"I don't know why I did, really. I guess I was worried you were going to die..." Ellis kissed him then, and this time, Nick didn't pull away.

It was almost cliché, to share a kiss after an explosion, after all that had happened. It was cliché to mention how fast it had all happened, but Nick wasn't one for cliché.

There really was no beginning, nor end to the relationship that was about to surface. It would last forever, because Nick was sure they wouldn't make it to the end of the week with just the two of them. "Hey, all that stuff, everything?" He mumbled against Ellis' lips. "I-"

"Is now really the best time?"

"Touché."

"Please, please tell me this car won't asplode like the other one."

Nick brushed his hand against the window. "Explode, Ellis, explode." He corrected, other hand clenching the gun on his back. "It seems safe. You see any crazy, half-infected preteens?"

Ellis promptly did a sweep search. "Nope. No crazy bitches in sigh-"

Crying. Loud sobbing echoed throughout the area, making both tense. The land was flat, they could see for miles, but there was no Witch in sight. Nick suddenly reached for Ellis' hand. "Fuck. Back up, back up."

"Wha? Why?"

"The bitch is in the car." Nick took a few steps back.

The southerner peered inside, however, to be met with glistening green eyes. Nick pulled his shirt, pulling him back. Seconds later, a nail-polished hand burst through the window. Glass shattered. "What is it?!" Both men pulled their guns out, Ellis backing up as he shot, hoping they could kill the zombie before she clamored out of the car.

This Witch was different. "Ellis!" Nick looked over to the boy. "It's after you!"

"I know!"

The zombie poked it's discolored face out, green eyes on Ellis. Her skin was all different shades from pale to dark, mismatched and blotched. Her nails were painted with nail-polish, hair braided and each braid a different color. "Ellis..." It hissed. Ellis froze. "I know..."

Ellis stopped moving. He stared at the mismatched, discolored infected, Nick shot his last few bullets at the head before it fell, sighing in relief. "That was odd."

Ellis shook his head, eyes on Nick. "M-Much obliged. Iunno what I was thinkin', not shootin' it, but I just blanked." He rubbed his head. "It got into my head, I swear."

Nick headed back to the car, glass crunching under his feet as he unlocked it. "Whatever. Could have gotten you killed. What do I care."

So, Nick was frustrated with him. Ellis bit his lip, heading to the other side and sliding into the passenger's seat. "She said my name, Nick." He said, after a while. Nick carefully wiped the glass on the seat onto the ground, stepping in and turning the key in the ignition. "She said she knew something... what?"

"It was repeating what was last said. I said your name, and you said '''I know'''. It's simple, Ellis."

Ellis frowned. "But, what if it's not that simple?" He questioned, looking at the back seat. There was a man, dead, eyes wide and mouth agape. "What if... what if it knew something?"

"It's a monster."

Ellis turned back to face Nick, surprisingly not disturbed. He couldn't even smell death, anymore. "It was different."

"It was an expressive monster."

"Nick, that thing could talk, and you killed it."

Nick rolled his eyes, stepping on the gas and heading the way they'd been heading for hours. The sun was setting. "Sometimes, things are better when they don't talk."

Ellis turned to stare, eyes wide. "Did you just insunante something?"

"Insinuate. Yes."

Ellis clutched his gun to him, pursing his lips and trying to keep from talking. Just as always, it didn't work. "Why you gotta be so mean all the time?" He broke the quiet, turning around and walking backwards. "After what we just did, yer gunna..."

"Horde." Ellis turned, spotting the horde coming at them. Nick pressed harder on the gas, rolling down Ellis' window as the boy held up his gun, closing one of his eyes out of habit and fastening it outside the window. "Don't stop shooting. Who knows if one of those crazy-ass peacock Witches will show up again."

"Nick, the bright colored peacocks are the men. The women don't got much color."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Like I care, Ellis."

"I'm jus' sayin, she was more like a parrot."

"You're pissing me off."

