Solus Sum - I am alone.

Chapter 2

Outside of the City - Unknown location

Warm rays of sun danced on my eyelids until I woke up with a groan, covering my eyes with my hands. I became conscious again and remembered I wasn't at home. The uneven and irregular pains on my back caused me to sit up in discomfort. "Gah," I bit my lip, and looked around, realizing the van was no longer in motion. I looked at the front seat and didn't see Callen.

I looked around again and realized we were outside of the city, due to the non-existent roads and the abundance of tree stumps, scattered around in an orderly manner. We were at an abandoned tree farm. I could tell by the fallen signs and dried grass. "Callen?!" I shouted, hoping he hadn't left me there alone.

My eyes darted to the gas level, which was conveniently empty. What did I get myself into? I wish I wouldn't have woken up. Damn you, Callen. I dropped my head into my hands and rubbed my scalp with my fingers in irritation. What was I to do? With a groan, I tried sliding open the door, struggling.

- Oh my God. - I said, thinking I was locked inside, budging it open with more strength. - Oh. - I went red in embarrassment, snickering gently before slamming the door shut. My eyes darted around the field until I noticed an odd movement on the ground, a few meters away from me.

A trapdoor opened where the ground had been shaking, a loud slam against the grass as it opened completely. I saw a masculine figure climb out of the hole until I realized it was Callen. I walked to him, wanting to punch him in the stomach for leaving me alone in that car all night. As he calmly walked up to me, I shot up my middle finger as he dusted off his arms and legs from the dirt.

- Oh so you're awake now. Good morning. - Callen said loud enough for me to hear from afar. - How was your sleep? - We were now only a few steps apart.

- Great, amazing, my back is in perfect shape. - I said sarcastically, looking up at him in annoyance. - Why the heck did you leave me there all night, I could've gotten... kidnapped or something?!

- Yeah, 'cause this is a super busy place with many people, extremely dangerous people.

- I wouldn't know! You're an idiot.

- Okay then. - He shrugged slightly, his head gently tilted to the side, a smirk on his lips. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes expressed nothing but honesty. I felt bad for a second, he wasn't an idiot. - Would you want to get your answers now, then? - Callen smiled, with a hint of pride.

- Mhm.

The Protector turned around and walked to the trapdoor and crouched down, placing his hands on its bronze handle. He opened it, revealing a wide hole with a ladder mounted to its side. The hole went about 3 meters down. With the trapdoor wide open, Callen invitingly swayed his hands and said: "Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes, irritatedly dismissing him, climbing down the ladder until I was a few steps from the floor. I jumped off the steps and landed swiftly, clapping my hands together to dust them off. My eyes darted around the smooth concrete walls, with warmer lighting surging from the conjunction between the wall and floor, rays of sun shooting through what looked like a sewer gutter. Huh. Soon, I noticed the eccentric placement of the furniture, scattered around chaotically.

A bed under a thick copper pipe, a round dinner table by the footboard with two chairs placed outwards towards a bookshelf on the wall. Two bunk beds inside one of the walls, with barely any space for the person sleeping on top, though there was nobody in the bunker other than me and Callen. Again, my gaze traveled around and found a large and dark blue curtain covering an area, one side of the bunker to the other, hiding a private place, almost like those checkup areas in hospitals. It had a few rips and holes in it, which made me arch my eyebrows in confusion.