This was originally meant to be a oneshot but it's become a lot longer than I was intending... Plan is still the same to keep it "short and sweet" chapter wise. I was thinking that the guys could have been attacked by a Tank when Zoey got jumped by the Jockey. This is my first time writing for Left 4 Dead, I love the games and zombies so I figured I'd give some stories a shot. I don't necessarily love the idea of pairing a Witch with a survivor romantically, it has to be done correctly... But I love Witches, they're very interesting to me. I wanted to explore a little bit of my own curiosity with their traits from the game as well as go into how I think Zoey would react since she loves zombie films. This was kind of brought on by my reading of L4D fanfictions and playing the games to get into another zombie fanfiction I've been working on... Hope you like it!
Thunder boomed loudly causing the partially submerged body to stir, the young woman's fingers twitched slightly. Her eyes danced behind her eyelids before she finally allowed them to flutter open.
Zoey winced as she tried to sit up, she guessed the Jockey that had been forcing her away from her group hadn't been paying attention to where he was going.
She remembered it had been raining when he'd jumped her. She had tried to yell but over the sound of gunfire and the hellish rain that had been falling the others must not have heard her.
Zoey didn't know how long or how far the Jockey had taken her away from her allies but she could tell she was not safe. Her body was shaking, cold and soaked. She felt around weakly for her gun to no avail, instead the body of the Jockey was illuminated by a flash of lightning. It was partially submerged in the mucky water just inches away.
She moved backwards out of instinct, despite the fact that it appeared to be dead she wanted to be no where near it. Zoey froze as her back met a solid building, her eyes narrowed as she glanced up and into the rain. As her sight adjusted she could slowly begin to piece together where she was, she'd been taken back almost into the main storage building for the sugar.
"Little bastard..." She mumbled, kicking her foot in the direction of the dead Jockey.
The only response was a loud crack of thunder over head, lightning crawled across the sky. Realizing it was a bad idea to remain where she was with the weather, Zoey forced herself up onto her feet. She grit her teeth as her left leg began to sting sharply, she reached into her partially ripped pack and retrieved a bottle of pills. They would hold her over until she was safe enough to take the time to heal.
Without a gun and with the deadly lightning looming above she had to make it back into the storage building and wait for the others.
She replaced her pack and removed her fire axe from its make shift sling before taking the first step towards her destination.
Her nerves were frazzled but her adrenaline kept her going, even through the pain. Her limp slowed her down but she steadily made her way forward. Sneaking past one or two infected thanks to the noise and the rain concealing her scent.
She had been listening intently for the sound of gunfire or talking but had heard nothing over the elements, her hope of finding her friends had dwindled.
Despite that dawning realization Zoey felt relief wash over her as she realized she'd made it without incident to the outside of the storage building. The sight of the worn red brick warming her cold body for a moment, she glanced along the length of the wall. She knew already there was no way she could climb back up to the way she'd come. Especially with how soaked, tired and sore her body was.
If she could find some form of crack or maybe even a door leading into the bottom floor she could find a deserted spot to rest until the sun rose tomorrow.
As she rounded the corner of the building she felt her heart pick up it's pace, there it was. A crack in the brick barely big enough for her to squeeze through but it would work. Zoey grunted as she pressed her body through the worn wall sideways, her nose crinkling as the rough edges brushed her cheek.
The air inside was still damp but in comparison to the outside it was immensely warmer, Zoey sighed in relief. She paused a moment, resting with her back against the wall as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She knew that her body would give out soon if she didn't stop to rest and regain her strength.
The partially enclosed space she'd entered was damp from the crack in the wall and she also guessed that if the guys did come back for her they would take the high ground. Realizing this meant she'd have to make her way to the second floor and re-secure it for herself she felt her mood drop slightly.
Somewhere in the back of her mind the brunette quietly thought that maybe it would still be deserted from when they'd come through earlier.
Trying to ignore the fear making its way into the pit of her stomach the young woman moved forward cautiously, her knuckles white as she gripped her weapon.
She paused as the rain reduced to almost a drizzle, a sound stopping her in her tracks. Crying. There was a Witch nearby.
Zoey gulped, and pressed her body into the nearby wall. She'd been on the side opposite of the steps and if she was right the Witch was positioned very close to them. The crying sounded different than it had earlier, it was a low, persistent sob.
As she moved forward again, she thought back to the first time she had encountered a Witch with Bill. The same crying had caught their attention back then, she'd thought that maybe the sobs had belonged to a survivor.
