I started for the closest house. I moved fast and kept low. I didn't check to make sure Andy was keeping up. If he really wanted to team up with me he would keep up on his own. The house was a white, two-story building with boarded up windows. The grass in the front lawn was wildly overgrown and came up to my knees.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡDij2xtYw9p 維尼
I walked up the narrow stone path to the front door and paused.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiXpMtZvQ5 維尼
Andy came up beside me and reached for the doorknob. I grabbed his wrist, stopping him.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiYgwKlzEN 維尼
"Are you trying to get us both killed?" I whispered fiercely.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡIe4eQtoaOC 維尼
"No?" He said.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9vG9N0NYp 維尼
"We have no idea what's in there and you think it's a good idea to just go waltzing in?" I threw his wrist away from the door. I didn't care that I was being harsh.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpIWwZdpM0 維尼
"Sorry," he muttered stepping back.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13fSAUPyeg 維尼
I rolled my eyes. 'How the hell did I end up with the stupidest person left alive?'8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhgGAeKtXL 維尼
I turned my attention back to the house. All of the windows were almost completely boarded up, save a single missing board on the bottom of the right-most window.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmVy8U7EnK 維尼
I walked over to it. Hidden amongst the weeds were a board and a pile of rusted nails. Around the nails was the disintegrated remains of a cardboard box. Whoever had boarded the windows must have been interrupted right before they had been able to finish. I crouched down to peer inside. Behind the wood and glass was the interior of a living room. A set of brown leather recliners sat on either side of a table with a lamp, the leather of the chairs was starting to dry out and crack.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NbgMaAy8d 維尼
Pictures both hung on the wall and sat on the mantle above a wide fireplace, each one portraying the smiling faces of people probably long since dead. Everything was coated in dust.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡyT2zEGZ2z8 維尼
It didn't look like it had been looted. Aside from being extremely dusty, it still looked like a room someone might come back home to, tidy up, and go on living in. A looted room would be practically destroyed. People aren't usually concerned about neatness when they're starving and desperate to find supplies.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡI94XQ6RcHU 維尼
I tried to see more of the house, but a sliding door blocked my view of anything outside of the living room. From what I could see, the house seemed relatively safe. Of course, I couldn't speak for anything that might have been outside of the living room. After a while, I stood up and walked back over to the front door. Andy had sat down with his back against the door.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpbsoNJlXA 維尼
"Alright, let's head in. I didn't see anything dangerous from the window but that doesn't say anything about what's really inside. We need to make sure every room is clear before we can start searching for supplies. Understand?"8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1MUTvKTuF 維尼
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not a child you know. I know how to loot a house."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvJ4mWG0iF 維尼
"And yet you tried to walk inside without checking if it was safe first." I countered.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FHOFLp4Rg 維尼
He dropped his eyes and didn't say anything.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1MfpbzYwv 維尼
"Exactly," I said. I turned back to face the door of the house.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFCMqmTTuq 維尼
I felt a mixture of excitement and fear as I stood in front of the plain, white door. I had no idea what might be inside the house and I loved the uncertainty of what I might find. Looting houses was one of my favorite things to do. Someone had once lived in each one, someone with a life and a story to tell. To me, exploring each one was like reading a book, each room had something new to say. But as much as I loved to do it, I would never loot a house if I didn't need anything from it. It had always felt almost disrespectful to search someone's house for no other reason than to find out what was inside.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiGfF4iHak 維尼
I placed my hand on the cool doorknob hopping silently hoping that it wouldn't be locked.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqj31afH7D 維尼
"Ready?" I asked glancing back at Andy.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCNXqrVuof 維尼
He nodded.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvKtFFam84 維尼
I twisted the doorknob and it miraculously opened, the door swinging inwards. I quickly reached back, pulled my katana from its sheath before stepping inside. Despite my curiosity and excitement I never forgot the danger and unfamiliar house might contain.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡL897yfZMh9 維尼
Once I was inside, it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting inside the house.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNQ1n6gbKK 維尼
