AN: Warning - This has Nellis in it, just FYI. Don't like it? Oh well!
Title: Mess-Maker
Pairing: Nick X Ellis
Rating: M (for language,violence, and sexual situations)
Genre: Drama/action/humor/romance (pretty much everything you can think of lol)
Synopsis: Nick and Ellis get separated from the others when the bridge leading from New Orleans to an evac station is blown up by the military. They struggle to find a way around the miles of the wreckage and happen to come across one small problem along their journey, all the while growing closer to each other than they ever did when fighting zombies.
Enjoy! : )
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Part 9
Ellis came to that T-shaped intersection again. Apparently, the path didn't lead to anywhere else and turning back around didn't seem like an option for whatever reason. Granted, it was easier to follow a walkway that's been laid out for you, even though he hadn't a firm idea where it'd end up spitting him out.
He was tempted to continue down the alley stretched before him, but remembered that there was something intriguing in the way he'd taken last time, so he chose left.
The last time? Had he been here before?
. . .
Everything was pretty much the same; foggy, desolate, and creepy as all get out. Ellis' anxiety only grew when he saw the fuzzy shadow a few yards down the alley. He squinted and forced his vision to focus on the shape of the blur, able to make out what looked like a head and two legs.
Another person! The mechanic felt overjoyed knowing that he wasn't the only one lost in this accursed city.
"Hey there!" he called out, flinching a bit when he realized how loud his voice sounded through all the bitter silence. "Aw man, yew have no idea how glad I am to see another human being 'round these parts. R'yew lost, too?"
Once the fog had thinned between them, Ellis could make out the person's dark, slicked back hair and a bright blue shirt popping out from underneath the stark white suit that almost made him invisible in their surroundings. He saw those eyes staring straight back at him, along with a face he'd almost forgotten. But wait… how could he have forgotten one of his own team mates?
"… Nick?"
"Hey, Ellis."
It was weird for the man to use his full name out of the blue like that, but Ellis dismissed the oddity for now. "Nick, what's goin' on here? Where are we? And… where is everybody?"
The con man sported a peaceful smile that was very unlike his character. "You always were such a chatterbox."
"Huh…?"
"It's okay," he said before the boy could ask why he was acting so out of character. "We won't need anything for where we're going."
"Where we're… what'dya mean?" The mechanic's expression turned to one of confusion. He didn't like the way his companion was behaving, not one bit. The guy was smiling, yes, but he sounded so… defeated.
"Ellis." Nick uttered the mechanic's name in the softest of voices.
"Yeah, Nick?" He kind of liked how his name sounded in that rumbly voice.
"Ellis."
"…?"
"Ellis. Ellis. Elli-"
"UUAAAAEEEHHHHH~!"
"ELLIS! Wake up before I use the baby as my personal hacky sack."
The sound of Nick's voice was muted by another more grating noise that constantly buzzed against the boy's eardrums; It definitely wasn't a pleasant thing to wake up to. Ellis rubbed his eyes, the rest of his face scrunching up along with every muscle in his body for a quick, gratifying stretch. Once his vision had cleared up, the features on Nick's face were much more prominent, as well as the sour scowl he was wearing.
At least this time he wasn't waking up to the sound of an alarm blaring in the background. Georgia, however, was quite upset. It registered in Ellis' mind after a few bleary seconds that their little bundle of joy was crying her wee hazel eyes out on the table they had placed her.
It was another rough night on the floor for the three survivors as it turned out, but nothing they weren't used to. As for their location, neither of them had a clue. They'd ran through the nearest back door during their last grand adventure with the infected in some intertwined alleys that connected behind a handful of small businesses. It was either that or be chased down to the ends of the earth.
The boys' escape from the Shop 'n' Go! was less than a graceful endeavor, albeit successful to a fault. The far off cry of an approaching horde spurred them into action and sent them practically flying from where they stood to the storage room exit. It was too late, however, because the zombies were already breaking through the glass of the dysfunctional automatic doors at the front of the store. So, instead, they were forced to search for another way out, which pleasantly present itself when Nick caught the soft red glow of an emergence "EXIT" sign a few aisles down.
