"Yeah and she looks like you. Same mouth, something about the eyes, though not the colour."
"Maybe I have a long lost sister who got all the genetic makeup for looks while I was blessed with a natural ability for tripping over my own feet. Lucky me," I said, scathingly.
"You don't see yourself very accurately," Taylor said, quietly.
"Maybe you don't either. Your years of enduring my face have made you immune to the plainness of it."
"You don't look like you did when we were children anymore. You're different." He stared into my eyes for a moment longer than was comfortable.
"I still feel the same," I said, punching him playfully in the arm and placing the photo back on the shelf amid a solid inch of dust. "Besides, she must be practically a hundred now if she even survived."
I pushed past Taylor who seemed to have something further to add, and darted up the stairs.
"You check that other room down there and I'll see what's up here," I called back, glad to put so
me distance between us.
The second storey of the house was filled by four rooms. One was the most extravagant wash area I had ever seen. It had a huge shower, massive tub, a toilet and two sinks with space all around them which seemed to serve no purpose at all. The effect was only ruined slightly by the green-tinged puddle that occupied the base of the tub.
I turned to leave and noticed a strange mark on the doorframe. It was a hand print. I leaned closer to get a better look and realised it was made with blood. I gasped and took a step backwards. As I looked at the wooden floor, I could see that more splashes led in a trail down the stairs. It had dried to a dark brown and was hidden amid the grain of the wooden floor but I could see that there had been a lot of it.
I repressed a shudder and moved towards another door on the landing.
As I entered the next room, I was relieved to find something that resembled an apartment from the city. The bed was still in place, though the covers were in a heap on the floor. It was designed to sleep two people and there was a little shower room in a recess to the right of the door. A few of the drawers were open with their contents spilling out.
I moved across to lift the bed and see how the room looked once it was out of the way.
I fumbled for the release catch for a while then dropped down to lay on the floor and look for it when I couldn't locate anything. Under the bed was darkness. The light filtering through the filthy windows couldn't illuminate the shadows beneath it.
I still couldn't find a release so I braced my shoulder against the floor and shoved upwards. A cloud of dust dislodged and fell over my visor. I turned my head to the side automatically even though the helmet kept it away from my eyes. I heaved again and saw something move in the space beneath the bed.
There was no way that anything was still alive out here but I stopped, my heart pounding, as the shadows shifted and I made out a shape in the darkness. After a few seconds, nothing more happened so I wriggled forwards, reaching towards the place where I had spotted the movement.
There wasn't much room under the bed and it scraped along my back as I pressed forwards, my hand sweeping from side to side ahead of me.
I felt something brush my fingertips as I squinted into the shadows. I reached out again, grasping towards the source of the movement.
Whatever it was was still out of reach so I scrambled backwards and regained my feet, grabbed hold of the bed and wrenched it upwards.
It was much heavier than I'd expected. I managed to get it about a foot off the ground before I realised it wasn't going to fold against the wall and let it fall back to the floor with a thud.
Something was knocked out from under it and collided with my boot, I yelled out in surprise and stumbled backwards. The thing didn't move again, so I stepped forward cautiously and nudged it with my toe. It was a little black bear with a faded red label hanging from its ear.
I reached out to pick it up.
The bear looked happy, his string mouth turned up at the corners. I brushed some of the dust from him and inspected the label. It opened to reveal a message. 'I love you to the moon and back.' It made me smile. That was something my mom always used to say to me. I clutched him to my chest and turned to continue the search.
The other two rooms were both large sleeping areas too. They seemed to be designed with no real purpose other than sleep and clothes storage. All of the rooms had been left in a state of disarray with drawers turned out and a variety of possessions cluttering the floor. They each held single beds which brought my count up to four. Nowhere near our estimate of fifteen residents.
The second room was clearly filled with the belongings of the teenage girl. A large dressing table took up most of the space beside the bed and it was crammed with her things. Pictures of her with various friends were stuck all around the edge of a big mirror alongside ticket stubs for films and bands. The table was cluttered with lipsticks, nail varnishes and bottles of perfume. Things that must have been far more widely available when she was alive.
I lifted the lid of a large wooden box which occupied the middle of the table. Inside was a horde of jewellery: rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets. They had been preserved from the dust by the box and they sparkled in the faint light.
Even when I lived with my parents we never had the money for jewellery though my mom had a few pieces. She had promised me something for my sixteenth birthday but she didn't live to see it. They called to me in a way I couldn't resist and I thumbed through them greedily.
Sighing, I let the lid close on the box and started to turn away from the table. Something caught on my boot and I looked down to see a piece of paper on the floor. I scooped it up and unfolded it. The writing looked hurried and was blurred in places. It took me a moment to decipher it.
Kaitlyn. Your father and I have been selected, they've come to take us to the city. There's isn't much time and they won't let us wait for you. Find Reese and get to the waiting zone. We'll be able to get you accepted too, but you have to be there.