Left 4 Dead drabble - IV
For Talia, by Raven
"Left 4 dead" © Valve
When Bret finally entered the sitting room, back in his sweatpants and purple hoodie, he was greeted by one of the strangest sights he'd ever witnessed. Russell had somehow managed to turn on the stereo, and was now dancing to whichever song had come up on the radio. Now, one would've expected strange, clumsy, wild movements from the half-crazy Infected – that was why Bret was left staring, mouth hanging slightly opened and cheeks a bit red.
He'd never seen anyone dance like Russell was dancing right then, hips moving rhythmically, in a maddeningly hypnotic way. One of the Screamer's hand was on his denim-covered thigh, and the other on his head, messing his lifeless blond hair up. Bret also noticed that Russell had replaced the straightjacket with a long-sleeved black T-shirt, with the word 'Sexy' in glittery pink letters on it. Hadn't he been so crazy about Wade, he would've certainly thought he could like the Screamer.
'What the fuck?' was the perfect thing to say, but Bret couldn't get himself to speak. The dancer was the first one to break the relative silence, once he realized his friend was watching him as if in a trance.
"Hey, Bret! You're here!" the Screamer walked up to his friend, clumsily tripping over a few cushions that were sprawled out on the floor. Not a trace of his prior gracefulness left in him, it seemed. "How are you?"
"Huh... I'm fine" Bret scratched the back of his head under the thick hood. Yeah, there was that sore feeling in his backside, but there were certain things that Russell was better off without knowing. He didn't need him telling everyone about that, and the poor Screamer was too crazy to realize what was a secret. "And you?"
Russell put on a thoughtful expression, hands held together behind his back, eyes downcast and cheeks red.
"I think I like someone" he confessed, and Bret smiled knowingly. Pretty obvious, mh?
"That's cute. Who is it?"
"I won't tell!" Russell snarled, suddenly angry, and Bret couldn't help but take a step back. He knew he was far stronger than the Screamer, but the psychotic boy was unpredictable, and hence, dangerous. "You'll tell him!"
"Who?" Bret asked, confused. "I wouldn't tell anyone, Russell!"
"No! I won't tell you! You'll tell Wade!"
...Wade?!
"W-Wait... What?" Bret's eyes narrowed, but Russell couldn't see that. "W-What has Wade to do in all this?"
"I don't want Wade to know I like him" Russell explained, looking down and smiling sheepishly, the blush evident in his pale cheeks. Bret nodded automatically, feeling venom running through his veins, fire burning in his stomach, pain constricting his fingers, making him flex them, his claws tickling with the need to tear, to rip, to hurt. If it was true, if he had heard right, Russell liked Wade.
His Wade. The Smoker he had claimed as his own only hours ago.
Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. KILL HIM. KILL. HIM.
"I see" he whispered, voice barely audible, although the growl was evident in it. Russell, however, was oblivious to everything, and especially subtle threats like those.
"So don't tell Wade!" Russell giggled, sitting down on the couch. "Last night I saw a shooting star. I made a wish on it, but I forgot what I asked for" and the Screamer's eyes turned towards the window. "Oh, lookie! A birdie!"
"How nice" Bret replied, almost biting the words as they came out of his mouth. Shut up, you little whore, traitor, lunatic bastard. Make us a favour and curl up and die!
"I like the Smokers' tongues" Russell commented then, not making any sense as usual. "They're like snakes. I like snakes. I wish I were a Smoker, so I'd have a 'snake tongue' too! I'd name it 'Snakey', and it would be my pet."
"Really?" Bret walked into the kitchen, not even turning back to look at his 'friend', showing how little interest he had in his random conversation. He took out a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water; his throat felt dry and rough.
"Yeah..." Russell stayed silent for about a second, before grinning. "I want a pet Smoker. I'd call it 'Snakey'. Do you think Wade would mind if I called him 'Snakey', Bret? ...BRET?!" the Screamer rushed into the kitchen, startled, when he heard the sound of breaking glass and the Hunter's screech. Apparently, the glass had somehow exploded in his hand, leaving several deep cuts and a few pieces of glass embedded into his Infected skin. "Bret, are you okay?!"
