Hi, I hope you guys are having a nice summer so far!
ScarJade: Thank you so much! I try to have everyone interact well. There's plenty of adventure for the team waiting for them ;).
SharkyDarky: I enjoy writing him this way. It's different for me too because like you I haven't seen any stories of him with a life like this either. (Best way I can put it I guess). Also Francis is adorable anyway.
Mystery Guest: That's exactly how he was haha.
The Wyatt story from the previous chapter is true. I've never laughed so hard at my best friend's fury like I did. I thought it fit Amber and Kayla best because the more I write about them the more I feel their close friendship matches ours. Okie, I'll shut up now. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Francis slanted his eyes staring down the theatre's corridor.
"I'll burn your hoodie for acting slow!" Beth threatened as she also looked in the direction they came from. "Play nice." Francis squeezed and set her down before retracing their steps. "I'll get 'er."
He almost reached the turn but stopped when Kayla hastily rounded the corner in a full sprint.
"What did you piss off?" He questioned at the same time Beth asked what she did.
Her eyebrows shot up. "I dunno!" She cried, running by them.
The answer startled both. "Kayla! What was it?" Beth exclaimed as they followed. "I just said I don't know!"
Hearing frantic footfall made the rest of the group pause and gaze where it was coming from. "Just keep going." Kayla waved a hand as she moved by them with extreme nervousness washed over her face. "What happened?" Ian inquired, looking back once more as they did so. Everyone was asking, sparing quick glimpses and waited impatiently for information. She opened her mouth trying to answer. "I…" and held out her hands to the sides quizzically upon entering the lobby. "I heard something and got stupidly curious. I saw this thing back there and it killed a Witch and when you called for me," she gestured to Francis in increasing overwrought. "It…"
"Did it see you." The biker spoke. She was shivering. "Hun," Francis grasped her shoulders and locked eyes. "Did it see you?" He repeated as Jordan and Ian held open an exit's double doors. They watched the two in concern, never have they once seen their friend this unsettled.
"...I'm not sure." Came her hushed reply.
"Let's keep up," Keirstan said to them. "Maybe it'll leave us alone." As she said this, Kayla and Francis looked down the hall together, and saw the infected peeking out from one of the arenas. Gripping the door edge tightly, its visible wide eye never blinked as it stared though messy dark bangs. Francis pushed her towards the doors as he stared back. "No it won't." He growled and clutched his shotgun. Swinging it out in front of him. Bill was also watching it carefully and aimed his rifle.
Zoey tried peering around them to get a look, "what's-"
"Go." Bill ordered.
She hesitated at first, staring at the old man uncertainty. Although obeyed as Amber waited for her, worryingly glancing between her and the two men. Bill looked to be sure the youngins were out of the theatre with Francis keeping his hard stare locked on the infected. It did what he wouldn't expect. He saw a thin smile ever so dreadfully trail across its face.
The sight unnerved him deeply. It left a pang of unease in his chest, but he didn't show it. He raised and leveled the gun between its eyes as it opened its mouth; Bill looked back at him right as a sound was about to erupt from this thing. It was interrupted when Francis shot at the infected, but he was surprised when it ducked and the bullet broke splinters off the door; more shots soon rained towards it from behind him as it scurried in the arena.
"Hello?" Louis cried in alarm.
Francis snarled and went to chase after it. But a solid hand shoved him by the shoulder in the opposite way instead. "Kid stay the fuck away from it." Bill advised. He shot the veteran a harsh look and shrugged his hand off, then marched for where it ran off to. "Are you deaf? Stay away from it!" Bill rushed after and grabbed his arm, and he pulled out of his grasp. "This fucker's got to be dealt with."
"For the love of God quit going against what I say! Francis!" Bill shouted angrily, as he ignored the veteran and disappeared through the doors. Bill set his jaw and clenched his eyes, "where's he going?" Came Beth's voice.
"What now?"
A series of questions spilled from the exit. He saw the siblings, Jordan, and Ian watching them with troubled expressions. Beth and Kayla went to step back inside until he threw a hand out. "Stay out there." With that, he too stormed for the arena. Francis was yelling a taunt from inside; and Ian had pulled Kayla back, saying they would be right with them as Jordan was able to have Beth comply.
