“Only, humankind didn’t go on strike. They were fired,” McCafferty says.
And with that statement left hanging between the two of them, they proceed to the corner to keep watch on the perimeter.
Gathering at the Stryker a short time later, McCafferty sees the soldier whose family they’ve come to find. His face exhibits wonderment mixed with sorrow as he looks on his home town. She knows he must be eager to find his family but, upon seeing what kind of shape this place is in, she notes that his shoulders are sagging in defeat. She knows how he must feel as she had thought she was going to have to deal with the fact that her parents were gone. The nervous energy of wanting to know and the fear of what that answer might be is one she knows well.
The soldier shows the exact location of his family’s house and they are soon piling into the Stryker. It’s not far and they soon arrive. Exiting, McCafferty notes that the condition of the residential area is not much different from the downtown area — drifts piled where the wind has driven them. She observes that there aren’t many cars parked along the street and that there are very few driveways.
Perhaps there are alleyways and they park in the back, she thinks, looking along the lonely street. There are a few trees still holding onto their greenery but the rest of the yards are overgrown and brown.
They are in front of a white, single-story house with green trim. The walkway leading to the front porch is barely visible due to the long brown stalks of grass lying across it. Dead bushes, that once must have had colorful blossoms, line the front of the house. She watches as Jack stares at the house and gives Gonzalez another shake of his head before engaging in conversation with Greg. She isn’t able to hear what they say but, by their hand motions, it seems they are talking about how to enter the house. After a few minutes, Jack sends Greg’s team to the corners for security and gathers Red Team.
“Gonzalez. I want you to take Red Team in and conduct the search. I don’t sense any night runners inside, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any,” Jack says.
“Okay, sir. Is the soldier going with us?” Gonzalez asks.
“No. Given what we’ve seen so far, I think it’s best that he isn’t inside. He’s still a little shocked by what he saw downtown. I think he might have seen someone he recognized. I don’t know how, but I’ve spoken with him and he just gave a tired nod. He did manage to give us some details on the interior,” Jack says, handing Gonzalez a hand drawn diagram.
“Okay, sir. We’ll be out in a jiff.”
“Keep in mind that there may be someone inside, night runner or survivors, so stay alert and watch for itchy trigger fingers,” Jack says.
“Hooah, sir,” Red Team responds.
Jack just closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Get going.”
McCafferty follows Gonzalez to the porch. The front door is open and, from the wood splintered by the latch, it appears to have been forced. Gonzalez directs Henderson and Denton to the front window to see if they can get a look inside while McCafferty stacks next to the partially open door opposite Gonzalez. Robert and Bri, who Jack has allowed to come with them, are behind McCafferty against the wall.
As with almost everything else, the partly open doorway has a heaped pile of dirt that extends inside. The open door itself is a warning sign to her as she remembers having to enter another house like this one — Gonzalez’. She is about to enter into yet another darkened structure with the possibility of night runners inside.
Fuck I hate this, she thinks, feeling her heart rate increase.
The last time they did this, she had to shoot Gonzalez’ dad. She doesn’t want to have to do anything even remotely like that again. That had to be the single most horrible thing she has ever had to do. The only positive thing she sees looking at the front door is that there aren’t any visible tracks in the sand.
At least there’s that. This still sucks though.
Henderson peeks in the side of the front window quickly and then, when nothing erupts, takes a longer look. He turns to them, stacked and ready to enter, and gives an indication that he can’t see inside.
Gonzalez hefts her M-4 and looks McCafferty in the eyes, “You ready for this?”
“Hell no, but let’s do it.”
With a nod from Gonzalez, she throws the door open the rest of the way. Gonzalez lowers her NVGs and rushes in. McCafferty lowers hers and follows.
Gonzalez darts to the right along the front wall while McCafferty goes in along the left one. Robert follows, taking station by the front door while Bri tracks along behind Gonzalez. They enter like a fast moving mist — quickly and quietly. The thin beams of light from their IR lasers sweep inside looking for movement — either targets or survivors. There is nothing but the dark, cool interior cast in a greenish glow. She hears Henderson and Denton enter behind her and take up positions.
They find themselves in a great room with an open kitchen and dining room near the back of the house. A hallway opens to the left extending to three back bedrooms and a bathroom. It’s much the same setup as in Gonzalez’ house. The continued similarity sends a chill up McCafferty’s spine. Large amounts of dust covers the furniture. The dining room table has plates, silverware scattered across the top with a couple of overturned glasses. Pieces of a broken plate and more silverware lie on the gritty floor beside the table. Two of the four dining chairs are scooted away from the table and a third lies on its side. A single pot sits on the stove. The whole scene gives the impression that something happened quickly while those living here were sitting down at a meal.
“Robert, McCafferty, cover the hallway,” McCafferty hears Gonzalez say over the radio.
Robert slides up beside her and they peek down the hall. She feels the thudding of her heart in her chest from both being inside another shadowy interior and from the remembrance of another hallway. What she sees increases it even more. Four bodies, stretching down the length of the hall, lie motionless — prone or slumped in various positions. One of the doors at the end of the hall is open. She listens for any sound, but it remains eerily quiet except for hers and Robert’s breathing.
Not wanting to broadcast the find over the radio because of the soldier waiting for news outside, she waves Gonzalez over and points to the bodies and the open door. One other door lies halfway open down the hall with another closed across from it. A third door is closed adjacent to the open one at the end of the corridor.
“Check out the rooms and make sure those bodies are indeed visiting the afterlife. Bri and I will be behind you to provide backup if needed,” Gonzalez whispers with a hand on her shoulder.
McCafferty nods and rises. With Robert beside her, she edges into the hall. She’s hyper-alert and half expects a night runner to charge from the opening to the side and just in front of her. With Robert covering the hall, she pushes the partially open door. Ready for anything, she quickly peers inside. An empty bathroom.
“Empty,” she calls softly.
“Move to the back rooms. Bri and I have the side door,” Gonzalez replies.
McCafferty pokes the first body before stepping over it to ensure it isn’t going to rise unexpectedly. Its head is turned to the side and, as she passes it, she sees that the skin is shrunken against the skull giving it a mummified appearance. A small hole is visible just above the left eye. Stepping around the remaining bodies, the last which lies near the open door, she sees the same thing — mummified bodies with various injuries.
“Don’t shoot. We’re coming in,” McCafferty hears Gonzalez softly call out behind her.
She and Robert reach the open door leading to bedroom. The room is in total disarray. Blankets and sheets cover the floor. A table lamp is knocked over and lies on the floor by the bed. Telling an even more horrendous tale are the dark stains on the sheet covering the bed and splashed on the wall. A couple more of the mummified bodies lie just inside the door. Two skeletal remains lie on the floor near the bed — one at the side and the other at the foot — with a third on the bed itself.