"Y-Yeah" the Hunter half-whispered, half-screeched. "I-I'm fine... Just held the glass a bit too tightly..." from rage. I want to kill you, Russell, I really do. Do you realize it? I'm this close from ripping your throat open and playing with the insides. Are you too insane to notice I hate you? "I-I'm going upstairs, yeah? Wade has stuff that could help."
"Want me to help you?"
"No, thanks, Russell."
I'm not letting you anywhere close to Wade. Especially not if he's still sleeping naked in our bed. Yes, ours. Mine and Wade's. Not yours.
The Screamer stared, evidently confused, as the Hunter rushed upstairs, not even turning to look back at him.
"...Oh, lookie! A birdie!"
Meanwhile, upstairs, Bret opened the door to find Wade still in bed, still naked, and smoking quietly as he stared at nothing in particular. He looked so handsome, thoughtful and relaxed, hazel eyes half-lidded and smoke surrounding him... No wonder there's two of us after him, Bret thought, gritting his teeth as he tried to suppress a screech, only half-succeeding. Wade turned to him and smiled lovingly, letting out the smoke from his Infected lungs as he placed the cigarette in the ashtray and patted the bed beside him.
"C'mere, baby..."
"Can't right now" Bret replied, harsher than he had intended, as he looked around trying to locate some med kits Wade had, probably stolen from unfortunate Survivors. Wade frowned, about to tell Bret to fuck off, when he saw his bloodied hand and, alarmed, leaned over the edge of the bed and retrieved a med kit from under it.
"Here" he coughed softly, handing his hurt lover the red package. "What happened?"
"Broke a glass" Bret replied as he sat at the foot of the bed and started tending to his wounds. "Russell is an asshole!" he finally exploded, and Wade blinked in confusion as he got up and went to retrieve his clothes.
"I thought you liked him" he commented as he got dressed, and Bret huffed.
"That was until the moment I realized he's an asshole."
"What made you change your mind?"
"He..." but Bret stopped. In his mind, he pictured himself and the Screamer. He was shy and bitchy, instinctive and a bit stupid, always concealing his appearance, which wasn't anything amazing. Black hair, lifeless eyes, pale skin. He'd once been a Catholic good boy living in a small town, hiding his sexual preferences from his parents, being bullied by the big guys at school, and going to church every Sunday. Russell, on the other hand, was young, happy-go-lucky, outgoing, charming. He had blond hair – lifeless and straight, but blond, and blondes always had more fun, right? – and those big fucking beautiful blue eyes that resembled the peaceful sky of a summer afternoon. He had a lean, rather curvy feminine figure and he knew how to move it. Bret didn't even remember the little guy was a pyromaniac and had ADD. Russell was fucking perfect, and if any man – Infected or not – with a few hormones left had to choose, Bret was certain whom they'd choose. Why give Wade the opportunity of choosing? "He's annoying" Bret lied with a sigh. Lying to Wade wasn't exactly nice. Wade buttoned his jeans and buckled his belt, and went to put on his white undershirt, until he noticed it had been almost shredded to pieces. He smirked at the memory.
"Someone was a bit impatient last night..." he discarded the piece of clothing and threw on his green shirt, leaving it unbuttoned. "So, say, why do you think he's so annoying?"
"He's... Hum... Insane" Bret shrugged, smiling lightly as Wade helped him adjust a bandage around his hurt hand. "Thanks, love. And yeah, you know, he never makes any sense, he's random... I dunno, he's the kind of guy I don't enjoy being around."
"That's a pity" Wade sighed. "He thinks you're his friend."
"He has Danny now, he doesn't need me anymore" Bret shrugged, trying to ignore the pang of guilt poking at his insides. Wade frowned again.
