As much as I know it won't do much good I'd like to apologize profusely about how long it has taken to get this chapter out. I could give you several excuses (started college, been really busy, had writers block) the main reason was honestly a lack of motivation to write and being stuck because I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to take the story. I mean I have a predetermined plan but I've already changed some parts and rewrote this and that so when I reached this fork I was just o.o do I go right, or left… maybe straight… is there another path I'm not seeing? Either way, when I found my grooves I would get a lot written and then I'd hit times where I just wouldn't know what to write. So again, I'm sorry… I have honestly been trying harder and now that I've chosen the path it should go a little smoother. Either way, I still plan on finishing this… it's just going slower than I had planned right now. Thanks for taking the time to read this :D I will be a faithful writer, I swear… I just had to refind my muse and figure out the game plan.
Chapter 12
"The Midnight RIDERS! Man, those guys were the best!" Ellis shouted as they came upon posters proclaiming that the midnight riders would be playing at the carnival.
"The who?" Nick asked, looking quizzically at Ellis. Ellis gave him a stunned look.
"They're gonna save us!" Ellis said simply.
"Yes, they are!" Coach said with conviction.
"Ok, no offense but… it's a band. How is it going to-" Nick questioned, trying to be logical.
"Shhh, do you hear that?! Do you Hear that?!" Coach cut in, getting really excited. Through the other sounds coming from the carnival a soft whirring could be heard.
"A Helicopter!" Rochelle cried out in relief.
"No... for real?" Ellis said, trying to catch a glimpse of it. Abbey just looked at them all in confusion.
"Midnight Riders really will be saving us today! We can use their huge finale to attract the helicopter!" Coach shouted in joy.
"Coach! You are a genius!" Rochelle praised.
"Alright, so where's the stage?" Nick asked, strolling along in the direction the posters pointed out. Zombies ambling along looked at Nick but kept walking with a hiss from Abbey. That wasn't to say that Nick didn't have his gun out, he was totally ready for zombie butt kicking if the need arose again. They would not catch Nick without his guns locked and loaded this time. Ellis just patted Abbey fondly on the head, receiving an adoring look from her.
"You're going in the right direction." Rochelle answered. A hunter stalked by, eyes glinting dangerously at them but it continued on. Abbey smirked at it as if to say 'yeah, you better stay away'.
"Ya think the Midnight Riders are infected now?" Ellis asked. He didn't look worried or sad, just curious.
"I think that that is a very real possibility." Nick muttered. "Considering it seems like we're the only survivors left for miles."
"Do ya think that CEDA is even keepin' people safe? What if they were overrun?" Ellis continued to wonder as they headed in the direction of the Midnight Rider's Stage.
"Shouldn't we be in a little bit more of a hurry than asking silly questions?" Coach asked, trying to block the possibility of there no safe havens from his mind.
"If that Copter is a show for anything, it's hope that CEDA's still alive and kicking." Rochelle put in, either in answer to Ellis or to help quell her own fears.
"I think we should consider the possibility of CEDA being overrun." Nick muttered. "Ellis may have a very valid point."
"Well what would we do then?" Coach asked, sounding short tempered.
"Would that make us the last humans?" Rochelle wondered out loud.
"Does that matter?" Nick grumbled mostly to himself. He knew that in a way it did but he really didn't care. What if they were the only survivors? So what?
"Yeah, it does." Ellis answered. Nick glared, ready to say that it had been a rhetorical question but Ellis continued. "Obviously, if tha's the case, we'd hafta find the cure!"
"That is very optimistic of you, Overalls." Nick responded snidely. His gaze fell on Abby and he wondered if she might have been the spark of Ellis' idea. "If you hadn't noticed… we don't have any scientists in our group. We don't even have a doctor."
"Course there're no scientists. They're probly holed up in their labs or some such shit. Safe an' sound while their creations wreak havoc on society."
"What have you been reading to suddenly have such a large vocabulary?" As much as the kid meant to Nick sometimes he was such a fool. Rochelle stopped the answer of that question by asking her own.
"What makes you think it was the scientist's fault?"
"I dunno…. What else could be causin' this?" Ellis answered with a question.
"Well a lot of people believe it to be a plague from God." Rochelle responded.
"That's not how it's supposed to work! The end of the world is supposed to come in fire!" Coach replied, voice raw with passion.
"Well you could say that the plague spread like wild fire." Nick proposed. His response was a 'drop dead' glare from Coach.
"Maybe it'll be in like a nuclear bomb… ya know, ta try an' get rid a all the zombies?" Ellis suggested.
"What happened to your cure idea?" Rochelle questioned.
"Well I never said that we'd actually find the cure…." Ellis muttered sheepishly.
"You implied it!" Nick exclaimed.
"Yeah….well…." Ellis scratched his neck. "'s not like I'm plannin' for the world to end. I'm jus' tryin' ta think a all the possibilities."
"Well how very…." Nick scrambled for the right word, "…worldy of you."
