Uh, I'm not really supposed to be on the computer 'cause of the bands of rain coming off of hurricane Alex (which ironically enough is on of my many nicknames)but I got a really nice review from someone called jacoba and it inspired me. All I can say is, if I get electrocuted, I will find you and you will get the hospital bill/funeral fee. And no this one will not have the long awaited scene between Alec and Ellis but I promise you guys that it will be next one. And the beginning of the song for the chapter title is what I always imagine whenever a Hunter is leaping around.
Chapter 9- Forseen; God Module
Ellis really wasn't supposed to be walking around by himself. Or at least, that what Alec and Philo both insisted on. But he had a gun, plenty of ammo and a pipe bomb for the hell of it. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't be safer if the Hunter or Smoker were with him. He just really needed to get out of the cabin. Alone. Alec and Philo had been quarreling more often lately and he figured that they were getting cabin fever just as much as he was. He had also noticed that Alec had been looking at him like he was something to eat lately. Really he couldn't figure out why, but if the tension that had built up in all three of them since the Infection hit was any indication, he had a good idea.
Shrugging off all thoughts on that manner, Ellis focused on making his way down the embankment from the cabin. He almost tripped over the body of a large dark haired man. He guy's nose was bashed in and he had a bloody bruise on his left temple. It also looked like he had been thrown down the hill, his limbs being all twisted up in many various ways. Looking over his shoulder back toward the cabin, Ellis realized that the man was in direct line with it. He would have to ask Alec or Philo about it later. The guy had also obviously been down here for a couple days because he was starting to rot.
Deciding to just wander through the forest for a while, Ellis made note of the direction he was going and started walking. He knew that if he got lost, and didn't manage to find his way back before nightfall, Alec would track him down and give him an earful. The Hunter was probably the most protective person Ellis had ever met and for that he was thankful because normally whenever Alec was in protective mode, Ellis didn't have a weapon. When he did have one, the Hunter knew he could take care of himself but still hovered close by. Luckily he hadn't had much reason to hover lately because the three of them had made it their mission to clear a large area around the cabin so they wouldn't have to worry about break ins at night. Apparently though some survivors had broken in a few days ago. The only reason Ellis knew this was because Alec had a mysterious hole in one shoulder on his hoodie. Wonder if that corpse was one of them... the hillbilly wondered. No, Alec wouldn't do that, not to a survivor. Would he? The Hunter was still a mystery to him in many ways.
Ellis stopped when he heard some rustling near by. Taking his gun off his back, he held it close to him and crept through the brush toward it. If it was an Infected, he may as well shoot it. If it wasn't he would take them back to the cabin. Then he noticed that the rustling was behind him and froze. Shit. Was Ellis's only thought before he was plowed into the ground, his gun flying out of his hands. Just as the weight landed on him, it was gone. Two, almost harmonized screeches came from down the hill as he scrambled to his feet. Grabbing his gun, Ellis ran after the noise, knowing that one of them was Alec. It seemed only right that the over protective Hunter had been following him.
Climbing on a log, he looked down to see a large Hunter pinning Alec. It was trying to slash at him but Alec was warding it off. Alec drew back one fist and slammed it into the other Hunter's face, stunning it enough for him to throw it off. Scrambling into a crouch, Alec hissed at the other as it regained its equilibrium, spinning toward the other with a snarl. Ellis aimed at the other in case Alec couldn't handle it himself seeing as it was actually bigger than him. Most Hunters were short in stature but apparently these two were an exception. The other paced around and while it was somewhat still, Ellis looked at it closer. Under its torn up hood, it looked a lot like Alec. Dark brown hair and red eyes though this one's face was slightly longer.
