Me: Chapter 7. Thank hell.
Zero: Nice... After that bloody and legal ass kicking I need a break.
Me: He he. You're so going to hate me then.
Zero: Why?
Me: Just read and find out. There's no fight but there's something else.
Zero: Huh?
Bear: Disclaimer's mine! Azard doesn't own Left 4 Dead or the types of infected. All he owns are the characters and the plot!
Me: Thanks Bear. Read and Review please. Also, enjoy.
Chapter 7: Complications
The rising morning sun shone through the window and woke me up. Damn it, just when I was enjoying my rest. I rose from the bed I was laying on and stretched. Now I remember why I didn't sleep. My muscles are stiff as hell in the morning after sleep. I walked over to the closet and found a body length mirror which I looked into. Only now did I finally notice what I was wearing for the past three months. I had on a light gray sweatshirt with gray sweatpants and black shoes to finish the ensemble if you could call it that. Regardless of how simple it was, it was comfortable.
"Morning Zero," Will's voice came from the doorway.
"Morning," I replied. "What's the good word?" Why did I ask that question so stupidly?
"Nothing much is good I'm afraid," Will solemnly said. "I managed to find a radio last night and got it to work." Will was the tech head in the family. He could fix damn near anything that ran on electricity.
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"It wouldn't be if music was the only thing on it." That caught my attention. "There seems to be some kind of message that's being played between songs. It's not good."
"What's the message?"
"I'm not sure, I haven't cracked the static code but I'll spend some time working on it."
"Don't stress over it bro."
"Maybe we should be stressed," he said. "We don't know what this message contains. It could be anything! I'm going to try and crack the code." With that said, he walked hastily away from my room. I walked to the kitchen to find Erin sitting there. She turned to look at me and I noticed her eyes were red. Not the 'I didn't get any sleep last night' red, but the 'I've been crying for half the night' type red. Her cheeks were puffy as well and she definitely spent some time crying this morning.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She looked at me puzzled and I face palmed at forgetting she couldn't understand me.
"He asked you what's wrong," Will translated as he took a seat next to her with the radio.
"N-nothing," She replied softly.
"Bullshit," I droned, then remembering my brother added, "Don't translate that."
"I'll explain later bro. Erin, isn't there something you'd like to talk to him about?" Will was acting weird... weirder.
"No, no I don't," she replied before she got up and walked out of the room.
"What's up with her?" I questioned.
"You used to be oblivious," Will began, "and you still are, even in death." I looked at him quizzically. What the hell was he talking about? "You always were one of the smart ones, but when it came to you it was impossible to get a message to you if it wasn't up in your face."
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean subtlety was lost on you. You always needed a direct confrontation to figure some things out." Great, my own brother was ridiculing me.
"I don't need you being a smart ass."
"Ok, let me prove it. I'll tell you why she was crying and you see if you can figure out why it happened in the first place." I nodded. "After I went to my room last night I ran into Erin. She asked why she couldn't understand you since you so obviously spoke during the trip back. I told her you had died and became a hunter. That's when she went into her room and started crying."
I thought about it for a moment. Why would she start crying over something like that? We didn't know each other too well. I vaguely recall her coming to a bunch of football games, but that's about it. The only other times I'd seen her she'd been reading, or I'd accidentally bump into her and get hazed by the clique. From what I understood, she was just someone who was there. I don't get it.
"Why the hell would she cry over something like that?" I finally voiced my thoughts. "That doesn't make any damn sense!"
"Case and point brother, case and point."
"What are you two talking about?" Ash asked as he walked in.
"He's saying I'm oblivious," I responded.
"You are," they both said at the same time.
"How?"
"Can you tell him?" Will questioned. Ash looked at him and shook his head. "He's got to figure it out on his own?" Ash nodded. "Makes sense."
"To you," I added, just then remembering how confusing my thought processes have been lately. "Hey Ash, can I ask you something?"
"You just did," Ash replied. I visibly twitched.
"Don't be a wise ass."
"Aw, but it's so much fun. Oh well, what is it?"
"Is it possible for us special infected to retain things other than memories from our former lives?"
"You look at Bear and Sarah and you have to ask that?"
"I'm not talking about just emotions!" I yelled. "I'm talking about... hormones and such..." I said that last bit a little embarrassed. Ash smiled.
"I think so," Ash said. "It seems that we've just been changed physically instead of mentally, and we've changed a little biologically but hormones and such could have stayed the same. So, yea, your hormones could still be intact. Why do you ask?" I motioned for him to come closer.
"I think I'm... attracted to that Erin girl that's been traveling with Will," I whispered in his ear. His smile got bigger, if it was possible. "I mean, I've noticed a couple things since then and for some reason my body's been reacting in... ways." Ash's grin became almost feral. "I don't mean perversely! I mean I think I've... blushed and felt an attraction... physically anyway. I keep seeing her in my flashbacks too. Maybe it's just a phase or a coincidence."
"It's more than that," Ash stated grinning like a madman. "You've got a crush."
"No I don't!"
"Yes you do. Excuse me for a moment." Ash walked out of the room. "GLORY FUCKING HALLELUJAH! HE'S SEEN THE MAGIC OF LOVE AT LAST!" After that loud yell that promptly woke everyone up, Ash walked back in the kitchen and sat next to me. "Now, you were saying?"
