This is sort of a prologue to my story 'Keith.' I've never really written a sad story. Let's see if I'm any good at it. Left4Dead 2 & it's characters belongs to Valve. Flashbacks are in italics. I might do one for Nick as well, but I'm not sure yet. I'll see where this one goes. WARNING: this story has major spoilers to 'Keith', so i strongly suggest you read what I have of that first. Please.
It had been frightening at first, but then Ellis had made a game of it. Killing for the fun of it seemed, in a way, okay at this point. He didn't view it as self defense anymore. "I've always wanted to be an axe murderer!" The twenty-three year old would shout excitedly to his teammates as he discovered an unused weapon. Ellis had been murdering for weeks now...and he felt no remorse. Surviving... made the southerner forget a lot of things, but one. Ellis would never fail to remember the time he had first killed.
The array of reds, pinks, and oranges was creeping forward quickly, the sun falling behind the horizon. The summers were quite humid in Savannah, causing Ellis' sandy hair stick to his sweaty face. Wooden steps creaked beneath Ellis' grease splattered boots as he knocked on the flimsy door. "Mama? You here? I done brought you some apple pie Keith's mama made! It's mighty tasty!" Ellis hollered through his mother's screen door. Scuffling of slippers could be heard from behind inside as she suddenly appeared, opening the mesh ingress. "Hi mama, I brought you some pie." Ellis repeated as he warmly smiled at his mother, walking into her humble home. Setting the Saran wrapped piece of pie onto the round kitchen table, he turned back to her. Today she wore a light blue sundress, a fuzzy white robe draping over her disheveled frame. Tiny blue slippers covered her feet. The sparkling golden crucifix she never parted with was strung around her neck. "You feelin' any better today?" He kindly asked, laying his palm on his mother's pale forehead. The weak woman coughed loudly, a deep heaving sound escaping from her lungs. Ellis' mother had always been a beautiful woman, but the past few days have been rough on her. Her once golden blonde hair was now greasy and dull. Dreadful night fevers began to peak at 106 degrees, and she had begun to loose weight as her vomiting had become more and more excessive. It stung to speak as the stomach acid had rubbed her throat raw, so he didn't. Her hazel eyes sunk into her skull. "Mama you're burnin' up somthin' fierce!" Ellis removed his hand from her face and lead her to her small couch. "You sit here 'n I'll fix you some chicken soup..." Ellis made his way to his mother's tiny kitchen. After rustling through the pantry, the southerner finally found the condensed soup, pouring it into a faded bronze pot. "You been hearin' of that infection spreadin' down here Mama? Green Flu they callin' it. I been watchin' the news latley, and they been sayin' some scary stuff. Trinity is fillin' up mighty quick..." He made idle conversation as he placed the meal on the hot stove. Across the room, Ellis' mother began into a coughing fit, rasping in between the hoarse expulsions of air.
"Ellis..." his mother gasped out, thumping onto the worn hardwood floor. Ellis ignored the soup and rushed to his mother's side. The rawboned woman lay face down, her shoulders rising with every croaking breath she inhaled. Ellis brought his palm to her shoulders, shaking her gently. Her skin was clamy, turning a muted silver.
"Mama?!" Ellis cried out. Rolling her to her back, a display of horror laced across the mechanic's tan face. His mother's mouth was soaked in bright red blood, also spattered down the front of her dress. Ellis' hand scooped the back of her head up and held it steadily. "Mama! Talk to me Mama!" Ellis' amber eyes began to water. His mother said nothing, but only slumped onto the floor. Her hazel eyes had now turned a foggy yellow color."Don' worry Mama, Imma call an ambulance to come an' get yah!" The southerner hoisted the unmoving woman onto the couch as he rushed to the pale green phone that hung from the wall. Frantically, he dialed 911. "Yea hello? My Mama ain't movin' we need an ambulance down here no- aghck!" Ellis' voice was cut short by hands forming around his neck, choking the breath from his lungs. He winced as sharp fingernails dug into his skin, above his larynx. Dropping the telephone, Ellis began to thrash about, struggling to get whatever was on him, off. The mechanic strained, but finally made it to the stove. His toned arm shook as he grabbed for the hot pot of soup. Eventually his fingers gripped the burning kitchen wear. With all of his might, Ellis swung the pot backwards, smacking the mystery guest and scolding them with hot liquid. The thing shrieked and toppled to the floor behind the man. Ellis bent over, his hands on his knees. He panted in exhaustion as the slashes on his neck began to drip blood. Suddenly, Ellis remembered his mother. "Mama you alright?!" Whipping around, his eyes fell upon his attacker. Eyes growing enormous, his entire body shook as his heart lept to his throat. There, on the floor, lay Ellis' mother in a scrambled position. The young man dropped to his knees, and choked at the sight of what he had just done. Her face was now deformed as skin had been seared off by the blazing pot and its contents. Exposed flesh sizzled as blood seeped from her cracked nose. Breaking out into sobs, Ellis brought her disfigured body close to him, pressing the lifeless woman against his broad chest. Ellis convulsed as he held his dead mother in his arms, her crimson blood staining his greasy white T shirt.
