-Chapter 12-
Haunting My Dreams
Rochelle waded through the swamp, clutching her gun with one hand and swatting flies and mosquitoes with the other. There were a million of places she'd rather be right now, and compared to the messy, uncomfortable situation they currently faced, Whispering Oaks felt like paradise. Rochelle hated to admit that she wouldn't mind tackling the mall again. She tried to imagine herself there instead of tracking across knee-high murky waters.
"Stay close y'all," Coach said, cocking his weapon.
Rochelle stopped and slapped her forearm, killing the tenth mosquito that bit her skin. "Anyone got any bug spray?" she asked, slightly joking.
Ellis continued to follow Coach, glancing over his shoulder as he brushed by. "You can try covering yourself in mud. We got plenty of that."
Rochelle grimaced, but lowered her head.
He's not lying, that's for sure.
She lifted her foot and swallowed hard, watching the dark, gummy mud consume and drip down her boot. Rochelle lowered her leg, steadying herself, and let her eyes trail to Ellis and Coach. The two of them pressed onward, conversing with each other, ignoring the fact that the mud possibly seeped into their shoes, and ruined their clothes. Their pant legs were soaked and marked from where the mud reached their knees, similar to algae circling a rock or pole on low-tide. It wasn't too noticeable on Ellis's black pants, but clearly visible with Coach and Nick. Especially Nick.
His white suit had no chance against the nature unfolding around them.
Speaking of which…
"You alright, Ro?" Nick asked, trailing from behind.
Rochelle nodded. Ever since they left their make-shift safe room in the train car the guys have been keeping an extra eye on her. Nick is determined to think she's still dehydrated, but she declined the option to rest. Rochelle doesn't want to be the one responsible for slowing them down. The sooner they get out of the swamp…the better.
"I'm good," Rochelle replied, flashing a smile.
She took the moment to reach into her white and blue backpack. They found three of them buried within the houses they passed a while back, or as Ellis likes to call it, "the town of swamp people." She removed the half empty bottled water, and cooled her parched throat before Nick reminded her to do so. With backpacks in tow they were able to collect as much food as possible from the convenient store Nick forcefully entered. It gave them a little bit of reassurance knowing that they have food for their travels.
"Are you thirsty?" Rochelle asked, since Nick was the only one without a backpack of food and supplies.
Nick shook his head. "Not yet. I'm just ready to get the hell out of here. This swamp isn't doing my suit any favors."
Rochelle tried to stifle a chuckle. She hated to laugh since Ellis and Coach already joked at Nick for complaining about the swamp and his suit-sort of payback from the times he cracked at him. To help cover up her smile she took another long gulp finishing her second bottle. When Nick finally turned away and moved to catch up with Coach and Ellis, Rochelle lowered the empty bottle and stuffed it back into her bag. She shouldered the backpack and quickly glanced over the vacant swampland before continuing.
They traveled as fast as they could through the waters. Coach lead as if he had a good sense of direction, and Rochelle wondered if he would ever stop to admit that they were lost. Everything around them looked vaguely similar and almost never ending. Nothing but tall, dark trees surrounded them, and some of the trees were reduced to broken trunks. An eerie fog lingered in the far distance, and every once in a while a cool breeze would shake the thinning leaves and hug against their skin.
The only positive thing was that they haven't seen a single zombie since they left the safe house under the train tracks. Although that didn't stop them from lowering their guard. The swamp burst with life, and there was no telling what lurked in the growing shadows.
"Coach, do you have any idea on where you're heading?" Nick asked surly, after a long moment.
"Do you want to lead Nick?" Coach abruptly stopped, causing Ellis to bump into him. "I'm only followin' my instincts."
Nick folded his arms. "Then you're probably leading us straight to a buffet."
Coach furrowed his brow, clutching tighter to his assault rifle. "Cut the shit, Nick." He turned and stepped forward, making his way up to the patch of dry land covered with moss and a series of protruded roots. "But…" He set his gun down, and slid off his backpack. "A small break doesn't sound too bad."
"What?" Nick charged toward Coach, who sat against a tree with a bottled water and a Snickers bar. "You can't be serious."
"Just a small break," Coach repeated, chugging the water.
Rochelle frowned and shook her head, listening to the pointless argument between Coach and Nick.
"You know, restin' doesn't sound too bad," Ellis added with his usual cheerfulness, but neither Coach or Nick acknowledged him.
