M. Marshall - The End Is Nigh

WALKING THROUGH THE canteen, I felt eyes on the back of my head as I neared the table where Lynda sat. Since our first meeting, I hadn’t had much to do with her, although she had checked that I had settled in well and that I was happy with my situation there had been no further contact. I knew that if I were going to get anywhere near the truth of what was happening with the men in the Bunker, then it would be through her. I managed to catch her eye as I walked towards her and she smiled.

“Sorry to bother you Lynda but I wondered if I would be able to have a quiet word? I need some advice really and thought it best to come to you first. I hope you don’t mind.” Lynda looked pleasantly surprised and motioned for me to sit on the side of her furthest away from the others at her table.

“Sure, I would be happy to help you, what can I do for you?” I swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure how I was going to say this, but I just let it fall out of my mouth and hoped I wasn’t going to sound crazy.

“I was wondering if there were any possibility of having time to meet with some of the men?” I blushed. “I was hoping for… Well some companionship really, and I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve felt so lonely since arriving. Perhaps if we were allowed to mingle, I might feel better.” Lynda’s eyes lit up. She had taken the bait. I had just plastered Slut on my forehead for her, and she smelt victory.

“Well, we do run a program so that like-minded survivors can get together and serve a need for each other. Is that what you are asking for Elizabeth?” I lowered my gaze momentarily. Just long enough to seem contrite. Inwardly I baulked at the idea but knew I must go along with it to get to the bottom of what was happening down here.

“Yes, I think you understand. I was wondering if the guy I came in here with was still here?” I gave her a look which implied I was only interested in one reason, the last thing I wanted her to think was that I had an emotional connection to him.

“He is.” She studied my face and then smirked. “I suggest you come to see me this evening in the administration hall and we can discuss the details in private.” I gave her my best shy smile and thanked her for her discretion. After wolfing down my lunch beside her, I shared some friendly small talk and then returned to my shift in the nursery for the remainder of the afternoon.

The thought of what I was doing made my skin crawl but it was the best way I could think of to be able to speak to Liam alone. The real difficulty would be getting him to understand my warnings if he were sedated. He may not have much of an opinion on anything.

I waited in the administration hall alone for around fifteen minutes before Lynda appeared with another member of staff, Debbie.

Debbie worked in safety and security; we didn’t see her very often in the communal areas. Her reputation as an enforcer of rules in here was spoken about although not in a particularly harsh way. She was approachable, but at the same time she liked being in a position of authority that much was obvious. Lynda pulled up a chair and sat beside me as Debbie stood by the side of the entrance. She reminded me of a bodyguard which made me feel uneasy. I was paranoid that she had already figured out what it was I was trying to do.

“We run an important program in here which was to be implemented in the case of extreme loss of life. Its purpose is to increase the country’s population once we are able to rebuild.” I nodded, showing her my most earnest listening face. “Women are of course an essential part of that rebuilding and naturally re-population. Which is one of the many reasons why you will find that, in here, we prioritise the welfare and point of view of the female.” I looked at her with my best solemn expression.

“You’ve expressed a wish to spend time with a certain male survivor. May I ask you bluntly if this is because you are sexually attracted to him?” I was shocked that she had got to the point so quickly, but it saved time. It was the purpose of this charade, so I made sure to look purposefully abashed and then agreed that I was indeed attracted to him.

“I was hoping he would still be here so that we might get together on our own but I assume he has been assigned to work in a different part of the bunker?” Lynda concurred.

“He has. The men don’t tend to get assigned any work within proximity to the living quarters of the women. The BNW program allows women access to the men, but it’s purpose is to repopulate the country after the nation has been all but wiped out by some sort of disaster. If you feel that you are ready to consider contributing to that cause then you would gain access to the program.” She went on. “Every woman is allowed two meetings with their potential mate before they commit to the program.”

“I see. Should I agree to take part then I would need to eventually become pregnant?” Lynda looked me squarely in the eye as she spoke.

“Yes you would need to fall pregnant within three months otherwise we would have to stop your visits and give the slot to someone else.” I took a moment to let what she was telling me sink in.

“I see.”

“It is vital that the program remains discreet. For that reason, we ask that you do not under any circumstances reveal the true meaning of your visits to the men.”

“To the other women, you mean? I take it that the men know about the program?” I had to ask. I had a hunch that they didn’t but wanted to come across as naive to Lynda. She looked over at Debbie and then back at me weighing up whether or not to trust me with the information she was about to offer.

“The men know nothing of the programme and that’s how we would like it to stay. It’s much simpler this way.”

“But if they didn’t know then how does it work?”

“We would like you to approach Liam simply as a friend visiting, perhaps you can get a better response then some of the other women we have tried him with.” I was shocked.

This could only mean that they had already been introducing Liam to some of the other women in the program. I felt ill.

“We do what we can to keep the men compliant and ready to receive such invitations, but Liam has proven a little more resistant than what we are used to. He has been asking about you and Rosa almost daily. I do believe that he will be more open to this match. It may be just what he needs. Debbie can watch your first meeting to see how you get on.” She smiled at me then, revealing a mouth full of tobacco-stained and crooked teeth. “But please don’t be disheartened if there isn’t any sign of him being sexually attracted to you. We can always increase his medications for your second visit.”

My brain overflowed with information. I tried to keep my face straight as I wondered what I should say I was taking too long to respond. Debbie chipped in.

“I think perhaps you need to have an initial visit and then we can all meet again for a chat afterwards when we’ve seen his reaction. You look like you may need to do some thinking yourself, are you happy to go ahead with the first visit?” She was surprisingly comforting and almost supportive, I hadn’t been expecting that from her, of all people. I was grateful she had given me enough to time to collect myself. I needed to play my part if I was going to be convincing. I smiled shyly and agreed.

“Thank you, Debbie. That would be helpful I appreciate the support.”

The task was set. I was to be escorted down to a private area in the medical quarters to meet Liam the following afternoon. Debbie told me that we would be given four hours together to see if we were a suitable match for the program.

“Don’t worry we will be monitoring the situation from outside to make sure things are going to plan.”