Ellis shut up, pulling the trigger a few times. There wasn't even very many of them; it was taken care of in half of a minute. Nick didn't even get the pleasure of running any over. "Y'know, I think that the only part of this zombie apocalypse that I hate is that there's not gonna be cartoons on TV no more."

Nick smiled, offering a slight laugh. "That's... you're such a redneck." Ellis flushed. "We're fighting for our lives with little to no food, ammo, anything, and you're worried about Spongebob and Flapjack."

Ellis shrugged, reloading his gun. "It's odd that ya even know cartoon characters, Nick."

"My ex-wife wanted kids, once. She said we had to watch the shows to see if they were kid appropriate, or something pointless like that." He responded. "I was forced to watch them."

"Alright, Mr. High'n'Mighty. What do you watch?"

"Something called the news."

"I ain't never watched the news. You ever seen Rochelle on it?"

Nick mentally face palmed. "That's a local news channel. I didn't live here." It grew quiet, then, Ellis' eyes closing and opening again. "Just a bit longer, Elle."

He hadn't expected the glare. "Whatchu call me?"

"Uhh... Elle?"

The boy deflated. "That's what I thought." Nick narrowed his eyes questioningly "Keith called me that all the time. All the time. 'N so I figured I wouldn't mind if ya'll did, which as why I offered in the elevator, but..." Ellis clutched his chest, eyes widening. Something was missing. "Shit."

"What?"

"My shirt. It's not on me." Nick turned his head, staring at the coverall-clad male and realizing that was true. He frowned. "I left it back there... shit. Ya think the other's will find it? 'N they'll carry it just in case?"

Nick nodded, deciding not to mention the fact that they would most likely never see the others again. "We'll just have to stop by a clothing store and get you something." He decided.

"Aw, hell naw."

"Ellis, just put it on."

The boy scrunched up his face, shaking his head. "I ain't wearin' that. I'd rather get raped by a Smoker or somethin'."

Nick folded the Hannah Montana shirt and set it aside, stifling his laugh. "If it happens, I'm not going to help you."

"Niiick..."

The conman held up another shirt. "Here, how about this one?" Ellis took it, picked up his gun, and threw it, shooting at it before glaring at the man. "Okay. So... Demi Lovato's a no."

"Nick, didju just run in there and get clothes from the little girl's section?" Nick smirked. "Nick, really?"

"It was all I could find. Didn't want to trip an alarm or something."

Ellis groaned, turning around. "I ain't wearin' any of it."

"Ellis, if you keep that wound exposed, some smart Infected is going to see it, and go straight for that. It's not going to end well. Just put on one – preferably the one you didn't shoot – and we can get going."

The younger groaned as he shrugged off the top part of his coveralls, slipping on the Little Miss Chatterbox tee and glaring at it. "Har har. Very funny."

"It suits you." The both of them slipped past a sleeping Boomer. "Though, the frightening thought is that it fits."

Ellis growled, turning and shooting at the Infected. It exploded, and he nodded to himself. The explosion ticked off a Hunter, or it must have, because with a loud scream, it pounced on Nick. "GET IT OFF ME!"

"If you had just bothered to get me somethin' that does fit, then maybe I would be more inclined to save you."

Nick growled, arms moving to keep the Hunter at bay. Ellis kicked it off, pointing his gun and shooting it in the face, point blank. The conman swore under his breath as he stood."What a mouth on you. Don't make me shut you up again, Miss Chatterbox."

"D'aww, I'm so scared."

Nick turned, grabbing him by the collar and kissing him hard on the mouth before hurrying to the car, shutting it, and starting to drive.

It took Ellis a minute to realize the man had left without him, and he laughed, at first. Nick would be back for him. And when he would, he'd pretend to be dead, just to piss him off, because he'd freak out. "If he likes me." He told himself, sitting down. "Which he does, 'course. Why else would he..."

He could hear that crazy laughter. The little Jockey was nowhere to be seen, though, and it made the hair on Ellis' neck stand. "Nick?" He whispered, as if the man would come back. Nothing.

Shit.