They fled the scene by the skin of their teeth as fifty or so infected came careening towards them from the stock room doors. Thankfully, their EXIT wasn't locked or alarmed, and they sprinted down the back alley in the opposite direction of the street where even more infected were spawning. Just when Ellis thought they might be zombie chow, Nick had thrown a molotov over his shoulder and set fire to the trail behind them, effectively killing off a majority of the infected that had been breathing down their necks with the intent of taking a chunk out of the retreating survivors with their yellowed teeth.
"Where the heck… huff… did ya get a… huff... molotov?"
"Grabbed some empty beer bottles from the store… huff… some rubbing alcohol and rags… huff… and conducted my own little science experiment… huff… now shut up and keep running!"
Nick didn't need to explain the whole molotov construction process if he was so concerned about saving his breath, but the guy was rather proud of himself for having whipped one up and actually using it to save their asses, so a little gloating was in order.
After their little action-packed chase scene of jumping over fallen dumpsters and ducking through more alley ways, the boys had come to their final destination, or at least a place to stay until they resumed travel in the morning. It looked like some sort of filing room, stuffed to the brim with cabinets, bookshelves and manilla folders containing unknown documents. They didn't dwell on their decor too much and quickly formed a barricade with as many boxes as they could find, which were not in short supply as it seemed. Those, too, were probably full of sheets upon sheets of the same paper sticking out of every crevice of their temporary safe room.
Nick had taken a seat in one of the chairs pressed up against the make-shift fortress, mindful of the child he had strapped to his back. He rested his elbows on his knees and finally allowed himself to take back some much needed oxygen. Ellis did the same and slid down to the floor against one of the filing shelves, eyes closed and head leaning back. He removed his hat to expose the perspiration on his brow and relished the cool flow of air that hit him. When the silence had fully settled into their surroundings, the two survivors looked at each other simultaneously and began to laugh.
Too bad that moment was long gone.
"It won't stop!"
Ellis yawned once and moseyed on over to the table where little Georgia was crying. He wanted to make a comment about how Nick's yelling was just going to make matters worse, but figured tending to the infant was more important.
"How'd she get all worked up?" he asked lazily.
"All I fucking did was feed her! You'd think the little twerp would be grateful or something, not crying a river."
Ellis picked her up, setting one hand underneath her diaper and the other on her back. "Well, what'd yew feed her?"
"Oh, you know, left over lighter fluid, some chlorine- what do you THINK I fed her? The same nasty crap we've been giving her since day one of our babysitting hell!"
If Ellis didn't know any better, he'd say Nick was throwing a bigger tantrum than the baby. "What'dja do after ya fed her?"
"I rocked her so that she'd go to sleep or whatever since that usually seems to do the trick in all those fucking movies, and then she started with the waterworks. I honestly don't know what I did wrong here." He held up his hands and turned away to massage his temples with his thumb and forefinger. The constant wailing was grating on his last nerve.
"Did ya burp her?"
Nick paused for a couple seconds, thinking the question over in his head for bit before facing his companion once more with a disbelieving look on his face. "You're telling me that's what's wrong?"
"Well, yeah! Babies can't burp on their own, man - that's why they need us to help'em out. It can get purdy uncomfortable if the gas don't got no way of comin' out. It's like indigestion, ya know?"
"Tch. I learned how to belch when I was fucking five."
"Georgia's less than a year old, Nick, so quit bitchin' n' c'emere."
Apparently, Nick wasn't the only one who was cranky, then again, no one liked being woken up during an interesting part of a dream. Ellis had wanted to hear what more dream-Nick had to say, but perhaps, if he was lucky, they could continue their dialogue on another night.
Grumbling, Nick approached the boy, not quite sure what he was needed for at this point, until Ellis plopped the baby into his arms and sat back on the table.
"Burp her."
"Me? Isn't that your job, Uncle Ellis?"
"Look, Nick, there might be a time when some Charger, or Witch, or whatever comes outta nowhere and injures my burpin' arm-" Nick snickered at the mechanic's odd term, but Ellis didn't break in his speech, "- and yer gonna have to be the one who changes her, burps her, and feeds her most of the time. So ya might as well learn how to do this stuff now instead of bein' a total greenhorn at it later on."
"Who says there's gonna be a 'later on'?" the conman raised one skeptical eyebrow.
