I do not own, nor claim to own anything from L4D or L4D2... I just like to play. :3
Tired eyes watched the blades of the Helicopter's propeller spun overhead in the window. Soft weeping could barely be heard through the powerful thumps and hum of the blades.. The radio from the cockpit buzzed noisily with voices, but the conversations were unintelligible. The wary young man saw his older comrade lean forward and put his head in his hands, the sleeves of his once pristine suit jacket, now tattered and stained in blood and filth. The large gold rings on his fingers seemed dull and weathered. The con man lifted his head and met his gaze, as if he felt the younger man's eyes on him. Nick took a deep breath and leaned back, pulling the softly weeping Rochelle into a mournful hug.
A deep sorrow filled his heart, an emptiness that couldn't be replaced. An ache and reminder of all that was lost in Savannah and later. Ellis rubbed his exhausted and burning eyes, trying to stave off the tears that pooled in his pale blue eyes. He gripped the bill of his hat and lifted it from his head, running his fingers through his hair aggressively. The loss of Coach weighed upon the remaining survivors like a heavy, suffocating cloud. Ellis replaced his hat and leaned back once more, returning his gaze out of the cloudy window, watching the earth pass below.
It seemed like hours when it was only ten minutes as the four survivors pushed themselves beyond the breaking point, fighting their way across a bridge that was completely infested and crumbling beneath their feet. Tremors shook the concrete as the four struggled to climb over the many vehicles as a monstrous creature, dubbed a tank charged after them. Ellis and Rochelle fired their M16's into the crowd of infected that blocked their path as both Coach and Nick fired at the tank.
"Molotov!" Nick shouted over the deafening cry of the infected. He took the flaming bottle and flung it in the path behind them, separating the tank and the survivors with a wall of fire, glass shattering on impact and peppering the mottled hide of the monster with shards of glass and alcohol, flaring up the moment it passed through the flames. He roared and grunted as the fire licked at his skin. The survivors booked it as the fire slowed their largest foe, who in fury, slammed his massive fist into a small sub-compact, sending it flying to plow into the survivors.
The small vehicle bounced away as it slid on its bumper across the concrete, crashing loudly into another car. Ellis took the blow in the back, but not before he could shove Rochelle out of the car's path. Coach managed to avoid it as well, only his right upper arm getting clipped by the bumper, dislodging his shoulder from its socket. Nick dived when he heard the Tank's fist slam into the car, the car scraping along his back, knocking his breath from him.
Ellis' head pounded in his ears, his heart racing as he opens his eyes. He lost his gun when the car's hood collided with him. The mechanic could see nothing beyond the surrounding infected as they fought and clawed over each other to get to the easy target. He swung his fists and kicked desperately, feeling the road around him for some kind of weapon. He couldn't believe his luck when his fingers wrapped around a pipe bomb. Triggering the fuse he flung the weapon, the bleeping distracting the infected's attention from him.
A large figure appeared in his line of sight, his heart skipping a beat when nick knelt and pulled the mechanic to his feet. The tank roared once more as it stumbled in their direction, prompting the two to keep moving, trying to catch up to coach and Ro' as the two, firing at the tank and the infected nearby. Hick kept a long fingered grip on the dazed mechanic's wrist as he pulled Ellis along the bridge. The blades of the evac helicopter whirred to life, the pilot shouting into the loudspeaker to tell them to hurry up, liftoff in three minutes. Ellis whimpered, the ramp seeming much to far to get too in under three minutes.
"Come on Overalls, keep up!" Nick shouted over his shoulder when the mechanic's wrist was yanked from the gambler's grip when a hunter sprang from overhead, pinning Ellis to the ground, tearing at his chest. "No!"
"Go on Nick! I got him!" Coach barked as he ran past in the direction of the fallen comrade. Coach slammed the butt of his shotgun into the Hunters head, knocking it off of Ellis, he fired three rounds into the head of the creature, stilling it permanently. The pavement trembled as the tank approached, Coach hurriedly pulled the fallen man up onto his feet, "Come on man, don't give up on me now. You can make it boy..." Ellis leaned heavily onto Coach as he half dragged half carried the poor boy to safety, When they caught up with the other two, something snaked around the ankle of the large man, pulling his feet out from beneath him, dragging him directly to the Tank, leaving Ellis dumbstruck and the others yelling in alarm.
"Coach, no!" Rochelle screamed as she emptied her pistol into the Tank. Nick, having no weapon quickly began to drag Ellis to safety. The monster hefted it's massive arms, roaring in defiance as it finally fell to its death, their large comrade disappearing beneath its bulk. Rochelle screamed and shook with sobs. Nick turned and hollered at her to hurry, there was nothing they could do for their fallen friend.
The survivors spent many hours in flight, several moments spent in and out of a consciousness. A medic on the flight crew tended to the survivors wounds and gathered routine information at the start of the flight. Nick was leaning back in his seat, Rochelle having fallen asleep on his shoulder, prevented him from much movement. The con man glanced over at the softly snoring mechanic, watching as his lightly muscled chest rose and fell. The boy's favorite shirt was destroyed by the hunter's claws, causing the medics to discard the useless material and wrap the many furrows of scratches and cuts on his torso. Ellis untied his coveralls and slipped his arms into the sleeves to provide some sort of cover, leaving the front unzipped.
Nick wondered briefly where they were headed, but disregarded the thought almost immediately, as long as there were no more of the zombies, he couldn't care less. Rochelle stirred when the helicopter dipped suddenly. One of the flight crew entered the rear, announcing that they would be landing momentarily. She straightened, Nick's jacket, which he wrapped around her earlier, slid down. She didn't say a word as she met his eyes, hers were red and slightly puffy from crying over the loss of a friend. There didn't need to be any words said.
She got up and sat on Nick's opposite side, close to the dozing Ellis. Gently she shook his shoulder, coaxing him from sleep with the news of their impending arrival to a safe zone. They exchanged words quietly, but Nick couldn't decipher what was being said through the noise of the helicopter blades. As their transport dipped, Nick's stomach churned, exhaustion, hunger and anxiety making him sick. The machine jolted lightly as it touched down, the side doors being slid open as several soldiers jumped into the chopper to aid the survivors out.
Ellis watched in a daze as both Nick and Rochelle was escorted away, a third, young looking soldier, slid an arm around his shoulders, lifting him from the seat onto his feet. As they emerged from the helicopter, he couldn't help but take a deep breath of crisp cool air after hours of being confined in a small, suffocating space. He lifted his gaze, observing his surroundings warily.
Below the helicopter pad he could see several roughly constructed buildings and many, many tents, stretching for many acres. Thick, sturdy fencing surrounded the compound, sharp razor wire topped the fences and ran along the base. There were several guard towers erected along the length, almost like a prison, but the guard's attention was focused on the outside. A nearby lot held many military vehicles, plus some trucks that had in bold print, CEDA along the side. That made Ellis' stomach turn.
Thanks for reading, Constructive critism welcome!
XOXO Krae 3