Page 9 of Sixty Meters Under

“I still don’t believe that a nuclear war will break out for real. They only want us to be afraid, so they can manipulate us. It was always about that,” Ryosuke tried to reason.

“I know. But things have gotten significantly worse in the world since last year. After the civil war in China, the unrest in Korea, I just can’t sit here and do nothing. This may be our last chance to find a decent place.” Ayame outstretched his hand with her phone.

Ryosuke took it and started scrolling. When he gathered enough basic information, he looked back at her, and raised an eyebrow. “This is in Sweden. How are we supposed to get there if something really happens?”

“Humor me. Let’s assume that flights will not be canceled all at once, and there will be enough time to move across countries.”

Ryosuke looked at her in disbelief.

Ayame shook her head. “I know what you’re thinking, but the whole world will not be bombed all at once. There will be some warning, no?”

“I wouldn’t rely on that.” Ryosuke sighed and leaned back in his seat.

“Please, read all the details.”

Ryosuke glanced at her, then looked back at the phone. The bunker looked attractive, even luxurious, and came with an affordable price tag.

Thinking what to say, he looked up again. “This must be a scam.”

“It may be. I thought about that too. But I still think it’s worth checking out.”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“Well, I’m free now. We have time to go and see the place in person. We haven’t been on vacation for a long time anyway, so we might use this opportunity to go,” Ayame smiled, but Ryosuke became tense.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to go there and waste our time?” Ryosuke tried, still hoping she would change her mind.

“Not all our time would be wasted. At least we’ll have a good time and see a bit of Europe together,” Ayame said with visible hope in her eyes. “I already talked about this with my parents. They also think it’s worth checking.”

Ryosuke sighed. He wasn’t eager to go on an adventure with her.

“Love,” Ayame continued. “I want the two of us and our family to be safe.Really safe. And this is our chance. Some parts of Europe, and especially Scandinavian countries, should be one of the safest places to hide.”

Ryosuke put her phone down. “I don’t know… What about the state bunkers? If something happens we can hide here in our city.”

“Yeah, maybe. If we’re lucky. People will kill to get in a bunker.”

Ryosuke could see that Ayame wasn’t going to give up on the idea easily. “Okay. Okay.” He raised his hands, defeated. “So how about this: we go there to see that bunker. If it turns out to be a scam, or looks really fishy, you will give up on the idea to look for hiding places.”

“Okay! We have a deal!” Ayame smiled pleased, and clasped her hands. Ryosuke hoped that this place was indeed as the agents claimed. And if not, he knew that Ayame would find another way to persuade him to find another bunker.

“I’ll contact them today and ask if we can come and see the place. Then I’ll buy the tickets.”

So, she’d already started making plans.

Ryosuke released a heavy sigh. “Fine. You know my thoughts. I’ll leave it up to you to organize everything.”

“Oh, honey. I believe you’ll change your mind once you see the place.”

Ryosuke laughed. “Don’t be so sure, but yeah, we’ll see about that.”

Ayame’s smile grew wider, now she could focus back on her plate of curry.

As Ryosuke took another bite, a realization that he’d buried deep inside bobbed to the surface: he would rather risk getting hit by a bomb than spend months or years with Ayame locked up in some bunker.

Chapter 4

Borås, Sweden, 2053