Karo gingerly rests the cooler on the road, then unstraps his backpack, retrieves his crowbar, and places his pack on the ground next to the cooler.
“Not taking it with you?” asks Daisy.
“Too bulky, too easy to grab ahold of.”
“Makes sense.”
Norman moves closer to the cooler, not wanting it be unsecured, then regards Karo.
“What do you want us to do?”
“Just wait here.”
“Three houses, it would be quicker if we each searched one, and Patrick stayed with our stuff.” says Daisy.
“Quicker, yes, but not the best idea. We shouldn’t separate like that.”
“So, you going into an unknown place alone is the preferred alternative? You, the one person who knows where we’re going, and knows the people there.”
A barrage of hot air purges from Karo’s nostrils.
“Yeah, sure, you’re annoyed, but I’m not wrong.”
A cutting glance from Karo stops any follow up remarks from Daisy.
“Damnit.” he says through his teeth.
“What?” Norman inquires.
“She’s not wrong.”
“Come again big guy?” she replies, with a half grin.
“There’s no good way to go about this, but we shouldn’t separate at all. The houses area too far apart. If I get pinned down, yelling for help is dangerous. We can’t all three go and leave Patrick by himself.”
“So, what then?”
“We all need to go, don’t see any other valid option, other than not going at all.”
“We could always just do that, not go at all.”
“We could, but Norman was right about the supplies. We’ve got scraps, anything would be helpful, never know what situations will present themselves the rest of the way.”
A long silence falls over them. Karo intently studies the two houses on the same side of the road, the third being on the opposite. The closest is about thirty feet away, the one after on the same side another twenty, and the opposite house somewhere in between them. Daisy brushes her hair out of her face, moving her gaze to Karo.
“What’s the plan then?”
“I don’t want to leave our stuff laying around, in case we have to make a break for it.”
“Agreed.”
“We’ll all go together, slowly. We’ll take the two on the same side first, the opposite one last, one at a time, only moving to the next house if the current one doesn’t provide anything. We’re not going to be greedy. Too much at stake for that, and we don’t have time to waste.”
A timid, and cautious approach to the first house ensues. As they get closer to the sizeable house, they can see that the two bottom windows on the side of the two story home are broken. Karo moves around to the front to further inspect. The front door is bowed out, and crooked, but it looks to be jammed in place. Could be from the weather, or from something he doesn’t really want to consider, but can’t afford not to.
The back door has been removed, and lays on the ground. The hinges are severely rusted and broken. He can’t discern if they were broken from inside or outside, or if the door was forcibly removed. The other side of the house has three bottom windows, all broken, and two top windows, also broken.
The back door leads into the kitchen. The floor is water logged and slippery. It snowed here, and the door has certainly been removed for some time. They hastily, though quietly as possible, search the kitchen. The cabinets are all closed, which Karo finds odd. They’re mostly barren, save for some undiscernible small food boxes and spoiled cans.
The cabinets under the sink provide a few molded bottles and containers. The smell emanating from under the sink is putrid, bringing Karo to tears. Beyond the kitchen is a hallway that looks to lead into a living room. There are four doors in the hallway.
Karo tenderly pushes the first door open to reveal a bathroom, a dirty and ravaged one. The shower curtain is on the floor, torn up. The mirror is cracked all over, the toilet is broken, and a the tub is covered with dry, dark brown stains. Could be blood, could be rust, he decides to leave the room alone.
The next door leads to what appears to have been an office room. A large desk sits along side the right wall, a computer monitor is on the top of the desk, the computer itself is underneath it. There are papers all over the floor, small holes in the walls from where various things were hung, a broken dry erase board laying face down, several shelving units and filing cabinets, and another door that presumably leads to a storage closet on the far side. Karo turns to Daisy, whispering to her.
“We should give the house a once over before searching anything else.”
“Can’t we just search as we go, that way we can leave as soon as possible?”
“We can, but that’s not the smartest way to do it.”
“But it is the quickest, and it’s already mid-day.”
Karo pauses for a long moment, considering their options. She’s right, the day is getting later, and they’re on a time crunch, but safety is the most crucial aspect.
“We can’t afford the risk.” he says.
“Alright, your call.” she replies, with a nod.
“Do you need help?”
The unknown voice sends terror rushing through Karo. His face flushes white, his expression drops. He and Daisy both see the dread forming on each other. Karo whips around to see the silhouette of a figure standing several feet inside the room the hallway leads into.
He turns his attention back to the group, flinging the door the rest of the way open.
“Inside, now!” he frantically says.
Daisy, Norman, and Patrick rush into the room. As Karo follows in after them he peers down the hall to see the figure bolting at them. He slams the door shut, and throws his back against it. The thud of stomping feet precedes a viscous banging on the door. Above them a loud crash is heard, followed by the creaking of the ceiling from hurried footsteps leaving the room. A rumble, a
