Jezuz, I just went through the worst week. My state, because it is lovely and wonderful, issues standerizied testing ever year, and we're stuck in a damn classroom for a whole day just taking A DAMN TEST. It sucks ass. If any of you take them too, you know how I feel. It mentally rapes you, in the bad way. UGH.

So, yeah, I finally finished this! WOO!:D I feel accomplished, although this chapter sucks bad time. And there's no Nick/Ellis loving yet ;-; SAD

Also, if any of y'all want to play online with me, just hit me up a message and I'll be glad to give you my Gamertag. And just to let you know, I LOVE PLAYING AS ELLIS. I CALL DIBS ON HIM ALL THE TIME. Yeah, don't expect to get away with playin' as him ^^

REVIEWS:

GlassSoul: Of course I gave a shout out to you:D YOU NEED TO. I read it, and I was like "Ohmigawd! This is really good!". KILL THE DAMN CAR... After you get to the place you need to be, though... I mean, it'd be pretty damn stupid to kill it BEFORE they get to the carnival, y'know? Then they'd have to walk, and Ellis would be pissed off at him for kilin' the car and makin' 'em walk. But yeah, interruption, car-style... Poor Nick ;-; Why thank you:D I do try, but not enough to make it -passes out from amazing-ness- wonderful. There will be a love triangle! Keith/Ellis/Nick (OH WHOA, NO NO NO NO NO). Um... How about... Nick/Ellis VS Keith/Ellis. Okay, that's less... whoa. XD Nick should just kidnap Ellis and take off in the Jimmy Gibbs. ;D I love the short review you gave and the long-ass reply I type. Lol, I get carried away XD Thank you for the review! You should also get on sometime today to play with me :3

Ayhluss: You reviewed my other L4D2 stories, didn't you? Your spell check makes me happy, since I never notice when I make mistakes unless I'm super tired, then I notice them all! Thanks for spell checking them! It really helps me out, y'know? And thank you for not only criticizing, but being positive. I hate negative criticism and they're pretty much just telling you that you suck -_- I had one of those once... They pissed me off. You don't though, so don't worry. I would love to see you back for another review after this chapter:D Thanks again!

Enjoy? :D -cuddles Hunter plushie-

Disclaimer: Yeah, Keith doesn't appear in Left4Dead2, and no one really knows what he looks like, but DAMN, I think I did a damn good job giving him a look. He looks like this guy I have a crush on -heart- But, yeah, they need to put him in there. Fangirls would. I WOULD. -fume-


Chapter Two: A Familiar Place, An Unfamiliar Face

"Ellis, sweetie."

Sunlight hit his eyelids and he groaned, subconsciously pulling his hat down to cover his face. "Justa few more minu'es..." he complained, trying to curl up on the floor for more sleep, mind hazy, thoughts blurry and body heavy with the feeling of unconsciousness. He tried to swat away the light, his hat unsuccessful.

"Ellis, did you stay awake at all last night?"

The mechanic's surroundings came crashing back and he sat up, blue eyes wide. "Where's Nick?" He asked, looking around frantically. The conman had let him fall asleep, but never woke him up for his share of the responsibility. There was a soft pounding on a door next to him, and he jumped away, his senses on high alert. Rochelle smiled gently at him. "Ro, where's Nick?" He asked again, suddenly more worried, and Rochelle was just smiling at him.

She moved over, no longer obstructing his view of the conman in the corner of the room, snoozing quietly. "Coach and I woke up right at the crack of dawn, and found him right next to you, about to pass out himself. We sent him to bed after an argument over it, then took over the job." Rochelle smiled. "He said he didn't want to wake you up because 'he looked like a damn toddler' and if he woke you up you'd apparently 'throw a total hissy fit about it'."

Ellis' cheeks puffed out as he huffed, and he stood carefully. "So he's sleeping?"

"Has been for two hours or so. We need to be move soon, so we can't let him sleep much longer." Rochelle said. Coach came walking in, carrying a few guns and a small stack of ammo and set it down next to the TV reporter.

"We gotta get 'em up in an hour. They're startin' to gather up outside, and I ain't gonna be the one to clear 'em out." he said, looking down at Nick. "You and him... Both of you manage to look like little kids when you're asleep."

Ellis chuckled and stood, testing weight on his ankle. "I think it'll be fine..."

"Let's tighten the bandages just in case." Rochelle grabbed some gauze from a med kit and began to unwrap the bandages around Ellis' ankle. "I hope you didn't sprain it..."

"Nah. Imma country boy. There ain't no sprains or twists. It's either I broke it or it's fine." Ellis smiled as she changed them and tightened them. "Imma be fine. You and Nick worry to much."

She chuckled. "Nick was worried?" She sounded surprised, but didn't expect an answer. "I doubt that we was."

