Under the Dome

Chapter 15

I've spent half the day crying. Balling my eyes out. I held Douglas in my lap, stroking through his soft brown hair. My tears dived off my cheeks and nose to land on his face. It almost looked like he was sleeping in the rain. After what seemed like a lifetime, my eyes wondered around me.

Jr and Matt was still by the cave. Laying against each other like two drunk buddies or sleeping the day away. A couple flies occupied themselves around the boy's heads, high above the trees a few scavengers appeared here and there between the green leaves.

Travis was slumped along the deer trail with gushing pools of red sinking in the dirt. His left leg was awkwardly slumped over his other leg, his green eyes challenged the blue sky in a staring contest, and his body was stiff. His head disappeared behind a bush and his huge frame occupied itself in the middle of the deer trail. A tiny white serpent crawled over his body to rest in his chest; where it climbed and sank in his body to be coated in crimson red.

I gently placed Douglas's head down on the dirty ground before I slowly lingered over to Travis. I peered down at him; a faint stream of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth, eyes wide open, skin paler than the white clouds, a plethora of bullet wounds covered his whole chest. Swimming in his blood was the tiny snake.

I pinched the back of the snake's head and pulled him out like separating a noddle from the rest in the bowl. The serpent desperately tried to remain in Travis's body, once I pulled him out, his body wrapped around my arm.

"No one is eating my friends, sorry bud. You're going to have to find dinner elsewhere." I whispered to the snake.

Hey, call me crazy all you want but talking to animals was what I do. And yeah, they don't talk back or even know what I'm saying, (besides Lex), but it's a hard habit to break.

I unwrapped the snake from my body, careful not to hurt him or let him bite me, and threw him in the forest. He hissed and slithered away as fast as he could.

I glanced down at my hand. Blood. Travis's blood.

I tried wiping it off on my pants, desperately and quickly. I didn't want his blood on me. It felt wrong. Like I killed him, like I pulled his heart out of his chest and his blood on my hands marked me as being guilty.

I started screaming. Aggressively wiping my hand on my pants until my clothes turn a dull red. I panicked. I dabbed my hand in the mucky ground, massaging the dirt in between my figures to replace the blood with soil.

Then I heard twigs snapping. My body froze over and my eye sight blurred for a split second. I scanned my surroundings just as Lex slowly walked out of the woods. His head was down and he kept his blue eyes away from my gaze.

I sighed. Not really caring what was wrong with him. My whole mind went blank; like it stored an empty meadow or an open, endless ocean.

I didn't notice Lex's head on my lap until he started to whimper. My hands, like they had a mind of their own, glided through his red fur; exploring his fine hairs, the soft and soothing touch.

I looked around at the dead boys around me.

If a serpent smelled their death then so will Creed. Better bury them.

Lex helped me dig a massive pit for Matt and Travis by the lip of the cave. Trying to fit two huge guys in a hole that was circular wasn't easy. It took me a couple good hours to correct their bodies so that it looked like ying yang symbol. After covering them hole with dirt, my clothes was either black or brown. The original colors of my clothes was hard to decipher.

Next was Jr. The hole to bury him didn't take long. Maybe around an hour, maybe a little more. Digging a trench for Jr was easier than making a hole for two guys. I was running out of daylight and options on where to bury the old guy. The only place I could bury him was near the river; close enough to the bank but far enough to where he wouldn't be washed away.