The Midnight Riders

by LumpyChunks

One year on and the world is a very different place.The Midnight Riders, forming of Coach, Nick, Ellis and Rochelle are fighting a war against the infected and opposing Clans while Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey team up to try and rescue them.

1. Midnight

The Midnight Riders

Chapter One - Midnight

The afternoon sun had just sunk below the horizon leaving the faintest beams of light glowing low in the sky. Normally this would be the time for the street lights the flicker as they turned on, showing the way for motorists on their way home. Normally this would be the time for people to turn on their desk lamps, their ceiling lights and their porch lights inside their houses. Normally this would be the time for families to be reunited after a long day at work, school or any other normal activities. However the sun had just set over the United States of America, a place where the world normal was no longer used. The lights in the streets were dead, the buildings were empty and the homes were ransacked. No matter where you looked across the country the view in each city, town and community was the same; dead, quiet and forgotten.

Stories of what had happened to the once glorious, powerful and respected country were as well known as the ABCs. A virus had spread across the nation with such speed, strength and brutality that it was impossible to contain. As it passed along to Canada and down through Mexico to South America, the rest of the world could only watch as the west fell apart. Even those who were immune to the disease itself still suffered at the hands of the infection as their fellow citizens turned on them due to the effects of the virus; emotion, inhibition and humanity were replaced with uncontrollable rage, aggression and murderous intent. They could not help themselves, those who were infected and neither could those who were immune. Two weeks was all the time it took for one country to be fully decimated by the unstoppable force. Two weeks was all the time it took for men and women to be forced to take up arms and defend themselves against the face of evil; the virus that inhabited people's bodies. Two weeks had come and gone, in fact many weeks and months had passed by since that very first infection. The west had gradually been forgotten by the rest of the world, their attention focused on not allowing such a disaster to happen to be repeated ever again. The only thing, they believed, that remained on the western continents was death.

How wrong they were.

Under the glow of the moonlight was a large facility; an oil refinery according to the welcome sign that had been knocked to the ground long ago. Bullet holes and sizeable claw marks spoilt the face of the sign that lay in front of the facility, next to the security station that had only had a damaged barrier to prevent people from walking up the tiny concrete path to the main building. Outside the front entrance was a very large coach, the engine was not running and there were no signs of life through the dark windows. However there were signs of life through the entrance of the refinery, past the tattered reception area, down some deserted corridors and just beyond the doors that went to the storage area.

The doors to the area opened and two dark figures emerged pushing large flatbed carts into the corridor. The wheels squeaked as they rolled across the ground and the contents of the carts shook slightly as they were pushed along. The men were pushing large containers filled to the top with petrol that made a gentle sloshing sound during transport. The two men went through the corridors, past the reception that had a set of stairs past the main desk leading to the upper floors and made it outside just in front of the coach. The main door of the vehicle opened and a young man made his way down the steps and greeted the two. He then walked along the side of the coach and opened the storage compartment. Inside were many more petrol containers and he helped them load them inside. A woman made her way down the steps and poked her head around the side of the coach, watching them as they worked.

'This is the second load,' one of the men, a pale skinny man in his thirties wearing a once expensive but now a slightly dirty and tattered suit, spoke with a subtle tone of excitement. His name was Nick. 'We've really hit the jackpot.'

'We need to get as much as we can,' said his partner, a man who was slightly older with darker skin. He spoke with a tone of authority as they loaded up their coach. The man had a bald head and was slightly large, although not as large as he had been a year ago. He wore casual clothes and his name was Coach.

'Maybe we should leave some for somebody else?' the younger man suggested. His voice was gentle but also naive. Wearing similar clothes as Coach, Ellis outfit was completed with a blue cap that rested snugly on his head. Coach and Nick stopped for a moment and looked at Ellis seriously. They had become used to Ellis' way of thinking over time but still found it difficult to believe the things he said sometimes.

'We need as much as we can, Ellis,' Coach told him. 'It's not easy to run this bus. We need to do as much as we can to keep it running as it keeps us safe.'

'Yeah, I know,' Ellis loaded a canister into the storage area and then paused for a moment, looking at Coach. 'It's just it don' feel right; just takin' from folk without askin', you know?'

'I hardly think anyone will miss this,' Nick chuckled, continuing to transfer the canisters onto the bus.

'You know what I mean,' Ellis sighed. 'It's just not right.' Coach gently took Ellis' arm and pulled him aside, allowing Nick to continue the work. They stood by the door to the bus, being watched by the woman on the stairs, who was dressed in a semiformal clothes.

'I know it ain't right,' Coach told him sincerely. 'Nothing's been right for ages though. I mean it's hard enough staying alive without them bitches causing us grief or those people who want to hurt us so that they can get what they want. On top of all that we need to find food, gas for the bus, ammo for our guns...' Ellis nodded slowly as Coach spoke to him, understanding what he was saying. 'Kid we're just like everyone else; hanging onto life with our fingernails. Everyone out there wants to do everyone else harm. If you're not one of them, you're somethin' else and that's when they start shootin' at you. The only way you can talk to these other people is if you got something they want and they have something you want.'

'I guess,' Ellis whispered softly. Coach patted him on the shoulder, keeping his hand there for a moment as he smiled caringly at him.

