When We Were Brave
Chapter One
Hunting
They lay down on the old used mattress staring up at the cracked ceiling. Ellis coughs when Nick lights his last smoke. The tribally-tattooed man looks over to his partner and pulls a frown. "What're you gunna' do when ya' run outta' smokes?" He asks in a calm, quiet voice. The question makes Nick internally scream, but on the outside he just sighs and replies with a "fuck all."
Ellis yawns and turns his head towards Nick. It was a hard day for all the survivors, Coach had got his leg burned severely by Spitter Acid, and they had to stop at an abandoned warehouse for the night. All of them were worrying if they would be able to leave in the morning for the next safe room. If not, they'd have to roam around the swamp for food, ammo, supplies and especially med kits. All of which are extremely hard to find.
Nick exhales his smoke and flicks the ash to the side of the bed. "What are you going to do when you realize that we aren't getting help?" He responds to the earlier-asked question. This stuns Ellis momentarily, unsure of how to answer it. He's irritated by the fact that his partner had no hope for survival, but in the long run, he understood where the other man was coming from. After being abandoned at an evac station, getting fucked up in a mall, and being on a helicopter while your pilot turns into a zombie, how much hope could you really have left?
"I'm putting the little faith I have in- Whoever is up there. 'Nd I'm gonna hope that he, or she, helps Coach and th' rest of us." Ellis actually wasn't a bible thumping hick like you'd expect, he hadn't really believed in God since his father passed away from lung cancer when he was nine.
Nick couldn't help but smirk at the younger man and how naive he was being. Of course there is no God, would a zombie apocalypse happen if there was? "Whatever Kid, you believe there's a god? That's just childish."
"Nick, I'on't believe there's a fuckin' God. Hell, why're we even talkin' bout this. S'not like it even matters." Ellis didn't like this topic; It just didn't sit well with him, so he decided to change it to something a bit easier on the mind.
"Hey hey hey, no need for a fucking swear fest over there." Nick said ironically to lighten the mood. He didn't want to see the muscular man angry, something in his gut told him he wouldn't win a fight against Ellis. Hell, he could barely stand his own against a scrawny drunk guy. Mind you that was one time, he was shit faced too, and Nick had conned the man out of three hundred dollars- And he did fool around with his fiancée.
Nick shivers remembering how angry that man had been. It was a scary but welcome sight, when things were normal, and nobody was trying to fucking eat him. It dawned on Nick that only last month he was scamming some poor guy out of all he had, and living the life he thought was worth living. It also dawned on him that he felt the life he lives now is more worth living, especially with the three survivors.
The feeling scares him to death.
Ellis pokes the slick haired man's arm to see if he is still awake, who flinches and fails at trying to hide it. "What?" He asks, tilting his head to stare at the mechanic.
"I thought you were asleep. I ever tell you 'bout the time Keith and his dad took me huntin'? It was my first time y'know, I was all shaky with the gun, couldn't even shoot a duck if it had a broken wing and was sittin' right in front'a me." He paused, gasping in a quiet breath after spitting out such a run-on sentence. "I almost cried when I shot at somethin'. You see, I was thirteen and I saw a squirrel run in front of me, so I thought Daryl- that's Keith's dad by the way. Anyways, Daryl would be impressed if I got it. I missed but I still cried because damn man, they're real live livin' and breathin' creatures too! Just like you and me. Daryl just hugged me and said 'you remind me of yer daddy.' That really didn't help becau-" Then, the brunet was interrupted by Nick's snoring.
"God damnit someone should'a told me yer' the snorin' type…" Ellis shook his head and decided a little sleep wouldn't hurt him.
He got a little closer to Nick, and when he was pretty much touching Nick, the snoring stopped. At first Ellis thought Nick had woke up and he was ready to apologize, when he heard a small snore again. Relieved, Ellis closed his eyes and waited for sleep to overcome him.
END OF CHAPTER ONE