The Junkie Quatrain by Peter Clines Read Free Book Online

got nothing, boss.’
    ‘Nothing here, either,’ said Andi from the opposite doorway.
    Barney frowned and scratched his beard. ‘It’s got to be here. Check all the closets and drawers for false backs or hidden panels or something.’
    Chit wandered into the office on the right. Sounds of shuffling and tapping crept out of each room. Monica let her hands settle on her hips. ‘Didn’t sound like this place was supposed to be that hidden once we were inside.’
    ‘No,’ said Barney, ‘I didn’t think so, either.’
    ‘Didn’t Bradbury say it would all be clearly marked and easy to find?’
    ‘Yeah, but it wouldn’t be the first time he hasn’t been completely straight with us.’
    ‘Fuck him, that’s what I say,’ said Charlie. ‘We don’t need that jackass.’
    ‘No we don’t,’ said Barney. ‘But we need that fortress-sanctuary they’ve turned his building into.’
    ‘Whatever.’
    A disappointed mutter echoed out of the right-hand office, followed by the thump of a gloved fist on a wooden panel. ‘Nothing,’ said Derek.
    Barney looked at Charlie again. ‘Are you sure we’re in the right place?’
    ‘Yes,’ snapped the smaller man. He pulled a battered messenger bag around his hips. He flipped it open, shoved a rubber-band-bound Thomas Guide out of the way, and slid out a clean manila envelope. He thumbed through the contents and removed a crisp sheet of paper covered with tight writing. ‘Instructions and directions,’ he stated, ‘from the hand of our lord and master himself.’ He ran his finger along the page, then stopped to squint at something. His eyes went wide and his lips opened up.
    ‘You fuckwit,’ sighed Monica.
    ‘Hey,’ snapped Charlie, ‘his threes and his fives look a lot alike. It’s not my fault.’
    ‘Where are we supposed to be?’ asked Barney.
    ‘It’s just a little mistake,’ said Charlie. ‘We’re in the right building and all that, just the wrong office. We want to be in three -three-one. Two floors down.’
    ‘Okay, everybody,’ said their boss, raising his voice. ‘Charlie screwed up again. We want to be—’
    ‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,’ said Derek in the right-hand office. Jay let out a low whistle.
    Barney went to look. Monica and Charlie were right behind him. Monica let out a whistle that matched Jay’s.
    The wall across from the executive desk had slid away like the side door on a van. Behind it was a well-lit closet dominated by matching metal racks. The bottom third of each one was a set of drawers.
    The top two-thirds were weapons.
    Matching rifles were lined up in quartets along the top of both racks. There were at least three different types. Below them was a double-row of pistols. The handguns sat in groups of two and three, grips out. A pair of gleaming shotguns sat across from them, with ammunition drums the size of softballs.
    ‘Boss,’ said Derek. He’d found the matching panel on the other side of the office. Hidden behind it was a long-barreled rifle with a huge scope. A collection of knives and blades were laid out on a shelf below it.
    ‘Holy fuck,’ whispered Charlie. ‘We’ve died and gone to the Matrix.’
    Chit and Jay dashed over to the other office. Now that they knew where to look for the release, they found even more hidden closets. ‘Body armor,’ called Chit. ‘Holsters. Belts.’
    ‘And food,’ shouted Jay. ‘There’s a ton of food here.’
    Most of them scampered over to the other office. Monica reached up and pulled one of the rifles off the rack. It was a strange, futuristic thing with the trigger in the front, a snub barrel, and a see-through magazine along the top. ‘What is all this stuff?’
    ‘That’s a P90 you’re holding,’ said Barney. He pointed at some of the other rifles. ‘Those are M4 carbines. That’s a German G36.’
    ‘Eight years in the Army finally paying off?’
    ‘Yeah, cause I’ve been doing nothing with it the past couple months,’ he said. He picked up one of the