One World Two Lives

A quick story I wrote for X360A's Fan Fiction Book. It is the prologue to "The Walking Dead" the video game and tells the story of Lee Everett.

Lee’s hands were shaking. His steely nerve was finally pushed to the edge. He didn’t know what he had just done. He didn’t know it was so easy to take a life. He didn’t know his heart could hurt so terribly like it did beating in ravaged chest. He knew his life was over.
                                       ---
            Lee walked into his house on a lovely Friday night. He got out of class--a class which he had to say was one of the most productive thus far, and because it was so good he let the class go after only forty-five minutes instead of the usual hour and a half. He stopped by the store to grab a fresh bouquet of roses for his lovely wife to celebrate. Waiting on line at the pharmacy Lee began to think of the trip he and his wife Cassandra just booked for a seven day six night excursion in Hawaii.
            “…yeah. We're just getting some more backup supplies in case the storms turn out bad. Yanno, never can predict when something will come in and change every aspect of ye life.”
            The young farmer finished paying the cashier and turned around to leave tipping his hat to Lee.
            “Lee! Why the heck did you stand on line like some poor ol’ common folk?” Byron, Lee’s brother asked.
            “Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and not rush through the little things in life bud” Lee tells his brother has he places the roses on the counter.
            “Paying for something? Jeez Ma will think ya sick or something, just take em’” Byron tells his brother as he flips the “open” sign above the window to “closed.”
            Lee picked up the flowers, turned toward the door and told his brother; “Bry--liven up a bit yeah? Life is good and people are great.”
            7:48 was early for Lee to get home on a Friday night. He usually didn’t back until 9:30 or 10:00 because of his office hours being directly after the class. He took the liberty to cancel those along with the back end of his class--high on the spirits of life. Before opening the door Lee noticed a fancy state car parked down the street in front of Carl and Bernadette’s house. “Weird” Lee thought as he looked into his house and saw no lights on either, but Cassandra’s car parked in front of Lee’s garage spot.
            Lee slowly opened the front door and bent down to take his shoes off when he saw what looked like candle light coming from the master bedroom.
            “Cass?” Lee called out in a low, kinked up voice. He took a quick left into his study, opened the desk and pulled out the .38 ACP his grandpa Walt gave him as a marriage present. .38 in hand Lee attempted to croak out his wife’s name one more time, unable to get even that out when he saw a pair of black panties laying on the wood floor outside of their bedroom.
            Lee could hear it. He could hear the sounds and the moans. He could hear the thump of the headboard and the croak of the bed. He could hear two sets of breathing. He couldn’t believe it. Lee closed his eyes and opened the door with a wave of sweet smelling flowers and perfume washing over him like a stranded boat on the open ocean.
            “Lee! My go…” Cassandra attempted to formulate a sentence as she lay splayed open on the bed they bought together the day after their wedding. The beast on top of her jumped off like a crazed mongoose fleeing from its prey. Lee raised his .38 and shot him in the back.
            “Lee by God what have you done?” Cassandra yelped as she reached for her lover and her bra.
            Lee’s face was ravaged with terror like crosses upon which the six thousand slave survivors of Spartacus’ army were laid on the Appian Way by Crassus.
           “What have I done? I have come home to my wife betraying my trust, screwing this mutt, and by the way if you are looking for your underwear it's by the door.” As Lee finished his sentenced he went over to the wounded man slumped up against the wall.
            “I am a State Senator” the wounded man said as he tried to gather himself.
            “I am Lee Everett. You have been screwing my wife in my house” Lee proclaimed as he raised the .38. “Cass tell me how long. Tell me how long I have been living a lie.”
            Cassandra turned her head and began to rifle through her purse for her cell phone. Lee raised the pistol and shot the man in the abdomen. A screech came from the man and a cry from his wife.
            “What do you want from me Lee?”
            “Tell me how long Cass. That’s all I want to know.”
            “Will you end this madness if I tell you?”
            “As you wish.”
            “Two years off and on. It started…”
            Lee raised the pistol and fired four more shots killing the state senator. Cassandra rushed over to her lover to find him dead.
            “Your cell phone is on the nightstand next to the wine glass. Go ahead, call the police. I’ll be here.” Lee backtracked and sat down on the bed with the pistol gripped tightly in hand. Cassandra ran to the nightstand grabbing her cell phone and ran out of the house.
            Four minutes passed--Lee could hear the sirens. He took the pistol and raised it to his temple. “Happy Birthday Grandpa Walt” Lee thought as he pulled the trigger on the .38. Click. The police rushed in and threw Lee off of the bed onto the ground screaming and shouting in the process.
            “Be careful officers--he's a State Senator.”