Rochelle stopped next to Ellis and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while."
Ellis smiled at her and nodded in agreement. While Nick and Coach continued to bicker, an unusual, low growl reached Rochelle's ears and stood apart from the older gentlemen's voices. Rochelle twisted her body, glancing back in the other direction. Her eyes darted to the swaying leaves, to the various shrubs on the ground, and to the long winding path they just came from. The strange noise sounded again, and a ripple expanded in the dark water from behind a distant tree.
"Ellis…" Rochelle whispered, slightly cautious. He failed to response to her soft call due to Nick and Coach, but Rochelle's eyes remained glued to the fading ripple.
Maybe it was an animal. She thought. Like a bird…or an alligator…
Another sudden movement and the same irregular growl snapped through to Rochelle's senses. Her heart raced and she grabbed Ellis's wrist.
"Ellis!"
"What's the matter, Ro?" Ellis looked down at her, then followed her gaze.
Before Rochelle could even blink, a body jumped from behind the tree and sprinted toward them on all fours. Gunfire rattled into the air and sliced through whatever was left of the calm swamp. It took a moment for Rochelle to realize she was the one firing, but the thought quickly vanished. The sudden bullets silenced both Coach and Nick who reacted to her gun, and Ellis's shouts.
"Holy shit! Swamp people!"
Rochelle's finger released the trigger once the creature collapsed into the water.
"What the hell was that?" Coach asked, jumping to his feet.
Rochelle opened her mouth, but words failed to escape. She was too stunned to even speak, and could only examine the creature she just killed. Ellis, on the other hand, drew enough courage to move closer to the mud-covered human succumbed by the infection.
"They're Mud Men," Ellis said.
Nick stepped up next to Rochelle, and looked down at the body floating in the water. "Looks like the swamp people didn't survive the infection after all."
Rochelle lowered her weapon to her side as her heart finally settled in her chest. Her eyes continued to roam up and down the lifeless zombie. The person once lived within these swamps, living a life far different from any city dweller like herself. It didn't matter where anyone lived though. The infection would travel to every nook, home, city, town, and swamp.
How many people actually developed an immunity to the infection?
Rochelle looked around at her companions. Out of all the people in the United States alone, the chances appear slim - one in a million. Throughout their travels, they have yet to encounter another human immune to the infection. The four of them are lucky.
"Oh hell." Coach quickly tossed his backpack over his shoulder, spilling some of the contents from the unzipped pocket. "Here come more."
Rochelle's eyes widened. Without warning, a wave of zombies emerged from the trees - a mixture of both Mud Men and normal looking infected. Mud and water sprayed in every direction from the hurtling stampede as their piercing cries sounded together like a standing ovation. It was as if the zombies were waiting for the perfect moment to attack, and the first zombie's death was their signal to charge.
Rochelle lifted her Magnum, and joined the men beside her as they fired a continuous round of bullets along the zombies drawing near. Ellis shoved a raven haired female away, killing her with a shot to the forehead, and Nick kicked at a Mud Men circling his feet.
"Let's go!" Coach shouted.
Rochelle moved with his voice, and jumped into a sprint. They ran through the swamp, as fast as they could, shooting at the undead following their tracks. Rochelle had hard time keeping up with Coach and Nick due to her backpack and the gloomy water slowing her down, but she didn't panic too much as long as Ellis remained by her side.
It didn't take long to kill off the zombies once Coach threw a Pipe Bomb in the other direction. The ticking device lured majority of them to their deaths, but it didn't stop the Charger from plowing between the trees and knocking Nick away from the group. Within a heartbeat, he disappeared with the monstrous infected into the overgrown shrubs. The plants broke away as Nick's scream grew further with each passing moment.
"This thing is beating my ass!"
"Nick!" Rochelle cried. She wanted to run to his aid, but the lingering zombies nearby held her attention.
"Hold on, young'un," Coach said as he and Ellis hurried toward the Charger.
Rochelle side-stepped, ready to move with them, but a thick, warm tongue wrapped around her waist and yanked her in the opposite direction. She tried to scream, but the tongue flipped around her throat cutting off all sounds. Rochelle fell to her back, and closed her eyes as her body was dragged along the bumpy, dirty surface.
Coach. Ellis. Help!
