This is another one of my fan fictions, one that came to me so vividly as compared to the failure that was S.T.A.L.K.E.R after I ran into a brick wall on that one. But that is fine, let me see how far I can take this, it isn't so long. It is a fan fiction of Left 4 Dead if anyone has played the game. The story basically revolves a common scene that one might find to happen in such a universe.
It was an empty alley. The sun was setting as the dark tendrils started crawling up the alley that would be my final place of resting, a wall I leant upon. Slowly, I see it creep up to me; I wonder when I will stop noticing. Beside me lay that Hunter that pounced upon me, leaving me, a maimed father. But that title would soon be revoked. Looking down at myself, blood oozed out of open wounds perpetrated by the savage claws on my murderer, staining my shirt. My left arm attached but estranged from the command of my own body, a necessary sacrifice to buy Julia more time to run and buy me more time to live. I'll probably start turning soon. My shaky right arm reached into the pocket of my tattered slacks. The shock and lethargy I was going through now being a testament to how weak I was to struggle pulling out my own wallet. Alas, I did manage so as I fingers pried at it, almost knocking it out away from me as I pulled probably the most memorable thing worth looking at in this damned world now; a picture of family, my family. My wife, Julia, and I, a perfect family of three. When the outbreak happened, I knew it was over for my wife because she was one of the researchers chosen to go to Mercy Hospital, where the whole damned thing started. I don't know why I even bothered trying to go, seeing how the result of that has landed me here. O Julia, my daughter, at least I can hope that you're safe. You're a smart teenager now. Everything will work out just fine for you, I hope.
Thirty Minutes Ago
Running through the main streets of this small town, panting through as we did not stop for nothing. The growls of what used to be people getting louder as my hand retained a taut grip on my daughter. The both of us ridden in fear, with only our adrenaline forcing us to run; who would be afraid? The horde was catching up. At times, I think fate can be the most vile prankster as the reason we're running from this whole horde was that a car alarm decided to trigger conveniently as we passed by. I could have sworn I heard a window shatter right before that, but the alarm halted my attention to it any further. Alas, this was the reason why Julia and I were running. My other hand holding a tight grip on the handgun I found lying around, I shot a few rounds into the zombies that were in front of me. People, whose lives I've helped by laying their reanimated bodies ultimately to rest. Deciding to cut through a winding alley, there were less zombies through there and the horde itself could not fit the whole of its members through simultaneously. At this point, Julia stopped in her tracks.
"Julia, what are you doing?" I cried, panic-stricken, my mouth voicing out the feelings that came directly from my gut, bypassing my brain.
"Watch this," she said, holding up the pipe bomb we picked up earlier. She pressed the button, activating the smoke alarm attached to it before tossing it into the crowd.
The beep the pipe bomb made attracting the horde to it as they swarmed the small yet potent bomb, sending themselves to death upon its explosion. Covering our ears, I think at that moment we both saw the fascination with our eyes the amount of blood and detached limbs that were about as our breath steadied. One glance to our left; one glance to our right, not a zombie in sight.
Julia started laughing out of relief, brushing aside her tied, blonde hair with her dirt-ridden fingers, her face too bore these traces as the hellish experience she had been through reflected off her worn white dress sodden with sweat. Finally, we got ourselves a breather as we continued the winding alley albeit slowly now.
"You know, if we ever get to one of those safe houses, why don't we just live there forever?" She suggested, not bothering to put much thought into it; she just wanted to talk.
"Sounds like a plan," I replied, getting my spirits lifted from this engagement of idle chatter. But that soon died for a moment as we walked on in silence, keeping safe our wariness.
"You think mum is still alive?" She piqued grimly, her blood-stained running shoes kicking pebbles and trash along the road.
"It doesn't hurt to think she still is," I said optimistically, thinking it to be the best answer for the both of us, "I just wonder whether we can live normal lives again," I stated blankly, my mind wondering upon that thought as I attempted to envision a life after the outbreak but to no avail.
"Yeah, it'd be pretty funny to see people vouching for zombie rights and making entertainment shows out of them," she chuckled, "hey dad," she called.
I hummed to show her she had my attention.
"Did you ever hate mum?" Julia suddenly asked.