'What we do,' he told him, 'we do to survive.' Ellis nodded in understanding. Coach gestured to the door of the bus, offering Ellis to go inside while he and Nick finished loading the petrol. Ellis stepped away from Coach and went to the stairs. The woman watching out took a few steps backward inside the bus as Ellis walked up.

The inside of the bus was massive. Ellis stepped past the woman, smiling pleasantly at her as he went to the driver's seat and sat down behind the wheel. As the woman with long and slightly messy brown hair with a noticeable hint of grey went to join Ellis in the front passenger seat, she moved away from the rear of the bus. On one side was a kitchen area while on the other was a set of rooms built into the bus. There were four doors, each were individually labelled. One belonged to Ox, while another belonged to Smitty. The other two belonged to Jake and Dusty. Further back at the rear of the bus was a seating area with a small table surrounded by a leather sofa that was built around the three walls of the rear section. The carpet was dark grey, the walls and furniture were mostly made of dark wood and the ceiling held lights that dimly lit the interior of the bus. The windows were tinted and it was impossible to see in from the outside. Sitting next to Ellis, Norah turned her chair so that it faced him and then smiled at him, taking his hand and holding it in hers tenderly.

'You okay?' she asked him, already knowing the answer.

'I am,' Ellis nodded, not looking at her. 'I am.' Norah bowed her head, still holding his hand. Ellis swallowed hard as he looked out of the front. 'I just don't know how much longer I can take this.' Norah glanced back up at him and listened caringly. 'We've been living like this for almost a year now and I can't take it anymore I just can't!'

'We all wish that we could leave this all behind,' Norah said supportively.

'Wishing ain't enough,' Ellis told her.

'I don't know about that,' Norah sat back, allowing Ellis fingers to slide out of her hand. 'I guess it depends on what you wish for.'

'Well I wish I was out of here.'

'I don't think you do,' Norah spoke honestly and Ellis looked at her questioningly, prompting her to elaborate. 'If you were out of here then you'd no longer be with us; the people who keep you safe, who you keep safe and who are your friends.'

'I guess so.' There was a brief silence before Ellis spoke again. 'I wish Rochelle was here.' Norah pursed her lips and once again looked to the floor by bowing her head.

'I know you do,' she whispered. There then came a noise from the back of the bus and two people emerged from Smitty's room. One of them was a young man named Drake with bright, glorious, thick red hair that was styled well, considering the circumstance. He wore skinny jeans with a slim fitted black shirt that showed off his slight muscle tone. His face, while handsome, was still undeniably young; he looked no older than eighteen. The woman was named Danielle and she was tall with long blonde hair and appeared to be in her forties. She was dressed in casual pants and a neat blouse.

'You guys okay?' Drake asked.

'We're just having a moment,' Norah told him. Danielle took Drake's arm and pulled him away, saying that they should give Norah and Ellis some privacy. She looked back at Ellis who was now sat up in his chair, pulling the seatbelt over him and securing it tight. As he grabbed the wheel, Norah knew that their conversation was over and so she stood up and left Ellis alone just after she rested her hand compassionately on his shoulder.

Norah went over to Danielle and Drake who were sat in the seating area to the back of the bus. She put her hands on the table as she leant forward, letting out a tired sigh.

'You okay?' Danielle asked her.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' Norah massaged her forehead with her fingers. 'It's just Ellis; he's becoming more and more upset with what we do.'

'What do you mean?' Danielle asked.

'He believes we should try and build bridges.'

'With people like Thomas Galt?' Drake asked disbelievingly. He was surprised to see Norah nod her head at him. 'He can't be serious.'

'He's a very sweet and caring boy, Drake,' Danielle told him. 'It's only natural for him that he wants to help out others.'

'I don't want to get killed because he wants help our enemies,' Drake protested. 'If he wants to be like that we should throw him out.'

'No one is getting thrown out!' Norah told Drake, leaning in close to the boy. 'Don't let Coach hear you talking like that or he may make an exception.' She stood back up tall. 'We need to stick together if we're going to survive and that means appreciating other people's opinions, not throwing them out if we disagree with them.' As they continued their conversation, Ellis leant around his seat at the front and looked over at them.

Just outside, Coach and Nick had loaded the last container of petrol onto the bus and gently closed the storage area.

'What do you think?' Nick asked Coach, wiping some sweat off his forehead. 'One more load should do it?'

'I reckon so,' Coach nodded. The two went back inside the facility and walked through the corridors back toward the storage area. As they made their way there, Nick looked at Coach, eager to say something. However, he remained silent and glanced back ahead. After a few more steps, Nick looked once more at Coach before turning his gaze forward again. 'If you've got something to say then just say it.' Nick blushed slightly but spoke up regardless.

'Sorry for staring,' he said. 'I understand that you want as much gas as we can get but I can sort of see where Ellis is coming from. We have more than enough on the bus to last us a good few months. Why are we getting more?'

'We can trade it,' was Coach's answer.

'Oh, I see,' Nick spoke happily. 'That sounds like a good idea. Who are we going to trade with?'

'I'm going to call Henry James,' Coach told him just as they were about to step into the storage area. Nick stopped still as he heard the name Henry James and simply stared at Coach in disbelief.

'You're joking, right?'

