Underneath The Surface

Chapter 4

I awoke to someone gently shaking me, ensuring my eyes were open. "Alex, you gotta wake up now." I tried opening my eyes to see who it was, but my vision was blurry. All I could see was a tall male with black hair, but the features were disoriented. I tried to refocus my eyes by rubbing them, and when I opened them again, I saw Eddie, the son of my dad's friend, who used to be our neighbor. It took me a second to remember where I was. I looked around and realized I was resting my head on Steve's stomach, and he was still asleep.

I looked up, my face contorting in confusion. "What's going on?" I questioned groggily, slowly pushing myself into a sitting position.

"I think I found something. Come with me," he said as he grabbed my arms and pulled me off the ground.

"Where are we going?" I asked, looking around with curiosity.

"Just follow me," he said, leading me toward an empty corridor at the end of the bunker. "I couldn't sleep, so I kept researching the bunker inch by inch to find anything until I found this wall," he said, pointing to a seemingly normal blank wall.

I furrowed my brow, trying to make sense of Eddie's words. The wall he was pointing to appeared just like any other section of the bunker. It seemed solid and unremarkable, blending seamlessly with the rest of the surroundings.

"What's so special about this wall?" I asked, skepticism filling my voice.

Eddie's eyes gleamed with excitement as he replied, "I think there's something behind it, something important. When I couldn't find anything in the bunker, I leaned against this wall to get some sleep but then noticed a faint vibration. It feels different from the other walls I've checked."

Curiosity piqued, I moved closer to examine the wall. I felt a faint but distinct vibration as I pressed my hand against its surface. "Okay, I'm intrigued," I admitted, "Maybe it's just the generator for the lights," I suggested, not wanting to get my hopes up only to be disappointed.

Eddie, however, remained convinced. "There's something behind this wall, Alex, I can feel it. We just need to figure out how to open it," he insisted.

Before I could respond, Steve woke up and stood between me and Eddie. He turned to me, concern filling his voice, "Hey, are you okay? Why didn't you wake me?"

"I'm fine. Eddie woke me up, claiming he found something. I didn't want to disturb you until I knew what it was. He thinks there might be something behind this wall," I explained, pointing to the wall.

Steve's tone turned stern as he addressed Eddie, "Why didn't you come to me? Or anyone else? Yesterday, you were attacking her with accusations, and now you suddenly want to be her friend and work together on your theories?"

Eddie took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts and explain himself. "Listen, man, my parents are missing, and I don't even know if they're alive. Her dad is the one who told us to come here, so I was, and still am, furious. But given the fact that she and I grew up together, she is the only one I trust in this damn bunker. I'm not trying to cause any trouble; I just want to get the hell out of here, like everyone else. So, please, just chill," he said with frustration.

I could sense the lingering tension between Steve and Eddie. It was clear that they disliked each other, and I felt a responsibility to bridge the gap between them.

"Guys," I said, trying to break the tension, "I know we've had our differences, but right now, we're all we have. We're all scared and trying to find our family. It's been tough for everyone here. But we need to find a way to work together and trust each other if we're going to get through this. Let's put aside our differences and focus on our common goal, which is getting the hell out of here, okay?" I said with a forced smile to both of them.