"Well, if ya haven't thrown her in a dumpster by now, then I reckon we're keepin' her fer the long run."
Ellis was right, and Nick knew it. His intention of abandoning the kid had long since past, so there wasn't much more he could do but keep his only two team mates, and himself, alive until they regrouped with Coach and Rochelle.
IF they ever regrouped. Oh boy, would the others be surprised to see what new baggage they'd found...
With a resigned sigh, Nick muttered a "fine", and proceeded to gently pat Georgia's back.
As he did this, Ellis took a moment to look around and see where exactly they'd ended up since he didn't think he'd be able to go back to sleep. He began by picking out a random manilla folder jammed in-between similar documents on one of the shelves. Due to how tightly they were all smushed together, pulling out one thing sent a dozen more toppling to the floor. Ellis squinted at the black writing printed on all of the pieces of paper that had fallen out, and bent down to get a better look. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he realized that all the writing wasn't actually writing at all, but music notes. He held a few pages in his hands and skimmed the sheet music from it's beginning key signature to the double bars at the finish. This one was a classical piece for piano, but as he perused through the rest of the scattered documents, more instrument names started popping up. Violin, percussion, guitar, even saxophone quartets! It was apparent by now that the two survivors had wound up in some kind of a music store.
Ellis had a gleam in his eye when he rose back to eye level height, immediately running through the door that led into the main part of the building. Nick barely had time to say anything before he saw the boy rush past him. He took three strides and stood at the frame of the doorway, Georgia still propped on his shoulder, but it was too dark to see where his comrade had gone. The sound of gnashing and groaning couldn't be heard from anywhere inside the facility, so at least he knew the kid hadn't been dragged off by a zombie just yet.
"Ellis!" Nick hissed in a hushed tone. "Ellis! Where the fuck are you?" He didn't receive a reply right away, but no sooner had he shifted his weight onto the other foot when a loud whoop echoed throughout the store.
"Aw, HELL yeah! The Lord is good and let us be glad in Him!"
After the sudden testimony, Nick heard a noise unfamiliar to him that sounded like bed springs being plucked in a rhythmic fashion. Ellis appeared out of the shadows with the source of the noise in question; a shiny black and white bass guitar. The boy was typing his fingers across the metal strings like the legs of a spider, deliberate in their movement, and yet chaotic. He slowly walked back to the doorway where Nick stood silhouetted by the light of their safe room, careful not to mess up his fingering as he went. The mechanic's teeth clamped over his bottom lip as he bobbed his head up and down to the tune he was playing. The chords sounded a bit dead seeing as it wasn't hooked up to an amp or the like, but a melody could be heard if one listened closely enough.
Nick snorted, taken aback by this newfound talent that Ellis seemed to possess. Sure, he remembered the mentioning of a garage band at some point in time, but had forgotten that the kid's instrument of choice was, in fact, a bass guitar. Nick admired how effortlessly those fingers seemed to dance over each wire as if every pluck had been thought out beforehand. The gambler had heard the phrase "tickling the ivories", but bass guitar was a whole new breed for him. He patiently waited for the southerner to finish up his so performance.
With one final strum and a boot stomp to the ground, Ellis let out another whoop and smiled like an idiot. "Man! I haven't done that in a loooong time! This here? This here was my power source back in the day. I'm a lil' rusty now, but when my buddies n' I played… hot damn, we were good!"
Nick humored him, "Yeah, you looked pretty into it there, Bowie."
"Oh, yew don't even know, brother. Our songs were leg-en-dary in our neighborhood. All the kids would come watch us practice, and by then it'd turn into one big concert! Those were the days, man…"
"I bet," the conman chuckled. He wasn't so sure he'd be particularly fond of whatever type of music Ellis and his friends would play, but that wasn't exactly a mystery to either of them.
"The Horse-Powered Hooligans," Ellis fiddled with the tuning knobs at the top of the instrument.
"Was that your band name?" Nick smirked. Nothing less from his favorite hillbilly hick.
"Naw, but I wish it was. We went with 'The Turbo Chargers' instead."
"Pfft. Well, if I were you, I'd change it to 'The Horse-Powered Hooligans'. Don't think you'll get much publicity with your current name."