Francis shone his light around the murky surroundings, carefully scanning the place. He finally caught sight of a dark shape racing through the seating area and fired a couple of times. The thing released a strangled shriek and ran out of view as his gun clicked.
"Son of a bitch…" Francis quickly pulled ammo out his pockets to reload.
"Didn't we just have an argument about this?" He heard Bill from behind him. The biker gazed to see him coming inside scornfully.
"I don't care," he growled. "I'm not having another one of these freaks adding more danger than those two are already in."
Ka-click, ka-click. He walked away to find the infected. "There could be more than one, there's always more than one. You know that."
He didn't answer and continued looking around. Bill had illuminated him with his flashlight as he pursued. "Will you be reasonable with me! It's probably gone or bleeding out somewhere!"
"I'd like to confirm that."
"Your girls are waiting to-" he stopped when a slimy tongue coiled around his arm and yanked him back. He released cry as his assault rifle dropped from his hold. Before he could unsheath his knife, the tongue quickly constricted his body. Dragging him across the floor towards the awaiting, gagging Smoker. Francis had whirled around in time to see this all happening. He raced towards them as Bill kicked and struggled against the special, who started scratching and punching him with Francis aiming his barrel. His shots where knocked off course however, blowing through the walls behind them when he felt something slam into and making him stagger.
He uttered a stunned noise as he stumbled, then soon quickly attempted to regain his balance and focus to aim once more. As he tried, another force slammed into him again; causing him to almost fall on his knees. "Mother fuck!" He bellowed, and pushed himself off from a row of seats. He turned around finding a shape emerging from the shadows.
The little light casting from the hall illuminated its features. It was feminine. Tall, thin, ghostly translucent and its head dangled to the side; the fingers were mutilated into claws like a Witches. Not as long, but black. It wore a tattered, stained white gown underneath the remains of a straight jacket it must of torn out of with those claws. The grey pants it wore were patchy with brown shoes that were old and worn. The thing's messy dark hair was neck length, and its inky rimmed eyes were grey. No iris, no pupil, just haunting grey.
As it stalked towards him uttering a crackly noise, it showed a gaped smile.
"Fr-a!-C!-"
He reversed away from it in a frantic pace then turned to help Bill, shooting off another bullet, which was knocked off target a second time when the infected threw itself in a wild frenzy to knock in and catch him off guard. They twisted as they fell, slamming hard on the floor.
Francis cried out on impact and it pinned him by the shoulders. It traced a set of claws mesmerizingly across his chest. Seeing this he quickly grabbed its wrists before it could do anything and it tilted its head again, meeting his disconcerted gaze. The thing flashed a demented grin, then inhaled deeply.
An unnaturally loud scream in different pitches tore from its lungs. Streams of saliva flew on him as he squeezed his eyes shut uncomfortably and tried to wrestle it off. The thing raised a hand when he grunted and managed to do so, then held his ears moaning at slight pain he could feel while turning on his side; a few seconds passed until he struggled to stand. "I'm-m, I'm com!-" It hooked him by his jacket, attempting to pull him back to it as he tried getting up. It kept screaming and raked at him until Francis shoulder barged the infected back. Then he gave a solid punch in the jaw to keep it at bay.
Black dots began to cloud Bill's vision. He gasped as he could feel his strength slipping away. He could faintly see Francis trying to fend off the new enemy and get to him at the same time, then snatched the discarded shotgun to point it his way. The Smoker, startled at the noise, tightened its hold which cracked his joints until bullets rang out from different directions. Suddenly he felt everything grow limp. He collapsed with the Smoker, lying there trying to gasp for breath. Instead, he inhaled a lungful of smoke fuming from the corpse. Bill started to cough heavily, so was whoever had grabbed his attire to pull him out of the cloud.
"Get your ass up Bill! You ain't done yet!" Louis shouted through coughs. He held an arm over his mouth and nose while slapping his back until Bill was able to breath and see correctly. He pushed Louis aside and staggered up, with the analyst gripping his arm for support.
