A/N hey all There have been some changes to this story it has gone through a bit of a rewrite, it's never quite good enough in my head so some things have been changed. The character of Kelsey is now Olivia, and there will be more drama down they way. please bear with me while at first it may not seem like im useing the valve universe I have just been trying to work it in. that being said, I do not own left 4 dead or its characters, only this group of survivors, that honor belongs to Valve. please review, constructive critisicim is always appreciated, it makes us better writers. and now without further blah from me, on to the story.
Hospital
The five of them made their way through the deserted bottom floors of the hospital. All of them are visibly nervous and tense except for Olivia, on the outside she appeared calm but her insides were confused. She wouldn't normally show weakness and now defiantly wasn't the time anyway.
Olivia was bringing up the rear in her team, they had a wounded man with them and he would bleed out if they didn't get supplies soon. It's funny she thought, yesterday I would have been horrified at letting a man die, but today he's just a hindrance and we are likely to all die anyway because of him, She sighed, and here we are in a goddamn hospital, and trying to find medical supplies.
Why do survivors of zombie apocalypses always go where there are bound to be Zombies? It's like sick people go to hospitals, and the zombies are a degeneration of the plague, or flu or whatever it was that ravaged society, and left us in this stinking hellhole of a world. She took a deep breath and continued scanning the hallways behind her.
I mean I understand we need to get supplies, but Fuck man! Seriously? Here we are, in a fucking, zombie- infested- hospital. And smart me is bringing up the rear. You know the rear is the easiest target for an ambush. She snorted, Yeah that is if zombies understand basic warfare. She chuckled getting a look from her fellow survivors. I'm glad someone had the foresight to raid a pawn shop for all sorts of weapons, and now we're all walking fucking arsenals. Let's see we've got our good old Louisville slugger, a set of throwing knives, kind of pointless cus I don't want to go retrieving them. Last resort you know, It's funny I bought them cus I thought they were cool. The big nerd that I am wanted to go all ninja with them. Both of my guns are loaded so that I don't have to waste time reloading. The Desert Eagle I had grabbed impulsively at the Pawn Shop and a good old trusty shotgun the best line of Zombie defense. She had given the other handgun she had picked up to the wounded man. But don't waste the ammo by shooting them anywhere but the head they don't die otherwise. Again she chuckled earning a shush from her teammates, what is this a how to survive a zombie apocalypse tutorial?
She shot a glare at her companions, don't you shush me, and it was your idea to be here anyway. She sighed again, damn. All I want right now is to smoke. And as soon as we find a safe place, that's exactly what we will do. Call me a stoner, but whatever, it's lucky we still have that rest of that sack I bought a couple days ago. Even in the apocalypse all I want to do is smoke a bowl, but It may be the only way for me to retain what little is left of my sanity, after all I'm talking to myself and having the most intelligent conversation I've had all day. But after this I may not want to remain sane. Just sink into blissful oblivion.
She stopped dead in her tracks having one of those awesome epiphany moments, No I want to remember this, remember the visceral emotions that drove me to where I am. When I woke up yesterday morning, my world had collapsed on itself. The riots and the killings had been all over the news, but that didn't concern me only when they had spread to my home, did it concern me. And I was scared. I had every right to be. Only a day ago, now I just feel numb, it's sad but I don't even feel remorse or guilt anymore, for killing them. I cried enough during those first few hours.
She paused her inner monologue as she had heard something, she motioned to her companions. Only silence, but she could hear her breathing. The silence was uncomfortable. Her senses heightened by adrenaline she heard a quiet scuffling in the room next to her. She turned and softly pushed the door open and before the zombie even saw her she put a round into his head. After it fell she turned and motioned for them to keep moving. It was still far too quiet but they needed to keep moving staying to long in one place was as good as a death sentence. They kept moving pausing at every noise. It was unnerving that they hadn't found more Zombies yet, but as they were still on the first floor and the primarily lobby area, she just chocked it up to all the zombies were on the upper floors. I fucking hate hospitals, it was primarily the smell, like piss and bleach, and no one looks at you, just another patient waiting to hear bad news. She sighed; I almost wish it was like that now; anything's better then the silence and the threat of zombies. She didn't want to get to comfortable but she allowed herself to fall back into her thoughts.
