Author's Note: I apologize for the unexpected delay…I know I had to write sooner or later, so I completed this within a week and a half. I grew tired near the end of this chapter and am glad that I will soon kill off Dietrich, but I've almost run out of ideas for Left for Dead. On the bright side, I've had another Idea for a story that I have better chances with…alas I couldn't leave any followers in the dust. This story is (NOT) over…
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Valve's Left 4 Dead franchise nor the plot or Infected. Music titles will all go towards their original creator, Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist.
Leave a comment and review, please and thank you.
Chapter 8
All Pain Is Gone
"Huff Huff...What the Hell..." I wheezed out, exhausted from my everlasting sprint away from the ravenous horde behind the wooden door that separated us, "Shit...Huff Puff...Phew...Oh...Gulp...Ok...Now where am I?"
Propping my body against the door and slowly venting out the exhausted stress from my body, I pushed my arms back and slowly brought myself up straight. I looked around the room with ease, trying to make sense of my surroundings, but a blured filter handicapped my sight; just the faint flashing and bleeping of some sort of...Electronics?
The sound felt...calming, relaxing even!
The faint sound effects eased my heavily beating heart to a rythmic beat in mere seconds, my hyperventilated body returned to its regular state as well as my vision, from a blurry hue to clear.
I wiped the beads of sweat from firing down my forehead and cheeks and took one more look at my surroundings.
"What the hell?" I repeated.
What the hell was right; The room seemed untouched, probably not known even by Dietrich himself. Taking a few steps away from my resting post and further into the room, its lights flickered violently along with the faint sound of thunder booming outside; The soft clacking of the soles of my shoes filled my ears along with the short-curciting buzzings above my head.
The room...It was entirely different from everything else i've seen within this shithole. It was entirely "Military."
As if it were straight from a cliche horror sci-fi flick, A couple of computers lined side-by-side atop of a metallic table which resided beside...cages?
"What the fuck? Fuckin' Cages? Why the hell's are there cages here?" I said intrigued at my find.
With further investigation, Two rows of test tubes upon a rack laid calmly, untouched and undisturbed by any brutish thug, all filled with weird liquids of assorted colors, all labeled differently.
I walked towards the table and looked closely at each label, all entitled with the name GREEN FLU along with a series of mixed letters and numbers.
"GreenFlu S-Type No.1...Hmm?" I muttered as I grabbed a tube filled with a light green liquid; Funny, the more I stared at the liquid, the more It seemed like a goopy tar. Amongst the two rows of vials, many scattered sheets of aggressively typed papers layed beneath them.
Re-placing the tube back onto the rack and grabbing a sheet, I skimmed carefully through the sheet.
"CEDA - CIVIL EMERGENCY AND DEFENSE AGENCY
Your #1 Source for Natural and Manmade Disaster Management
S-Class: "Special Mutations"
Note to Informant: It is near to impossible for our specialist to detect any signs of resistance within this virus. Covering this up from the media was and yet wasn't very difficult, although some of us were cut loose just to save the secrecy from human eyes.
Jenkins, and Lloyds as well as Tao and Norton were just a few names listed to be cut loose or "Fired", so says the CO of our squad. My gut told me THAT was really the case.
Today we were given a new batch of serums, all containing different DNA Structures of the Pathogen; hopefully this batch has our so called "Cure." Our batch seemed to only create more infected subjects, and trust me, I tried reasoning with our higher ups, but they insisted that Healthy Human subjects were suitable for this pathogen, saying that certain animals can't ENTIRELY be afflicted, but would stand against the spreading of the disease. I don't trust what they say, but they theorize that they would be treatable...Maybe.
Remember back in Santa Cabeza, South America, How we thought it was just an extreme case of Mad Cow disease...Yeah, take that as a note and let's not try and ignore the little things; Keep record of any and every little thing that happens to them.
This better have our cure soon, Patient Zero's status seems to be only adapting and resisting to our previous Would-be Anti-virus and the only changes they seemed to be showing weren't promising. Seems like the only change was only making it even more resistant as well as making it stronger, but after heavy sedation, its strength seemed to return to its average Joe/Jane status..."
The page cuts off with a bloody hand print smearing bottom half of the page.
The page left me astounded and yet somehow, I was getting this endangered sense within me; CEDA was trying to find a cure, but my gut continued telling me otherwise.
"Patient Zero...New Batch...Loose Ends? What the FUCK?!" I exclaimed aloud, Placing the sheet back down onto the table.
I looked away from the table, confused and filled with utter concern, and continued searching the large room of hazardous secrets and chemicals.
"The Page said...The Virus was...Adapting?!" I said within my head, trying to make sense to myself, " Common medicines wouldn't help, A cure is needed; The Media mustn't know, So loose ends were made; Can't figure out the virus entirely, Tests, probably illegal, are to be made...What the Fuck, Man?!"
"CEDA's up to something, not just trying to cover this up...Heh which they didn't do much of a good job of doing, but something doesn't add up. Hey Witch, You know-" I hollered out, but quickly realizing that I was alone in this worn-down room, "Ahem...Better take that sheet then." I said to myself once more, returning back to the table and grabbing the lone sheet of information, folding it and stuffing it into my front pocket.