And even after they'd seen the ghoulish creature cowering in the back of a storage closet she'd felt a huge amount of sympathy for what had once been a woman, possibly with similar interests to her own. The Witch had seemed so frail then, her long boney limbs wrapped tightly around her hunched form that shook with violent sobs. The only thing that had seemed immediately dangerous were those claws. Long, thin and coated with dried blood.
She knew that Bill had noticed her fascination with them from that point on, how she'd not only figure out where they were with the scope but study them before finally being forced to move on with the group. When he'd questioned her about it she'd chalked it up to a combination of curiosity and her own quirky personality. She had been going to school to write what was essentially now her life, the Witch was another character to her. One that she longed to know the story of, how did she become different than the other infected? Why did she cry? Why did she not seek out and hunt the survivors like her fellow Special Infected?
Although she had not lied to Bill she hadn't been entirely truthful either. Zoey didn't know what fascinated her about the Witch.
The Witch was definitely an enigma but despite her previous feelings towards the creature, Zoey's usual bravado was absent. It was back with her companions, lost somewhere in the storm.
Peeking around the corner, Zoey felt her stomach twist into a painful knot. Although she'd made the good decision to take the longer way around, she could now see that the Witch was still close enough to her side of the stairs that things could get messy.
The blessing about the Witch's position laid in the fact that she was facing away from the survivor, lessening the chance of Zoey startling her if she moved quietly.
The Witch's presence also meant that there were most likely less common infected in the area, another plus. Creeping forward, her grip tight on her axe Zoey tried to keep moving through the pluses of this situation.
She had felt her adrenaline beginning to peak again, the Witches sobs were louder than she'd ever heard them. She'd been close to one before but there was always some other form of sound, now all she could hear was crying and the faint sound of the rain.
Zoey couldn't help but pause, her eyes taking in the pathetic form of the other female. She felt a small tug, urging her to go and comfort the infected creature. But her common sense won the battle, reminding her that if she liked her limbs and life she'd move up the steps instead.
As she reached the top of the steps, a small victory smile slid across her lips. The smile quickly fled her features though as a new sound echoed from the shadows a few feet away.
But it was too late, letting out a small gasp Zoey did her best to shield her eyes from the sticky goo like vomit. The Boomer let out a belch as it drew closer, the brunette could barely make out the silhouette of the large infected as he bumbled towards her. She swung wildly with her axe. She knew at this point it would be better to burst him than to let him continue to attack her since she was already covered in goo.
Her axe connected with a solid blow to his abdomen, a gurgling groan was the last sound the Boomer uttered before he exploded from the pressure of his inner gases being released. The force of the infected's death throws knocked Zoey back, her shoes squeaked as they slid across the Boomer bile.
She fought to right herself but the slippery substance beneath her hindered her attempts, she felt herself falling backwards. The tell tale dip of her stomach made her hold her breath until she impacted heavily with the first floor.
xxx
Zoey's eyes shifted beneath their lids, a small groan making it's way past her chapped lips. It was raining again, stray drops were finding her face before slowly making their way towards the floor.
She tried to will her eyes open but found the task difficult, her body was filled with a dull pain. Everything hurt, she hurt so badly that her other senses were dulled. As a more time passed they began to return, her sense of smell came back first. The thick scent of iron hitting her like a mac truck, she was bleeding.
She tried to open her eyes again, no luck. They remained squeezed shut tightly, another groan.
Her ears seemed to pop, sound returning suddenly making her brows furrow together even more. She could hear the thunder, the rain and crying. It was soft, barely something she could pick out amongst the other sounds.
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, they winced as lightning flashed above. She could see the rain falling down just passed the steps, the open sky angry and relentless.
The crying stopped then, she moved slowly. Her painful attempts fueled by both curiosity and fear.
One of the two emotions was mirrored in the dimly glowing red eyes that were watching her closely. Zoey felt her heart leap into her throat, the Witch's close proximity making her wish she'd remained laying. Faking either sleep or death until the morning when the infected would continue her rounds of sobbing across the grounds.
Without moving her head the brunette looked around for her axe but the weapon was far out of reach.
The Witch followed her gaze, her lip curling up into a snarl until Zoey's terrified eyes moved back to meet her own.
The lip immediately twitched back into place, pressed into a loose line with the other. Zoey gulped, not knowing if she should look the infected directly in the eye or not. She'd always heard with animals you weren't supposed to make eye contact with one that could kill you and then look away first, it was a sign of weakness.
