The Wanderer and The Vault Dweller

Chapter Thirty-Two: Regrets

Song-(Roy Brown~Mighty Mighty Man)

I watch Poppy as she reads papers and attempts to hack the terminals. I shake my head and chuckle a little. As the goosebump-raising atmosphere comes down to a chill, the radio that was already playing when we got here is no longer so spooky. I even notice Poppy slightly moving to the music with a swing of her hips or a bob of her red hair. Mostly the songs are ones I have never heard of but I am already hooked to them by the first few seconds of listening.

I check all the corners of the room. I check underneath the rubble and debris that is strewn everywhere. So far I have found a box of ammo, a can of Cram, and four bottlecaps. I go search where Poppy has yet to hack the only functional terminal out of the other five.

"Any luck?" I ask and laugh as she jumps.

"Don't sneak up on me!"

"My bad." I smile and turn as she punches me in the arm.

I go through everything she has already gone through. I find a couple of pencils, a few clipboards, a pretty nifty typewriter, and several screws and nails. I search for a bigger bag than this backpack but nothing. Maybe there is one in another-

"I got it!" Poppy nearly shouts in excitement and interrupts my inner thoughts.

"I hacked the terminal! Nico, come read these with me."

"Nah, I'm okay. I need a bigger bag."

"Okay, have fun." She groans in frustration.

I look to the one door that is intact behind the desk and find it is still a functional elevator. I haven't seen one since the Vault. I go to the door on the right of the desk and choose the door on the left which is labeled cafeteria. The door automatically opens with a rusty whooshing noise. I follow a real long and winding corridor and it opens up into the large cafeteria. Molding food still lies where the buffet is.

Trays lie either on the tables or on the floor. Further in, probably about six very long tables in, I see a few skeletons with torn clothing holding items. Like, trays, bottles, and one had a gun. A shiver runs down my spine. What could have happened here that he needed a gun for? Did he die during or after the bombs?

I look up the ceiling and find a gaping hole. I can see a few layers of the building like different floors, but the hole also goes straight up to the sky. I move around the room for a little longer and cannot find the bag that I need.

I move on from there going back the way I came. Poppy is reading something intently. I go to the next door to this one. I don't know where this corridor will lead me as it was once labeled but the words are faded or missing. At the end of the corridor appears a set of solid metal stairs. I pull my gun out when I get a sketchy feeling about this.

Four flights and four landings later I am met with a door. I push it open to find what looks like an old-time office. Desks and chairs line the walls and take up some space in the middle of the room. Filing cabinets lie toppled onto each other or somehow remain to stand. Poppy is going to love exploring this room.

In the far left corner, I spot it! A medium-sized duffle bag! I creepily walk over in case any of the wooden boards give way underneath my feet. I can put anything I find in here as long as it isn't too heavy. I should pick through this room first then go downstairs for what I found down there. What I find in this room is a bunch of clipboards that I know can be salvageable and so are the few typewriters I collect.