An hour or so later, everyone had gathered in the dining room of the house, with Brenda bustling around to ensure everything was perfect. All the others were already seated, except for one straggler—Eddie had just taken a seat at the table when he heard Brenda call out cheerfully.
"Everybody, take your seats! I'll go fetch the meal! Ooh, this is going to be a real treat!" Brenda exclaimed, her enthusiasm filling the air.
"I could eat a horse!" Kenny declared, a wide grin on his face.
"Where's Mark?" Lee inquired, scanning the room.
"Now, don't you worry about him," Brenda replied breezily. "I've already brought some food up for him. Just let him rest."
"Do you mind if I wash my hands first?" Lee asked, raising his eyebrows.
"The bathroom's right outside in the hall," Brenda instructed, a hint of admonition in her voice. "And make sure to scrub under your nails; I saw you mucking around in the dirt all day."
As Lee headed off to wash his hands, Eddie's gaze drifted toward the table, and his attention fixated on a plate of meat that sat invitingly in front of him.
"What kind of meat is this, if you don't mind me asking?" Eddie queried, curiosity piqued.
"Oh, it's deer!" Andy replied, flashing a smile.
"How come we couldn't hunt any, then?" Eddie pressed, still suspicious.
"Well, maybe we just need better hunters," Danny chimed in with a grin that made Eddie even more uneasy.
"Hmm..." Eddie muttered, a gnawing suspicion settling in his gut.
"Lee, did you fall in? Dinner is on the table, and we're all about to dig in!" Brenda called out, her voice light as she took her seat.
"Barbecue! Wow!" Duck exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.
"How on earth did y'all get barbecue meat?" Larry asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Eddie raised his fork, but just then, he heard urgent footsteps echoing down the hallway. Lee burst into the dining room, slamming against the door frame, panic etched across his pale face.
"Don't eat that!" he yelled, and the clatter of forks hitting plates rang out as both Clementine and Eddie dropped theirs in shock.
"Wha...?" Lilly stammered, staring at Lee as though he had lost his mind.
"Huh?" Larry and Kenny exchanged bewildered glances.
"Lee, Jesus, man! Did you find something?" Kenny demanded, his eyes wide.
"Lee, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Sit down; your supper's getting cold!" Brenda remarked, concern lacing her words.
"Sit your ass down, Lee. This lady prepared a meal for you," Larry added, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, Lee, what's gotten into you?" Lilly questioned, frowning.
"He just had a start," Brenda cut in swiftly.
"He could use some goddamn manners," Larry muttered, irritation evident in his tone.
"It didn't have to be this way..." Danny mumbled softly, and Eddie narrowed his eyes, sensing the underlying tension.
"Mark is upstairs with his freaking legs cut off! You're eating him!" Lee shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.
"That's crazy!" Lilly protested, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What the hell?" Kenny exclaimed, confusion bubbling over.
Eddie shook his head in disgust, feeling rage coursing through him. He glanced at Clementine, who was visibly trembling, and gently patted her hand in a futile attempt to soothe her.
"Now, now," Brenda said, attempting to regain control of the escalating chaos.
"You're scaring the kids, Lee," Kenny said, his voice steady but concerned. He exchanged a glance with Eddie; deep down, he too understood that Lee had no reason to lie.
"Lee, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Lilly practically shouted.
"Don't indulge him, Lilly. It's always something with this guy."
Duck, oblivious to the tension, took a bite of his food, only for Katjaa to snatch the plate away from him and set it aside.
"Mom! I was eating that!" Duck whined, disappointment washing over his face.
"Quiet, honey," Katjaa gently hushed him.
"What is going on?!" Lilly shouted, frustration rising in her voice.
"Go upstairs and look! You'll find a guy with both of his legs hacked off! This is a dairy; not a slaughterhouse! Think about it!" Lee insisted, desperation tinging his words.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, and Brenda sighed, seemingly defeated. "It's true," she admitted reluctantly.
