The Last Alive - Book One

Chapter Three - Home...Sweet Home

Chapter Three - Home...Sweet Home 

 Standing in the shadow of his family home the memories of love and laughter warmed his bones. Sean had longed for this moment for weeks and yet hesitated to make the final steps. The curtains were drawn, he could not see inside. The windows and doors all appeared to be intact. He approached the door and tried the handle but it was locked, through the haze of frosted glass he could see that the door was barricaded. The only option of getting inside was to smash a window or climb in to the back yard. He chose the latter, the safest and easiest option.

The gate to the yard was to the right of the house and connected to the garage, it was taller than him but he could use the walls of the house or the garage roof as leverage. The gate itself was always locked, bolted at the bottom and top to keep out intruders, Sean had once thought of placing nails across the top for added security but had never got around to the job and was glad too. Placing both of his hands at the top he lifted his body higher and higher kicking with his feet against the wooden frame of the gate and the brick surface of the house to boost over in to the yard. He landed with a bang almost stumbling to his knees, the gravel crunched as he made his way to the decking that lead to the back door.

The yard was overgrown like the other houses he had seen on his way, a section of the fence that led out in to a field had collapsed, either due to a strong wind or fearing the worst, the safety of the house had been compromised. The back door was too in tatters and opened wide, the double glazing cracked and shattered in the middle, dry blood ran down to the wooden decks below and a flake of flesh was trapped in the contours of the glass. The satchel he was carrying dropped to the floor and he rushed inside palming the swinging blinds aside.

He was now in the kitchen, which was stripped bare. All the cupboards were left open, their shelves vacant save for plates and bowls and a couple of glasses. Discarded food and packaging was smeared across the wooden worktops, the fridge in the corner near the door to the living room had defrosted. The pool of water trickled in all directions and the stench of stale food was an unwelcoming scent. The dining table sat untouched with a number of the chairs on their backs and the framed pictures were crooked.

Sean entered the living room stepping through the accumulated puddles. The recurring theme of discarded food packaging running through the house, light pierced the miniscule gap in the centre of the drapes and dust drifted across the room. The sofa in front of the bay window was torn in places and the coffee table adjacent to it was on its side, a vase that once claimed it as its own was shattered in several pieces on the hard floor. He called for his wife and his daughter.

"Louise! Grace!" He roared several times but received no reply as he dropped to his knees, falling before a dusty blood stained teddy bear belonging to his daughter Grace. Sean clung to it tightly fearing the worst and believing it to be true.

"Louise," he spluttered again collapsing in the centre of the room, lying lifeless on his side, "I...I'm sorry, I'm so..." he was interrupted by the creaking of the floor boards above in the spare room.

His body shaking from the expected loss of his family he carefully gathered his thoughts as the creaking continued before finally dragging himself from the floor, dropping the bear in the process. Sean had left his bag outside on the decking and instead of going back to claim it he returned from the kitchen with a large knife. Instead of walking silently he dashed through the living room passing an overturned bookcase that barricaded the front door and bounced up the stairs. The sounds of shuffling feet increased tenfold and the presence of someone or something was evident. He paused at the top of the stairs. The noise he had made since entering the house had alerted some attention but he was determined to free the house from the clutches of doom and discover the true fate of his family.