The front door opened into, hallway-like space. The end of the hall ended with a stairwell that led up to the second floor. The floor was carpeted and covered in almost an inch of dust that swirled up into the air, performing a hypnotic dance in the ray of light let in from the open doorway. Three doorways with doors shut tight broke the smooth expanse of wall on either side, two on the left and one on the right.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcrCgp3RPS 維尼
I cautiously smelled the air. I was searching for any traces of the sickly sweet smell of rotten flesh that always came from the living dead, but the air only smelled musty and stale.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAGR7saMl7 維尼
"You take the room on the right I'll take the room on the left. Yell clear once you're sure that the room's safe." I told Andy over my shoulder.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGtfCeofAt 維尼
"Got it," he said. He headed for the first door on the left. As he walked, he slung his shotgun over his shoulder and casually started humming a tune.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgRP79YZDi 維尼
"Cocky son of a bitch," I muttered just loud enough that he would be able to hear me. He didn't turn around but he did give me a brief thumbs up before he disappeared into the room.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡA66cKhLcLo 維尼
I paused, looking back at the open door. I considered leaving, walking out of the house and never looking back. Andy didn't exactly seem like the sort of person who would be difficult to lose, but something held me back. It might have been that, deep down, I was tired of being alone. It's true that it was safer and easier to stay alive if you're alone but spending every night alone with nothing but your own thoughts can drive anyone to insanity.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡztVgWpDiOf 維尼
I sighed and slowly shut the front door. There was no going back now. I crossed over to the left-hand room. The room itself was a small study of sorts. Bookshelves filled with books covered every wall from floor to ceiling, a large desk with a chair sat in the middle. Before all of this, I might have taken the time to walk over and browse the literature for a few hours. Now, though, I didn't even give them a second glance. Books weren't food, weren't supplies. They couldn't keep you alive and spending several hours reading wastes time that could be spent finding supplies.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡgI4SYKfkm3 維尼
I left the room I could have searched the drawers of the desk, but I didn't think I would have found anything useful in them. Outside of the room, I sheathed my katana and leaned up against the wall.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9tFcP5tSI 維尼
Andy stepped out of his room a few heartbeats later. "That room is clear," he said.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEjbRV2mo4 維尼
Like myself, Andy had also put his weapon away. He had fastened some sort of strap to the side of his pack that held the gun in place.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFbnbEMUws 維尼
"Wasn't that the room you looked into from outside" He asked "I could see the missing board on the window."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡOylxfKas7u 維尼
"Yep, it was," I replied.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyWx1C0gLg 維尼
"But if you knew that there wasn't anything in it, then why did I have to check it?"8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBMiF1nD82 維尼
I shrugged. "I never forced you to," I replied. In truth, I had asked him to check the room to see if he was smart enough to figure out, on his own, that I had already looked into it.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVLutIZzJn 維尼
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2wmY6ZriZ 維尼
'Smart kid.' I thought.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9d4cftkz1 維尼
I pushed off from the wall, headed for the other room beside the stairs. Unlike the other two rooms which had had doorknobs, this door was bare, with a long, thin sheet of metal where the knob would have been. Inside was a white and tidy linoleum kitchen. The kitchen was the one room that I wanted to check the most. It was where most people kept their food. The fact that it wasn't completely trashed made me hopeful that I might actually find something in it.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHXMvhapj2 維尼
I gave the kitchen one last glance around. As much as I wanted to, I wouldn't be searching the kitchen right away. There was still an upstairs to check through.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5L3bCULrE 維尼
I turned around to leave the kitchen and ran straight into Andy who must have been looking into the room over my shoulder.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPiOmZq1Te 維尼
I roughly pushed him aside. "Watch it asshole!" I yelled at him.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡaooYZ2jkJu 維尼
He backed up a step, confusion clear on his face.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡMunVUpH3bS 維尼
I glared at him, "Stay out of my fucking way! It's bad enough I let you convince me to letting you tag along. Don't make me change my mind."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4rW1cSJuW 維尼
"But all I did was stan-" he started to say but after a fierce glare from myself, he closed his mouth.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f8ZaOTUBW 維尼
I turned away and stormed up the stairs. With each step, my anger faded away into confusion. I didn't honestly know why I had yelled at him. He hadn't done anything wrong, and I had let my temper get the best of me. I instantly felt bad about it. I wasn't a mean person, I never had been. Before the outbreak, anyone who knew me would say that I didn't have a mean bone in my body, but I guess that might have partially been because I didn't often associate with people.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xa3KaTHqs 維尼
