Author's Note: This is a more improved (hopefully) second version of my original fan story based off the game Left 4 Dead. Characters and the storyline belong to me while the Left 4 Dead universe belongs to Valve respectively.

Left 4 Dead 3

Location: Tempe, Arizona

Campaign: Killing Time

Chapter 1: The Gym

11:02 AM – The Gym

"Any news on food rations Sir?" asked a soldier. The other officer frowned and gravely shook his head. "But it's been a month. We do not have enough rations left to feed half of these civilians," he said. This statement brought the officer's attention to the masses of evacuees resting and walking about the gym.

"What do you expect us to do?" the other said. "We've tried contacting the other stations and practically anyone who is tuned into the emergency broadcast channel, but all we have been getting back is static and dead air."

The soldier sighed in disbelief. "So, how much longer till they decide to let us out?"

The people began to awaken and the cots they slept on were folded into place as tables were set. The stuffy air reeked of body odor. The doors at both ends of the gym, as well as the side doors leading to the locker rooms, were blocked by crates and boxes, some empty and others filled with trash. The room was hushed and only the sound of murmurs and objects being moved were heard.

There was then a light vibration against the floor, causing the tables and trash to rattle. The room instantly became silent as everyone stood in wonder and fear. The vibrations increased at a faster pace and grew louder as various horrifying screeches were unleashed from the outside. Pounding on the gym's exterior walls and clacking of footsteps were heard on the roof. The people within began to panic. They quickly stampeded towards the doorways, digging through the barricade to escape. Officers and soldiers tried to pacify the horrified evacuees but to no avail. A brave few stood in the center with weapons waiting for the source of the commotion to reveal itself. The ceiling of the gym began to give in as crackling was heard from above.

Then another immediate silence followed. There was no screaming, no rumbling, no screeching. With one loud roar followed by a pound, the ceiling gave in and the slabs of concrete tumbled down along with a mass of creatures. The air was clouded with dust and debris and the screams of both the evacuees and the unknown creatures were silenced.

11:40 AM

Light shined throughout the dark gym. In the haze of dust a tall silhouette stood up. He coughed and fanned the dust away from him to get some fresh air into his body. "Is anyone there?" he yelled into the open space. He heard various voices and approached the closest one. He found a young lady, who appeared to be in her late 20s, slumped against the wall. "Are you okay, Miss?" He grasped the girl's hand and pulled her up. Once she was up on her feet she dusted herself off. She secured her side bag as she assured the man that she was fine.

Two shadows appeared against the wall in front of them. The shadow of a teenage boy with his hat turned over stood before them and asked, "You guys okay?"

The girl and man nodded as the other figure, his arms crossed, stepped forward to stand beside the teenager. "So… Is it just us four?" They waited for a minute, hoping for another sound. Unfortunately, they received no reply. "Well… Any ideas on what to do now?" the older boy asked, saddened.

"We're going to have to locate another evacuation zone," explained the man, "I'm sure there's one near us." He proceeded to take down a flyer with a list of evacuation centers located in the campus's vicinity. He indicated to the others a center that was just across the street from their location.

"Wait a minute. Are you sure it's a good idea to go outside…? I mean, you did see those things that came crashing through the roof right?" asked the older boy in the hoodie.

"Would you rather stay in here?"

The teen spoke up, "If we're going out there, we're gonna need weapons." The others agreed. "Well, com'on! Let's look around and meet back here if we find anythin' useful."

They scattered, rummaging through the piles of concrete and unopened crates. A few minutes passed before they met up again. The teen placed three handguns and holsters on the floor, keeping one of each for himself. The others proceeded to drop their findings on the floor. There were four red medical packs with straps attached to them, a shotgun and an array of everyday objects like emergency equipment to sports paraphernalia. "Choose what you want," the teen said.

All four hesitantly picked up the objects from the floor, securing everything. "Everybody good and ready?" asked the old man. The others nodded. He scanned the room and found the front of the gym obstructed by big slabs of concrete. "Looks like we're going to have to use the back exit." They proceeded with caution as they stepped through the destroyed doorway. "Don't wander off too far now. Stick together people." Outside the air was filled with the scent of rot; the air was also filled with periodic screams and gunshots that echoed in the empty space.

