.