The air was foul.
The stench that was once trapped, now barged out to invade his sense of smell, breaking through the blue cloth barrier that covered his face. Alex scrunched his nose and despite the searing sting that shot through them, his eyes continued to rummage over the four corpses.
By the looks of it, it was a family. The parents were seated in the front seats and two young children occupied the back.
Their limp sags of flesh were a brownish-black and the skin was tightly wrapped against their bones. Packets of flesh had been devoured and scraped away from the bodies, evidence that maggots once feasted on them.
Arachnids built fortresses around the family, painting the interior with webs of white. They crawled all about the bodies, leaving no bit of flesh- whatever was left of it - untouched.
An old trail lined their faces, starting from their eyes and running down their now sunken cheeks.
A brown stain now, no longer red as time passed on, just like their souls.
"Seems like they died of the first strain." A voice said from behind Alex.
Alex mentally sighed at the sight. The lever that opened the trunk had been completely blocked off by a castle of webs and an orphanage of babies, leaving one last alternative; the keys.
He searched for the keys and only spoke when he saw the brass object in between the two front seats. "Yeah Scott, that's how it all started huh?"
The keys were splattered with splots of blood and rested against the black carpet. It was soiled, the dark patches holding a dried liquid so dear to their hearts.
Dust and dirt were scattered across it, like towns on a map; small, and undisturbed.
"Rock, paper, scissors for who has to get that?" Alex joked, looking over his shoulder to see Scott standing tall, two metal baseball bats in hand, and his head rotating as he scanned the streets for any sign of the undead.
"Get the keys so we can check the trunk and stop playing around Kane."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it."
Alex positioned his body over the father's corpse. The head was directed upwards, hinting at the father's last unanswered prayer.
Alex tried his best to avoid coming into contact with its rotting form by slowly maneuvering around its slouching figure. With his thumb and index, he pinched the keychain attached to the key. He tried lifting it from the carpet but it put up a slight struggle, the dried blood underneath it acting as a glue.
Alex squeezed it tighter between his two fingers and ripped it from the carpet, the sudden jerk being enough to send the decaying head flying down, its lips only a few centimeters from his skin.
Alex gulped, retracting his hand slowly.
Almost out.
Almost.
Suddenly he heard a crash, causing him to drop the key into the lap of the decomposing father.
Dammit!
"What the hell was that?!" Alex jumped.
"Just a cat. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Scott laughed.
Alexander slowly blinked twice, folding in his lips.
Well just bend me over and-
You know what, let's just get this over with.
Alexander took a deep breath, trying to picture a better scenario.
I totally didn't break the window. Totally didn't almost puke from the smell.
Definitely did not see a bunch of spiders literally blocking the easiest way into the trunk.
AND DEFINITELY DID NOT DROP THE FRICKEN KEYS IN A DEAD MAN'S LAP!
He cringed as his fingertips wrapped around the keychain once more, his hands too close to decomposing 'part' for comfort. With no further hesitation, he pulled himself and the key from the car.
It bathed in the sunlight, rejoicing for the first time in a long time to be outside, free at last of the gloomy prison.
"Got it!" He exclaimed, swallowing the bile that climbed his throat. He released a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding.
Alex sealed off the entrance to the family's final resting place, gently closing off the red metal. He then proceeded to the back of the Mazda, passing the dents and flaking paint.
What a sad way to die...
The world doesn't even stop to take notice...
Is human life so...insignificant?
"Make it snappy," Scott started, drawing closer to Alex, "we have to get back to the compound soon."
Alex remained silent and shoved the key into the trunk door's lock, positioning his fingers so he could avoid as much blood as possible. On one side, this was easier but it proved almost futile on the side that had been affixed to the carpet.
With a swift, firm twist, a click sounded and Alex lifted the door up at once. It revealed what they were searching for.
A white can, almost to the neck with gasoline.
Finally! Another one! About damn time!
