Miles came to a halt as his eyes scanned the body.
"Dad?" He asked, his voice cracking for reasons he couldn't explain. The vomit that crept up his throat before came back, this time he was unable to hold it down. He spewed his stomach acid on the floor beside his father's headless body before dropping to his knees beside him.
"Why didn't you leave?" He asked, the sadness in his voice turning to anger.
"Why didn't you come for us, for me!" He shouted, as his eyes swelled with tears.
"Why didn't you come for me?" He repeated, his voice now defeated as he dropped his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw a folded piece of paper sitting on the floor under the bed in reach of his father's hand. He reached out for it the tears still streaming down his dirt-covered face. On the top flap it read, Family. Miles flipped it open and began to read.
I'm sorry, not for what I'm about to do but for what I have done. I've hurt not only the people I love the most but people I have no connection to at all. I'm sorry to the woman I've loved since the day I met her that fateful day in the gymnasium of the high school they've since torn down. Miles, my eldest and wisest child, I have seen you grow from the size of a pea to the astounding person you are now. I'm sorry about this last year I missed it. You deserved better from me and I didn't deserve you. I love you, son. Abel, the boy with no boundaries you filled my heart and soul with as much joy and enrichment as any man can hope for. You showed me feelings of love and anger I could never put into words. I'm sorry for all the days I watched you grow from the hollow eyes of the man I once was. I know you're going to achieve great things someday and I hope you tell the world the fascinating and beautiful stories you store in that imagination of yours. I love you, I'm sorry I won't see the man you become. Amanda, my only daughter the twin I never expected but loved beyond belief. You showed me many things in the years I saw you grow, including the fantastic feeling of being a girl dad. You showed me the joys of wearing those pink dresses and tiaras and waving our magic wands during our tea parties. You are witty and funny and overall amazing. I'm sorry you didn't have me when you wanted me. I'm ashamed you didn't need me when I needed you. To all my kids, you showed me adventure, love, and happiness even when I didn't deserve them. To my beautiful wife, there is nothing more I can say other than I'm sorry. I never deserved the woman you were. I never earned the love you gave to me, and I never gave you nearly what you deserved from me. I know this won't make up for anything, especially with what I'm about to do. My research during my time at the power plant has been leaked to Russia. Their scientists and military leaders have obtained confidential information regarding a highly experimental and highly dangerous type of nuclear warhead. My involvement in the program now names me as a main conspirator in what I can only explain as the end of the world. I can not live knowing I caused this. I do not doubt if you're still alive and reading this, that you are seeking answers. The only answer I can give you is to run, far away and stay clear of any largely populated areas. Gather supplies and run. I'm sorry.-Dad
The bottom of the page was stained with blood and covered in Miles' tears. His father's words left more unanswered questions and ripped new holes into his already damaged heart.
"I don't blame you for the world, I don't hate you for the things you've done to me," He uttered wiping the tears from his face.
"But I can't forgive you for the pain and frustration you caused mom, Abel, or Amanda," He continued, crumpling the note in his palm and tossing it beside his dad's husk.
"Bye, dad," He finished, walking out of the door, locking and closing it behind him. He walked down the elongated hallway slowly, looking at each bedroom door as he passed. The vines continued wiggling across the carpet as he approached the stairs. He wrapped his swollen hand around the rail, gently and began his descent.
His eyes looked around his house as he realized this would be the last time he saw it. The pictures on the wall displaying the charade of a happy family were less infuriating to him now. Instead, they reminded him of who he once was, and what his family used to be. A broken smile spread across his puffy face as he stepped onto the first floor. He stared into his kitchen for the last time and scanned the living room slowly.
His eyes bounced across the house as he took it all in for the final time. As his eyes slowly strolled across the house the front door creaked open loudly. His hand shot behind him and gripped the handle of his machete and his eyes darted to the door quickly. A dark silhouette stood in the doorway for a moment as he stared on in fear