I needed to hurry back to Witch, but this room might prove something, then again, What was I trying to prove? Prove that I didn't like the fact that CEDA was doing something behind the government's backs or something involving CEDA was tied to this place?
I looked back at the cages within this room and pictured the same cages within the basement level, Why were they here and there? It wasn't as if Dietrich's goons had brought these cages here and I doubt any of them have any experience in chemistry and lab equipment.
Then brings up the topic of how the hell a Level 4 Biohazard took over most of Fairfield in a matter of hours. If this was CEDA, then someone really must've fucked up.
I began pacing up and down the grimy hall, trying my damndest to make sense of it all, but the more I tried, the more I found it to be even harder to swallow.
I shook my head violently, Now wasn't the time to be confused; I had to go and find Witch, no matter the cost. Witch was probably and most likely scared, all alone wandering the halls trying to find me on her own; Bad enough, her Asshole "Ex" is wandering as well, I couldn't help but think of all the violent things he would do to her, but then neither could I for Hunter.
Eyeballing the door handle, I quickly walked towards the door and firmly grasped onto the knob, but immediately stopping to press my ear against the hard wooden door.
Silence.
Pure and utter.
It disturbed me oh so much. Slowly turning the knob and pulling the door back, I tip-toed outside, looking cautiously down both halls. I un-holstered my Colt .45 and took aim.
"Ok, I came from the right, so hopefully, and if goes through corridor by corridor, then I'll be able to lead my way back into the same building Witch is in. And the Music, Gotta listen for the music!" I said, enthused about our reuniting.
I immediately stormed down the left and headed down another left, leading me back towards the other some-stories building. The loud clacking of my soles were the only sounds faintly echoing down the lonesome hall, the cold rush of loneliness slowly surrounding my body.
It wasn't the time to feel lonely, I had someone waiting for me, someone I cared for, out there wandering the hall, the rage infested halls. If someone had to be lonely, She would be the one; probably wandering endlessly through hall after hall trying to find her way to me.
She was all I had to keep me going, the only one that stood out in the see of rage-crazed infected.
Hallway after hallway, running and propping my backside against wall corners as I proceeded through them, I was sweating bullets, just the thought of not being able to find her was killing me. Just imagining her infected pale face crying hot streams of tears as she went of in some random direction to find her Knight in Shining Armor, I couldn't bear it.
Suddenly, A loud crash of lightning deafened my surroundings along with an unexpected force that shook the entire corridor. Stumbling side to side, I tried to make sense of what could've caused such force, but my conscience immediately thought it was just the lightning striking onto the concrete roof.
Tripping and falling flat onto my chest, my rifle pressing hard against it; I was put in a brief daze for a few seconds before I could re-grab my bearings. I quickly jump back up onto my feet and waited cautiously.
"The hell?!" I exclaimed aloud, "Fucking storm!"
My shout echoed through the hall.
Another brutish crash shook the building once again. My body jerked itself to the side as I went along with the shaky movement of the desolate hall. It wasn't the storm causing this, It was something else.
I quickly slid my body along the wall, trying my damndest to make it out without another spill; I gripped tight onto my Rifle and began running with haste. Debris and rubble began pelting me from above, I had to hurry. One by one, chunk after chunk, cement began falling heavily onto the flooring; The walls began cracking enormous crevices and began tumbling down each side, fragment by fragment.
My throat started to tighten, the air began to feel thick with the powdery clouds of destroyed debris. I coughed sickly as I released a faint wheeze, "FUCK! -Cough Cough- COME ON, ALEX!?"
The smoke screen was blinding my vision from seeing the end of the demolished hall, I wasn't sure if I was near or far from the end.
I extended my free arm out, hoping that I'd run into the back wall soon.
Running seemed endless, until one solid slam.
My body bashed heavily against the end, my skull nearly slamming itself onto it if it weren't from my arm. It was no accomplishment, I had to keep running; I continued down to my right, which was much less filtered with rubble. I could see the next intersection just ahead, along with a destroyed window just straight down of the crossroad.
I stopped immediately.
...Silence...
Just pure silence filled the dusty air, not even another blow onto the building.
"Is it over?" I whispered to myself, "Best not wait to find ou-"
I was cut off by that familiar sound.
Behind me was the faint but noticeable sound of crackling. I turned my head back and waited.
The sound was no fainter; it began increasing louder and louder. The flooring a distance behind me began cracking and immediately fell down to the lower floors and sub-level. The building was collapsing.
"OH SHHIIIIIT!?"
I exclaimed as I hung my rifle behind me and started sprinting for my life.
The loud roar of falling floors deafened my heavy breathing, my heart began racing at the thought of dying from being crushed; Only the rectangular opening in the distance was my doorway to freedom. Regardless of what floor I was on, I would risk falling and breaking a few bones than this.
As I sprinted down the halls, jumping over obstacles of debris scattered down it, I could almost feel the cool wave of fresh air hitting my face.
