Page 22 of Sixty Meters Under
“Thank you.” Hiroshi took two cards and a new device and stepped back.
Anna continued reading the names, until finally she read Ryosuke’s name. Even when she mispronounced it, Ryosuke did not mind and gave her a small smile. “Yes,” he said, giving her his ID.
Anna returned a smile and looked back at the list. She gave him his ID along with his new white card and phone. “Here you go.”
Ryosuke thanked her with a little bow.
Anna talked some more, but he barely listened. He felt lightheaded, exhaustion permeating his whole body. He couldn’t wait to climb into bed, get some proper sleep and rest his muscles that barely functioned.
“See you today at the meeting at 16:00,” Anna added at the end. “Have a nice day, and rest well until then.”
Chapter 8
Around 15:50 the residents started gathering in the canteen.
The sound of shuffling feet and hushed whispers filled the room as they tried to make sense of their new reality; some of them still couldn’t believe that this was really happening.
A Christmas tree shone in the corner, a reminder it was that time of the year.
Ryosuke and Ayame found their parents seated at the table in the middle and joined them. Ryosuke scanned the crowd looking at the new faces he would be seeing every day from that moment on. There were people of all ages, even small children, and who knows how long they would be sharing this space. They all shared the same fate, an unnerving thought. But for now, at least, they were safe.
Ryosuke continued to look around and spotted Anna sitting at the table at the end. Next to her Ryosuke noticed the gentleman who showed them around the bunker when they were here for the first time. Ryosuke glanced at the people near Anna and Hugo but noticed none of them was Anna’s son. He felt a pang of disappointment and redirected his attention elsewhere.Maybe the guy will arrive later.
Ryosuke explained Lennart’s absence to
himself.
→
Lennart sat in his workroom and watched the gathering on the screens. The clock showed 15:55; the meeting was about to start. The canteen was almost full, and Lennart assumed that everyone had come to their first meeting. They had a list of residents, and could confirm if everyone participated, except those who had ended up in a quarantine on their arrival.
Lennart knew every detail of the information that was about to be shared; his role, together with Nils, was to keep an eye on the crowd from the shadows.
→
When the clock on the wall showed 16:00, Hugo rose in front of the crowd. Despite his age, his posture was straight and his gaze steady. His voice carried authority, drawing others to listen when he started speaking. He was not at all stern, but it was apparent to those around him that he had years of experience behind him.
“Good afternoon and welcome. We’ve gathered here to share with you some basic rules and all important information. My name is Hugo Hansson. I’m a retired army general who served this country for almost forty years.” Hugo didn’t want to disclose his current occupation, at least not for now–that for the last five years he worked for Lennart and was his right hand in hisdetective work. “On my right is Anna Landberg, the owner of this bunker.”
Anna stood, smiled and bowed a little. “She is a head nurse at the Oncology Hospital in Gothenburg. She will be our nurse during our stay here and also in charge of the bunker’s organization together with me.” Hugo let this information sink in, and after this brief pause, he looked back at the sheet of the paper. “Now let me introduce you to the residents who will be in charge of our security in our new, temporary home. First of four is: Detective Gunnar Larsson. Please, join us here.”
A man stepped from the crowd and walked towards Hugo. His face was a road map of sleepless nights wrinkles etched the corners of steely gray eyes that seemed to have witnessed too much of the world’s darkness and injustice. He positioned himself on Hugo’s left and raised his hand in greeting. Hugo looked at him, then back at the crowd to introduce Gunnar with a few additional details. “Detective Larsson is an investigator from our hometown. In his career, he has solved hundreds of cases and served many criminals the justice they deserved. Thank you, Gunnar, for joining us here,” Hugo added, in a manner which evidenced their close friendship.
“Our next team member for safety and order will be Deputy Chief Isamu Kato.”
Another man with a stern expression approached. He carried himself with vigilance and professionalism, typical for a police officer. Dressed in black from head to toe, his dark-gray hair was carefully combed back.
“Deputy Chief Kato comes from Tokyo and is one of the best in his profession.”
Isamu stopped beside Gunnar, turned towards the crowd and gave a bow.
“Next is Colonel George Walker,” Hugo said, and another man rose to his feet. “Colonel Walker is from Bristol, England, and has been in military service for twenty years now.”
Colonel Walker carried himself with the unmistakable bearing of a seasoned commander. His brown hair was cut short, and his dark-gray eyes were sharp and serious.
“And finally, introducing officer Erica Jackson,” Hugo continued as Colonel Walker stepped beside them.
A woman emerged from the crowd and walked towards the group. Because she was visibly younger than the rest of the team, and also female, some of the residents looked at her with skepticism. Erica tried to appear confident, but it was obviously a great challenge for her.
