The Star Hunter
Chapter 4: All I Need is to Have a Good Time
I woke up, stiff as a board. Lazerlemon stretched his little furry body and yawned. I groaned as I stood up and cracked my back. "Next time we pass a safe room, I'm stealing its couch."
Lazerlemon began giggling. I smirked at the fluff ball and opened my pocket for him. Instead of hopping in, he declined. I shrugged as I hopped down like a cat and landed on my feet. "Huh. That was actually easy to do. I'll be damned." Lazerlemon followed my movements and landed right beside me. I looked down on him and said, "You catch on quick, Lazerlemon. I'm impressed."
He pointed at me and said, "Chris."
I chuckled and nodded. "Yes. I'm Chris the Hunter."
He shook his furry head and replied, "Hunter hunter. Chris!"
I sighed and responded, "I was. But now, I'm a Hunter. I hope I can become human again, but what are the odds?"
He tilted his head and meeped. I rolled my eyes and ushered the little pup to follow me out of stadium. To my surprise, he's getting a lot faster and his leaps are getting longer. I guess he's growing up. Well, at least he doesn't have to hitch rides in my hoodie pocket anymore.
Just outside the stadium, Chloe was waiting, trying to cry. However, when we approached, she sprang up with a big smile on her face and shouted, "Good morning, Chris! And little Lazerlemon!"
He began flapping his stubby arms with joy and shouted, "Chloe!"
She gasped and began squealing, "He just said my name! Oh my God that's soooo cute!"
I chuckled, "Yeah. He's like a little kid. Well, he's a pup. I better watch what I say or he may repeat it."
Out of nowhere, Detour grinned and hopped onto my shoulders. He began cackling as he rode me around the witch. My 'survivor' self was in control of my mouth. I was snarling, "Get this fucking Jockey out of me!"
Detour hopped off, laughing hysterically. "I got you good, Chris!"
I growled, "That wasn't funny! I hate being attacked by Jockeys, Smokers, Chargers…hell I hate getting attacked by anything!"
Chloe and Detour chuckled light-heartedly and Chloe spoke, "Sounds to me that you still think like a survivor."
Detour added, "You still swear like one too!"
I scoffed, "I'm a swearer. I was born one."
Lazerlemon repeated my words, "Fucking Jockey."
I face-palmed myself and groaned with embarrassment. I thought, "Me and my big mouth."
Detour fell backwards, cackling at what the pup said. "Oh man! My sides are splitting! Oh man! Oh man!"
Chloe began laughing as well, but not as much or as hard as the crazy Jockey. "Nice going, Chris. Very motherly."
I groaned, "I'm no mother. Never will be."
Chloe shrugged, "You're a mother to Lazerlemon."
I replied, "In a way, I guess I am. But if I did have a son, I wouldn't name him 'Lazerlemon'. That was Alex's name for him."
Detour stopped his cackling fit long enough to ask, "Which one was Alex? The big dude or the redneck?"
I answered, "The youngest of us. He was the redneck with the broken butterfly knife."
Chloe asked, "Then who is the big dude?"
I explained, "That's Coach. We never learned his first name, but he wanted us to call him that. Enough survivor talk. They're long gone and they're not that stupid to come back. They have reason to."
Chloe pondered, "If they're true friends, then wouldn't they want to search for a fallen comrade?"
I scoffed, "They think I'm dead! I expected to die! Not become a blood-thirsty Hunter!"
Chloe was taken aback by my sudden tone. Realizing that I snapped at her, I sighed and continued, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just a tender subject for me. That's all. Where's Salt Lick and Scar?"
Detour answered, "Scar went back to the sugar mill and Salt Lick is waiting for us outside the stadium gates."
I nodded and grumbled, "I guess Scar wasn't kidding when he said that I'm leading the patrol."
Chloe stood up and replied, "Nope. Scar is a great leader and he sees a lot of him in you. He told me."
I asked, "Whatever. His excuse was that I knew the park. It's pretty straight forward."