"What the hell was that for?" I yelled rubbing my ears.
"Our little leader's becoming a man," Ash said grabbing me in a death hug.
"What happened?" Bear asked as he and Sarah came into the kitchen followed shortly after by Erin.
"Our little Zero's becoming a man!" Ash repeated happily still holding me in the death hug. Bear and Sarah soon joined in nearly crushing me into nothing.
"What's going on?" Erin asked Will in a whisper.
"I'm not entirely sure," he replied lowly still tinkering with the radio. "I've been picking up bits and pieces of their speech for a little and I'm starting to understand them."
"How?" Erin questioned.
"If you listen to them talk long enough, it starts to come to you. From what I picked up, it sounded like, 'Zero's becoming a man.' As to why, I haven't the slightest idea. I didn't hear what he whispered to Ash."
"He said he's attracted to your little friend there Will," Ash said still grinning.
"You... bastard," I managed to get out from being crushed. Will's eyes widened slightly and he smiled shortly after.
"What?" Erin asked.
"Don't worry about it for now. I'll only say there's still hope," Will replied suppressing his own grin. Eventually I made my way out of the death hug and sat back down.
"You two hungry?" I asked. Will translated and both he and Erin nodded. "Ok, I'll get some food."
"No way bro," Ash interrupted me. "I'll go. You stay here and... catch up with your little friend." He chuckled madly before he left the house.
"I'm the fastest one here and he wants me to stay behind? I could get this done in a tenth of the time it'd take him!" Perhaps I am overestimating my own abilities, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm much faster than him.
"Just sit back and relax Zero," Will stated trying not to make it sound like an order. "Don't think about it too much."
"I agree with your brother," Sarah added placing her hand on my shoulder to try and calm me. I swear Erin's face flared red when Sarah did that, a look of utter determination on her face.
"Take it easy Zero," Bear chimed in. "I'm sure he has his reasons. Ash has always been that way."
"Indeed he has," I stated remembering some of the stuff he used to do. Ash returned nearly an hour later with some eggs, bread, pop-tarts, butter, salt, pepper, cheese, english muffins, chocolate and bacon all in a bag he'd slung over his shoulder.
"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a supermarket that still has good food in it," he said placing the food on the table.
"I believe it," I said.
"Me too," Bear added.
"Me three," Sarah continued. Ash laughed.
"Well, you can make yourselves breakfast with those," I stated as I got up. "Where did you find that stuff?"
"There's still a market in a relatively clean part of town," Ash replied. "I just walked in and took the stuff."
"Nobody shot at you?" Bear questioned.
"Nope, I had a note written that stated I was sick, my parents weren't around and that I needed food. They helped me from there. All I had to do was make sure not to speak or reveal my tongue. They thought I was just a really sick teen." We chuckled.
"I knew normals could be stupid but not that stupid," I laughed.
"I'm as surprised as you are," Ash revealed. "Well, I think things just got more complicated."
"How so?" Sarah questioned.
"Well," Ash began, "We now have two normals living with us that we have to protect." We all nodded. "There's some kind of hidden message that Will is trying to locate and translate." Another group nod. "Sarah, you and Bear are technically an item." Sarah and Bear looked at each other and blushed. How could that work out any- no, no, not going to think about that. "We've got some people with hormones running wild." Sarah and Bear grinned while I looked away. "Lastly, our Zero here has finally admitted he has feelings for someone."
"I have not!"
"You admitted you find her attractive."
"So what? That doesn't mean anything is going to come from it! For damn's sake, she's a normal and I'm an infected! That would never work out!"
"Going a little quickly there, eh Zero?" Ash smugly asked. "I just said you found her attractive, I never said anything about going further than that." I blushed... again. Dammit.
"Go fuck yourself," I said.
"Don't worry about it, there are ways to get around everything. Until then, our normal tenants have to learn our language."
"How are we going to do that?" Bear questioned.
"It seems talking to them gets results fairly well. Will admitted that he's begun picking up bits and pieces of our speech by listening to us talk to each other," Ash explained.
"So you're suggesting that we talk to each other in front of them so they can get a better grasp of our language until they can perfectly understand us," Sarah pointed out.
"Correct. It will take some time, of that I have no doubt, but-"
"Cut the fancy talk shit Ash, it doesn't suit you," I stated with a grin. He grinned back.
"Fine, it's going to take a while, without a doubt. Also if we play our cards right, we could have found a permanent home here."
"So we also have to keep up appearances to keep normals away from us and keep ourselves and our normal friends safe."
"Yes." We all nodded.
"Keep your heads on straight guys," I said. "It's a long road from here." I walked out of the house after all that. I wanted to check out the city. Things really did get more complicated in the short time since we've reunited. Turning to face the still rising sun, I walked toward it, and the city.
Me: There you go.
Zero: Kinda short isn't it?
Me: Yea, but it's kind of a setting chapter.
Zero: Meaning?
Ash: Setting the stage for future events.
Zero: Oh... Also, did you have to yell so damned loud Ash?
Ash: Yep. It's about time that happened.
Me: See you next time everyone!