Abby's eyes followed the adults as they spoke back and forth. Ellis wished he could read minds especially at that moment. If only she could speak her mind as well… he wondered what she'd have to say.
"Do any of you still hear or see the copter?" Rochelle asked out of the blue.
The other three survivors paused a moment, listening. The sounds easy to pick up were the groans of the undead nearby. Straining to hear past that a whirring could just barely be heard.
"Look, if we're going try and catch that helicopter we need to move now!" Coach urged and they quickened their pace towards the stage. Upon reaching the huge, brightly lit stage the survivors realized a few things. One: that the stage is going to make a lot of noise and attract a lot of unwanted attention. Two: If that copter didn't come to their rescue they'd be in for a fight of their lives, with or without Abby's help.
Nick found himself questioning if they would survive this. Well, at least they'd go out with a bang.
"Ah yeah, gonna smash some heads in with a guitar!" Ellis shouted as he grabbed a bright red guitar and took a couple practice swings.
"Hey now! Careful there, Ace!" Nick said, nearly getting smacked in a back swing.
"Let's pump up the tunes!" Coach said, setting the plan in motion. Ellis air guitared even though he had a guitar strapped to his back. The Midnight Rider's voices echoed over their heads.
"Looks like your band lip synched." Nick pointed out to Ellis. Ellis shrugged, continuing his guitar solo while Coach headed up to the mic.
"Dear God, here they come!" Rochelle shouted as her eyes fell on the crowd of zombies racing toward them. Abby had been watching Ellis and Coach curiously until the thundering of feet reached her ears. She crouched ready to attack as Ellis, singing loudly, ran into the fray.
Nick attempted to keep an eye on his fellow survivors but as the first wave hit he quickly lost track of everything except the nearest zombie attacking him. He'd get brief moments where he could see Abby flying at a zombie or Ellis using the guitar for all it's worth. As long as he didn't see any of them in trouble he didn't worry about them, just kept fighting to stay alive himself.
"How much longer until the finale?" Rochelle shouted between waves.
With the music blaring Nick doubted that Ellis or Coach had even heard the question. The only reason he had was he was fighting back to back with her at that moment.
"Shouldn't be too much longer." Nick shouted to her as Ellis smacked a zombie down who had been going after Nick. The conman grinned to himself, feeling that Ellis was having too much fun for the particular situation they were in.
"Aw man, ya ready for this Coach?!" Ellis shouted, strumming the bloody strings of his guitar before bringing it down on another zombie. The crunch wasn't audible with the noise of the music but Nick could imagine it was sickening.
"Completely ready!" Coach said, batting several zombies off the stage but catching Nick's shoulder in a back swing.
"Ow! Damn you, Coach! Watch what you're doing, dumbass!" Nick shouted as pain seared through his left shoulder. He didn't have long to dwell on it as a hunter lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and slamming his good shoulder down hard. Nick grumbled to himself as he grappled with the hunter, attempting to ignore the pain.
"Guys… a little help if you could spare it." Nick ground out loudly as he kept the hunter from tearing his organs out. Abby flew to his rescue, jaws clamping down on the zombie's throat and neatly tearing the head from the body. Nick ignored the fluids that were sprayed on him as he got back to his feet, just as a huge explosion of light filled the stage and left even the zombies stunned.
"Hell Yeah!" Ellis shouted, pirouetting with the guitar and knocking zombies away.
"What if the chopper didn't spot it?" Rochelle shouted as the song began to come to an end.
"Don't think like that!" Nick shouted into the sudden silence. Lights were still flying into the air at spontaneous times but the music was gone and Nick's voice echoed through the stage. The zombies tore their gazes from the strange appearance of blinding eye pain and turned back to their 'prey.' Abby attempted to rub away the stars from her sight and tried to regain her bearings, smearing the ever steady flow of blood that leaked from her eyes. It was the only show of her sickness in the previous days considering her actual injuries were hidden in Band-Aids and gauze.
"We're done for guys… They actually let us down…" Coach muttered several minutes later as whirring still couldn't be heard. The situation kept presenting more dire as zombies swarmed the stage.
"Where do they all come from?" Nick groaned as he kept fighting but could feel his left shoulder really begin to argue with his constant movement. He gave it a rest by pulling out a pistol and, trying to keep his left arm from being jarred too much, shot zombies down.
"We're gonna die… we're gonna die… we're gonna die…" Nick heard Rochelle murmur brokenly as the last of the stage fireworks died down. He had to admit that he was finding the situation pretty bleak himself. If that chopper didn't come then they were as good as dead. They had no way of escaping the hoard and they only had so much ammo, so much strength, and so much stamina. Even if it wasn't too hard taking down one or two zombies, the surplus of numbers would wear them down eventually. Not to mention the zombies were trying to get a bite and that would be just as detrimental as if they were knocked down and eaten. Either way their lives seemed over.
"Dammit Overalls, Watch it!" Nick shouted as Ellis collided with his back, throwing him off balance. A zombie was able to knock him over and grappled with him a moment, its foul breath clogging Nick's esophagus.