Amber and Beth were now staring in disbelief at the freakish infected once they were able to beat it off Francis; he regained his footing and ushered them back as it twitched, snarling madly at the survivors. They heard Zoey shriek in fright upon seeing it, and it charged towards the group releasing another scream. The thing shoved through them aggressively, receiving cuts and hits as they staggered trying to take it down. Beth was slammed into a wall as Amber fell on the floor at the same time Francis tripped over her; she yelped when his heels dug into her ribs. He fell over a seat while it ran out of the arena, as Zoey and Louis scrambled away from it in bewildered shock into hazy smoke, causing them to gag.
"Seize that infected! It's gonna attract a swarm!" Bill roared and threw an arm out with his hat over his eyes.
Another scream ripped from the infected's vocal chords as it charged Keirstan, Jordan and Ian who all shouted at the sight and dove out of its way startled.
"Don't let it go kill it!"
Ian turned to the others with his comrades shooting and jogged off for assistance. "Guys where's Kayla?"
A door burst open while he yelled and slammed hard in his face. She stepped out adjusting her pants, then sees the infected running away with half the team firing and chasing. "I'LL KICK YOUR ASS SO FUCKIN' HARD!" Francis boomed.
"Bro wait!" Beth hollered after him as they ran by her.
Ian whimpered rubbing his face painfully before gazing at her with squinted eyes. "What the hell were you doing?"
"I had to piss what do you want."
"YOU HEAR ME! I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A BEATING YOU WON'T SOON FORGET!"
Just when the infected reached the exit, Francis swiftly aimed and blew a large hole in its back. As it toppled forward with a shrill he shot the back of its head, raining gore all over the glass. The body fell face first in the door which left Francis heaving where he stood, the others slowed to a stop when they saw it was now dead.
Francis flashed his gun in triumph. "That's mine."
"Nice kill." Jordan praised. "I thought you said you'd beat its ass."
He clenched his teeth in a frown turning to him. "Would you like yours beaten?"
Jordan backed away with a nervous huff. Holding his hands up. "I'm good." Was the answer with Kayla now shaking a little in laughter at her brother's outburst.
"Uh, I don't think we're done yet." Keirstan said, and pointed outside.
Frostbitten infected were emerging from where they hid, gazing around in agitation for the source of the scream. Francis watched as they staggered about until one turned towards the theatre and saw its expression grow bitter. "Girls, over by me." He instructed.
As the siblings complied they all kept low behind stands and eyes trained on the creeping sick. Who continued to stumble and try to find where the disruption came from. Two started fighting each other while another bumped into the door, and the survivors paused in their steps. Watching it warily. It tilted its head at the mess that streamed down the glass, then raised a limp finger to trace along stains. Next it shifted its eyes while shuffling away, so Francis resumed leading to the back of the building and spotted a fire exit. The door had been knocked down; he motioned for them to wait as he went ahead to see if it was alright to move on. He could hear the commons out front beyond the mound, however the area they were in was clear as far as he could tell. "I think we're set." Francis announced quietly.
He looked back as they snuck out of the theatre, being sure Kayla and Beth were right by him. The two looked around at the roofs while Amber pointed her rifle inside the theatre until Louis pulled on her sleeve to have her follow.
"I don't remember seeing that infected in the packet you guys found." Zoey said in a disturbed tone, looking at Ian. He shook his head equally shaken. "It's missing some pages. But we haven't seen anything like it either till now."
She turned away nodding. It was a sight that certainly horrified her. More than Witches ever had.
"Now we know what's been following us."
Her bones chilled at those words. She swallowed a lump in her throat, not saying anymore.
Francis felt the same. The infected looked like it came from the darkest, blackest pits of hell. It was something else that would haunt him now. Especially how it moved, how it looked at him and smiled. He could hardly believe it was human.
"What should we call it?" Keirstan voiced as they approached an alley. "Thing screams a lot...actually you know what a Hunter's scream doesn't attract infected like that one does. I kinda wonder why."
"It was louder. More agitating with those pitches." Jordan analyzed from memory.
She rubbed her chin in thought. "True. We need a name, in case we see another."
