They carefully walked up the stairs warily looking around and behind them as they went. At the top of the stairs the floor divided into two. To the right was what was left of the Department store. To the left was the Post Office.
“Ah, new customers. Do please come in,” a scratchy voice said. They walked around the corner and into the Post Office. Behind the counter was an old bespectacled man, with thin chaotic wisps of grey hair a strange counter-part to his otherwise neat appearance of a white shirt and a dark blue tie.
“Now what can I do for you both? I don’t believe I have any deliveries for you today.” There were a number of candles lit on his side of the counter. The bullet-proof glass was still very much intact.
There was a pause.
“Perhaps a leaflet would help?” the old man suggested pointing at a rack of leaflets. Judging by their covers they explained everything from how to apply for a passport, to the benefits of life insurance.
Ghost tensed slightly; it was one of those moments of confusion which made an excellent time to spring an ambush. Nothing happened. Amber wandered over to the leaflets and looked through them. Still nothing happened.
“It’s possible to post things from here?” Ghost asked. Sometimes you just had to go with a situation and see where it took you.
“Yes sir. This is a Post Office after all,” he replied with a note of pride.
“I had no idea they operated outside of the Conclaves,” Ghost mused.
“Oh you’d be surprised at how much goes on outside the Conclaves sir.”
“Such as…” Amber turned back to face the counter again.
“Ah well I’m not really the man to talk to about that miss. You want the information desk,” he replied helpfully.
They looked around but couldn’t see anything resembling a desk.
“And that would be…?” Ghost wondered where this was leading.
“Well in the shopping mall of course sir,” he replied “now is there anything I can get for you?”
“The shopping mall,” Ghost said softly to himself. He did remember there was an information desk that tried to tell you where all the various shops were situated, but generally only succeeded in confusing people. That couldn’t still be working could it; after all there was the rather significant matter of the horde of zombies that currently occupied the mall.
The old man was still smiling serenely so Ghost tried a different tact. “You sell stamps?”
The old man nodded, “There’s a price list among the leaflets sir.”
Amber picked one up and handed it to Ghost. He opened it and wasn’t surprised to see it reflected modern day economics. There were prices given for physical coins and notes, electronic money and a few specific items that were presumably of value to the old man. Ghost closed it and tucked it away in a pocket. He had both “real” money as he thought of it, and several accounts of electronic money under various aliases. And there were one or two of the items that he had too. But right now, he wanted to get out safely.
“That’s very helpful to know. Thank-you. Have a good day,” he nodded to Amber and started to head towards the stairs.
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