Detour snickered, "Then lead the way, Chris."
I rolled my eyes and began walking to the gates. Salt Lick was leaning against the scaffolding, smoking a cigarette. He looked up and scowled, "What took you guys so long? I'm on my last cig!"
I chuckled, "I didn't know you smoked. Yet again, you are a Smoker."
He cocked an eyebrow and replied, "If I became a Tank, a Jockey or even a Fallen, I would be smoking anyway. Strangely, I think I'm one of the only Smokers that actually smoke cigs."
Detour laughed, "I can't image you as a Jockey, my friend. I just can't."
I asked, "What's a Fallen? Like from 'Transformers' or something else?"
Salt Lick asked, "You saw that movie? Did you like it?"
I scoffed, "It was ok. But I'm a sucker for explosions and massive fights, so yeah I like it."
Chloe explained, "The Fallen we know isn't a robot. It's a Fallen Survivor. A different kind of Infected. Survivors that aren't immune to bites, like you, turn into Fallens."
I nodded, "That makes sense. But how come I never ran into one when I was a survivor?"
Detour replied, "That's because all of them are in Rayford. They think they're safe in one city. Poor suckers. There's no cure."
I snapped at the Jockey, "Never diss modern science, Detour! You don't know that! Maybe CEDA is creating a cure right now! Never give up hope!"
"Don't get her started, Detour!" Chloe hissed at her Jockey comrade.
He cowered, "I'm sorry!"
"Enough of this", Salt Lick growled as he stomped his cigarette into the dirt, "Chris. Lead the patrol."
I nodded. Lazerlemon began hopping forward an open picnic area. I leaped in front of the little guy and took the lead. He huffed and ruffled his tufts of fur. I chuckled as I lead the group to the barns. The rotting smell of decaying flesh filled the air, causing me to retch and cough. Poor animals.
"I don't remember smelling the dead animals first time round. This is rank!" I complained.
Salt Lick asked, "What do you remember here?"
I talked as I rushed through the barns, "I remember falling off the Screamin' Oak. That hurt like a bitch. I also remember trekking through the Tunnel of Love and hyperventilating."
Detour asked with a smirk, "Why did you hyperventilate?" I turned my head and growled menacingly at the curious Jockey. His smirk vanished within seconds. Chloe hit him with her claw, be careful not to slice him, but inflict pain on him. "Ow! Ok, I get it!"
Once we got out of the barns, I took a deep breath of stale, bloody air. It was much better than coup-up decaying air. We trekked into the safe room and I huffed in disappointment. There's no couch in there! Lazerlemon giggled at me. I just shrugged and pushed the barricade that we set up. Lazerlemon hopped through the window and said, "Screamin' Oak."
I stopped pushing and looked out the window. The puff ball was right; the Screamin' Oak was right outside. I forgot how close it was to this safe room. I sighed at the memory of being snared off the track. I shook my head clear and gave the barricade one last push away from the door. Everything was moved to the side and the door was now accessible.
Chloe opened the door and we walked out. I noticed that the car was back to its original place on the track. I guess it resets itself after a certain amount of time. Or someone reset it after we used it. Regardless of how it happened, it's back at the beginning.
Detour was getting uneasy again so he asked, "Is your bet still standing, Chris?"
I nodded, "Yeah. Wh…"
He shouted, "Last one to the switch is a rotten human!" He bolted to the covered bridge, cackling. I rolled my eyes as I bolted after the Jockey. I, of course was running on my hind legs, not using my arms at all to add to my speed. Detour looked behind him and cackled. "You'll never beat me that way, Chris!"
I growled, realizing that he was right. I let my upper body fall forward onto my claws and began running on all fours. I felt incredibly awkward about it to be perfectly honest. However, my speed increased dramatically because of it. My eyes narrowed and I sprung forward and pretended that I was leaping on the bridge debris. I was just focusing on each moment after the next. It took me about three seconds to leap over Detour and leap up the steep incline on the track. I zipped along the track as if I was a cheetah. When I saw the switch to activate the ride, I made a long leap for my target.