'He's in bed with Galt,' Coach turned around at the doors, looking back at Nick. 'We could do with them not working against us.'

'Yes but last time we dealt with Henry he shot you and Rochelle,' Nick pointed out.

'A simple misunderstanding,' Coach waved his hand dismissively. 'Besides I reckon he'll be in a less shooty mood when he sees how much gasoline we're offering for him.'

'And what would we get in return?' was Nick's final question as he stepped close to Coach.

'We'd be invited to join Thomas Galt's little community,' Coach told him.

'Little?' Nick repeated. 'Christ, the man controls nearly the whole of the north-west.'

'Which is why we need him on our side,' Coach explained. 'We're not going to be able to keep up this lone wolf act forever. Sooner or later someone is going to die and when people like Rochelle leave...' Nick looked away with the mention of Rochelle, an unpleasant expression on his face. Coach stepped close to him and put his hands on Nick's shoulders, making him look at him. 'That's why we need more allies; we could live more comfortably than we do now.'

'I don't think Ellis will like this plan,' Nick sighed, not liking it much himself. Coach smiled at him and turned away.

'You let me worry about Ellis,' he spoke. His words were suddenly silenced by a loud cry in the distance. On the bus, the others heard it too and looked out of the window. It was a cry they had heard many times before and no matter how often they heard it, it terrified them. It was the sound of an immeasurable number of infected crying in unison, approaching them from the distance. On the bus, Norah ran to the kitchen area and passed weapons around. She took an Uzi for herself, handing Danielle a shotgun and Drake a set of pistols. Ellis turned on the engine of the bus and flicked on the lights. The dark bus was now illuminated with a logo of an eagle on each side with two swords going through it. There was a title in the middle of the logo; "Midnight Riders".

Coach and Nick decided promptly to leave the rest of the petrol and ran back toward the bus, Coach equipping his machine gun and Nick taking out his combat shotgun. The two turned a corner and heard the sound of smashing glass as they ran. Turning around, Nick looked back at the corner they had turned, thinking that he had heard something. A large number of infected emerged from the corner, making their way for him and Coach. Nick fired a few shots at the horde as he turned around and followed Coach back into the reception area.

As they made their way for the door, there was a sickly sound of something wheezing in the distance. Nick let out a scream as the tongue of a Smoker wrapped around his body and dragged him away from Coach, who looked back and followed his companion. The Smoker was stood at the top of the stairs, reeling Nick toward it. Coach jumped onto the reception desk that Nick was pulled past and fired a few shots at the Smoker. The bullets tore through the beast's face, tearing off chunks of bloody, mutated flesh and sending out a large plume of smoke that marked the infected's demise. Coach fired at the horde of infected that approached Nick as he stood back up, keeping him safe as he got back on his feet.

Before Nick had a chance to thank Coach, the hysterical laugher of a Jockey cut through the noise of the common infected and the short, hunched monster leapt from the crowd onto Coach, who was an easy target on top of the desk. Coach fell off and stumbled across the ground, the beast holding onto him tight. Nick went to go help but was forced to jump out of the way as he heard the dull roar of the Charger that was pushing its way through the horde. Barely missing him, the Charger ran past Nick and crashed into a wall. As it attempted to pull itself out, Nick unleashed a flurry of shotgun blasts at it and soon the Charger fell dead.

Coach let out a cry as the Jockey led him into the horde. Nick ran to help him, shooting away the other infected that got close to him. As he went to help Coach, Nick heard another sound over the horde, the sound that was beautiful over the cries of the infected; gunfire. Norah and Danielle had joined the fray, shooting away the infected that surrounded Coach and blasting the Jockey off his back.

Inside the bus, Drake was stood by the door, shooting any infected that attempted to get inside. The cry of a Hunter suddenly panicked him and his weapon jammed as he saw the creature crawl into view. The Hunter jumped forward into the bus and began scratching and clawing the helpless Drake. Ellis leapt from this seat, accidentally knocking the parking brake, and kicked the beast in the head. As it fell out of the bus, Ellis fired multiple shots into the hooded infected's body and it lay limp on the ground. However this did not stop it from moving as the bus was now rolling down the hill. Ellis cursed and jumped away from Drake to regain control of the bus.

Inside the reception, Nick saw the bus roll off and went to chase after it. However, a large Tank burst through the doorway, blocking his path. Coach told everyone to split up and he and Norah ran up one set of stairs while Nick and Danielle went up another. The Tank followed Nick and Danielle, running quicker than they could manage. On the other side of the reception's second floor, Coach and Norah made their way down another corridor as they attempted to search for something that they could use against the Tank. Norah opened the first door that she came to that went to offices. The door was stuck by something on the other side so she pushed hard to go through. This proved to be a mistake as when she stepped inside she heard the insane cries of the Witch she had just knocked over with the door. Norah swore under her breath as she ran away with Coach, the Witch hot in their heels.

