"The walls are made of glass. The bunker is in the ocean," I answered grimly. I was wrong about being confused; Ihadunderstood the paperwork.
Chapter 24 - Eleanor
Step carefully.
Icould barely speak.
I sat forward and listened to every single word the warden spoke. They weren't just sending us to another bunker underground. This one was surrounded by thousands of pounds of pressure. One crack in that glass and we wouldn't even know we’d died. We'd just be... dead.
After a full afternoon of briefing, we were taken above and put in a helicopter. No one spoke as they took us to an unnamed location. I saw the water first then the small house right at the edge of a cliff.
"You will enter the home and go to the far back bedroom. Punch in the code and the closet will open, revealing stairs. Once you are deep enough, the door will close and you will be sealed inside. No one will know you are there."
No one will know you are there.
The warden's words echoed in my brain. I hated each and every one. This didn't feel like a mission to bring information back. It felt like a death sentence. An excuse to get rid of us and pretend that it was simply an accident. Killed In Action.
They let us out of the helicopter and told us they'd be back in three days. Before I could complain, they took off. Standing onthe cliff, the mist from the ocean came up and splashed our skin. I shivered and looked toward the ocean. There was nothing but water. We were utterly alone.
"Ready, Eleanor?" Callahan offered his hand.
"Yes, Daddy."
I took it and let him lead me through the house. It looked like the houses I'd seen on the Television, or in magazines. Only everything was faded. The paint was chipped and all the furniture was broken. With each step I took deeper into the house, the harder it was to take the next one. My legs shook, my palms were sweating, and I couldn't breathe.
"It's okay, Eleanor, Daddy's here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Callahan tried to soothe me, but it only made me laugh.
"Yeah? What happens if we get down there and find out they didn't leave the bunker, but that it just exploded and they all drowned? What if we do the same? You can't save me if you're in trouble too."
"I don't think that's the case," he said, his voice low. I don't think he believed himself. We reached the bedroom, and he went to the closet, where a panel with numbers was built into the wall. He typed in the code we'd been given and a door opened, just as the warden had said, revealing stairs. Callahan felt around and flipped a switch. Lights turned on in the stairs and we both peered down.
It was dry.
"I'll go first. Keep hold of me," Callahan ordered.
Like I'd let him go.
I squeezed his hand tighter and we started down the stairs. The lights flickered but remained on as we went down the mile of stairs. Despite knowing we were moving further into the ocean, the lights helped to relax me. Maybe there was a completely reasonable explanation as to why they abandoned their bunker.
"How many of these are there, do you think?" I asked.
"Abandoned bunkers? I have no idea. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about this. I always found it strange and uncomfortable to think we were the only ones left in the entire world. I mean, the inbreeding alone is cause for alarm."
"Well that's why Young Ladies aren't allowed to marry. I always thought that they purposely impregnated us to ensure that we weren't having children with family." I spoke only because the silence made me uncomfortable.
"Maybe, I'm not entirely sure. I think it's a power thing as well."
We reached the bottom of the stairs, and there was a door with a sign above it.
Welcome to the Deep Blue Sea.
"Are you okay, Eleanor?" Callahan spun around, and I found myself chest-to-chest with him. The space was small.
"I-- I'll be okay," I lied.
His hand lifted and there was a hesitation before it rested on the side of my face. He stroked my cheek with his thumb.
"This is why I was assigned to you. Your Daddy is going to keep you safe. I will give my life before I let something hurt you, understand?"
