Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead 2
Observations in Yellow
Ellis sighed as he pulled away from the window, looking at the grenade launcher he held tightly. It had only six shots left, and he would have to make them count. He knew that he would have to get another weapon before attempting the bridge crossing, it was too risky and he hadn't found any ammunition for the weapon he currently owned.
Looking around the room, he peered outside the safehouse door one last time, judging the scenery before picking up a Chrome shotgun, grumbling softly. He knew that there were better weapons out there, but the weapons inside the safe house were all that he had access to at the moment. It had been half a day since they arrived at the safe house, and while there was still plenty of ammunition, ( He doubted there was anyone following them who could still use it) his patience was starting to run thin with the infected.
The special infected were all staying away from the safe house for some reason, but the common infected kept rushing it like it was the greatest thing ever. Sighing, he shoved the shotgun through the door and fired at another common infected rushing the door. Nick's wound had closed up now, and thanks to him resting and saving his energy, he was doing better. Switching positions with Coach, he knelt beside the sleeping man and pulled aside his jacket to look at the wound. The slash wound had covered over nicely, and while it did look unsightly, it was also necessary.
Smiling, he put the jacket back where it was and sat back. Rochelle had given him strict instructions to not bother Nick when the man was awake, which he took seriously. Contrary to beliefs that many ( now deceased) held about him, he was not a hyperactive person. A little energetic, friendly, and prone to distractions, yes, one to torment injured friends, no. Besides, when he had fallen into the swamp, they had done the same for him.
When they had reached the swamp so long ago, he had been pulled into the water by a Smoker, then a Hunter had landed upon him, knocking all the wind out of him. Under the foul water, he had blacked out, unaware of what was going on above. Rochelle was the first to see the poor boy go under, Coach springing into action
Dropping his shotgun, he jumped into the water, pulling the Smoker's tongue from Ellis's limp body and hauling the young man up onto the ground away from the horde. Thanks to the near drowning incident, he had swallowed a lot of water in his blind panic, and when he was pulled from the water, most of it made an appearance.
Rochelle had given him emergency CPR, and it helped to bring the rest of the water up from his stomach, Coach lifting him and carrying him to a safer place while Nick provided cover for the whole group. They had spent a grand total of two and a half days in a safe place, and he had only slept for a day and rested for half of it. Upon waking, he discovered Nick, keeping watch over him and the safe house door. The conman hadn't slept since Ellis had gotten pulled under, and it was showing on his face. His features seemed to be more defined than normal, as if pure adrenaline was all that was fueling the man at the moment.
In all honesty, Ellis was surprised that Nick had done such a thing. It went against Nick's very nature, the nature that the conman had always openly displayed to them. The me-first attitude, the strange tidbits of info concerning his suit, the odd knowledge of weaponry, all led the rest of the group to suspect that the world he lived in was a solo card game. But in the carnival, as well on the roof of the hotel, not to mention the swamp, they had seen glimpses through that shell. Once the near-drowning ordeal was over, and Nick was apparently convinced that Ellis was going to be fine, he slumped against the wall and could not be awoken for the rest of the day.
" Hey guys, did I ever tell you about the time Keith and I went down to the store to go get some beer and Keith accidentally fell into the icebox when I wasn't looking?" he asked idly, never taking his eyes off the safehouse door. " It was funny, y'see I forgot 'bout him for a while, and he got partially frozen all over-" he shut his mouth when Coach and Rochelle looked at him. " Just trying to lighten the mood..." he said in a low voice.
" Ellis, sweetie, it's really not the time." Rochelle said, brushing some hair out of her eyes. " Nick's still sleeping. Let him rest." Ellis sighed, realizing that neither of the two got what he wanted to do. With Nick still unconscious and healing, the mood was becoming somber, the looks on both Rochelle's and Coach's faces suggesting that they were both thinking of their own mortality. Now, even Ellis thought about it sometimes.
On the hotel roof, he had been so sure of his own immortality, that some blood-drooling idiots weren't going to get the better of them, that they would all be safe. He had believed that as long as they were together, no amount of infected were going to get the better of them. But after so many near misses... he still told the stories and jokes, but they were more to liven the mood now. He was trying to cheer them up, to make them smile when it was too hard to do so.
It was hard sometimes, working with what he's got. He always had plenty of stories to tell, there was no shortage of stuff that he and Keith did together, but more times than not, it wasn't the right time to tell it. Sighing, he pulled aside Nick's jacket again to check the status of his wound.
" You can keep checking all day, Ellis, it ain't gonna heal that fast." Nick said softly, opening his eyes to look at Ellis. " I don't have super-healing. Wish I did, though."
Ellis gave him a smile. " Yeah, but your wound reminds me of the time Keith tried to build a bumper car-" instinctively, he shut up while bracing himself for the oncoming comments from the rest of the team.
