CHAPTER 5: PROVENIENCE

Sixteen days later;

I made my way up the steps, cooking in the godless rays

I was happy to finally be in some shade.

The house was quiet and out to itself, it didn't look like it had been

lived in for some time.

The air was dry, hot and rang with the music of cicadas, it would be

enough to drive some people insane

but I had always loved the sound they made.

The only other sounds that could be made out where the creaks of wood beneath

my boots, the rustle of leaves in the wind and the crunch of gravel behind me.

Officer Theodor; a tall solid man with neatly shaved hair, was casually examining the grounds as I approached the door.

You could see just a hint of training in his approach.

He stopped to examine a fake wooden well, in what was once a garden.

From the corner of my eye, I could see him giving it one of those

frowning nods of approval, no

doubt looking for inspiration for his own lawn.

or perhaps hes just curious, as apposed to cautious.

God I miss Rick right now.

I knocked on the door three times.

This is sheriffs deputy Shane Walsh and officer Theodor Douglas. We've come in response to a call you've made!

You said that you where in some kind of distress? We're...

But before I could even compose the wrest of the words in my head, or even finished

the fourth knock, a voice began shouting from within the house.

So laud that it felt like I would jump out of my skin, sending jolts of energy throughout my spine.

Followed by a beating on the door in response.

"Who the fuck is it, get the hell away from my home!"

I turned to Theo and cocked my eyebrow with a look of disbelief. A look that asked, "do you believe this guy?"

Theo tipped his hand towards his mouth, while giving me a questioning look, in response.

I just frowned and shook my head, in a way saying "I kinda doubt that".

"Um sir, you called us, you said there was a.. fight?!"

The man responded with two words, those two words where all

I needed to know that this was all going to turn out very bad.

"My wife."

Shit..

"Can we talk to your wife, sir?"

"She cant speak right now!"

Both Theo and I drew our guns simultaneously.

This time it was Theo who spoke.

"Umm sir, wheres your wife now.

Is she alright?"

"She bit me. wouldn't stop trying to bite me.

Tied her ass up!"

There was a very grim humor to that statement.

Theodor just continued the questioning in a calm manner.

"But is she alright.. um, are you alright?"

This time the man inside went silent for a moment.

"Its not.. it wasn't my fault. she wouldn't listen!"

his voice sounded pleading, desperate, hysterical.

I turned to Theo and signaled to him with my index finger and the door,

then to myself and the air making a circular motion.

He paused for a second, then nodded.

I tried to silently leave the porch, but the wood creaked under my

every movement, fortunately it went unnoticed.

Theo tried to distract him with polite conversation, but the homeowner seemed no longer

interested in polite conversation, if you could call 'get the hell away from my home', polite.

I made my way around to the back yard, ducking any windows along the way.

The trip around the small house felt like it was a fifteen minute adventure

, with weeds and dead tree roots that seemed to try and wrap themselves around my feet at every step.

If I didn't know better id say he planted the damn things for a tactical advantage against intruders.

When I finally made it to the back door I crouched to the ground and peered

through the corner of a dirty netted window.

Through the kitchen under a table littered with bottles of alcohol. Reminded me of Ricks house about two weeks ago.

I could see through

to the hallway where the man stood yelling hysterical at the front door.

I crawled below the window to the back door.

I stretched in a sort of one legged march, preparing to lay into the door with everything I had.

But something occurred to me that made me pause for a second.

I analyzed the door with close and careful scrutiny, before stretching my

arm and gently squeezing the door handle.

I gave it a slow quarter turn. Thats embarrassing.

When a drop of sweat hit my eye, as if on cue I twisted the knob all the way,

it let out a silent click, but to me it might as well have

been a gun shot. I manged to crack open the door, the house really wasn't much

cooler, I could hear Theodor asking about his well, the cost, where he could get one; small talk.

The questions seemed to only agitate the man, he continued yelling and cursing.

It was all I could do to stifle a laugh.

What humor there was had left when I saw him pick up a shotgun from somewhere out

of sight.

I stood up and pulled open the door, the sound it made was comparable

to a woman screaming in pain.

Id have liked it if I could've made it into the house before giving off my position.

But stealth was no longer the priority, the man was going to take out Theo.

The stranger swinged around on heels pointing the gun towards the kitchen.

I jumped out of the doorway behind the wall, he started firing off rounds where I stood before, then at the wall its self. I heard glass shatter then suddenly there was the laud familiar sound of rapid

clicking, or popping. Everything went silent.

I crawled beneath the shredded wholes in the wall and looked around to the hallway.

I could see two dark skin hands sticking into the house from the front window holding a TASER, firing a constant stream of fifty thousand volts into the back of the mans neck.

Ouch.

I breathed in a sigh of relief.

The man fell to the floor with a laud and final thud.

I made my way to the door, unlocking it to let Theo in.

"I think you might have just saved my life".

"Getting rusty old man?"

"I'm not that old. Kid."

"Heh."

"Lets look for the woman."

"Think shes alright?"

I had nothing to say to that, what could I say other than 'probably not'.

I guess I'm not much of an optimist now days.

Besides if anyone was trapped alive and well, the gunshots would

have alerted them to our presence.

I knelt down to cuff the man, turned to my right and moved on to the living-room, empty, well

maybe not empty, the place once again reminded me of ricks house not so

long ago.

I could hear Theo following not far behind as I stopped to open a door next to a TV set. A closet and then to the back of the room. Another door, this one led to

a short and cramped hallway. I instructed Theo to take fist door while I checked the other.

A small bedroom and bathroom; empty.

Theo pointed towards the ceiling. I just sighed. I hate poking my head into small and

dark spaces, any cop would tell you that thats one of the most terrifying parts of the job.

I slowly pulled the chain, lowering the door and pulled out the ladder.

"This is sheriffs deputy Shane Walsh and officer Theodor Douglass, is anyone here!?

No response.

"Is there anyone in the attic!?"

This time lauder and still

nothing.

Christ, I hate this part.

I climbed up to the dark void, as silent as I could, tho I wasn't certain why, I had already made myself known, three times now.

The only sound I could make out was the thunderous beating of my own heart that rang

through out my ears.

Sorry for the delay, I really got caught up in this chapter.

Ive manged to write and rewrite it a few times over, it just never came out how i wanted, so i threw out the original script.

But thats not a problem, since ill be using the old material in flash backs.

Now your probably asking: Lock, what does that mean?

well the original material takes place before this final time skip. Yes i did say final.

No more jumping into the future, but we will be receiving a few flash backs.

these time jumps will probably be helpful in the future, giving me more wiggle room for materials to draw on.

The ever benevolent Lock Scott