She'd already done it once, she had to hold her ground this time. Everything else about her appearance must have already seemed weak to the much more physically powerful creature just a foot or so away from her.
The Witch's blood shot eyes searched her own, they flicked back and forth slightly. The faint glow was very dim compared to the crying or angry ones she'd seen in the past. Finally the infected lowered her eyes, much to Zoey's relief. At first she thought the Witch was planning to resume her sobbing but instead the creature began to look over the survivor's wounded form.
Not appreciating the attention, Zoey fought the urge to cover up her injuries. She didn't know if it would be more or less appealing to the Witch to seem weak and defenseless. The eye contact had been dominance but the creature in front of her had to know that there was no possible way she could fight back in her current condition.
The brunette's body stiffened as long claws extended towards her leg, her wide eyes watched as the Witch gently inspected her pocket. Tugging at the lip of the fabric curiously before lifting it up ever so slightly, Zoey watched puzzled. Her worry quickly set back in as the Witch began to lean in, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air.
Zoey aside from trembling slightly remained still, her eyes watching as the Witch cut the pocket open slightly before extracting the remnants of a chocolate bar from the tattered remains.
She watched as the creature sniffed and cautiously licked at the disfigured candy before popping it into her mouth with a happy groan.
That's when it dawned on Zoey, "You like sugar." She said simply, making the red eyes rise back up to meet her own. The wrapper slipped free of the claws and fell back down to the cement floor.
Zoey's mind was racing a mile a minute, it was no wonder there were so many Witches here. They had been wondering, at one point they'd thought maybe it had to do with the weather. But this made more sense, Witches didn't target survivors because they didn't feed off of them... Unless maybe they were desperate.
The Witches here were much easier to get passed because they weren't as irritable and hungry as their counterparts in areas lacking their sweet favored food. As she looked the Witch in front of her over Zoey could see small signs that set this Witch apart from the previous ones she'd seen up close.
Her form wasn't quite as boney and defined as the others, she was more filled in. Her eyes although red weren't as heavily sunken in and only glowed faintly when she wasn't aggravated. Her smell was still musky and somewhat rotten but it was mostly covered by the sweet smell of the building around them. Small particles of sugar clung to the spots of dried blood on the infected, most likely from when she immersed herself in it to feed.
The two females regarded each other in silence, the Witch remained in her hunched position and Zoey laid still.
The silence continued for several minutes, Zoey still nervous about breaking eye contact with the infected in front of her. The Witch finally lowered her eyes to her hands, the clawed appendages laid palm up in her lap. She began to whimper quietly, most likely with the intent to start her trademark sobbing again.
Zoey chewed on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully before slowly reaching behind her back for her bag. The Witch grew quiet, her eyes rising again to follow the human woman's movements. The brunette dug around as carefully as she could in her back pack. Her eyes glancing back up towards the Witch to make sure the pale woman wasn't becoming aggravated by her rummaging.
Her green eyes widened slightly as her fingers brushed the pistol Bill had given her when they'd first met, she'd forgotten that she'd stashed it in her bag when she'd picked up her fire axe. She decided it was best to leave the weapon in her bag for now after the Witch's reaction to her even looking at her axe before.
She instead removed another candy bar, tugging the wrapping open quickly before breaking a piece off for the curious creature who was still watching her closely.
"Here, have some." She said gently, the large chunk of chocolate sitting in the center of her outstretched hand.
The Witch's red eyes bobbed up and down between the chocolate and the injured human offering it. She sniffed the air again deeply before giving into temptation.
Zoey's brows furrowed as the creature leaned her head in instead of using her claws like she'd done before, the cool breath that escaped the Witch's parted lips causing her to shutter. She guessed the infected woman breathed from a lingering instinct from when she was human. Her thoughts were cut short as her eyes grew wide, a cool, wet tongue swiping the chocolate up from her hand.
Zoey retracted her hand quickly, wiping her hand on her dirty and torn coat. The Witch failed to notice, her eyes had fluttered shut as she leaned back to enjoy her treat.
The human couldn't help but chuckle at the bizarre behavior being displayed from what was considered to be one of the most dangerous special infected.
She immediately grew quiet though as a loud groan and screech echoed from the shadows around them, the Witch also became alert. A low growl resonating from deep within her chest.