She thought about the zombie she had just blasted into oblivion without a second thought. He probably had a family a wife, kids, siblings, parents, but not any longer as soon as he regressed to primal instincts, the need kill and to feed, he lost all privileges to family. She shook her head in disgust with herself for being so callous. But she didn't care really all that mattered was survival, Sure, She thought; it was hard to begin with but not anymore. The hardest had been the children who had changed. Children are supposed to be innocent but when they want nothing more than to tear you apart, I can't see them as children anymore just monsters. I threw up after that first kid. He couldn't have been more then 13, yet I blew his head off. It was him or me. Surprising how we humans will do anything to survive. Even if it means killing children. It's sickening but not really all that surprising. My hands don't even shake anymore when I shoot. Who's the monster now? She looked ahead, at her group; she was sticking with them till she met up with her friends, the only family she had left.
I know where we are going, we have a plan. We know what to do, yet we probably won't all make it. Some of us will get bitten, infected, they will change, like that boy I killed. Choose, either kill them or die yourself. This damn hospital is probably going to do in at least the wounded man and the damn jittery fucker who shot him in the first place. I know survival chances are better with others but these clowns will get us all fucking killed. She sighed she just needed to stay with them till she could rendezvous with her friends. She was ready to kill that jittery fuck herself if he let out another nervous little squeal at his own goddamn shadow.
He will probably die, become a zombie and I'll put a bullet in his brain, saving his pathetic hide from suffering, and saving theirs from him. I can cry for him later, cry for all of them later. She thanked her compartmentalization skills it would allow her to turn off her emotions and focus on survival. The key here is to survive, survive at any cost, even if it costs me my soul. God you're melodramatic.
A noise up a head caused her to loosen the bat strapped to her back. The shit was about to hit the fan she could feel it, the smell had changed, she could smell the rotting flesh of the undead up a head, and the closer she listened the more she could hear the soft moaning so characteristic of Zombies. Her grip tightened on the wood handle. She knew it was coming and before she could say anything the first wave of fast fucking zombies came roaring around the corner. She had thought they wouldn't be fast that they would be slow and stupid, like the Haitian voodoo Zombies, but the more she fought them the more she realized that they maintained the rage that festered in them when they were alive. She was right Jitter was the first to go down; he didn't see the zombie that while missing its legs had managed to crawl towards him. That's why you shoot them in the head. Double tap if need be. She laughed aloud at that even in this fucked up situation; she must really be going crazy, referencing her favorite movie in the middle of the apocalypse. She looked and saw that jitter was down and while the others had saved him for the moment she would put him down once they were in relative safety. The zombies finally starting to thin they took a moment to breath before running to the hospital supply room. She couldn't help the "Sweet"that escaped her lips as it appeared that this hospital had a small supply of medicinal marijuana.
"My lucky day" she said. After collecting all they could carry easily, and stitching up their wounded teammate, she turned to Jitter he was cradling his arm, the flesh torn from it and the teeth marks were visible, He was rocking back and forth, his eyes glazed over, and having seen it before she recognized the first signs of his descent into madness. In a surprising gesture of kindness she placed her hand on his shoulder. When he looked at her she nodded, she gently put his handgun to his head, he didn't close his eyes, and he looked at her as she shot him, with his own weapon. The others were horrified that she had just killed him.
"Why would you do that? Why would you kill him?" She straightened
"He would have killed us when he changed. And you know it. Call me heartless but he knew it and I knew it. I don't care if you judge me. It was the most rational decision." The others grumbled but it was obvious they had accepted it however reluctantly. She knew that this latest action would temporarily ostracize her from the others but she was surprised when Tyler she thought that was his name, came over to her. She had seen him around campus and when she had run into him yesterday at the pawn shop, she had suggested they travel together for a while. Out of all her traveling companions, he was defiantly the smartest and obviously had more common sense than the rest.
"Yo." He said she looked up from her bag.
"Hey."
"I know that was a tuff decision to make and just letting you know I would want you to do the same to me if I get bitten."
"I didn't even blink." She paused, "And I hope you would do me the same courtesy."
He just patted her shoulder in silent agreement, and made his way back to the shelves of supplies. The others still shooting daggers at her she shook her head and made her way to the door. Just because they were in an enclosed room didn't make it safe. The others with the exception of Tyler were too stupid to realize the danger they were still in. She looked over at the man they had risked this for. He was on his feet no longer bleeding profusely and looked like he might actually be able to fight his own way out. She wordlessly handed him Jitters gun and took her own back, she then walked back to the door. She looked back out the glass in the door scanning the hallway looking for signs of zombie attack. You know she thought now would be the time to try that blood bomb idea. Tell me you didn't waste your misspent adult hood. She laughed at this; it was true she and all her friends had spent many an evening planning in the event of a zombie apocalypse. It had been her friend's idea to try using bags of blood as bait, to try to distract the zombie horde. Well now is the place to try it. She went back to the cooler in the corner of the room and opened it to find a few bags of blood, not a lot but enough to test the theory. She got a few glances as she grabbed the bagged blood. They probably think I'm fucking crazy.