"COME ON! A LITTLE MORE!", I cried out as I ran straight through the crossing and into the hall ahead.
There it was, the cool blast of fresh air filling the narrow semi-destroyed hall. Light briefly flashed through the window opening as another lightning bolt struck another part of the building. My body trembled from fatigue, but my will to live ignored any and all of it and began pushing myself past its limit.
What had happened next was yet another reason why I was glad to be an infectee.
My vision suddenly changed, having a reddish contrast; my legs began speeding up, moving my body closer and closer towards the opening. I ignored the fact that I was seeing red, but I was thankful that I was faster than I was before. Immediately my heightened instincts kicked in; the opening was within my grasp, fresh air wrapped itself around my body, My throat was imminently relieved.
I crouched down and lunged straight towards the window, crossing my arms over my head as I flew out into the rainy outdoors.
I was soaring down, falling, Awaiting for my sudden stop.
"Hell!" I said in my head as I closed my eyes and begged for it to be brief.
My body bounced off the muddy ground, plopping around at least four times before my body lied still, limp and lifeless-like.
I ended up on my back as usual, staring up at the sky as rain fell onto my scarred face. My vision, still with the sickly red contrast, began fading to darkness. I struggled to stay conscious, but I was too tired, too weak to keep fight.
I accepted it.
It was dark alright...Too dark, As if it were my own purgatory. Here I lay weak and unaware; here I am lost within my own unconscious mind. I try to move, any limb would do, but it was as if I died and rigor mortis immediately set in. I feel nothing...I see nothing...but this couldn't be death.
I couldn't have died.
My head was at a standstill; I rolled my eyes around for any sign of activity.
...Nothing.
I struggled once more to move any part of my body. I couldn't die now, I couldn't give up. Slowly, I felt motions moving within me, muscle and bone bending and tightening. I lifted both of my arms into the air and back down, arching them beside my sprained and cracked ribs from my previous fights.
My spine popped as I began pushing myself up. Sitting straight up, I began moving my toes; the pair trembled within my ragged boots. I placed a hand beneath my knee and lifted it up, arching it for support. I re-placed my hand on my knee and pushed.
I grunted aloud, only to get knocked back down. I wheezed weakly and tried again...and again and again, but it was no good.
I was too tired and too weak to try any more.
I hung my head in pitiful defeat.
It was pointless on where I looked, I still saw darkness, regardless if my eyes were closed; No one was here to help me.
Ah-Hem!
My eyes opened at the uplifting...sound of someone trying to gain my attention?
I lifted my head and saw a familiar face once again, or should I say Mask?
"Long time no see, Alex...", croaked my masked comrade.
"Ugh...Hey Infection...Long time no...Ugh...see!" I grunted, attempting another try at getting up on my feet.
"Jeez...Back by popular demand and you still need my help? God...Here!" Infection said smugly as he extended his hand towards me.
Without hesitation, I grabbed ahold of his hand, "Thanks."
A strong tug up and I was ready; weak and tired, but ready.
"Where the hell...were you? I coulda needed some guidance sooner than now!" I exclaimed, trying to maintain some strength to keep me up on my feet.
"Well...to tell you the truth...I have no fuckin' clue myself!", He said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
"Seriously?!" I yelled.
"Hey Al, cool it, huh?", He responded back, "Yeah, kinda felt like sleepin' though...hmm..."
"Sleeping?"
"Yeah, sorta..."
"O...k then, so..." I said, slowly pacing myself around my purgatory-like mind, "Where the hell are we?"
"REALLY?! Man, kinda thought you already knew where we were." He exclaimed, "We're in your mind, Al."
"I kind of figured that out, seeing that no one's here but us...How do I wake up?" I asked urgently.
"I dunno."
"The hell do you mean, "I dunno?!" I yelled flabbergasted, "I thought-"
"Hey, It ain't my head that where in, Alright!", He responded furiously, "Maybe something's gonna wake you up, I dunno!?"
"God Damn it!" I yelled aloud, echoing out into the dark, "Fuck!"
I began pacing furiously back and forth, trying to think of a way to wake my physical body up. Then the thought of waking up was beginning to fade like a dying memory. I threw my arms around in anger, balling my fists as I pounded my head in effort to wake up somehow.
Nothing came to mind, just my failed attempts with Infection in effort to wake my sorry self, But the more I tried, the more I was frustrated, The more frustrated I was, The more I felt like giving up.
After a moment of thrashing my body around like a man with no priorities left, I sat down in defeat.
The thought of never waking up soared as my only train of thought.
"So...this is what a coma is...Huh?" I asked Infection somberly, "Jesus..."
"Hmmp...What a sorry excuse of a man you are..." Infection taunted, "Fuckin' pitiful, fucking insane scum beneath that fuckin' German's boot, that's what you are!?"
"Fuck You!?" I commented back with a mask of anger.
"DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!? WHAT WAS ALL THAT SHIT TALKING ABOUT NEVER SURRENDERING AND SHIT?!" Infection roared, "WHERES THAT ALEX, HUH?! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"
"I...I...Don't know..." I responded back with sorrow coming onto me, "I don't fucking know..."
