Page 21 of Sixty Meters Under

“When they arrive, we can finally seal the door and focus only on who’s inside,” Anna said, and straightened her back with a groan. “Damn it hurts.” She’d had a long shift before she wasable to leave the hospital yesterday. Moving all the patients to safety in the basement wasn’t the simplest task for a middle-aged body.

While Lennart and Anna worked on the organization and supplies, they heard the ring at the main entrance. “That’s probably them.” Anna raised her head and got to her feet. She grabbed a digital thermometer, exited the room and waited for Nils in the hall.

“Who is it?” Anna asked when Nils exited the

monitoring room.

“They seem to be the last two groups we were expecting. The Kato and Nakashima families.”

“Yes! Let them in.” Anna gestured to him to open the door, and she followed to greet the newcomers.

“Good day to you! And welcome,” Anna spoke first with a small welcoming smile.

“Good day to you too!” The oldest of four women spoke, sighing heavily. “God, our journey here took forever.”

“But you made it,” Anna said, and took the suitcase the woman dragged behind her. “Let me help you.” The woman thanked her and went inside, followed by other family members.

“Welcome! Come in.” Anna stepped to the side. “You’re surely tired.” Their pale faces and eyes with dark circles bore witness to this. They all greeted her one by one and bowed.

“Yes. We had a really difficult and long night,” a petite woman with grayish hair admitted.

“It doesn’t surprise me. But I’m really glad you made it. Is everyone here?” Anna asked since she didn’t count them as they entered. Nils helped move their suitcases through the scanner. “Place all your luggage here,” he added.

“We should all be here. We were in the taxi.” The older woman replied, then added, “We had to order two large vehicles, to accommodate ourselves and all our belongings.”

“Of course, I’m just asking to make sure.” Anna nodded. “And, before we continue, I need to check your temperature.”

The family lined up next to each other and waited for Anna to conduct her test.

“Everything seems fine.” Anna said when she checked all of them. Then she turned and said, “Follow me. We need to check you in first before you go to your rooms. I promise I’ll keep it short, since you’re all very tired.”

Anna entered first, and Lennart, who still sat at the table, looked up at the group.

Anna stopped beside her desk, straightened her white shirt briskly and cleared her throat, “Welcome again! My name is Anna Landberg, but you can call me Anna. This is my son, Lennart,” Anna turned to Lennart who nodded and greeted them. “Hugo Hansson, who is not with us at the moment, will be available to you during your stay in the bunker as well. You have our numbers stored in your new devices that I’ll give you in a moment. You can contact us whenever needed. We willhave our first residents meeting today, so you will receive more information there.”

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Ryosuke remained standing in the back, his attention drawn to Lennart. He had his eyes fixed on the man, and he absorbed his features closely. Lennart wore a white comfy hoodie, his blond locks partially covering his eyes, making it impossible to see them clearly. Lennart was immersed in papers but all of a sudden, he looked up, directly at him.

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Lennart, as if sensing eyes on him, looked towards the group again. Everyone was focused on his mother, except one person.

Ryosuke.

As soon as his eyes landed on Ryosuke, the young man looked away. Lennart kept his gaze on him for a moment longer then turned his attention back to the papers. He decided not to pay much attention to what had happened; many people tend to look at each other for no particular reason. Only one thought got stuck in his mind: how the man looked even better in person than in the photos.

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Ryosuke held his breath for a heartbeat.Blue! The man’s eyes are blue, like the ocean. And mesmerizing,but Ryosuke tried not to think about that part. He took a deep shaky inhale, deliberately avoiding looking in Lennart’s direction again.Why am I feeling this way? I’m not into…

Ryosuke turned his focus on Anna instead. Her blonde hair danced around her shoulders as she sat down at the table and proceeded, “Now let me give you your cards and new phones. Please, have your passports ready.” She took the sheet from her desk and read the first name: “Hiroshi Nakashima.”

Ayame’s father stepped forward. He wore a black winter coat, his dark hair was short and sprinkled with gray hairs. He had a serious expression on his wrinkled face, and his dark brown eyes framed with glasses stared piercingly at Anna. He was a surgeon–one of the best in Japan. She gave him a small smile as Hiroshi handed her his passport.

“Thank you,” Ryosuke heard Anna say.

Anna compared the information on the ID with the information she had on the list, and handed Ayame’s father his passport back, along with the phone and white keycard. “Here you go. Your key and the phone.”