Chapter 36
Creepy didn’t begin to describe the area.
Eden felt as if a thousand eyes of the dead watched her.
A shiver of apprehension ran down her spine.
She knew the bunker would be a great place for them to hole up and fight against the Saints.
At the same time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the last place they should be.
She gently tugged on Maks’ hand to get his attention. He stopped immediately and looked at her over his shoulder. The moon was bright enough that she could make out him raising his brows in question.
“Is there somewhere else we can go?” she whispered.
His brows drew together as he turned to her. “It’s the best place.”
“I know. It’s just…” She trailed off and shrugged. She couldn’t put into words her feeling of foreboding.
Maks tightened his fingers with hers. “It’s going to be dangerous anywhere we go. We’ve got to stay away from people because of the virus, but also get somewhere we can defend ourselves. This is the best place I know of around here. We can’t leave Romania, and traveling is—”
She cut him off with a nod and her finger over his lips. “I know. I’m sorry. I just have a bad feeling.”
“So do I,” he admitted.
He gently pressed his lips to hers and gave her a smile. Eden forced herself to return it. This was a no-win situation. There weren’t any better options, no matter how much she wished there were.
They walked over the snow-covered ground, meandering through bushes and trees weighed down with snow until she spotted the top of a bunker rising from the ground.
It wasn’t at the top of a hill as some were.
This one was hidden in plain sight. However, if she hadn’t been looking for it or known of its existence, Eden was certain she would’ve walked right past it.
There was no movement around the bunker. Then again, all she could see was a small part of it. She followed Maks as he walked them around the back. The moon went behind the clouds, cutting off what little light there was. She was fumbling in the dark, but Maks knew exactly what he was doing.
Within moments of moving aside some brush, he was ushering her inside.
Eden glanced at the concrete door that was at least a foot thick.
Shouldn’t the hinges have been rusty and creaked when opened?
Probably, but Maks had said that he had scoped this place out before.
Which meant that he had likely taken care of any squeaking.
He closed and barred the door behind them.
Then he flicked on the light of his phone and took her hand as he walked past her.
Eden coughed at the damp, dank smell but kept pace with him.
They passed several doorways and halls that jutted off in different directions.
She hoped that she didn’t have to navigate the bunker by herself because there was no way she’d remember how to get out.
The sound of voices halted them in their tracks. Maks lowered his phone to hide the majority of the light. Eden stood right behind him, her breathing loud to her ears. They stood like that for several minutes before the voices moved off, and they began walking again.
To her shock, Maks took them to a stairway that led down. He zigzagged them through different corridors first one way and then the other, turning her around completely. Until finally, he stopped beside what looked like a solid wall.
“Hold this,” he said in a whisper.
Eden took his phone and held up the light to shine against him and the wall.
She frowned at the old picture of Hitler staring back at her.
The glass was intact, but the photo hadn’t withstood the elements.
It was faded and yellow. And no matter how much she tried, there was no getting away from those beady, black eyes watching her.
Maks, however, didn’t seem to care. He pushed the bottom corner of the picture upward so that the entire thing swiveled on the nail holding it.
Eden’s lips parted in astonishment as she saw a number pad there.
Maks quickly keyed in a code and the wall moved.
Clearly this bunker wasn’t always out of commission.
Someone had retrofitted at least parts of it since World War II.
This must have been what Maks said he had upgraded.
“Come on,” he told her as he put his hands on the slab and pushed.
It swung open, and lights clicked on as he walked in.
Eden leaned to the side and took in the room.
It appeared to be a conference room of sorts.
There was a long table, several chairs, lights swinging from the low ceiling and along the wall, as well as a table in the back that held radio equipment.
Maks set his pack on the table and walked to the electronics.
He flipped some switches and leaned down to look at something.
Eden was slower to walk in. She was entering a place that had been used in WWII against the allies.
Evil people had used this room. She wanted to turn and run, but she realized that this was now their place to use against evil people.
Eden slowly walked inside. Maks turned and briefly looked her way. She let her gaze roam over the area, taking what must have been high tech equipment for the forties. Looking at it now, she wasn’t even sure how to work any of it.
“You all right?” Maks asked as he walked to her.
Eden snapped her head to him. “Yeah. It’s just…weird…to be in here. I’ve seen some of these on the television, but never in person. Maybe it’s just me, but the air feels heavy.”
“It’s not you. A lot of people died around this bunker, on both sides of the war. You’re feeling the residual energy.”
“I don’t like it.”
He grinned. “I’d be worried if you did.”
She cleared her throat. “Now what do we do?”
“We’re going to lock ourselves in this room.”
Eden watched dumbfounded as Maks walked to the door. “You can’t be serious.”
“There’s a way out, I promise. I’ve used this a few times,” he told her as he touched a button near the door and it closed on its own.
The moment it slid shut, Eden felt a chill run down her spine. “How do you know the Saints don’t know about this place?”
“They haven’t gotten to this part of the bunker. They’re on the other side.”
“We heard them on the way here.”
Maks faced her. “They were on the other side of the wall. They might be concrete, but voices still carry. This side of the bunker is blocked off. It will prevent them from gaining access. I know about the blockage because I found it. I also found out how to clear it. I then made sure they couldn’t break through it easily, and added the extra security to the door in case they somehow did.
And before you ask, they haven’t found the way in that we used.
I know this because of the way I stacked the brush around the door. I’d have known if it had been moved.”
There was no reason for Eden not to believe him. It was just the place that was getting under her nerves. “I trust you.”
“You’ll get past this place soon enough. Now, the equipment here is old, but the Saints have been running new lines for wireless internet,” he said with a smile.
Eden chuckled. “You want to use their internet to get the word out about them?”
“Damn straight, I do. Rather ironic, isn’t it?”
“I think it’s perfect.”
He flashed her a smile. “Shall we get to work, then?”
“We need to let Callie and the others know what we’re doing.”
Maks reached into his pocket and pulled out the cell phone. “It’s secure. The only number in there is Callie’s. Call her and let them know what’s going on. Then start your research.”
“And where will you be?” she asked, suddenly afraid that he was going to leave her alone.
He walked around the table and took her hands in his. “No one but me knows how to get through that door. No one other than the two of us even knows that door is there. You’re going to be safe.”
“The minute I start my search, they’re going to be alerted.”
“Which is why I need to get the guns and ammo I have stashed. They aren’t far. I’ll be back by the time you get off the phone with Callie.”
Eden wanted to hold him there, tell him that they didn’t need the guns, but she knew it for the lie it was. “You’re coming back to me.”
“I’m coming back to you. There’s nothing that will keep me from you. Not even death.”
“I’m not strong enough to do this on my own. I need you here.”
His hands ran up her arms to cup her face. His bright blue eyes held hers as he gazed at her. “That’s where you’re wrong. You don’t need anyone. You’re the strongest person I know. And that’s what’s going to win us the day.”
Eden wanted to believe him, but she could feel her heart thundering in her chest, ice running in her veins.
There was so much she wanted to say to him.
She wanted to thank him for rescuing her and showing her the truth.
She wanted to tell him how much joy he’d brought into her life despite the danger they were in.
And she wanted to tell him that she loved him.
But it all stuck in her throat when he pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss was scorching, igniting the desire with in her. It was so intense that for a moment, it blanketed the fear. All too soon, the kiss was over.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” Maks whispered.
Then he was opening the heavy door. Just before he walked through it, he paused and looked at her. “I love you.”
She blinked, her heart skipping a beat as the words registered. Eden rushed to the door, even as it was closing. “I love you, too,” she said as it slid shut. She slammed her hands against the concrete and then rested her head upon it.