The Walking Dead

Chapter 3

"Hello? Anybody?" Lee cried out, to nobody in particular. After receiving no response, he began to explore the backyard he was in. He first noticed the door. "I wonder if anybody's home." A mini, cute tea-set at the base of the tree caught his attention and Lee went to go examine the toy. "I'd fill one of those teacups with some bourbon if I could." Lee externally thought. There was a red chair to the left of the tea-set and on the opposite side; a tire swing that was slightly swaying from right to left. In addition, there was a red wagon; it looked like it had been untouched for days.

Turning his attention away from the toys, Lee started to head to the glass sliding door. "HELP!" He cried out once more, hoping there was at least someone who could hear him. Lee reached the patio steps and climbed up onto the porch. There was a green hose perched on the wall and a quaint table and chair shaded by a bright red umbrella.

"Hello? Anybody home? I need a little help." Lee called, knocking a few times on the reflective material. Nobody came to answer the door. "Hellooo." Lee exclaimed, trying once more. "There's something going on." But to no avail, the door remained unanswered. "Doesn't seem like anybody's home."

Lee tugged on the door handle, using both hands to pry the door open. "Coming in. Don't shoot, ok?" He urged. He took a quick glance behind him, concluding that there wasn't anything else to see out there; before stepping in.

Being the polite man he was, Lee closed the door behind him. The house was dimly lit by the sunlight pouring in from the outside and the TV which showed an absent blue screen. Suddenly, his leg felt worse. "Ahh, shit. Hello?" Lee gasped, "I'm not an intruder… or one of them." Lee looked around the room. Furniture was toppled over and there was a large blood stain in the kitchen. "These people might need more help than I do." Lee commented, worry distinct on his face.

He strode towards a table to the right of him. On top of the counter was a small coloring book, flipped open to an unfinished coloring of a happy unicorn. Finished examining the artwork, Lee made his way to another table, opposite the first one. There was a bowl of fruit on it. He pinched one of the bananas in the bowl, rubbing his finger on the tip of it. "It's fake. Damn." As he said that, there was a loud beep from a nearby source. He rotated his head in its direction. The sound had come from an answering machine. "Maybe there's something on there." He declared, pressing the messages button on it. It was a woman's voice who was talking on the messages.

Three new messages. Message one. Left at five-forty-three p.m.

-Hey, Sandra, this is Diana. We're still in Savannah. Ed had a little 'incident' with some crazy guy near the hotel, so we had to get him back to the ER and have it checked out. Anyway, he's not feeling well enough to drive back tonight, so we're staying an extra day. Thanks so much for looking after Clementine, and I promise we'll be back in time before your spring break!-

Message two. Left at eleven-nine-teen p.m.

-Oh my God, finally! I don't know if you've tried to reach us; all the calls are getting dropped. They're not letting us leave and aren't telling us anything about Atlanta. Please, please, just leave the city and take Clementine with you back to Marietta. I've got to get back to the hospital. Please let me know that you're safe.-

Message three. Left at six-fifty-one a.m.

-Clementine? Baby, if you can hear this, call the police. That's 9-1-1. We love you… we love you… we love y-

Lee picked up a picture frame of the family who apparently owned the house. It depicted three people; a smiling man and woman with their little girl. He put the photo back down.

Suddenly, Lee heard a girl's voice out of nowhere. "Daddy?"

"Huh?" Lee wondered, stepping carefully over the large blood stain and into the kitchen. The situation in the kitchen was even worse than in the living room. Everything of value seemed to have been ransacked and dishes were on the floor. There were small bloody hand prints that made a pathway to the drawers. Lee looked around for the source of the noise. He opened a small drawer which contained long boxes. Nothing. He then pulled open the larger drawer to the right of it. Inside were some papers and a walkie-talkie. Lee reached for the talkie, looking side to side.