I sighed and turned around. Andy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at me.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XNNjBbONI 維尼
"Look... I'm sorry I yelled."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡqODIcxx4Eo 維尼
He paused a second before answering. "It's fine."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfqaV65wIv 維尼
"No, it's not. I was a dick and I'm sorry."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTahwJop8p 維尼
Andy nodded. "I accept your apology."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMsN4eI3JS 維尼
"Alright then," I said. I turned around and walked up the rest of the stairs. The hallway at the top of the stairs looked a lot like the one on the first floor only this hallway ended with a doorway and only a single door that on sat each wall. Andy came up after me.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLq1WGyUP9 維尼
"You take the right I take the left?" I said.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMn1wiKdP1 維尼
"Are you sure you didn't already check that room too?" He joked.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oazBZW7Fw 維尼
I turned back to glare at him. "Don't push it," I said.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9362IlQyce 維尼
He held up his hands. "Alright, alright."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0OMcZVkyU 維尼
I walked over to the left side room. It was a bathroom, small and simple it contained only a toilet, a shower, and a simple ceramic sink with a mirrored cabinet above it. The white curtain of the shower was closed so I walked over and quickly ripped it open.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwIJviWMUu 維尼
Nothing. There was a small bottle travel-sized shampoo sitting on the edge of the tub, which I grabbed. You never know when you might need something like that.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkN7bz3E0T 維尼
Next, I checked the mirrored cabinet above the sink. There wasn't much in it. A can of shaving cream, q-tips, a bottle of antidepressants, and a tube of toothpaste. Nothing I particularly needed. I closed the cabinet and started to turn away, but the reflection in the mirror caught my attention. I stared at the girl I saw reflected back at me. Her eyes were a light hazel and her eyes looked wild and dangerous. Her black straight hair was roughly, and unevenly cut and barely reached past her small ears. I scowled at her and she scowled back. I suddenly felt extremely angry. Like the girl who I saw in the mirror couldn't possibly be me. I grabbed my knife from my belt and stabbed her right between the eyes. The mirror shattered and she was gone.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBY87rL9w3 維尼
With a huff, I exited the room. As I was returning my knife to my belt, Andy ran out of the room he had been checking.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqw9u7jcGA 維尼
"What happened?" he asked.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQy3ljMz3Z 維尼
"Nothing," I snapped. "Did you find anything?"8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡYC8kZTSxUF 維尼
He shook his head. "No, it's just a bedroom. Nothing special either, besides a lot of dust."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1ZKv1qE8B 維尼
I sighed. "Let's just finish checking this last room, I'm hungry and I want to see if there's any food in the kitchen."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EKuTOSZ8w 維尼
"Alright," Andy replied.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGaOWmC7EN 維尼
The door to the last room was locked. "That's strange," I thought. "Everything else had been unlocked, so why wasn't this door?"8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡayrrOioXlK 維尼
For the second time that day, I let my curiosity get the best of me. I knew it was stupid to try to force a locked room open. I had no idea what might be behind the door. Someone might have locked themselves in after being bitten. I'd seen it happen before. Unable to kill themselves, some people choose to lock themselves away, where they wouldn't be able to hurt anyone.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvh2YnaUTE 維尼
Even though I knew it might be dangerous, I really wanted to know what was in the locked room. I didn't have a key and I didn't particularly want to search the house. So, I decided that the only way I was going to get into the room was by busting through the door. I backed up a step and kicked the door, hard. There was a loud crack of splintering wood, but the door didn't move. I kicked the door again and it flew inwards.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxYf2iBONY 維尼
"Holy shit," Andy whispered.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRNR2x5imQ 維尼
I boldly sauntered into the room but what I saw inside made me stop in my tracks and made my heart clench.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrZbhXqZVT 維尼
"Andy wait outside," I called out to him.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhNOtooxG2 維尼
He ignored me came in anyway.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡekDttpdwxG 維尼
"Why? What is- oh," he said falling silent as he took in what was in the room.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7grov3nKd 維尼
