June 7th, 2013
A few days had passed. We stayed inside most of the day. The only times we went out were either before sunrise or after sunset, the darkness helping us avoid detection, and only to do our chores as quickly as humanly possible.
Being cooped up was staring to get to us. It was so incredibly hot, the luxury of air conditioning long dead. There was no TV, no radio, nothing besides a few books and booze to keep us company, both of which didn't seem very appealing. The books were all old, outdated and already read by most of us. Alcohol is never a good idea in an apocalypse so it went untouched. Needless to say, we were all pretty far on edge by the third day. Better safe than sorry though, right?
It wasn't long after we'd gone to sleep when I bolted upright in bed. I swore I heard a crash. I walked quietly to my door, peeking up and down the hall. I saw Bre also pop her head out into the hall.
"Did you hear that?" She whispered. I nodded and pointed toward the stairs just as a thump sounded directly underneath me, followed by a muffled curse. Someone was down there, in our house.
I began to cross the hall, stopping when my foot pressed down on a creaky floorboard, straining my ears to hear if whoever was down there had heard. After a moment of dead silence I took the last few steps to Bre's room and pushed her gently inside, closing the door with a soft click behind me.
"Get to one of the turrets. Grab a pistol, you're best with those, and bring Oliver. Try to keep him quiet. I'm going to wake the others. Meet me back here."
She nodded and grabbed her son before creeping down the dark hall. When I was sure she'd safely made it, I went to wake the others, giving them similar instructions then telling them to meet me in Bre's room. I shuffled into my room and grabbed a revolver, stashing it in my waistband before taking my machete from the nightstand.
The others were all in Bre's room when I came back. Their eyes were wide with terror and confusion, waiting for me to direct them.
"There's someone down there." I said. "I can't say for sure it's not just a survivor looking for food and shelter but after Connie spotted the Humvee, I'd like to be safe."
They all nodded and murmered in agreement so I continued.
"I don't know how many people are down there so we're going to split up. Sebastian, you and Connie take the rope ladder and do a perimeter check, make sure nobody is outside. Boyd, Kara, you come downstairs with me. Skip the fourth step from the bottom, it squeaks. Carrie, you go with Bre and Ollie to one of the turrets, stay put and don't make a sound, no matter what."
"But what if - " Carrie started.
"No matter what." I repeated. "Now go."
Boyd kept watch on the hall while Bre, the baby and Carrie made their way up it. Kara and I kept watch on the window while Connie and Sebastian made their way down, M16s strapped to their backs, knives clenched between their teeth.
"Ready?" I asked. Boyd and Kara nodded. "Stick close together."
I walked into the dark hall, stepping over the creaky floorboard and over to the stairs. I looked over the banister but saw no one. I could hear them though, rustling through the kitchen.
I started down the stairs, slowly, quietly, remembering to skip the fourth step. I could feel Boyd right behind me, his hot breath fanning over my neck. Kara let out a small yelp and stumbled but Boyd grabbed her, setting her right on the stairs. We all held our breaths, waiting for the worst but whoever was down there must have been pretty preoccupied. They didn't hear us.
I got to the bottom of the stairs, not turning to check on the others. I should have, I may have noticed the hand snake from around the living room door and clamp down on Kara's mouth. With my mind set on intruder alert mode, I didn't even notice Boyd's breath no longer fanning my neck.
