Days had passed, and Grohanva still had not returned.
The girls whispered among themselves, voices low, eyes constantly flicking toward the sealed bunker doors. Four nights had gone by. Normally, Grohanva never stayed gone longer than two. This absence was unusual, and the silence of the bunker pressed down like a physical weight.
Yet life inside the bunker continued.
Access to the indoor garden had improved dramatically. The girls no longer had to rely on Grohanva’s slimy hands for food or endure his constant harassment and abuse just to get a cup of water. They moved freely through the garden now, collecting fruit, checking on the plants, and letting the fountain provide clean, fresh water at will.
A fragile relief settled over them, but not everyone felt it. Aya prowled the corridor