"A friend doesn't replace another, Bret. I never thought I'd hear something like that from you" the Smoker added, sounding disappointed, which only added fuel to the fire. Bret gritted his teeth. Russell was making him look bad in front of everyone else!
"You're right" he admitted under his breath. "I'll try to cope with him. He's my friend, after all" he growled, and Wade chuckled and coughed lightly as he went to retrieve his cigarettes and his lighter, placing them in his back pocket.
"That's the spirit. Now, what shall we---"
But a loud, piercing scream interrupted him.
"WADE!"
"It's Russell" Wade whispered, hurrying out of the room. Bret cursed under his breath before following him. "What happened, Russell?" the Smoker asked as he practically flew downstairs and rushed to the scared boy's side, his long legs aiding him in the task, although his lungs ached from the lack of oxygen that came with running, making him cough. Russell had small tears in his eyes as he threw his arms around Wade, looking for comfort.
"I-I heard Danny screaming! I'm scared!"
"You heard him?" Wade looked around. The windows showed nothing, but the Tank could very well be a few blocks away, and he'd still be heard. Bret appeared in the room then, and he had to grip the back of the couch to contain himself from shredding Russell to pieces. He was hugging Wade!
"What's going on here?" he screeched, and Wade turned to him, releasing himself from the Screamer's hug but keeping a firm grip on his hand.
"Russell says he heard Danny" Wade explained innocently, oblivious to his lover's jealousy. "He could be in trouble, so we have to find him, and quick. He's tough, but a group of Survivors with enough balls can take a Tank down if they attack together."
Bret nodded, uninterested, while Russell pictured a scene where a group of Survivors dressed as basketball players threw big orange balls at Danny, all at the same time, knocking the Tank back in a rather cartoony fashion.
"That would leave marks!" he cried, and Wade gave him a funny look.
"Hum... Yeah, I think so. Do you know which way Danny went?"
Russell nodded, and Wade turned to Bret.
"You stay here, I'll go find him. Russell, guide me."
"I wanna go too!" Bret exclaimed then. There was no way in hell he was letting Wade go alone with that little whore of a Screamer! Wade simply shook his head, pointing at the Hunter's hand.
"You're hurt, I won't risk you. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine" he added, with a smile that the Hunter didn't return.
"Let me go with you."
"Bret, we don't have time for this..."
"I wanna go too! You can't tell me what to do!"
"I can and I will! It's me who always has to go rescue you, little princess, so you better not put a foot out of this house!"
"Nobody asked you to rescue me, oh my hero!"
Another guttural scream echoed in the distance, and Russell's frail mental balance broke.
"DANNY!"
And before Bret could warn Wade, the Screamer had violently freed himself from the Smoker's grasp and ran out, calling out to their Tank friend. Wade panicked, glancing at the open door, and then back at Bret, angrily.
"Do as you wish!"
And with that, he ran out, coughing from the effort as he followed Russell as best as he could. He didn't hear any footsteps behind him, so Bret had obviously stayed at home, probably pissed off. Wade stopped for a second, trying to catch his breath, although it was almost impossible. He knew he had to help Danny and Russell, but something stronger was pulling him back towards the abandoned house where Bret was. He started walking in that direction, when another roar from the Tank reached his ears, making him turn around. He was torn between his lover and his friend, but Russell made the decision for him, suddenly appearing around the corner and running up to him, grabbing his hand and tugging on it.
"C'mon, Wade! We gotta help Danny!"
"But..." Wade's hazel eyes turned in the direction of his house again, and Russell pulled harder, letting out a choked sob that surprised the Smoker.
"We gotta help him, Wade! Please, help me! I can't do anything!"
"Russell..."
"I'm useless! But I don't want to lose him, Wade! Please!"
"Russell!"
"I love him, Wade! I love Danny!"
"Okay! Let's just go now, stop crying!"