The two Infected leaped at the same time, their bodies slamming together and they rolled in a mass of flashing fangs and claws before breaking apart. Alec backed toward Ellis, intent on protecting him as the other turned its blazing red eyes toward the human. The Hunter snarled at the other, seeming oddly furious for it to just be rogue. The other hissed back, its claws gouging into the leaf litter under its palms. Then it let out a laughing noise, a malicious smile twisting its lips up, revealing bloodstained fangs. Alec screeched at whatever it had said and lunged. The other Hunter dodged nimbly to the side now that its initial panic from Alec's first attack was gone. As Alec flew by it, it slashed his upper arm. The other Hunter landed with a grunt, spinning on the spot and leaping again, plowing the other into a tree. Its head smacked into it with a crack and it lay stunned. Alec leaped off it with a snarl, seeming to puff himself up to seem bigger; very much like a territorial animal. He backed toward Ellis, growling as the other sat up, pulling itself into a submissive crouch. Alec had won the fight, that much was obvious, and the other was now at his mercy. Apparently, Alec was very aware of that because he smirked, looking down at his claws in thought.
"Alec, c'mon man, let 'im go." Ellis piped up suddenly, making both jump. Alec turned toward him with a disapproving scowl on his face but didn't make any move to jump on the other Hunter to finish it off. He growled at it, making it scramble away like a kicked dog. "Thanks." Ellis sighed, sliding down from his log to stand beside the Hunter. The other just snorted, glaring after the Hunter who had run off. He was obviously unaware of the two gashed in his upper arm or the cut above his left eye. In fact he seemed oddly mad. Ellis caught on fast, sitting on the leaf litter next to Alec's crouched form. "You knew 'im huh?"
The Hunter grunted an affirmative. "Brother." he snarled.
Ellis's eyes widened. That explained why they were so similar in looks. He placed one hand on Alec's shoulder, looking at him though the Hunter wouldn't return his gaze. "Your family abandoned you huh?" he got a nod to that, the furious gleam in Alec's eyes flaring. "Aw, I'm sorry. But, that's in the past. Promise me that if you run into 'im again you won't kill him." Alec gave him a skeptical look, probably thinking Ellis had gone insane. "Promise me Alec or I'm draggin you back to the cabin and tying you up." that got a raised eyebrow that made Ellis blush, understanding the turn the Hunter's thought process. "Oh fer God's sake. You're horrible."
Alec snickered at that, seeming to relax a little. He looked back in the direction his supposed brother had gone and sighed. "Fine." he grunted suddenly, glancing back at Ellis. "Promise." he didn't seem happy about it but Ellis trusted his word. He was in his hoodie but the hood was down and he was wearing the military visor from a few weeks ago. It was too sticky out, despite the cold, to wear a hood up. The Hunter squinted up at the sky, noticing some storm clouds starting to roll by past the treetops. His upper lip twitched some in a half snarl and he stood up. He didn't like the rain any more than Ellis did. Offering his hand to the hillbilly, Alec glanced around as Ellis pulled himself up, using the Hunter as leverage.
"Wanna go back?" Ellis asked. Alec nodded, seeming relieved. Yep, it was now proven that Ellis shouldn't wander by himself and he would probably not be allowed near the front or back door without one or the other Infected he lived with close at hand. Especially with another Hunter roaming around. He would probably follow their scents and try and get into the cabin at night and get his meal denied again. And then he would probably be strangled to death by Philo since Alec had promised not to kill him himself.
They walked in companionable silence until about half way back when Alec suddenly dove into the brush. A high squeak was heard and he came back holding the limp form of a rabbit. "Dinner." he growled, holding it up proudly. Ellis smiled, rolling his eyes at the Hunter. He noticed that he had been making efforts to talk more as of late which made Ellis glad for him. He could tell that Alec got embarrassed when he couldn't talk right or only managed to get out half a word before it turned back into a growl. The fact that he hadn't given up yet because of it was a true sign of his stubbornness.
"Alright. Its my turn to cook tonight." Alec nodded to that. He wasn't exactly gifted in the kitchen. But they still switched off on cooking just for the heck of it. Ellis supposed it was a way for the person it got stuck with to avoid looking like a housewife. Alec was normally stuck with washing their clothes though just because he could get it done faster. He didn't seem to mind out right but Ellis could always hear him growling to himself as he got closer to finishing; seeing as the washing machine and dryer in the house were broken and they had to do it old fashioned style; and was getting blisters on his fingers from the hot water. Tongue torture for Philo would normally follow. Alec's new thing was tying it to the ceiling fan and spinning the blades to get it all knotted up.