"WHAT DO YAH MEAN YOU KILLED 'ER?!" A blonde haired man shouted out shrilly at Ellis as they stood on his mother's porch as he gawked at Ellis' blood drenched shirt.
"WHAT N THE HELL WAS I SUPPOS'TA DO KEITH?! LET 'ER KILL ME?! SHE DONE TURNED INTA ONE OF THOSE ZOMBIE THINGS OFFA THE NEWS!" Ellis screamed in anguish, tears rolling down his soft sun tanned cheeks. Keith's crystal blue eyes blinked, as if he was attempting to cohmprehend what Ellis had just said. The shorter man leaned to his side, looking around Ellis into the house. A blanket was covering the infected mother, it becoming blood soaked as well. Turning back to Ellis, he blinked.
"Well...what'r we gonna do?" Keith solemnly asked, one of his blonde eyebrows cocked. Ellis' face became serious as he brushed the tears from his face.
"We're gonna get the hell outta here! Trinity is full of them sons a bitches! Theyre gonna kill us if he don' leave Keith!" Ellis reached inside the house and pulled a shotgun into his hands. Keith's eyes widened.
"You serious? You gonna leave Savannah?" Keith's face fell into a slack, looking sad. Ellis thought that emotion was irrelevant at this point. He wanted to live dammit!
"Um, yea! What? Are you plannin' on stayin?!" Ellis frantically yelled into Keith's face, his arms spanned out. Keith's blue eyes just stared as he nodded. Ellis straightened up his body, looking down at his ex boyfriend. Keith rolled up his shirt sleeve and revealed his tattoo.
'Ellis Forever'
"You said we'd stay together forever...even if we ain't boyfrans." Keith's eyes shook with uneasiness. Ellis set his shotgun down softly against the broken rocking chair and pulled Keith into a tight embrace. Keith's tattooed arms wrapped around Ellis' waist, his fingers gripping onto the back of Ellis' T shirt. The summer's night breeze blew against their bodies as they sunk into each other. Ellis stared into the after hours sky as he could feel his shirt becoming wet with unforgiving tears. "Ellis...El. Please don't leave me." The older mechanic pulled away a bit, making sure not to break the contact. Arm's still wrapped around each other, Ellis stared into his best friend's tearful sapphire eyes. Their lips met for one last time. Ellis broke away, closing his ashen chocolate eyes.
The peach tree leaves rustled in the soft southern wind as Ellis began to walk away from Keith. "I'm sorry..." his voice flowed through Keith's ears. As the night's darkness enveloped Ellis, he disapeared. Keith stood on the creaking porch, staring into the invisible trail Ellis had left. His smell still lingered in the soft air. The smell of compassion. Keith attempted to follow his friend, but his legs wouldn't comply. He stumbled down the small steps and collapsed into the dirt, weeping. Keith was sure this would be the last time he had ever seen his pal, his best friend...his ex lover.
He thought this would be the last moment he would ever see Ellis again...so he cried. And cried...and cried.
Tears slid down Ellis' face as the sounds of his friend's sobs were heard from the distance. Traveling on, Ellis brought this lips to the golden crucifix aroun his neck, kissing it lightly. "Goodbye Mama...goodbye Savannah...
...
goodbye Keith."