The back door was standing wide open. A good sign since the sunlight would be penetrating into at least one room thanks to the open door and slight breeze. Drew took a deep breath and checked his weapons one final time.
“On me.” He said quietly and ran across the open space to stand with his back to the wall next to the open door. His brother and sister joined him seconds later. Taking another deep breath Drew stepped in front of the open door. Heart hammering in his chest he reached through the door and grabbed the manual slider to move the blinds completely out of the way. He slid the blinds as far over as he could get them then yanked his arm out like it was about to get crushed in an elevator door. He’d been waiting to feel the crush of teeth on his wrist the entire time.
The home was just like they’d left it. The three of them walked inside with guns at the ready. They were met by the musty smell of death. The supplies they’d unloaded from the Expedition had been scattered all over by the infected. Yue chuckled to herself looking at a dented can of barbeque flavored Vienna sausages. She was thinking back to the look on Drew’s face as he’d carried the canned wieners out to the Expedition. He’d been so excited to show them to Bart. It’d always been one of their favorite snacks to eat together. The fact that it grossed everyone else out just made it all the better.
None of them made a move towards the room their dad was in yet. They couldn’t bring themselves to see him lying there. They’d seen plenty of bodies the animals had gotten to already. What if that’d happened to their dad? What if the rats were feasting on his intestines or the vultures were slurping his brains out through his eye sockets? Horrid images flashing through her mind Yue fairly flew into the back bedroom to make sure their dad’s body wasn’t being defiled. She wanted to get there first to protect Drew and LeBron from the multiple horrors that may have happened according to her hyperactive imagination.
Drew rushed in right after Yue. He was worried she was going to get jumped by a hidden crawler in her haste. LeBron came right after him scanning the room anxiously for any sign of danger. Yue was sitting on the side of the bed silently bawling her eyes out. LeBron ran over and gave her a hug studiously ignoring the large lump in the comforter. Drew stood off to the side trying to be as vigilant as possible. Their dad wouldn’t have liked it if they all got killed coming back to bury him. He could almost hear the chewing out they’d have gotten.
Drew went over to the windows. The curtains were already half open. He ripped them completely off the wall letting the sunlight saturate the large master bedroom. He didn’t want any crawlerz sneaking by them on a technicality thanks to a shadowy corner. They had a lot to do in a short time. First and foremost, they needed to make sure their dad’s remains were taken care of respectfully. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure how they’d be able to handle that. Thinking on the fly he came up with a plan that’d let them put it off until later.
They said their final goodbyes in that sun lit clinically white oversized bedroom. Yue had pulled the comforter off of Bart’s face to say their farewells. Each of them took a turn holding his cold hand and whispering their heartfelt appreciation for everything that he’d done for them. That they all loved him went without saying but each of them still said it plenty. Once they’d spent a respectful amount of time, they rolled him up in the white comforter and duct taped it around his body. Knowing exactly what their dad would’ve had to say about them duct taping his corpse into an old blanket brought a smile to each of their lips. A welcome bit of humor penetrating the heavy cloud of sadness pervading the room.
They carried their oversized bundle out into the yard looking for a good spot to send him off. Settling on a slight rise that overlooked the lake Drew set his dad down. He went back inside and grabbed one of their gasoline containers pouring a liberal amount on the comforter. It’d only take a spark now to send Bart to his reward to be with his Nancy.
They proceeded to tear the house apart looking for the keys to the Hummer. They finally found them pushed back on the top of the fridge in a Ziploc bag. Not bothering to waste time wondering why someone would put car keys in a Ziploc bag Yue rushed out to the Hummer to see if it’d start. The big yellow emblem of capitalistic excess rumbled to life on the first try. Yue hopped out and began helping her brothers carry as much of their scattered supplies as they could from the living room out to the Hummer. Considering how many dead bodies were lying around in that area
