L4D2: Survival

The rain fell so thick you couldn't see through it. Furiously flicking the toggle on the flashlight back and forth, it refused to shine. Soaked to the bone and freezing, he pressed up against a pole for quick cover as he shoved more bullets into his hunting rifle.

"C'mon, Nick!" Rochelle yelled from the ladder. Her grip was slipping, and she tightened her hand to hang on. Nick nodded, barely being able to see where she was. Hitting the flashlight against the pole a few times, it shattered. As he spit every cuss he knew through his teeth, he was already up the ladder.

He grabbed onto the slimy platform. Coach grabbed his arm and popped him up onto it. "Yuck." he said, looking at the Boomer bile, thickly coating the steel surface. Ellis reloaded his shotgun and put it on his back. The blood soaked axe was taken, and he spun it around, after clearing the area.

"Plan on killin' somebody with that?" Rochelle asked, swiping her AK47 around. "Naw, ma'am." he said swiftly, trading it out for his shotgun. "Anybodies ammo low overall?" Coach asked, picking up the ammo box in his pocket and popped it open. The bullets to his M16 lay astray, and he popped the cap back on.

"Got enough ta' last if I got good aim." he  said. "What bout you, Ro?"

Rochelle reached into her pocket and clicked open hers. The bullets lay inside. "Nope, not enough." she mumbled, grabbing the five bullets. She popped them into her gun and shoved the container back into her pocket, pushing the 47 back onto her back and took out a sharp katana.

"Nick?" But Nick was already up the slimy stairs, sniping out zombies from above. "Got some," he said, leaping down, jarring on his ankles. "Ouch," he mumbled, as everyone else leaped down, hitting hard. "Shut up!" Nick suddenly hissed, punching Ellis back with the butt of his gun.

"Witch." he mouthed, and they moved slowly. "This way." Rochelle whispered, pointing around the Witch. As they all filed through, Ellis stayed there, carefully taking aim to her head and swinging his axe. The two-foot long claws swung around, the glowing red eyes piercing his own.

He raised his gun, but, the Witch readied herself. "Ho-ly crap guys! Witch on my back! Witch! Witch!" Nick stood back, brought the scope up to his eye and let off a few bullets to her body. They connected, and the Witch howled in pain, but she didn't slow down. Ellis shoved everybody out of the way as he climbed up the ladder rungs, his heart drumming quickly and his breathing ragged.

Once he got up, he was still running across the track. He shoved a shot into his leg, looked behind him, and ducked into a room, and locked the door. Her long claws smashed through the door. In a panic, he tossed his shottie to the ground and picked up a sniper. The Witch was closing in on him.

He closed his eyes. He dropped, the flesh being ripped in the Witch's blood frenzy. He raised his pistol and worthlessly shot at her. The long, red claws ripped through. "El-lis!" Rochelle yelled, storming in and firing her last shots into the Witch's pale body. She screamed in agony, and dropped to the ground.

She went over to get Ellis up. "Oh, I'm  all tuckered out," he moaned, slumping against the wall. "Nuh, boy, we gotta get you healed up."

He held out his hands to shield off Ro. "Let me be bait. Thanks Ro. Miss y'all." Nick sighed as he stepped in, and spun the rifle around. "Want me to do it?" he asked. Ellis jumped back and said, "Thank y'all very much, but I kin die on my own." He took off his hat and held it, flicking at the peeling tow truck.

Coach nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Well, if you change yer mind…" he snapped off his heal pack and handed it to Ellis. "Just if ya' want to." Ellis nodded. Know I'll be dead in a few, anyways. By the time Coach closed the door, Ellis was near death. "I miss ya," he mumbled and closed his eyes. He had curled up to fight the pain. The fresh blood flowed everywhere. Ellis fingered the health pack, but then shoved it away. He was tempted, but it would never fix this.

"Zoey," he whispered before dying.

—

Nick looked behind him, figuring he could torment Ellis out of stress. But Ellis wasn't there. "I'll miss him," Coach mumbled, grabbing more bullets from his pack and loading them into his gun. "You're the only one," Nick mumbled as he looked behind his shoulder, waiting for the hick to follow  up.

—

"Hold up."

Rochelle's voice went through the saferoom. Nick put his gun down and walked over. "Can't we stay here overnight?" she asked, wringing out her hair over the sink. "That's cool by me." Coach said, laying down on the couch. "Who's 'n guard tonight?"

Nick sighed and walked over to the chair he pulled to the door and sat down on it. Rochelle walked over and sat down next to him on the floor. "Hey," he said absentmindedly. She nodded and watched the rain fall. It was noisy. Rochelle got up and pushed Nick out of his chair. "You go to sleep. I'll guard."

Nick nodded, wadded up his suit jacket and lay his head on it. In a while, he finally drifted off.

"Nick! Wake up." Rochelle yelled from the gun rack, picking through guns. Picking up a Magnum, she yelled for Nick again. As the conman came about he looked around, still foggy. "Ellis is still gone." she said, handing him the Magnum. "Whoo." he mumbled, still groggy.

—

Coach took the lead, his gun raised and ready snipe. Suddenly, it felt as if an earthquake ripped through the ground. Hitting the ground hard, Rochelle screamed, "TANK! Light it up!" she grabbed a molotov from her belt and chucked it with all of her might. The glass shattered against the beast as it roared.

There was a horrible sound as the beasts fist connected with Nick's stomach. He went flying and hit hard against a pole. "Crap." she yelled, still feeding it bullets. "DIIIIEEE!" she shrieked, wanting to get to Nick to help him up. "Hang in there!" she yelled over her shoulder.

He nodded and raised his rifle after leaning up against the pole, ignoring the burning pain engulfing his stomach and limbs. It felt like he swallowed fire and it slowly killed him from the inside. Breathing in deep for aim, he let  off an endless stream of bullets into the Tank's bulletproof like body.

When he drained the gun dry, the Tank finally surrendered. Falling, the mighty body shook the ground. Rochelle cast her weapons aside and bolted for Nick. Coach shook his head. "I'll be up there." Rochelle nodded and helped Nick up. He looked deathly pale.

"Nick!" she yelled at him. He came about in a minute, his eyes bloodshot. "I'm okay." he mumbled as he limped, horribly, to the stairs. Barely visable through the rain,  Rochelle grabbed his collar and pulled him back. "Heal." He shook free and said, "Save it for you later. I'm okay."

Angry, Rochelle took all of her might to pull him back. With every ounce of strength in her body, she held him still and patched him up. Nick looked distant. She released him and he just fell to the ground, face first. Rolling him over, she convulsed in fear. "Wake up."  she said, harshly.

No response. "Wake up! WAKE UP!" Panicked, she ran  around to find something. Nothing came, so she ran back to him. No pulse. No breathing. She stood up in shock as the truth hit her. Dead. She wiped off the rain from her face as she looked down at the body.

"COACH!" she shrieked, slumping down against the wall in failure. "I killed him. I KILLED HIM." she put her head between her knees and fought back tears.

Coach looked at Nick's body, breathed a little prayer and grabbed Rochelle's arm. "We gotta keep moving."

"I can't."