Reekers

By Jimmy Blakemore

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. — Ezekiel 37:7-8

I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from around my eyes. “Are you ready?” I whispered.

Iain nodded.

We had our knives ready.

“One…two…” His eyes raised to meet mine and slid back to the door. “Thre—”

He shoved the door open with his shoulder as I twisted its knob.

The smell of stagnant air flowed out of the apartment.

It was clear.

I stepped in, and Iain locked the door behind us.

It looked like it had been empty since the start of it all. The room was covered in a thick layer of dust and filled with the smell of mold. There were some dishes with decayed food sitting on the coffee table.

While I searched the living room, Iain rummaged through the kitchen. He was searching for some dry foods. Anything that might still be good after all these years.

“Look! Popcorn,” he said. He picked up the box. “Too bad the noise will draw them.”

“I know, right?” I walked over and opened the cabinet next to him. “What’s this? Did someone say coffee?

“No way! Eric, you better not be joking right now!” He shoved me out of the way. He stood there looking at the tin cans as if his eyes were betraying him. The whole shelf was full of instant coffee. And another was filled with small bags of powdered milk.

“Who just won the lottery,” I asked.

“It’s been…what…about two years?”

The small Midwest farm town we came from had run out of pretty much everything. At first it seemed like it was going to be all right. But after a few days all the milk spoiled. Then over the next few years everything else ran out.

THHUUDDD

We hushed and stared down the narrow hallway past the living room.

BAANNGGG

Iain grabbed his knife from his belt. I grabbed one laying on the counter. We walked down the hallway quietly.

“Do you smell that?” he whispered.

I nodded my head. It was unmistakable. There was one in one of the bedrooms.

Iain’s next step caused the floor to creak as his body weight shift forward. It heard the noise and screamed.

“It’s in the bedroom. Get ready,” he said.

It snarled and clawed at the door. The door rattled at its hinges as it repeatedly threw itself at it.

“There’s definitely one in there,” I said.

We pushed against the door and braced ourselves.

“It’s not going to hold much longer. We’ve got to do this…quick.”

I stepped back and Iain kicked the door in.