"Everything could have turned out okay for you folks," Danny chimed in.
"He would have died anyway! We gotta think about livin'!" Andy frowned, anger beginning to bubble.
"Settle down, honey. Growing up in rural Georgia, you're taught not to waste. It's how I was raised, and how I raised my boys. There are monsters out there who do nothing but eat people. And for what? To keep rotting until they eat some more? We think we can put that meat to better use," Brenda explained, her eyes narrowing.
Larry and Lilly recoiled, pushing their plates away in disgust.
"Ugh... I'm gonna puke," Lilly groaned, a hand flying to her mouth.
"Y'all are sick. Fucking sick in the head!" Eddie shouted, his anger boiling over.
"Eddie, that's not a very nice thing to imply," Brenda reproached, shaking her head. "Andy is right. We go after folks who were gonna die anyway, one way or another."
Danny looked up from his plate, a sly smile on his lips. "Like y'all."
"Kenny, get your gun!" Lee commanded, urgency blaring in his voice.
Kenny shot up from the table, but Katjaa quickly grabbed his hand, desperation evident. "Kenny, no!"
"Nobody's going anywhere!" Andy barked, drawing a pistol and rising from his seat.
Danny got up as well, brandishing a rifle of his own. "We've got lots of use for y'all right here," he threatened, aiming his gun at Kenny, who sank back into his seat.
"What the... what... the fucking... what... fuck!" Larry stammered, struggling to process the surreal scene unfolding.
"Put your guns down! We're walking out of here!" Lilly yelled, eyes blazing.
"You don't go near my fucking family!" Kenny shouted back, his voice dangerously low.
"I don't wanna die! Mommy, what did I eat?" Duck whimpered, his face a mask of confusion and fear.
"E-everyone, everything will be okay!" Lee tried to calm the chaos, though his own voice shook with uncertainty.
"Lee...Lee...!" Clementine cried, tears brimming in her eyes.
Suddenly, Clementine yelped as Andy grabbed her hair, yanking her back to stand beside him. He aimed his gun at Lee, his expression gleeful and menacing.
In that moment of chaos, Eddie's instincts took over. He reached for a knife from the table, his hand trembling but resolute. In an instinctive flash, he plunged it into Andy's throat. The shocked gasp that escaped Andy's lips was drowned in a gurgle of blood as he stumbled backward, spraying crimson across Eddie and Clementine.
Before Eddie could fully comprehend the chaos he had just initiated, Andy fell lifeless to the ground. But just as he began to feel the weight of victory, a gunshot rang out. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, followed by an overwhelming darkness closing in on him.
Eddie fell to the ground, his head striking the wall with a sickening thud. The world around him blurred and faded as unconsciousness pulled him under.
Before succumbing to the blackness, he faintly heard his mother's anguished scream cut through the air, the terrified shriek of Clementine, and his father Kenny's frantic shout, but all sounds were swallowed by the engulfing void.
---
When Eddie finally came to, he became aware of a warm pool of blood pooling beneath him, trickling from the wound in his shoulder. The stark reality hit him: he was still in the dining room, surrounded by chaos. To his bewilderment, it seemed that nobody had moved him or cleaned up the aftermath of the horrific events.
Unsteadily, Eddie pushed himself up to a sitting position, the pain in his shoulder searing with each movement. The distant sound of screams pierced through the thickened air, pulling him out of his fugue state. Mustering the remnants of his strength, he began to stagger toward the dining room entrance, fear propelling him forward.
As he stepped into the hallway, the gruesome sight at the top of the stairs froze him in place. Brenda was screaming in terror, her voice straining against the brutal sound of flesh tearing as a zombified Mark gnawed on her while his mother,
"Mom!" Eddie cried out, his heart racing as he rushed toward the chaos.
Katjaa, spotting him amidst the mayhem, dropped her weapon and rushed toward him, her arms enveloping him in an embrace. "Oh, Eddie! Thank God you're still alive!" she sobbed, her relief palpable amidst the horror around them.