Fighting for Home (an apocalypse story)

Chapter 4 - Finally

Not proofread....sorryyy

We drive through the night, arriving at the cabin right around daybreak. Before I even get out of the car, I know something is wrong. Through the window, I can see that there is a splatter of blood on the wall and a few dead UDs around on the ground. One of the windows  is smashed and the door is standing wide open.

"Oh no" Jessica says as we pull up and park next to the truck. I open the door and climb out. Adah tries to follow, but I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Wait here," I say, "and you can come out once we are sure everything is safe, ok?"

She nods and Jessica shoots me a grateful look. She climbs out too, leaving mom inside with Adah and JoJo, and Lyndsey in the truck with Oliver. I pull out my knife and follow Jessica around the truck. Marc and Dad are checking the outside of the house, so I scan the perimeter. The cabin is tucked close to the trees in the middle of a large clearing. The gravel drive goes halfway into the clearing and ends in a circle of worn grass where we there is a fire pit and a few Adirondack chairs. There is a flat log across the clearing with a few old cans on it, riddled with holes from our last target practice, the clearing looks clear of UDs , so I turn back towards the cabin to follow dad and Marc inside.

I hear the crunch of broken glass and the scream of a UD right before the sound of the knife through its skull.

"That's the only one here" dad says from inside. "Man, this place is trashed."

Marc comes outside, dragging the body of the dead UD, making room for me to move inside. Dad's right, the place is a mess. The doors of the cabinet that housed the food and other supplies are hanging open, the contents gone. No food, no water, no matches. They're all gone. The bunk beds on the other side of the room are intact, covered in blankets. What looks like a good two boxes of ammo are scattered all over the floor and the cabinet in the corner that had extra blankets and clothes are splattered with blood.

"Dammit" says Marc, looking through the cabinets. "No food. It's all gone" he slams the cabinet shut with a crash, making me jump. He walks outside, leaving me alone. I walk over to the beds, sinking onto the bottom one. Something near the bottom of the wall catches my eye, and I crouch to see what it is. It's a carving, gouged into the wood by a knife probably.

Derrick

Becca

Paul

Always remembered

These must be the names of the dead outside. The one who was in here probably carved their names into the wood before he died himself. Were they siblings? Friends? Parents?

I finally understand the gravity of what's going on in the world. In a split second, you can lose your whole life. Everything just...gone. This isn't just a vacation that I can go home from, or a nightmare to wake up from. I hardly have anyone, not even my best friend. Everything I used to know and love destroyed and splattered with blood.

Someone walks in, and I stand and turn to see who it is. 

"Well, at least it looks like someone made good use of the stuff" Jessica says, after a moment of shock as she surveyed the damage. JoJo squirms in her arms and she sets him down before walking over to the cabinet and peering inside. JoJo looks on the shelves near the bunk beds and pulls out a small piece of cloth. He smiles and holds it up to his cheek, then scurries over to me.

"Look Ashy! My blankie is here!! We had to leave bear-bear at home, but mommy told me I could have blankie from the cabin!!" He proudly holds up the fabric, and I see that it is the old pillowcase he uses as a blankie whenever the kids and Jessica visit the cabin.