As I did, I felt time itself freeze in place as my body sailed through the air in slow motion. My claws were outstretched, ready to grab anything. I felt different at that moment. I can't explain what, but it felt like I have evolved, for a lack of a better term. As a human, I can't leap like this or run that fast. At that moment, my brain finally accepted the fact that I am human no more. I'm a Hunter.
The landing was harsher than I attended. As my claws sank into the ground, I yelped in surprise. I looked past my shoulder and my eyes widened to see just how far I leapt into the air. I whistled in amazement of my own achievement. Detour came into my view and shortly after him were the others. He hopped down and huffed, "God damn! How…did you run so…fast?"
I stood up and shrugged, "I don't know. I did a little track in high school and I did car hopping in my early con artist years."
Salt Lick wheezed, "Why did you do car hopping?"
I darted my eyes innocently and replied, "Let's just say I was very popular with the fuzz in those years."
The Smoker muttered, "The fuzz? Oh the police. I get it now."
I nodded, "Yeah. The police. Hopping the cars in New Orleans was fun as hell. Man." I zoned out for a minute, leaving my comrades in the dark. Chloe looked at Salt Lick, who shrugged his scrawny shoulders.
Detour cocked an eyebrow as Lazerlemon hopped next to him and said, "Fucking Jockey." Detour rolled his eyes and smirked, knowing that the pup didn't mean it. He heard me say it, so he's trying to use it.
Finally, I blinked out of my zoned-out state and cracked my fingers. "Sorry about zoning out there. I have an urge to go car hopping, but later. Oh Detour, you owe me five bucks."
The Jockey growled, "You'll get it when we find more survivors and loot them."
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Just like 'Assassin's Creed 2'. Alright then. Let's move out."
Lazerlemon 'meeped' and hopped into the coaster's car. I looked at the fluff ball and groaned, "Come on. We don't have time for this." He began whimpering like a real puppy, which made me feel bad. When my siblings were alive, I would cave in to their begging and sad faces. I'll admit I've developed a soft spot for the pup, so it was very hard to say 'no.' I groaned long and loud, while doing my best to avoid saying 'ok.' "Ok. Only one ride." I mentally slapped myself in the head. I'm a big softie deep down. Just like Nick.
Lazerlemon shouted, "Yayyy!" I grinned as my claw hovered over the button.
I turned my head to my comrades and declared, "Last ride of the night. Your choice." Everyone scrambled into the cart. Salt Lick sat in the front with Lazerlemon, while Detour and Chloe took the second bench. I hit the button and leaped onto the cart before it took off. The ride was faster than I thought, while it was as short as I intended. My comrades were hollering in joy as they threw their arms in the air. The wind made my hood blow off, letting the wind slice through my dirty blonde hair. While I howled into the air, I realized I was having fun! I love roller coasters, unlike a certain con artist I knew.
At the end of the ride, we all climbed out, hooting and hollering like a bunch of crazed teenagers on a senior field trip. I ran my claws through my hair and realized how tangled and messy it was. "Damn. My hair hasn't seen a brush in a while." I tugged my hair back into my hoodie and pulled my hood back up to shield my scar and my eyes. Lazerlemon hopped out, all wind-whipped from the ride. I laughed as I petted the pup on the head. He purred and I commanded, "Alright. No more goofin' around. Let's go."
I led the team off the Screamin' Oak and into the Tunnel of Love. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I always hated the Tunnel of Love. Nick or not, I've always hated it, thanks to my chuckle nuts of an ex, Marshall. I was the first to get out of that ride. The look on my comrades' faces told me that they needed an explanation. I sighed and explained, "I just have bad memories of the Tunnel of Love. That's all you need to know." Thankfully, they didn't question me any further. I thought I explained myself pretty well.
