I own nothing. I write for fun, not money.
L4D
Harry was awoken by a lot of movement going on around him. He noticed the car had stopped. Ellis flashed him a goofy grin as he settled down in the driver's seat.
"Sorry, didn't mean ta wake ya" he apologised. "Rochelle forced me ta get a bit of sleep and she took over drivin' for a bit."
"How long have we been on the road now?" Harry asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Nearin' to four hours" Ellis answered, starting the engine again. "We should be comin' up ta Rayford soon so we'll all need to be on alert for zombies."
"Do any of you want to sit up front now?" Harry asked, turning to the others cramped in the back. "I feel selfish hogging the roomy seat."
The others declined him politely.
"Are you sure Nick? Are you still hurting?" he asked the man, concerned.
"I'm fine. A bit achy still but I've had worse" Nick answered, and he did seem better than he had done the last time Harry had seen him.
He turned back to Ellis who was rubbing his hands up and down on the steering wheel as though he had terribly missed driving. Knowing Ellis that was probably true.
"Kid, can I ask you something?" Nick said, leaning forward.
"I guess" Harry replied.
"Well I hadn't noticed before because your hair was covering it, but what's up with that scar on your forehead? I saw it when you turned around just then."
"Oh, are you on about that lightning shape one? That looks awesome!" Ellis grinned.
Rochelle and Coach looked just as intrigued. Typical how even around muggles he couldn't avoid his scar being looked at and talked about. He decided to go with the story that his aunt and uncle had told him when he was a child.
"Um, car crash when I was a baby. I don't remember much about it" he explained, wringing his hands together nervously.
"Are you sure? You don't sound it" Nick said. Perhaps that lie only worked on children.
"How does a car crash cause a scar that shape anyway?" Rochelle asked, intrigued.
"I, um, like I said, I was a baby. I don't know what caused the shape."
"What about the other passengers?" Coach said. They all seemed to want a better answer out of him.
"They died" he answered sadly. Luckily they got the hint to not ask anymore questions about it after that.
He sighed and rested his head against the window, shutting his eyes but not trying to sleep. Thinking of his parents made him think of all the others he had lost; Sirius and Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione. He couldn't let his emotions get the better of him, not yet at least. He had to survive the apocalypse before he could mourn. He hoped at the very least the infection would not spread to England. Even if they wouldn't be sick, his friends there would still have to try and protect themselves against all of the monsters. He shuddered at the thought of anything happening to his Godson, Teddy.
He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The people around him had likely lost a lot of their friends and family to the infection and they were still going strong. He decided it better to change the subject. Ellis was good with conversation and his cheerful attitude lifted the atmosphere.
"So" he started, turning back to the group. "Have any of you been to New Orleans before?"
To his surprise all of men nodded.
"My wife had family there" Coach said, a hint of sadness to his voice. "She passed away a couple of years ago and I've not been back since. Reckon it'll be real different now."
"I've been a few times. I travel around a lot" Nick continued the answer while not really paying attention to the conversation.
"Me and my buddy Keith went once" Ellis grinned. "It was awesome. It was Mardi Gras when we went and-"
"Ellis. I do not want to hear about your drunken revelry" Nick muttered darkly.
Harry thought for a moment before asking his next question. It could be perceived as weird but then he thought he had nothing to lose.
"Did any of you go into those er, magic type shops?" he asked while glancing at the other's reactions. Nick typically looked like he had never heard of anything so stupid, while Rochelle and Coach shook their heads but didn't seem to look at him weirdly.
Ellis broke into yet another smile. "I went to a couple. Saw a psychic too. She said I was gonna fall in love with somebody I wouldn' expect but she mentioned nothin' about zombies. Hey! I wonder if they have zombie fighting shit!"
"That's what I was thinking" Harry admitted. He was thinking more in the lines of magical defence but Ellis summed it up generally.
"What are you two? Morons?" Nick said angrily. "All we need is guns. No bullshit junk."
Harry rolled his eyes. If only Nick knew, that would wipe the smug look off his face.
"Leave them alone Nick" Rochelle defended the younger ones, glaring the suited man down.
"Hell, I didn't believe in zombies until now. Who knows? Maybe there is some magic in the world" Coach agreed.
Nick opened his mouth to say something but Harry hushed him. They were coming up to the outskirts of a city; a place more likely to be teaming with zombies. They should be safe driving in a car at high speeds but there was more likely to be debris on the roads to block them than on the highway.
The city, Rayford, did indeed seem to be in ruins. There were abandoned cars on the roads, and buildings with smashed in doors and windows. It had suffered more than Savannah had, but then again Savannah had only just been hit when Harry was there; the city could be even worse now.
They managed to drive through the city easy enough. Harry, Coach and Rochelle had to shoot out of the windows at one point when a small horde came towards them, just as an extra defence, but they got through without taking any damage.
They were now however at a point where they could really see no way out. They had to cross a bridge to get across a river, and then it was back to the outskirts and onto the highway. It should have been simple enough had the bridge not been raised up.
The roads were pretty much a one way system, the debris dictating which ways they could go, and the bridge was their only option out of the city.
