Page 36 of Sixty Meters Under

Ayame seemed as if she wanted to add something else. She looked at him, but no words came out. Ryosuke examined her face then looked away. “I need to sit down.”

Ayame released her hold and sat back in her seat. Ryosuke sat on the empty chair between her and his mother.

“How’s the situation outside, son?” his father spoke up.

“Not good.” Ryosuke looked down and shook his head, then looked back at his father. “The news is terrifying. Not only didthe whole city burn to the ground, but all the towns and villages for a mile around were destroyed.”

“Unfortunately, that’s how it happens with this kind of weapon,” Isamu added, sighing.

“It was reported that about forty percent of the citizens of Ulvandor were hidden in bunkers,” Ryosuke said, recalling the news report.

“That’s not many,” Hiroshi, Ayame’s father, joined the conversation. “Also, not everyone believed in the worstcase scenario. And there’s no place for all the citizens to take shelter.”

“Yeah, indeed,” Isamu confirmed.

“God! The war has only just started, and they’ve already used nuclear weapons.” Ryosuke’s mother shook her head.

“That’s horrible!” Ayame’s mother added.

“Not everyone took the news well,” Hiroshi said, looking at the group of people gathered on their right. “There are doctors and psychologists treating a few people who suffered anxiety attacks.”

“They told us to stay here for now, at least until things settle down a bit,” Keiko explained.

Ryosuke also turned to look at the residents gathered near the doctors. The psychologists examined and talked to those who needed help.

?

Lennart went to check on his mother. When he opened the door, he noticed the light inside was dimmed the way he’d left it, and his mother didn’t seem disturbed in any way, so he looked around and closed the door quietly. As he walked down the hallway back to his room, he noticed someone standing in the hall. He narrowed his eyes to see better, and recognized Leticia’s features.

“Hey.” Lennart smiled and asked, “Come to see me?”

“Yeah. If that’s okay with you?”

“Sure. Come in.” Lennart pressed the card to the scanner and pushed the door open. He thought it might not be a bad idea to spend this night with someone.

“Thank you.” Leticia entered first, Lennart walked right behind her. “How was the meeting?” he asked and closed the door.

Leticia turned around to face him and sighed. “It was… I don’t know…” She shook her head and looked down. “I have no idea how to describe it.” She looked up and shrugged. “Bizarre, and heart wrenching at the same time? I still can’t wrap my mind around it.”

“Yeah.” Lennart had mixed feelings about the whole situation.

“It’s terrible,” Leticia added and closed the distance between them. Lennart wrapped his hands around her in a comfortingmanner, and she mirrored his hold. “I miss my parents. I hope they’re okay.”

Lennart remembered Leticia’s parents had stayed in Spain but provided shelter for her and her sister. They didn’t have enough money to buy a room in the bunker for all four of them, but they wanted their two daughters to be safe.

“I hope so too. You have to believe that everything will be okay.”

Leticia pressed her face to his chest inhaling deeply. “This is a nightmare,” she muttered into his cotton shirt and squeezed her hands tighter around him.

“I know. But we have to be strong.” Lennart tried not to think too much about the scenarios unfolding on the outside. Leticia raised her worried face to look at him and Lennart leaned in to kiss her. He needed comfort, and he knew she needed it too. But also, he knew he shouldn’t be kissing her, but he was lonely and the emptiness he felt inside of his chest suddenly got unbearable.

And when he closed his eyes, all he could see was Ryosuke’s face.

Chapter 12

The buzzing sound pierced his sleep. Lennart groaned and stretched out his hand searching for his phone on the nightstand. Failing to find it, he reached over the edge of the bed to grab his discarded jeans. When he fished the phone out of the pocket, he pressed it to his ear and answered with his eyes half closed. “Yes?”

Leticia moaned next to him.