A Shooters Love

Chapter 8

Part 1

We were 10 minutes away from my hometown, my anxiety was through the roof as I glanced out the window constantly. I was feeling a mixture of excitement and terror that I hadn't slept at all, Warren and Addy had taken turns driving and when we reached the out skirts of town they pulled over and slept till the sun came up before continuing the rest of the way.

"Aly," Addy said as I looked her way, "Relax," she spoke as I nodded and took a deep breath. Warren pulled into the heart of the town square and stopped the car. We piled out and stretched as I looked around at the once beautiful place. "What exactly are we looking for," Vazquez asked popping his shoulders. "Anything that could tell us that people are here," 10k asked for me as I kept glancing around.

The once decorated store fronts were smashed in and empty, some of the old train car had been tipped on their side while others were missing, and the water tower was covered in graffiti. There weren't any z around with was odd but pleasing cause I wasn't up for a fight. "Where do we start looking," Doc asked as the all looked at me, "there are three locations where they could have left clues," I said, "there's my grandparents, my aunts and my house."

"If we split up we can cover more ground," Warren said as she assigned everyone a location. "Vazquez and I will check out your grandmothers; Addy, Doc and Murphy will look at your aunts while you two check your home," she told us as they piled into the car and headed to the addresses I told them while 10k and I went the opposite direction. We passes by a sports shop as I noticed a bicycle lying absent, "Shall we ride in style," he said picking it up. I laughed he got on and I sat on the handle bars, it was tricky at first but we eventually got ahold of it as I told him when to turn. "Feels like a date," I said as he chuckled, "got to appreciate the little things in the apocalypse," he replied as we rolled up to my street.

I jumped off the handle bars and stared up at the two story house I once called home. The gray bricks were still intact, the windows had been broken either by squatters or nature. The vines that were once beautifully taken care of along the wall below my window were overgrown and ugly. "You okay," he asked putting a hand on my shoulder, I nodded taking a deep breath and walked up the pathway. Slowly I opened the door and held out my hand guns, 10k whistled and we waited. After a bit we nodded to each other and walked inside, towards the busted front window laid Mr.Sims skeletal body where dad and I had taken care of him. "I'll check upstairs, my parents bedroom is down the hall," I told him being cautious as I walked up.

The three of us shared this upstairs since forever, I checked my littlest sister, Torye's,  room first. I opened the door, her bed was missing along with some of her furniture, I checked Kelsey's, my middle sisters, next. Hers looked just like Torye's with the missing bed and furniture. I looked down the hall towards mine, the bookcase that we had was pushed against my wall with the words 'DEAD INSIDE' written next to it. "Anything," 10k asked coming upstairs, "Maybe, help me with this," I said walking to the door. We  grabbed hold of the case and pushed it aside as 10k opened the door but there was nothing dead inside.

"Whoever did that didn't want anyone in here," he said as I walked into the room. It looked just like I had left it, the bed unmade, cloths thrown everywhere and all my photographs hanging on the wall. I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands, 'they aren't here,' I thought as I cried, 10k sunk next to me putting his arm around me. "I don't know what I was expecting," I said looking at him. He wiped my eyes with his other hand, "I'm sorry Aly, I was hoping to meet them," he said pulling me into him to calm me down. I pulled back after a bit wiping my tears and smiling sadly, "thanks for coming with me," I said as he brushed hair out of my eyes and smiled back.