I pulled out my dagger and shoved it underneath a closed window before I cut the lock that kept it closed preventing me from slipping inside

Half the glass window had already been shattered but I didn't dare to climb through as I didn't have anything to protect myself from getting cut or did I have enough room to slip between the glass edges

"Tic"

I heard the metal lock snap as my old dagger finally cut through the metal that kept the window from opening

Using the dagger I lifted the window up off the window sill just enough for me to slide my fingers beneath it

I promptly lifted it up opening up an entrance into the old dusty apartment that had been untouched for years

Sliding my butt onto the window sill I turned on my ass and dangled my feet down into the apartment room

Lifting myself up I heard the crisp crackling and snapping of glass and rotten wood underneath my boots as I carefully took one step at a time to ensure the safety of my own footing

I slowly made my way over to a dressing table that stood opposite the window

I grasped the handles and pulled out the draw with considerable effort as the wood had rotted into the rest of the dressing table causing it to intertwine like the tree it once used to be

After opening the draw I inspected the contents that sat inside of it

There were rotting clothes and cloth that was left with nothing but cheese like holes throughout them

I quickly sifted through the useless cloth and threw it to the floor beside me while I grabbed all the cloth that seemed even slightly useful and placed it into my satchel making sure I didn't fill it with materials that I wouldn't regret taking

When I was finished I pushed the draw back in and opened the second one only to find a similar sight, all the other draws of the dressing table held clothes as well

After carefully sorting through it all I had put all the useful cloth at the very bottom of the draws and had hidden it by placing layers of the rotten and unusable cloth on top deceiving anyone that might come later to scavenge like I had just done

After thoroughly hiding all of the cloth that I might come back to take later on I closed all the draws and turned towards the bed

Walking up to it I carefully lowed myself to my knees to stare under it

Underneath the bed was a few boxes, I searched through all of them only finding old yellow paper, old shoes and other useless items that wouldn't be useful

Standing up I left the room and found myself in the kitchen

I looked through the cabinets, fridge, dish washer and the trash only to find old food that attracted flies like fresh shit

Leaving the kitchen I went into two more bedrooms without finding anything else that would be useful

After thoroughly clearing out the apartment I went back out using the same window and climbed up to the apartment directly above using the fire escapes staircase

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I broke the window open the same way I had done with the other apartment

Sliding through the window I found myself in the kitchen

It was just as dusty and decrepit as all the other rooms I had been through

The shelves were empty and so was the fridge, unlike the apartment below there wasn't even an old dusty can left in the kitchen

I walked down the corridor and came upon a bright pink room

I noticed a cradle in the center of the room. It wasn't empty

'Oh...'

I didn't bother walking in, I simply reached for the door handle and shut it before I saw anything that I thought I'd regret seeing

I pressed my forehead against the old door and thought for a moment before I turned and walked into the room opposite it

There was a double bed with two bedside tables sitting next to the end, but what caught my eye was the two skeletons that were huddled in the corner holding onto one another

'So this is where the parents were'

I could feel a look of disgust emerge on my face unconsciously

Ignoring the bodies I walked past them and searched through the bedside table on the left side of the table

There was old cords and rotten books with yellow pages

I picked up the cords and shoved them into my satchel, they had a wide range of useful materials mixed together, they could also be repurposed to carry power for different devices

After putting the cords away I grabbed a book and tried to pull it open, the pages ripped and tore as I pulled it open causing the pages to destroy themselves hiding the words that had been inscribed onto the pages over decades ago

Annoyed I threw the book over my shoulder and stood up walking around the bed to search through the other bedside table

I knelt down and opened the draw, the contents weren't as useful as the last bedside table but I found a large watch but nothing else of value, most of the contents were loose paper and books that had all been rendered useless due to the passage of time

'Tch. Fucking book lovers'

Why couldn't they have more stuff like materialistic people?

It was annoying scavenging from the houses of those that 'didn't believe' in materialistic possessions

After strip searching the entire bedroom I walked out and made one final apology towards the baby room

Climbing through the window I once again heard the distant sounds of battle that echoed throughout this entire side of the city

'With that much noise they won't be done before sun down'

With the commotion they were making it seemed like the monsters would come in wave after wave trying their best to try and kill the hunting party until they finally succeeded no matter how high the mountain of corpses became in the process

Ignoring the commotion I went up the next set of stairs and peered through the old window

I pulled out my old thin knife and shoved it beneath the window but before I could locate the metal latch on the interior I noticed the lack of resistance

Lifting my dagger the window also slid open with ease

'Its already open?'

I reached into my satchel and pulled out my new knife before attaching it to my belt in case I needed to quickly pull it out to save my life

After preparing myself both physically and mentally I put a foot on the window sill and ducked as I stepped through it

Unlike the last two times when I was being cautious of the sounds, this time I was cautious of the dangers and any unpredictable factors that may lay hidden within this apartment, I didn't have the time to worry about stepping quietly and exposing my back

I gazed around the bathroom before I opened the small cabinets, not once letting go of the dagger that I tightly gripped in my left hand

Instead of picking up anything that might be useful I did a quick scan of everything that was inside, I made sure there weren't any potential threats before I moved away and towards the bathroom door

I gently turned the knob and peeked through a crack in the door down the right end of the hallway

All seemed normal, a dusty decrepit hallway with white walls and a canopy of spider weds covering the ceiling

I opened the door wider and stuck my head out staring down the left side of the hallway, instead of the usual sight I saw something that immediately made me put my guard up

There were roots growing out like snakes covering the walls and floor as if setting up its own safety perimeter

The sight made my blood go cold, there was a mutant plant in the apartment and if I didn't leave now I might find myself becoming its nutrients

As I was about to start backing away I noticed the roots begin to shake as if they were cold

I instantly threw myself to the side and down the right end of the hallway that was devoid of any plantation

As I did the roots pierced through the bathroom door and scowered all throughout that room before I finally heard an almost inaudible sliding sound

'Its closing the window again?'

The plant that I was trapped with had some semblance of intelligence making it that much more dangerous of a predator