Chapter 24 - Eleanor

Step carefully.

I could 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 on the 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?"

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. I couldn'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 if there 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..."