"Fuck...What about them?!" He reminded me, "What about those you saved?! Wonder how they'll react seeing you like this! I bet, 'Oh Alex, you were such a man before, I just wanted to fuck you, but seeing how fucking weak you are, I guess not!' OR better yet, 'Oh alex, you're no man, You're just a fuckin' kid with a fuckin' gun with mommy and daddy issues! WAA WAA WAAA POOR ALEX, MOMMY AND DADDY NEVER LOVED YOU, WAAA!"
"FUCK YOU!", I barked, running at him, tackling him to the ground, "ASSHOLE!"
I balled my right fist and cocked it back, delivering a solid punch to his mask. I cocked it back and delivered another and another and another! His mask began cracking, but there was no way in hell I could stop myself at this point. With every punch I landed on his masked face, I felt relieved, joy; it was some stress relief, but more like a lust for violence.
As I cocked back one last punch, Poof!
A minute Infection was here, now he was reduced into a cloud of smoke.
"Shit! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" I yelled out, expecting him to answer back, but just silence.
Blinded by anger, right above me was a blurred out image, slowly focusing itself to a crystal clear image of what I've gone through before.
A memory seen as some old movie reel, grindhouse filter and all.
It was me...Alive yet bleeding from my forehead, all gung-ho'd with the M9 and backpack I had back before I was taken.
"ALEX..."
A voice boomed within my head, creating a staggering headache.
I clutched my head in pain, falling down onto my knees.
"OVERBECK..."
Another booming word, along with the voices of the many comrades and survivors I had once saved, echoed all around me.
"ALEX"
"ALEX"
"ALEX"
"ALEX"
"ALEX"
My name echoed nonstop as the voices in my head continued.
"YOU'RE SUCH A TOOL, OVERBECK!"
"STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!? STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM SARAH!?"
"YOU SCARE ME!"
"I NEVER LIKED YOU, ALEX"
"YEAH...YOU'RE A FREAKIN' PSYCHO, BROTHER!"
"PERVERT!"
"YOU'D FIT RIGHT IN WITH HELL'S LEGION, KID!"
"DON'T PROMISE ME ANYTHING, ALEX, EVER!"
The taunting didn't seem to stop; Guilt was all that I felt now, no more anger, just pure guilt.
This was the virus' doing. It was spiraling me into madness, just like...what Sanchez said. I had to get a grip of myself, for my sanity's sake, but the pain was oh so overwhelming. I could feel myself succumbing to the pain, breaking me entirely. Tears began racing down my cheeks as well as a warm liquid slowly trickling down my upper lip.
I felt the liquid; It was blood.
I squeezed my eyes shut, gritted my teeth, and begged for it to be over.
Within the ravaging horde of taunts, a faint cry was heard. My eyes opened wide as I remembered that specific cry anywhere. I brought my head up and swung it side to side and in the very distance, a spec of light shined brightly for my eyes to gaze in awe. From each cry I heard, The voices faded slowly away.
"W-witch?" I stuttered, "Is that you?!"
Only cries were heard as responses.
I got up from my knees and started walking towards Witch. Her cries began getting louder and louder as I progressed closer to her; Soon the small spec of light grew and formed into a blurred outlining of Witch, whose face was covered by her teary hands.
"Witch...It's ok..." I whispered as I fell to my knees right beside her, "I'm here."
I brought my arms up to the outlining and wrapped them around her sillouhette, embracing her sorrows with my comforting warmth.
A blinding light emitted from her silhouette, blinding me and destroying the darkness around me.
I closed my eyes...
My body felt like it was hung over some sort of fleshy ball of sorts; something smooth pressing against my stomach and chest. Whatever it was begun dipping and rising over and over again. All I knew was that I was being pelted with droplets of water.
I slowly opened my eyes and was introduced to a muddy environment and a veiny lower back squeezed into a pair of tattered jeans. The faint sound of snorting and gasping was what I heard from the right of my side.
"W...Wha...What the hells...goin' on?" I mumbled to my abnormal carrier.
A deep gurgle was all I heard as a response.
It stopped in its tracks. An oddly firm grip wrapped around my back and I was lifted off from the meaty mound and brought back to my feet.
He was a hell of a sight for sore eyes.
It was The Tank.
"Good God, Tank!", I exclaimed, leaning to my side only to see the mud prints of my unconscious body on the ground only a few feet away from a shambled building, "When...I told ya to bring it down, you really did it! Impressive, man!"
Tank's responses were but a mere raspy, hearty laughter.
"Hey, you know where the rest are?" I asked, only to expect short growls and roars in return.
He nodded.
"Really?!", I exclaimed flabbergasted, "Where?!"
Tank looked up and remained silent for a second before he released the loudest roar into the stormy sky.
Silence filled the air with the exception of the pitter patter of rain droplets hitting enormous puddles; the squared court-yard's silence was immediately broken with a faint wheeze and cough.