Back outside, Ellis climbed behind the wheel of the bus as Drake attempted to hold onto the wall. The coach went over a bump and Drake was knocked outside, rolling across the ground as Ellis went on, trying to control the vehicle. As Drake stood up he looked around as he heard the blubbery sounds of a Boomer behind him. He saw it standing close. The obese Boomer vomited all over Drake who let out a cry and fired at it, the bullet causing it to explode as it pierced the skin. Drake fell back due to the shock of the blast and attempted to wipe the horde attracting bile from his eyes. As he regained his sight, he saw a group of the infected headed straight for him. His pistols nowhere to be seen, Drake shuffled back as they got close. As they were within mere meters from him, Drake thought that this was the end of him. Luckily, Ellis proved him wrong by driving the bus past him and right over the infected; Drake looked around and found his guns as the infected were horrifically crushed underneath the wheels of the bus. Drake shot the last remaining infected and ran around the bus to get inside as it stopped. However, Ellis refused to let him on as he was covered in bile. Drake let out a distasteful sigh as he began to strip out of his bile covered clothes.

As if Nick and Danielle's problems of a rapidly approaching Tank were not bad enough, they saw a Spitter emerge from the corner ahead of them. They were in a corridor with no other way out. Either they went ahead or turned back. Coach and Norah ran around a corner and saw the Spitter up ahead from a different angle. While it was facing Nick and Danielle its left-hand side was facing Coach and Norah. The Spitter arched itself back and shot out a sputter of highly caustic acid toward Nick and Danielle. The two ducked as the acid shot over them and hit the Tank in the face. The beast let out a cry of agony as it stumbled past them, toward the Spitter. Coach and Norah shot and killed the Spitter, resulting in a large pool of acidic sludge to be sprayed all over the ground. The sizzling sound of it dissolving everything it touched was unmistakeable. Coach and Norah, still chased by the Witch, leapt over the acid as the Witch ran through it. The infected let out a cry of agony as it went through the sludge, angrier than ever. The Witch made a deadly swipe for Coach but missed as the blinded Tank crashed into her. While Coach and Norah were able to dodge the brute, the Witch was not so lucky and was dragged through the acidic sludge and crashed through the outer wall, falling to the ground. The four exchanged glances as they stood there for a moment.

The distant cry of the horde encouraged them to get moving and they made their way promptly to the bus. After they all got inside, Ellis put the vehicle in gear and then drove off just as the horde swamped the oil processing facility. They drove off safely with what they had come for. The bus went through the broken gates and onto the open road with only a few common infected in pursuit. As the bus pulled away, the infected gave up their futile pursuit and the bus faded into the distance.

*

Meanwhile, a slick, sleek submarine was making its way through the ocean at quite a great speed. The Astute-class HMS Jaeger was closing in on its destination, the eastern coast of the United States of America. Despite its rather gentle size, the HMS Jaeger packed quite a powerful punch, with an impressive armament of naval mines, Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes. It had been specially built for the mission it was now currently engaged in and was heading without hesitation into the unknown. No one from the outside had been this close to America for nearly a year, fearful of the infection. The HMS Jaeger was going where no one had been before since the disaster, treading new ground and doing so with confidence and purpose.

The interior of the submarine was well constructed with easy to walk through corridors and spacious rooms. The bridge of the vessel was surprisingly roomy, with an area just before it that was even larger. The "Tactics Room", as the submarine's lieutenant commander called it, stood before the bridge and was the most notable feature of the HMS Jaeger. The large room was rectangular in length and apart from two doorways that allowed access to the bridge and the rest of the submarine, there were state of the art computer consoles lining the walls. The consoles spread up, with large monitors near the ceiling displaying status information relating to other areas of the submarine with other work station monitors and keyboards, along with other switches located lower down at arm's reach. In the centre of the room was a large raised rectangular table. This was the most interesting feature of the room as it was not a table but a touch screen monitor that was able to display a range of information, from maps to mission reports or submarine status updates. It was the heart of the room and was, for now, displaying a map of the world zoomed close to the coast of America. The submarine, according to information on the map, was roughly thirty minutes away from their destination, which was just off the coast of North Carolina.

Stood by the table in the Tactics Room was lieutenant commander Miguel Doyle. He was a dark skinned, dark haired man of average height. He wore a dark blue camouflage uniform. For his rank he appeared to be very young, his handsome face was one of unwarranted confidence over justified experience. He tapped the icon of his submarine with his finger and the display zoomed in closer. Information regarding the temperature of the ocean water, the depth they were at and strength of any currents was displayed. Dragging his finger along the display, Miguel shifted the image sideways toward the coast. The image then flashed red with a notice popping up informing him of restricted access. Miguel chuckled to himself as he typed in a password, which allowed him further access. Stepping away from the display, Miguel went to one of the consoles and pushed a button.

'Guest party,' he spoke into a microphone, his voice carrying all over the submarine, 'please report to the Tactics Room.'

Miguel's words reached elderly Bill first, who was sat in the submarine's mess hall. The tables were small ones with modest circular seats attached to them. Bill was lying over some of these seats, his favourite green beret tilted over his face, one of his beloved cigarettes in his mouth and his rather astute ears listening to the small, poor quality television that hung in the corner. He was dressed in a dark green camouflage uniform.

'Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the infectious disaster that destroyed the western continents,' the newsreader said in between intermittent bursts of static. 'All over the world, memorial marches have been arranged in honour of the over one billion people who lost their lives due to the disease. A minute of silence will take place at twelve noon.' Bill removed the cigarette from his mouth and let out a chuckle, the smoke drifting up out of his mouth. He leant up and took the nearby remote and switched off the television, leaving the end of his cigarette as the only source of light in the now darkened mess hall. .

