NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: Episode 13: Found It.
The basement floor of the gas station, aren't that massive, but is enough for me and Natasha to comfortably lived in it, it was about 20 meters wide and long, to me this is a modest size. The entire floor was filled with iron shelves, about 12 of them arranged in 2 back-to-back and in 2 rows. On the left side of the room, as stacks of wooden boxed and crate, on the right side is where all the old displays and stand cutouts for the gas station marketing displays were put there. There are no salvageable items here at all, as this place has already been ransacked before.
In short, a little moving around and clean up would definitely make this place livable. The basement was clean, no odd odors or animals living in it, in another words, this place were abandoned in all sort of manner. To clean everything, I just moved around and put everything in my Inventory, no need to pick anything up and move it, just willed it into my Inventory and I can simply manage what can be recycle and used or what to be thrown or served as our firewood stock. Whilst I just chucked everything into my Inventory, Natasha would sweep the floor behind me and clean. Of course, we also take with us the broom and all of our furniture back home with us, this made the cleaning task much easier.
"[I suggest…barricading that glass windows and doors, Sir…just to be safe…]". (Alfred)
"I guess so…".
Right now, I am at the ground floor, inside the storefront, naturally I put everything inside my Inventory, so the entire floor is bare empty right now. The storefront side is where the windows and doors are, given how old this place is and its history, the glasses were all broken, from the window to the door.
"Wait…. Alfred. We haven't checked the basement fully, right? it's best…we confirmed that rumor first…".
I was too delighted that we had arrived here and the Gas Station were safe, since there is nothing in it, the excitement almost flew above my head, to confirmed that this place perhaps truly has a bunker. Just as I were about to go down, I heard Natasha shouted from the basement.
"HONEY!!!!!…. COME DOWN QUICK!!!". (Natasha)
Rushed, I walked as fast as I can with my Pipe handgun in my hand.
"What is it, Nat?!!…. are you okay?".
Standing in the basement floor, I saw that the wall on the left side had a secret door built in the wall inconspicuously, no handle or anything, just a solid concrete wall. That is now moved and become an opening. I went to Natasha first, checking on her.
"I'm…I'm okay, but…look inside there…. there is a skeleton inside….". (Natasha)
"...you're right….".
She pointed inside the now revealed open space, the hidden door lead to a hallway, and about 5 meters in, there's a skeleton wearing a military uniform, hanging from a ceiling with a rope around its neck and the other end was tied to a place where a ceiling lamp used to be. The rumor was true after all, and now our bet has borne its fruit.
"How did you find this, Nat?".
"Well…I was sweeping the floor as well as the wall…. but as I wanted to reach higher at the corner, I put my hand on the wall…like this…then suddenly the wall made a hissing sound…and the wall just open up…so then, I called you…. Honey…is this…that pre-war shelter everyone was talking about?". (Natasha)
"Maybe? I don't know…".
This hidden door was originally being covered by all those ceiling high wooden crates and boxes, no one thought to move it or even search for the door carefully. No wonder no one ever finds it, and Natasha, my wife just happened to open the door by luck as she was cleaning.
"
"That is an amazing door, Honey…just push and it is open…the old era sure is advance, right?". (Natasha)
I guess she don't want me to feel embarrassed so she speaks out, I am like a child right now, just opening and closing the door, the technology of this door, is quite fascinating, the door was made out of steel, and the exterior of it were made out of concrete so that it can keep the door hidden.
"[…it is a bunker, sir…. but a rather small one…that door is a Nuclear Blast proof door…. I've used the thermal mapping…and I can't see the inside of it at all…]". (Alfred)
"Maybe it is not a simple shelter…. but instead, an observation station, or communication center or something….".
The Hallway before me were clean and pristine, it was clearly being made by a government or military, the design of it were clearly smells like a top-secret stuff. Logically this isn't some apocalyptic shelter that would house a lot of people, but rather just a government owned bunker.
"Nat…stay here…let me see what is inside first…".
"Um…let's check it together?". (Natasha)
"Okay…let's go…. this place isn't that big or spacious either…".
Rather than arguing for nothing, I just want to check everything out fast, we are currently running out of daylight, and I wanted to save my phone battery as much as I can. So, both of us walked into the hidden bunker together. Respectfully, we get the soldier skeleton down first, piled its bone on top of its folded uniform neatly as a sign of respect. There are only 4 doors that is connected directly to the hallway, and thanks to the sprayed sign on the wall right beside each door, I learned immediately what each door contained and what this place is.
"[United States of Jourica, Military Communication and Observation Station Number 10…. We got our answer almost immediately, Sir….]". (Alfred)
"...I guess so…".
5 minutes is all it takes for us to checked everything out. The 4 rooms are, one the living space, like its name it was a space that served as a housing place for the previous owner of this bunker, it got fully furnished living room, complete with kitchen area, living room with tv, sofas, filled bookcase and even fireplace, there is also a recreational room, where a small gym and a pool table were placed in it. Adjoined to this living space were 3 private room, each single one was fully furnished and can be used as a bedroom at once, the beds and furniture were still in good conditions. On 2 of the bedrooms, we found 2 more skeleton wearing the same military uniform, one of them sat on a single seated sofa, its skull got a single bullet hole on it, and a 10mm pistol on its skeletal hand. The other one, also chose the same fate as well.
Another door in the hallway, led to a small storage room, naturally as expected, the room were devoid of any sort of food supplies, but thankfully the armory and medical supplies are still full to the brim. The second left side door in the hallway, lead me to a nice surprise, this door was marked as 'Bathroom & Greenhouse'. the bathroom was sufficient, there's 3 shower stall, lockers and toilets, what made me even happier is that when I turn open one of the faucets, trickle of clean water flows. That sight alone enough to make Natasha smiled ear to ear. Inside the same room on the other door, it led to the green house, inside of it, there was 2 long modern culture bed, as long as the entire room, on both side of the wall a few UV lights were place on top of the 2-culture bed, I supposed so that any plants can grow even without the sun light.
"Is that a planter box? To grow plants. Why is it made out of metal? and it looked so…. mystical?". (Natasha)
"It was the advance kind of planter box…. made out of the old era modern technology…".
"...I guess we can use it to plant our food, then. Right honey?". (Natasha)
"Yeap. Thanks to this…we can now plant our own food...".
The 2-culture bed or planter box were quite big, I am sure we can plant something here, surely there is manual to use this thing somewhere, and from the look of it, this thing got some advance technology in it, the soil was black and fertile looking, sure it was dry and solid right now, but with water poured into it, this thing can work wonders for us. Our findings bring Natasha mood to the roof, everything in this small bunker, is all looking brand new and well preserved, the paint was still shiny, the dust was almost none existent. What made her even happier is the clean sheets and comfy bed, as the citizen of a wasteland, such level of comfort provided from soft beds and modern amenities are something that they can only dream off, and now she can enjoy it all.