Summer has come to a close, which is just about the worst thing ever. Goodbye sun, it was fun while it lasted.
Work sucks, as usual. Trying to write whenever I have the chance (Not regularly) but I try hard to update as soon as possible for you guys.
I once again have to thank you guys for the wonderful reviews, it makes my day to read them.
Anyway, on with the chapter.
Chapter 4:
The chilly air blew fiercely across the open meadow, sending goosebumps down the back of my neck and causing my defiant bangs to sway across my face. Ellis was ahead of me, axe in hand, keeping an eye out for something.
Anything.
I had now began to slightly regret my actions this morning, I mean, Ellis isn't a bad guy to be around or anything. In fact, I could have run into someone far worse than him, but I can't afford get too close to him at the same time. When we both find our friends, I hope he'll take the obligation of going our separate paths. But of course, I screwed it up.
I may have just gotten myself into something very bad.
It was just a spur of the moment suggestion, in my half-conscience state, I had offered Ellis to stay with me instead of leaving, which we had originally negotiated. I had unknowingly drifted off to sleep last night, from pure exhaustion. I hadn't slept in two full days before that out of fear. Fear that something would kill me during the night.
But I had passed out and was welcomed back into the dark realms of my own mind. Nightmares plagued my sleep again, I visioned all my friends were dead because of me. I sighed as I began to recall my dream.
They were all dead. All of my friends, gone. And it was all my fault. Their bloody corpses lay in front of me and I couldn't take the pain anymore.
I just couldn't take it.
Then, Ellis woke me up. I was scared out of my mind and afraid of being alone, I stopped caring about the deal I had with him, I just wanted someone to be with me so I wouldn't be alone and frightened again. So I wouldn't have to face every waking moment of every day by myself. Me against the world.
I somewhat foolishly offered for him to stick with me for a while, taking back our previous offer in an instance. I just needed someone with me, needed some reassurance that someone was watching my back. I had to convince myself that Ellis was a person I could trust, which was a rather simple task due to his, at times, overbearing friendliness. But it was quite amusing nonetheless, to say the least. It has been a long time since I've seen someone as happy as this man, and it is rather refreshing, to say the least.
It's like he takes me back to before the outbreak, when laughing and fun were an ordinary day thing. I took that life for granted.
I missed TV.
"Hey, I think I see a car off in the distance." Ellis hollered over at me, picking up the pace which had disintegrated to a careful walk. I followed him closely, the grip on my rifle tightening.
I began to catch a glimpse of something bright white over the tall grass. I tried to stand on my tippie toes to get a better view.
"It's a cop car!" Ellis remarked, gawking down a the vehicle. It had been crashed into a surprisingly deep ditch. I wondered what it was doing out here in a field.
Ellis began to carefully trudge down the slope as I covered his descent, watching the other side of the trench.
He peered in through the window before nodding at me, opening the door and kneeling into it. My eyes fixated themselves on the opposite side, knowing anything could just jump down on him.
Ellis clambered back out of the car, a wide smile on his face.
"Look at this shit!" He called over to me, producing a chrome-coloured shotgun, aiming down the sights and pretending to shoot it. I grinned back at his childish antiques and shook my head.
"Is there any shells in there?" I asked as he ducked back into the vehicle.
"I'll check now."
I sighed and gazed over my shoulder, the wind brushing against the grass startling me a little. I didn't like being out in the open.
"Hey, I think I found some-
A horrifying screech rang out in the air, jolting me into action. But before I could even look at my surroundings, something knocked me onto my back. My rifle dropped out of my hands as I desperately tried to defend myself from my hooded attacker, trying to swat away his attacks. His stench was repulsive.
I let out a cry as I felt something sharp drive into my ribcage. Searing, hot pain exploded in my torso. I managed to get an arm free and throw a fist at the infecteds' face, connecting with some force. It yelped rather pathetically as it fell back, but instantly jumped up onto it's hind legs, like the animal it had become. It began to crawl slowly over to me, growling viciously as I tried to escape.
I scrambled wildly backwards, not knowing what else to do. But the Hunter launched another devastating assault before I could reach my gun. It grabbed my upper leg, sharp claws digging into the flesh, and dragged my back towards it, as if it was toying with me.
I simply closed my eyes and braced as I waited for another flurry of slashes, but it never came.
Instead, I heard a powerful crack, and an odd sizzling sound.
I opened my eyes to the sight of Ellis pulling my attackers' corpse off of me.
"Ah shit Zoey, I'm really sorry. Are you alright? Did it get you? Shit, I'm sorry." Ellis gushed out, checking me over. The left side of my torso burned with agonizing pain, I felt incredibly weak.