'Son, it's gonna take more than a minute to remember the dead,' Bill sighed to himself, forcing himself up and leaving the mess hall, the cigarette still in his mouth.

As Miguel's announcement interrupted Bill's television listening it had also interrupted the beautiful Zoey's eager learning. She was in the torpedo room talking to one of the crew about the weapons that the submarine had. As Miguel's voice echoed around the room, she looked apologetically at the crewman and politely excused herself. She promptly left but the crewman made sure to take a quick peek at her Zoey's rear just as she left. Her dark red camouflage uniform that she had been given showed off her body satisfyingly well.

As Zoey walked through the small corridors of the HMS Jaeger she heard two familiar voices coming from the sleeping area. Taking a brief detour, she stepped into the rather tight sleeping quarters and was surprised to find Louis standing behind Francis, thrusting against him. She watched silently for a moment, leaning casually against the wall as Louis was thrusting as hard as he could. The two men were both stood up and it appeared that Louis was trying to zip up Francis' camouflage uniform for him. Zoey let out a faint snigger and the two turned to look at her. Francis and Louis immediately separated, jumping away from each other.

'This isn't what it looks like,' they both insisted, speaking at the same time. Zoey chuckled and rolled her eyes. She did not have the heart to tell Francis that he had put his uniform on the wrong way round.

Zoey continued her journey to the Tactics Room. As she stepped into the corridor that led to her destination she heard Bill's voice in the distance. He sounded irritated. Zoey was also able to smell the smoke from his cigarettes. As she approached the room the thought crossed Zoey's mind of how many packs of cigarettes Bill must have brought with him for this trip as he smoked quite a lot on the way over, an admirable achievement considering how Miguel refused to allow smoking onboard.

'I agreed to take you and your friends with me as a personal favour for Anna Shepherd,' Zoey heard Miguel say to Bill, his voice sounding tested. 'Even so; I'm not going to have you disregard the rules on my boat or petulantly disobey my orders!' Zoey stepped over the parting between the corridor and the Tactics Room and announced her presence.

'Making friends, I see?' she said jokingly, causing Bill and Miguel to glance at her in unison. Feeling slightly weary, Zoey sighed and put her hands on her hips. 'Oh God, Bill, can't you just be nice for once?'

'He started it,' Bill sounded rather immature as he spoke.

'Started what?' Zoey suddenly had the feeling that she was acting like a mother.

'He won't let me smoke.' As Zoey heard what Bill said, she felt slightly embarrassed for him; embarrassed because he could not understand why smoking was prohibited onboard an underwater vessel. Not possessing the energy to think of an elaborate explanation for him, Zoey just decided to point out the obvious.

'We're in a submarine!' she cried, hoping that would be enough. Her thoughts were proven wrong as after Miguel thanked her for her support, Bill glared angrily at him.

'This isn't over,' he told Miguel. However, Miguel begged to differ.

'Oh yes it is,' Miguel took the cigarette from Bill's mouth, causing Zoey's mouth to drop. Although she was fairly sure that Miguel did not fully understand how serious Bill was when it came to his cigarettes, she admired his courage as he dropped the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it with his shoe, crushing the flame and the rest of the cigarette.

'Bill,' Zoey's voice was cautionary. She knew Bill far better than anyone else did, including Francis who had known him for longer than she had. She knew what Bill was capable of and her cautioning tone was more for Miguel's sake than Bill's. She wanted to let Miguel know that he could potentially find himself flying headfirst into the fancy table monitor that stood in the middle of the room.

'Keep out of this, kid,' Bill ordered Zoey, raising his hand up to her to keep her away. He put one foot forward, stepping toward Miguel who responded by putting one foot backward, maintaining the distance between him and Bill. 'You want to try something like that again?' Bill spoke as Miguel attempted to keep away from him. 'Just try it and I'll do the same to your genitals.'

With a morbid threat to Miguel's privates given voice, Zoey decided to intervene and stepped between the two. She spoke, forcing a sweet cheerful tone.

'Okay, maybe it's time we go over the plan again?' Her words were heard by the two men that she was separating but they looked at each other as if they had not. They were locked in a silent battle, one of angry stares and bitter rivalry. Neither one of them wanted to back down. Bill wanted to show Miguel who was boss. Miguel wanted to equally show Bill who he believed was in charge. Sensing that the battle of the facial expressions would not end anytime soon, Zoey joined in using her own serious glances directed toward Bill. As she silently told him to back down, Bill attempted to not look at her but soon sighed and closed his eyes, stepping back away from them.

'Fine,' he said as Zoey breathed a sigh of relief. 'But this ain't over.'

'What isn't over?' asked Francis who stepped inside the room closely followed by Louis. Zoey was thankful that Francis had figured out how to dress himself correctly but then the image of Louis helping him crossed into her mind. She spoke up quickly in an attempt to purge it from her system.

'Nothing,' she responded to Francis' question. 'Nothing at all.' Zoey smiled at Francis and then caught Louis' eye. She held up her hand in a slight wave. 'Hey.'

'Hi,' Louis did the same and the two exchanged longing glances. Bill noticed this exchange and sighed, pulling out his pack of cigarettes from one of his pockets. Without looking at him, Zoey put her hand on the pack and pushed them back into his pocket for him.

