Hey guys! I appreciate you clicking and reading this. This story will be Zoey/Ellis centric.

9/23/11 update: I combined two chapters into this one so it would flow better. Also the third chapter is gone (I was really unpleased with it sorry! I promise it won't happen again). Just a heads up for my older readers. Either way.

Enjoy!

I do not own any of Valve/Left 4 Dead series.

Firsts

Never did any of the four survivors think they would end up back near their starting point. Not the conman, not the high school worker, not the television news station worker, and not even the mechanic.

Even so, the mechanic secretly loved where they had to return to. He wouldn't utter a word of such a thing after all the group had been through together though. Inside, he too felt a heavy tugging when all their tremendous efforts went to waste by a simple helicopter crash near where their long trek began. It was as if someone had reset a game he put many days' hours on, only to have all of it erased and to restart from the beginning.

Ellis sighed at this relation; he had gone through a similar predicament before with his best buddy Keith. He refrained from reminding himself of the painful memory, and successfully suppressed the past event. Even though the mechanic subconsciously believed in all memories should be remembered, good or not, that particular one involving a game system and spilt soda was one better off being forgotten.

The current situation at hand, however, was most definitely one Ellis would remember for the rest of his life – assuming his future life would not take place in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. He hoped conditions would improve, everyone would collaborate in rebuilding their lives, and return to a world where everyone would appreciate their life more. It was a great alternative rather than telling stories of Keith to his fellow survivors who often refused the time was appropriate to be talking of such things. There never seemed to be time for a Keith story, but when Ellis could squeeze them in, he did so with an immense amount of elation and satisfaction. Reminiscing about the past and describing his memories to the group was, simply put it, fun, even if Nick flat-out rejected it.

Ellis glanced at the others who were for the most part having staring contests with various parts of an empty road. Nick peered into the far distance, looking almost hopeful for anything to get them out of where they ended up. Rochelle continuously took great interest in her feet and how they could kick occasional rocks like soccer. Coach scanned stores on the sides of the street they were trudging along on perhaps for once not caring if he found a chocolate bar, unless it would help them escape the wretched feeling of what mimicked the degree of failure.

The hick sighed to himself. They had been walking in an uncomfortable silence for an hour or so. There wasn't even one sign of infected to serve as a distraction or to rile anyone up, and while the absence of infected usually would have been appreciated, the survivors' minds were too weighted by their dread to express such celebratory feeling. They were drenched in what happened to them not so long ago.

All four of the survivors were more than ecstatic as soon as they boarded the helicopter from the explosive bridge. They all cheered and hugged (except for Nick, insisting he wanted to keep his suit clean) as the copter took off into the sky, thinking they were finally home-free from the weeks of killing off infected in hopes of survival. None of them knew how long they had been flying for; Rochelle grew suspicious of a sudden silence. She somehow managed to find her way to the cockpit of the helicopter, only for Ellis to hear her scream and shout. Before they knew it, the pilot was missing, Coach was trying to steer the copter, Nick was yelling about the sudden oncoming of ocean, and Ellis was just whispering "mercy us" as the crew fell into despair. They didn't know how they lived, maybe the terrain of wherever they landed helped somehow, but the moment they came into full recognition of their site of landing, the feeling of dread overcame the four survivors.

They were back at the passing.

In the far distance the group could see the artificial glow of tattoo parlors and jazz clubs, even vegetation from the park was visible at some point. Ellis spied a manhole in the ground, but didn't dare to crack a joke about turds on Nick. He couldn't bring himself to do so. With all the familiar sights and smells, the group, with heavy shoulders, trudged along the all-so familiar streets.

And Ellis being Ellis, even with the constant reminder that all their efforts had been just to end up where they started, could not help but think of everything that could battle the present bad. He thought about how they could replenish their supplies in the town, how they could try a different route or hang around for sake of "relaxing." Maybe the group could hang around in the bar. Nick could make some drinks, Coach could play tunes on the jukebox, and Rochelle could howl with laughter at Ellis's stories.

Once the feeling of despair had sunken in and was over, Ellis was determined for everyone to revitalize and be strong once again. He knew with everything that they had been through they could live through this with the same vitality as everything else. It was just a matter of time until they came to this conclusion as well.

And it was only a matter of time until they would reach the bridge where three other survivors were waiting for them, and one in particular always had been Ellis's reason for standing strong even when he was near death. This survivor was an important reason to bear through the waves and tsunamis of horror and blood. He fought for them in hopes of seeing his dream of returning to a world where the calm would return and where people could live without fear of seeing their loved ones fall victim to turning into mindless infected beings. He wanted to return to a world that was just as naturally lighthearted as him at time (as the others pointes out). And that reason was what lifted all the weights of returning to a starting part of their group's long exhausting journey for Ellis:

Zoey.

Ellis continued to linger a few feet behind the group still intimidated by the overwhelming silence. No one said had said a word for hours on end. The mechanic parted his lips in hopes of breaking the silence, but every attempt at wording a sentence eventually turned into a cough or yawn. Heck, he even let out a sneeze without being followed by a "bless you" (Coach almost always responded, this time being an exception). All he wanted was the group to talk amongst themselves again, but that was quite a lot to ask for since their crash. He needed an excuse to initiate conversation, anything, even Nick's relentless criticism that he found amusement at would suffice.

Ellis's line of vision wandered left. His eyes quickly widened at a sudden figure squeezing itself between alley walls struggling to reach the group of survivors.

It was almost as if someone had granted his wish. Finally, a perfect reason to yell, Ellis thought. The hick inhaled, filling his lungs with air, and released it all out in one hasty breath.

"Tank!"

