3.87

3.87


 

Even on the brink of midnight the big pink and green plantation looks gaudy, I’d hate to see it during the day. I chose this location because it’s a museum, I walked past it on my way to Dulac and vaguely remembered people walking around the grounds, shopping and playing games. I thought Destiny would like the idea of robbing a plantation, especially one that’s so gaudy.

“Are we robbing am 1800s gay bar? What is this tacky place,” Isaac asks through laughter.

“It’s a museum that used to be plantation.”

“Did they let the gays own plantations?”

“C’mon, take this seriously.”

“Fine, fine, give me a second,” Isaac takes a few deep breaths, “Alright, what’s the plan here?”

“Help me find something to access the alarm through. There should be a box, usually near a fuse box or something. It’ll stand out. After that, we’re going to take anything worth money.”

I hate plantations, I think I hate The South in general. So much of it always feels haunted, almost as if it has the highest number of ghosts per capita. I’ve never seen a ghost but at this point, I’m willing to bet they’re out there. I’ve seen vampires and lycans of multiple varieties, a thieves guild, little magic bubble worlds, and now I’m living with some vampires who claim to be former slaves. Destiny left contacts in her diary, I’m sure there’s some ghost hunters in there.

“Hey, I didn’t find a box for an alarm, but if this is a museum, I’m sure they’ve got one,” Isaac says as we pass for the third time.

“Then we just need to cut the power.”

“Oh, I can take care of that,” he waves for me to follow.

“What’s your plan?”

“I don’t have any tools so you’re going to need to pop the case for me, but electric meters have a power cut off switch on them. You can cut the power before it reaches the house.”

“That’s smart, I was going to knock over a power line. How did you learn that?”

“Worked as a meter reader in one of my many former jobs.”

Sure enough, I ripped the top of the meter off and Isaac had turned off the power in a matter of seconds. We decided to wait a few minutes for any remaining power to run out. Isaac filled me in on more of his former jobs; forklift driver, EMT, bar tender, and magic shop cashier. That is something I want to know more about.

Inside the number of display cases are sparse. Plenty of paintings, mannequins and dishes. There’s a gift shop; a plantation, with a gift shop. I see why Destiny left The South. I couldn’t imagine if I was surrounded by constant grand reminders that my ancestors were treated as property. Yeah, I picked the right place. Alone, most of this stuff isn’t worth a few hundred dollars at most, outside of the artwork. But together, it’s a massive haul.

“So are what we going to take? You must have had something big in mind to request a trailer,” Isaac asks feeling the texture of a vintage suit jacket.

“We’re taking everything, or as much as we can.”

“Do we have time for that?”

“You just strip the mannequins, I’ll put everything else in the truck and trailer.”

“Well, I can get the men undressed pretty fast, but I’ve never undressed a woman before.”

“They’re probably not wearing bra straps, that’s the hard part.”

Vampiric speed, a real blessing, my favorite thing so far. I could live without the strength and night vision, but the speed, it’s my favorite. I haven’t gotten a chance to use it a lot, but I’ve loved every second I get to use it. I sit down and take off my sneakers, because I don’t want to mess them up. Maybe that’s why Destiny didn’t use it often, she didn’t want to mess up her shoes. I chuckle to myself as I sit my shoes on a table. I stretch for just a moment to loosen up.

I rush through looking for the largest paintings first, snatching them off the wall and loading up the small trailer attached to the truck, small paintings next. It doesn’t take long before the walls are bare of anything valuable, I move on to the so-called artifacts. I snatch what I can fit from the exhibits, a typewriter, an ornate sewing machine, a model car, hand carved clocks and some ornate silver dishes. I skip past the brightly colored fake voodoo dolls and move onto the Indigenous Peoples exhibit. I’d prefer if we could just drop these off somewhere with the people they came from, but I’m sure James will find a way to sell them. I redress two of the mannequins while Isaac is outside, just to screw with him. I move on to the workers housing as they’re now called, but it’s the slave quarters. Inside there’s a gun mounted on one wall, a faded picture of a white Jesus with a poorly carved cross beneath it. The gun is probably the only thing worth money in here. I take another pass of the house, and jam a few more displays to fill up the trucks. As Isaac finishes up I run into the modern kitchen they use to feed guests and cater events. I turn the gas on and wait for him to leave, even with no power gas will get in. I light a few candles, grab my shoes and meet him outside. I know it won’t blow up like the movies, but maybe it’ll burn. Destiny would like that.

“You’re fast,” Isaac says as he enters the truck.

“Yeah, but my feet hurt.”

“I’d rub them for you, but I don’t have a foot fetish.”

“I thank you for that.”

“Do you think we’ve got enough stuff to win?”

“We should win on volume alone.”

“Then lets hit the highway, we can still get a good night’s sleep. I’m tired,” Isaac starts the car and pulls out gently.

“All you did is undress some mannequins,” I laugh at him.

“Mannequins you kept redressing.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

0 comments :

Post a Comment