Chapter 3.4

Georgi turned onto the gravel drive of a two story farmhouse. There were no cars in sight and the front door was wide open. The women exchanged glances.

Rosemarie rolled down the window and called, “Hello!”

No one answered. They sat in the car for a moment.

“Should we get out?” Georgi asked.

Rosemarie scanned the surroundings before answering, “I suppose we could take a look.”

“Alex, stay in the car with Murphy,” Georgi said.

They got out and walked to the front door.

Rosemarie knocked on the frame. "Hello? Anyone home?” she called.

No answer. Holding their breath, they listened for a few minutes.

“I don’t hear anything,” said Georgi.

“We should use their phone anyway. I see one right there,” Rosemarie said as she pointed to an old phone on a side table.

“I'll keep an eye on Alex,” said Georgi as she inched toward the car.

She looked as shaken as Rosemarie felt. Rosemarie crept into the house, picking up the phone.

“All circuits are busy. Please try again,” The automated voice stated before a beeping sound started.

Rosemarie slammed the handset back down onto the phone. She turned to look at the room. She could see the kitchen from where she was standing and it looked as if someone had cleaned the cabinets out in a hurry. The sight made her skin crawl.

“No luck,” she called as she hastily exited the house. “The lines are busy. Let's go to your Uncle Levi’s and come back later.”

Georgi nodded.

As they drove back down the drive, Murphy began growling.

“He’s been doin’ that since you got out,” said Alex.

“It's okay, Murphy,” Rosemarie said.  She looked at the house as they drove away, but didn’t see anything.

After a few minutes, Georgi pulled onto a road that was only wide enough for one car. Shale crunched under the car tires as she slowed down.

"I hope no one else is coming from the other direction." Rosemarie said.

Seeing another living soul would have been comforting. Just not someone speeding right at them.

“My brother and I use to find fossils on these roads. Little plants,” said Georgi.

“Can we look for fossils some time, Momma?” asked Alex from the backseat.

“We can, but we'll have to wait a bit,” said Georgi not taking her eyes off the road.

She drove the car through the twists and turns of the little road with great care. They passed through a forested area to a clear cut area, presenting them with a view of the rolling hills.

“We aren’t far from our cabin. It’s on the other side of that hill,” she said as she pointed out a hill to the left of the road.

The clear cut area ended and they continued on. Finally pulling up to a little wooden house and what looked to be a workshop.

The house looked like a sad old man waiting for someone to come look after him. It’s once white paint had become dirty and peeling in places.

“I’m surprised he isn’t out in the workshop,” said Georgi. She walked up to the front and banged on the door.

There was no response.

“Uncle Levi!” she yelled.

They waited on the cluttered porch for a moment before Georgi knocked again.

“Maybe he isn’t home,” Rosemarie said.

“His truck’s here,” said Georgi. There was a touch of panic in her voice.

Georgi turned to doorknob and pushed the door open.

Rosemarie had seen shows about hoarders, but had never experienced anything like this. The piles and piles of clutter. Dust covered everything. You would think no one had lived there in years.

They walked down the hall through the narrow path created by boxes and piles of stuff.

“Uncle Levi?” called Georgi.

Still, no one answered.

They made their way to the kitchen.

Georgi turned to Alex and looked at her for a few seconds. She walked out of the room and emptied a box of old junk. “Pack whatever food you can in here.”

“Yes ma'am,” she said as she took the box.

After Alex got started, Georgi walked down the hall to a door and pushed it. The door swung open with a creak.

The stench was the first thing that hit them. Rosemarie covered her nose with top of her shirt then looked inside the room.

“Oh my god,” said Georgi through her fingers.

An old man was laying on the bed as if he never awoke from sleep. He looked to have been there for days or maybe even weeks. Flies buzzed around the room in a cloud.

Georgi ran out of the room, stopping in the hall to lean on the wall and catch her breath. Tears streaming down her face.

“I'm so sorry,” Rosemarie said.

“We will have to bury him ourselves.” she said in a choked voice.

Rosemarie put her hand on Georgi’s shoulder. "Go check on Alex, I'll wrap him up."

After she left, Rosemarie steeled her nerves by taking a deep breath of air. She ran back into the room, flies hitting her as she neared the bed. She quickly pulled the sheet off the corners. Running back out for air between each corner, she threw them over the body.

Georgi came back with some vapor rub to rub around their noses. They pulled her uncle out of the house in his blankets, dug a hole as deep as the could. Taking turns to check on Alex. It seemed to take forever and they were filthy when they finished.

Georgi left a note inside her uncle’s house. It described how they thought he died, and where they had buried him. She sealed it in a plastic bag and left it on the front door.

Standing near the grave, Georgi stared off into the woods. Absentmindedly, she stroked Alex’s hair. Alex had her arms wrapped around her mother’s waist, her face buried in Georgi’s shirt.

"We should try and call the police again," she said softly.

"Yeah," Rosemarie said, staring off into the woods.

Murphy began to growl. His hackles were up and he was hunched down.

A man in ripped clothing stumbled out of the woods and started walking toward them.

“Georgi,” Rosemarie said with some urgency.

Georgi looked up at her and then in the direction she was looking. The man groaned and kept walking towards them. He stumbled over a pile of wood that Georgi’s uncle had left in the yard.

As he got closer, they noticed that he was dragging a foot and there were bite marks on his face.

“Do you need help?” Rosemarie asked the man. Oh please don't let that psycho be right, she thought.

“Don’t go near him,” said Georgi with fear her voice.

“Sir? Please stop right there and we might be able to help you,” Rosemarie said.

The man just moaned and kept coming tripping over everything in his path.

Fuck!

Georgi grabbed Alex’s hand and they started running.

They were not runners, but knowing he was behind them encouraged them to run the fastest they had ever run.

They jumped into the car and Georgi fumbled with the keys. Rosemarie pressed the lock button and began to panic.

“Alex, put your head down!” Georgi yelled.

“Hurry up,Georgi,” Rosemarie squeaked.

The strange man stumbled up to the car. He slammed his mouth to the window and was trying to bite Georgi through it.

Fuck!, thought Rosemarie.

Finally the engine roared to life. Georgi forced the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The tires spun kicking up gravel, they took off. Rosemarie realized that her dog was still outside the car.

“Murphy!” she yelled. But it was too late, Georgi was pulling away.

Rosemarie watched as her puppy, her baby was getting smaller and smaller. As she screamed for Georgi to stop, her heart was breaking.

“Momma, please!” screamed Alex. Her voice echoed the pain that Rosemarie felt.

Georgi slammed on the brakes sending everyone tumbling.

“Hurry,” said Georgi.

Rosemarie opened her door.

“Come here, Murphy,” she called frantically.

He ran down the road passing the crazed man. The guy didn’t even look at him. Murphy ran up to her with his tail wagging as if nothing happened and jumped into the car.

Murphy licked Rosemarie’s face. She didn’t try to stop him.

Georgi sped away.

Looking behind them, Rosemarie yelled, “Go faster!”

Alex made a little whimpering sound and covered her ears. The greatest dog in the world tried to comfort her the best way a dog knows how. With big slobbery kisses. Alex wrapped her arms around Murphy’s neck to snuggle into his fur.

As they sped down the road, Georgi reached over and flipped on the radio. There was nothing but static. She turned to another channel. Static. Another. Static.

No one said anything thing as they drove back to the cabin.

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