Authors note: Hello all! Well, I know I write A LOT of Fics, but this came to mind after watching a video on Youtube of a Ellis skin mod for the Hunter, and decided to make a fic based on it I own NOTHING in this story, for once, apart from my version of Ellis ^^

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Ellis was never one for balance.

Even when he was younger, growing up on his parent's farm with his best friend Keith, he couldn't keep his balance even when given the simplest of tasks, like the time Keith had dared him to cross the creek naked on a moss covered log for a bottle of beer he had looted from the local store. Of course, back when life was simpler, it didn't matter much. Ellis was a born mechanic, through-and-through, so what did a lack of balance matter?

Now, as he teetered back and forth across a window ledge barely twice his width surrounded by crazy people, he felt vulnerable. Granted, he had three other people with him that could assist him if need be, and he was carrying a crowbar that was currently across his back for defence, but something wasn't right.

Y'know, besides the crazy people.

The newly formed group of survivors where forced to cross the outside window ledges when they found that not only did the elevators not work and the makeshift barricade of luggage was blocking their path, but the building was probably going to burn down.

Ellis put his left hand out to brace himself against the wall, momentarily stopping

Don't look down, Ellis. Comeone, don't look down. This is kind of like the time Keith crossed that wooden beam and he fell, but he didn't REALLY fall but he made a big show when he pretended to be really…

"Son?" He heard one of his new companions speak in a calm, kind voice from somewhere behind him. It soothed him, even for a second, and he knew it was the large man, the Coach guy. Well, he LOOKED like a Coach anyway, but Ellis wasn't sure, and right now he didn't plan on asking.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine… just… a bit nervous is all." Ellis spoke, his accent thick with fear.

From behind him another voice, and this, Ellis knew, came from the man with the expensive suit. The suit that probably cost more than Ellis could earn in a year, he had noted on the rooftop.

"If you don't mind," the suit man spoke with venom "Could you get a move on? I'd rather be out of this hotel when, y'know, it burns down?"

Ellis frowned, and was about to form a reply (his momma had always told him never let people bully him) when the fourth member, the kind girl who Ellis recognised dimly from one of the news stations piped up.

"Just take your time." She spoke, though Ellis knew she probably felt the same was as the man with the thousand plus dollar suit did. So, Ellis made up his mind and steadily moved along the ledge, chanting to 'not look down' every five seconds. It wasn't the height that bothered him, it was the falling.

Ellis winced when he passed the first room and could see burning shapes within, writing around on the floor like puppets. No way to go, even for the crazy people. Fire hurt, like the time Keith had stuck a burning match on his arm so he'd have some 'battle wounds' he could show off.

Ellis frowned, wondering exactly where Keith was. Last he'd talked (which was on the way to this very hotel), Keith promised he'd be waiting. Ellis was, admittedly worried, but not that much. If Keith could take being crushed by a falling house, he could take a few crazy people. Zombies, they looked like. Like those ones from the movies he'd snuck in with Keith last summer to see, but the name escaped him now. Ellis was working on his car when the shit hit the fan, so he wore his 'Bull shifters' shirt, a cap and a pair of jeans, all of which stuck to him due to the sweat and the heat.

As the group reached the next window, and this one not on fire, Ellis called back

"We can get in here, y'all!" before a snarl stopped him dead in his tracks, but it was muffled by the glass. Something on all fours crawled out from behind the bed like a dog. Its face was covered by a hood, but it was defiantly a zombie. Its hands where clawed and two, blood red eyes shone from under the lip of the hood. Its mouth was bloody and the sweatshirt stained with fluid and gore.

As Ellis stood and stared at the creature in shock, time seemed to slow. The creature screeched and lunged for the glass at the same moment Ellis went for his crowbar. The glass shattered and he felt the wind knocked out of him as the zombie's full weight hit him, pain wracking his body as shards of glass cut through his thin tee-shirt and the creatures claws sunk into his back.

The Mechanic very briefly thought he would be alright.

Before he remembered that he was about twenty eight stories up, and he started to scream as he felt hands grab for him that accompanied screams and shouts. But the hands fell short as the struggling pair toppled off the ledge like a rock.

In those few brief moments of falling, Ellis considered many things.

He was going to die, that was certain. He was, of course, indestructible but he doubted falling from such a height was healthy. He thought of what this creature was, and if it even realised it was going to die with him. He thought of Keith, his best friend in the world… ever. He thought of his parents, of all the good times he'd had. Most of all, he hoped the remaining three would make it out alive.

The drop seemed to take no time at all. The creature was killed on impact, its spine shattering on the rooftop below like a brittle twig, every bone in its body shattered. Ellis landed on top, and though his blow was softened slightly, he suffered much the same fate.

High above, the remaining survivors stood for a moment, shocked by what had happened. The boy had seemed so full of energy, and they didn't even get to know his name. But the three of them knew with clarity they still had to make it out alive, and not let the young boys death be in vain. So they made it through into the room where the creature had emerged and descended once again into hell.

How much time had passed, he didn't know. Everything seemed to be wrapped in cotton wool, his mind fuzzy and aching. As was everywhere else, he realised as he took a look around, trying to remember where he was, and why he was here.

He put his hands out, but they felt different. At the moment he didn't know why, and it wasn't his main concern right now. He felt something soft below him, aswell as something wet. He looked down and nearly screamed.

He was laying on someone dead. It was dead, clearly, because its neck lay at an odd angle to its body, as did its limbs. But its mouth, its eyes… Did it attack him?

Ellis slowly got to his feet, and easier than he expected. Shouldn't he at least be in pain? Whatever happened, Ellis expected at least SOME pain. He had obviously fell, he knew. That was the most obvious explanation. He reached for his hat, and realised it wasn't on his head. He looked around, but something was differently, like the time he'd worn those glasses meant for Keith's mom for a whole day and gave him a massive headache for a week. Everything seemed sharper and off-colour, like he doubted the sky was exactly orange. But he could also pick out things in more detail, like the fact his hat had a small rip in, and it was across the rooftop. He took a breath and wretched as the full stink of the man he had fallen on. Compared to what he could smell now, he felt like he'd been a clinical smoker, but smoking was wrong, ofcourse.

Ellis jogged over and reached down to pick his hat up up. Now, he did scream.

His hands, his nails, where claws. Godamn claws!
Longer, shaper and certainly not normal, not Ellis normal anyway, and that was certainly out there. Was he like…

The memories came back to him all at once, and he froze.

"Holy shitt… did I really fall from that roof? God, wait till Keith hears about this!" He laughed, as his lips curled back he realised his teeth where sharper, like whatever it was he'd landed on. And those people he'd been with… where they like him?

No, Ellis was… one of the crazy people. Well, he didn't FEEL crazy, he felt stronger, better than he ever did before. He frowned, thinking back. That creature had pounced, hadn't it? Like a jack-in-the-box. Ellis slowly dropped down to all fours as he mimicked what he remembered, and leapt forward. He whooped as he cleared the roof and landed on another slightly below. God, he was powerful! Like an athlete or something! Ellis grinned now, his trademark self coming back. He looked up at the hotel, and decided he'd get something to eat first before finding out what happened to the others. Nothing bad, he hoped. Sparing a look at the creature he had crushed, Ellis looked out across the city. Though he didn't know it, his eyes where split, like a cat or a hawk, blood red.

This was going to be fun!