Wormwood Dawn (Episode I) by Edward Crae

waiting for us to come in.”
    “Alright. I’ll open the door and you stand in front of it. Blast any mongrels that come charging through.”
    Drew smiled half-heartedly, taking position with the shotgun pointed out in front of him. On the count of three, Dan turned the handle and threw open the door. Nothing charged out, other than the rancid smell of rotting milk… or something.
    “Jesus,” Drew said. “It’s only been a day. What the hell could smell that bad?”
    “Smells like somebody shit themselves.”

Chapter Six
     
    Drew gripped the shotgun and stepped into the doorway. Dan followed him, pointing the barrel of his gun past Drew’s body. They turned in opposite directions, making sure each side of the great room was clear. The floor was cluttered with trash, and the walls were splattered with what looked like dried vomit, but there was no movement or sound.
    “Did Dennis have family here?” Drew asked.
    “Just his wife that I know of,” Dan replied. “But if his kids and grandkids were in trouble, they would have come here.”
    Drew lowered the shotgun, moving forward toward the archway to the wide hall that led to the kitchen area. There was a stairway just beyond and to the right. He and Dan listened for any movement upstairs. There was nothing, but a cool, dry breeze was blowing down the stairs, carrying with it the smell of death.
    “Something’s dead up there,” Dan whispered. “Should we both check or split up?”
    Drew shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing should stink that bad this soon. Whatever that smell is, that’s just a small part of it. Maybe we should just grab what we can and get the hell out of here.”
    Dan bunched up his lips, thinking. Maybe Drew was right, but he still wanted to see what was going on up there. Without a word, he crept forward and mounted the stairs, holding the shotgun upward.
    “Damn it,” Drew muttered.
    The stairs were modular. The first flight ended at a landing with a window overlooking the side yard. The stairs continued upward in the opposite direction. Dan walked backward toward the window, pointing his shotgun toward the perpendicular hallway above. There was one door at the end, and the hallway disappeared behind the wall in the opposite direction. The white walls were smeared with dried blood and vomit, and the carpeted stairs themselves bore stains of black and brown.
    “Blood doesn’t take long to start stinking,” Dan said. “If there’s enough of it, that is.”
    “Ok,” Drew replied. “Mystery solved. Let’s go.”
    Dan ignored him, creeping upward with his eyes trained on the corner at the top of the stairs. The door to his left was closed, so was of no concern—or maybe it was, but not at the moment. He hugged the railing on the left side, turning the shotgun to the right as he rose up. The hallway was empty, but there were two doors on opposite sides, and one archway at the end.
    Dan beckoned Drew to follow, and his friend sighed and nodded. He turned to the door behind him, leaning his head closer to listen. Drew stared at him as he waited. There was no sound from the other side. He shrugged, reaching out to turn the handle and slowly push it open. They both winced as the door creaked, gritting their teeth and mouthing shit!
    Dan peered inside, seeing nothing but a plain, no-frills bathroom. It was fairly clean; barren of any lady items, and had a sparkling, white toilet and sink with a simple medicine cabinet above it. Dan carefully opened it, wary of any creaking. There were some pill bottles, a tube of toothpaste, and a wrist blood pressure cuff.
    He looked at the bottles in turn. There was blood pressure medicine, an antibiotic, and some boner pills; generic Viagra. Could anyone on this street get a boner? He stuffed the pills in his pocket and returned to the hallway.
    “I need a fucking cigarette,” Drew said. “I almost forgot that I smoked.”
    Dan nodded. “Me too. Dennis smoked. Maybe he has some laying