Ellis was about to open his mouth, but closed it. Nick probably wanted to keep his image of aloof and distant. It was out of character for him to ask about his ankle in the first place, but Ellis just ignored it and figured Nick could have his moments. Rochelle patted his knee gently and stood herself, brushing dirt from her clothes. The pounding at the door was louder now, and Coach sighed. "I guess we should head out now. Ro, girl, come help me get supplies into this bag, please. Ellis, can you wake up Nick?"

The mechanic shrugged and limped his way to the conman and knelt beside him, shaking his shoulder gently. "'Ey, Nick. Wake up." He stirred a little, eyes still closed. "Nick, we gotta move."

Nick's eyes opened, jade striking blue down and he mumbled. "What?" His voice was dry, and he rubbed at his eyes, brain still catching up to everything.

Ellis pushed him slightly, making the conman loose balance and fall over to his right a little. "Man, we gotta go! The zombies are outside waitin' for us!"

The conman blinked, rubbed his eyes again and blinked. "Oh, Overalls..." He yawned, stretched and stood, grabbing his gun next to him. "I swore I saw my ex-wife... Shit, what a lack of sleep will do to you."

Ellis' cheeks turned pink and he stood as well, brushing the dirt of his knees. "Yeah, well, I ain't her, so lets get goin'. The zombies started gatherin' up outside and we're gonna be trapped if we don't hurry."

"C'mon, y'all. I got the ones around the door cleared out."

Nick looked to Coach and huffed, then back to Ellis to smile a bit before following after the high school health teacher and TV reporter. Ellis gasped slightly, cheeks red and he bowed his head, hoping his hat hid his face. 'What in the hell was that?'


After a day of exploring the region, the group discovered they were back in the swamps, but a different area then they were a week or two ago. They navigated by using crudely drawn red arrows on trees, boats and boards, finding a few houses underwater, and many Mudmen, something both Nick and Ellis complained about.

Since the safe house from the previous night was the last one for miles, they decided to stay in an abandoned RV off the side of swamp's shore rather than risk moving at night. Rochelle was volunteered to take the only bed and Ellis fought with Nick over Coach getting the couch, which ended with the conman and the hick having to sleep on the floor, still on guard duty by the RV's makeshift wood door.

Soft snores came from the bedroom and loud grunts from the couch as the other two slept. Ellis leaned his head against the wall, his eyes slipping closed softly. "Man, that water really messes ya up, huh?"

"Try telling my suit that..." Nick frowned. "Goddamn three-thousand dollar suit, ruined..." The gambler sighed heavily and ran a hand through his once slicked back brown hair, green eyes staring at the last words of the family that once lived here. "I wonder if we'll ever end up like that..."

"We won't." Ellis said, voice confident. "The only 'last words' we'll be writin' is our wills after all this... I wonder if they'll let us keep our guns."

"I can't. Not legally allowed to."

The hick chuckled. "Oh yeah." Silence settled over them before Ellis smiled again. "Oh, and you're gettin' some sleep tonight, Mr. Gamblin' Man."

Nick turned to him, a scowl on his face before he sighed and shrugged. "What ever you say, Hayseed."


They left the RV the next morning, leaving a mark on the outside of the door to show it was a safe house and some ammo out of their bag. Ellis prompted to write on the wall, telling any future survivors not to give up hope. The group sloshed through the swamp without complaints, encountering a few infected and a Hunter here and there. The trip was relatively quiet, something Nick had to thank for. His head had been pounding since he woke up, and he felt like he had a terrible hangover. More than once had Ellis looked back with his eyebrows furrowed, worried, but Nick had scoffed and walked ahead. A headache was nothing.

"Man, is this swamp ever gonna end?" Ellis said, frowning at the water. "I think we saw enough of it down in Louisiana..."

Coach shook his head. "I ain't built for this... I'm a Savanahite, not some swamp man." Ellis 'amen'd, Rochelle chuckled and Nick just snorted. There was coughing in the distance and he cocked his gun.

"Guys, I hear a-"

Before the sentence was out, a tongue shot out of the bushes and wrapped around Ellis' throat and torso, dragging him off into the foliage. "I-It's got me!" He yelled, thrashing and trying to free himself. His shotgun fell beside him. "Shoot the tongue, shoot the tongue!"

Nick pulled up his pistol and aimed for the appendage, but another gunshot rang out and a cloud of green smoke burst into the trees. Ellis fell to the ground, coughing and trying to fill his lungs. "Goddamn, that was a good shot, Nick." Coach said.

"Yeah. We didn't even see it." Rochelle agreed, smiling.

The conman shook his head. "I didn't shoot it..." He said quietly, looking back as Ellis stood, still choking on the toxic air.

"Well, El. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The mechanic's blue eyes got wide as he looked to the group's left, where another boy his age stood, a smirk set on his well defined was as his brown eyes stared at them, shaggy brunette hair falling in his face. "I see you've been doin' good."

Ellis' eyes, if it was even possible, grew even more and his mouth fell open. "K-Keith?"