Last major attraction was Kiddie Land. I chuckled at the mere thought of Ellis getting so giddy over this place. This place was swarmed in zombie clowns. Despite the fact that I'm a Hunter, my skin shivered at the thought of them attacking me. I cautiously made my way pass them without setting them off. Thank you, movie directors! I'm in Zombieland!
By the time we reached the entrance gate, I refused to go any further. I remember beyond the gates was the high way to the Motel black, zombie-fied heart cried at the memory of meeting my zombie-slaying friends. At least they survived. I sighed and cleared my mind of everything, except for the mission.
Salt Lick noticed how quiet I got, so he took my side, "Are you ok, Chris?"
I snapped, "Of course I am! Scar said to scout the park! He said nothing beyond it!"
He raised his hands in defense and replied, "Jeez, Chris. I was just asking a question. No need to snap."
I sighed and cursed in my head, "Christ, bitch. Don't snap at him for asking about your welfare. Control your emotions better!"
Detour stretched his arched spine and said, "Mission accomplished! No survivors, no disturbances, and no military! Plus, we rode the Screamin' Oak and walked through the Tunnel of Love. I say a day well spent."
Chloe nodded, "I agree. But we should get some sleep. I'm sure Scar has more missions in the morning. Possibly going past the entrance gate."
I gulped at the mere thought of going to the Motel 6. I'd break down like a 30 year-old truck! I commanded quickly, changing the subject, "Get some shut-eye. Today was a busy day."
They shrugged and my group dispersed, leaving me and Lazerlemon alone at the entrance. He looked beyond the gate and then back at me. He tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Why Chris sad?"
I smiled and replied, "Old memories coming back to me. That's all Lazerlemon. Come on. Get into the trailer safe room. We need our sleep." He nodded and hopped into the trailer. I followed the pup inside and hopped onto the couch. I curled up on it and thought of what Nick said on the night we first met: "The couch is more comfortable than the floor." I smiled at that memory. At least at that time, Nick and I were rivals to each other. Rivals turned partners. Enemies turned friends. I yawned and rest my head on the arm of the couch, letting sleep overcome me. Lazerlemon decided that he was going to hop around for awhile. (We did pass by the cotton candy machine I flew into.) He had to get the sugar rush to settle down. It took him about five minutes of non-stop leaping for him to fall face first into a deep sleep. He was out in two seconds flat.
Meanwhile…
"Come on, guys! Where are you taking me?" Nick hissed impatiently as he stared out the Hummer's window. Inside the Hummer with him were Francis, Louis, Ellis, Alex, and Coach at the wheel.
Francis growled, "We can't tell you! It's a surprise!" Nick groaned as he leaned back into his seat.
The surviving men are out to finally cheer Nick out of his "gloom and doom" attitude lately. They decided to take him somewhere where he'll feel like his old self again. Dwayne was able to convince the Sarge that Nick would be a lot friendlier if Nick had a break and let him relax a little. Sarge allowed them to take the day off. Since the girl didn't like doing what Nick is infamous for, they decided to stay at the base and relax a bit.
So, the boys borrowed the army's black Hummer and drove to places unknown. Well, unknown to Nick anyway. He closed his eyes and let the road trip lull him to sleep. He hardly got enough sleep the past few nights and this fact is startling to all of his friends. They want the old Nick back. Sadly, his spirit was left back in New Orleans, with me.
About thirty minutes later, Ellis whacked the sleeping man's shoulder. "Nick! We're here man!"
Nick groaned in his sleep and muttered, "Good dream. Leave me alone."
Francis barked close to his ear, "Wake the hell up!"
Nick's eyes shot open and his position straightened. He growled, "You're so lucky I don't have a gun with me, grease ball."
Coach called from the driver's seat, "Relax Nick. We're here to cheer you up. And this place will help us out with that." He gestured at the windshield and everyone gasped at the spectacular building towering in the distance. Even Nick was impressed. "Welcome to Foxwoods, y'all."