'Alright,' Miguel said after taking a brief moment to compose his thoughts. 'Now that you're all here we may as well go over the plan and ground rules.'

'Ground rules?' Bill interrupted, looking to the others for clarity. Finding none, he glanced back at Miguel. 'What do you mean; ground rules?'

'Well,' Miguel decided to be more careful and speak with tact, considering what had just happened. 'I've noticed you have control issues, Bill.'

'Just put me in charge,' Bill suggested. 'Then you've got no issue.'

'I don't think so,' Miguel told him. Bill's nostrils flared with anger and Zoey took his hand to try and relax him. 'While I am in charge of everything, you will need a team leader for when you're on the ground. Now you were fully aware that you were not heading out into the field on your own.'

'Yes but I thought that one of us would be taking the lead while we were out there,' Bill's tone was growing more annoyed and Zoey's comforting touch was not enough to calm him. Of course when he said "one of us" he actually meant himself. He went on to justify his way of thinking. 'We've fought those zombies before and come out smelling of roses.'

'The correct term is infected,' Miguel corrected him.

'I don't give a shit about political correctness!' Bill yelled.

'That's for sure,' Francis muttered coyly to Louis.

'What I care about,' Bill continued, 'is going back there, fighting those zombie bastards and finding our people. Only we can do that, not some half-trained monkey that you've stuck us with!'

'Well I'm sorry you feel that way,' said a woman's voice coming from the doorway. Stepping into the Tactics Room was a tall woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes. She walked inside confidently, making no excuses for joining the meeting right in the middle of a discussion. She wore the same dark uniform as Miguel. She moved around the table and stood beside Miguel, folding her hands behind her back and standing straight and tall. Miguel smiled as her appearance acted as a dam for Bill's continued protests.

'Everyone,' Miguel gestured to the woman. 'I'd like you to meet Madison Robinson. She will be the team leader while you're on the ground.

'It's a pleasure to meet all of you,' Madison's tone was genuine and her smile was heart-warming.

'She will be your superior,' Miguel continued. 'You will be expected to follow her orders without question. She is your boss and you are her tools to be used as she wishes.'

'I wouldn't put it like that, commander,' Madison chuckled, smiling at everyone. 'But I suppose in essence what you're saying is true.' She then spoke to the others, directing her comments to Bill in particular. 'I understand how passionate you are about this mission and how you desperately want everything to go well. That being said; the only way we will achieve success is if we work together. We all know what the infected are capable of and how teamwork is essential if we want to survive. I appreciate that you all have much greater experience than we do at fighting these things but what you must appreciate is that we have greater experience in carrying out these kinds of missions than you do. We don't mean to sound rude or patronising; we only want to do what is best for the mission and for ourselves in the long run.' Zoey nodded as Madison spoke, along with Francis and Louis. Madison looked at Bill who glared back at her. She smiled at him and he rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

'Fine,' he muttered begrudgingly. 'You're in charge.'

'Excellent,' Madison clapped her hands together. 'Now I will also be bringing along two of my best people with me.' She looked to the door and two men stepped into the room, joining them. One was short and slim while the other was tall and muscular. The tall man had a shaved head while the young man had short black hair. 'This is Malcolm,' Madison gestured to the short, young man. 'And this is Rex,' she gestured to the muscular man. Malcolm and Rex introduced themselves, Malcolm smiling more and appearing more enthusiastic to meet everyone than Rex, whose appearance remained rather cold as everyone become acquainted.

'You all are going to be working together,' Miguel told everyone. 'While Madison leads, Rex will ensure everyone's safety and Malcolm will keep communication lines open and help plot a course over the country.' He paused for a moment before speaking with striking seriousness. 'The America you four once knew is no more. Everything you will experience there will undoubtedly be new, dangerous and frightening. If we want to have any hope of finding your friends, we need to stick together. Do you understand?'

'We were right in the middle of the zombie apocalypse,' Louis told Miguel. 'We lost everything. We know how important it is to stay together.'

'Very good,' Miguel nodded. 'Then the plan is simple. In less than ten minutes we will surface having reached our destination just off the coast of North Carolina. A small boat will be launched which you can use to cross the sea and make it to the beach. From there you will have to find your own transportation, refill your own ammunition and supplies and take care of yourselves. I will provide support over the radio but you will be completely on your own as soon as you leave this vessel. So...' Miguel glanced around the room with the seven people looking at him. 'Are there any questions?' Bill looked from left to right. As no one else spoke up he decided to do the honours.

'When can we go?'

In no time at all, the seven were armed, equipped and ready to go. The submarine pierced the surface of the water as it rose up into the air sending large splashes of white seawater foam spraying everywhere. After the vessel had settled a much smaller one was launched from it. A small navy powerboat shot through the bouncing waves. While Madison and Rex were at the front, controlling the boat, Malcolm was sat talking with Francis. Zoey was holding Louis' hand as he was feeling seasick. Just as he leant over the side of the boat to vomit into the water, Bill put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Despite the aggressive splashes of water, the tiny flame continued to burn until they pulled up onto the coast.