"Damn it. You're bleeding." He stated as he knelt down beside me, inspecting my wound.
"Y-yeah, he caught me right there." I managed to reply, trying not to scream at the pain. Ellis grimaced and grabbed my hand, putting it over the wound.
"Bastard nicked you in the leg too. Shit Zoey, I'm really sorry." He repeated, but I was barely listening. Everything seemed far too distant.
"We gotta get back to the house and get you fixed."
I nodded feebly as he pulled me to my feet with ease. I hissed as soon as I put some weight on my injured leg, Ellis jumping over to my side and pulling my arm around him, allowing me to use him for support.
"You keep pressure on the wound, okay? We're gotta get back." I nodded again in response, but barely heard what he said after that. I presumed it to be optimistic rambling, trying to keep me positive.
But everything was too blurry. I felt too weak. The screaming pain in my body was unbearable.
"Am I about to die?"
"After everything I've been through, I'm gonna die now. Here. Today."
"But what about Bill? Francis? Louis? What about them?"
"I can't die without knowing what happened to them."
"Fucking Hunters. Fucking zombies. Fucking death. Fucking piece of shit world."
"I can't believe today is the day I die."
"Don't say that, Zoey. You're not gonna die. I promise you." Ellis reassured me. I hadn't even realized that I had started talking aloud.
The pain was unbearable. Blood seeped out through my fingers. Every breath was agony.
This was it.
"Ellis?" I barely whispered. He gazed down at me with concerned eyes.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to die."
"E-Ellis."
"Zoey?"
"I'm sorry."
I closed my eyes.
/
Warmth wasn't what I expected to wake up to.
Waking up was something I didn't expect.
But sure enough, my eyelids fluttered open to a rather comfortable scenario. I was lying on a couch, a thin blanket draped over me and a slight stinging in my ribcage. The room was hazy and dark.
"How am I not dead? Am I where I think I am?"
I attempted to sit it slowly, but my body immediately disagreed with the action and I deadpanned back down onto the soft cushion of the couch.
"Woah, take it easy there. You probably shouldn't be getting up right now."
I was slightly startled by the words but I snapped my head towards the sound and saw the mustard t-shirt and the wide smile sitting on a chair pulled over beside me and quickly figured who it was.
"How are ya feelin'?" Ellis questioned. I gazed down at my body, noticing my red jacket was gone, and there was bandages all around my entire torso, I lifted up the blanket to see the same on my leg.
"I'm sore but alive."
"That's the important thing."
"I'm alive thanks to you." I said, glancing up at him. He turned a deep shade of red and looked down at the ground, shrugging.
"Yeah, I- uh, I guess I did." He awkwardly muttered back to me.
"How did you save me? Last I remember I was as good as dead." I asked, sitting up slightly.
"I carried you back here and found some things lying around and I just tried my damndest to fix ya, I guess." He mumbled, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.
I honestly couldn't begin to fathom why he would go to such effort to save a person he didn't know. I was grateful, sure, but at the same time bewildered that he would try save a complete stranger. I knew he was a kind person but this was beyond kind.
"Why? Why did you save me?" I pryed, sounding a bit strange to myself. Ellis gawked at me with wide eyes, looking almost shocked.
"Why did I save you?"
"Yeah."
"Because..."
He paused momentarily.
"Because why would I let you die? You've given me a place to stay and some food to eat when you barely had anything yourself. If you hadn't let me in, I would be dead myself. Think of it as me repayin' the favor."
I was slightly taken aback by his answer. A man that I initially thought was a threat had saved my life.
I could count myself lucky that I ran into Ellis.
"Thank you Ellis. Seriously, thank you." I tried to sound as sincere as possible, to try and notify him of my genuine appreciation for his actions. I was in his debt.
"It's nothing really. Saved my buddy Keiths' life all the time kinda thought me about some basic maneuvers. And some recent experiences." He grinned again. I laughed loudly and relaxed into the couch.
"Now, I'mma let you rest. You need anything else before I go?" He asked as he sat up, I shook my head.
"Okay, I'll keep watch for tonight. Goodnight Zoey."
"Goodnight Ellis. And thanks again."
He shot a grin back at me. I found it to be quite infectious.
"Don't worry about." He stated, before strolling out of the room.
He left me with a lot of thoughts racing in my head. Ellis was a good guy, a really good guy. I had really misread him for who he was. The world needed more good guys.
With the assurance that I was safe from the outside world, for the first time in a while, I gently drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.
A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Been busy with all sorts of boring stuff.
Don't forget to R&R! Much love to you all!