"Dude, what happened to ya?" Philo inquired when he saw Alec's new wounds. Alec groaned something back, rolling his red eyes. He inched past the Smoker and grabbed the knives he used to skin all his catches. "Yer brother? Ya mean like the-"
"Philo!" Alec snapped in the human tongue, glaring at the Smoker. He growled but it didn't seem to be one with words to it because Philo didn't reply to it. Ellis gave the Smoker an inquiring look and when Alec had left, Philo sighed.
"A couple nights ago, 'is other brother an' father broke in and tried to take the food in the fridge." Philo shrugged, his long tongue doing confused twirls in the air in front of him. "Must 'ave more than one brother." he grinned. "I had five. Big family."
Ellis laughed at that. "I was an only child. I wonder how many siblings Alec had."
"Ask him. He'll tell you anythin if he's capable." Philo snickered. "I bet he was the baby of the family." Ellis rolled his eyes at the Smoker. Their conversation screeched to a halt when Alec came back in with the now skinned and butchered rabbit. All bones and organs were removed, leaving just the meat. "That was fast." Alec grunted something back that was probably an 'of course it was and laid the meat on the counter for Ellis to cook.
"We're gonna have to go to town, see if the store has any spices and stuff. Plain meat is kinda... well plain." Ellis commented as he pulled out a large pot, filling it some with water. Alec and Philo both gave him a 'you're insane' look. He knew it was just because the Infection had screwed with their taste buds. "Fer me dimwits." he snapped with good humor. Both chuckled back and retreated into the living room. Boredom was becoming a killer for all of them. If and when they went into town Ellis made it his mission to find a portable DVD player and some movies. And lots of batteries.
Later that night, Ellis actually managed to stay awake until Alec had fallen asleep. It had been raining steadily for a few hours, the sound comforting and relaxing. As was the Hunter's body heat beside him. Now that winter was closer than ever, it had been getting colder at night and the heater, which seemed like it would choke and die any day now, could only do so much. Ellis felt sort of sorry that Philo was by himself in the next room over but couldn't really do much about it. Carefully shifting up onto his elbows, Ellis looked down at Alec's sleeping face. On the rare occasion he could catch the Hunter dozing during the day, he liked to watch him. The peace that took over the Hunter's scarred face showed Ellis that even the Infected could be human again. Because with his eyes closed, and his mouth shut, soft snores coming from him, Alec looked human. You would never believe he was Infected until he opened his eyes and you were stabbed with the burning red that they had become from what ever color they had once been. He wasn't deathly pale like many other Infected, he didn't have any boils or tumors like the others. The only deformity on him were the scars he had gotten so long ago that spanned the length of his face diagonally.
Alec let out a low sigh, shifting and rolling over closer to Ellis. The hillbilly laid down on his side facing him, reaching up with one hand and running it through the Hunter's surprisingly soft dark brown hair. He had made a point of keeping Alec and Philo clean in some form. He had to get Philo to actually hold Alec down the first time because the Hunter had been squirming so much. Ellis had saved him some dignity and let him keep his boxers though. Philo, after much arguing, had just gone to the shower himself. But apparently Alec was like a cat in the sense that he didn't like water. Now he just shuffled off to the shower whenever told to or risk another episode of 'let's hold Alec down in a water basin and scrub 'till he sparkles.'
Ellis chuckled at that thought, sweeping his eyes around the room in slight boredom. He was sort of tense now that he knew another Hunter was prowling around. This one obviously didn't think like Alec and Philo did, with some sort of sense. It was probably only interested in food and now that it had prey in sight it wouldn't give up. Whether or not he was Alec's brother, Alec obviously didn't like him much any more, and Ellis figured that Philo wouldn't have a problem killing him if the Smoker thought he posed a threat to either of his friends. He was protective that way.