Suddenly Zoey remembered what had happened before she'd blacked out, she stared down at her dirty clothing. A faint green tinge still clung to them, the dried Boomer bile had cracked slightly when she'd sat up. She looked down towards the shorter path to where she'd entered the building, several sets of glowing eyes meeting her own. She then looked over her shoulder, passed the stairs and towards the front of the building. More eyes watching there, the only thing that seemed to be keeping them away was the irritated Witch.
The pale woman's features were contorted into a snarl, her sharp teeth illuminating as the lightning flashed outside. Zoey felt her blood run cold, this was more like the Witches she recognized. One of the zombies lumbered from the shadows, it seemed he hoped to make it closer to the injured human while the Witch had her back turned.
The Witch however heard him very well, she let out a loud cry. Twisting her body around as she rose, her clawed hands rising above her head as she glared towards him. He shrunk back slightly, his glazed eyes moving back over to Zoey for a moment before he lurched forward. Apparently the temptation was too much for the mindless common, the Witch let out a loud wail as she slashed at him. He ignored her and tried again, this time pushing his limit too far.
The zombie let out a weak groan as he was cut nearly in half, the Witch snarled angrily. Her bloodied hand swatting back and forth in an attempt to rid itself of the infected's stench, Zoey noted it mentally before her wide eyes turned over her shoulder.
She'd almost forgotten about the infected watching from passed the steps, the Witch turned as three of them moved to follow the one she'd just slain. A deep sob like cry erupted from her parted lips, it was a warning. They too seemed to ignore it, Zoey watched in horror as they continued to limp forward. She moved to unzip her bag and retrieve the pistol, in case the Witch needed back up. It was for a last resort however, given one loud bang from the gun could possibly turn her new acquaintance against her as well.
Zoey watched as the Witch moved with deadly intent, her claws easily tearing through the rotting flesh like a knife through butter.
Suddenly over the sounds of carnage Zoey heard another sound that sent her heart plummeting, a heavy cough echoed from in front of her. A thick green smoke seemed to move out from the shadows, a slimy tongue flew out towards her torso.
It connected heavily, wrapping itself around her like a python and pulling tight. The young woman let out a weak cry as the air was rushed from her lungs by the pressure. The Witch turned, her eyes glowing brighter as her rage increased.
She shrieked, barreling forward with a ferocity that would have frightened Zoey immensely if the creature wasn't seemingly on her side. The Smoker emitted a low growl, it ended with the trademark hacking cough. The normal infected that had been waiting in the shadows moved forward to meet the Witch, she sliced through them easily. But the Smoker had gained enough time to bring Zoey within striking distance of his sharp claws, the girl gasped as they raked deeply into her back.
Her eyes were hardly functioning as tears filled her line of vision, the tight grip the Smoker's tongue had on her neck was preventing her from breathing. She tried to cry out but no sound came forward. Her mouth moving uselessly in her frantic attempts.
The Smoker grunted, pushing Zoey into the angry approaching Witch. The infected female pushed passed the nearly unconscious human, her claws and arms raised beside her head. Her eyes flashing as she moved in for the kill. Her first slash severed the Smoker's main tongue, nearly taking off it's bottom jaw with it. The second slash dug deeply into the taller infected's stomach, a puff of smoke escaped but the Witch continued her vicious attack. Two more swipes and the Smoker was cleaved in half, the rest of his noxious fumes escaping his now open chest cavity.
Zoey could feel herself becoming faint again, she desperately needed to clean and bandage her wounds. The new slashes on her back were bleeding and the old wounds, including the one on her leg had reopened during her panicked thrashing. She groaned, pushing herself against the nearby wall. She could feel the raw sugar beneath her hands shifting as she tried to find a comfortable sitting position.
Her eyes moved to the Witch who was breathing heavily nearby, the infected woman's shoulders were shaking slightly. Her thick white hair concealing her face as she leaned forward, still in a defensive stance. Any zombies still within the area seemed to take the hint, Zoey saw no more moving from the shadows to attempt an attack. Although she still felt very exposed, the young woman knew that at least one of these small partially enclosed areas would offer more protection in the case of an attack.
She didn't know how long the Witch planned on staying in the area, she could easily move on as soon as the sun was up. Trying to push the thought into the back of her mind, the woman pulled her pack to her lap. She frowned deeply as she saw the deep slashes from the Smoker had torn open the top, she didn't even need to unzipper it at this point.
Sighing, Zoey reached inside and pulled out her pills and the health pack. She popped two of the pills into her mouth, stashing them away before unzipping the health pack. She pulled out the medical tape, gauze, tweezers and small bottle of peroxide.