"Shit." Nick growled as he fought the zombie off, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder.
"Sorry Nick." Ellis mumbled as he shot the zombie down and kicked it off Nick, offering the gambler a hand up. Nick took it but didn't respond verbally, rotating his shoulder a little and flinching at the soreness. Ellis worked to stay near Nick instead of running into the crowd as he had done before. Nick wondered what the hick was doing.
"Nick… are we gonna die?" Ellis whispered. Nick looked at the mechanic in surprise. Nick had several snarky comments reserved for these kinds of moments. If you showed weakness then you'd end up dying so Nick worked to hide his vulnerability beneath sarcasm. Regardless, Nick couldn't force any of the snide words past his lips… not with Ellis' doe eyes staring him down the way they were; not when the kid seemed legitimately scared. Nick rolled his eyes as he kept the zombies at bay with his pistol. He purposely bumped Ellis' shoulder with his good one.
"We're going to be just fine. You're going to make it out of this Ellis." Nick didn't know where his sappy, impossible promises came from. It was like some hidden heart now had a direct line to what his mouth said instead of his more logical, cruel and calculating brain. Why would he say they would be fine when they most certainly would not? Zombies poured in on all sides and it didn't look like there would be rescue. Even Abby was starting to wear down and the zombies didn't even go after her. She could have just stood off to the side and watched if she wanted.
"You really think we can survive this?" Ellis fought alongside Nick's injured side, keeping the zombies from reaching his weakened teammate.
No. "I know we can." Nick said, giving a stomach twisting, sickly sweet smile. Well if it got Ellis to grin, what could it hurt? The wave had died down to stragglers again which Abby finished off while the survivors attempted to regroup. Bandaging wounds and checking over everyone each had noticed a dead look, a look of resignation, had come into their eyes. Even though Nick had said they'd be fine Ellis knew better. They all knew… they weren't going to last another wave. Nick's shoulder was really slowing him down and the rest of the survivors were getting beat down as well.
Nick found himself staring into Ellis' eyes and two quick strides had him tugging the mechanic into his arms. Nick grabbed at Ellis' hair roughly, ramming the hick's mouth into his. Ellis let out a grunt of surprise before responding just as violently, strong callused hands gripping and clawing at Nick's back as his lips worked furiously against Nick's. The warm wetness of Ellis' tears dripped down, leaving marks on Nick's stained shirt and running wet trails down Nick's cheeks as well (because there was no way Nick was crying).
Nick took initiative and swiped his tongue into Ellis's mouth, forget permission. Their tongues wrestled for dominance as fingers tangled in hair and one very hillbilly hat was knocked to the ground. The warmth of kissing Ellis filled Nick and he couldn't stand the thought of not discovering more of Ellis: his weaknesses, his sweet spots, just becoming well acquainted with his body in general. They broke apart, sucking in air and clinging to each other.
"This is BS. We made it so far. We almos' made it." Ellis whispered, lips swollen and tear coated lashes brushing against his cheek.
"I know." Nick brushed his thumb along Ellis' cheek, wishing he could freeze this moment forever. Dizzyingly unselfish thoughts of what he'd give up for Ellis to continue living flashed across his mind as he tried to come to grips with the end of their survival attempt. He could hear Rochelle's broken sobs and Abby had come over to them, hugging their legs uncertainly. Nick wondered fleetingly what she would do once they were gone.
"It was nice workin' with all of you." Coach murmured in resignation.
"I couldn't have picked a better team." Rochelle agreed.
"It jus' ain't fair… y'all are like family ta me. You are family. This is no' the endin' I was hopin' fer." Ellis' hand was wrapped very tightly in Nick's.
"For your sakes, I hope there is an afterlife." Nick attempted his old, sarcastic humor but it came out dead, leaving a bad taste in his mouth. Grim smiles were received for his effort but it didn't do much to crush down the panic as the next wave could be seen racing towards them. The 4 survivors and their little tag along stood together, united against what looked like the end…
"I can picture my life so well I can almos' hear the whirrin' of the tractor motor when pa had ta fix it." Ellis mumbled, his eyes shut tight, his fingers squeezing the blood out of Nick's.
"You're imagining so loudly I can hear it too." Nick joked as he attempted to imagine what Ellis was seeing. Warm sunlight probably; an old beat up tractor with a death rattle engine; watching someone Nick pictured as an older Ellis working to get the tractor to run again; warm grass underfoot…
There was silence from the little group as thundering feet were rivaled with one saving sound.
"It couldn't be…" Rochelle wiped at her eyes, trying to find the source of what could be a cruel trick of the imagination. Ellis squeezed Nick's hand when a dark shape came into view, coming faster than the horde.
"We can't all be hallucinating, right?" Coach mumbled as the helicopter came into complete view.
"Maybe we all died." Nick muttered, noticing his hand had gone numb from Ellis' grip.
