Me: Chapter 10 is done... at last. This one was kinda tough to write.

Zero: Why is that?

Me: Well, how exactly do you continue from where I left off?

Zero: ... Good point.

Me: Either way, I think I did fairly well here.

Zero: Me too. I've got the disclaimer. Azard doesn't own Left 4 Dead or the types of infected. All he owns are the characters and the plot.

Me: Thanks as always Zero. Read, Review, but most important... Enjoy.

Chapter 10: A Nighttime Talk

We camped out about another mile from the hilltop. We didn't really want to go any further, not that I blamed anyone. Seeing something like that has enough power to suck the life out of someone. I chose to stand guard again and sat near Will and Erin as they slept. The others spread out and stayed in different areas. Bear stayed in a nearby cave, to which I laughed at the irony behind it.

Sarah, obviously, stayed with Bear, Ash stayed in a nearby tree, and Gimpy dug a hole in the ground about half his size and stayed in it. I still have no idea how he fit in that hole. This was a good plan. The infected hid from sight and the most human-like one stayed watch. I kept the infected away and normals wouldn't bother me all too much.

I sighed, laid on my back and glanced up at the sky, the clouds blew over and hid the moon from sight, although the moons glow still pierced through the clouds. I wondered if it was another omen. Probably. Suddenly I felt something grab my arm and I quickly jerked my head to see what it was. It wasn't a normal with a shotgun like I'd feared, it wasn't another infected looking for blood, it was something much, much worse.

Erin, in her slumber, had latched onto my arm and was now hugging it tightly as she murmured something I couldn't hear. This was going to be bad in the morning. I wasn't all that worried about her shock on the matter, as she'd probably just blush and turn away. I was worried about the group. They'd have a field day with this at my expense.

"Don't... again... please..." Erin slurred out in her sleep. What the hell was she dreaming about? As I pondered this question she released her grip on my arm and moved over, now resting her head on my chest.

"Just great... This day couldn't possibly get any worse!" I lowly shouted. Suddenly, I heard snickering from the tree Ash was sleeping in. Why couldn't I just keep my big mouth shut?

"Looks like I'll have to take the night shift this time around," Ash said softly as he walked into the clearing. "You seem a little... preoccupied tonight." I looked at Ash and gave him the one finger salute. "I love you too, bro." Ash had that shit-eating grin on his face he was famous for. That was never a good sign.

"Keep it to yourself, Ash," I stated. He grinned as Erin seemed to nuzzle herself into my chest, her left arm now slung across my torso.

"Why would I say anything?" Ash asked. "She's just using you as her own personal pillow. You'd better hope she wakes up before the others do, then maybe you can deny something."

"If I did, you'd just tell them what happened anyway." I glared at him. It was something he would do.

"Too true," Ash admitted. "But I don't think she'll be complaining when she wakes up."

"Do you enjoy torturing me?"

"Yes, very much so." Ash sat next to me taking care not to wake Erin or disturb her sleep in any way. "So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Ash's tone had suddenly become serious.

"Why do you come to me for these things?"

"You're our leader."

"When was that decided?"

"Recently actually. Considering you helped bring us all together and kept Sarah and Bear safe, not to mention you planned a full rescue operation and pulled it off, we decided you were the most fit to be the leader after you went into 'flashback mode' and Bear carried you back. We chose you because even though you have amnesia, which I'm sorry for giving you, you have a good idea of what's going on and how to survive."

"You gave me amnesia? Sorry to burst your bubble but I've had amnesia since the infection, not since you clocked me on the back of the head."

"I know, but it's the infection that caused the amnesia. You got the full force of the infection which had adverse affects on your memory. That's probably why you didn't remember things. You basically took the shot straight out of the cannon, while the others only felt it after the fact."

"More shit end of the stick stuff for me it seems." Erin nuzzled again and gripped me tighter.

"Good luck getting out of that death grip," Ash joked. I rolled my eyes.

"Please... with... I... you..." Erin slurred out another non decodable sentence. While I glanced at her in confusion, Ash had a grin.

"I think she's dreaming about you," Ash said.

"What makes you say that?" I asked. Ash walked over to her.

"Watch." He moved his lips to her ear. "Zero," he whispered into her ear. I watched in confusion as her mouth formed the outline of a smile. "When you say something to a sleeping person, you can influence their dream. She didn't make too much of a reaction other than to smile so you were already involved. If she wasn't dreaming about you before, she is now."

"I...you..." She slurred once more as a blush now accompanied her smile. Ash chuckled softly and looked back at me.

"You know I just noticed something," I said. Ash looked at me with his shit-eating grin. Time to shut him up. "How have you been talking without coughing for all this time?" Ash's face switched to disappointment as he shook his head. I knew what he wanted me to say, the only problem is I wasn't fully sure of it.

"I got used to it I guess. I'm one of the longest surviving Smokers so I guess talking normally comes about after a while."

"Hmm," I hummed. Truth be told I'd just ignored most of those things. Still there were a few things that bugged me, something I'd have to ask Will about in the morning.

"I wish I was in your shoes," Ash said honestly.

"Why do you say that?"

"You somehow have the innate ability to remain blissfully unaware of things that are right in front of you, yet when everything falls into hell, you turn into this kinda super leader and pull us out. Think about it, you have no idea why this girl provokes such changes in you, yet when she was in the kind of trouble she was in, you planned and staged a full rescue operation to save her... and succeeded."