I thought about it for a moment. Normally, a dad would try and dodge the question or at least apply some euphemisms to soften the truth. But, looking at how death was around every corner, was there a need to lie? "Not to say I didn't hate her, I just wished she was around more. Now, no matter how I wish it, it doesn't look like it'll becoming true any time soon now would it?" I replied.
Julia took in this answer silently as she wrapped her head around it, nodding understandingly to show that she was listening at least.
I took this moment to comfort her, it has been a hell of a week for me; I couldn't even imagine what it must have been for her as I jabbed her shoulder with my free hand, snapping her out of her trance.
"You know, this might be the best time as ever to confess something you might never get to," I stated, smiling cheekily.
Julia raised her eyes in bemusement, "like what?" She asked.
"Oh, I don't know..." trailing to think of some scenario that she'd probably be embarrassed by, "like whether you've you know, already had sex," I shrugged.
"Dad!" She exclaimed, lighting up like the red light of a traffic light in mortification. "Of course I haven't," she cried.
"I know," I said, falling silent for a while. "I have something to confess though," I suddenly stated, all jokes aside as the realization suddenly occurred to me.
"What is it?" Julia asked, catching the tone and the mood I projected.
"Right now, the world..." I started choking, a tear trying to force its way out of my eye. "The world isn't really itself right now. I mean, it's hell out there right now, a-and I don't even know whether we'll get out of it to see heaven on the other side," on the verge of breaking down, I could feel tears streaming down the side of my cheeks now.
Julia at this point wanted to interject with an embrace only to be stopped by me as I held up my hand.
"I-I... I just want you to know... that despite the fact that you might not have had what people might call the most, ideal family in the world and also the fact that... I haven't really been the best dad in the world. But through all the dirt and sweat; throughout this whole bloody joke, you are, and will always be, the most precious thing that a father can have right now, and forever," alas I confessed, taking a deep breath as I leant against the wall. Not permitting Julia the embrace, "not yet, not until your father has regained his posture." I said, taking in more deep breaths. There was a tear in Julia's eyes, of course, it was only to be expected after seeing her father so emotional for the first time.
"Dad... I..."
"I could use a drink right now honestly," I interjected her, letting out a chuckle, then a soft laugh. Lightening up the mood again, I felt my spirits lifted once more as I decided it was finally time for the hug that she was waiting for.
That was, until the piercing growl of the Hunter begged to differ as it pounced on me from nowhere. I only had time to block it with my left arm as I fell to the floor, knocking the handgun out of my hand.
"DAD!" I heard Julia scream, not of much use though as the Hunter started clawing away at my left arm, having a share of my body too as she picked up my gun and blasted away at the Hunter, yelling out her battle cry out of rage and fear. It was the luck of a well-placed shot to the head that put an end to the Hunter's attack as it fell to the floor lifeless. Pushing myself against the wall, Julia knelt down beside me. Panic-stricken and loss, I had to do something, otherwise she wouldn't survive.
"Honey, honey, I'm okay. I'll be fine," I blurted.
"No, you won't, you won't!" Tears now flooding down her eyes upon the disbelief of her father's state, added with the effect of all the blood. Forcing her the embrace she yearned for onto me, I haven't seen her cry like this since... since... when was the last time I saw her cry?
At this time, it seemed proper to enjoy the moment of my last embrace until that was reality snapped me back crudely, like the teacher that stopped you from dreaming bigger. All it took was one distinct howl of the horde to make us both realize what we needed to do.
"Shush, shush, my dear child. Listen, I may not be there with you. But please, keep on going. I know that you are not alone, I just know it. There will be survivors out there, find them. However far they are, follow them and live. You are still young, you know that, so do I. My last request of you, as a father on his death... "bed" would be that I want you, to see the new world after this whole mess that was played on us all and I want you to live it with no regrets. Here, take my gun, you'll need it more than I do, give me the pipe bomb. No, don't cry no more, dry your tears; swollen eyes will do you no good if you're trying to survive. That's it, now farewell Julia, and remember from the nadir of my heart, I love you. That's right, go, go, good girl. Wait, Julia! If... If you ever see mum along the way... don't be afraid to give a good one for me will you? Okay, thanks, now go, goodbye Julia..."
