Rated M: for language and violence
I don't own Left 4 Dead; it's too epic 4 me.
Chapter 2: Greetings and meetings
Taylor was about to answer when they heard the toilet flush from behind the closed door in the safe room.
In a flash they both had their weapons trained on the door as it burst open…
"The hell did you lot come from?"
The speaker, who had just left the toilet, was a tall man with blond hair and a medium build. He wore a black shirt with the midnight riders logo on it, jeans, and studded black boots that made Clark feel like they would detach from his feet and try to eat him. He was holding a pump shotgun and had a cricket bat, and also a very surprised look on his face.
"Outside, obviously." Taylor told him shortly.
"Since you were in here to begin with, why was the door open?" Clark asked curiously.
"Let's just say that, the call to nature was rather urgent." He told them evasively "and it also seems that the toilet is soundproof, ah who are you two again?"
"I'm Clark, an ex police officer." Clark told him
They both looked at Taylor, who just shook her head and went back to checking her guns.
"And that antisocial Ice queen is Taylor." He finished.
"Hey! I resent that." Taylor cut in, slightly amused.
"I'm Sam, I used to be part of a gang, but I left them before the apocalypse hit, but it did help me survive since then." Sam told them. "Why are you looking at me funny Clark?"
"Just wondering if I had arrested you before." He explained with a thoughtful look on his face.
"No, I only got arrested once, and that was by an officer who was a lot bigger around the middle then you." Sam told him.
"What? You mean officer Lorens, I didn't know he had managed to catch anybody." Clark replied, slightly stunned.
"He only got me because one of my fellow gang members was a dumbass, he stole the guy's cheeseburger." Sam explained.
"That explains a lot." Clark chortled "You never want to get between Lorens and his food."
"So anyway, where you too headed?" Sam asked.
"Don't know yet." Clark replied "don't suppose you would have any ideas, would you?"
"I was planning to head to the top of that really tall office block and try to signal one of the choppers I saw flying about with some of these flares." Sam told him, while showing them several flare sticks.
"Well, that's better then what my plan was gonna be." Clark told him.
"What was your idea?" Taylor asked to their surprise.
"I didn't have one." He told her with a grin.
Taylor just rolled her eyes and went back to her work.
"Say, I don't suppose you two would want to come with me would you?" Sam asked "I mean, it's a whole lot riskier going out by yourself then sticking together."
"We seemed to do fine on our own." Taylor told him.
"What? How long have you guys been working by yourselves for?" Sam asked.
While Taylor made a sign signifying 5 days, Clark replied with "Dunno, lost count by this point, might be around 4 or 5 weeks now."
"How the hell did you survive for so long?" Sam asked.
"Luck" Clark replied, at the same time Taylor said "Skill".
They both paused for a second before Taylor said "In my experience there is no such thing as luck."
"And I have gotten out of so many sticky situations that I can't help but believe in luck." Clark responded.
"I mean." He continued "I'm good, but half the situations that I have been in, I'm sure as shit that my skill had no way of saving me."
"Anyway." Clark said before anyone else could respond "I really think we should stick together, and Sam's plan sounds like a good one, well, better then just aimlessly wondering the city at any rate."
"Fine" Taylor agreed exasperatedly "Then let's get some sleep while we still can, I really don't want to go in there half awake when I don't have to."
The other two readily agreed and after a quick meal of tined peaches, they all eventually fell into a fitful sleep.
Military safe zone and research facility…
"Hey! What the hell man! Why you locking us up here for? We're not infected!" Ellis yelled through the bars of his and Coach's cell at their guards retreating back.
"Hellooooo" Ellis called as the guard disappeared around the corner. "Ah Hell."
Ellis headed over and sat dejectedly on one of the beds in his and Coach's one room cell.
"This is Hogwash man! The army was supposed to be saving our asses, not locking them up." He complained.
"I know man." Coach agreed "But hey, at least we won't have to constantly watch our backs for surprise zombie attacks now."
"I don't know about you but I think I would take the zombies over this, waiting, I mean why did they even bother locking us up for? They could have just lined us up and shot us like they did those others. I really don't like this man." Ellis told him darkly.
"I guess there's not much we can do about it but wait." Coach concluded.
"I was afraid you were gonna say that." Ellis told him "I just hope they haven't done anything to Ro or Nick."
Street safe room, the next morning…
Clark woke up to the bright morning glow from outside, he immediately wished that he hadn't and tried to go back to sleep again.
After a few more minutes he gave up trying to sleep as a bad joke and got up. Their one room and a toilet safe room was bathed in the morning light, but the effect of a nice morning was ruined by the ever present growls of infected near by.
Since the other two were still sleeping on the floor in the sleeping bags that were kept in the safe room, Clark decided to do an inventory check.
Shotgun… Check, if he lost that he may as well walk around with an all you can eat sign.
Extra ammo… Check, hadn't forgot that yet, and not planning to in the near future.
Flashlight and batteries… Check, one time he had forgotten extra batteries and had his flashlight run out in the middle of an ambush at night, bad night that one.
Food supplies… Check, good to know that nobody had eaten any of his stuff while he was asleep.
Medpack… Check, since the infection started, CEDA had brought, and encouraged others to pull together, packs of medical supplies in red bags, with out these, anyone lasting this long would have been in serious trouble.
His… Axe? He had almost forgotten he still had the thing.
Two snoring idiots on the floor… double check.
When he was satisfied that he hadn't forgotten anything, he brought his attention back at his two new companions.
Taylor seemed to be rather cold and defensive since he had first met her, although he wasn't sure if she had always been like that, or if that attitude had been born from surviving in a world where everything could end up being striped away from you before you could turn around. She also seemed to be like the more calm and tactical one, which he assumed would have come from her military training.
Sam on the other hand was a different story. While Taylor seemed to be the closed, ice cold, tactician, Sam seemed to be the open, warm, impulsive, liability. Since their personalities were almost the polar opposites of each other, Clark got the feeling that he might end up being the diplomat so they didn't tear each other apart.
Just then, a very loud snore from Sam interrupted his musings, deciding that he couldn't take much more snoring; he kicked Sam in the shin to wake him up.
"Uh, what time is it?" He groaned, half asleep.
"Dunno, my watch stopped working, now get up already." Clark told him as Taylor started stirring from the noise.
As they both got up, Clark found himself laughing, it was obvious that all 3 of them were not morning people, but Clark had found his reactions tame compared to these two in front of him.
Taylor had the look of someone who had just woken up from a hard night of partying, with her normally straight black hair sticking up in all directions. And Sam, while looking alright, tried to head to the bathroom, but ended up walking into a wall.
As they continued to wake themselves up and gather their gear, Clark went back to his old pass time of reading the graffiti on the safe room walls. With graffiti left as the only form of leaving reliable messages, it often made for either and entertaining or useful read. As sometimes important information would be passed on, like evac sites, and information on the various infected, which was the way that they were given their names.
On this particular wall there were some amusing ones…
Where is Chuck Norris!
He's dead you idiot.
This shit was not in my plans!
Then flush the toilet before you leave you monster!
Your usual paranoid raving…
He's always there, watching you, waiting for the perfect moment to screw you over!
The hell are you talking about?
Fear the director!
Useful information
Listen for the fat ones, they make lots of noise.
Not so useful information
CEDA Sucks!
N
And the occasional arrogant asshole
Zombies don't infect Chicago Ted! He infects them!
Alert! Asshole spotted.
"We all set?" Sam asked, having finished waking up and collecting his gear.
"Yep." Clark replied, Taylor just nodded.
"Alright! Then its time to kick some Zombie ass!" Sam said before flinging open the safe room door.
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