Dex

by Claflin, Stacy

  His stomach twisted.

  The door was never left unlocked.

  What was he about to walk into?

  Chapter 42

  The entryway was as dusty as his dad’s office had been. Even though Dex knew nobody lived there anymore—nor had they for quite some time—it still left him unsettled. Who knew how long ago she’d left the house?

  Mom always kept the home clean and tidy, despite having a husband who worked in law enforcement. It made for strange hours and mud often being tracked inside after a long day at work, but she managed.

  On the left, a single brown handprint decorated the wall. Dex put his hand next to it. It was small and slender, meaning it had belonged to his mom or maybe his sister.

  It had to have been his mom. He already knew her fate. Lanie had to have gotten away. She just had to have.

  They meandered into the living room. The couch was flipped over and split down the middle. The coffee table had been smashed almost to the point of being unrecognizable. Brown splatter marks covered many of the pieces. Matching marks sprawled across the wall behind them.

  Lucy squeezed his hand. “Do you want to go back?”

  He shook his head. “I need to see the rest of the house.”

  “Take your time.”

  Dex studied the room. Other than the long-dried blood spatter and broken furniture, there were no other signs of what had happened. More specifically, who had lived and who hadn’t.

  They walked through the rest of the first floor, finding more of the same. Blood smears and busted furniture. A man-sized hole went through the hallway into the laundry room. From a wanderer? Or his dad or a brother?

  He and Lucy came to the stairs. His heart raced. Having already seen the broken second-story window, it was likely things wouldn’t be any better up there.

  The stairs creaked and groaned. Dex was ready to catch Lucy, but none gave way.

  He went into his parents’ room first. The door was closed, and inside it looked almost exactly as he remembered it.

  A sign that maybe his dad had at least escaped the wanderers, and hopefully taken the other kids with him.

  As he stared at the room, a wave of nostalgia nearly knocked him over. He leaned on Lucy for a moment and then closed the door again.

  Next, he went to his old room. His parents had probably given it to one of his younger brothers, who had always had to share a room. With Dex gone, there’d be one bedroom for each child.

  He swung open the door, completely unprepared for the scene before him.

  It was exactly as he’d left it the night he’d escaped the community.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucy exclaimed.

  Dex realized he wasn’t breathing. He took in some oxygen. “It’s my old room.” He trudged inside and glanced around. It was as though not one thing had been disturbed.

  Scratch! Scratch! Scratch!

  Lucy and Dex exchanged a worried glance.

  “Did Bob and the others follow us up?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “They went exploring.”

  Dex brought Bob’s sword into position. “Let’s hope they changed their minds.”

  They went into the hall.

  Scratch! Scratch!

  It was coming from one of the other bedrooms.

  Dex squeezed the sword handle. “Maybe it’s just a raccoon, and then we’ll have a good laugh.”

  “Yeah.” Lucy didn’t sound any more convinced than he was. She stepped toward Lanie’s door. “I’ll check this room.”

  “Okay, just don’t approach any monsters. We’ll fight them together if you see one.”

  “Agreed.” She nodded.

  “I’ll look in this one.” He gestured toward his brothers’ room, and they both reached for the doorknobs.

  Dex poked his head into what had been the nursery. The baby toys were gone, but there were still toys in there. Ones that Dex had played with prior to starting school or when he’d just started. But the more important thing was that there were no signs of a struggle.

  He stepped into the hallway. “It’s clear in h—”

  Lucy screamed.

  Dex ran over to her and pulled her from the room.

  “Don’t go in there!” She grabbed his arms.

  “Why not?” Dex demanded.

  “Just… just… don’t.” Her face had paled almost to the color of the wall behind her.

  The scratching continued, clearly coming from Lanie’s room.

  “I need to.”

  She yanked on his arms. “Please, Dex. Don’t.”

  He stared into her terrified eyes. “What’s in there?”

  “I’m sorry. They didn’t make it.”

  “They? Who? That’s my sister’s room. Who else is in there?”

  “Please.” Her eyes shone with tears.

  He pulled away and marched toward Lanie’s door.

  “Dex,” Lucy begged.

  He stopped and turned to her. “I have to do this.”

  “I know.” She sighed and frowned. “I just wish you didn’t.”

  “Me too.” His stomach twisted, but he needed to see whatever was in that room. No matter how horrible, it held the answers he sought.

  Dex took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself for the worst. He stepped inside Lanie’s room.

  Brown spatter darkened the walls on every side. A lot of it. The bed lay in two pieces. Her dresser was pulled apart and smashed. Books were strewn across the room. The sturdy wooden bookshelf lay in front of the closet. Much of the carpet around it was stained as though a lot of blood had been spilled.

  Dex’s stomach lurched. Had anyone survived?

  Scratch.

  Snarl.

  Moan.

  The closet. His family must’ve managed to trap the monsters that had attacked and destroyed them. After who-knew-how-long, the creatures would be ravenous. It was too bad starvation didn’t kill them—only a blow to the brain.

  Dex tightened the grip on the sword. And he would put the pathetic creature out of its misery. He stepped over smashed furniture and yanked on the bookshelf.