Once she realized the zombies had decided to give up on their attack the Witch lowered her hackles, her muscles relaxing as well as she returned to a crouched position. Her pale, glowing eyes watched Zoey's movements curiously as she winced. The peroxide bubbling as it hit the dirty wounds on her body, the woman fought back a weak chuckle as the Witch cocked her head.
"Don't worry, it's good. Getting all the shit outta there..." Zoey said softly, she didn't know if the other woman could understand her. But it felt good to have someone to 'talk' to regardless.
Zoey made sure to clean all of the wounds she could reach, she realized that she wouldn't be able to get the slashes on her back very well but she could at least pour the peroxide over them. Glancing shyly towards the red eyes watching her intently, the brunette carefully removed her torn track jacket. She then began to lift her torn and stained white T-shirt. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she realized the Witch was still staring, she mentally reminded herself that the woman watching her wasn't exactly a normal person.
Goose bumps quickly covered the young woman's exposed flesh as she moved to pour the liquid down her shoulders, her eyes moved to meet the Witch's as the cool liquid burned the dirt from the slashes. Zoey hissed through her teeth as the peroxide rolled down her back, she retrieved the cleanest cloth from her pack to catch the liquid before it reached her pants. She dabbed up the excess as best she could before attempting awkwardly to place gauze pads with the medical tape over the slashes. Realizing she would most likely end up putting the tap over one of the cuts, the woman swore under her breath before tossing the gauze to the ground in frustration.
The Witch made a small sound in the back of her throat, her head cocking to the side slightly. She seemed a little surprised by the woman's sudden outburst. Zoey felt her cheeks warming a bit, a little ashamed that she'd lost her cool so close to the creature. She knew well that it didn't take much to set off a Witch, she shouldn't push her luck. No matter how curious and passive this one appeared to be.
She looked up again as she carefully pulled on her shirt, the Witch's eyes had since lowered to her lap. Her claws were fumbling almost shyly, Zoey blushed. Maybe this woman was more normal than she'd thought...
The brunette quickly realized that the Witch hadn't been embarrassed by her lack of clothing but was actually shy of her own appearance. She was fumbling with her long, claw like fingers in an attempt to clean them of the blood. Zoey blinked, her mind going back to when the Witch had slashed and killed the first infected that had gone after her. She'd been shaking her hand in an attempt to get rid of the gore almost instantly after it had happened.
Zoey smiled slightly as she reached back into her bag, she kept two canteens of water on her at all times. Both were boiled and ready to drink but one was also used for washing hands or freshening up. Grabbing the emptier of the two, she took the rag she'd just used to catch and wipe off the peroxide and moved closer to the infected woman.
The Witch watched cautiously but made no attempt to move away, Zoey looked up slowly until their eyes met.
"I won't hurt you, I promise. I'm just going to try to see if I can help clean you up." She said, the smile still tugging lightly at her lips.
The Witch made no outright sign that she understood but didn't object when Zoey gently moved one of her hands onto her jeans. Careful of the sharp edge to the claws the human began to gently clean away the blood and grime.
The infected woman watched in silence, occasionally making a small sound of what Zoey thought to be approval in the back of her throat. When the rag became too filled with blood and dirt, the brunette would wring it out and pour some water onto it to clear it out a bit.
She didn't get the Witch squeaky clean by any means but she was much better than she had been before.
Before she could stop it, a small yawn escaped the human. She moved back towards the wall and her pack, leaving the towel just beyond the pile of sugar to dry on the cement. She looked over at the Witch and smiled before curling up, the creature remained where it was. Watching her quietly as she slowly began to drift into a light sleep.
xxx
Zoey mumbled as she felt something cool press against her body, her eyes fluttered open. She was surprised to see that the Witch was pressed to the wall next to her, the infected woman's back was facing her but the contact was enough to bring a smile to Zoey's lips. If only the Witches in Pennsylvania had been able to get to a better sugar source, maybe she would have encountered one she could have befriended sooner.
"Good night." The girl whispered quietly, she doubted the other woman had even heard her. She watched as the muscles lining the infected's back tensed for a moment. A dimly glowing red eye peeked over a pale shoulder, Zoey fought back a laugh. Her eyes once again growing heavy as she nuzzled back down into her folded arm. She wasn't sure if the other woman would still be there when she woke up. But she hoped that she could trust her to stay. If not, at least she could die having made a new friend in such difficult times.