"I knew the midnight riders would save us." Coach and Ellis said in unison. Starry looks came into their eyes as the impending doom of the horde racing behind the helicopter was forgotten. Abby gripped both Nick and Ellis' legs tightly, possibly a little fearfully. She seemed to understand that the helicopter was a good thing, however, and stood bravely as it came close enough that a voice could be heard over all the other chaotic noise.
"Hurry up, Hurry up!" Was shouted down to them as a ladder was lowered. Rochelle scampered up the rope with agility and ease. Coach swallowed and gestured the others to hurry and climb up. Nick went next, nimbly making it up to watch Ellis go up as well, Abby clinging to his back. As soon as Coach was standing on the bottom of the ladder the helicopter pulled up, away from the approaching zombies. Coach clung to the rope for dear life, climbing much slower than the others. Once the helicopter was out of reach of the approaching horde it stayed still so that Coach would have an easier time climbing up. Ellis watched Coach with worry until the bigger man finally made it safely inside.
The helicopter was a large, double bladed army machine. It was fairly roomy with seats on the opposite side of the door where Rochelle and Coach sat. Ellis and Nick were still hovering near the door, lost in their sense of relief.
"Well that sure was a close call." Came the voice from earlier. "Is everyone ok?"
"Fine now, thanks to you." Rochelle said through tears of joy. She and Coach had taken seats while Ellis and Nick stared down at the zombies shrinking into the distance. Abby nuzzled Ellis' neck, making Ellis chuckle and Nick pat her head. A dark realization came to Nick.
"Ellis… what are we going to do with Abby?"
"Wha' do ya mean?" Ellis' expression conveyed complete confusion.
"I doubt anything good will come from bringing her with to CEDA.. or where-ever we're being taken. Do you want her to be experimented on? Or they might just kill her, just to save themselves the trouble. They might kill us too, just for being in contact with her." Ellis' eyes widened slowly, with either horror or realization. Maybe both.
"Mr. Pilot, Sir?" Ellis asked, attempting manners even though his heart was lodged in his throat.
"Yes?" The pilot responded, good-naturedly.
"Where're we goin'?"
"Don't you worry, son. You'll be safe now."
"But where is safety?" Ellis insisted.
"Well CEDA was able to build a safe area, a place free from zombies while they work on freeing the world of the plague." The pilot sounded warm and friendly, almost fatherly. Ellis still wasn't sure if he'd noticed what Abby was yet. They'd done a good job of hiding it earlier, without even realizing just how handy that would be.
"It's jus' tha' we have a member in our group tha-" Nick cut in quickly before Ellis said the wrong thing.
"One of our group has been bit and though they don't show signs of changing, we want to know how CEDA reacts to possibly infected."
"Oh." Was all the pilot said. There was quiet in the helicopter except for the steady whirring of the blades as they headed away from the carnival. "I'm sorry to say that CEDA doesn't care. If there's any chance you're sick they take care of you… in the way where no one will ever be seeing you again. I suggest you say goodbye to whoever's been bit…"
Ellis was stricken with pain as he looked at Abby. In some dark, logical part of his brain it made sense. Sacrifice the one for the many… but there was no harm in Abby. She was such a well-mannered little thing… not to mention he owed her his life… but then she could also be carrying the disease in an airborne way. Then again, wouldn't that have infected him and the others? Maybe they were immune… but CEDA had probably saved many who hadn't really been open to the infection… chaos would ensue if something infected was brought in.
What could Ellis do? He couldn't just leave Abby… but he couldn't survive out there on his own, even with Abby's help… and he couldn't ask the others to give up sanctuary just because of his love for Abby. He couldn't put them in the ever constant danger of dying. What was he going to do?
Ellis fell to his knees, letting Abby down from his back slowly as Nick finally closed the door on the helicopter. Tears pooled in Ellis' eyes as he looked at Abby… she had saved his life.
Nick could see the war going on within Ellis but had no words of comfort. He could see no solution to this problem. Either way it was risking death.
"I'm really sorry about whoever you're going to lose." The pilot's voice was anguished. "I've had personal loss in that way as well. My wife was bit before making it to an evacuation unit with our daughter. There were no questions asked when they rounded up the people bit… They told me that I was lucky they decided to save my daughter. Many other families had not been so lucky."
Ellis felt his heart break for the man and his loss. He blinked his eyes to prevent more tears but when he opened them he noticed steady streams falling down Abby's face. There were tears mingling with the blood. Abby was smart… she probably realized what awaited her if she stayed with them. There was no way out now… they couldn't just drop her off… could she fend for herself? But lowering to the ground would put everyone in danger all over again.
"If the one bitten wants to try and fend for them-selves, I can try dropping them off somewhere." The pilot offered quietly, as if reading Ellis' mind. The helicopter flew low over city buildings at the moment, giving the survivors a chance to take in just how awful the damage was. It was all too much like how cities in the zombie movies looked… buildings on fire and car crashes lying scattered beneath them.
"Wait… so there were people who were bitten who showed no signs of changing?" Rochelle cut in sharply. She was upset about the fate awaiting Abby, sure… but that realization hit her hard.