Just like that, her vivid, close features, the body, the clothes, the face, the hair, her funny laugh, her kitten smile, and everything else that I used to see every single day before and after the outbreak now disappearing into one distant figure jogging out of my life... forever.
Present times
Tossing my wallet aside, I picked up the pipe bomb. It's been a nice forty years, at least I didn't have to tell Julia about all my high school mishaps before I met her mother. Chuckling, I'm surprised I can do so now that I was at the end of my rope. The button on the thing, I would press it as soon as I saw the horde. If not, then at least the next person who was veritably a person could make use of it. Feeling my head getting light, I started wondering about death and whether God and the angels counted the sins that my reanimated body would do.
Suddenly, I heard a bottle kicked over to my side. With whatever strength I had left, I turned my head, and with whatever strength I had left; I was surprised that it could muster enough to widen my eyes in surprise and delight as I saw my daughter before me again. Her white dress was clean just like her fair skin as she sauntered over to me. It has been a while since I saw that kitten smile of hers. Standing now before me, it was like she was an angel, my personal guardian angel as she bent over. Her blue eyes glittering as they stared into mine. She took my face in her warm hands, I knew what was coming next. She was here to save me from this all.
...
Walking through this winding alley, it was weird the amount of dead zombie limbs and bodies that were around here. Louis was guarding our backs as I walked with Francis, we had just sent off those other survivors. I kinda liked that one guy, Ellis. I definitely hope to meet him again. But, reality, always like that one thing to bring us back from a nice reverie as we heard the sobs and cries of that one thing that haunts us all.
"Quiet guys, I hear a Witch, flash-lights off," I ordered in an undertone. It's been a stressful ride for us all ever since Bill died, it made me wonder whether that we'll all see this to the end, all... three of us.
"No problem," Francis said cockily, he was used to everything by now. The funny thing was, Francis was never the same after Bill died. He started becoming so vindictive against zombies without knowing it that even I was starting to feel sorry for them.
We spotted the Witch a little further down the alley, the hideous thing, blonde hair, tattered white dress now with sodden with blood. Poor guy, never even stood a chance to the Witch, whoever he was. Leaning against the wall, it seemed to be his final resting spot until the Witch came.
Francis marched up to Witch, behind her now. He didn't even let the Witch have a chance to turn and glare at us with her glowing red eyes as he stuck the barrel right to the back of her head and pulled the trigger, killing her instantly.
"Another witch crowned," he said proudly, blowing the smoking barrel of his shotgun. Regrouping with him, we found out that the face of the man had been eaten out, missing.
"Odd..." I remarked.
"What is?" Louis asked.
"I mean, look, it looks as though the Witch purposely ate out his face so he wouldn't turn." I commented, still, looking at the sight didn't spare me from having shivers sent down my spine. "Do you think she did this on purpose?" I asked.
"Hmm..." Louis hummed, engaging in a little cogitation.
Francis scoffed at this thought though, "who cares?" He said, "they're dead, and we're still alive, let's just- hey, pipe bomb," he then said, picking it up off the floor, beside the dead man leaning against the wall. "Like I said, let's just keep moving."
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." I agreed, even though he was being rather blunt, he was right though. We were still alive after all.
"Before that, I have a question Zoey," Louis suddenly started.
"What's up?"
"Did shooting that car from afar really change a thing?" He asked, recalling our earlier plan to distract the zombies by shooting the window of a car and triggering the alarm. "I mean, we still went through quite a bit just to come here, a bit including that Tank," he added.
"Well, it was just an idea at the time, it seemed like a good one," I stammered, sheepishly, "besides, it's not like anyone got killed because of it, they're all probably dead already."
Thinking about it, it made sense to Louis as he shrugged the whole thing off.
"Let's get moving then," Francis then said, starting to get a little impatient.
I was about to move until I stepped on a wallet. Picking it up, I was about to keep it before it occurred to me that this was a zombie apocalypse and I wouldn't need money. So I threw it back on the floor, beside the Witch who died on the dead man's lap.
At this point in time, I just realized that the remaining three should be on the island by now. But oh well, just imagine that this is just them returning to the main lands to restock on supplies.