He stood, holding his gun carefully. "This ain't funny." He looked behind him as he walked, eyes darting around. If he died, that was it. It was over. He didn't want it to be over, not when he had so much ahead of him.

Like what?

He blinked, ignoring his own thoughts because the laughter was the only thing he could think of. Maybe he should hide out in a store? No, an alarm would sound. He was alone, in an open field. He should be able to see the Jockey coming, right? He broke into a run anyway. The moment he turned the corner, he ran into a car. The car they'd been riding. Nick was laughing at him, and he growled, opening the door. "Nawt. Funny. There's a freakin' Jockey out there."

"I wouldn't have let him get you, relax."

Ellis rubbed his arms to hide the goosebumps. "Don't... why'dju do that?"

Nick shrugged, pressing on the gas. "I like pushing your buttons." He said, at last. "You're so gullible."

"Asshole."

Nick laughed, turning his head to press another kiss to the boy. Ellis flushed red. "I'm not the asshole here."

Silence. Ellis blinked, then groaned, pushing the man away and pouting once the innuendo was understood. "Not cool! Not. Cool." Nick was laughing, to top it all off, only pausing to avoid a Boomer trying to get into the middle of the road. He swerved, causing Ellis to hit the window before falling onto Nick, despite the cup-holder in between them. "Aww, shoot, forgot my seatbelt."

"Great. Remember that, next time."

Ellis sat up, buckling himself in. "So... Nick. Where're we headed again?"

The man looked back for a split second, watching the Boomer follow and fail. He faced front again. "California."

"Ion't think I'll like it there."

"Deal with it, Ellis, because if California's not an evac center, then there's no way in Hell we're going to survive."

Ellis set his gun down on the floor. "There's always Canada. 'R Mexico."

"You just can't let me be pessimistic... can you?"

Ellis grinned. "Nope. Now drive the car faster."

Nick pressed harder on the gas, ignoring the 45 plastered on a green sign, hitting to 85. Ellis squirmed, lips breaking into a grin. He loved fast cars.

"How's the gas?"

"Fine, Ellis."

"How full?"

"We're going to have to stop in about an hour, stop asking."

Ellis bit his lip. There was nothing around them but orange sand and the dark sky. "It's just... if we run into another Tank, I don't want it to run outta gas..."

They'd pissed off about 3 Tanks in their drive. When Ellis took the wheel, his reckless driving and tendency to purposely run infected over must have brought the things. "They're like sharks," Ellis had said, "they smell fear and blood and shit."

"Just calm down." Nick's fingers danced on the wheel. "The next gas station'll be here eventually. Get some rest."

Ellis' lips twitched. "I can't sleep. Ya'll know that..."

Nick took his hand. Ellis looked over, lips curled in a smile, even though Nick's eyes were on the road. "Just... try." After a pause, Nick grunted. "I want quiet for once."

Ellis leaned against the window, eyes closing, keeping his grip on the man's hand. "Ye sound like Keith..." He laughed.

Nick gripped the wheel with the hand he had on it, gritting his teeth. It was always about Keith, wasn't it?

The car light came on, indicating they were on their last gallon. Without a gas pump in sight, Nick was careful not to think about anything as he drove. It would be his last mile in a car.

Ellis' hand slacked, face relaxed. Finally, he was asleep. "Keith, huh." Nick mumbled, then. "I remind you of a retarded hick. Good to know."

So... Hehe... Finally, it's out. Sorry about it, though. Fluff is everywhere... cause I need happiness. I am so sad right now. I should be getting my privileges back, but I'm not. Even though there's no reason... meh. So anyway!

If you ever see the following name on XBOX; B4L Cutover DJ, then let him know that Pure BoNK owns him? xD Kay. That's all. It'd make my day.
I LOVE Mutation, officially. It's made me so happy I could cry. I don't know what it is, but shootin' zombies always makes my day brighter...

This note is short. I love ya'll, but seriously. REVIEW. 'Fore I die in a hole or just quit writing this. 'Cause I'm so tired of having to sneak my laptop to write... Persevering is hard.