Amazingly, no one interrupted him. Instead, Nick merely yawned and stretched his arms, Coach and Rochelle giving Ellis their attention. Not used to having a story being told without interruptions, Ellis fell silent, picking at his weapon. Before too long though, he was finishing his tale, Coach chuckling at the story.
His joy was short lived when the horde started to swarm the door, his chrome shotgun helping to make short work of the infected clawing at the bars. From experience, while inside a safe room, common infected couldn't get inside if the door was closed. Not that he was willing to test to see how long their safe room would be safe with the horde pounding on it. Once that little horde was mopped up, Coach lowered his weapon and looked at Nick. " How you holding up, Nick?" he asked, Ellis understanding the need to hurry. No one had any idea if there was still any chance of being rescued at the bridge, and waiting for several days wasn't a good thing.
Again, Nick's health was the deciding factor. Each of them bore all their own cuts and bruises, but the gash on Nick's side could seriously impair him in a fight, spelling doom for the conman. It didn't have to be perfect, but at the very least, they had to be sure that the wound was healed enough to keep going. Once they reached rescue, it would all be okay, and they would have more time to heal, recuperate, and try to build back some of the destroyed part of their lives.
Ellis didn't quite know where to go from here... everyone he knew was either gone for good, of already rescued. During the time he spent with Rochelle, Coach, and Nick, he had learned many things. His limits were definitely one of them, but he also learned that those limits meant nothing if one of the others were in danger. Ellis knew that the others wouldn't really admit it, but the time they had all spent together, they had become a small family. Even Nick, arguably the most pessimistic of the group, wouldn't leave any of the group behind for any reason. Another thing he learned was that his mechanic skills were a big help. If anything, he had the biggest chance out of all of them to bounce back the quickest.
Rubbing his leg, Ellis sat against the door, sighing. " Hey, Ro'? Once we get rescued, what we gonna do?" he looked over at the rest of his group. " I mean, how we gonna get over this...?" His face broke into a grin, not wanting to let his fears show on his face. Another thing that he learned on this journey...fear. That lone, cold, and somewhat alien feeling had now been firmly instilled in his body. The feeling had a way of coursing through his very being, taking over his thoughts and turning them dark. The fear of a Tank assaulting them when they were almost down... the fear of a Witch in some immovable location...the fear of the special infected themselves.
Over the course of their long road to safety, that fear had made the whole group cautious and wary, and sometimes even aggravated at each other. It had happened a few times, but Ellis himself was only the victim of one such incident. When they were running through the carnival, Nick's attitude had taken a seriously negative turn... almost to the point where even Ellis was feeling the sting of oncoming depression. Never one to not try to cheer up his friends, he instantly tried to lift Nick's falling spirits with a tale about when he and Keith last visited the park. To this day, he'll never know what Nick was thinking at that moment, but he knew what happened next.
Nick exploded at him, the conman's temper boiling over and frothing wildly. He was so taken aback by the situation, he didn't even remember what Nick had said to him, stumbling back. Coach and Rochelle had instantly taken his side, both scolding Nick for his outburst, the conman giving them a dark look. Exhaustion was beginning to take it's toll on the whole group, and it had hit Nick with a heavy mallet. The conman was irritated and hungry, along with the rest of the group, but his usual less-than-sunny outlook on life had only served to make his mood worse. Ellis was just as upset and hungry, but at least he was trying to keep a positive view on the situation around them. As what was common when two opposite forces met, the inevitable happened.
Ellis slunk away from the stronger, deadlier force and couldn't be cheered up by the combined efforts of Rochelle and Coach. It remained that way for a long time, until just before they started the concert at the end of the carnival. Surprisingly, Nick had approached him in the safe house, giving him a sort of apology. Albeit not a great apology, but still one nonetheless. But still, it was enough to lift his dampened spirit and he was right back to his old self. Nick was back to himself as well, giving them all strict warnings that he was not going to air guitar during their crazy concert performance. He was fairly sure that the midnight riders would be proud of the destruction they managed to cause at the performance, attracting the attention of a rescue helicopter.
Ellis stopped reminiscing when he heard Nick groan and shift on the makeshift bed they had him laying on. " Y' okay, Nick?" he asked, concern in his voice.
" I got torn up by a Witch, pummeled by a Charger, chased by a Tank, and was close to bleeding my innards out onto concrete in just a day. You tell me if I'm okay."
Ellis smiled. " Like Ro' once said, you're doing well if you're complainin'."
Nick merely grunted and rolled over onto his uninjured side. " I can be ready to go by tomorrow morning... I still need some sleep."
Ellis nodded, glad that some of Nick's personality had come back. " All right, you just rest on up. We'll handle the rest for now."
End Chapter 3
