(AN: I don't own Left 4 Dead or any of its characters. Please R&R)
The infection had spread and her family was on the run. The infected were everywhere now, hoping to sink their teeth into anyone they could find. It was a kill or be killed situation. The infected wanted to kill, to satisfy primal need and humans needed to kill in order to live. She had always thought that all the infected were the same, mindless, bloodthirsty killing machines – but she quickly learned that there are in fact some unlike the rest…
The door to the safe room creaked open as the 16 year old girl peeked her head out the open door. It was a cold winter night and her breath hung like a smoke cloud in the air. She needed to get some extra supplies for her family. They were running low on food and without this trip; they would never survive the winter. The city was dead quiet, except for the distant sound of gunfire. There were other survivors out in the city, fighting off something. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her face, praying that she wouldn't run into anything. She didn't carry a weapon. She was too young to even hold one, even in these circumstances. She clicked on the flashlight, letting the soft light lead her to her destination – a nearby supermarket. A small smile crossed her pale lips as she turned a corner.
"Almost there and so far so good. No infected in sight."
She whispered to herself. Suddenly she heard a noise and she stopped in her tracks. The sound of a Tank…wait there was another noise too, the growling of a Hunter. The girl took a deep breath, they were in-between her and her target. As quietly as possible, she tip-toed behind a large dumpster and peeked her head around it.
The Hunter and Tank were fighting. There were some packages of food on the snowy ground nearby; they seemed to be fighting over it. The Tank charged at the Hunter, who jumped onto the wall near her and the girl gasped. The Hunter roared and leaped through the air, landing on the Tank's back and began clawing and ripping at the Tank's flesh. The Tank roared, grabbed the Hunter and flung him off, sending the small Hunter crashing into the wall. When the Hunter didn't move, the Tank swallowed the food, plastic and all and lumbered away.
The girl looked at the Hunter, then at the store. She walked towards the Hunter, knelt beside him and gently poked his exposed arm. His flesh was warm. The Hunter stirred a little and she jumped. The Hunter looked up and yelped like a wounded animal, staggering to its feet. The girl looked the Hunter in the eye, paralyzed with fear.
"Should I make a run for it? If I sprint maybe I can get away..."
She thought as she took a step back. The Hunter looked at her; his eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, his claws extended. She looked him in the eye; didn't Hunters usually have no eyes? He must be a newly infected. She had to admit, he had beautiful eyes. They shone like jewels against the dark tan color of his skin. For what seemed like hours the two just stood staring at each other. Finally the girl made a move. She charged towards the Hunter, her hands coiled into fists. The Hunter yelped, turned around and ran, slipping in the snow. He hopped a fence and vanished from view. The girl stood there for a moment.
"Did I scare him away?"
She stood motionless for a moment before turning around and continuing her way to the super market.
The Hunter kept running, panting loudly as he leapt from tree branch to tree branch. He paused and jumped from the tree branch, his bare feet making no noise as he landed in the soft snow. He walked over to the run-down building and slipped inside. He made his way to the center of the room and lay down on the scuffed floor. He whimpered as he curled up into the smallest ball he could make. A small tear fell down his dirt-smeared face as he slowly drifted off into a quiet sleep.