And with that, the Screamer pulled the Smoker into a frenzied run, Wade barely able to keep up, coughing violently all the way.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Bret was curled up on the couch, lazily scratching a cushion and playing with the stuffing that came out. He was so furious, he couldn't even move. His supposed 'friend' wanted his lover, and his lover was too stupid to realize this. He felt he hated them both to an extent, Russell more than Wade, because while Wade was simply stupid, Russell had been the one scheming and plotting to get Wade to go alone with him. Bret hadn't even heard the Tank at first, and he trusted his ears more than anything, so he took it that the Screamer was lying. True, they had heard them later, but it could've been any Tank. Why did Russell have to think it was Danny? It never occurred to the Hunter that maybe it was indeed Danny, or that maybe the Screamer, delirious, had heard a Tank and immediately assumed it was Danny. To him, it had all been a plot to get Wade and Russell together. And it made him want to scream in rage.
Just wait until he comes back, he thought, biting his lower lip until he drew blood. He'll regret having asked me to free him from that straightjacket...
As he thought this, a few blocks away from the house, Wade and Russell finally made it to where the Tank was fighting for his life. There were too many Survivors for it to be good - it seemed two or more groups had gathered together in the same place, fighting the common objective that so happened to be Danny. Wade wanted to help, but he had to lean against a wall and catch his breath first.
I think I should consider quitting… he thought as he coughed violently, feeling his stomach and lungs churning. Russell covered him by screaming as loud as he could, thus summoning a Horde that kept the humans busy for a while, allowing Danny to come out from his hiding place behind a metal dumpster and approach Wade to pat his back, a bit more forcefully than he had intended to.
"Ah, fuck, Danny!"
"Sorry, dude… You feelin' any better?"
"Y-Yeah…" Wade looked up at the Tank, panting, one eye opened and the other closed. "L-Look out for Russell, he's an easy target."
"I'm on it."
"TANK!" a Survivor screamed, running out of the way as a car was hurled in his direction, only to be caught by the recovered Wade's tongue, which quickly twirled around him, squeezing the air out of him. His companions tried to help, but they were caught between the Tank's fury and a second Horde, more violent and numerous than the last one, courtesy of Russell.
"SCREAMER!" another Survivor yelled, but was quickly taken down by Danny's angry fists. The Tank roared furiously as he looked around, spotting Russell hiding behind the same dumpster he had before. He was relatively safe there. Wade threw the human he had killed into the dumpster, making a mental note to retrieve him later as he pulled a screaming woman towards him, a third scream attracting a few zombies to her. Wade quickly crawled onto the roof of a car, holding the woman up for the common Infected to tear apart, like some kind of twisted piñata.
"Watch the tongue" he snarled at an Infected woman, who stared at him for a few seconds, somewhat dazzled. Wade rolled his eyes; just what he didn't need, a common Infected infatuated with him. "I'm a one-mate Smoker" he sighed, thinking back to Bret and their argument. How he wished he could run home and take everything back, just hold the Hunter and tell him how much he loved him…
"SMOKER!"
"Wade, look out!"
Wade turned around just in time to see a human aiming at him with a rifle, only to be squished by a piece of concrete that Danny had dropped on him.
"Gotcha, you lil' punk! You 'kay, bro?"
"I'm fine" Wade breathed out, coughing lightly. "Thanks, D…"
"He almost got you there! The heck is wrong with ye'?"
"I'm... Worried" Wade admitted, releasing the dead woman he was holding, letting the Horde have her. He jumped down from the roof of the car and leaned against it, lighting a cigarette, looking down as he smoked slowly, coughing every now and then. "I had an argument with Bret earlier. I'm scared..." he closed his eyes, and the tank gave a slight smile, patting his shoulder as best as he could without dislocating it.
"You worry too much, man, what's one lil' row? It means nothing!"
"Really?" Wade looked up at him, and in his eyes, Danny could see the frailness and insecurity of a very young man who wasn't suddenly as smart as he had thought once.
"Really. You can trust me" Danny chuckled. "I had a ton of girlfriends back in my time. We'd argue one day and be all lovey-dovey the other!"
