The Walking Dead

Chapter 20

"I'll make an excuse for you… Get that thing off!" Kenny's voice echoed through Lee's head. Indeed, he would. Then, he would go galloping in desperate hunger to join his mates by the table.

Lee viewed the mechanism that separated the hidden and suspicious room and him. He began using the "borrowed" multi-tool on the small screws. The screws proved to be no match for the tool; one by one they dropped silently to the floor. Lee began to sense a rush of relief as the last screw fell. He carefully reached forward, imagining what could be inside. The doors opened towards him.

His newly-found relief was suddenly demolished, replaced with chilling horror.

The room looked as it was pale red, illuminated by a mysterious source. But this wasn't the horrific factor that had stopped Lee in his tracks. There was a large variety of tools that didn't quite give Lee the impression of happiness and rainbows. They were sharp and dangerous. Designed to cut something to shreds. They were covered in gruesome blood that looked fresh. On one of the tables, were many bear traps that resembled venus fly traps, eagerly awaiting for their victims. Like the deadly machinery, there was a large blood trail that had been smeared in a way that looked like the source had been dragged across the floor roughly. In one of the corners was a tiled container that contained a pool of blood which almost made Lee retch. Not a major spot in the room was safe from the red splatter.

Lee was frozen to the spot; his expression looked like he had seen a ghost. Out of the blue, there was a voice from behind him, "Boy. Didn't you hear the bell?" The sudden sound of his voice brought Lee back out of his trance, making him turn. It was Andy. The corners of Andy's mouth perked up creepily, "Dinner time." He didn't take his eyes off of Lee.

"Why is there so much blood in there?!" Lee tried to keep calm, there had to be an explanation for this. The farmers were nice people…weren't they?

"Look. We have food here, but Danny and I still gotta do a lot of hunting to keep everyone fed." Andy explained calmly, it sounded rehearsed, "When we catch something in the woods, we skin it and dress it back there. Mama doesn't like us to make a mess in the house. So you see? Nothin' to worry about." He arched his eyebrow at Lee, avoiding eye contact for a brief moment.

Though the dairy farmer's story fit the picture, Lee obviously still had his doubts about it. He remained silent, brushing past Andy and out the door. In the corner of his eye, he saw Andy frustratingly shake his head before he followed behind Lee. The two solemnly and silently walked towards the farmhouse. Lee sniffed the air, from the house emitted a delicious scent of foods. As they opened the door to enter, Lee could hear the loud and excited chatter of his group inside, "Biscuits, wow!" Duck blurted out. He overheard Larry uproariously complimenting Brenda for the meal. Lilly passed Lee towards the table, giving him a slight smile and nod.

The place seemed tidy enough, in contrast with the bloody room. Not far from the front of the entrance was a staircase leading upwards. The object adjacent to the staircase caught his interest. It was a bunch of shelves and a wardrobe positioned defensively. It reminded Lee of the barricades back at the motel. He cocked his head in curiosity and confusion. Andy seemed to have read his mind, "Excuse the mess. We had to block the back door after a walker got upstairs. Don't worry, that was a while ago and they ain't been back inside since."

Lee nodded, accepting the story. Andy walked ahead of him into the dining room. Lee noticed something off however, Andy had a large revolver of some sort concealed in his back pocket. He dismissed the idea, believing it was just a precaution and safety measure.

Brenda's voice chimed, "Everybody sit down and I'll go get the meal!" she winked, "Ooh, this is a delight!"

Kenny sighed in relief, "I could eat a horse."