I put myself to use, going back to the kitchen to rummage for cleaning supplies. I looked under the sink, finding soap, a Swiffer duster, and a bunch of other bottles of cleaners. I pulled out the duster and started cleaning. I started in the kitchen, making my way to the living room and the bedrooms. I went through the box that had 10 duster pads to finish the house. I went back to the kitchen and grabbed some vinegar that was in an open cupboard, figuring I should clean up the blood in the bedroom from the walker. I poured some vinegar on the stain and let it sink in for a few minutes, then scrubbed the floor. At least the vinegar got rid of the smell of rotting. I went back to the kitchen and put the cleaning supplies away.
"Now what do I do?" I sighed, looking out the window. The sun was high in the sky, showing that it must have been around noon now. With this realization my stomach let out a growl. I rolled my eyes and looked on the counter. Daryl left a few cans of fruit here, obviously not caring if he had food. I picked up a can and stabbed it with a knife from the drawer. After opening it, I ate quickly and put the empty can in the sink with the two from last night.
I turned to go through the house more, explore a bit when I heard a creak above me. I snapped my head up, staying quiet until I heard a few more creaking and shuffling noises. My hand reached for my knife, holding it in front of me as I scanned every room, looking for an entrance to an attic. I came up empty when I reached the room I slept in. I heard the shuffling again and then I remembered where I found the walker. The closet. I opened the door and looked up, seeing the entrance to the attic. I cautiously reached up, pulling the small cord to bring the staircase down.
I was barely able to make out anything because it was so dark, but the shuffling had stopped. I slowly made my way up the stairs, keeping my back to the wall. Once I was at the top I scanned the attic. It extended across the whole house. There were two mattresses, 3 coolers, chest and two figures crouched against the far wall.
"Who's there?" I said, straining my eyes to get a better look. There was no answer, only a few faint whispers.
"I'm not playing games. Either you answer me, or I lock you in here until my group decides what to do with you." I knew I was being harsh, but I didn't have a choice.
"My names Emma. It's just me and my brother Greg." Emma said quietly. She couldn't be more than 8 years old from her voice.
"How old are you two?" I asked, taking a few steps towards them, away from the stairs.
"I'm 7. My brother's 4." She said.
"Are you here alone?" I was almost in front of them now, but a few steps away just in case.
"My daddy got really sick and told us to stay up here. He went downstairs and never came back." She cried, holding her brother.
I rubbed my forehead, taking in the situation. "Do you want to come back downstairs? I can take care of you both." They slowly moved forwards until they had both thrown their arms around me. I took them towards the stairs, and let them go down first. Once we were back in the closet I closed the attic door and then went into the bedroom. Emma was extremely skinny, but tall for her age. She had long black hair that hung in a ratty pony tail. Her eyes were dark green, practically glowing against her pale skin. Greg had ashy blond hair and the same eyes as Emma. He wasn't as skinny as she was, but he was still very small.
"Do you know how long you've been up there?" I looked between them.
"A really long time." Emma whispered.
"Well, let's get you something to eat okay?" They nodded in unison and held hands as we went to the kitchen. I grabbed two more cans of fruit and opened them with the knife. I placed them at the table in front of the kids and then gave them forks. They must have been starving because they basically inhaled it. I heard a small whimpering and looked down, seeing the puppy.
"Lucy!" Greg jumped down, hugging the puppy. Emma sat beside him and they started playing with the puppy for a long time. I sat up on the counter and watched them. They looked so happy, like there was nothing in the world that could ruin this moment. I glanced out the window, seeing the sun setting.
"I think it's bed time now you two." I smiled at them.
"I'm scared." Greg whispered.
"Don't be. I'm gonna take care of you okay?" He gave a toothy grin and yawned.
"What's your name?" Emma looked up at me.
"My name's Sam." I replied, bringing them down the hall to the bedroom across from the living room. They crawled into bed, huddling together under the blankets. Lucy had followed us so I patted the end of the bed, letting her curl up with them too. They weren't in the bed for a minute and they were out like a light.
