Once Was Earth - Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I grabbed my pistol attached to my hip. My brother gently touched my hand to lower it. I put it back in my holster. Bret motioned for the door. I then mouthed something like “sit, I’ll get it.” So he took a seat back in the dent of the couch cushion. I quickly swung the door open in my direction. It was heavy, but I needed to open it quickly for safety. I look face-to-face with an average-looking man, kind of handsome, but overall looking like an average Joe. He had a shaved head and a widow’s peak from the shadow of a hairline. He had a goatee and a Led-Zeppelin shirt on, covered by a beige Carhart coat, blue jeans, and steel toed boots.

“Oh my God, I haven’t seen a person for miles.” He motions for what looks to be his wife and child. Then he signals to stay by their truck.

“My name is Douglas McIntosh. Is it safe here?” He sticks out his hand. I shake it.

“You have a firm handshake sir, and yes, it is safe…”

“Who is it?” Bret tries to peek around the chair to see who was at the door.

“Hold on a second.

Is that you’re family out there?”

“Yes, sir. And may we come in? It’s really chilly out here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners?” I answer.

“Don’t worry about it man.” He motions for the two to come inside. They have a very gracious look on both of their faces. They hurry inside.

As I hold the door open for the family to enter, the woman walks past, and nods at me with a smile, then stamps her feet on the rug to get all the snow off. Doug walks straight to the center of the room, and then sees the generator connected to underneath the sink. He hurries over; getting a mug from the cupboard, he runs some water carefully into it. He sips it like its fine wine. Then nods his head to himself.

“Chino, Charlie, come get some water, are you guys thirsty?”

“Mac Daddy, When, in the hell would I not be in these conditions?” He laughs at his joke while his father scowls at the child to scold him. Chino looks down at the floor. Then his mother pats his behind, and whispers in the child’s ear. “We just got here! Watch the cussing!”

“Sorry!” The boy shouted back. “I was just trying to be funny!” Then noticing he just made a really big mistake.

“Chino.” Doug calmly declared. “Come with me, we need to have a talk. Get a drink with your mother and meet me outside in five minutes.”

I’m impressed with this guy. He seems to be a very assertive, caring dad. I watch and listen. I’ve seen this guy for like ten minutes and now I notice he’s a better father than mine and Bret’s ever was.

The kid was stalling. But finally got up enough courage to go out and face his father.

“Do you talk to your mother like that?” Doug firmly asked.

“No.”

“If you haven’t noticed, we could be in there right now getting warm. But instead, I have to stand out here and discipline you. Do you know how embarrassing that is?!”

Doug stands his ground, but never raises his voice. What happens next catches me by surprise.

“Does it look like I care?! Dad?!”

“What?” Doug was in shock from that.

“It’s the god damn apocalypse! People turned into zombies, they killed and ate everyone! Our neighbors tried to kill us! I saw my dog be mutilated by a horde of those things! I think that the last worry I have is freaking cussing! S**t!”

Doug’s eyes started to tear up. “Baby… I’ve always wanted what was best for you. I never thought that something so bad would ever happen. Never something like this. I lost things too. But you know what I still have? I have you. I love you. I’m sorry too.”

The boy looked at his daddy. Being a sixteen year-old, I think, he looked just like a little kid right then and there.

“I love you daddio.” The child said.

“Love you too, Chino. But please go inside and apologize to your mother. I’ll be in. Just a few.”

The boy walked inside.

He walked over to his mother. “Mamma, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

She gave him a hug. “I know.”

Chino started to cry. “Everything’s a wreck now… I’m so sad…”

“I know baby, I know.”

In the background, I was standing by the door. I could hear Doug bawling his eyes out. I opened the door to talk to him.

“I…” I started, but then I heard a loud, familiar sound I would never want to hear again. I looked over at the burnt-down buildings in the distance, and then back at Doug. He was lying on the ground. A pool of blood by his head. I turned him over. Dead. Shot right in the head.

All I could think to myself; how could I do this? They were after me…

They should have killed me…

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