The Rot

Chapter 20

Cynthia, Janice, and Myself discussed the best route the three of us should take to get back to Hyde's apartments. I could tell that Cynthia wanted to get back to her sister as soon as possible. Cyn was about ready to tear off a door from an abandoned vehicle and just plow right through the undead. Which sounds pretty epic if I do say so myself.

"What's the fastest route to the apartments?" Cynthia wondered.

"Probably go back the way we came," I answered.

"We can't really do that right about now."

"I'll go and check the street. I'll be right back," Janice told me and Cynthia.

"You be careful," I replied.

Janice snuck out of the backyard and inched towards the street out front. She wasn't gone very long and when she returned, but she had a dour expression on her face.

"What is it?" Cynthia asked Janice.

"There's a few more stenches on the road," Janice answered.

I pointed to the adjoining backyard, "Well, it looks like we're climbing back to the road."

"Yeah, it looks like it."

"What are you guys talking about?" Janice wondered.

"To avoid the stenches, Cynthia and I climb from yard to yard. We haven't run into too much trouble that way," I replied. "We've run into a few eaters from time to time, but not as many as when we take the roads."

"It is just a colossal pain in the ass," added Cynthia. "All this climbing."

Janice looked into the next backyard. "I never really thought of that. Pretty clever."

"Just try not to get too complacent. Eaters can be lurking anywhere."

"Let's go," I said.

The first few backyards had nice little chain link fences that the three of us could right climb over. Wasn't too tough on mine and Cyn's backs, but then we came to a yard in the middle of the block that had a tall, dark brown, privacy fence that stood at least nine feet.

I looked at the hulking gate in front of me. "Well, someone's overcompensating."

"Got that right," Cyn responded. She looked at Janice about ready to hop onto the fence and start climbing, then Cynthia stopped our new buddy. "Janice, wait a sec."

"What?" Janice asked.

"We have to check for the stenches. We don't know what's on the other side of that gate."

"Oh, okay."

I walked up to the gate and knocked on it a few times with the butt of my axe handle and then moved away from the fence. The three of us stood there, and waited for any eaters to come slamming up against the privacy gate. All was quiet.

"Janice, you may proceed," I said.

Janice grabbed the top of the fence and pulled herself up and looked into the yard. "Oh no," She muttered.

"What is it?"

"I-I can't describe it."

Cyn and I looked at one another, "That can't be good," Cynthia told me. Her and I hopped onto the fence and pulled ourselves up. There was a partially devoured body laying on the ground in the center of the backyard.

The flesh from the poor guy's face had been completely eaten away, revealing the man's skull. In the center of his forehead was some kind of a metal rod, looked like a bit of rebar. Needless to say, the three of us were a bit reluctant to go into the backyard after seeing that guy laying there. We had no clue what could have done that to him.