She couldn't bring her mouth scream and prayed one of them noticed her absence. The Smoker reeled her back like a fisherman out on a boat, and Rochelle tugged and fought like any fish in danger. Pain ignited like small sparks of firecrackers along her skin as she was pulled through a bush. Once her body submerged under the dark water, Rochelle's heart battered against her ribcage and a sudden panic erupted all nerves. She dug her fingernails into the Smoker's tongue in an attempt to break through its slimy, rough surface.
At first, Rochelle thought her planned actually worked since the Smoker let her go, but when she jump to her feet, emerging from the water, bullets sprayed past her body killing the special infected. Rochelle wiped her face, moving away from the random gunfire in her direction. She inhaled deep, even breaths letting the air refill her lungs.
When Rochelle finally opened her eyes she found herself dangerously close to the smoke cloud released upon the Smoker's death. She coughed, stumbling away some more to an area with fresh air.
"Guys! Where are you?" Rochelle asked between coughs.
She tugged on the straps of her backpack and looked around the vacant area. Rochelle tried listening for the gunfire, but heard nothing but the faint sobs of a mourning Witch.
Oh shit…
Rochelle twirled, turning her head in every direction. She didn't know where she was. With her eyes closed throughout the whole ordeal, Rochelle couldn't even guess how far the Smoker pulled her. She was lost, but didn't want to admit it.
"Guys!"
Rochelle picked a direction and ran as the water splashed against her thighs. She searched between the trees surprised that couldn't find Coach, Nick or Ellis anywhere. When the familiar crying grew, rattling her brain, Rochelle inched backwards. Her chest moved up and down with her heavy breathing, and she licked her lips wanting to get rid of the disgusting taste still lingering from the swamp water.
"Please guys…where are you?" Rochelle continued to inch backwards, letting her wide, exhausting eyes scan every surrounding.
"Rochelle!"
Rochelle gasped as a large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the water up to a dry patch of land. Her muscles tightened, but relaxed at the sight of Coach.
"Coach-"
"-Shh," Coach whispered, interrupting her.
The older man pointed, and Rochelle followed his finger to the Witch well hidden in the water, next to a broken trunk. Rochelle practically froze on the spot at how close she was to startling to the long haired zombie. The Witch's cries turned to into aggravated growls, but as the two of them carefully moved away from her the Witch calmed.
When Rochelle knew they were safe distance away she looked up at Coach. "What happened?"
Coach dropped his grip, and wiped the sheen of sweat and water from his forehead. "We got separated. Are you okay?"
Rochelle lowered her eyes to the small cuts along Coach's arm, and the good size bump on the side of his head. "I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm alive. That's all that matters."
"Where's Ellis and-" Rochelle stopped short suddenly remembered the Charger drawing Nick away from the group. She grabbed Coach's arm. "Is Nick okay?" she asked, failing to hide the quiver in her voice.
Coach let out a weak laugh and nodded. "He's okay. C'mon, they're waiting for us."
Rochelle wasted no time following Coach through the swamp. He moved quickly, but she was able to keep up with his fast pacing. They moved toward a wooden structure in the distance, which appeared to be an unfinished house. As Coach passed underneath a lifeless man hanging from the trees Rochelle stopped momentarily. She lifted her chin, gaping at the parachutist with an AK-47 strapped to his body. Rochelle grabbed the weapon, since she lost her Mangum in the Smoker incident, and hurried to catch up with Coach.
Rest in peace.
Rochelle frowned and cast the man a fleeting glance, but the sound of Ellis's cheerful voice ahead pulled her upsetting thoughts away. She ran after Coach, and carefully stepped through the broken, bare home. Nick and Ellis both waited on the other side standing in the middle of a small field.
"Rochelle." Ellis smiled and jumped to his feet as Rochelle hurried toward them. Ellis wrapped his arms around her with a quick hug. "Man, I'm glad to see you again. You had me worried."
"I did?" Rochelle pulled back, looking up at him.
Ellis nodded, and for a quick second fear flooded his eyes. "I thought that Smoker had you."
Rochelle shuddered, thinking back on the incident just minutes ago. She narrowed her eyes to the ground. "I did too," she whispered.
Nick walked up to them with a slight limp in his step. He was completely soaked, similar to her, and his white suit was covered with splotches of mud and blood. Rochelle couldn't tear her eyes away from the red substance staining his clothes. She feared that he was injured from the Charger attack, but Nick failed to show any signs of significant pain.