  “Dex,” Lucy whispered.

  “I have to do this.” He turned to her. “You can join the others if you want.”

  She shook her head and pulled out a knife. “I’m not leaving you.”

  He turned back and moved the shelf the rest of the way from the closet door. It shook as the murderous wanderer tried to get out.

  Dex cursed the creature and then flung open the door.

  Not one, but three, wanderers reached for him.

  Those weren’t any monsters. They were his siblings. Even with loose grayish skin and empty eyes, Dex would know those faces anywhere.

  He dropped the sword. It skittered under a piece of the bed.

  Lark, the youngest, lunged for Dex.

  Snarling and growling, Gray and Lanie followed suit.

  Dex jumped out of the way, his heart thundering in his chest.

  His brothers and sister—no, the monsters—raced for him. They were fast. That meant they were especially hungry. Given how long they’d probably been stuck inside the closet, that wasn’t surprising.

  Dex stumbled backward and tripped over something on the floor.

  Lark reached for him, chomping his teeth.

  Dex picked up a broken bedpost. He hesitated, only seeing his baby brother.

  Lark jumped at him, snarling. Dex dug the bedpost into his skull. He crumbled to the floor.

  Gray and Lanie rushed at Dex. Lanie was close enough to bite.

  From behind, a blade appeared. It dug into Lanie’s forehead. She fell on top of their youngest brother.

  Dex turned to Lucy. “Thank you.”

  “Watch out!”

  He turned. Seemingly in slow-motion, Gray was about to bite him. Dex aimed the broken bedpost at him, but Lucy struck him with her knife first.

  Gray swung his arms before falling to the floor.

  Dex stared in disbelief at his de
ad, turned siblings. Then he turned away from Lucy and vomited.

  Chapter 43

  Lucy guided Dex out into the hall. He could barely stand, and his stomach threatened to release its contents again.

  “You should sit.”

  Dex nodded and gestured toward his old room. She kept her arms around him and helped guide him in. He slunk onto the bed. It creaked under his weight.

  Lucy sat next to him and rubbed his back.

  His stomach settled, but tears now threatened. A lump formed in his throat. He tried to fight the waterworks, but couldn’t. He pressed his face into his palms and sobbed.

  Lucy ran her fingers through his hair and continued rubbing his back, allowing him to grieve.

  His brothers and sister had been so young. Judging from their sizes, Lanie had to have been about thirteen, which meant she would’ve been done with school and just starting her job. Gray looked to have been about ten—almost as old as Dex when he’d escaped, and Lark would’ve only been about seven or eight.

  Dex ran the math real quick. The zombie attack had to have been about four years earlier. Four years. He shuddered.

  Lucy kissed his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

  He tried to respond but couldn’t. What would’ve happened if he’d have been there when the wanderers attacked? Would he have been able to save them all? Or would he have been turned into a zombie like his mom and siblings?

  That was probably the more likely option. He wouldn’t have had the experience killing monsters, and he wouldn’t have known what to do. Without his life experience, he wouldn’t have been able to do a single thing to keep them safe.

  If his dad hadn’t been able to protect them, what made him think he could’ve made a difference?

  He tried to wrap his mind around what happened. The only thing that made sense was his dad had hidden away the kids in the closet to protect them from the wanderers while he went outside and fought them. But how could Dex’s siblings be zombies? The only explanation was that one of them had been bitten, but had been too afraid to tell anyone. Then he or she would’ve turned and bitten the other two while in the closet.

  Dex wiped his tears away and then pulled Lucy into his arms. “Thank you for what you did. I should’ve been able to kill them, but I froze.”

  “I understand. You love them.”

  Tears blurred his vision, and he nodded. “I did. And that’s why I should’ve done it. For mercy. They wouldn’t have wanted to be like that, and especially not for so long.”

  They sat in silence for a while. Dex allowed the tears to fall freely until they dried up. “I need to bury them.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  She turned and placed her palms on his face. “I want to. I’m here for you. I won’t go anywhere.”

  His raw emotions sweltered inside of him. “I appreciate that more than you know.”

  She brushed her lips across his. “Is there a shovel around here?”

  Dex cleared his throat. “In the garage.”

  Lucy rose, took his hand, and helped him up. They went downstairs and to the garage.

  Growl! Snap!

  A wanderer stepped out from behind one of the toolboxes.

  His dad.

  Dex turned to her. “Let me do this.”

  Lucy handed him her knife.

  He took it and marched to the man he’d always admired. “I’m sorry.”

  His dad stumbled toward him, snarling and biting.

  Dex reached out and dug the blade into his temple. He stepped back as his dad crashed to the cement floor.

  “Looks like we’re going to need to dig another grave.” Dex stepped around the corpse and grabbed two shovels.

  He and Lucy headed for the backyard. Half the fence had been busted down, but there was plenty of room to dig.

  After they’d completed the third hole, Bob, Radley, and Zianna came out from inside the house. Each of them were covered in dirt and blood.

  “There you are!” Bob wiped some grime from near his eye. “We found and killed zombies in a bunch of the houses. Then we—” He gave him a double-take. “Why are you digging?”