"Full house!" Nick shouted as he slammed his hand down on the poker table. Five other guys groaned or complained. He grinned as he stood up and wrapped his arms around his winnings. He pulled them towards his end of the table and smiled his crooked, con artist smile. He felt good playing in his element again. He actually began to feel happy.
A few of his opponents ditched the next game to avoid adding to their losing streak. Nick just watched the losers grumble curses under their breath about him. Coach and Louis were nearby, grinning at Nick's happiness. Louis said to Coach, "You did well, Coach. He's got his spring back."
The older man acknowledged him, "Thanks, Louis. He needed to get back into his original 'profession', to put it into lighter terms." Louis laughed as a result.
Since Alex was underage to enter the casino and any of the bars, Ellis and Francis stayed out with him. They didn't seem to mind actually. The three guys began talking about everything from racing to girls. When Alex mentioned Zoey, Francis did get a little protective. Brotherly protective, not boyfriend protective. If Bill was alive, he would be more fatherly protective over her.
Back in the casino, Nick heard a very familiar voice, "Well, well, well! Look who's playing in Foxwoods!"
He looked up and saw a scrawny, tall man with a flashy gold jacket. He had piercing grey eyes and slick black hair covered by a baseball cap. Many rings adorned on his fingers and many gold medallions hung around his neck. Two hot girls had him by his arms as he 'escorted' them to the poker table. Nick cracked a sly grin and replied, "Look who's a pimp. Long time no see, Trevor."
Trevor laughed, "Nick, old boy, it's been too long. Please tell me in advance if you're coming my way?"
Nick cocked his eyebrow challengingly, "So you can set up your extra security and have the cops within minutes?"
Trevor cackled as he sat down, "Come on, slugger. After everything we've been through. Would I do that to a fellow con artist?"
Nick scoffed teasingly, "Yes you would. Remember Vegas?"
Trevor showed off his rings as he grabbed the poker deck, causing the rest of the players to flee the table, leaving Nick alone to play against the pimp. "Come now, Nick. I heard what happened and I'll admit, I'm impressed that you survived the Vegas fire and a zombie apocalypse."
Nick's eyes widened. "You heard about that?"
Trevor began shuffling the deck and nodded, "That's right. A con artist in that Hell. That's admirable."
Nick thought about his life through that zombie-slaying Hell. Trevor continued, "I noticed that your ring is gone. Did you lose it? Did the zombie love of your life get it?"
Nick looked at his poker hand, trying to avoid the question all together. He did his best to think on his next poker move, but all he could think of is my sacrifice. Trevor continued to banter him, "It was a girl wasn't it? No man can stay quieter than you when it comes to women. Did she break your heart nice and clean or did you have to shoot her?"
Coach and Louis heard the pimp talking about Nick and women, who registered in their minds that Trevor was bashing about Chris. They quickly made their way through the crowd in order to get to the poker table. Nick spoke as calmly as possible, "You don't know what I've been through, Trevor. Let's drop this topic and play the game."
Trevor noticed that he was hitting Nick's soft spot. He cackled and said, "No! She played you like a violin and then kicked you to the curb…just like…"
Nick's attempt to stay calm was breaking down very fast. He warned, "Trevor, this is your last warning. Drop the topic now."
Trevor grinned evilly and asked, "Why should I? That's one thing that never changes, Nick. You could never hold on to a woman." Nick's eyes narrowed dangerously as Trevor continued talking, "Same Old Nick: lady-killer and lady-loser!" The con artist's muscles tensed up and his fingers began to crumple his hand. "This girl must have left you for a zombie!" The pimp cackled at his statement. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.
In rage, Nick slammed his hand onto the table and lunged at his former friend. Trevor yelped as Nick knocked him down onto the floor. Trevor's girls began screaming and shrilling, causing a panic in the casino. Nick socked his old buddy in the right cheek and snarled, "You don't know shit!"
Trevor kneed him in the chest, causing Nick to huff in pain and loosen his grip. Trevor rolled onto his former partner and hissed, "I know enough about you, Nick! One thing that's sure-fire is that you never change your ways!"
