Disclaimer: Valve © owns Left 4 Dead 1 & 2. Do I need this everytime?

Chapter 2: City Cat and City Assholes

The scene was a mess. The truck was turned on its side. From the looks of it, the driver didn't survive. Carl began walking and leading us to the mall. After a couple of minutes of walking down the street we saw more of those zombies. There's even a few that wears some kind of hazmat suit.

"Should we attack them?" Max asked.

"No. We should avoid trouble as much as possible. Who knows, if we attack them we might attract unwanted attention." Carl spoke with wisdom.

"Then I suggest we get moving." I said.

"How about we look in that store for supplies?" Anna said. Nice advice.

"I supposed, although we better hurry. With the infection getting worse I doubt that CEDA will wait for us." Carl said again being the one with most wisdom.

"Who's CEAD?" Max asked.

"We'll talk about that later. For let's just look for supplies."

When we got to the store I was the first one to enter. I began checking the area for them zombies. When I opened the closet at the back, one of them jumped and pinned me to the ground. I quickly pushed off and grabbed my katana. When it got up, I quickly cut its head off a clean strike. I have to say that I'm badass.

"What happened?" Anna asked with concern.

"Nothing, just one of them jumped that's all."

"Okay."

After searching the store for about ten minutes here's what we found. I found some pain pills a couple of energy drinks. Anna found some canned food and snacks. Something tells me we'll need them later. Max found a baseball bat which he is using instead of his pipe. I also saw him putting some smaller pipes, bear bottles and some other stuff into his backpack. I'll ask him about that later. Carl found a pump-up shotgun. Yep a shotgun, he even found a lot of ammo for it. I swear I saw a grin on his face when he showed us.

"Are we done?" Carl asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's go and stick together."

We managed to sneak pass a lot of zombies, occasionally killing a few stragglers. Carl decided we go through this alley shortcut. Anna being playful decided to start a game of tag. Then I was it and she ran ahead. I ran after her only to hear a high pitched shriek and to see something covered in a black jacket jumping off one of the rooftops and pinning her to the ground. Shortly after, it began tearing her apart. I quickly sprinted over and knocked it. Then I impaled it right through the heart. When she got up I gave her some pain pills.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah thanks. What was that thing?"

"Just another nightmare from this god-forsaken apocalypse, we'll have to meet more I'm sure."

"We should name it. How about Kitty Catty, I think it's cute."

"Kitty Catty, I don't think it suits something that just pinned you to the ground and tried to tear you to pieces. Plus, I think it was a guy."

"Fine, then what do you think?"

"How about Hunter, with the black hooded jacket and the way it waits for lone prey suits it don't you think?"

"Yeah it does. I guess Hunter's fine."

"What happen here?" Carl asked.

"Oh nothing, we'll tell you about it later."

"Okay then come 'on."

Twenty more minutes of sneaking around zombies and killing a few more Hunter passed. Ha! When Max got pounced, he screamed like a girl. After I helped him, he said that it's not funny and something about what you would do if you got pounced. Shortly after that, we got to the front of the mall at the parking lot. Then Max said something smart that totally ruined out good spirit.

"Guys, what if the zombies got to inside and killed everyone?"

"WHAT?" Anna and I shouted almost in perfect sync.

"I mean, you see how there is so many zombies around the mall and that the mall's too quiet. Also, you saw those hazmat guys. That means the suits don't protect you."

"OH GOD. I completely forgot to think about that." Carl said.

To add to diminished morale, the ground started shaking. At first I thought it was a miniature earthquake but then we heard a roar. Something tells me whatever this thing is, it's BIG. Then we saw it. It was HUGH. This ape-like thing with huge arms and body came charging at us. Surprisingly and fortunately, it got small legs when compared to the rest of its body. Carl began shooting it with his shotgun immediately although he and I both know that it won't be enough.

"Lure it away from me. I got something that could kill it but it'll take some time to prepare." Max quickly shouted.

"What?" I asked too loudly.

"Just do it!"

I quickly threw anything I could find to the behemoth to distract it away from Max. A few minutes later Max came running and threw a, Molotov? That's right, he threw a Molotov and it lit the behemoth ablaze and it let out a roar of agony and rage. Unfortunately now its attention is completely on him.

"RUN!"

And that's what he did. We tried everything to get the thing's attention. I ever tried running to it and slashing it across its back. All it did was turn around and did an uppercut sending across the parking lot. Then the thing continued chasing Max into some building. Carl went after it while Anna helped me up. We then followed Carl. When we got inside, Carl was standing with a grinning Max. He told us that just as the thing was going to punched him, it simply fall to the ground and died. That lucky little nerd.

"Let's hope we don't meet anymore of those things." Anna said with fear.

"Yeah let's hope." I said all knowing that we'll have to meet more of them.

"Where you get that Molotov?" Carl asked.

"I found it." Max said simply.

"Okay then. I think we better no risk going into the mall cause like Max said, everyone might be dead and then there's going to be a LOT of zombies. I say I go back the street to this safe room I saw on in the TVs."

"Yeah Okay. Sounds good. Okay." We all replied.

We then started walking to the safe room. I sure hope it's safe. After a few minutes of walking Anna asked me what we should name that thing.

"I had some ideas but after thinking for a while, I realize that they don't suit that thing so well."

"Well how about we name the thing Tank?"

"Tank?"

"Yeah you know tank. Because the thing is extremely huge, tough to kill and very strong."

"Okay."

Then we got to the safe room. It has red steel doors with a sprayed imaged of a house with a cross inside. Once we got inside and locked the door with bars, Carl decided that we should eat and get some sleep. After we ate dinner Carl and Anna went to sleep in some sleeping bags that were there in the safe room. Max and I volunteered for stay watch. Anyways I want to ask him about the Molotov.

"So that's why you put those beer bottles and other stuff in you backpack huh?"

"What?"

"Don't act dumb. I saw you putting them in your backpack."

"Okay. I learned some skills in chemistry class and decided to make them."

"That's smart."

"Really? Cause I thought eating like girl doesn't get you praises."

"Max I'm sorry about that. It was supposed to be a onetime thing."

"Well it wasn't now was it?"

"Max! I'm sorry. I understand that you're hurt."

"No! You're not and you don't understand what it's like to treated the way I was. I was being bullied for every single little thing that I do, every single day, how do you understand that?" he said with tears in his eyes.

Then not knowing what I was doing, I pulled him towards me and wrapped my arms around him. He instantly starts crying. We stayed like that for ten twenty minutes, I don't know. Then he pulled out and started wiping his face.

"I'm sorry for saying things like that. It's just that it's so hard."

"I know and I'm sorry for asking if you eat like a girl."

"Well then guess we should change our attention to the zombies." he said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so."

After an hour or two we switched. Once I closed my eyes, I blacked out instantly into a dream.

FYI: Alex does NOT like Max. I am trying to show Alex's feelings of Max as a younger brother.