"I think you're spouting nonsense."

"And that other time when you remained clueless to the true nature of Sarah's problem even though the signs were obvious." I remembered that already. Why is he bringing this up? "Then when she had lost hope you break into her house and fucking save her for the second time! You have a knack for doing stuff like that. Look at what just happened! We all remained unaware of what the Government was planning, yet once we found out, you took over and got us all out before we ended up as nothing more than a bloody heap on the asphalt. That's not the only reason though."

"What's the other one?" Ash grinned at me.

"You've got a cute normal girl that's pining for you."

"That's not true!" I nearly shouted. Honestly, I didn't know who I was trying to prove that to anymore. Was I trying to prove that to him... or myself?

"Who are you trying to convince?" Ash asked me. Did he read my mind? What the hell? I looked away from the sleeping girl on my chest and sighed before turning back to Ash.

"I'm not sure anymore, but I can't just ignore the fact that I don't know much about her."

"I understand that, and until they learn how to understand us, your relationship isn't going to get very far."

"There is no relationship!"

"Not yet there's not, but give it time and I promise she'll grow on you." I glanced to Erin who nuzzled further into my chest.

"I think she already is." I couldn't take my eyes off of her... it took her all of three seconds of my laying down to clasp my arm and another fifteen to start the nuzzling. Ash suddenly began to chuckle.

"No doubt," he said looking directly at her. Did he see something? From my point of view I could only see the top of her head now. "I want to ask you something though."

"Go ahead." He looked at Erin, then at Will, then to me.

"If something does come between the two of you... and by that I mean you and Erin, are you going to try to pursue her as is, or will you turn her into one of us?" I gaped. I hadn't thought of that... then again, I wasn't planning any of this to begin with.

"I... I'm not sure." Ash looked at me and nodded in understanding.

"Understandable. After all, it's not like you had much time to consider such a thing, but it's definitely something you should put some thought into. Should things happen the way I think they will, you'll have to make that decision sooner or later." I sighed again.

"Why can't things go back to he way they were? Why did everything have to happen like this?"

"The world is a cruel, unforgiving place. The people, however, are crueler, more unforgiving, and dumber than a pile of rocks. They can't leave things be and let nature take its course. If they had let things be, maybe the infection could've been crushed within the first few days... maybe a week at the most... but because they had to try and make a vaccine, now more people have been infected and more innocent people are dead. I wish we could've saved a few of them."

"We're not superheroes, Ash. I doubt we could've done anything anyway. Even if we found a way to broadcast, no one could understand us, not to mention people are more willing to believe the government over a single naysayer." Ash crossed his arms and looked at the ground.

"Point made... Sad that things come to that though."

"They're sheep... stupid, guileless sheep. They'll believe anything they're fed by their shepherd, in this case the government, and believe it without question. Those few who do question things are labeled as pariahs. They, in turn, are shunned by the general populace and most end up going crazy in some respect or committing suicide."

"Being shunned and hated for not thinking the way others want you to... fascism must be making a comeback." I looked at the sky and kept my eyes on the stars... if I looked at Ash I might become too emotional and wake Erin up.

"It has for many years. Most people don't seem to realize that they and the things around them are falling to such a thing. When a person dislikes another for being different, generally having a different view on the world or acting the way he or she prefers, they're supporting fascism in a small way. People don't focus on the important things and look for reasons to hate."

"Didn't we hate a lot of people too?"

"Yes, but we hated them because they used others to meet their own ends. People like that deserved to be hated." My eyes narrowed as I said that.

"Who's to say they should be hated though? Anyone, no matter how they act, will have someone that likes them, some just never meet that person until it's too late."

"That's why morals were created. Morals were the standard for proper conduct, chivalry and the like are good examples. People that go against that are those deserving of hate."

"Is it just me or did this conversation get much more... profound than when it started?"

"It did... though I'm not complaining. Are you?"

"Not really. I like a good conversation as much as the next guy, and this one is certainly noteworthy... and actually took a lot off my mind."

"Like what?" I asked. Truth be told it took a lot off my mind too.

"Like if we still had our hearts and souls in the right place... whether or not our humanity is still intact."

"I've worried about that same thing before... and based on how we handled that little... incident... I say we've still got it. Pain and emotion are just small factors of this thing we call humanity." I still had some doubts... but for the time being... they were satisfied. "I guess I'm going to get some sleep right now."

"That'd be a good idea. I've got the night watch, so just relax with your girl." I grinned.

"She's not my girl yet." My eyes shot open wide after I said that.

"That's right," Ash agreed. "Yet. Get some rest you nut, we're going to need our leader in top shape for tomorrow."

"I guess your right."

"Night bro."

"Night." That being said, my eyes closed and a darkness more inviting than ever claimed me once again.

Me: Well that's done.

Ash: Continuing with a profound conversation... not bad.

Me: Yes, but it's not everyone's thing. More or less it shows that you guys still have your humanity... if you didn't you wouldn't be questioning these things.

Zero: Well... yea... but... wow... some of that stuff... just... damn.

Ash: Someone with experiences in a matter will always have a lot to say.

Zero: Obviously. Also, did you have to taunt me?

Ash: Yes.

Me: All right, all right, that's enough! See you next time everyone.