I nodded, my throat dry. He pulled his hand and turned away. He typed in the next code and the door swung open with a shrill, rusty scream. I cupped my hands over my ears as he pushed it open.
Lights flickered on without him touching anything and music began playing.
‘Run Rabbit Run’ blasted loudly through the speakers on the ceilings.
Oh, okay.
I laughed. If I wasn't already terrified enough, the members of this bunker thought to add more creepy things to their home.
"Are we sure it's abandoned?" I asked as we stepped inside. It looked pristine. Shouldn’t there be dust?
"That's what all the paperwork we were given says." Callahan reached for my hand, and slowly, we made our way through the long room. Large computers lined the glass walls. It was as stunning and impressive as it was terrifying. Fish swam by the windows, not even reacting to the lights or our presence.
We reached another door at the end of the room, and Callahan typed in a third code. The door opened much easier than the first one, and the entire mood shifted as we were hit with the stench of rot and decay. I gagged and covered my nose and mouth.
I wasn't sure if I imagined it or not, but I was sure I saw green smoke coming from the other side as we stood in the pristine room.
"I think this is what we were meant to find," Callahan coughed. "It's not great, but let's get this done and over with."
I took a deep breath of the clean air and followed him through the door. One quick glance and I let out a shriek, losing all the clean air. Dead, rotting sea animals were piled to the ceiling all around the hall. Callahan grabbed my hand and tugged me forward. The further we walked, the more piles there were.
Swordfish, tuna, octopus, sharks, all sorts of fish in various states of decay were scattered everywhere. But why?
We saw doors and tried the handles but they were locked. Panic set in and our walks turned into runs, frantically trying door after door, only to find them locked. Would we be trapped the next three days in the center of this open, in-process graveyard?
I couldn't. This might be worse than drowning, I realized. At least drowning was quick. This was hot, moist, and suffocating. Icouldn't take this. Paired with the loud, echoing music? This was torture.
"Don't stop, Eleanor. Keep moving," Callahan pleaded. I stumbled forward, fighting to keep moving and the vomit down my throat. Finally, at the very end of the hall, we found stairs leading further down. Callahan paused, and looked at me. Our options were to stay here, surrounded by dead fish, or to try our luck with another floor.
I pushed his back, encouraging him to go down. We sped down the winding steps, and slowly, the smell began to disappear. Finally, the stairs opened up and we found a room that was once a garden. Beautiful, albeit overgrown flowers filled the small room.
"What were those locked rooms above, do you think?" I asked, still clinging to Callahan's hand. We walked through the room, and entered a second, larger room. Everything looked similar to the house that covered the bunker. Old, faded, and worn. But, not covered in dead fish. I'd take it. I looked up at Callahan, realizing he hadn't answered me. He swallowed and frowned.
"Those were the leader’s quarters. The Warden, his family, and other leaders. The most important people in the bunker were on that floor."
"But the doors were locked?"
We walked slowly, taking in the abandoned wreckage. Other than the top level, nothing seemed particularly out of ordinary for what I'd expect from an abandoned place. We tried doors and found them to open just fine. Many of them were stores, lounge areas, or medical offices. We found a school, a dentist, and a library. All appeared as if they'd left in a hurry.
But why?
It wasn't until we reached the sixth floor, that the smell of fish returned, though to a lesser extent. The air was moist as ifthere was open water, and I paused at the stairs, hesitant to go all the way down. I could hear swishing sounds.
"What's wrong?" Callahan asked from behind me.
I gulped, my insides twisting. "There's live fish down there..."
Chapter 25 - Callahan
Run.
Eleanor stood firm at the bottom of the steps, refusing to move.
"Come again?"
"There's something living on that floor." She hissed. "I can hear it, swimming around. Can't you smell it?"
I leaned down and sniffed. My good mood fell. It did smell fishy. My hands went to her hips protectively.