In the middle of the room was a large, king sized bed. On the bed were two skeletons, still clothed, with their hair wreathed around their skulls. It was obvious, from the clothing and hair of each of the skeletons, that the one on the right belonged to a woman and on the left, a man. Their skulls lay close together and the man still had a gun clutched in his skeletal hand. Long-dried blood covered the pillow where the skeletons laid. I'm sure if I had inspected them closer I would have found a bullet hole through both their skulls.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡivEzm5PbEy 維尼
It probably didn't happen too long after Day Zero. As sad as it was it wasn't uncommon. People saw the world falling apart around them and felt that death was the only real way to escape.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ81EsiAtvN 維尼
The couple of bones on the bed had probably seen death as a way to escape and never be apart.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fLD9SlviC 維尼
"Let's go," I said pushing Andy out of the room and shutting the door. I started walking without looking back. I didn't want to think about what I had seen. In my opinion, it's cowardly to kill yourself just to escape the world. So many people had died when they wanted to live. To just throw your life away is one of the most horrible and selfish thing you can do out here.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqdcEnd9nB 維尼
I walked back down the stairs building up yet another emotional wall with each step, blocking out the sadness, the fear, the pain, and just focusing on staying alive. My life is filled with these walls. Whenever I was scared, or lonely, or sad I would push all of those emotions deep within my mind and build a wall to keep them in. It's how I learned to cope and it's one of the only reasons I was able to survive these past five years.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKOcmJvbhh 維尼
I didn't stop to see if Andy was following me or not. At that time, I could care less about what he did. I pushed open the door to the kitchen and pushed the memory of what I had seen in that bedroom out of my mind.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbjT8t5cZ1 維尼
I didn't bother with the fridge, past experiences taught me that. Checking the fridge was an option during the first month or two. After that, almost everything that could be found in the fridge was spoiled. And when the power started to go out everywhere, the fridge became meaningless.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLmep6zDXf 維尼
I headed straight for the cupboards. Cupboards were where people kept the food that lasts. Canned things, bottled liquids, even simple seasonings could be useful if you knew how to use them. I went straight for the first cupboard I saw and pulled it open. Inside was a mix of dishes, bowls, and cups... nothing useful. I moved on to the next cupboard which turned out to be empty. The next two cupboards were similarly bare. I started to get frustrated. I was sure that this house hadn't been looted before, so where was all the food. Had the couple upstairs used it all before killing themselves?8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGwlNhyKhL 維尼
By the time I got to the last cupboard, I was starting to lose hope. But when I pulled it open, I almost smiled. It was packed full with cans of food. There was enough canned food to last two people a good week if it was rationed well.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6HkmNmgMb 維尼
I turned around, expecting to see Andy, but he wasn't there.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDTVZJcv6p 維尼
"Andy?" I called out. No answer.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVZpYg8vZ2 維尼
'Did he run off?' I wondered. I doubted it, not after all the trouble he had gone through to follow me and get me to team up with him. So if he hadn't left, where was he?8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡjb7jjsUA9b 維尼
I pushed open the door of the kitchen and looked out into the hallway, but he was nowhere to be seen.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmmZUVxmOz 維尼
"Andy?" I called again. The front door was open so I went towards it. When I stepped outside, I finally spotted him.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡKITj9UI4e5 維尼
He was standing a few yards away with his bow drawn back. As I watched, he released the arrow. It flew straight and landed dead center into a clump of already fired arrows in the trunk of a tree on the other side of the yard.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡycW4M0wa4X 維尼
Because we were outside, I didn't want to risk attracting any zombies by yelling to him so instead, I walked over to him. "Andy?" I said.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoNfa5GQZ5 維尼
He jumped at the sound.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWB7NAhFQ1 維尼
"What?" he asked his voice strained.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxDZSknM81 維尼
I was rather shocked at his change in personality. Earlier he had been lively and positive to the point of annoyance. Now he seemed defeated and drained.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡpl8iZOoRAU 維尼
"I found some food in the house," I said watching him carefully. "It's getting late and the sun will be setting soon. We should get inside. If you still plan on sticking around, that is."8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm5ceA3s7Z 維尼
He just nodded, slung his bow back over his shoulder, and went to retrieve his arrows.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcwcSV0hmq 維尼
I watched him for a few moments before turning away. "Why did I have to get involved in this mess?" I muttered before walking back into the house.8964 copyright protection259ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZmo024ZCi 維尼
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