From the sight of the only two buildings that remained up, the only building to my left had a green figure stand from the corner of my eye. I turned and saw smoker's tumor filled face; He began waving from the forth floor as a sort of accomplishment.
"HEY, YOU SEEN WITCH ANYWHERE?!", I hollered out, "NOD YES OR NO, QUICKLY!?"
Smoker shook his tumored head no; My chest started to ache heavily from the fact that Witch was still in either one of these two buildings, searching for me, for her Knight.
"Shit!", I muttered to myself, "OK, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR HER!?"
I stared at the building north of me, "WITCH?!" I began hollering, "WWWWIIITTTTCCCH!?"
Tank didn't hesitate in doing the something as me; He began roaring at the building as well. Our feeble attempt to call her began to seem pointless after each attempt.
"WIIITTTCCH!?"
"RRRRRIIIIIITTTTCCCCCHH!?"
About a few hopeless minutes swung on by, Tank's efforts had diminished; instead, he just turned his head and stared at me as I continued calling out to her.
His silence caught my attention, "W-What?!" I remarked, noticing the confusion in his jawless face, "Jeez...I know this is pointless and all, trying to call out to her, but by the time I get up there, She might be long gone from that position." I sighed. "Our chances of calling her might be slim, but think about it! She's crying and we're the only ones making a loud enough noise for her to notice...Well, a recognizable noise, anyways...WITCH!?"
Tank turned back, letting out a raspy sigh.
"WIIIITTTCH!? WIIIIITTTTTTCCCCCCHHHH!?"
SCREEEEECH!
The horrific scratching the only unwanted Infected I wanted to see came from south of me. Hunter landed from a far, ending him on a crouching stance; He fixated his posture and speed-walked up to me, pushing me aside. The forceful push stumbled me towards Tank's enlarged arms; Hunter looked up and brought down his hood.
Hunter's complexion was far from being afflicted by this virus; both his hair and his skin remained intact with the acceptations of a few spots of small broken skin around his forehead and left cheek. Seeing Hunter's face, angry as ever and evermore distrustful, made me feel for him less.
Hunter looked up towards the building and inhaled deeply.
Confused as always, I couldn't predict what he was about to do until it finally hit me.
Kat.
She did the same thing the moment I killed the previous Tank, which warded off the entire horde that swarmed around me on Marble Street, back near Carlos' apartment.
Hunter released a similar screech into the air, hopefully to reach to Witch from afar. His screech echoed into the terrible stormy sky and soon died off, leaving only the soft pitter patters of rain behind.
Silence was killing me; As if everywhere I go there it was, stalking me. I couldn't bear it any longer; I began pacing backwards, trying to gain some sort of view into each of the window openings. My boots sank deeper and deeper into the mud as I remained still for some sign of my redhead friend.
There, in the corner of my eye to my left, A faint red dot popped out from the corner of a window.
"AAAAAAHHHHLAAAAA!?", Her cries traveled a short distance from her location, just barely hearable from mine, "AAAAAALLLLLLAAAA!?"
"OH SHIT, WITCH!?", I hollered out happily, "DOWN HERE!?"
Hunter twisted himself around and looked where I was, bringing back up his hood in the process.
"SCREEEECH! SREEEEE!?" Hunter released.
Witch didn't respond back to him, only left him a disappointing look on her face.
"Uh...STAY RIGHT THERE! WE'LL BE RIGHT UP!?", I screamed out, hoping that she was able to hear.
Worriment filled my body as I saw her head jerk left to right as if she was looking frantically around for something...or someone.
In a flash, She let out a horrified scream as I watched her body being jerked away to the right.
"WIIITTCH!", I cried out shocked as my heart jump in place.
"GUTEN TAG, ALEX!", Boomed the Intercom with the tyrannt behind the mic, "Long time, Nicht gesehen!"
My body tensed up tight, "DIETRICH!?"
The other Infected investigated the booming intercom, hoping to find the monster himself around our position.
The man himself walked right into view from Witch's location, waving his hand in greetings while holding a mic in the other.
"DID YOU THINK I WOULD LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING AUF WIEDERSEHEN?!" He announced, "HA, TRICK QUESTION! I WOULD NEVER COWER DOWN TO AN INSEKT LIKE YOU!"
"WHAT'VE YOU DONE TO HER!?" I barked back, "WHERE'S WITCH!?"
"OH NOW NOW, SHE'S RIGHT HERE...tsht... say GUTEN TAG, ENTZUNDET!?"
The intercoms screeched aloud as Witch screamed out painfully.
"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHGGGHH!?" Witch cried out in agony.
"LET HER GO, DAMNIT!?" I demanded.
"YOU VANT HER...COME AND GET HER, SHTUPID!?" Dietrich taunted as he cackled insane-like, "SIS WISSEN, WO SIE UNS FINDEN!"
...
The mic went silent.
Adolfo has taken Witch, Just another reason to kill the son of a bitch.
That was all I was left with now, my only goal.
I brought back my attention to the group, only to find Hunter bolting into the building ahead of us. I didn't bother try and stop him, this was a perfect image of a man with little to risk, But...what of me? Obviously, I had to save her too, but impatiently, I had to reach her before he does. I looked back up at the window again, It seemed a good five floors up, Dietrich's office was the top floor, the eighth.