Nick knocked his cap off and grabbed a fistful of hair. "Get the fuck off of me!"
As the two men brawled, Ellis, Francis and Alex noticed a crowd of people rushing into the casino that Nick, Louis and Coach were in. "What the hell is goin' on?" Ellis asked his comrades.
Alex shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe some idiot had too much to drink and got into a…. oh my god it's Nick!"
Francis scoffed, "He was having a good time. I doubt it."
All of a sudden, Trevor goes flying out of the casino and rolled onto a column. Nick was right behind him, red with fury. Coach and Louis were right behind him. The three men were shocked to see their pal in a fight. Alex grinned and replied, "We should have betted on it." Ellis glared at his little brother.
Trevor stood up and kicked Nick in the shin, but Nick was fueled by rage, so it didn't hurt him that much. "You should shut the fuck up! She gave her life for me!" Nick began kicking Trevor in the gut and continued to yell, "She protected me and my real friends until the very end! You never, ever talk trash about her!"
Coach and Francis grabbed Nick's arms and pulled him away from the pimp. Louis, Ellis, and Alex did their best to control the crowd. Trevor scrambled to his feet and spat blood onto the floor. He hissed at the struggling con artist, "If you ever come near this place again, I will have you arrest or killed. Whatever the situation might be." Security finally appeared and Trevor ordered, "Get rid of them. Kick them out of here."
Security grabbed the group of men and literally threw them out of Foxwoods. Francis growled at Nick, "What the hell happened?"
Nick glared at the biker and hissed, "He insulted Chris!"
Ellis, Alex and Coach gasped and immediately understood why Nick got into that fight in the first place. Francis and Louis quickly remembered who I was and nodded sadly. "Sorry, Nick", Louis said.
Nick nodded while his eyes began to look glossy, "I know. I am too."
Coach stood up and helped Nick to his feet and soothed, "She's in a better place right now." Ellis stood up and began to help his brother up onto his feet.
"We all miss her Nick", he replied.
An evil, glossy glare snapped towards the older redneck, "You didn't like her like I did."
Ellis looked down and sadly nodded. "That's true."
The group began walking back to the Hummer and Francis shrugged, "At least one good thing came out of this day off."
Nick huffed, "What is that?"
The biker grinned as he pulled out a giant wad of hundred dollar bills. The other men stared and gasped at Francis's fortune. "My horse won the race. I won about 100,000 dollars."
Alex groaned, "My horse lost? Damn it. I only found ten bucks."
Ellis laughed at his little brother and replied, "When you turn 21, you're allowed to go to Vegas!"
"Sweet! Wait…why not here?" he asked.
Nick scowled, "Because we're forbidden to come back here."
Louis replied, "Oh don't worry Nick. Time heals many wounds. Maybe next time you see Trevor, maybe you two can gamble on friendlier terms."
Alex scoffed, "Screw being banned! I'll come back as RED Spy!"
Ellis cocked his eyebrow at him, "Seriously?"
The guys gave a chuckle at the redneck brothers as they piled into the black Hummer, with Louis at the wheel. Nick took shotgun as the others piled into the back. Ellis groaned, "Thanks, Alex. Now I wanta play Team Fortress 2!"
Nick chuckled a little as the Hummer pulled out of the parking garage and began to drive back to their military outpost. At least Nick got to grab a 100 dollar poker chip as a souvenir of this day. Gambling, an old friend and the first time he was ever thrown out of a casino without being drunk out of his mind. He sighed as he looked out the window, watching Foxwoods shrink into the darkness.
Chloe: They miss each other terribly.
Louis: I know.
Chloe: I think he'll be in a big surprise when…
Louis: Whoa, whoa, whoa, Chloe. Don't spoil anything!
Chloe: Sorry, Louis. Anyway, 5 more reviews for the next chapter!
Louis: Nicely done.
Alex: Woo hoo!
*Alex has startled Chloe*
Louis: Oh boy…Run Alex run!