They had a look round from the car before getting out and staring at the bridge as though that would somehow move it.
It was then Harry noticed a figure moving towards them on top of the bridge.
Nick raised his gun but Harry put a hand on his arm to stop him shooting. The figure itself was holding a gun. He had never seen a zombie do that.
"I think it's a human" he said softly.
They waited as the figure approached them. It was a man, definitely human. He was bearded and dressed in biker gear, including a leather vest. He noticed Rochelle blushing slightly as she eyed him up. The biker was looking at Rochelle just as interestedly.
"Hello down there. I'm Francis" he called.
"Hi there Francis. I'm Rochelle" Rochelle replied, giggling slightly. Nick rolled his eyes and muttered 'women'. "We need to get across to the other side. Do you mind helping us lower the bridge?"
"Sorry. Can't. We've got an injured man up here with us. If you can get across there's a generator that needs filling up. We could cover you then. That's the best I can offer. Sorry Miss."
Rochelle's face softened at his apology. Nick however wasn't going to take the rejection so easily.
"Listen grease bag, just do it for us and save us the job. We've got an old man and a little boy with us" Nick yelled, holding onto Harry's shoulders, while Coach slapped the suited man round the head.
"Nick! Stop it!" Rochelle muttered angrily. "We'll do that then Francis. Thank you" she called back to the biker, who winked at her. Ellis grinned and gave Rochelle a look which made her look away blushing.
Harry brushed Nick off him and glanced up at the sign above them.
"There's an under the river tour here. That could get us across" he stated. The sign made out that it was the best tourist attraction Rayford had to offer.
"How thrilling" Nick said, shooting a zombie in the distance.
"Well it can get us across. We're going" Coach said, finalising the decision for the group. Rochelle waved bye to Francis and they were on their way.
They headed through a park area, which could have been very pretty with its paved flooring and bright greenery. The cars and buses crashed through it ruined the picture however. It had started raining as well, and Harry could feel the cold wetness against his skin.
Before they had gone on holiday Hermione had dragged Harry shopping, enlisting Ginny and Draco Malfoy's help. Since the end of the war, when Narcissa and Lucius had turned their backs on the Dark Lord, the family had been living at Grimmauld Place, and they had since had a civil relationship. Draco was very good when it came to style so he was quickly dragged out with them.
Harry was now wearing one of Draco's finds; skinny jeans, converse trainers and a plain, tight fitting white t-shirt. Harry had felt ridiculous buying it but he was assured it looked good; good enough that both Ginny and Draco wanted to jump into bed with him. Both were refused. By now the tight fitting clothes were starting to feel uncomfortable. No more than he was sure Nick was in his suit.
They headed into a souvenir shop, all the while in silence. Even Ellis wasn't saying much for a change which was odd for him. Although thinking about it, he had really known Ellis less than a day. He had no idea what he was really like, yet he felt close to the whole group already. Zombie fighting must be a good bonding situation.
Almost as if to punish him for thinking too much a Jockey started to run at him. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger, but he heard a popping noise which he recognised but couldn't place. It took him a moment to realise the Jockey was nowhere to be seen.
The others had noticed too.
"Wha?" Ellis began, when he screeched as a Jockey came from behind, jumping onto the mechanic's head.
They shot it off, and it slumped on the floor dead.
"Wasn't that just in front of us?" Harry asked to nobody in particular.
"Must have jumped without us noticing" Nick said, apparently happy with his theory.
"That Jockey didn't jump. He disappeared Nick" Ellis argued with the man, who dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
"A reflection then?" came the sarcastic reply.
Coach scowled and led them forward. The shop itself was run down. There were no souvenirs on the shelves, and the wallpaper was cracking.
"Lovely place" Harry muttered. "Guess I'll have to get a souvenir in the tour."
Ellis laughed and Harry could have easily listened to it all day. It was uplifting.
The shop ended up leading into a bar, and then outwards into a cobbled street. The city was actually very pretty. He'd have liked to have visited it when it wasn't infested with zombies.
They headed up the street which was filled with cars and nothing else. It was too quiet for anything to be normal. The atmosphere amongst the group was tense as they expected something to jump out at them at any moment.
Their fears were confirmed when a loud growling came from round a corner. Harry stopped dead in his tracks, making Nick walk into him.
"Watch what you're-"the man began, stopping when he heard the noise too. "Ah shit!"
The Tank must have heard him because it jumped over the wall separating them, rock raised in its hand. They ducked down as it was chucked at them, running back as soon as they could, firing crazily.
The Tank was large and deformed, yet something about it seemed eerily familiar. The face was stretched, abused by the muscle deformations, yet it looked like someone he knew somehow.
It was then he saw it. Stretched across the wide mass of arm, but Harry would recognise the Dark Mark anywhere. He knew some Death Eaters had escaped abroad, fleeing in cowardice. He didn't think wizards could catch muggle illnesses. Perhaps it was a muggle who had had a run in with the Death Eaters but admired their mark and got it as a tattoo. But then why would the face seem so familiar? Suddenly realisation struck him. It was Yaxley. A man similar, but not as powerful as Lucius Malfoy. He was certainly more powerful now. He hadn't realised he had been transfixed until he felt a body come crashing onto his as a car flew over him.
