Page 39

*~* Jamie *~*

Salem leads us along a path through the woods, and occasionally we have to leave it to walk around a tree or a large rock or some other ‘marker’. Salem is adept at covering our tracks, too. Entering a clearing, she stops and looks at us expectantly. Looking around I see a few tree stumps of differing heights and an open space.

“Welcome to your new home.” She opens her arms and gestures at the lush green area around us.

I’m confused by this, unless she intends that we put up a tent or something. Mateo is studying the area and frowning. “Okay! So, we are talking about something underground, but I don’t see an entrance. It must be disguised well and hidden in plain sight.” He continues searching the surrounding area, but even though he walks around stomping on the grass, he comes up empty.

“My pa built this years ago, and it’s only got better with time. He was always proud of it, and to be honest, I think it’s genius.” Walking over to the tallest stump, she pushes an area of the trunk that looks like there had been a branch there at some time. The stump tilts over, showing a hydraulic ram and a large hole beneath. “After you.” She gestures to me and I approach, a little nervously I have to say.

Seeing a metal ladder, I turn and begin to descend. After several steps, lights suddenly pop on, and it appears that I’m climbing down a culvert, a metal tube, of some kind. At the bottom, I’m in a small area with a concrete floor. I wait for everyone else to descend, and it’s a little crowded when Mateo and Salem join me.

“As you get four steps down the ladder there’s a lever to the right. Push it down as you pass and it snaps the stump shut. If you’re being chased, it will either stop them seeing where you went or chop them in half if they reach it and try to follow you. Don’t be too close when it closes. Pa designed it like that as part of the defense system. Once you’ve got this far, there’s a rock above you that you twist,” showing us as she explains, “and a door opens. Voilà!”

A part of the rock wall slides to the right, and another room is revealed. This one has a hatch in the floor that reminds me of the submarines that you see in the movies. Mateo walks over and tries to turn the wheel to open it. He strains for a while, and then the wheel begins to turn. He turns the damn thing for an age, his muscles bulging in his arms and neck, before Salem leans over, twists and pushes one of the bolt heads. The door lifts open silently.

“The wheel is a distraction to give you more time if anyone should get this far. They can strain with it all day and get absolutely nowhere.” Salem grins at Mateo’s sweating face.

Following her down the ladder, we find ourselves in a sparse but well-fitted out living area. She points out two bedrooms, a kitchen area, a bathroom, a storage area and, much to Mateo’s obvious delight, a gun room. The centerpiece of the gun room surprisingly isn’t a gun. Pride of place in the rack are a bow and a crossbow. Both are made of polished wood, and they look amazing. Mateo has never struck me as the weapon-mad type of brother, well prospect, though I know they all like their toys. He’s almost drooling as he looks them over.

“They are awesome. They must have cost a fortune. Look at the workmanship that has gone into the bow. The grain follows the contours of the bow so perfectly. That tree must have been grown to make that bow. The crossbow looks deadly just sitting there and not even strung.” I can see that he’s itching to hold them, but all credit to him, he refrains from taking one down from its position.

“Pa made them. They were his pride and joy. I have others at the house that I use regularly for hunting, but those two were only used when he was showing off, which was rarely. He was one of the most modest and understated men you could imagine.” Seeing her wistful look, I stay quiet and allow her this moment of reflection.

Leaving the pair of them to their individual moments, I walk off alone and check out my new home. Looking into a bedroom, I look for a light switch. Walking in, the lights flick on automatically and reveal a switch by the door. Flicking the switch, the lights turn off, but light floods in from a hole in the ceiling. Looking closely, I see a polished tube that I assume must go to the surface. I didn’t see any sign of this on the surface, and as I’m wondering, Salem speaks from behind me, making me jump.

“They are hidden in the other tree trunks. When you switch the lights from automatic, a cover slides open inside the trunk and lets the light into the mirrored tube. They are only to be used if you’re sure there is no one snooping around. Although they are hidden well, if left open, it allows a potential weakness in the bunker's defenses. It’s probably the only thing Pa worried about after the fact. That’s why all the doors are so damned heavy. They are armored against some asshole dropping a grenade in the tubes.” Salem shakes her head as she tells me this.

Mateo appears and looks around the room, then calls ‘shotgun’.

“The two bedrooms are identical, dummy,” says Salem.

“I like the ambiance of this one better,” he replies, heavily accentuating the word, and Salem laughs. It’s a nice sound, and it brings a smile to my face without any conscious thought. I see Mateo smile, too.

“Dumbass. There is everything you need to live for years down here. In the living room, there’s a monitor connected to cameras topside. Check them carefully before you leave, if you feel the need to, and do not approach the house. If you need me for anything, use the radio. I’ll keep one on me at all times while you’re here. I doubt you’ll be here very long if Ghost is anywhere as efficient as my Pa at man-hunting.” Salem turns as though to leave, but Mateo has a question.

“What about the dogs?”

“What about them?”

“What happens to the dogs if you had to use this? How do they get in?” Mateo sounds genuinely concerned about a couple of animals that he’s only just met, and so far see him as nothing more than an inconvenience to their normal routine.

“They have their own safe houses to go to. I haven’t found a way to get them in here as yet. They weren’t a consideration when Pa built this place.” Salem tilts her head to one side as she studies Mateo’s face. “If you can think of a way, I’d be happy to hear it.”

“Hmmm. Leave it with me. I don’t like the idea of them being left to fend for themselves.”

Salem laughs again. “Oh, don’t worry about those two. They can take care of themselves, and each other, better than you could ever imagine. Right, I’ll leave you to settle in. If I see or hear anything you’ll be the first to know.”

Salem turns to leave, and I can’t help myself, I hug her. “Thank you for all you’re doing. I really appreciate it.” Feeling her tense in my arms, I realize she probably hasn’t had a lot of physical contact since her pa died. Giving her a last squeeze, I relinquish my hold and smile at her. “Thank you, Salem.”

Mateo steps forward and Salem runs for the exit, letting out a little squeal as she goes.

We spend an hour getting acquainted with everything in our bunker, as I see it, and after checking what food we have available, mostly dried stuff of course, I cobble together a nutritious and foul-tasting omelet.

“I wonder if the bunker has a zip code and address so we can place an order for delivery?” Mateo grins, and I stick my tongue out at him.

“Why not just email an order to the local, friendly, neighborhood hitman and have him deliver it along with a side order of 45 caliber slugs and a portion of C4 explosives?” I throw at him sarcastically.

Grabbing the couch and stretching my legs out so there’s no room for Mateo, I smirk as he takes one of the chairs. I stop smirking when it is revealed that his chair is a recliner. “I’ve seen dead bodies lots of times, you know, but seeing Floss’ seems different. It has affected me somehow, and I can’t put it out of my mind like the others.”