"Alright..." the Smoker sighed again, coughing violently immediately after. Danny rubbed his back gently, and then looked around. His eyes widened when he noticed Russell was choking the last Survivor to death with his delicate bare hands.
"You killed Danny! Why? WHY?!"
"Hum, Russ'..."
"I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
"Russie..."
"Why did you kill my Danny?!"
"Russell, I'm not dead."
Russell blinked and turned to Danny, the dead man hanging limply from his hands.
"...Oh, hi, Danny!"
"Hey" Danny replied with a smile. "I'm not dead, but he is" and he pointed to the human. Russell looked down at his victim, and immediately released him.
"Ew! A dead guy! That's so disgusting!"
"Russell got the last one" Danny informed Wade, while Russell looked around, confused.
"Where are we?"
"Then let's go" Wade got up off the car, his hazel eyes glancing in the direction of his house once again. Suddenly, he wasn't so excited to go back anymore. He shivered lightly, and felt a small hand on his shoulder.
"You cold, Wade?" Russell asked softly, and Wade shook his head.
"N-No... I'm nervous" and he hastily finished off his cigarette and lit up another, smoking it equally fast, coughing so violently that Russell got scared.
"Wade, are you going to die?!"
"He can't speak, Russ'" Danny smiled sheepishly, scratching his head. "Let him be, he'll be okay. Let's just head back so he can sort things out with Bret and stop eating those ciggies."
And Wade glared at him over his shoulder as he led the way, hands in his pockets, using his tongue to hold his beloved cigarette.
The second they arrived at home, Wade could sense something wasn't right. He went to open the door, but he simply couldn't; something, like a dark omen, was stopping him. He took a step back, nervous, looking up at the three-story white building, while Danny growled softly behind him.
"Why'd you stop, man?"
"I dunno" Wade admitted. "I… I kinda don't wanna go in."
"Why not?"
"Don't ask me why, I just… Don't."
"I have a funny feeling" Russell commented then and, much to Wade's horror, pushed the door opened and ran in without a second thought. "Hi Bret!"
"SCREECH!"
"AH!!"
"Bret?!" Wade ran in, while Danny bent down to look inside through the door that was way too small for him to fit through. They both stared for a few seconds, in shock, while Bret straddled Russell, clawing at him and roaring like a hungry lion, while the Screamer cried at the top of his lungs and covered his face with his arms.
"HELP ME! DANNY! WADE!"
"B-Bret!" Wade called, unable to think of what he should do. "Stop... J-Just what are you doing?!"
"He's attacking Russell, you idiot!!" Danny cried, and before Wade's wide eyes, the Tank tore down the wall and ran inside, grabbing a screeching Bret by the back of his hoodie and throwing him out with such rage, that the Hunter flew across the street and crashed against a pile of grey trash cans. A small pained whimper was heard from him, and Wade simply stared, knowing that he should go check on him, but still paralyzed from the shock. His entire body trembled and he shakily took out another cigarette, putting it to his mouth but forgetting to light it.
"W-What's going on?" he asked, voice strangely squeaky. Danny ignored him, deciding against shaking him out of the shock, and walked up to the small, bloody form of Russell. The Screamer's T-shirt had been torn to shreds, and long, deep gashes scarred his left side, right under his ribs. His chest and arms also had cuts, but not as deep. They were all bleeding, though, and the Tank feared the frail Infected would bleed to death if they didn't help him.
"R-Russ'... Russell..."
"It hurts" Russell whimpered. "Everything... Hurts."
"Russie... C'mon, lil' one, look at me..."
Russell opened his eyes and looked up at Danny, but didn't show one sign of recognition.
"You all want to hurt me..."
"No, Russie, please!" Danny begged, kneeling down beside the Screamer, who sat up, clutching his head.
"You do... Everyone wants to hurt me... That's why they locked me up..."