"Well of course, didn't you say there was one in your group?"
"So why shoot them? What if they had some immunity to the disease?"
"Maybe I should rephrase. They hadn't shown any signs yet. For some people it takes a very long time for the disease to take over." The pilot said quickly. "And who said anything about shooting? They were rounded up for experiments."
"So maybe they're attempting to find a cure?" Rochelle put in.
"Anything is possible but would it be better for your friend? Having your friend experimented on until they finally do succumb and then being taken out back and shot or maybe tested on more? That's not a peaceful way to die in my opinion. If I ever get bit I hope someone will do me the mercy of putting a bullet between my eyes."
The survivors were silent. Was it better to take the chance that the scientists would find out more about Abby? Wouldn't it end the same for her? They'd learn what they could and then when they were done with her, they'd kill her. Would she give herself up for science? Ellis figured it would be best to ask Abby. Before he had a chance however, the helicopter swerved dangerously as something collided with the side.
Swaying back and forth the helicopter threw the passengers from side to side. The weapons were scattered everywhere and the survivors fought to keep their feet beneath them. There was another thud and the helicopter dropped a few feet. A wrenching sound filled the air as the door was pried open.
"Aw shit!" Ellis said, scrambling for a weapon. A hunter was tearing the door open, inch by inch. Ellis saw a gun that had slid next to the door and dove for it, pulling it up to shoot. It clicked… empty. The hunter had the door open by now and Ellis stumbled backwards, searching for another weapon.
The Hunter faced off with them, prowling through the door. Abbey shoved something into Nick's hand before barreling at the Hunter, her teeth closing around the hunter's throat. They rolled around for a moment as the hunter fought to get Abby off of itself. The helicopter was still swaying and Rochelle and Coach, figuring Abby could handle the hunter, grabbed their weapons and headed toward the front of the helicopter, fighting to keep their balance.
A panicked yell from the pilot alerted them to the other intruder. At a particularly violent swerve Coach was knocked to one knee and Abby and the Hunter were sent rolling towards the open door. Nick and Ellis were slammed on either side of the doorway while Rochelle finally made it to the front, shooting the hunter climbing through shattered glass, where a window used to be.
Righting the helicopter made the Hunter Abby was battling lose its balance and it tumbled to the side, towards Ellis. Abby jumped in front of Ellis and attacked, knocking it back. She didn't even have a chance for a backwards glance as both she and the hunter fell backwards, disappearing into the darkness.
"ABBY!" Ellis cried out, lunging after her. Nick caught his arm just in time, pulling him back from the partially open door. Nick held the mechanic back, afraid that Ellis might jump out of the Helicopter after her.
"What happened?!" The pilot's panicked voice carried back to them. They saw more than felt helicopter rise farther into the air, away from the city buildings.
"NO! ABBY! Nick, Let Go Of Me!" Ellis struggled, finally socking Nick in the jaw before clambering to the edge. Ellis swallowed thickly, not believing it. How could someone be there one second and then gone the next?
Nick sat up, rubbing his jaw. His other fist was still clenched firmly around what Abby had given him. Still massaging the sore spot he opened his hand to find both Ellis' and Abby's hats lying crumpled in his palm. The pain that shot through him was all too similar to the pain he had felt when he had lost Ellis. Now they had lost Abby… and even if Nick figured he had an idea of what Ellis was feeling he was sure that the only comparison he could make is the pain Nick had felt when he thought Ellis was dead.
Ellis stared at the blackness below, trying to see any sign of life. Logically he knew that they had already moved passed where Abby had fallen and were too far up to see her, besides, but his heart attempted to find solace. In his wide eyed stare he could not feel the tears that slipped from his eyes and down his cheeks. In the numb shock that fogged his brain he didn't even notice when Nick slid up beside him and pulled him against his chest.
"Is everything ok back there? Hello?" The pilot asked again. Rochelle looked back to find Ellis and Nick clinging to each other and noticed the lack of Abby. She put the pieces together and felt her own heart plummet.
"It was a hunter." Coach choked out. All 4 survivors were shell shocked. In an instant they had lost a member of their group. Of course it could be argued that she had just joined the group but it already felt like something was missing without her.
"How the hell did they get up here?! Did you guys take care of it? One of you guys took care of the one that was up here."
"The one that was bit… saved us." Rochelle whispered. Silence showed that the pilot had heard.
Nick cradled Ellis, clinging to the mechanic in a way that on any other day he would say was pathetic. He stroked lovingly through Ellis' hair, trying to withhold his own tears.
Ellis' eyes stared blindly, barely registering Nick. He felt something placed in his hand but he didn't respond. The image of Abby disappearing from sight kept playing across his vision. He blinked a few times, forcing himself to look down and finding Abby's hat clenched tightly in his hands. Something broke inside of him and he let out a sob, turning his face into Nick's shirt.
