Page 147 of My Undead Love Life

My heart fluttered. The words warmed me more than they should have, considering I was half-frozen and possibly hallucinating an underground lawn door with a bunker.

Mad moved first. He descended slowly, axe in hand, and every step was deliberate. Keith went next, rifle angled low but ready. I followed between him and Oxi, with Luck behind us and Oxi close enough that his hand brushed my back once when my boot slipped on the top step.

“I’ve got you, snowfire,” he murmured.

“I know.”

The warmth rising from below wrapped around my ankles first. It was faint, but it was there. A sob almost climbed out of my throat at the feeling.

The storm roared above us, but with each step down, it faded. The wind dulled. The snow stopped hitting my face. The air changed from brutal and sharp to dry and strangely clean.

At the middle of the stairs, I looked back once. The sky was a white, violent blur above the open hatch. Then, the door sealed behind us with a heavy thunk.

26

SPENCER

The sound of the door sealing behind us echoed down the stairwell, bouncing off smooth metal walls and disappearing somewhere below us, leaving the five of us standing in a strange, bright warmth beneath the earth while the storm raged above.

The air around my face no longer cut like glass, but my body hadn’t caught up yet. I was still shivering so hard my teeth clicked beneath my scarf.

“Oh, shit, there are lights. Like, real lights.” Luck’s voice came from behind me, strained and shaky. “That’s not creepy at all. Are we sure we aren’t walking toward the light right now?”

“Shut up, Luck,” Oxi hissed.

“No, seriously. We almost freeze to death, find a secret lawn door in the snow, and now we’re descending into bright white light? This feels very ‘last moment’ to me.”

Keith glanced back at him. “Do you have any regrets?”

Luck paused. “I mean, several. But most of them involve not stealing better socks when I had the chance. My feet are about to fall off from the cold. I think. They’re numb.”

Mad kept descending, axe in hand, gaze moving over every inch of the stairwell. “Let’s keep moving.”

The stairs were metal, but not rusted or warped like everything else in the world. They were clean, and the walls on either side of us had thin strips of recessed lighting running down them. It cast everything in a steady glow that made my eyes ache after so many days of dimness, and the snow’s glare.

It didn’t feel real. This place felt untouched. Like the apocalypse had passed over it without leaving its mark.

The air changed more with every step. Warmth rose from below, wrapping around my boots, my legs, then my body. My skin reacted painfully, too cold to accept it at first. Pins and needles pricked through my fingers inside my gloves. My toes throbbed. The tip of my nose burned as feeling returned to it.

I swallowed against the sudden pressure in my throat. It was actual heat. I hadn’t realized how close I had been to crying from the cold until I started warming up.

Keith’s hand brushed my lower back. “You with me, wildflower?”

I nodded, though my voice came out small. “Yeah.”

Luck moved closer on my other side. “If anyone tries to murder us, I’m going to be pissed.”

Mad stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back at him. “No one is getting murdered.”

The stairwell opened into a chamber with smooth metal walls, sealed doors, and bright lights humming overhead. A faint antiseptic smell lingered in the air, sharp and clean. It was almost painful after months of rot, smoke, old blood, damp clothes, and the frozen stink of the dead.

I stood there, staring in utter shock. There were panels set into the wall. Vents. Cameras tucked into the upper corners. A glass barrier was on the far side of the chamber with a door built into it. Beyond the glass was a short hallway with more light. I could see organized equipment mounted along one wall. Everything looked well-maintained.

“Holy shit,” Keith whispered. “This is… This is incredible.”

Luck leaned closer to me. “I don’t know whether to be amazed or very, very suspicious.”

“Both,” Oxi murmured.