He guys, its Yobloc20 here. Not much to say really except sorry if I'm taking a while to update, I've kinda been busy the last few days with things. Sorry people.. I'll improve, I swear! :P Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve own all the characters except my OC's.

Chapter 11: Diminishing Hope

Zoey let out a deep sigh, more out of boredom than anything else. She had now firmly established that she despised boats and wanted nothing more to do with them after this voyage. She couldn't stand sitting around and doing nothing. She always had to be doing something. She always had to be busy to keep herself distracted. She had disassembled her pistols, cleaned them and then reassembled them again. This was a regular process for her, as she didn't want her gun jamming when she most needed it. Her father had showed her how the basics on firearms and she still kept his advice with her to this day.

Louis was steering the boat, he was finally seeming to get the hang of it, which was a major relief. Zoey had a small worry in the back of her mind that Louis would begin to panic and somehow crash the boat. But he was beginning to appear more relaxed now, so she could relax herself.

They had been sailing for nearly a day now, and there was still no sign of land. Francis had suggested that they sail up along the Keys and out into the Gulf of Mexico, where they would sail up into Louisiana and they would begin their search there. Zoey was trying to piece together some sort of plan for when they got there, but she honestly had no clue where to start looking. She just kept reassuring herself that she would figure it out when they got there.

"I hate the ocean." Francis grumbled from behind her. Zoey couldn't deny her similar hatred for the water either.

"I totally agree. The ocean sucks." Zoey sighed as she zipped up her jacket slightly, the chilly ocean wind making her shiver.

"Make that three of us." Louis added glumly from the cabin without looking back at them, too busy concentrating on not hitting head on into a big wave. Zoey honestly didn't know how she would've expected to spend the rest of her life out on an island in the middle of the ocean. She just wouldn't be able to do it. She would have preferred to have stayed on the mainland and continue fighting the infection that had claimed so many loved ones from her. She couldn't just run away from it. She needed to help others while she still could.

Zoey couldn't express how glad she was to be going back. And now she had a purpose that she would keep her determined: To find Ellis and his friends. She promised herself that she wouldn't stop looking until she found them, it was the least Zoey could do for them, after all they did for her.

She just hoped they were still alive.

So here she was, in her way back into the war zone she hoped to never return to, a goal in her mind and the intention to save her friends that she had let go only a week or so ago. Zoey despised her choice in letting them go, they could be already dead because of her. She sighed again and pushed these thoughts out of her mind, resetting her eternal ponytail.

Zoey was never a religious person. She had lost her belief in God long ago, but at that moment on the slow sailing boat, the young girl prayed to any sort of God, in any shape or form, to save Ellis and his friends from any danger they might be in.

She was going to find Ellis. She had to find Ellis. After that, Zoey didn't really give to much concern about. As long as she found him, everything would be okay. Zoey could finally live with some peace of mind.

Hopefully, finding Ellis and his friends would put her restless mind at some sort of ease.

Back at the Compound

After constantly beating his friends at cards, Nick found himself extremely bored and not knowing what to do with himself. He gazed back at the soldiers who stood in position by the doors, unmoved and with military weaponry in their hands. The conman sighed and leaned back in his chair, completely out of ways to occupy himself. He could hear Coach rant on about how hungry he was and how there needed to be a lunch time at the compound.

Nick shook his head and grinned to himself, but didn't bother listening in to the rest of his speech. The compound was incredibly limited on actual activities for the inhabitants, resulting in a lot of sitting around. As funny as it seems, even Nick could only play so many games of cards.

Nick didn't even notice the person sneaking up behind him.

"Hey."

Nick jumped up slightly in his seat, startled about the soft voice behind him. He gawked over his shoulder and saw the mousy blonde haired girl looking over at him, smirking slightly. He gave a questionable look back at her, wondering why she was here.

"How are ya doing, Beth?" Nick smiled falsely, a tad bit irritated about her sneaking up behind him.

"Ummm, I'm bored out of my fucking mind. Those three idiots are so stupid." Beth sneered, gesturing back to her three friends who Nick still had no idea who they were. The conman just snorted and shook his head again.

"They don't look like the brightest tools in the shed." Nick sneered, gazing back at the three very different men. Beth just shrugged and grinned.

"They're good guys, trust me. They saved my ass more than a few times." She explained, gazing back at her friends.

"Who even are they?" Nick questioned. He didn't even know these guys' names. He only knew what they looked like from a distance, the conman never saw them up close.

"Well the guy with the big moustache is Gus." Beth began, pointing at the large man who towered over the other two. Nick sneered at the sight of the him. "He's a trucker from Boston. If you listen to him talk you'd figure it out with his first word." Beth remarked.

Nick just smirked and gazed at the other two men. "The guy with the black eye is Peter. He's annoying but he has his uses too." Beth shrugged. He watched as Peter picked dirt from underneath his nails and wipe it on his navy plaid shirt. He seemed like nothing out of the ordinary, but then again, Nick never talked to him before. He could be a complete psycho for all he knew.

The conmans' gaze fell on the last person, a small dark skinned man in a stained grey t-shirt. "And that's Morris. He was a fireman before all this shit started." Beth explained. Despite being quite smaller in height compared to Gus and Peter, Morris was rather muscular and had a rough look about him.

Beth turned back to Nick and smiled.

"And those are my so-called 'friends'." She exclaimed. Nick nodded and gazed off into space, not knowing what else to say.

"Who are your friends over there?" Beth inquired, gesturing back to his teammates. Nick sighed and sat up in his seat.

"The big guy is Coach. The girl is Rochelle and the kid is Ellis." Nick informed her as she nodded, taking her time to study each of their faces. Beth gave a small grin and gazed back at Nick.

"Your friend Ellis is kinda cute." Beth chuckled awkwardly. Nick scoffed and shook his head, feeling strangely offended for some reason.

"Sorry sweetheart, he's gunning for someone else."

Beth gave a smirk as her eyes widened slightly. "He's trying to get with Rochelle?" She presumed far too quickly.

"No. God no. Jesus Christ no." Nick instantly shut down, nearly shuddering at the thought. "It was just some girl we met on the way to New Orleans." Nick corrected, the thought of his two friends together was an image Nick wanted to remove from his mind.

Beth nodded and looked down at the floor, a somewhat awkward silence falling over the two. Nick frowned and gazed at the afternoon sunshine spilling through the barred windows, illuminating stripy orange streaks across the linoleum floor of the Rec room.

Nick had nearly forgotten what warmth felt like. Since he had arrived here, he had always been rather cold. The compound had no heating system, meaning the nights were freezing, the light blankets of the cot offering little heat.

Nick began to feel a little bit imprisoned at the compound.

A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait for an update, I seem to have contracted a little bit of Writers Block. Do not worry, I am not going to abandon this story or anything, I will simply be taking a little longer than usual to release new chapters as I don't want to be giving you guys boring, uninspired crap, I want to give you the best I can offer so I hope you understand.

Don't forget to Rate and Review! I appreciate it a lot!

Until next time