"She died a hero Ellis. Don't forget that ok? She died to save us… so you can't give up on us now." Nick murmured. He hoped his voice hadn't broken as many times as he thought it had. He wanted to sound strong and certain… he wanted to be Ellis' rock right now… but he was having trouble dealing with the truth as well. She was gone… she was really gone… right when Nick had started to warm up to her.
Ellis didn't respond verbally. His voice wasn't working right now… not with whatever was lodged in his throat. He gave a slight nod, showing Nick's words had registered. Clinging to Abby's hat tightly Ellis wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, burying his face in the gambler's shoulder. All the pain and fear he had been feeling all rushed out at once as Ellis cried into Nick's shoulder. His mom was gone, his friends were dead, his town was destroyed… he had nothing.
"Shhh." Nick mumbled and Ellis could feel the gambler stroking his hair. He could feel the safety of the other arm that was wrapped around him. Maybe he wasn't so alone. Pulling back to look at Nick, Ellis saw the tears falling from the other man's face.
Nick closed his eyes, willing the tears to go away… He couldn't stand the burning ache behind his eyes, it only signaled weakness to him. Yet he couldn't stop the flow… The ache in his heart saw to that. He squeezed his eyes tighter and rested his forehead on Ellis' shoulder.
Ellis sat and contemplated. His heart wasn't any less broken at the loss of Abby but he still had Nick, Rochelle, and Coach. They were headed for safety, finally. God would take care of Abby (he just knew He would, Abby had done a lot of good even while her body was tormented by disease). As much pain as he was in… he and his friends were making it out of this alive. Ellis pulled Nick closer and the two sat quietly, lost in the comfort they found in each other.
Ellis inhaled deeply, nuzzling into Nick's shoulder. The warmth that radiated from the other man was calming, numbing away some of the pain. Fingers still stroked soothingly through his hair as he clung to the only thing keeping him grounded in reality. Nick sat up a bit and pulled them near the bench, leaning against the wall near it. He pulled his knees up and pulled Ellis to nestle between them, head resting on the gambler's chest. Ellis looked at the hat he still had lovingly clutched between his fingers, thumbs running softly over the bill. Not wanting to bring on any tears again he put it in his pocket, unsnapping the loop (the part used to change the size of the hat) and hooking it through one of his belt loops before re-snapping it back together. This way, if it fell out of his pocket he still wouldn't lose it.
Rochelle collapsed next to Coach, a couple tears escaping her eyes as she came to grips with the loss. Coach just shook his head in sadness.
"At least… this way… she won't be experimented on." Rochelle whispered.
"I doubt her death was how Ellis wanted to solve-" Nick responded darkly until Ellis pressed a finger to the gambler's lips.
"Shhh." He murmured, sliding his thumb across Nick's lower lip. The gambler kissed Ellis' thumb softly before huffing out a sigh and setting Ellis' hat snugly on his head. Ellis smirked, pushing the brim back a bit before grabbing a fist full of Nick's suit and kissing him soundly. When Ellis pulled back Nick's face wore a smirk as well.
"You doing ok, Overalls?" Nick intoned, brushing his thumb along Ellis' jaw.
"Depends on whatcha mean by 'ok'." Ellis' voice was gravelly with bottled pain.
"I mean," Nick took a firm grip on Ellis' face, locking gazes with him. Clouded blue eyes connected with cool jade. "Are you Ok?" Nick's eyes searched his face before settling on his eyes again.
"I dunno yet, Nick. I'm thinkin' I'll be sorta ok… I'm thinkin' I'll live through this… but I'm really gonna miss Abby. She is… was becoming my world. Now 's almos' like someone stole my sun an' left me in the dark." Ellis' smile was grim but sincere. Nick's hands traced the arch of the mechanic's brow and Ellis closed his eyes.
"Whether you believe me or not, I know what you mean." Nick whispered, brushing away the tears that had escaped Ellis' blue, oh so blue, eyes.
"Have we told you Ellis? How Nick reacted while you were gone?" Coach asked in an attempt at a teasing tone. He continued without waiting for an answer. "If I hadn't known better I would have thought someone had snaked Nick out of all his money, beat him up, and left him in some dark alley."
Nick rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to think about his break down when he had lost Ellis, thank you very much. And in his defense… that had happened to him before. Losing Ellis felt worse. A lot worse.
"You missed me." It wasn't a question and Nick smiled as Ellis tugged him in for another kiss. Ellis' fingers tangled into his hair, pulling on it gently. Nick groaned low in his throat and a thrill rushed up Ellis' spine from the sound. He shivered into the kiss, tongue tangling with Nick's.
"You guys…" Coach grumbled. The bench squeaked as he shifted his weight so his back was to the two infatuated males. Rochelle giggle-hiccuped, reducing her silent tears to a watery smile.
"Sometimes I envy them. As long as they've got each other, I don't think anything can stop them." Rochelle smiled at the two men before looking away, feeling like she was intruding on a special moment between them.
Ellis pulled away first and snuggled into Nick's shoulder.
"What do ya think i's gonna be like… livin' in a society again?" Ellis murmured thoughtfully.