Bill was now suggesting what to call it with the two. As they were, a clump of mixed snow and ice broke off a gutter and exploded all over Louis. The ice bounced of his neck and he jumped when the snow started melting down his back. He clutched the spot and his face contorted while trying to hold in a yell that was building up, but as pain increased in his neck, shooting down his spine it was getting harder to do that.
The analyst unleashed a booming scream, making everyone also jolt and look at him in bewilderment to see what the hell his problem was. "Pain! All I know is pain!" He shrieked, prancing around and rubbing his neck; sobbing wildly as he went with water flecking through the air. "Will you calm your face?" Amber hissed, she rushed towards him to try to brush the rest of the snow off.
"It's so cold and it hurts!"
"No shit so shut it." Francis sneered over harsh shushing. He glared at the analyst who ran at them and stomped a foot down, then stood in a hunched position. He held his hands out in front then bellowed monstrously while looking pissed off. Kayla and Beth stepped away to watch from the side until they were shoved ahead. "Down the alley, now." Francis ordered as Louis kept throwing his fit, until Zoey was able to catch up and hold him still to help dry him off.
"Why you gotta be screaming about it like that?" She scowled with Bill facepalming not far from them. "It's cold, it's cold, it's cold!"
Shrilling continued to erupt from the other side of the mound. "Thanks Louis!" Amber yelled.
Commons were soon clambering over it, then either slid or fell down the other side. The survivors immediately started shooting while retreating for the alley. "Remember when chunks of ice would fall from your roof and break through your porch?" Beth smiled from ahead of the others.
Francis half-lidded his eyes, "then we'd get to your house and found the same thing happened to yours?"
Kayla snickered at the irony, when aggressive snorting made her stop and look ahead. A Charger stormed into view. It leered at them, next it started to rampage towards the three. "Get back! Get back!" Francis hollered, running in the previous direction with the grey giant bellowing as it picked up speed.
"Move outta the way!" The survivors heard him shout. All scrambled with surprised cries out of the area once they saw it and separated while racing away. Beth slipped into Jordan, both fell on a snow pile as the Charger ran through and ended up chasing Ian. He shrieked constantly and veered out of its path while it slammed so hard into a wall the bricks collapsed on its head; and the special stumbled forward falling inside with a loud boom.
"Ok let's go the path looks clear!" Bill yelled as he picked off infected who were jumping out windows from above them. Keirstan swung her bat and broke an infected's neck who was racing for the veteran with Amber, Zoey and Louis shooting away at those climbing up the gravel.
"You good?" Jordan asked in the middle of the pair getting up. Beth nodded at the same time everyone suddenly heard a high-pitched, grating and Tarzan-like yodel. They looked around to see where it was coming from, and saw a Hunter swinging down from a roof. Holding onto a Smoker's tongue like a rope. The Smoker held onto an air vent as tightly as it could with a pained expression while its partner swung over the entire street. The Hunter let go with claws out just to be shot up by Francis in midair. It then crashed through a window of a small sky bridge above the group while the tongue flailed in the air and Kayla leapt forward to catch it. She grinned savagely at the Smoker, who's single eye widened in fear and tried to reel in the slimy appendage. She wrapped it around a fire hydrant before climbing up and perched on a truck cabin while looking towards her sister and Jordan.
"What the hell are you up to?" Francis yelled from behind. He jogged over and grasped her arm, "don't be fooling aro-Kayla!" He scowled when she pulled away. Meanwhile the Smoker was yanking wildly against its restraint trying to break free; Beth couldn't help but laugh at the failed attack, then she felt the tongue slap against her face, next it was bouncing off her feet. Jordan felt the same thing; both gazed at the older survivor who wore a small smile.
"Cut the shit!" Jordan barked, they were about to move on but were stopped as Kayla kept hitting them with the tongue. Next she started whipping their legs with it, which made them trip over each other when they tried to step back wherever they could. "Kayla stop!" Beth hollered.
She laughed while quickly swinging the tongue over the two like a jump rope, leaning back against her free hand in amusement. The couple either jumped over the tongue or tripped and slammed into the other yelling as she kept tormenting them with it.