Bill put his foot on the beach sand, the first time in nearly a year he had set foot on American soil. Despite the conditions and the situation he felt happy to be home. While the three marines secured the boat, ensuring it would not float away; Louis knelt on the sand, continuing to feel sick. Francis was stood with him, making a joke that he would hold Louis' hair back for him if he had any. Zoey, having seen enough vomiting on the powerboat, moved over to Bill to talk to him.

'My God,' he took in the deepest breath of air and held onto it for as long as he could. Maybe it was because he had been stuck inside the submarine for so long but the American air tasted good; sweet and nostalgic. 'It feels good to be back home.'

Zoey silently agreed with him as they stood there for a moment. Up ahead were numerous deserted cars, abandoned long ago by their owners. Down the road was a small town that was in complete ruins and shambles, falling apart due to damage and lack of maintenance. Further ahead down several more roads, through some trees, passing through other towns and hundreds of miles away from the east coast was the Midnight Riders tour bus.

The area would have been nothing special back when everything was normal; a small airport with a single, small dirt runway. Up in the control tower were people with binoculars, looking out into the distance for any sign of trouble. The best part of places like these were that the entire surrounding area was flat and lacked any kind of landmarks, trees or anything else infected could hide behind. The airport was in the middle of a barren desert, essentially. It was this that made it such a good location for one of the many "Havens" across the country.

A Haven was a private place. People who wished to enter a Haven often had to pay to get inside. Payment came in many forms ranging from food, medicine and supplies to more exceptional forms of trading like people and sexual favours. Getting into this particular Haven was easy; Coach only had to pay a few containers of gasoline. This entitled him and the rest of his team, which he affectionately called the "Midnight Riders", to stay in the Haven safe from attack by the infected or other less desirable parties.

With the battle against the infected becoming harder each day, many people who were immune were presented with a choice; work together or die alone. Many people worked well within their little groups but soon groups of people began combining together and before you knew it a Clan was formed. Clans were, in essence, communities of people that acted in their own interest. Different Clans had different rules, with some Clans being lead by diplomatic, democratic leaders while others were ruled by a single individual. In the beginning, the Clans attempted to work together but as they grew larger, mistrust and suspicion also grew. No one trusted anyone who was not in their Clan and soon Clans started warring with each other, fighting the people they should be working with for things like food, water and supplies. There were many powerful Clans; some controlling an entire city with other controlled an entire state. Thomas Galt was the leader of the Clan that controlled the entire north-west, one of the most powerful men in America. Coach was parked in the Haven waiting for a messenger.

With most modern technology rendered useless due to the infection, those immune were forced to improvise. Messengers were used to deliver information across the country, often travelling alone to save precious time. Coach had hired a messenger he had used before, a young boy named Teek, to inform Henry James, a good friend of Thomas Galt, of his proposal. Worried for the safety of those he was travelling with, Coach wanted to join Galt's Clan for the security. He was prepared to trade in everything for the opportunity. Coach was the leader of his little group. As they roamed the country, rarely stopping in one place for long, they were classed as untrustworthy rogues. It was rare for a rogue to become a member of a Clan as their loyalty would be questionable and in the current climate; mistakes were often catastrophic to the Clan.

The dirt airport Haven was quite diverse. Small market stalls selling weapons, supplies and other interesting objects had been set up. The sun had risen over the small Haven town and was already setting, casting a warm orange glow over the area. The Midnight Riders had arrived at the Haven before sunrise and had sent Teek on his way almost immediately as they had arrived.

Inside the bus, Drake and Danielle were napping while Ellis was checking the engine on the outside, along with everything else as he usually did. Norah had gone to the markets to get some supplies and Nick happily joined her. Coach was left standing around the bus, feeling slightly useless. He was good at ordering people around, telling them what to do because everyone trusted him as much as he trusted them. It was when they were in Havens that he started to feel slightly agitated. On the road he was always on his toes, looking out for potential dangers but while they were relatively safe, his mind often drifted.

Coach thought about his fiancée, Ruth. He remembered how they had parted ways one year ago and how brutal and heartbreaking it was for him. He wondered what their baby would look like. Would it be a beautiful baby? Of course it would, but would it have more of his traits than hers? Would it grow up to be happy without its father? Would Ruth find someone else to help raise the child? Would she love her new partner as much as she loved Coach? Coach forced these feelings from his head and gave himself a shake. Ruth was history now. She was safe and so was the baby; that was all that mattered.

Needing a distraction, Coach moved around the side of the bus to talk to Ellis. Ellis was underneath the bus, his messy pants sticking out from underneath. Coach gently tapped Ellis' leg with his foot and the boy got out from under the bus. He had removed his shirt earlier and it appeared that was a sensible decision as his chest was covered in grease and engine oil. The year out against the infected had improved Ellis' physique. Spending a lot of time working on the bus to make sure it remained operational proved to be an excellent workout and Ellis' body was the trophy of that hard work. He had rock hard abs and a decent chest. His body was smooth but not too toned. Wiping his hands on his stomach, Ellis smiled at Coach.

'What's up?' he asked.

'Not much,' Coach was looking for a nice conversation rather than a specific reason to talk to Ellis. He thought back to when they had first met back in Savannah. They had got along so well and over time, Ellis had become like a son to Coach. Now things were different, the distance being an unfortunate side effect of Coach taking command. 'How's the bus looking?'