"Does everyone have everything or do we need to stay in this hellhole even longer?" she asked trying to reign in her frustration at their current situation. A few grumbled noises of agreement, and she pushed the door open preparing herself for the inevitable onslaught of Zombie horde scrambling towards them ravenous for a meal. Funny how even though the majority of the population had become nothing more than a mindless horde they weren't really all that different from when they were alive; standing in a line at the local Starbucks pushing and shouting for their double pump, sugar free, venti, vanilla latte, or whatever.
"Anyone else want a cigarette?" She asked almost as a joke she wasn't expecting to be handed one by the wounded man.
"Thanks." Olivia mumbled.
"No problem." He grinned at her. "Just tell me you have papers or a pipe with you."
She chuckled, "Of course." She did have her pipe wrapped carefully in a handkerchief in her bag. It figured that it was the only thing left of my life before the apocalypse, a glass pipe. Absurd.
She didn't even know the wounded man's name, but she thanked him nonetheless as he lit her cigarette and his. The first drag was glorious, the almost sickly sweet taste of the nicotine coating the inside of her mouth, The slightly acrid smoke burning her lungs as she inhaled, the yellow smoke curling out of the side of her mouth. She let out a contented sigh and made her way out into the hallway motioning for the others to follow.
As soon as they were all out and into relative formation the four of them, that's right now they were four, she thought, made their way back out of the hospital. She again brought up the rear. While Tyler took the lead, they kept the wounded man and the other dumb daffy broad they had found just outside the hospital, in the middle. Keep the weakest link in the middle, another basic rule of thumb. She didn't like the idea of protecting people who couldn't protect themselves, maybe she was being too harsh, and the girl had survived by herself for awhile. Just because she has survived this long doesn't mean that she was smart. It just meant she knew how to use her instincts. She shook her head in disgust she was such a prick. Whatever now is not the time to be thinking, you need to focus on keeping yourself safe, and I guess it couldn't hurt to watch their backs either. They hadn't made it far when they were hit by a wave of Zombies rabid in their scrambling attempt to eat the living flesh of the four of them. She screamed in warning as they got closer. The first shot of her shotgun exploding the heads of the three that were closest and staggering the few behind them. Tyler came rushing up to her spraying his M16 into the oncoming crowd. The Zombies knocked back they took the opportunity to book it down the hall firing shots behind them as they other two cleared the path ahead. They finally burst through the hospital door greeted by the coming daylight, she ran to the other side of her van. Jumping in and twisting the key in the ignition. The others jumped in closing the doors just as solid thuds of rotting flesh hit against them. She threw her foot on the gas peeling out of the parking lot. She couldn't help the cry of elation that left her lips.
"Yee-haw!" She bellowed. Redneck she thought. Oh well. The sun was coming up and they needed to keep moving try to make it to the farmhouse her friends owned. It shouldn't take long to get there. I only hope that they made it there. The farmhouse was easily defendable, an old airplane hangar was on the property and it was surrounded by oil wells. It was as good a place as any to regroup and decide where to go.
They hadn't been driving long before the new girl dissolved. Sobs wracked her tiny frame and if they hadn't been driving, Olivia would have been worried that she would attract zombies with all her racket. The wounded man gently patted her back trying to get her to calm down. Eventually her sobs subsided, and she curled up beside him, falling into fitful slumber.
Olivia only shook her head. Tyler looked at her from the passenger seat.
"Its Olivia right?" she looked at him.
"I didn't think you recognized me." She said simply
"We had that Woman studies class together." He laughed "fat lot of good that's doing us now." She chuckled wryly.
"Indeed."
"So Olivia how are you holding up?" she looked at him questioningly, "well I haven't seen you show much emotion at all since we ran into each other. Just wanted to make sure you were still in there." She laughed a little, that's right the Olivia he knows his sarcastic and funny when she wants to be, always has something to say. She just looked at him,
"I'm fine, just tired and coming to terms with the fact that I would technically be considered a serial killer under normal circumstances."
He laughed at that. "These are anything but normal circumstances. And at least you have a partner in crime." She wanted to laugh but it felt wrong to but fuck it she would enjoy the absurdity; she went ahead and burst into uncontrollably laughter, not really paying attention to the road. It's good that I don't have to worry about hitting pedestrians now. That only made her laugh harder. Tyler laughed with her. If it had been a normal day she would have checked herself into an institution, but as it was the two of them continued laughing at the absurd, dreadful fucked up situation they were in.
