!Hola hermanos ye hermanas! (Hello brothers and sisters!)
Lol, don't even think I'm Spanish. I barely know any, since I've only taken Spanish 1.
Here's the second chappie! YAY!
Random: You ever notice whenever Rochelle and Coach dies in the game, Nick will say to Ellis, "Hey Ellis, y'know all that shit I was saying? I was only joking." Or something similar to that. EEEEEeee! I just love it! It's like he'll only say that to Ellis when they're alone! ^.^
Chapter 2 - Breakdown
"Where's this goddamn gun-shop of yours, overalls?" Nick called out to him, Ellis's new nickname evident
It didn't bother him in the least. Ellis was turned away from the others, so none of them didn't see him smile at Nick's nickname for him. It wasn't like it was supposed to be affectionate or anything, but there was something oddly pleasing that Nick acknowledged him enough to even give him one.
Ellis turned, sporting his best smile. "Jus' a lil' but further down the road. We won't miss it, I promise."
They had turn to taking shortcuts through buildings and overpasses since most of the road was blocked off with baricades. They had just came from a small overpass where they'd encountered their first Charger. All of them had quickly learned to duck out of the way once the thing came charging at them. Unfortunately, Ellis was caught dead-on and carried about 10 meters away before promptly being smashed into the ground a couple of times.
Coach had been sure that he'd dislocated his shoulder. but Ellis had shaken it off with a smile and a laugh while Rochelle patched him up. Of course, the already blue, and patchy bruises had said otherwise.
They crossed a walkway then trudged down some stairs before coming to the back of the gun-store. The big, white sign hung, reading "Whitaker's Gun Shop".
Ellis opened the door and his eyes lit up. The whole front shelf was covered in a paraphernilia of fire-power. Combat shotguns, rifles, M-16's, AK-47's...you name it and this shop had it. Ellis walked up to the shelf and pulled an M-16 off.
"Man, I've wanted this rifle since I was 8..." he looked it over with appreciation.
Nick yanked a Combat Rifle off the shelf. He merely strapped it onto his back and he waltzed over to a box where 4 health packs lay convieniently. He picked one up and strapped it onto his back along with the gun. "Like you have half the sense to shoot that gun."
Ellis turned towards Nick, unsmiling. But his tone was hushed. "Why ya gotta be such a dick towards me, Nick?"
The sound of glass shattering was heard as Nick smashed the display glass in, reaching for the Desert Eagle laying behind it. He practiced aiming the bulky handgun at one of the target posters. "Because that's what I am, kid. Take it or leave it." He walked over to a box of laser sights and attached one to his rifle.
Ellis followed suit while Coach and Rochelle talked to Whitaker through a small speaker. "You ever think 'bout bein' nice?"
Nick stopped in the middle of what he was doing and looked up only to smirk cynically at Ellis. "And why would I wanna do that?"
Ellis pretended to busy himself with his laser sight, not wanting to meet Nick's eyes. "'Cuz maybe ya wanna make some friends for once."
Nick actually laughed at this. "Sorry kid," he said, laughing shakily. "but unlike what you think, it's a dog-eat-dog world and trust me, where I come from, friend's are nothing but a distraction."
This annoyed Ellis. He pursed his lips uneasily, halting in everything he was doing. He merely stared silently at the box of laser sights before replying quietly, "Well, ya not there anymore, ya here."
Nick readjusted his gun strap and sighd at the Ellis's stubborness. "Whatever, overalls. Too fucking tired to argue with you."
Ellis realized that he wasn't gonna get anything more from Nick, so he retrieved a health pack from where Nick got his and waited while Whitaker opened the door.
"Okay, everyone...all we gotta do is walk on over to the store, get the man his cola, and he's gonna blow the barricade up for us."
Nick looked at Coach, dumbfounded. "Why the hell are we doing that? Why don't we just climb over the barricade?"
"Nick, you realize there's a tanker and a giant wall seperating us from the mall. How are we supposed to climb over that?" Rochelle interceded, obviously siding with Coach.
Nick opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it realizing it was useless arguing with them.
Ellis watched him as he scowled in frustration. Then he turned to Coach and Rochelle. "I think it'd be a better idea to climb over it, too. So that way, we don't hafta set that alarm off."
Nick almost choked on his breath as Ellis spoke up and Coach and Rochelle stared at him in amazement. Or possible stupidity. Either one.
"Boy, you sidin' with Nick?" Coach asked skeptically.
"Yeah, I guess. It kinda makes sense if ya ask me." Ellis said, turning to Nick. Nick was quick to regain his posture and returned an emotionless look to Ellis.
"Huh...I swear, son, you're confusin' as hell. If that asshole talked down to me the way he did you, I wouldn't side with him on anythin'. Hell, I wouldn't even talk to 'em." Coach said almost directly to Nick.
Nick merely shrugged, not letting Coach get to him.
They all walked outside, and eyed the barricade. Ellis searched it from end to end to see if there was an accessible point over it, but to no avail. It was a sealed passage.
"Sorry, Ellis. I think we're just going to have to do what Whitaker says." Rochelle said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Ellis sighed in disappointed then turned to Nick. "Sorry, man. No way over."
Nick stood, fooling with one of the rings on his fingers. "It's nothing, overalls. Don't mind it."
Ellis's face lit up with Nick's words and he quickly turned to Coach. "So, how's about we go get that cola and get the hell outta here?"
"That's what I've been wantin' to do all along, son." Coach retorted matter-of-factly.