'Well actually,' Ellis wiped his sweaty forehead with his arm as he spoke. 'I had literally just finished the final touches when you came and tapped my on the leg. This baby is as good as new.'

'Excellent,' Coach smiled, nodding. 'I'm glad to hear it.' Ellis grinned at Coach and then began to pack away his tools. Coach glanced around the Haven area, not particularly looking at anything. All that surrounded them were a few market stalls and some other parked vehicles, although most of them were small cars. As Ellis finished packing his things away, Coach decided to say something else to him. 'I understand how you've been feeling lately; about us being selfish.'

'Oh really?' Ellis looked intrigued.

'Yeah,' Coach nodded. 'So I've decided that just because everyone else out there is only looking out for themselves doesn't mean we have to do that as well.' Ellis smiled at Coach, the brightest smile he had for a long time.

'That's great.'

'I'm arranging to see if we can join a Clan,' Coach told him. 'I'm sure we'll all be happy if we can find the right one.'

'I reckon we might,' Ellis nodded happily. There was a brief moment of silence as Coach was unsure of what to say next. Ellis decided to break the silence. 'Thanks, Coach,' he said. 'It means a lot that you listened to how I was feelin', you know?' Coach casually waved his hand at Ellis, telling him that it was no big deal. 'Well I reckon I'm gonna go get me a shower so I'll see you later.' Ellis stepped back onto the bus to collect some of his belongings and then left holding a towel. In the distance there was a market stall that provided soap and showers for its customers. It was a fact that Haven's really did live up to their name, allowing people to escape from the infected and become regular people one more.

As Ellis stripped naked after he paid for his shower, a little way down the markets, Norah and Nick were heading back to the bus carrying their shopping. In one bag were groceries; mainly food rations and water. In the other were ammunition and supplies. Nick was bragging to Norah about the great deal he got for modified pipe bombs, small bombs that emitted a sound that attracted infected to its position before it exploded. They were laughing and joking as they walked back.

'Of course you got a good deal on them,' Norah chuckled. 'You were a conman for God's sake. That's why we send you out to do most of the shopping so that you can haggle for the best deals.'

'Oh Norah don't be so coy,' Nick joked with her. 'My expertise has nothing to do with me getting the best deals.'

'Is that right?' Norah wondered. 'What is it then that makes you so good?'

'I'm the best looking out of all of you.' Norah let out a loud laugh as Nick spoke. 'Hey, it's true!'

'Oh I don't know about that,' Norah looked over and saw a flash of Ellis' buttocks in the distance. 'I think you've got some competition.' Nick looked over and saw what Norah was staring at and forced her to look away.

'You're perverted,' he told her, causing Norah to chuckle and nudge him to the side jokingly. The two made it to the bus and then loaded their supplies onboard. When they were done, they joined Coach outside as he waited for Teek.

'Still no sign of him?' Norah enquired, taking a seat on the last step leading up to the bus.

'I hate using messengers,' Coach sighed, looking concerned. 'I hate the feeling of the unknown. What's happened to them? Are they hurt? Are they dead? Did they get there? I mean if anything bad ever happened to anyone because of me then I'd feel so guilty.'

'Is that why you want us to join Galt?' Nick asked.

'I just don't want anyone to get hurt,' Coach told him. Nick and Norah exchanged glances behind his back. They believed what he was saying but felt that there was some underlying problem that they had not addressed yet. Norah speculated quietly with Nick that maybe Coach no longer wanted the burden of authority anymore.

Before anyone could elaborate any further, the quiet air was filled with the faint sound of a motorcycle engine. It was distant at first but slowly it became louder and came closer to the bus. Emerging from around a market stall, the bike rolled up next to the bus with two people in helmets riding it. Teek removed his helmet first as he stepped off the bike, moving over to Coach. He was a young man about the same age as Drake. His hair was long and black and his eyes were a deep blue. He smiled at Coach as he moved forward to shake his hand.

'What's the message?' Coach asked, getting straight to business.

'I delivered your message to Henry James,' Teek reported. 'He was interested by your offer.' Norah and Nick stood on either side of Coach, interested in what the boy was saying. 'He wants to meet with you to discuss details.'

'That's great news,' Coach smiled, looking at Nick and Norah happily. 'Where is the meeting point?'

'I don't know,' Teek told him.

'What do you mean?' Norah asked.

'He wanted to send one of his representatives with me,' Teek explained. 'She will sort everything out for you.'

'She?' Nick repeated, looking up at Teek's passenger. The woman put her hands on her helmet and pulled it off, revealing her face. Coach, Nick and Norah were surprised as they saw the woman shake her head to allow her black hair to fall down past her shoulders. She then looked ahead at them and smiled, putting her hands on her hips and resting the helmet in between her arm and her waist.

'How you doing, guys?' asked Rochelle, who stood by Teek, smiling at them. 'It's been a long time.'

Well here we are; the beginning of my final Left 4 Dead fanfic. I wanted to combine the characters from the first game with the characters from the second in a new environment that would be fun for them and for you to read. I know it's not very canon but... hey, it's fanfic, right?

If you feel so inclined, I would appreciate any and all reviews. I love to hear what people think of my writing as I keep wanting to get better. So let me know what you think!

Andy