"Looks like we got what we were looking for." Alex looked over at Scott with a smile plastered on his face.
"Yeah. That's two more for the day. Let's get out of here."
Alex slammed the door back down, only realizing his mistake after the action had been completed. He cringed at the loud thud it made before scratching the back of his head.
That was dumb.
A clear sign of disappointment was engraved in the Lapis of Scott's eyes and the audible sigh that he let out.
"What are we going to do with you?"
Alex walked alongside Scott, alert as he watched the concrete giants. His feet were heavy against the asphalt and a dead silence echoed across the area. It was unbearable for Alex, forcing him to tap on the white container repeatedly as softly as he could.
"Um," Alex cleared his throat, "that tattoo on your arm, the numbers. What do they mean?"
Scott stopped.
The liquid swished in the can he carried before silence returned.
He grabbed his arm and squeezed where the tattoo marked his skin.
"Nothing."
➽⚜➽
"Yes it is Los Sientos," Amanda swiftly replied, "does it mean something to you? Have you been there?"
Alex remained silent, a drifting conscience making its way further from land. Floating across the delicate fabric of the ocean, the rippled waves drawing him away. Reality had been warped, distancing itself like an isolated island untouched by man.
"My-"
➽~➽
The compound was enclosed by a fence, barbed wires lining the top. There were three entry points. Two were only a few feet wide, providing an entrance for personnel while the last was specifically designed to make way for delivery trucks. The gates that sealed them all off were relatively new, not a single sign of rust could be seen.
As Alex approached the entry point on the north side of the compound, his mind traveled back to being knocked out. His eyebrows knitted together and a question surfaced. A question he should've asked ever since.
Who the hell knocked me out?
He remembered two male figures but their faces were a blur and their voices were distorted in the film of memory, but he no longer had time to piece together the fragmented image.
The two had arrived at the gate where Gabriel stood firm guard.
The man behind the fence was around the same height as Alex. His skin was coated with a light chocolate complexion and dark stubs traveled around his mouth and abruptly halted at his chin. His eyebrows were thick and his nose sported a broad figure. His jaws were monstrous, a bit more defined than those of Cap.
His teeth were a shiny white, almost perfect despite the crookedness of his right canine tooth, and his lips held a subtle shade of pink.
He was well into his thirties, but his looks denied his age easily, suggesting a man in his early twenties.
"Scott, Kane." Gabriel nodded. He opened the gate and took the two cans before handing both of them a plastic bag each. "Fresh clothes, soap and a towel. You guys know the drill."
Scott outstretched his hand, taking the parcel. "Thanks. Let Cap know we didn't run into any of them."
Alex nodded and took the bag as well. "Off to the spring we go." He said after turning around. "Oh wait, um, can I have a few bottles?"
Gabriel shot a smile. "Sure thing. Stay right here I'll be back."
Alex watched as Gabriel closed the gate and walked away briskly.
Only a few minutes passed before Alex saw the figure drawing closer, three blue plastic bottles in hand. It would have looked like a normal day, if not for the black rifle strapped across his chest.
That made it all too clear.
The world really did end in a way.
"Here," Gabriel offered after he opened the gate. "Be back before the sun sets."
"Will do." The two replied in unison.
With that, Alex and Scott made their way towards the community of pine trees that danced under the horizon.
The trees, wishing to contest the floating ships in the sky, grew taller with each step Alex and Scott took.
The smell of pine grew stronger, thickening the air.
Layers upon layers.
"This is Olivia's favorite place to come," Scott sighed.
Alexander gulped, swallowing the large clump of guilt in his throat. His eyes wavered like a tattered flag and his mouth opened, only to reveal a stutter.
"O-Olivia? W-Who is she?"
"Yeah Olivia," Scott replied, his stare focused on the crowns of the giant trees.
"She's my sister."
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote as it keeps me motivated and tells me you're enjoying the book. Feel free to comment, I will try my best to reply. Anyways, see ya next chapter!
~AlreadyWritten1