Another loud growl and then a thump told of the Tank's death, but Harry could feel panic setting in. Death Eater Tanks and disappearing Jockeys. The familiar popping sound he heard, he realised, was the noise one made when apparating. Clearly wizards could get the zombie disease, although why he hadn't he didn't know, though the fact he was with four muggles who were still human suggested some people had a natural immunity.
"Cool tattoo" he heard Ellis say in the distance. He hadn't imagined the mark then.
The body on top of his moved and Nick said "We're even now."
He stood up and looked at the man, wiping tears off his face. He hadn't even noticed he had been crying. That had been a real shock to him, but he had to get over it. There wouldn't always be people to push him out of the way of flying cars.
"Are you okay Harry? You seem freaked out about somethin'" Ellis asked concerned, running to the teen.
"It's a long story. Now isn't really the place" he said, shaking his head.
"But-"Ellis began, but Coach cut him off.
"He's right Ellis."
"Thank you Nick, anyway" Harry said, smiling softly at the man.
"Like I said, we're even now" Nick replied, but his expression wasn't hard. Maybe Nick secretly liked him.
"I think we can get into those apartments" Rochelle butted in, pointing at the buildings next to them. Harry gathered himself together and they set off. Now the shock had worn off it meant Harry was now prepared to face anything different. He knew about wizards, something none of the others did, so he'd have to watch out for anything magical and try and stop it.
The apartments were deserted, bar from a few zombies, but nothing major seemed to be happening.
"It seems awfully quiet here" Coach muttered, the others nodding.
They left the apartments and headed towards another park. The distant cries of a Witch could be heard. They instinctively turned off their lights.
Once they hit the park, they seemed to be hit by a small horde of neatly dressed zombies.
"Guess this is where they all are" he heard somebody say. The rain was getting heavier now, making hearing and seeing things a lot harder.
They crept forward and all stopped dead when they saw the scene.
There was a gazebo, surrounded by tents and plastic chairs. A stereo sat on top of some speakers. A party scene. What shocked them the most was the Witch sat right in the pathway, her wedding dress ripped and bridal gown covering most of her face. Harry almost felt sorry for her.
"She's right in the way" he heard someone whisper, possibly Ellis.
Whoever it was was right. There were large trees on either side of her, and the fences on the sides were too high to climb.
"Can't we go around some other way?" Rochelle said, looking around in hope.
"There was no other way" Nick snapped. The tension amongst everybody was getting high.
"Maybe we can creep round?" Harry suggested. There was a bit of room on either side of her. They might just manage it.
"One at a time" Coach said. He led the way first, managing to get round without startling the crying bride. She noticed the movement however, and by the time Rochelle had gone past she was staring wildly around, screeching loudly.
"She's getting pissed" Nick muttered.
The three left behind crept slightly closer towards her. As they started to get near her, using one of the trees for cover, Harry felt Ellis yank him back into his chest.
"She's lookin' over here. Stay still."
Harry knew he should have been focused but feeling Ellis' hard chest made his heart start to beat wildly for some reason. He tried to reason it to teenager hormones.
They waited for the Witch to change direction, before Nick leapt forward. It was dangerous but his timing was perfect and the bride missed his movement. However it did cause her to stand up, eyes glowing dangerously red and arms flailing everywhere.
Ellis and Harry sank to the floor, not noticing they were still huddled closely together.
"What do we do?" he hissed at the Georgian, who simply shrugged, and Harry could feel the fear radiating off him.
Harry moved to crawl forward slightly, the Witch still looking madly around. They then heard something fly to the opposite end of the gazebo from where they were. The Witch took this as her excuse to run towards the noise and Harry urged Ellis forward and they ran quickly past the centre, ducking down around the gazebo in case she spotted them. She was still growling noisily as she couldn't find the source of the noise, but she was now away from them, leaving them a path through safely.
"You can both thank me later" Nick said smugly.
"Oh I could just hug you right now Nick" Ellis said, moving forward to try and hug the man. He was offered a gun in his face.
"Don't you dare Overalls" came the sharp answer. Ellis soon backed off.
They headed out of the park, past more tents and a stage that had been set up. The couple had picked a bad day for their wedding. There was another small horde waiting for them. It appeared a lot of the locals had been at the wedding, explaining why the part of the town they were in had been so quiet before.
They were heading more to the central town for the tour, meaning that they would be encountering more and more zombies as they went.
They finished off the creatures and headed down another road, all sighing in relief as they spotted a safe room. They sprinted the last steps and slammed the door shut behind them.
L4D
I think that was the longest chapter I have ever written and it was mostly dialogue rather than action D: I may have been slightly carried away in the first scene. Oh well, hoorah for character building and all that, right?
I've been researching this chapter by playing 'The Passing' repeatedly. Being the hardcore NickxEllis shipper that I am, every time I played and Zoey appeared on the bridge I restarted it. That's how much of a fangirl I am. I love RochellexFrancis and at least that is a canon pairing (kind of). Ellis is simply confused. He loves Nick really (apart from in this story. Here he gets Harry :P)
Anywho, please review ^_^