"Ha ha! I know what ya mean!" Ellis laughed, having thought the same thing ever since the first time he'd been rammed by a Charger. "I think my buddies will agree with me on that one."
The two had a good laugh about it until little Georgia decided to make her presence known by keening and hiccuping in another impending temper tantrum. Nick unglued her from his shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes. "Aw, c'mon, doll, I just burped you. You can't still be mad at me."
"Eeeuuugghhh…" Georgia frowned and furrowed her brow at her caretaker, as if in answer to his question.
"Poor thing doesn't like bein' the third wheel, huh?" Ellis hopped onto the glass cashier counter and let his legs swing over to the other side, still holding the guitar firmly in his hands.
Nick let the baby rest against his chest once more and rubbed her back in hopes that she'd calm down. "Third wheel? She's been the bane of our existence since we first got her. If anything, she's worse than the attention whores that used to hassle me for money on the account of my 'unborn child'."
"HAW! Yew didn't actually knock them girls up, did'ja?"
"Hell no! I may not play it safe when it comes to cash, but I ain't taking any chances in bed, and I know for a fact that none of those floozies even bought a pregnancy test."
" 'Ho man…" Ellis shook his head, amazed by the radical lifestyle his team mate led back then. Heck, maybe he was still at it right up until the zombie apocalypse, which introduced another curious topic. "Nick, I know yew said yew don't do long term relationships…"
"Uh huh," the conman replied listlessly while swaying his body from side to side, attempting to squelch the last few whimpers out of the infant.
"So then, what about yer ex-wife? No offense er nothing', but I can't imagine yew settlin' down in one place fer too long, ya know? And with the way yew talk about kids… well, it don't seem like yew woulda' had any, but I might be wrong…"
"… We didn't."
"Oh, okay. That's what I figured. Was it 'cuz yew two didn' get along? Man, I remember that one time yew compared her to a Witch and I done near split my side open laughin' so hard!" Ellis slapped his knee thinking about it.
Nick snorted at the memory, but there wasn't an ounce of humor in his features. "Yeah. She was quite a suzy-sob-story before the divorce." The gambler peered in to the glass of the counter absent-mindedly, reading some of the big name composers on whatever sheet music was displayed, none of which he knew.
"That sucks, dude. How long were ya married fer?"
Nick let out an agitated sigh and made eye contact with the boy for a split second before answering. "About a year."
"Heh, yeah that sounds about right. She must'a got on her nerves real fast, huh-"
"YOU KNOW, Ellis, there's this crazy thing called 'mind your own business'? In case the fact that I'm not 'happily married' anymore doesn't give ya a hint, the subject of my ex-wife isn't exactly something I enjoy chatting about."
The mechanic froze at the outburst. While Nick's face didn't show how irritated he was, his tone certainly did. Ellis' hands that were previously clinging to the guitar slowly rose up in defense. "Hey, I'm sorry, man," he said with the utmost sincerity. "I didn't know it was a touchy subject fer ya."
"Right, because divorce is such a casual thing to bring up." He rolled his eyes and turned away.
Ellis cringed. He had obviously hit a nerve somewhere, which wasn't anything new considering Nick was always nagging on him for one thing or another, but this time it got pretty personal. He'd thought they'd become close enough to say just about anything to each other, but there was still a definite line Ellis could not cross just yet, maybe not ever. Whatever the case, he realized that it wasn't exactly his place to talk about whatever happened in his compatriot's past life, so he dropped the issue as quickly as it had surfaced and opted for messing around with the bass guitar a bit more.
The gambler closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh. Fuck, he knew the kid was just trying to make conversation - it's what he did best after all - but Nick had to let him know somehow that he wasn't as easy a book to crack open like the younger man was. Ellis didn't seem to have anything to hide judging from how many embarrassing stories he'd spout off to the group on a whim, most of which contained stunts that assuredly broke the law. The conman had a few good stories of his own, and he was sure the others would've loved to hear all about them had he been willing to share, but Nick never thought he'd be traveling with these goons for as long as he had. And unfortunately, with the team split up and barely scraping by, he wasn't sure he'd be able to.