Everyone immediately raised their weapons and fired. Coach threw a bile at it, causing a horde to swarm on it. They continued to fire, two of them reloading at one time while the other two fired. It was a good system. Ellis ran to the parking upon seeing a witch and crowned it. Unfortunately, some infected startled him and he accidentally shot some cars.

Soon, the tank was dead.

Ellis never thought he'd be so thankful to encounter a Tank in his life even if it did set off a car alarm. Or two. Or three. Or four.

"Damnit Ellis, why the hell did you run into a parking lot?" Nick spat at the mechanic.

"Well I thought the Tank would be nice to 'em fancy sport cars Nick. They were pretty nice. Not as nice as the Jimmy Gibbs Jr. though. I do miss her…" Ellis stared off into the distance, reminiscing about his car, "Hey guys! If we go back to that carnival place with all 'em coasters and food, I bet we can get back the Jimmy Gibbs Jr.; unless 'em zombies took the car."

"Ellis, zombies don't have taste."

"Well Nick, you never know. unless you're are a zombie... are you?" Ells crinkled his nose in childish suspicion.

"Ellis sweetie, we have more important things to be focusing on, like what we're going to do now," Rochelle stated.

"I guess the Jimmy Gibb's Jr. is out of the question then."

"There were too many zombies on that highway. No way am I going back there!" Coach had a point, but Ellis couldn't help but feel bad for the car. She was a beauty after all.

"Let's just go to the closest safe room and decide from there. I don't want another Tank attacking us and attracting hordes," Nick glared behind them at the dozens of dead infected. The group tried to avoid the memory of the Tank that chased Ellis setting off four car alarms alarms simultaneously. Even to Ellis who loved a shooting spree, he and Rochelle had run out of ammo midst the battle granting them a harder survival situation. Fighting with their trusty axes could only last for so long.

"Let's see, the closest safe room is the one near that bridge. Y'know, where Nick had two turds on his jacket. Hey Nick, remember the time you had two turds on your jacket?"

"Shut up Ellis."

The survivors, except for Nick, laughed. Ellis was relieved the group was conversing again. It was a much more comfortable atmosphere as opposed to the almost stagnant one from earlier.

The journey through the sewer was a quick one. There were infected dispersed thanks to the car alarms from earlier, making the trek was much less stressful and easier on their ammo supply. The Tank and horde strike ate up most of their ammo; the last thing they needed were more hordes. Though Ellis was confident with his axe strapped across his back, he wasn't too sure how many zombies he could hold off without faltering to the thought of wishing he had a machine gun.

And before he knew it, they were all in the safe house.

"Hey now, do you all recall this room here?" Rochelle peeked out the safe room's door.

"What is it?" Nick looked over her shoulder.

"Oh boy! I hope it has some more food. I could sure go for some more grub. 'specially 'em canned peaches," Ellis ran out the door not bothering to check for infected. The door didn't budge with his pull.

"Aw man, the door's locked."

Nick scoffed, "Figures. We'll try and open it tomorrow. I'm sure we could all use some sleep after today."

Ellis whimpered at the idea of waiting. Perhaps the fresh air up the stairs nearby would ease the wait. If there were any infected, he could always run back down to the safe room.

The air was fresh and crisp against his face. Perhaps the night helped the air feel how it did. He breathed in light atmosphere, and slowly exhaled. This was as close as home he would probably be in the future. If they ever went back to Savannah, he would be sure to check around and see if Ma was alright. Those Sunday dinners were the best, and he craved her reassuring voice again. Heck, even the smell of his old home would be great.

The mechanic looked around at the vacant bridge area. No Zoey. He couldn't help but wonder if they left somewhere; where else would they stay if the closest safe house nearby wasn't sheltering them?

Close to the bridge and Ellis came across another supply closet. Upon opening it, he found several gears and other gadgets.

"These boat parts…? Hm," the mechanic shrugged, and put his findings in a nearby box labeled "QUARANTINE." Maybe he'd place the label on Coach's behind while the husky man was sleeping. Once he had been subjected to being locked in a safe house before when Coach ate beans. That was another memory that could have used some suppressing.

"Hurry up Ellis!" Coach called out and waved his arms from across the bridge. The mechanic hurried on over into the saferoom. Everyone was sitting around the room munching on various snacks strewn about the place.

"What the hell is that boy?" Coach pointed with a soda can at Ellis's box.

"Boat parts! I was gonna see if they could come in handy for anything else we'd find," Ellis shot him a grin and sat next to him, examining the metal contraptions.

"Boy, you are one crazy… boy. Now let's all get some sleep. Nick, you keep an eye on the doors."

"Sleep sounds mighty fine Coach. 'ey, did I tell you guys the one time me and Keith went camping in the woods? You see, Keith had never been campin' before an'…"

The night trailed on as the band of survivors listened to Ellis's story, and laughed with him. Even Nick let out a stocky laugh here and there. Everyone reminisced about the past, and thought about the future. Though what they thought in store for them would be tough times, all of them laughed and cheered at how far they had come, even if they were reset to the start. Despite hardships, they had gotten stronger. Ellis smiled at this realization. He wished a certain brunette was there by his side to enjoy life with them.

Coach pinched his nose at how smelly Nick was, who in return commented on dull Coach's head had gotten. Rochelle laughed and offered to shine it with Ellis's hat, but Nick quickly retorted she had better luck driving the Jimmy Gibb's Jr.. Ellis held his head tight, paranoid Rochelle would actually do such a thing, and then burst into laughter at Coach's discovery of a candy box. Unfortunately, there were no chocolate bars, and instead, the group all chipped in a peach from their canned food.

And with that, the feeling from the crash slowly faded away.

Thanks for reading! Please review!