The fence that was set up prior to the evacuation was still up but damaged. "If we keep following this fence there should be a gateway we can go through," said the older, scruffy-haired boy. They followed his lead and followed the fence, turning at the corner of the gym. To their dismay, when they reached the gateway, it was locked.

The teenage boy cupped his hands. "Looks like we're gonna have to jump over it." The two other men debated whether it was safe to climb over the tall fence while the girl searched for an alternate route.

"Can you hand me your crowbar?" she asked the teenage boy. The boy gave it to her as she requested. She jammed one end of the crowbar into an opening of a door and with the help of the men, pushed it until the door finally busted open.

They looked inside to see what remained of the gym's mangled locker room. The concrete slabs of the room's ceiling were barely being supported by the lockers, most of which were bending and creaking under the pressure of what used to be the ceiling. "Yeah, this looks totally safe," the older boy exclaimed with sarcasm.

The older man disregarded the comment and proceeded with caution into the maze of concrete and lockers as the others followed behind him. "Careful now," he whispered as he slipped through crevices between the lockers and concrete. They managed to reach the other end of the room and tried to budge the door open. Realizing that the bottom half of the door was obstructed by debris, the older man made an opening at the top and pulled himself up through the opening. Once on the other side, he stood in shock at what was before him. As the others came over through the opening they had the same expressions. Before them were masses of pale beings with hollowed eyes. Blood oozing from their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The creatures were moaning, grunting, and puking on the floor. They seemed unaware of the survivors' presence.

The younger boy had trouble getting himself out. "Piece of sh-" he complained as he pulled himself through the gap. Once he was through, he abruptly released the end of the door, causing it to slam into the already cracked wall. This resulted in the side of the gym collapsing. The infected creatures turned their heads towards the crash and let out a collective screech. It was as if they were alerting other infected of the presence of the non-infected.

"W-w-what do we do," the girl stuttered.

"Let's hightail it," said the scruffy-haired boy as he pulled the collar-shirted girl by the hand, her side bangs swishing back and forth as she ran. "Run and shoot! Run and shoot!" he shouted to the others as he took out his handgun and began unloading bullets behind him. The other two followed his lead and began shooting at the creatures. As they were quickly reaching the intersection of the street, a rogue van drove erratically, plowing through the crowd of infected people and towards the four survivors.

"Watch it!" yelled the teen as he and the old man in the trench coat dodged the charging van. "Behind you!"

The boy with the hoodie turned his head just enough to see over his shoulder. He saw the headlights of the van advancing. He quickly turned, pulled the girl towards him, and wrapped his arms around her before jumping onto the sidewalk and landing with his back on the concrete as the van zoomed by them, barely missing the tips of their shoes. The others quickly came to aid their downed companions, covering their backs as the boy and girl helped each other get back up on their feet. A crash was heard down the street, followed by an explosion. Oil from the van had spilled across the street and lit up into an inferno, blocking the survivors' path.

As the situation calmed down they realized the predicament they were in. They continued walking along the rest of the sidewalk until they discovered an opening in a wall covered by branches of a fallen tree. Once behind the branches the older boy asked if he could bandage himself up. "Guessed I scratched myself up pretty bad when I jumped out of the way." With no sign of the infected creatures around the bundles of trees trunks they permitted him to do so. "Might take a while," he chuckled, "this strap goes around here right?"

The girl came before him and lent a hand, wrapping the gauze along the grazes. After she finished she looked at him with a grin and thanked him. "Why are you thanking me?" he wondered. "I should be thanking you."

The girl just replied with a smile and asked if they'd move along. They traveled past the trees and found a building. "Any idea where this is?" pondered the teen.

Facing them was what seemed to be the back of a building. They searched the premises until they came upon a red door with a little iron window. They opened the door slowly and peeked inside. "Clear," said the old man. They entered a room filled with TV monitors and a cabinet filled with ammo and a few guns. As the older boy closed the door he heard an ominous noise, a low growling. He stuck his head out, but the sound disappeared. He shrugged it off and shut the door closed.