The Last One Home

Part 17

His feet pounded through the thick white terrain. With each step he kicked up plumes of white powder. Dry sticks and leaves, packed within the snow, cracked and crumbled beneath his shoes. Max felt his leg muscles screaming with the exertion.

With his arms outstretched, he slammed palms first into the neighbors tall wooden gate. To his surprise, it swung open easily. He looked down just in time to see the broken clasp hanging at an odd angle. Someone had come through here that didn't belong.

The footprints continued across the backyard, seemed to circle a few times near a shed at the opposite side of the fence, and then continued around the side of the house. Max was concentrating on making sense of the path when he heard a faint scratching sound. It sounded like fingernails on wood. The sound came again, this time more urgent.

With renewed hope he approached the shed. The sound was definitely coming from inside of it. His head filled with visions of his family tied up in the shed, only for him to find them and release them from their bonds. The police would find the psychopath responsible for all of this and they would move on, safe and sound.

The scratching sound came again, but this time it was accompanied by a whimper and a bark. Max pulled the shed door open and a small black schnauzer darted out into the yard. Immediately, it began barking its head off as it pranced in circles around him. Its short, clipped barks seemed to reverberate off of the house. Trying to quiet the dog was of no use, so as soon as it came close enough, he grabbed its collar and held it to his chest. The dog, still trembling in his arms, quieted down. Max rubbed his chest and back until he felt confident enough to put the dog back down. Soon it was sniffing around the backyard, its stubby tail wagging excitedly.

The dog's excitement did not seem to draw any unwanted attention. The neighbors house was just as dark and silent as his mother's house had been. Leaving the dog to investigate the yard, Max crept up towards the back door. Suddenly the security light above the door threw a wide swath of light over the yard. Uttering a small cry, Max pressed himself up against the house, hoping to blend in with the shadows.

Judging by the number of footprints in the backyard and the broken gate, he guessed that the intruder may be using this house as a safe place in case the police came looking for their buddy. He wasn't sure where the footprints going around the side of the house lead too, but he knew he couldn't move on without checking to see if his mother and sister were in this house.

Pulling the door open, he wasn't surprised to find that it was unlocked. Max slipped into the house. He was greeted by a dark kitchen. The air felt cool and smelled a little like moth balls. There was another scent in the air. One that was all too familiar. It was the same smell he had encountered in his mother's living room. The smell of death.

He kicked something hard as he navigated the kitchen, cringing at the clatter it made. The cane seemed out of place, lying in the middle of the floor like a discarded toy. A feeling of unease washed over Max like a cold sheet. He hoped desperately that he wouldn't find the owner of the cane. Unfortunately the alkaline smell in the air was only getting stronger. 

Sidestepping the cane, he nearly tripped over the body of Mr. Elrod. Max's hand flew to his face to stifle the scream that threatened to come out. The corpse lay supine on the floor. Even in the dim light max could see the ruined neck gaping open. A large puddle of congealing blood surrounded its head. He tried to forget how stiff the corpse had felt as his shoe connected with its shoulder. He didn't want to remember the dry cracking sound it had made as if someone were smacking two sticks together.

Max felt oddly unaffected by the discovery of the dead neighbor. Its not that he didn't care, but that he hadn't known Mr. Elrod very well. He was the type of neighbor who kept to himself, and other than the occasional gruff hello, mostly ignored everyone around him.