A/N: Alright, so this has been a very long time coming and I'm sorry for the unforgivably long wait, but I've finally done it. It is short, but I'm working on part two and will eventually get part 3 done. This took WAY longer than planned. Anyways, this is my first attempt of a L4D story, so I hope you all enjoy it. (:

Warnings: Slight mentions of sex, alcohol, and gambling; Mild language.

Disclaimer: I hold no ownership to Left 4 Dead or the relating topics. I do not make any profit at all from the works I write for the fandom. All rights belong to Valve.

~LIVE AFTER THE INFECTION: NICK~

Some things just never change. The world went to shit when the Green Flu hit, but eventually, the government found a way to contain it and life slowly went back to normal. Nick was finally able to escape the three people he was somewhat forced to team up with.

His life was trying to return to the way it was before, but after all he had been through, it was difficult. He would often find himself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and start talking. He would speak the way he did to Rochelle when she was on watch and he couldn't sleep. He would murmur the way he did to Coach when they were checking their stock of ammo and bandages. He would whisper the way he had when Ellis was laying beside him at night, injured and scared he might be dying.

He tried to distract himself with his old gambling methods and cheap women who wanted nothing more than to forget the Zombie Infection. None of it ever worked. The skin of the female body felt too fragile to the touch. The cards and dice felt far too light in his grasp. The taste of alcohol and cigarettes was sickening on his tongue.

He'd become a different man during the apocalypse. He was much softer now, a better person. He'd spent months risking his life for the sake of people he'd barely met on the roof of a hotel and, in time, grew fond of them. He ran halfway across the country, trying to seek safety and possibly a new start with them. He fell in love with a hick mechanic from Savannah, found a sister in a news reporter, and a father figure in an ex football coach. He had found a family, people who had slowly began to really care for him, just to throw it away the first chance he got.

To make matters worse, he left when Ellis had needed him most. They had found the safety they had desperately fought for; A large camp guarded by the military to house those who had made it out of the Infected areas without catching the Infection. Ellis was reunited with his old friend Dave and was excited to catch up with him, until he gave him the grim news that his best buddy Keith had been bitten and had to be shot to stop him from turning. He should have stayed there to comfort his little firecracker, but instead, he turned heel and fled as fast as he could, eventually making it to a safe zone far away from the camp. This was something he now deeply regretted.

Some things don't ever change. Nick had formed new habits during the Infection. He learned to look out for others, to love, to care, and to protect. He may have changed from the asshole of a man he was before, but the gentler side of him the devastation of the Zombie Apocalypse had unlocked sure as hell wasn't going anywhere. He had to make it back to them. He had to find Ellis and make things right before it was too late. He had to find a way. He had to fix the mistakes he had made, even if it was a lost cause.

~END CHAPTER ONE~

A/N: Well, there you have it. It took forever, but I think I did well enough. Please let me know what you think. The next part will be up as soon as possible and hopefully will not take as long as this one had.

~TheFlurryofMelodiousFlames