“What are you bunker bros up to this time?” Riot shouted.
“We are looking for a runaway soldier and his captive. Have you seen this man and girl?”
I couldn’t see what them, so I relied on what I could hear.
“Girl? That looks like a woman,” Riot argued.
My tummy fluttered. He didn’t see me as the little girl the bunker wanted him to. I was an adult.
“She is eighteen,” the soldier admitted. “Have you seen her?”
“Can’t say I have. Why do you keep losing people? First that Milton guy, now these two. I think you’ve got some big problems on your hand.”
“We don’t have time for this, wastelander. If you haven’t seen them, then please step aside. We are beginning searches of properties soon.”
“Searches? Does President Harrison know about that? Seems pretty unconstitutional.”
“We don’t need permission from the government. Bunker law overrules wasteland rules.”
“I don’t think that’s true. Anyways, good luck with your search. I can’t wait to see how busting into people’s residences go for you. You better hope those suits are bulletproof.”
I heard the loud crunch on the dry dirt as the men in PARA suits walked away. I stood, silent and crouched, pleading for Riot to make his return. Eventually he did, but not on foot. He came roaring over on his bike and screamed to a halt. He tossed me my helmet.
“Get on. We need to motor before they get to our place. We need to be gone before then.”
“Gone?” I tugged the helmet on and hopped on behind him. His bike roared to life and he jet forward, speeding home.
“Yeah, you want to go get your man, don’t you? Well, let’s go.”
Chapter 60 - Callahan
Too many questions will get you in trouble.
We stood in the elevator, staring at the figure half-hidden in the shadows. I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I was seeing.
How did Eleanor get here?
“Something’s not right,” Boone said low, from beside me. He raised his gun. “It must be some kind of mimic.”
The body in front of us raised its hands and stepped out of the shadows fully.
“Don’t shoot. I’m not Eleanor. I’m Myrtle, her mother.”
She stepped further out. The party relaxed and we left the elevator. The differences in their appearances were clear in the light.
“I thought you were dead,” I said, still cautious.
“I faked my death. It was the only way I’d be truly free. You know Eleanor?” The woman’s brown eyes lit up. “Is she safe?”
Growing closer, I studied her face. She didn’t appear any older than us and yet, she claimed to have an 18 year old daughter. She didn’t look like her mother, they could pass as sisters. They had the same skin tone, hair color, and eye color, only Myrtle’s lips were thinner, her nose slightly longer, and her eyes were… cold.
I remembered what I’d read in her file. She’d been given a drug to prevent her from aging. She was forever stuck in her 20-year-old body.
Just like Eleanor would be in two years.
“She’s safe. We left her with Riot,” Cherry answered. “So you’re Myrtle?”
“I am. What are you doing here? Why did you leave Eleanor behind?”