Nick turned to study Ellis' averted gaze, still fiddling with the bass he had resting on his lap. Before some sort of explanation or apology could be issued, Georgia beat him to the punch with the same distressed hiccups and coos she was making earlier.
"Dammit," Nick said and looked helplessly at the baby in his arms. "What the hell do I have to do to get you to sleep already?"
Ellis looked up from his tinkering, eyes thoughtfully switching back and forth between his fellow survivor and the baby before he pursed his lips and gave a quick nod to himself. "I know what'll do the trick."
"I'm desperate, kid. What's it gonna take to knock this brat into la-la land?"
"I'll be right back. Yew keep bouncin' her like that, m'kay?" The boy pivoted his body onto the other side of the counter and jogged off toward the guitar section again, disappearing in the shadows before he even hit the back wall.
Nick trained his eyes back on the baby once he couldn't see his partner's movements anymore, and frowned. "You and I seem to be on some bad terms, princess. What'd I ever do to you, huh?"
"Mnngggg…" Georgia whined.
"Pfft… You are such a mama's girl, you know that?" he smirked.
A few more seconds of staring at each other and Georgia's lips seemed to tremble a little less than before. Nick didn't notice, though. His mind had retreated elsewhere for the moment. It was only when he was alone that the man allowed himself to zone out like he was doing now. It didn't matter if he was surrounded by friends or complete strangers; that iron guard of his never relented. Of course Georgia, being almost as mindless as one of the zombies, didn't count, and it was somewhat of a comfort for the gambler to relax in the presence of another living soul without having to worry.
"Boy, if my wife could see me now…"
The tromping of heavy steel-toed boots approached the counter and Nick's senses fired back up like a freshly lit match. He refocused his eyes on the mechanic coming towards them with yet another guitar in hand, only this time it wasn't a bass and had the familiar maple coloring he was used to seeing.
"When I asked you to help me 'knock this brat into la-la land', I didn't mean bash her in the head with a guitar," the conman joked.
Ellis responded with a chuckle. "That ain't exactly what I'm gonna be usin' this fer, Nick." With another hop over the counter, he situated himself as he had done before and held the instrument as if he were about to play.
"Woah woah woah. I don't think your fancy fingering is gonna please this broad."
"Oh naw, I wudn't gonna play what I was doin' earlier." To prove his point, Ellis got himself into position and tested the strings to make sure the pitch was okay. It wasn't long before a melody soon found it's way out of his practice strums and flowed throughout the space of the music store like a lullaby. Nick took a few steps closer so that the baby could hear Ellis over her crying, but neither of them could tell whether it was helping or not. Even so, the mechanic kept playing, his fingers on the right hand taking turns pressing on the wires at the guitar's neck, while the fingers on the left plucked away in steady, well timed strokes.
After hearing the tune once over, Nick perked up a bit and let his mouth hang open in thought. "I know that song…"
"I'm not surprised. Most people do," Ellis smiled as he played.
"Hm. It was one of their better ballads, in my opinion."
"I might agree with ya there."
The sudden blast from his past caused Nick to recall that tune he knew so well, and he started humming along with Ellis' guitar where a new verse would've begun. Sure, the song was an oldie, but so was he, nor was it uncommon for the younger folk to know these songs either seeing as the band was so world renowned.
As he became bolder, Nick sang the words under his breath, knowing each one by heart.
"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.
Now it looks as though they're here to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday."
The key that Ellis' played the song in was a bit lower from the original, so it made it easier on the conman to rise and fall with whatever notes would come next. Even with the hat's bill blocking his eyes, a small grin was visible on the younger man's features as he listened to the guitar and Nick's voice in tandem.
"Suddenly,
I'm not half the man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me,
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she had to go
I don't know she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong,
Now I long for yesterday."
Georgia had long since fallen asleep against her caretaker's clavicle, one hand grasping onto some of the the exposed chest hair and the other trapped between herself and the northerner's chest. Despite their main goal having been achieved for the night, the boys continued their rock ballad until the last satisfying thrum of Ellis' guitar reverberated inside it's hollow wooden body.
The southerner was the first to speak up. "Damn. Feels like forever since I've heard real music like that."
"Yeah," Nick said slowly. "Me too."
"And, man, you should'a told me ya could sing! I'd totally invite ya to be in our band."
