Found Dead

This is an sample from a novel I'm writing.

I started to climb the stairs. The blood stains trailing the light-colored carpet was also not a good sign. I checked the bathroom right off the top of the stairs. Bloody handprints coated the white porcelain sink. At this point, my stomach was so heavy that it practically touched my toes. I followed the blood trail out of the bathroom. It ended at John and Judy’s bedroom door. The door creaked as I slowly pushed it open. The sickening smell of death was particularly strong in here. This wasn’t going to be good.

I saw her in the corner, slumped over in a sitting position. I stood still. The dead one slowly raised her head, making a low groaning sound. Like she was in pain. Tears welled in my eyes. No. Judy slowly rose from her spot in the corner. Time was moving in slow motion. Judy had been hugging a stuffed animal, one of Ariella’s, no doubt. It hit the floor as Judy outstretched her arms in my direction. She sniffed the air and clamped her teeth. I could see a single bite mark on her upper right arm. She was getting closer and closer but I couldn’t move. I was frozen, again. This time though, I had an overwhelming sense of sadness. Judy and her husband moved in when Ariella was only one year old. We had many block parties and cookouts together over the years. I had babysat Ariella all the time. It wasn’t fair. Tears burned my eyes as Judy got within arms-reach. Instinct took over and I quickly moved out of her way. I hadn’t made a sound and could barely breath. My movement must have confused her because she stumbled. She looked around aimlessly, sniffing the air. Her milky eyes landed on me several times before she even turned my direction. Wasting no time, I swiftly kicked her legs out from under her, copying the move Mike had made earlier. I had knocked her on her back. This didn’t seem to faze her. I brought my hunting knife into her eye socket hard. It took quite a bit of force to push it in far enough. When the handle touched her face, she stopped moving. No one had prepared me for how difficult this could be. When I was finally safe, I let the tears flow.