Staying as close to the brick building as possible, the companions crept along the loading dock, the concrete ramp extending from the warehouse at shoulder height. On the dock were three rust-streaked metal doors and a wire fence closing off the dock itself. To the left was a set of stairs leading from the parking lot to a door alongside the dock, but those were also enclosed by wire fencing, this time topped by what was probably once concertina wire. Only the endless coil of razor blades had disintegrated from exposure to the elements, and nothing remained but some reddish-brown stains on the fencing.
“Dark night, it’s hot here,” J.B. said, checking the rad counter on his lapel.
“Which is why we’re not going to waste time with lock picks,” Ryan stated, firing the SIG-Sauer at point-blank range. The padlock blew apart, and the man hastily dragged off the chain holding the gate closed.
Rushing into the enclosed area, the companions climbed the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief as the rad counters eased their ominous clicking. The warehouse had to be at the very edge of the rad field, mereyards making the difference between lethal and livable.
At the top of the stairs, J.B. fired the Uzi and shattered the door lock. Instantly, a loud siren cut the stillness of the air, and the companions covered their ears, momentarily stunned by the power of the alarm. But a few moments later, the siren faded away completely.
“Impressive,” Ryan commented, uncovering his ears. “The damn thing still worked after a hundred years.”
“Just a fluke,” J.B. retorted, pushing open the door with his rapidfire.
Just like in the city, the companions held their breath while out poured a rush of dry lifeless wind. Impatiently, they waited until fresh air had a chance to circulate inside.
Then Ryan gave it an extra couple of minutes, just to be sure. Sometimes, the corpses in the sealed buildings rotted in a strange way, maybe from the rads pouring through the walls, and the bodies filled the air with sickness. He’d seen strong men begging to be chilled only hours after entering a sealed structure.
When Ryan deemed it safe, he took the lead and entered, J.B. and Krysty close behind. In the bright illumination of the pressurized lanterns, they could see the three huge doors of the loading dock to their right, and straight ahead was a large open area with the floor sectioned in yellow stripes. A forklift stood mutely near an oil drum whose top was littered with foam coffee cups and a large thermos. Clothing and shoes lay in disarray on the polished concrete floor, obviously disturbed by small scavengers.
“Any rads?” Dean asked.
“We’re clear,” J.B. said, setting his lantern on top of the oil drum. A startled beetle scuttled out of the thermos and spread its wings to fly into the rafters.
A cargo elevator filled one wall, the panels closed, the controls dark. The door to a stairwell stood alongside, yellow lines on the floor marking its swing pattern, obviously to prevent folks from getting hit by the opening door.
“Safety First,” Krysty muttered, reading a sign on the wall.
Straight ahead, a long central corridor stretched to the far brick wall, both sides of the passage with large doors marked in alphanumeric sequences.
“Damn predark codes,” Ryan snorted, resting the stock of his longblaster on a hip. “These storage units could be filled with shoelaces for all we know.”
“Got to open each,” Dean said, walking his lantern closer to the first door. The portal was veined metal, unblemished by the passing of the years. If there was a lock or hinges, they were nowhere in sight.
“How the hell do we get in?” he asked, annoyed.
Jak went to a toolbox lying near the forklift and returned with a sturdy pry bar. “Got key,” he said, proffering the tool.
“Hey, what was that?” Krysty asked, swiveling. The woman stood in a crouch, with her blaster searching for a target. “Sounded likewell, like popcorn.”
Mildred scowled. “What makes a noise like that?”
“Nothing I know of,” Ryan said, lifting a pressurized lantern high to see the rafters. Nothing moved in the shadows, and overhead there was only the bare iron rafters, some moist water pipes for the fire-control system and the silvery insulation wrapped around the electrical conduits.