"Well it's probably not going to be a normal society. Who knows if we'll even be on land or on boats." Nick responded, chin resting on Ellis' shoulder.
Rochelle had slightly expected the Pilot to jump in with an answer but he stayed quiet. Maybe he was still considering the loss of their brave team member or maybe he hadn't heard the conversation at all.. Rochelle thought about it. Maybe Ellis and Nick were talking too quietly for the pilot to hear. She kind of doubted it though.
"Wha's it like to live on a boat? Where'd we get food?"
"Oh for goodness sake, Overalls! How am I supposed to know? We haven't really ever been in this situation before.. and every time I've ever been on a boat I was too busy gambling to really pay attention…" Nick frowned at himself, slightly annoyed with his previous self. Ellis reached up and rubbed at the crinkle in Nick's brow until he released his scowl.
"I dunno. I figured you'd have an idea. Why'd ya gamble so much Nick? Mah always said tha' gamblin' was the surest way to lose money."
"I don't know anymore, Ellis. I'm starting to realize just how much time I wasted. Maybe it was the thrill of cheating other people out of their money. Maybe it was the risk, though I do have a pretty convincing poker face… I didn't lose too often. Maybe I did it because people expected me to… sometimes people's expectations play a part even when you don't realize."
"Were ya always an unsavory character?" Ellis asked. He had taken one of Nick's hands in his and had been following the creases in his palm, drawing random patterns into the skin.
"I don't think so. I'd like to say there was a point in which I was a fairly decent guy… After all the trouble with my family I guess people just expected me to take a wrong turn and I did… and I got addicted to it. It was just living true to my human nature."
"What'dya mean by that?" Ellis frowned for a moment, not liking what he was understanding.
"I think there's darkness in every human soul, Ellis. Or at least I did…. Then again I doubt I've ever met anyone as naïve or innocent as you. Anyway, I figured I was being true to my human nature when other's hid it."
"That jus' doesn' make a lick a sense to me." Ellis hunched his shoulders, leaning a little away from Nick. "Tha's no' wha' I was told at all. Mah said Evil was Satan playin' tricks on your mind."
"Your mom had it right, then." Coach agreed. Ellis shook his head.
"I don' think it's just Satan. I think Satan is temptation, putting the thoughts at the back of your mind." Ellis mumbled, looking a little sheepish.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Nick asked, still a little perturbed in Ellis' absolute faith in God. Even before this whole violent cannibalistic fiasco Nick had not been a religious man. It wasn't due to the fact that he had had a rough life… and it wasn't for lack of it being taught to him. God just wasn't plausible to him… just wasn't real in his mind. He felt God was something the Government used to control the masses. A pretty image to hide what they were really up to.
"No, it's not." Ellis said slowly. "Temptation is different from evil because you can be tempted into doin' somethin' good, though tha' wouldn' be on Satan's behalf. Either way, wha' ya allow yerself to be tempted into is what makes ya a good er bad person. Say if your mind whispered to ya that it would be awfully nice to take that necklace an' no' pay fer it an' ya did, then you'd be doin' somethin' evil. If you ignored it, though, and either paid fer it or jus' walked on past then you did good."
"What if someone had to steal the necklace?" Rochelle asked, knowing from personal history that sometimes you had to go to drastic measures when hard times came along.
"Why wouldja hafta steal a necklace?" Ellis asked. Nick kept his face smooth as much as he wanted to laugh. For all of Ellis' complexities and wandering thoughts he sure did miss quite a bit about life.
"Well what if you had to feed your family and the only way you could get money was to steal the necklace so you could sell it and get the food your family needs?" Rochelle suggested.
"Wouldn' it jus' be easier to steal the food?" Ellis suggested. Nick did laugh at that. The best part was the confusion written ever so clearly on the hick's face.
"He's got you there, Ro'." Nick said, sliding his thumb along Ellis' neck fondly. Sometimes the kid really amazed him.
"That wasn't the question, Ellis." Rochelle rolled her eyes. "Would it be wrong?"
"Well… now I think we get inta a gray area of right an' wrong. The reason fer stealin' the necklace may be a little more honorable but it would still be the wrong thing to do. Even desperate there's always a good way to fight through. Tha's what Mah always said. 'Ain't no reason to ever do wrong willfully', she'd say. 'If ya have faith in the Good Lord Above he'll getcha through just as long as you keep on tryin' your best to live by him an' follow his rules.'"
"Gray area, Ellis?" Coach asked. He had been nodding in agreement at the words Ellis' mother would say, waiting for his chance to ask. He hadn't really ever thought of there really being anything inbetween right and wrong. It was either right, or it was wrong.
"Well yeah. The world isn' black an' white, 's got all sorts a colors and shades. You can't always say somethin' is either one or the other. Tha's like sayin somethin' is only sweet or only spicy when in fact there's food tha's both sweet an' spicy."
"I've never heard that before." Coach mumbled. He wasn't quite sure if he liked this new complication of the world. He had had enough trouble when it was just black and white… why can't things just stay simple.
