The Beginning of the End

chapter 20

After getting Jess some coffee and deciding Blaise can stay, we went in search of a new home. "I've got an idea!" I yell. Taylor is driving and Jessica is in the passenger seat, me and everyone else in the back. I open the window to the front and say, "Taylor!  Turn around!" She slows the car and stops, shutting off the engine."why?" She asks. "I know where we can go!" I exclaim, "Conrad, remember the summer we went camping at Rabun Lake? And all those lake houses and boat houses? We can stay there!" I shout happily. Everyone cheers as Taylor turns the car around, heading to the lake.

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"We're in the middle of the woods." Beth says. I look at her, "thanks for letting us know, dipshit. You could be the next sherlock Holmes!" I say sarcastically as we drive up a mountain. Beth glares at me, "all I'm saying is we'll have to travel a greater distance to get supplies. " she explains. I shrug at her. "Its safer here though." Taylor defends me. "Yeah, we're away from people." Harley defends. I stick my tongue out at her and she grabs it keeping a tight grip on it. "Let go of my tongue you whore!" I attempt to say but, considering my tongue is useless right now, it came out really weird. Beth laughs, letting go of my tongue. "Fuck you." I mumble. She grins, "well if you're into the whole 'sex in the forest' type thing, then okay." I shake my head at her and see the lake. "Taylor!" Conrads shouts through the window. "There's the lake! When you get up to the next turn, take a right and it leads to the lake houses." He tells her. As we drive by, we pass dozens of lake houses. "I like that one!" Harley yells, pointing at a house. Beth lookas at her, "dude that one is ugly as fuck." She breathes. Harley pouts and Beth quickly apologizes. I shake my head at them. "That one." Taylor says pointing to a gorgeous house. It was a light blue house and looked to be at least 3 stories high. Ot had a boat garage, two boats sitting on the water. Everyone nods in agreement and we head towards the house. We pull up in the driveway. Taylor turns the engine off, turning to the bed of the truck. "We have to be cautious going in there," the says firmly. "We don't know what's in there, or if its even fit to live In. Before we do anything else, we check every inch of the property." She says. I nod "she's right. We have to make sure its a safe living environment." I agree with her. Everyone nods, getting out of the car. We open the front door quietly. "Beth, you go check the side building. Harley, head to the boat garage and look around for anything suspicious." Taylor whispers. They nod and head off. The rest of us walk in, looking around slowly. When i walk in, i see a living room with door on the other side of the room, leading to an office. To the right is a hallway with a staircase, leading up the stairs. The hallway connects to the dining area and leads to the kitchen. Across from the kitchen is an empty room thay leads to a bathroom and has the back door. Up stairs is a giant hallway with 6 bedrooms, 3 on each side. I check upstairs while everyone else checks downstairs. "Downstairs is clear!" I hear Taylor whisper up the stairs. I nod and look around. I head to the first door on the right. I open it slowly and see a bed with a bedside table, next to the door is a desk and by the closet door is a dresser. I look on the desk and see a picture of a young girl standing next to an older man. The little girl reminds me of Harley for some reason. They must have been father and daughter. 'What happened to them?' I think. I slip the picture in my bag and head to the next room. After searching 4 other rooms, I make my way the the last one. I slip the door open and its completely empty besides a small mattress on the floor. I walk to the mattress when I hear a groan. My head snaps to the closet door and I halt. Another groan comes from inside and I step towards it. I pull my gun out and put my hand on the knob. I turn it slowly, waiting for the worst. I sling it open and step back quickly. An infected lays in the floor. Its the little girl from the picture. She sees me and stands up, walking to me. I pull my gun up, aiming at her. 'Shes so young...' I think. She could only be around 7 years old. She stumbles towards me, growling. Just shoot her jasmine. Zachary and Joshua would be 7 years old if they were alive. The girl is only I few steps away, inching closer. Just shoot, jasmine. I put my gun down and rush out of the room, slamming the door shut. I lean against the door and slide down. I drop my gun and put my hands on my head. As I feel banging on the door behind me, a tear runs down my face.