Snippet #2010239

Scout was tense as Mike came in with the ax. Not only was the hallway a narrow pass, but his swinging put her on edge. No matter how friendly and how much she trusted him, the ax made her nervous. He was trained, an expert, she had to constantly remind herself that whenever he used the thing. Of course she was familiar with axes, but as a kid, there were multiple times when her brothers had injuries themselves or others with axes. All out of stupidity and adolescence of course, but still. She scooted her way out of the hallway as Mike took that last hit to the door, making it impossible to repair, with splinters and all. Slightly pressed against the wall, and entirely engulfed in her own thoughts and adventures she moved toward the bathroom as Mike flew away from it. Only a flash of panic caught her, you can never be too careful out here.

Looters, townsfolk, gangs, crazies. The possibilities were endless. For reasons unknown, Scout wasn't too concerned. Maybe it was her instincts. Or maybe it was the fact that she was more interested in the bathroom than anything else right now. Jammed and mysterious, her attention was focused on that. As Mike dealt with the newcomer, Scout inched forward.

It was clear where the smell was coming from now. Scout simultaneously coughed and gagged as she brought the tank top to her nose and mouth, protecting herself from the odor. Her eyes watered a bit as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit square; the only window in the tiny room was covered by dusty shades. There were no sounds, that meant whatever was in here was dead. Scout rubbed her eyes, ridding of the extra water coming from them. Finally, after standing clueless in the doorway, her eyes say what her other senses had identified. "Oh.. Dear God." Scout stumbled back a bit, then looked behind her. Mike was coming back in, announcing another person. She shook her head, taking in a breath of cleaner air.

In the bathtub, mangled and being devoured by maggots, lie a couple of dead dogs. Skinny, bones showing, and faces collapsed inward, Scout went back into the hallway. She didn't want to stare. Flies festered and bounced around dozily, there was no use looking around for things in there. Responding, "I- uhh... Yeah." She was distracted, unable to connect what Mike was trying to say and what her mind was processing. "I mean.." She spun around, wide eyed and startled. She looked like a doe in the headlights, and it was a look she rarely possessed. Come to think of it, there have probably been only two other times Mike's seen this face. Scout blinked it off. Coming back to herself, coming back to what was at hand, she said

"Let me look at her."