Nick must of read the anxiousness clearly visible on her face. He lowered his eyes to his suit and looked back at her. "It's not mine."
Rochelle exhaled a relieving sigh and stepped away from Ellis. "Are you alright?"
Nick ran his fingers through his matted, damp hair. "Apart from being dirty and wet, I guess I'm okay."
Rochelle bit her lip and, much to her surprise, moved forward to wrapped her arms around him. She could feel Nick tense from her embrace. He kept his arms at his side, but Rochelle closed her eyes and smiled when he caved in and wrapped an arm around her back. He returned the hug despite the uncomfortable feel of their wet clothes sticking together.
"I'm glad," Rochelle replied, softly.
"Hey, do you guys see that smoke?" Ellis asked, pointing.
Rochelle opened her eyes and reacted to Ellis's voice. Her and Nick both turned to the plume of smoke rising above the trees in the distance.
"What do you think it is?"
"I don't know, Ellis," Coach said, folding his arms. "Let's keep movin', and find out."
"Hey. Rochelle?"
Rochelle opened her heavy eyes, waiting for them to come into focus. She groaned and stretched, but objects constricted her movements. It took a couple of long seconds for Rochelle to remember her location. Once she spotted the row of airplane seats in front of her every memory flooded back at once.
"You okay?" the same voice asked, slightly anxious this time.
Rochelle forced a smile. "Yes, Ellis. I'm fine." She turned to him sitting at the end of her row. Only a single empty chair separated them.
"Oh good." Ellis exhaled a sigh. "You were whimperin' in your sleep."
Rochelle raised her eyebrows and sat up straighter in the seat. She briefly glanced out the cracked, rounded window, letting her eyes wander the ghostly swamp. "I was?" She looked back at Ellis.
Ellis smiled. "Yeah." His face soon fell. "You were callin' out for…Jacob."
Rochelle frowned, and looked down at her hands. She had yet another dream about him. This dream was similar to her previous one, except it focused on their date earlier that day. They were eating out at a restaurant and it was after dinner when Jacob stopped at the gas station to fill up his tank.
Jacob…why are you haunting my dreams.
"Who is Jacob?" Ellis's voice interrupted her thoughts.
She looked at him and saw Coach sitting in the row across the aisle. He had single bandage wrapped around his head, and ate out the rest of his backpack. Rochelle momentarily lifted out of her seat, frowning at her damp clothes sitting to her skin, to glance over the rows still connected to the plane. Nick was moving down the aisle toward them with an axe and shotgun in his hands.
"He's my ex-boyfriend," Rochelle finally answered, settling back into the seat. She rubbed her fingers across the bandage on her arm.
"Oh…" Ellis said, prolonging the brief silence. "Do you think he is still alive?"
Rochelle shrugged. Her mind did ponder the question before. Did Jacob survive the apocalypse? Did he, dare she say it, become a zombie? She would never know the truth unless she searched for him. But then her mind wandered in a different direction. What would have happened if she did go with him to Florida? Things would be different. One things for sure, she wouldn't be here sitting on a downed plane with Coach, Nick or Ellis.
"Hey Ellis…"
"Ya?"
"Do you ever regret not taking a chance in the past?" Rochelle asked, keeping her voice low.
Ellis faced her. "What kind of chance?"
"Any."
Ellis pursed his lips, lolling in the seat. It didn't take him long to reply. "Hell yeah. Plenty of times."
Coach nodded and leaned forward in his seat to peer at Rochelle. "I think we all have a time when we regret not takin' the chance."
Rochelle narrowed her gaze. Nick slid into the row in front of her and Ellis. He leaned against the middle seat, placing his weapons next to him, and rested his arms across the top of the chair to look at her.
Rochelle returned his gaze before looking back at Coach. "If…" she stopped and corrected herself. "When…we make it out of here, what is one thing that you would fix from your past?"
Coach rubbed his chin, and finished his last bar of chocolate. "I would buy the car my oldest daughter wanted."
Ellis's smile grew and his eyes sparkled in awe. "Is it a truck?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.
Coach shook his head. "No Ellis, it wasn't a truck."
Rochelle chuckled as Nick rolled his eyes at Ellis's remarked.
"What about you Ellis?" Rochelle asked, moving her backpack on the floor with her feet.