Suddenly Alec breathed in deeply, snapping his eyes open and sitting up with a groggy snarl. "Max..." he snarled in the human tongue. He glanced down at Ellis, seeming mildly surprised that he was awake and shifted a bit closer.
"The Hunter from earlier?" Ellis inquired, sitting up beside Alec. He nodded, glaring around the room. "Is he in the house?" another nod. So this Hunter could pick locks huh? Either that or it busted down the door or the plywood on the windows. Alec growled when a shuffling on the other side of the door was heard.
"Its just me." Philo said as he opened it. "There's a Hunter in the kitchen. Its got yer hat Ellis."
"My hat?" Ellis felt his head then remembered that he had taken it off while he had been cooking the rabbit earlier. Alec growled at Philo, obviously telling him something because the Smoker rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yer hat." Philo replied to Ellis's question. "And no I ain't gonna kill 'im for you." he turned to Alec who whined at him. "I don't care if ya promised. He's yer brother-" Alec snarled at the word but Philo continued like he hadn't interrupted, "so you deal with him." Philo sighed, slipping fully inside and closing the door. "He'll leave eventually." Alec shook his head forcefully, growling something out. Philo seemed mildly surprised by that because his single eyebrow went up. "He wants ta what now?" Alec snapped at him. "Wow."
"Wow what?" Ellis sighed, used to listening to one sided conversations between the Infected. Philo looked at Alec as if asking permission to tell him. The Hunter growled but nodded.
"Apparently, frog-leg's brother wants more'n just yer flesh."
"Creeper." Alec snarled, resting his chin in one palm. It took Ellis a moment to get what the Smoker was getting at and when he did, it almost knocked the air out of him.
"Goddamn. Yer right, he is a creeper." Ellis laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Well, let's just wait 'till morning. If he's still here, you can chase him off again Alec."
Alec didn't seem happy about that but he nodded anyway, not laying down. He kept his eyes on the door as Philo grabbed a chair. "Ima stay in here. They guy's huge and I don't think ya can handle 'im by yer-self again frog-legs." Alec seemed a bit offended by that but shrugged. Philo sat down and pulled out his pack of cigarettes that he had found a few days ago. He was smoking them slowly, wanting them to last. Alec sniffed in a disapproving manner at the Smoker as he lit the cigarette but didn't make any move to stop him. The room was big enough that the smoke wouldn't bother the Hunter's sensitive nose like it did when they were in a confined space and Philo decided to light one.
After a while, Ellis could hear some snuffling outside the door. Alec and Philo heard it too because they exchanged a look, a growl rumbling from Alec. The Hunter glared at the door as Max scratched on the other side of it, eventually finding the doorknob and turning it slowly. Alec shifted into a crouch on the bed and Philo readied his tongue to help his friend as the door swung open slowly. Max crept in, sniffing the air. His red eyes centered on Alec who growled and lowered himself some to pounce. Max took another step forward and was then thrown back by Alec plowing into him. He let out a startled scream and the two rolled into the other room. Ellis heard the sound of fabric tearing and got concerned when Alec yowled. Philo ran to the door, motioning for Ellis to stay put because he didn't have a weapon. He shot his tongue in to the darkness, snagging Max around the waist and dragging him back while Alec recovered from whatever injury he had gotten. The Smoker tightened his grip on the other Hunter, making him let out high squeaks as the air was squeezed out of him. Alec jumped on him then but Max refused to go down easily. Using his greater height and mass to his advantage, he flipped over and threw Alec off him.
A bang split the darkness then and Max yowled, scrabbling at his leg as it bled from a single hole in it. Philo and Alec looked into the darkness but Ellis couldn't see around the Smoker's form in the doorway. Alec growled again, crouching to pounce. Philo laid a hand on the Hunter's shoulder as Max fell over, his injured leg unable to hold his weight. "Who's there." the Smoker called. He pulled out his lighter, the small flame providing some light. Ellis stood up now that Max was down and looked around Philo's taller form. A flashlight clicked on in the dark and revealed a slightly short boy with black hair and scared blue eyes. He was shaking as Alec continued to growl at him. Another brother?
