Left Overs
Left 4 Dead, its settings, characters and anything else related to the product are owned by Valve.
Chapter One: Dinner!
It was the first day of spring, and butterflies could be seen fluttering around the beautiful flowers of many different colours. Gazing outside her kitchen window, Rochelle couldn't help but smile as she enjoyed the peaceful view of her street. In the sunshine children played, and lovers held hands as they enjoyed the day. Snapping back into reality, Rochelle realised she completely forgotten about the chicken in the oven; she certainly hoped that it hadn't burned due to her neglect! Bending down, she yanked the oven door open and peered inside; luckily it was cooked just right, so without delay she put an oven mitt on and pulled it out of the oven. It smelled wonderful; she had added the perfect combination of spices to make the dish come alive with taste.
"Guys, dinner!" she called up the stairs. She knew in just a few moments she would hear the familiar footsteps down the stairs as they rushed into the kitchen to taste her wonderful cooking. She looked on in glee as she saw Coach, Nick and Ellis quickly take their places, eager for their meal. As she cut up the chicken and divided it amongst four plates, each decorated with various vegetables, she thought back to last year, when things had been much different. Caught up in the most famous pandemic of any century, Rochelle and the men who sat before her were nearly killed as they attempted to escape the United States away from the horror. It all seemed like a bad dream now, though, and she had settled in pretty well to her new life in London, England. Sure, things were a little different from America, but it was better than living in what was now a radioactive crater, demolished by the combined forces of the United Nations to control the spread of the pandemic which had caused the losses of so many lives...
"Man, Ro." Coach began, as he rubbed his hands together. "You sure know how to cook; so do we get dessert after this?" he asked, his eyes shimmering with hope. Coach was Rochelle's closest friend out of the trio, and she confided in him many things. Barely able to contain a smile, Rochelle placed her hand over a tea cloth that hid a dish. With a giggle, she pulled the tea cloth away to reveal a beautiful chocolate gateaux that she had spent hours making just for him. Coach yelled in glee as he saw the soft, creamy chocolate gateaux that sat only a few feet away from him, tempting him. A pang of guilt hit Rochelle as she quickly hid the cake again; she knew she shouldn't really be cooking such delicious treats, as Coach was considered 'morbidly obese' by his doctors now. Shuffling about in his chair, Coach inhaled the fragrance of Rochelle's cooking as she placed the plate in front of him.
"Gosh, Ro!" Ellis cried out, brushing down his red flannel shirt. "You sure darn know how to cook. I wish my mother had been like you..." he sighed, as images of cheap perfume and gin flooded across his mind's eye for a moment. Shaking his head a little, he quickly dove into his dinner without waiting for anyone else to begin.
"God damn, Ellis." Coach scolded him, angrily. "At least wait 'till Ro's sat down."
"Don't bother." Nick interrupted. He filed his nails, seemingly disinterested by the dinner that Rochelle had spent hours slaving over. Looking up at Coach, he winked at him. "He does it every time, so why bother?"
"You're right, I guess..." Coach laughed, as he also dug into his dinner. After Rochelle had sat down and tucked into her own plate, Nick started himself, picking at the chicken and pushing the peas around the plate in apparent boredom. Rochelle wasn't offended, as she knew he was suffering from depression; she had accidentally opened a letter addressed to him and found out about it from his doctor. She felt stuck, for she couldn't say anything about it otherwise he'd know she had read his letter. But then again, she knew there was nothing she could do. It was obvious why he was depressed, because he had left the country he had loved... he missed the life of a con-artist in the only country that understood him.
The quartet that now lived in a house together in London, England, were not what most people considered a normal family. Four Americans, all from different backgrounds, immune to the deadliest infection this side of the red light district, living together in a posh suburb of an English city was not what most people considered normal. Living on compensation from the American government, they were each now worth at least one hundred million dollars each, so none of them needed to work. They had tried integrating socially with the people who lived in the area, but most of the people they met ran away in terror, fearful of catching the disease from them. Rochelle, Coach, Nick and Ellis knew that they were immunised and safe from the awful disease, but no one would listen. Nowadays, they only had four friends in the entire world... people who had gone through the same situation as them. Living next door to them were the only people who understood: four Americans who also survived the pandemic and immigrated to England. Their names were Zoey, Francis, Louis and Bill.