"Oh, come on, Ellis. That was barely American Idol material."
"Well, at least yew can hold a pitch, and, believe me brother, it's harder to do than ya think. I can't sing worth a damn." He gestured to the guitar on the counter next to him. "There's a reason they put me on bass, ya know? I like it, though. Rather this than makin' our fans' ears bleed."
"Ha! I actually wouldn't mind hearing that."
"Yes, yes you would," the boy laughed with him.
Nick felt the baby stir in his arms. "Oh, shit. Better put her down somewhere before we have to go through an entire Beatles album."
"Aw, I wouldn't mind." Ellis let his feet hit the ground and set the classic guitar next to the bass.
"No offense, but I think I'd rather follow her right into dreamland if that's okay with you." Not like he needed the boy's permission.
"Yeah. Probably only got a few more hours 'til morning anyway. It was fun playin' with ya, though."
"Mm-hm."
With that, they took haven in the safe room, closed the door, and barricaded that too, just for good measure. They found an open cardboard box half full of sheet music that was the perfect size for Georgia's frame and moved it to a part of the room where towering piles of boxes and wobbly shelves didn't pose a threat to the infant.
Ellis let his eyes linger on the baby girl's peach-like cheeks and tiny hands that were laying on either side of her head. It was like one of those things you'd find on a store-bought card, portraying the perfect baby. The image of her deceased mother flashed in his mind for a second before he willed it away with one blink.
"I hope we're doin' a good job," the mechanic said suddenly.
Nick looked at him, bewildered, before replying, "You mean taking care of her?"
"Yeah. Like you said; we ain't her parents er nothin'. How're we supposed to know if we're doin' right by her?"
The conman turned his gaze back towards the sleeping bundle and contemplated a few answers before giving his opinion. He chose the one that made most sense to him, and hopefully it'd have the same effect on Ellis as well.
"Kid, I don't think even the parents know what they're doing at first. It's not like moms and dads are blessed with special parental powers as soon as the baby pops out. Hell, if you asked me, I'd say you're doing better than that sorry excuse for a mother back at the apartments."
Ellis flushed at the praise he was receiving and smiled. "Well… at least Georgia here ain't dead yet, right?"
"Right." Nick smiled back. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder before leaving to find his sleeping spot. "Now, get some shuteye. We gotta try to make up for lost ground tomorrow."
"Okay. Thanks."
Nick responded by squeezing the firm shoulder and went to settle down in his nook near one of the four corners of the room. Ellis moved to switched the lights off and did the same, but on the opposite side of a shelf that separated the two survivors, next to the blocked door leading outside. They had their guns nearby if some zombies managed to worm their way in somehow, and all of their "purchases" from Shop 'n' Go! were set neatly in the baby bag by Georgia's cardboard crib. Tomorrow, they would rummage through the new supplies and replace some of their old bandages with clean ones.
There was plenty of paper to help soften the tile floor beneath, and Ellis made do by clumping together a few of the documents for something to rest his head on. The sleep that had been denied of him earlier started to seep back in after a few minutes of staring up at the ceiling and replaying the events of today in his mind. He figured the best part was learning that Nick could sing, and being able to perform "Yesterday" with him. If they weren't so focused on putting the baby to sleep, Ellis would've encouraged his partner to give it his all and really let his voice out. He'd probably have one of those gruff, classic rock styles that got people riled up at all the concerts and playhouses. Fat chance Nick would ever be that willing to let loose, though…
The mechanic didn't remember closing his eyes, but he was out like a light before the clock hit 12:45 A.M. that night.
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To be continued…
AN: Ellis plays his bass… and Nick sings, lol. I personally do not like song!fics, but at least the lyrics weren't weaved throughout my entire story, so I think it's all good. But Nick made Georgia cry. :C What a meanie.
So yeah, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :) I've been on a writer's block for a while now, so you might not see updates as frequently as you used to, just fyi.
Love you all~!
ALSO, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THIS: I don't know why the italicized words in my story are clumping together with the word next to it. It's not like you can't tell what it says otherwise (b/c it's still italicized), but I didn't want you guys to think I was forgetting to put a space there or something. It's either my word document that's doing something wonky, or . Idk! : \
Thank you for reading!