"I've never heard it said that way before. Food analogy… very interesting, sweetheart." Rochelle said, smiling at the mechanic fondly. Seriously, Ellis could have some deep philosophical thoughts when he paused to really consider life or share his opinion. And then there was the Ellis that would see the Kiddieland sign and be excited… two opposites in one person… well like Ellis said, the world isn't black and white. Rochelle had known that for a long time.
"I never really thought of it being in color. I just figured it was black, white, and a whole lot of gray area." Nick interjected his thoughts.
"Nick, are ya colorblind an' ya didn't tell me?" Ellis said, turning his head to nuzzle Nick's cheek fondly.
"Ellis, don't make me hurt you." Nick grumbled.
"Jus' askin'." Ellis grinned innocently.
"No. I'm not colorblind." Nick bit out.
"Then why wouldja say that the world is only shades a black an' white? Don'tcha see the color everywhere?"
"Yeah but the world being black and white is a metaphor… you know… not literal?"
"I know what a metaphor is. Thank you." Ellis poked Nick's cheek before he continued tracing swirls and spirals into Nick's palm. "But I think it makes more sense if the world is in color too. I's jus' too complex to stick with black, white, an' gray. Even multiple grays."
Not having too much trouble agreeing with that Nick shrugged and pulled Ellis closer, finding a more comfortable position. Rochelle and Coach had nothing more to interject, both chewing through their own thoughts.
An hour or two was spent in relaxed, companiable silence.
Strange noises started sounding from the front of the helicopter and the 4 survivors got up to see what was going on.
"Hey… ev'rethin' ok up there, Mr. Pilot, sir?" Ellis asked uncertainly.
"Dammit…. *groans* I knew that last save *ugh* would be risky… *crash*…. Tell my daughter… I love… her!" The words faded into more groans and thrashing noises could be heard from the front. Nick grabbed for a gun.
Blank, glazed eyes turned back to stare, unseeing, at the survivors. With an inhuman wail the zombie pilot charged.
BANG
Nick had cleanly put a bullet in the zombies head as he scrambled to the front of the helicopter.
"How do you drive this Goddamn thing?" He shouted, glaring at the different dials and buttons as if an answer would appear.
"You jus'… shot the pilot…" Ellis said, dazed.
"He was a zombie, Overalls. That's not the problem at hand though, We are Going Down!" Nick's shout was the only warning before the survivors were thrown to the ground. The helicopter shuddered and twisted as it crashed through tall trees. The survivors were tossed around before finally hitting the floor hard as the helicopter skidded to a stop.
"Is everyone alright?" Nick asked, standing up shakily. Blood dripped from a cut above his brow were he had bashed his head against the dash. He scanned for his other crash-mates, taking in Coach and Ellis' location. Somehow Rochelle had gotten thrown out along the crash and lay a few feet from the helicopter.
"Mmmmph." Was all Ellis could get out as he struggled to his feet. He fell back on one knee for a moment, clutching at his head. He really wished the world would stop spinning.
"I'm still alive.. if that counts for anything." Coach said, stumbling to his feet. He started collecting weapons but tripped and fell against the side of the helicopter.
"I may have hyper extended my arm." Rochelle said, getting gingerly to her feet and clutching at her right arm. "Other than that I should be ok." She attempted to brush mud off herself with her left arm. Finding it futile and giving up, she gingerly moved her right shoulder before flinching. "No, I definitely have. No broken bones though. I guess I should be thankful."
Nick helped Ellis to his feet as they collected their weapons, strapping up and heading out.
"Where are we, anyway?" Rochelle asked, looking around. The area looked very much like a swamp. The ground was soft and squishy beneath their feet. Murky bodies of water could be seen in different areas and trees were everywhere. The canopy was so thick that only dapples of sunlight could break through. At least it was sunny… with everything else that had happened it might as well be raining… or be night already… That would not help their situation.
"I don't really know." Coach said, looking around.
"I doubt we're near the camp." Nick said, always the optimist. He kept a strong grip on Ellis, helping to support the off balance mechanic.
"Ya never know!" Ellis said, the real optimist. He grinned, bumping his hip against Nick's. Nick rolled his eyes and considered dropping Ellis for a moment, knowing he was one of the main reasons the kid was still on his feet. Thinking better of it, he gripped the arm around his shoulders firmly before poking the hick soundly in the ribs. Ellis let out a very manly giggle before giving Nick a look of annoyance. Nick smirked, before poking him again.
Ellis, being Ellis, couldn't hold the negative expression for very long.
"Let's just be on our guards. We don't know what to expect from this area…" Coach warned, entertained but also made weary by Ellis and Nick's slight rough housing.
"If we could just find a safe place to stay for the night we should be good to go, we can plan our next move from there." Nick agreed.
"Once again, off into the unknown!" Ellis exclaimed cheerily. Trying to keep some semblance of the renewed hope in their hearts, the survivors continued onward… praying that whatever they might be up against they would be ready for.