"Me?" Ellis pointed to himself, but his jovial demeanor quickly drained. He frowned and adjusted his hat, looking down at the floor. "Me and Keith got into a small argument before this whole apocalypse thing started, and I mean, right before. He ended up walkin' away from me to clear his head, and I waited for over an hour for him to return. I went to go look for him at his favorite diner, but he wasn't there. I grabbed a bite to eat and that's when everyone started…changin'." Ellis sighed, and leaned back folding his arms. "If we didn't argue then I bet we would still be together throughout this whole thing."
"I'm sorry Ellis…" Rochelle whispered.
"Its tough," Coach added.
"Thanks guys. I would try to find Keith after this is all over and apologize to him."
"I bet he is waiting for you in New Orleans," Rochelle said, in hopes of getting the old Ellis back. She hated to see him so upset, and vulnerable.
"I bet he is too," Ellis replied, smiling. "And maybe Jacob is as well."
Rochelle bit her lip, slightly taken back by the unexpected remark. She wished she had as much hope as Ellis did, but her belief was long gone. She would never want anything bad to happen to Jacob, but knew what kind of person he was. The chances of him in New Orleans were slim, but still…a tiny spark ignited in her senses at the thought of seeing him again.
"So what you would change, Ro?" Ellis asked, breaking the silence.
Rochelle looked over at him. "I guess, I would try to find Jacob…just to communicate with him again."
"Do you miss him?" Nick asked, refusing to break his gaze at her.
Rochelle shrugged. "There is some kind of feeling…" She smiled.
"Okay, your turn Nick." Ellis grinned, pointing.
Nick sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Aw, c'mon. We all said somethin', now it's your turn," Ellis said.
"We all should speak," Coach suggested finishing his chocolate.
"Fine," Nick spat, switching a glare between Ellis and Coach. "I guess mine would be similar to Ro's."
"What?" Rochelle asked.
"Remember what I said back at Whispering Oaks?" Nick asked. "I guess I would try to communicate with my sister."
Ellis quirked an eyebrow. "You got a sister?"
"Yeah, surprising isn't it?" Nick muttered, pushing himself off the seat. He grabbed his axe and shotgun.
"There is nothing wrong with trying to communicate with family," Coach spoke up, rubbing his knee. "It's something we all are going to do when we get out."
"Right, when we get out," Rochelle repeated, feeling herself smile.
I can't wait until that day comes.
"Well, we aren't going to get out of here by sitting on a useless plane," Nick commented, moving toward the emergency door.
Coach sighed, and stood to his feet. "Lord, please guide us once more through the swamp, and lead us to another convenient store stocked with food."
Ellis turned to Rochelle as the two of them prepared themselves to leave. "Hey, Ro."
Rochelle shouldered her backpack, and seized her AK-47. "Yeah, Ellis?"
"When we get to New Orleans how about the two of us search for Keith and Jacob together?"
Rochelle's eyes widened. A smile crept in her lips at the thought of her and Ellis going on a another journey after completing this one to New Orleans. She told herself that she would try to find Jacob, and if Ellis was willing to search with her, then she very well couldn't deny him. After all, she enjoyed his company. "Sounds like a…a good idea."
"Get ready guys," Nick warned. "I have a feeling opening this door isn't going to be good."
Nick turned the lock and opened the hatch. As he predicated, the task sounded the alarm and another wave of zombies.
Author's Notes:
Wow. I left you all waiting way too long for an update. My deepest apologizes. Life really prevents me from focusing on fan fiction at times. I will also admit, my current fandom has shifted to GTA4, Split Second, and most recently L4D2 online. Yes!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed my previous chapter and those who are still sticking with me and my long awaited updates. Your kindness and reviews really inspired me to get another chapter done. I also want to say that I've been on this site for over five years now on a previous account that I no longer use. I've been comparing the stories I wrote on that account to my L4D stories on this one, and have discovered that Crossroads has become my most liked story ever. And we are only at the half-way mark. So again, I want to thank you all. Words are not enough to show my appreciation. I promise to have the next chapter updated soon. It's half-way done so I'm hoping and praying to have it up within the next week.
A quick note. If any of you are interested in whether or not Jacob is alive…his status is hinted in the previous chapter. I'm curious to see if anyone recognizes it.
I also noticed in my previous chapters that the site erased my indication that separates the time differences from one scene to another. I'm going to go back and fix those so if you get a notification that the chapter has been updated then it's only me changing those errors.
And, as always, sorry for the mistakes.
-DJ Dork