CHAPTER 26: KILLIAN AND LEO'S ARRIVAL

Eva spoke first.

"Killian is coming. With a boy. Fifty meters. Dragging a drum."

Her voice was flat through the small speaker, but everyone inside Bunker 3 froze when they heard it.

I was in the inner room with Bianca. She was on the mattress with Tiny Elena curled against her chest, asleep. I was sitting next to them, leaning against the cold concrete because lying down has become hard. I'm 20 weeks now, and with twin boys you feel it everywhere — your back, your legs, everything is heavy.

Damian was near the main door. He was checking his pipe. He's still weak from the bite he had. Eva says he's almost recovered, but you can still see it when he moves his left arm.

Bianca looked at me. "Eva says Killian is outside?"

I nodded and pushed myself up. Slow. You have to get up slow now.

"Check cameras," Damian said.

That is always the rule. Before we open for anyone, we check.

I went to the front camera monitor. It's an old screen, the picture is grainy and yellow, but it works. Damian went to the back camera on the other side of the bunker.

Through the front camera I could see them. Far out in the open ground. That fifty meters with no cover is the worst part of any run. Killian was in his dark jacket, completely covered in mud up to his knees, pulling that heavy drum with both hands. And next to him was a small boy, maybe ten, wearing shoes that were too big, pushing from the side and trying to keep up. Both of them kept looking over their shoulders.

My heart was beating so fast.

"Do you see anything behind them?" I asked Damian. My voice was low.

Damian was squinting at the back screen. "Hold on... no. Back is clear. No movement in the dead trees. No raiders. What do you see in front?"

I looked again at my screen. The field was empty except for them. The wind was blowing dust across it. "Front is clear too. Just Killian and a little boy. They're alone. No one following."

Eva processed for a second. Then she beeped.

"No heat signatures following. Safe to open. One meter only."

Damian already had his hand on the first lock. "Ready?"

Bianca pulled Tiny Elena closer and moved deeper into the inner room. I stood by the wall, holding my belly without thinking about it.

Damian shouted, "Open!"

He threw the locks — one, two — and then pulled the heavy metal door open exactly one meter. We never open it more than that. Eva measured it for us. More than a meter and the oxygen drops too fast.

Cold air rushed in.

"Run now! Drag the drum now!" Damian shouted through the gap, his voice raw.

On the screen I could see Killian hear him. He gave the drum one last hard pull, and Leo pushed with all his small strength. The drum scraped over the mud, then over the concrete lip of the entrance.

They fell inside.

Killian and Leo collapsed right there on the floor next to the drum. Both of them were soaked, mud on their faces, mud in their hair, breathing so hard they couldn't talk. The drum left a long wet trail from the door to the middle of the bunker.

Damian slammed the door shut and threw the three locks again, fast — one, two, three — even though his arm hurt. The sound of the locks clicking echoed.

The yellow light buzzed overhead. It was dim. The generator was making that struggling sound again, but the meter on the wall said 22%. That's okay. Outside at night it goes down to 18%, so inside we were still warmer.

For a moment nobody spoke. Just breathing.

Killian sat up first, wiping mud from his eyes. "We made it. That last stretch..."

Leo was on his knees, hands on the floor. His shoes were completely soaked through.

I went to him without thinking, then remembered I should move slow. I knelt down next to him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, still breathing hard.

Bianca came forward with Tiny Elena still in her arms. Tiny Elena had woken up from the noise. Her eyes were open. The little silver chain around her neck shone a bit under the yellow light.

Leo stared at her.

Bianca smiled tiredly. "She's our smallest. Tiny Elena."

Leo whispered, "How old is she?"

"Small," Bianca said. "1.48kg when we last checked. But strong."

He was surprised to see a little baby that tiny.

Leo looked from Tiny Elena to my belly. He pointed a little, shy. "Is there a baby in there?"

I couldn't help laughing, even though I was tired. "Two. Twin boys. That's why I didn't come with Killian because I was feeling tired. I stayed here with Bianca. Killian went alone for you."

Leo looked at Killian, like he was checking if that was true.

Killian nodded at him. "Jax asked me. He doesn't know Elena. He knows me from the supply runs. Before we left, he said — if I don't make it, take care of my son. Take him to Bunker 3. So I went."

"Where is my dad?" Leo asked quietly.

Killian looked down at his muddy hands. "He stayed back to cover us. He had two bullets left. He said run, he'll hold. He pushed the drum to us and stayed."

Damian, who had been leaning against the door, finally lowered his pipe. He walked over slowly. "You did good getting here, kid."

Leo took the small sip of water Damian handed him. He knew to take it small. Everyone learns that fast here.

Killian pushed himself up and dragged the drum the last bit toward the generator, where Eva could connect it. The metal scraping on concrete was so loud. "Fifty meters feels like five hundred when you're out there with nothing over your head," he muttered.

I sat back down next to Bianca, slowly, because getting down is harder than getting up now. Bianca handed me Tiny Elena for a second so she could stretch her arms. Tiny Elena was warm and so light.

Damian checked the door again, put his hand on the three locks to be sure. "Three locks. We're sealed."

Eva's voice came again, quieter. "Door sealed. Oxygen stable. 22%. Fuel added."

Outside, the wind hit the metal door and made it creak, but the locks held. The bunker felt safe and small and warm compared to that open field.

Leo was finally breathing normal. He sat near Bianca and watched Tiny Elena, a little smile starting.

Killian sat next to me, his shoulder touching mine, both of us dirty and tired.

We were all inside.