The horde swarmed in on them, nipping at the back of their heels while Ellis ran with the six-pack of coke cradled in his arms. It was pure hell trying to get out of the store with the infected blocking the door. But out here? They had jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
A high-pitched scream was heard and Nick turned to watch behind him. A hooded figure had jumped ahead of the crowd and was crawling on all fours. Nick took his combat rifle off his back and aimed at it. As he went to pull the trigger, the hooded figure leapt gracefully out of the way. He shot again and it jumped to the nearest wall, using its momentum to spring off the side and in front of Nick.
Nick cursed under his breath. "Shit...what the hell is that thing?" He went to shoot at it again, right before he felt his heart sink into his stomach. He realized what it was after.
Ellis who was about 20 feet ahead of the rest of the group, shoulder and arm wrapped in gauz and not a gun but cola in his hands. Such an easy target.
"Ellis!" Nick tried yelling out to him. But his voice was drowned out by the horde and blare of the guns. "Ellis!" He yelled again in a futile attempt.
Ellis was just about to make a turn to run up the stairs with the coke whenever the hooded figure pounced him. The cola fell from his hands and landed on the concrete. One of the bottles slipped out and busted.
The hooded figure began clawing at him, its black and dirty nails digging into whatever surface it could find on Ellis. Ellis had a hold of its wrists, despreately trying to fend it off, but it was stronger. It roughly pushed Ellis's arms back, causing him to yell out in raw pain from his shoulder. Then it clawed him across the chest.
And Nick saw Ellis's blood spray across the cement.
Nick ran full force up to the Hunter and pushed him off, stunning him. He brought out his magnum and stuck the barrel under then Hunter's chin. Nick pulled the trigger and it's brain matter splattered across the wall.
It's body landed with an empty thud, and Nick, satisfyed, leaned over Ellis. He turned the mechanic over, seeing that his chest was shredded by the Hunter. Blood dribbled weakly from his lips.
"Ellis! Hey, kid, are you okay?" Nick asked urgently. He went to start examining Ellis's wounds whenever a bloody hand gripped his. Ellis's.
"Get the coke to Whitaker..." he wretched out weakly. "Turn the alarm off..."
He limply let go out Nick's hand and fell back unconcious on the concrete ground. Nick stared hesitantly a him, wondering if he should leave him or not. He turned back to the 6-pack, now a 5-pack of coke and grabbed it, rushing it up the stairs.
A slot opened at a door and Whitaker was heard. "Put the cola in the slot!"
Nick complied glaring hard at the soft drinks. "You sick fuck. Better be fucking happy. Ellis is about to die because of you."
Whitaker didn't reply as the store alarm shut off and a missle destroyed the tanker and barricade. But he did speak up afterwards. "Good luck to ya, now."
Nick, clenched his teeth in intense irritation. "Fuck you." He rushed back down stairs to Rochelle and Coach who were now leaning over Ellis. Nick went to open his mouth to talk whenever Rochelle stood up and smacked him across the face. Nick recoiled away from her, then glared hard. "What the fuck was that for?"
"For ELLIS!" she screamed at him. "He's probably gonna die now!"
Nick flailed his arms out. "WHAT the hell did I do?"
"You LEFT him! That's what!" She raised her hand back, like she wanted to smack him again, but then lowered it.
"What the hell made you do that, Nick?" Coach asked, calmer than Rochelle, but still pissed.
"He told me to take the coke to the crazy fuck up there so he'd turn the alarm off! HE told me to go on!" It annoyed Nick that the both of them were jumping him. But most of his anger came from Ellis's condition. He couldn't help but feel like the entire thing was his fault.
"And you listened! FOR ONCE! You never listened before, so why did you listen now! Ellis is probably gonna die, you asshole...and you don't even care!" Rochelle stepped forward, weakly. She sniffled a little, then went on. "Probably gonna die...there's no way he could've survived that...going to die..." she weakly set her hand against Nick's chest and beat on his shoulder. Then she gave up and started sobbing. Nick hesitantly put an arm around her.
Coach peeled Ellis's bloody shirt of him and set it aside. After a few minutes of examining him, he motioned for Nick to help him. "He ain't gonna do any better out here. Let's get him somewhere safer."
Rochelle stepped away from Nick, and together, he and Coach carried Ellis to one of the nearby CEDA tents in the mall's parking lot. They laid Ellis gently on one of the cots.
"We gonna need some water to clean this blood off him. Rochelle, you come help me look for some water. Nick, you stay here and take care of Ellis." Coach ordered them. Rochelle and Nick both looked as if they wanted to protest, but then backed down.
Coach and Rochelle left the tent and Nick was alone with Ellis. He saw Ellis's health pack sitting on the table and went to reach for it...but then stopped short. He took his own health pack off, deciding that it was wrong to take Ellis's.
He took some gauze and disinfectant from the kit and laid them out before himself. But before he could pick them up, he found his head in his hands, hunkered down. His body shook with the threat of crying and felt the breakdown coming. But he was Nick, he was a con man, he was a swinger, he was a gambler...and he wasn't going to cry. He sucked in a shaky breath and muttered weakly to himself. "Get yourself together, you're...falling apart."
He gazed over Ellis's body, seeing where the Hunter's claws had got him. He couldn't sworn the kid wasn't breathing. An his skin...was so pale and chilly. He rested his head on his arm, knowing full and well that he wasn't going to thwart the on-coming breakdown.
Then he felt something lace its way into his right rand.
HA-HA! Cliffhanger, baby! Yeah! You know you gotta love those things, but at the same time hate them.
LOL, watching "The Hangover" right now. Bradley Cooper looks EXACTLY LIKE Nick! It's crazy! Gawd...now I get why Phil was my favorite character in "The Hangover".
Go look him up! And see for youself! Don't forget to R&R too! 3333