Bunker of Love and Blood :

After another ten minutes of walking, we finally did it, we arrived at the headquarters. It was underground, beneath the old transit station; the spot squatted like a wartime bunker. They had a lot of weapons, and there were at least five hundred men, but my only priority now was meeting Susie. I asked David where she was, and he led me to a room. At first, I hesitated, scared I'd told her I would come, yet I hadn't. What if she hated me? I forced the thought down and entered.

Inside, I found Suzy hugging her sleeping sister and sitting on a bed. She lifted her head to see who had come in; her expression shifted so fast I almost cried. I ran toward her, hugging her tightly. She was warm. We held each other for at least three minutes. Then she touched my eye and held my hand, asking, "What happened to you?" Worry filled her face.

"It's something I want to forget," I said, stroking her cheek.

"Tell me, babe," she insisted, her voice serious.

"It was those monsters," I admitted, then kissed her hair.

"I'm sorry, babe," she murmured, looking sad.

"No, sweet pie, everything is good now that I've found you. I'm sorry about your parents, really sorry, but I swear I will never leave you. I'll be your new parent; I'll be your mom and your dad, and you will be my eye and my sun, lighting my path," I said with all the emotion in my chest.

"Wow, that's poetic and romantic," she whispered as tears fell. I hugged her again, then walked slowly to her sister Olivia and patted her head. I moved back to Suzy, my mind racing toward something wild, but people always appear at the worst moment. David stood in the doorway and asked me to follow him because he wanted to show me something important. I gave Suzy another kiss on her fluffy cheek, then followed him.

He guided me to a room containing three people: a buzz‑cut man with a mustache who looked like Hitler, but with dark skin; a blond girl with green eyes but no left hand; and a huge bald man with a thick belt. They all looked serious. After a long silence, David broke it. "Susie's boyfriend, this is Lucas, Noah, and Diana," he said, glancing at me.

"Hello. My name is Adam. I'm twenty‑one. I live in Astrellwyn, Texas," I said, trading glances with them. Suddenly, they started laughing and looking at each other. I stood there like an idiot. David patted my shoulder and said, "They're rude, but they have kind hearts. That's just their way."

Lucas, the mustache guy, sneered. "Are you a wonderful forecaster, or are you in a business meeting trying to please the boss so you can get the job?"

 "I thought, He must be gay; the belt screams compensation. Noah, the bald giant, added in a deep voice, "Yes, pass it on; his belt is small because he has a small weapon."

"No, I'm straight and I have a big weapon. I could destroy cities. In all my previous wars, I never lost; I'm undefeated," I shot back, pride burning on my face.

"We can train to improve the power of your weapon," Diana said, giving me a seductive look.

David interrupted. "I've given you enough time to know each other. You've finished the acquaintance part, now business. And, for the record, Adam belongs to Suzy." He pulled a curtain aside, revealing photos and documents pinned to the wall. He jabbed a finger at a picture of bikers in black jackets and helmets.

"There's another problem besides Derolocs," he explained. "These call themselves Spiders. They're ruining cities and killing people without reason. They claim they're heart savers sent by God."

"We need to kill them," Diana said coldly.

"Yes, but not all of them. We need the big heads alive. Maybe they know something about this dystopian pandemic. I sent a spy; he's been gone a week. Tomorrow he'll be in touch," David said, scanning our faces.

I pointed at a photo of a man in a black suit, the same man I'd seen when I was with the girl in my grandmother's basement. "I've seen this man," I said.

Lucas asked, "Are they the reason for your injuries?"

"No," I answered, then continued, "Do you know what these people are?"

"Maybe ordinary humans controlled by Derolocs," David replied, letting the curtain fall. "We'll deal with each problem separately. We'll wait until tomorrow, then decide what to do." He left the room.

I followed him, begging to bring Suzy and her sister home, but he insisted we stay. He prepared a room for Suzy and me, so I accepted. Her sister stayed in another room. I lay on the bed with Susie beside me; we looked at each other, love and passion clear in our eyes. I held her hand. We closed the distance, starting with small kisses, then deeper ones. Her lips tasted like strawberries. We took off our clothes; it was embarrassing, our first time, fumbling, but it was the best, the most beautiful experience of my life, more than desire, truly spiritual.

Afterward, wrapped in a sheet, she traced the scar on my chest. "It looks good on you," she said, gazing at me.

"Really? I almost lost my life for fashion," I joked, staring at the ceiling.

"Remember the day we met? I was the unwanted girl in class; you were unwanted too. We were always bullied. When I presented my project to fight bullying, a boy threw a ball filled with foul water. The teacher scolded him but laughed. You stood up and punched him until his nose bled. The whole school talked about us, the weirdo and the monster," she recalled, resting her head on my chest.

"He deserved worse," I laughed. "But seriously, what do you like about me?"

"All of you. You're quiet, calm, and introverted. When I was younger, I liked girls who didn't attract other boys, the weird, beautiful, introverted girl. That's my type," I said, teasing her with my eyes.

"So, I'm weird?" she pouted.

"No, you're normal, just not like everyone else," I assured her.

"Hmm, you're weird too," she said, eyes drifting closed.

"Yes, I know," I whispered, and we fell asleep like babies.

The next morning I woke, but my sweet pie was gone. I dressed quickly and stepped into the hall. The vibe was the opposite of yesterday: quiet, tense. I kept walking until I heard laughter from the kitchen. Entering, I saw Suzy and another girl cooking while the men ate breakfast. I headed to David's table, where he sat with Noah and Lucas. Sitting beside them, I said, "Good morning." They all looked at me; their expressions said plenty.

"How was your war yesterday?" Noah asked, smirking at David.

"What?" I frowned, glancing at David.

"I didn't tell them anything," David said, clearly lying.

A man covered in blood, riddled with injuries, stumbled into the kitchen. "I'm sorry," he wheezed, then collapsed. David jumped up and ran toward him. In the same instant, BOOM! An explosion shook the headquarters. Someone was trying to blow the place apart.

Everyone dropped whatever they were holding and sprinted to the weapons lockers. I pulled Suzy with me. On the way out, I met David's eyes, and we didn't need words; the bleeding man was clearly the missing spy. I rushed Suzy to her sister's room, told her to stay put, hugged her tight, then shut the door.

In the armory, I grabbed a shotgun, checked my pocket for the daggers and the small vial of poison, then headed for the main entrance. Lucas, Noah, David, and Diana were already there, ready to fight. A strange silence hung outside; the explosions had stopped. Then gunfire rattled from the rear of the compound. We ran toward it and found at least ten of our men dead, each shot clean through the head.

We split up, clearing rooms and hallways. I paired with Noah, both of us moving slow, weapons up, nerves wired tight. A helmeted man in a black jacket ambushed us, firing. Noah took a round to the leg, but I blew the attacker's head off before he reached us. Dragging Noah aside, I tore a strip from his shirt, tied off the wound, and hauled him back to his feet.

Messages crackled over the intercom, alerting everywhere. We reached a dead‑end corridor and turned back, only to face three more helmeted gunmen. We fired first; lead and sparks filled the hallway. I was hit twice, but my vest held. When all clips ran dry, Noah and I hurled a grenade. The blast rocked the walls. We charged through smoke, no ammo left, I smashed one man's helmet with my fist until bone crunched, then stabbed the second in the neck. The third lunged; I hip‑threw him, helmet bouncing off the floor. Noah wrestled the last attacker, choking him out cold.

Dizzy and bruised, I finished my opponent, slamming his own helmet against his skull until he stopped moving. After that brutal fight, we limped back toward the front, but what we found was unbelievable.