Best to keep note of, I was one of those unfortunates with many bad idea.
I looked at Tank's vainly, tractor tire-sized muscles and back at the window. I sighed heavily, I knew it was a slim shot but I wanted to take it, for Witch's sake. My plan was as slim of a chance as an inexperienced guy with no chance of shooting a bullseye with a gun.
"TANK!" I barked, actually startling him for a split-second.
Tank's attention was fixed onto me.
"THROW ME!?"
"RRRGH?!" Tank grunted, surprised yet confused.
"JUST DO IT!? WITCH IS IN TROUBLE AND I'M NOT LETTING THAT ASSHOLE REACH HER FIRST, NOW PLEASE THROW ME UP THERE NOW!" I barked once more, sounding even more enraged as time was being wasted, "SEE THAT!? UP AT THAT FUCKING WINDOW, THROW ME UP THERE!"
Tank looked up, slacked jaw as usual, and looked back at me.
"RRRrrrrrh..." Tank growled soft in disagreement, but the moment he made eye contact with me, I knew he understood that the difference between me and Hunter was that Witch was depending on me, Not her former lover.
Tank's right arm moved toward my chest with a open palm and slowly wrapped his meaty fingers around my torso. I began rising with the anxiety of re-thinking my plan filling up inside me. It would go one of both ways; one, I land straight it with only a few scrapes and bruises, or two, hit straight into the side and receive a concussion.
"Here goes nothing!" I hollered with confidence as my body was jerked back, ready to be thrown.
Tank roar as he lifted his other arm into the air, as if he were some sort of football player just about to throw his pigskin over through the goal. "OK, REMEMBER! AFTER I'M DONE, TELL SMOKER TO GET UP TO THE TOP OF THIS BUILDING! KEEP DOING WHAT YOUR DOING, BIG GUY, IT'LL BE OVER SOON!?"
"RAAAGGH!?"
"THROW ME!?"
Heightened Sense kicked in as I felt my body rushed forward and sent soaring through the sky; My rifle dangling violently around my back against the wind, Rain droplets felt like razors against my face and arms. My vision flashed back and forth, red and normal, as I progressed closer and closer towards the near-impossible opening.
"SHIIIIIIIT!?" I exclaimed as I became closer and closer.
I crossed my arms over my head and braced myself for an unpleasant landing.
Immediately, the air changed from cold and fresh to stuffy and dry. I made it inside, all that remained was the landing. I felt the solid concrete floor against the skin of my arms, the motion I was going had me rolling a few feet away from the window.
Exactly three good rolls down into the hall.
I stopped and ended up on my hands and knees, "Huff Huff...That FUCKIN' WORKED?!" I cried out with amazement, slowly getting up onto my feet and patting the dust and dirt off my clothes. Snapping back to caution, I grabbed the G36C from my back and went back to my usual 'Soldier's Stance.' I quickly scanned the place and instantly remembered the floor.
I remembered my first trip up here, Riggs hauling my so-called 'Worthless Ass' up to the lunatic's office on the eighth floor. A floor consisted of many useless rooms and utilities, but most were used for their own sick pleasure of lust and sin. Remembering such rooms brought back many painful memories back, most of which involved Kat and the other rape victims.
I didn't like it, nor did I want to stay here to figure them all out again.
I rushed back towards the window and threw my arm out, flicking my wrist towards my hulking comrade below, signaling him to move on. I, too, moved on; I remembered a Caged elevator leading up and down the building nearby, If I had to guess, Dietrich would use that instantly. I rushed down the left of the T-section with haste. Just as usual, the halls were littered and painted with bullet casings and blood throughout it all; typical for Dietrich's men to die off worshiping to that monster of a leader, Just as any egotistical mad man would do.
I wondered why these thuggish convicts would want to waste their lives on a gang leader like Dietrich? Surely, there's more to life than their own pleasure. I guess when a man has nothing to live for, A man's lust for women may be all he got left...According to these guys, that is. Pitiful fucking insane scum like Dietrich is to blame for all their worthless lives being wasted.
I rushed past the limp, lifeless bodies and pressed onto the next hall, taking another left and heading deeper toward the center of the floor. A heavy pungent odor of the decayed filled my nostrils as I progressed closer towards the elevator, The smell was sick to my stomach.
Mutilation was all I saw, how Dietrich survived against the horde overrun was a mystery to me; Probably had to kill off his darlings to make a run to the safety of his office, but the thought of a ruthless killer running and hiding only to finally come out when his small lustful kingdom begins crumbling, building by building.
Stepping over many mutilated, limb-torn carcasses, I rushed down into next lonesome hallway. As I progressed further in, Faint mumblings were heard as well as a struggle nearby.
"WITCH, HANG ON! I'M COMING!" I cried, increase myself into a sprint.
Before I could turn into the next hallway, A series of BANGS sounded from afar, booming through the silence barrier. My instincts immediately made me take cover against the corner as soon as the shots hit the wall the right of me.