"I-I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to be here but I saw Max prowling through the forest in this direction and... I felt bad for running away from Alec again." the boy said. He looked like he was maybe Ellis's age, a bit older than Alec. "I-I'm Joshua, Alec's other brother." Alec snarled at him, making him flinch.
Ellis rolled his eyes and shoved his way around Philo, giving the still writhing Max a wide berth. "Don't mind 'im." he glared at Alec who ducked his head, but didn't stop growling. "I'm Ellis." he motioned for Joshua to come a bit closer. "Don't worry, I won't let either of them hurt ya." Joshua took a shaky step forward, keeping his eyes on his brother who was glaring him down. He shook Ellis's hand, flinching when Alec growled at the contact a bit louder. "Behave Alec." Ellis sighed.
The Hunter snarled and grabbed Max, wrenching him to his feet with his arms behind his back like he was arresting him. He forced Max to walk and lead him to the back door, snarling something at Philo as he left. "Will do frog-legs." the Smoker called just before the door swung closed. "He said he's gonna drown Max in the river. And to keep an eye on you." he nodded at Joshua. "I'm Philo by the way."
"Is... is he really going to drown him?" Joshua asked, seeming more nervous than ever.
"Unfortunately yeah." the Smoker confirmed. "He's very territorial over this one," he motioned with his thumb toward Ellis who scowled some, "And apparently yer brother wanted things of Ellis that Alec didn't like." Joshua's eyes grew huge at that.
"Wow, he's just as creepy as ever. Infection or no." he let out a small snort at that. "Max is, was, the oldest of us. Alec the second youngest, our only sister the very youngest. I was the very middle child, two older brothers. I don't know what happened to Patrick." he continued, obviously aware of the two's curiosity toward who was who in Alec's family. Joshua sighed. "We abandoned Alec when our mother attacked him. Our sister had already been Infected and our father had to shoot her and mom. He shot Alec too, but apparently missed his heart." Joshua shivered a that. "God... I feel so guilty. I never wanted to leave him."
"Well, we've all been abandoned so don't feel too bad. Yer not the only one with guilt." Ellis sighed, thinking back to his supposed human friends who had left him for dead in New Orleans. He still couldn't understand why but the fact that more Infected seemed to be getting intelligent didn't leave much room for error. Shaking off those thoughts for later, Ellis put on a grin. "Well, I'll make sure Alec doesn't try and chase you out when he comes back. You can sleep on the couch if you want."
Joshua seemed surprised by that but nodded. "Alright."
"Hey, if ya don't mind me askin, what happened to yer dad?"
Joshua flinched at that, obviously remembering something unpleasant. "Alec got his revenge." he whispered, looking down at the floor. Ellis remembered the corpse from earlier and shivered. He had gotten revenge alright. Shoving the image away, Ellis lead Joshua to the couch, fetching him a blanket. When he came back, he noticed that Philo was still staring through the doorway to the den, his milky yellow eye centered on Joshua.
"Why're you lookin at him like that?" the hillbilly inquired with a half hidden smirk. Philo puffed off some smoke, embarrassment written across his expression.
"No reason." the Smoker muttered, shuffling back to his room without another word. Ellis laughed to himself, going back into his room and closing the door. He laid down on the bed, pondering Alec's family. It seemed like Alec and Joshua were the only normal ones but he didn't know about this Patrick guy, Alec's other older brother. Ellis decided he would worry about it later though, rolling over. It would all come together in the end one way or another.
Yay, this one's crap! God... I have a headache and it made it hard to type this one with some sort of sense. Yeah, Alec did drown Max. He doesn't anyone going after his Ellis. Oh yeah, I have no friends on Steam so... my user-name is Spiri2_0 but my player name is kouenkagemaru, dunno which one you would use. I know this sounds whiny, but if ya want, add me. I don't get on often but oh well, its good to play with real people instead of bots. Review! I'm loving it!
