Page 37 of Sixty Meters Under

“Lennart, we’ve lost the signal.”

“What? What are you talking about, Hugo?” Lennart asked, not fully conscious.

“The signal from the outside. We’re cut off from the rest of the world.”

A chill ran down Lennart’s spine. The news jolted him awake, and he pushed himself to a sitting position.

“I can’t say for sure what happened. It looks like we were near the epicenter.”

“Huh? How–”

“The cameras outside are dead. And there’s a high level of radiation.”

Lennart blinked a few times, letting the information sink in.

“What’s going on?” Leticia asked and pressed her body to his. Lennart’s body stiffened, but he didn’t answer her.

“I’m going to the canteen to inform the residents. But Liams’s checking the system one more time.”

“Okay… okay. I’ll be on it too.”

Lennart put the phone down on the mattress and cupped his head with both hands.

“Did something happen?” Leticia spoke again. She put her hand on his shoulder, but Lennart didn’t react. She waited for his response and sat beside him with her hands in her lap.

After a brief pause Lennart said, “I need to check my mother.” He jumped out of the bed and threw his clothes on.

“Did something happen to her?”

“No! No.” Lennart sounded harsher than he intended. “I just need to see if she’s okay. You go to your sister. I’m sure she needs you.”

Leticia frowned.

Lennart buckled up his jeans and straightened his white cotton shirt. Leticia got up as well and picked up her scattered clothes.

?

Lennart knocked once, then twice, but there was no answer. When he entered Anna’s room, he noticed the space was empty. His mother was gone, and the bed was neatly made. He looked around once more before leaving. In the hallway, he called her phone.

“Yes?”she answered, and Lennart felt relief wash over him.

“How are you today?” he asked.

“I’ve had better days. But I’m doing… fine?”

“Where are you?”

“In the canteen. With Hugo.”Lennart could hear murmurs in the background. “Good. I guess I can go to help Liam check on the system then.”

“Hope you’ll have more luck with it.”

Lennart sighed. “We’ll see about that.”

Lennart headed to the store to get something to eat first. He hadn’t had time to go to the canteen, and once he entered the comms room, he found Liam hunched at the desk.

“How’s it going?” he asked when he slumped on the chair beside him.

“It’s not,” Liam said and shook his head. “I’m trying out the radio, since that’s our only chance to get some news.”