  Lucy wiped some soil from her forehead. “His family didn’t make it out.”

  Radley’s mouth fell open. “I’m so sorry, Dex.”

  He nodded and went back to shoveling dirt, starting the final grave.

  Zianna came over and took Lucy’s shovel from her. “Let me. You two look exhausted.”

  Bob stepped forward as Dex and Zianna dug. “Want some help?”

  Dex shook his head without looking up. “I need to do this. They’re my family.”

  “Understood.” Bob stepped back. “Anyway, as I was saying. We found a huge stockpile of canned foods. If you don’t mind, I’m going to drive the Hummer in and load it up.”

  Dex shrugged. “I don’t care.” It wasn’t like anyone still lived in the walls. They may as well drive through the streets and take what they could.

  “I just can’t believe this place hasn’t been looted. It’s like a goldmine.”

  Dex continued digging. “It’s always been out of the way. Part of the reason it lasted so long.”

  “Who’s coming to help load the food?” Bob asked.

  Zianna looked up. “I’m going to keep digging.”

  “And I’m going to bring the bodies down,” Lucy said.

  Dex stood up straight. “I can do that.”

  She tilted her head. “I know you can. But you’ll wear out.”

  “She’s right.” Radley arched a brow. “Let her do that while Bob and I load up the food.”

  “Oh, all right.” Dex went back to digging.

  By the time he and Zianna had finished the final hole, Lucy came down carrying Lark.

  Dex stuck his shovel into the ground. “I’ll grab my dad. He’s practically twice your size.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “I’m exaggerating, but I’ll still get him.” Dex rushed past her, went into the garage, hefted him up over his shoulder, and brought him outside.

  Everything went by in a blur as the three of them lay the bodies into the graves. Dex placed the coffee mug in his dad’s hands.

  His dad wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. Come to think of it, neither had his mom. Where had they gone? Why wouldn’t they have had them on? He rose, knowing he would never have the answers.

  Before piling dirt on top of his family, he stood at the foot of each one and silently said his goodbyes.

  Filling the holes took significantly less time than digging them.

  Dex had a hard time pulling himself away from the fresh grave sites.

  “We should help Bob and Radley with the food,” Zianna said finally.

  “You’re right,” Dex conceded. He had to walk away. Staying with his dad and siblings wasn’t helping anyone. “You go. I’ll meet you in a few.”

  Zianna arched an eyebrow. “Do you know where the food is?”

  “I grew up here. I know where everything is.”

  Her eyes widened. “Do you know of anything else that might help us?”

  “Yeah. There’s an armory, a garage full of vehicles, and even medical supplies.”

  She stared at him. “For real?”

  Dex nodded. “Just give me a few minutes.”

  “Take all the time you need.” Zianna turned to Lucy. “You coming with me?”

  “I’m not leaving Dex.”

  “Okay. See you guys in a few.” She raced into the house.

  “What do you need to do here?” Lucy asked.

  “I just have to grab a couple things. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” She sat on the porch.

  Dex rushed inside to his dad’s office. In the desk, he found another seventeen-inch knife and a pistol. Dex stuck both into pockets and then grabbed a box of ammo.

  Next, he hurried upstairs and picked out a small trinket that had belonged to each member of his family. Just a small kee
psake to take with him, like his mom’s necklace.

  He found a little seashell in Lanie’s room and tucked it safely into a pocket. Then he took a dog-shaped pin Gray had worn a lot as a little boy and then a leather bracelet with Lark’s name etched on it.

  Once he had those, he went back to his parents’ bedroom. He glanced around the perfectly preserved room. It was a true treasure trove.

  Dex ran a fingertip along the edge of their dresser and stopped in front of the mirror. He hadn’t seen his reflection in quite some time. Other than the scraggly beard, he was almost the spitting image of his dad. It was eerie staring into his own eyes—it was as though his dad were looking at him.

  “I hope you’d be proud.” Dex looked down, unable to take it any longer.

  His parents’ wedding rings sat next to each other among dust and some of his mom’s favorite knickknacks.

  That explained why they weren’t wearing them, but would they have taken them off before a zombie attack? That seemed unlikely. Perhaps they had taken them off before going to bed, and the creatures had attacked in the middle of the night. It was the only thing that made any sense.

  Dex picked up the rings and cupped his hands around them. He blew some dust off of them and then rubbed them clean on his shirt.

  They were the perfect memento. And better yet, maybe one day he and Lucy could wear them.

  Chapter 44

  Dex shifted the gearstick into fourth, and both he and Lucy lurched forward.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “First time driving, remember.”

  “You’re doing great.”

  Dex snorted. “Right.” He hit the gas and followed the van in front. They had managed to start two vehicles from the community. The pickup that he and Lucy were in and the van up ahead that Radley was driving. Both were filled to almost overflowing with as much as they could load.

  Bob had said they’d need to build another garage to hold all the stuff. Dex wasn’t sure if Bob was serious, but if he was, Dex was more than happy to help with that.

  Now that he knew the unfortunate fate of his family, he was ready to settle down and live in a home again—especially since he’d found decent people to band together with. Lucy, especially, but the others were growing on him.