Bloodless

Chapter 4: Dani's past

Dani POV

We've been walking for a good few hours, and the sun is getting close to setting.

That's when I spot it. A house I recognized.

"We should stop here for the night." I say, looking over at the house.

"Yeah, of course."

We walk to the house, and I stop near the front door. I turn to a bush in the garden, moving some leaves to the side and picking up a key that was hidden there, before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

AJ closes the door behind her and looks over at me.

"How'd you know the key was there?"

I turn away from her, placing my backpack down on the floor as I speak. "My family got the farm about 3 weeks before the things took over. We were in the process of moving there when it all happened, so we only got to move half our stuff, and never got to finish clearing this house out and sell it."

"So, you didn't grow up on the farm?"

"No. My dad inherited it from my grandma when she died."

"Ahh ok."

I look over at AJ, who's giving me a slightly sympathetic look, which I ignore. I pick my backpack up again and walk down the hall, stopping in front of a door to my left. I slowly open the door, revealing a bedroom.

The walls are painted a light blue, and the roof is painted to look like the night sky. Tucked into the corner furthest away from the door is a double bed, with dark blue sheets, a purple pillow, and a frog squishmellow on it. One side of the bed is against the wall, and on the other side of it is a black bedside table with a lava lamp and alarm clock on it.

On the wall opposite to the bed, is a bookshelf, half full of books, and a black chest of drawers. In the corner closest to the door, there is a desk, a few pens scattered on it with some sketch paper, and a chair. Right next to the door, is a photo wall. Dozens of photos are on it, all of which are different.

I step into the room, placing my backpack down on the floor and I sit on the bed, running my hands over the soft sheets.

"This your room?" My head snaps up at the sound of AJ's voice and I look into her blue eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." AJ breaks eye contact and looks at the photos on the walls.

As she looks at the photos, I lay back on my bed, enjoying the feeling of a familiar place. A few minutes pass before I hear her voice.

"Are all these guys your friends?"

I sit up and look at the photo she's pointing at. It's a group photo of me with 5 others.

"Most are family." I stand up and walk until I'm standing next to her. I point to two boys in the photo, one with dark brown hair, and the other with black, both have hazel eyes. "Xavier and Toby, they're twins. My cousins from my dad's side."

I move my finger to point to a girl with long black hair. "That's Celia, Cal's older sister. She died of a lung disease a week after this photo was taken."

Ignoring any sympathy from her, I point to blonde boy in the photo, who is holding hands with Celia. "That's Keith, he was dating Celia before she died."

Pointing to the final person in the photo that isn't me, I look down at my feet. "And that's Luna."

AJ POV

Dani goes silent. Silent as if the name Luna means much more to her than just a name. Silent as if the connection they had was strong.

Dani walks back over to her bed and lays on it, her face buried in her pillow. I walk over and sit on the floor, my back against her bed.

"Someone special?" I ask.

A small mumble comes from her mouth. "You could say that."

"May I ask who Luna was to you?"

"She was my girlfriend. That photo was taken a week after we started dating, a month before the things took over. Last I saw her was the day before my family started to hide on the farm." She lets out a shaky chuckle. "It's crazy, so many things have been happening and I'm only now just starting to realise that I have no clue if she's alive or not."

I let out a sigh.

"It's hard to figure out if anyone is alive these days."