"STOP, DIETRICH, NOW!" I barked, swinging my Rifle to my back and un-holstering my Colt, "OR I SWEAR I'LL HURT YOU SO FUCKING HARD, YOU'D WISH YOU NEVER FUCKED WITH ME!?"
"AS IF, VERZOGERN!" Dietrich remarked, tightening his grip on Witch, "SCHEIBE! Und child...UND FICKEN KIND CAUSED THIS?! URGH!" He grunted, slaming the butt of his pistol onto the elevator caller, "YOU MAY HAVE KILLED MY STRAFLINGE, BUT NOT ME!? YOU CAN'T KILL ME!"
A faint humming was heard, The cage door slid to the side; It was here. Dietrich immediately stepped inside with Witch within his tightened grasp.
"FUCK!?" I remarked aloud, quickly stepping out of cover and started sprinting towards the two; I took aim and fired, hoping my misplaced shots would hit the lunatic, but only mere ricochets were all they were as Dietrich hastily closed the gate door. I was only a few feet away from them, but even that was enough for the elevator to get started back up and moving.
Witch's cries began growing more and more faint as I closed in.
I slammed my body against the gate.
Dietrich's maniacal laughter echoed within my ear as I watched them ascend further and further up to the eighth floor.
Pitifully, I began banging my fists against the gate, thinking that it would do some good; It didn't.
"SEE YOU VERY SOON, FICK KIND!" Dietrich jeered hysterically as our eyes broke off by sheer concrete.
Only the screams and cries of Witch's muffled voice were all that remained as I slid down to my knees; "Fuck you, Adolfo!?", I muttered beneath my breath, slowly getting back up onto my feet,
"HANG ON, WITCH! I'LL SAVE YOU...I'LL KILL THE SON OF A BITCH!?"
I quickly holstered my pistol and grabbed my G36C from my back and ran straight down the hall to my right. I needed to take the stairs, better to do so instead of wait for it to return.
Again, I returned back into the loneliness of the entrail-decorated, blood painted halls, rushing past decapitated and torn apart bodies with the only motive on my mind, Witch's saftey.
Apart from the halls on every floor I had sprinted through, The infected count was all but diminished. Stragglers were what actually wandered these halls now as I progressed through a few; Strangely enough, they remained in an Idle stance. Vomiting, standing completely still, or even fighting themselves; not a single infected paid any attention towards me, not even a single look, as if I were completely invisible to them.
I tried paying no attention to that train of thought and continue on for witch's sake, but the thought returned, leaving me utterly confused and questioned the infection inside of me, thinking that they were just plain blind or...
...the virus inside of me was changing me entirely.
A pre-made stairway exit slowly came to view nearby.
Exactly what I needed, Seeing that the amount of infected was starting to increase the more I progressed towards the stairwell bothered me. I didn't need to start pushing my way through a pacified horde just to continue.
I bolted towards the metallic door and stormed in.
I didn't bother shutting the door, I just continued on, hoping that I would reach the eighth before they could. My grip on my rifle tightened as I doubled my step up the stairs. Huffing and puffing, I knew it would only be a matter of time before my legs gave out, but fatigue was the least of my problems.
I had the feeling that the virus was changing me, adapting my abilities to an Infected, but judging from the infected I've encountered, I doubt that i'm gaining any abilities similar to The Tank's or Smoker's or even that walking ball of flesh. I fear not for what might happen if I was not injected with some sort of vaccine in time, I know that I can control it, but it's the thought of losing myself to it was what worried me.
The time I was unconscious, A voice spoke out to me, spitting taunts at me from every direction. I barely lost myself to it if it wasn't from my shining beacon of hope. My sanity was slowly spiraling into madness, but it was the thought of...comfort that brought me back. Maybe the realization of what was important to me was what snapped me back.
At that time, It was Witch.
Maybe, because I was so fixated in saving Witch, that the virus generated faux voices of my recently saved comrades, forcing me to hear them. Then I realize that they were all Unafflicted humans, unlike Witch who was. Zoey, Carlos, Sarah, Francis and his friends and girlfriend, maybe the virus was trying to..."Trick" me into believing such taunts and have me fall to my knees, feeble and heartbroken.
It all was far too confusing for me to comprehend any of what I theorized about the Virus, all I knew was that I could manage, but for how long until i'm consumed by it?
"7TH...Almost there!?" I exclaimed, "HANG ON, I'M ALMOST THERE!?"
Just another flight of stairs away from my brawl against the German himself, I could feel the embers of my hatred from him still burning inside of me. Just the many ideas of torture shot through my mind, I cringed at them with a wicked smile on my face. Faint whispers echoed, "Kill...Kill...Kill!" the more I came closer and closer towards the next metallic door.
The words constantly continued on, growing louder and louder; I shook my head in effort to gain a grip on myself, but the voices didn't cease. Sudden flashes of faux images began flickering within my mind, showing grotesque and disturbing images of...Kat...Zoey...Witch...Everyone...
Disgustingly horrifying and utterly heartwretching.