"R-Russell..." Wade whispered, before another screech caught his attention, and he rushed to Bret's side. Danny watched him go, before looking down at Russell again.
"Russ', I don't want to hurt you..."
"Yes, you do! You all do!" and the Screamer got up wobblingly, pushing the Tank's chest weakly. "You all hate me! Everyone hates me! And I hate you too!"
Danny felt a sharp pain cutting through his chest, right across his heart; that was, of course, until he noticed the feverish, delirious glint in Russell's eyes, and everything fit in.
"Russie, you're crazy..."
"I know that!" Russell laughed, somewhat evilly. "I already know I'm crazy! That's why you're trying to lock me up and drug me! But I won't let you brainwash me, oh, no! I'm free now, bastard!" he growled, heading for the door and kicking it down, ignoring the huge hole on the wall that he could've used to escape. "You won't catch me" he added, glaring at Danny over his shoulder. "I won't let you hurt me. The people I love always hurt me. My parents, my family, my friends" and Russell looked down, blushing. "And I love you more than anyone else."
And with that, he ran off into the city, ignoring Danny's pleas for him to come back. Wade walked up to his friend, carrying the unconscious Bret in his arms, a sad look in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Danny..."
"Russell..." the Tank whimpered, looking down. He was still on his knees in the middle of the destroyed sitting room, covered in debris from the wall he had demolished. Wade lied Bret down on the couch, noticing the many scratches on it, and approached his friend, patting his big shoulder.
"Danny, it's okay... We'll find him..."
"I shouldn't have let 'im go!" Danny roared, slamming his fists down on the floor, causing the whole house to tremble dangerously. "It's my fault, dawg! I failed to protect 'im! Just... Just what the fuck, dude?! WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"I'm as confused as you are" Wade admitted with a sigh and a cough, glancing over to where Bret was slowly coming to his senses. "But maybe he knows."
Danny turned to Bret, and tears of fury rolled down his deformed face.
"I'm gonna kill you!" he proclaimed, and Wade shivered. "I'm gonna kill you, you lil' shit! You won't live to see another day! If Russie dies, I'm gonna bathe in your blood, you prick!"
"That's enough, Danny" Wade pleaded. "Please, calm down..."
"I won't calm down, yo! The poor kid's out there bleeding to death because of your little whore!"
"Stop it!" Wade snapped. "Relax, we'll find him!" and he walked to Bret, sitting next to him. The Hunter seemed deep in thought. "Bret, what happened there? Why did you attack Russell?"
"H-He said he liked you..." Bret whispered quickly, his hand searching for Wade's. Wade held it, but didn't change his serious expression.
"He couldn't have said that..."
"He said it! He said he liked someone and he didn't want to tell me because he thought I'd tell you!"
"I'm sure you misunderstood..."
"And then he said 'I don't want Wade to know I like him'! How is that a misunderstanding?!" the Hunter glared at his lover, but his gaze faltered upon finding an equally angry glare on the Smoker's face. He looked furious and disappointed.
"Who do you think 'him' is?" the Smoker rolled his eyes, and Bret let out a small screech as the pieces sunk in, now that his blind rage had subsided, now that the objective had been eliminated...
"You weren't 'him'."
"Right."
"I was 'him'..." Danny sighed then, and Bret gave him an apologetic look, before glancing around, looking for something.
"W-Where's Russell? Is he okay? I have to tell him I'm sorry..." but he trailed off upon noticing the solemn look in Wade's eyes, and the tears streaming down Danny's face. "W-What happened?" he asked, fearing the worst. Wade's hand gripped his, surprisingly, as the Smoker broke down.
"It was my fault! I didn't notice how jealous you were!" he sobbed, and immediately started coughing like mad. Bret patted his back, and then turned to Danny, whose look could kill right then.
"Danny" Bret whispered, as Wade sought comfort into his arms, hiding his face in the crook of the Hunter's neck. "What happened? Where's Russell?"
Danny sighed, his huge shoulders slumping in defeat.
"He's gone."
