Derek

I can’t stop looking at the finished bunker. It’s so much more than I ever expected. Being down here gives me a kid on Christmas morning level of excitement.

My dad will be so surprised when I show him this place. It’s been in the works for more than a year as a gift to him, and it’s finally ready.

Almost. It’s still being stocked with supplies, and there are a few finishing touches to be added. There’s a computer guy down here working on something with wiring, and a finish carpentry assistant is hanging trim.

The carpentry guy, Matias, loves football. He lit up as soon as I came down to check out the progress.

“My Dolphins have what it takes this year,” he says. “We’re going all the way. But I hope your team does great too.”

He grins sheepishly, and I laugh.

“You Dolphins fans are eternal optimists,” I say. “You ever been to a game?”

His eyes widen. “Oh no, sir. I still love watching them on TV with my dad and my brothers, though. I come home from school every year for the Super Bowl.”

“You’re in college?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What are you studying?”

“Electrical engineering. I’m about to start my sophomore year.”

I nod with appreciation. “Good for you, man. I’ll get you some tickets to celebrate one year down.”

“No way, are you serious?” His mouth drops open in surprise. “I mean, if it’s not too much trouble…”

“No trouble at all. You deserve it. Working all summer and majoring in electrical engineering. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“It’s Derek.”

The blonde delivering groceries by backpack speed-walks through the living room for about the tenth time, ignoring us completely. There’s a sheen of sweat on her face. I consider offering to help again, but I’m pretty sure she’ll shut me down for a second time.

That amused me more than anything. I can’t remember the last time a woman refused my offer of help.

Kenna approaches Matias and me, clipboard in hand.

“You want down comforters for every bed, right?” she asks me.

“Yeah, that’d be good.”

She checks something on her list. “I reached that photographer in Wyoming whose work you like. He’s sending me his full portfolio so you can choose the photos you want me to have framed for in here.”

“Perfect.”

Kenna’s been a huge help with this project. She knows every last detail, from an inventory of what we have down here to how much I paid for it. She’s only been working for me for six months, but I don’t know what I’d do without her now.

“The caterers will be here soon to set up for dinner,” she says. “If you don’t need anything else from—”

A deep banging sound makes her jump and silences her. We all look over at the stairway, where the loud clang came from. The computer subcontractor, a middle-aged guy named Bryce, stands up, his brow furrowed with concern.

I walk over to the staircase to see what happened.

“What was that?” I hear the grocery deliverer ask.

“Hang on,” I say, jogging up the stairs. “It looks like somehow the door fell closed.”

“It’s closed?” she cries. “Open it!”

I grab the steel handle and try to turn it, but it’s locked in place. It’s a simple door with just the one handle and a sliding backup lock.

“What the hell…” I mutter, trying the handle again.

“Did you get it?” Kenna calls from the bottom of the stairs.

“No, it’s stuck or something.”

Her heels click on the wood stairs as she comes up.

“How did it even get closed?” she asks.

“No idea.”

“It’s really heavy. There’s no way the wind could just blow it closed.”

I push against the door, even though I know it won’t work. The door is reinforced steel, designed to withstand bullets, fire, or the apocalypse.

“What’s going on?” the grocery girl practically screams. “Open the door!”

I meet Kenna’s eyes. “What’s her name?”

She glances down at her clipboard. “Erin Morrison.”

“Erin, don’t panic,” I call down the stairway. “Everything’s fine.”

“Everything’s fine? Are we locked in here or not?”

I sigh softly. “I’m trying to figure it out. Give me a minute.”

Bryce, Matias, and Erin are all looking up at us from the bottom of the stairway.

“Is this some sort of joke?” Erin asks in an angry tone. “If it is, it’s not funny. Did one of my brothers put you up to this?”

I pound on the door a few times. It doesn’t move at all.

“It’s soundproof,” Kenna reminds me.

I practically whisper so I don’t incite Erin further. “What the fuck happened?”

Kenna shrugs. “No idea. There isn’t even anyone else on the grounds. John left for the airport.”

I try the handle for a third time, still unsuccessfully.

“Call him and have him come back to open it,” I tell Kenna.

She taps on the screen of her phone, frowns, and taps it again.

“No service,” she says. “Probably the thick concrete walls.”

“I need out of here. Right. Now,” Erin says.

She charges up the stairs, bolts past Kenna on the landing, and joins me on the metal ladder. She grabs the handle and puts her entire upper body into trying to move it, but it doesn’t budge.

“Oh my God, this can’t be happening.” Tears flow down her cheeks as she looks at me, her huge, terrified eyes the color of an ocean before a storm. “Please get me out of here.”

“Relax,” I tell her. “Help will come.”

“Did you call someone?”

She frantically reaches for her backpack, digging through it. “Shit. She took my phone.”

“It’s okay. My security guy knows we’re down here. He’ll come when he gets back from the airport.”

Erin clings to the ladder, breathing fast. “I don’t think I can wait that long. I have to get out of here.”

“Look, go get some water and sit down before you hyperventilate,” I say.

She shakes her head, squeezing her eyes closed. “I can’t go back down there.”

“Well, it’s not—”

She pounds on the steel door with both fists, still crying. I look down at Kenna, who rolls her eyes.

“Help will come,” I repeat to Erin.

“What if your security guy is the one who locked us in here?”

“He wouldn’t—”

“Then, who? How did this happen?” Her frightened eyes remind me of the animals I encounter while hunting, when they’ve taken a fatal shot but aren’t dead yet.

“This had to be an accident,” I say.

“How, though?” Matias says from the bottom of the stairs. “That door must weigh a hundred pounds. And it doesn’t lock from the outside unless someone locks it. I checked that when I started working in here.”

This is the first time I’ve been in the bunker since watching the hole get dug. My work schedule has kept me away from my retreat since then. I look to Kenna for confirmation of what Matias just said, and she nods.

“The lock has to be engaged from either the outside or the inside,” she says.

“Why would anyone ever want to lock it from the outside?” I have to yell so she can hear me over Erin.

She shrugs. “That’s the design of the door.”

“Fuck.”

I descend the ladder, dazed by the sudden turn of events. John’s been with me for almost five years; I can’t imagine he’d do something like this. I take care of the people who work for me with great salaries and bonuses.

“Is she okay?” Bryce asks me in a low tone as I get to the bottom of the stairs.

I exhale deeply and shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“Let me out of here! Help! Someone help!” Erin screams, still pounding on the door.

“You’re gonna hurt your hands,” I say. She ignores me.

I sit down on the bottom stair and take out my phone. Like Kenna’s, it has no service.

This is definitely going to fuck up the dinner I’m hosting for some teammates tonight. They’re the ones John was picking up from the airport.

“What do we do?” Matias asks me.

“We wait. Help will come.”