Kat, semen-covered and brutally beaten around her entire face, layed on a slab piece of sidewalk, floating in the same sea of darkness from before. Her long hoodie slowly deteriated, its color faded to an ashy white, as her body broken down to rotting flesh and broken bone.
Zoey, severely cut up as well as bruised, laid next to Kat's semen-glazed, deteriorated carcass. Her red jacket, torn and forcefully cut open, was stained with her own blood and entrails of unknown infected. She was pant-less, Just plain white panties were all that she wore as she slowly began to curl into a ball. Streams of tears jetted down her cheeks as an echoing laughter came from behind her.
Job came walking up towards Zoey out from the darkness, unbuckling his pants as his lustful laugh continued on. His brutish right hand grasped onto Zoey's hair, lifting her up with a swift tug up. Zoey screamed horrifically as Job began his molestation.
I shook my head violently; trying to rid the images from my head, but it was forcing me to watch.
"Rgh! Get out of my head...ENOUGH!?" I barked, leaning my body against the eighth floor emergency door, breathing deeply as I continued on watching my personal snuff collage, "STOP...STOP IT NOW!?"
I squeezed my eyes shut and started breathing heavily as it continued on repeating in a purgatory-like loop. I pressed my back against the door hard, and hung my head; My eyes began to puff and water as the virus continued it's efforts to breaking once more.
"I...i can't...give up..." I stuttered weakly, "I can't..."
The images slowly flickering more and more violently, my personal strobe show of horror; I grit my teeth and grunted aloud, "I...CAN'T..."
My stomach churned violently, bringing me down to my knees; Gagging and convulsing, I began vomiting, My vision began to blur as I stared at a green pile below me.
"Cough...Cough...W-what?!" I grunted, gagging warm goop from my throat.
The bitter taste of the vile green substance felt as if I were regurgitating thick green poison.
I remembered this feeling...
Back at the safe house inside the bar, where the notorious Hell's Legion Biker Gang once resided, I've done this just after I had a "Psychotic Attack", or at least that's what I would call it.
Touching the slimy pile, I remember telling myself that my body was purging itself of the infection, gagging and disposing infected bodily fluids from within my system. Right now, I just hoped that this was what I think was happening.
My convulsions started calming down, my insides settled down with a warm burn at the center of my chest. I inhaled deeply and exhaled calmly, slowly returning back up and onto my feet, stumbling back against the door. I wiped my slime covered fingers against my pants and grabbed my rifle by it's sling, hoisting it off my back.
I took another deep breath and grabbed onto the door's handle, turning the knob and jerked it open.
The eighth floor.
Silence still followed me everywhere I go.
I had to find the elevator and find Dietrich, regardless of what condition I was in. I knew I was in no condition to shoot, let alone fight, but I was putting Witch's life in front of mine, I had to. I began walking weakly down the hall directly towards the elevator. Carefully placing one foot in front of the other, I hauled my groggy body across, slow and cautiously.
My legs quickly came to, only the burning sting in my throat remained after my Attack.
I shook my head, clearing all thought, and cleared my throat, hacking up a spit-wad of bitterness and spitting it aside.
I sighed, "Thank god..."
I hoisted the sling around my neck and right arm and firmly grasped onto my assault rifle as I returned to my usual 'Soldier's Stance.' Hurrying down the hall, I took a series of turns through another maze of multiple halls; I knew that my time to beat them from arriving wasn't possible now.
Thanks to my little episode, I must've bought Adolfo some time to evade towards his office. Regardless where he will hide, His fate is sealed, no matter the moral.
My personal vendetta, my manhunt for the insidious Neo-Nazi...all apart of my mission for peace.
All Pain will soon be gone.
I turned down to my left as I came towards a Cross-section. The walls were now no more painted with blood, but were more littered with empty magazines and shell casings of the usual tier, A typical firefight that succeeded in holding off the infected. Imagining the brightly flaring orange fire spewing NATO would seemed like a spectacle to my eyes. Fire and Death, mixed with the heat of frustration and the chill of fear, were all I could think as I looked to the floor's iron decor.
I continued onto another post-firefight corridor, His office was just on the next turn ahead. I had hoped that Hunter hadn't arrived yet, not to have the hand of our Damsel, but for pre-caution. Dietrich was expecting a man, not an infected; If he sees Hunter, then it'll be hell for both Witch and Hunter.
I can't allow that to happen.
I closed closer towards the corner and took cover beside it, leaning and poking my head out.
There it was, Dietrich's office.
His door emitted a faint hue of grey from a distance with the acception of Aggro-tech music playing faintly, too faint for me to identify. I stepped out of cover and cautiously proceeded towards his door. My feet rummaged through the casings, low clattering and shuffling were heard. A bead of sweat trailed down my forehead and down to my right brow, My hands trembled with anticipation.
Jittered, I inhaled deeply and exhaled heavily;
"Fuck..." I said, "He's no better than a Job...if he was...FUCKIN' insane..."
I eyeballed the door handle, slowly reaching out for it.
My hand tightened around the handle.
I took one last breath...
...And turned the knob.