"You make me wanna shoot you!" Beth shouted.
"You have yet to do so."
"Francis stop her!" Jordan exclaimed, lying his wild eyes on the biker who watched perplexed. He cast his gaze on her after. "But why, it's jump rope that's great exercise!" Kayla protested.
"Knock it off!"
"Jump rope!"
At one point Beth almost fell on her face as Jordan leapt up again, slapping her ass hard while yelling a threat and raising a fist in the air; and the Smoker was now holding its end trying to keep from falling off the roof releasing desperate shrieks.
"What the fuck is going on over there?" Keirstan wondered out loud as she and Ian also stared on at the sight. He shrugged while another roared ripped through the air, the Charger barreled pass them as both jumped startled from the noise while it crashed into a bus.
"Meanwhile that Charger's having problems." Ian commented as he tripped a common with his boot and drove his hatchet in the back of the head. "I know it acts senile." She replied; not far off Zoey, Louis and Amber were running by either still firing bullets or swinging their melee weapons. "I'm so sorry!" Louis exclaimed as corpses dropped in a trail. "You will be once I whoop your sorry ass for this!" Zoey retorted.
"Come on people this way!" Bill gestured to the alley, and fired some rounds in said direction to keep the path clear.
Francis was now reaching out to hold Kayla still and cut the tongue off as the Smoker shrieked in pain. "I think they've had enough."
"Just a couple more?"
"No!"
"Fuck you!"
The tongue dropped and he chucked the piece they had away; he was surprised when he aimed at the Smoker to kill it, when it gave him a thankful look and waved. Then it ran away sobbing choked sobs and dragging the mutilated tongue across the road and up the wall.
The couple panted with both resting their hands on their knees until Beth looked over at Kayla. "You bastard."
"We both are."
"Quit stalling!" Bill shouted and interrupting Francis from commenting on her remark, while shooting around them. She hopped off the truck with the veteran followed Keirstan and Louis into the alley; as they were about to pursue, Kayla noticed Amber giving her an implausible expression; she must have seen the odd 'jump rope' game she caught the two in. "Are you serious?"
"As a Shark attack."
"Hussle guys!" Francis exclaimed while he herd them to where everyone else was going. That is, until odd movement caught their attentions.
They all looked ahead seeing a row of common infected with their arms over each other dancing can-can style. At times they separated and spun around clapping their hands; then would lock arms and pranced in circles and perform other dance moves before lining up and kicking their legs out once more.
"What the hell?" He murmured as his girls and friends stared quizzically.
"That's...just..." Amber trailed off.
Beth then applaud from next to Kayla and Jordan, who watched in quiet puzzlement while the sick got closer. "Not bad for an infected dance group, am I right?" As she amusedly said this, one common picked another up by the waist and hoisted it in the air. The other dancers were now jumping and twirling over or around each other.
"Um..."
During this the Charger appeared and was suddenly racing at them again. It grabbed Francis' attention from the show and he barked at them to get to the alley. Everyone scrambled out of its path and it tripped over a downed telephone pole, slamming face first in the truck's bed rail. While it laid there in a daze the survivors had reached the alley and raced down it to catch up with the rest of the team. "I was about to say have ya'll aged sixty years? You're slower…!" Zoey trailed off as she stared by the five of them at the dancing, flailing infected. She knitted her brows together and pointed judgmentally. "I don't know they just showed up dancing." Francis answered her silent question.
"It's quite entertaining though." Beth shrugged as the Charger, while rubbing its face stepped in the entrance. It gave them a determined, hateful gaze as it released a deep bellow and gave chase a fourth time. Hell bent on grabbing one of them to break every bone in their body.
"This way!" Zoey yelled as she fired at the rampaging crowd. Her friends did the same as they went until they rejoined with the others. They passed a small shack right as the Charger smashed through several trash cans and into another wall, while sending those cans and everything in them flying everywhere.
"I've got it!" Keirstan screamed in joy as she shot an infected's face off. "I know what we can call that fucking thing in the theatre!"
"What would that be?" Louis hollered while everyone hurried through a torn up chain link fence towards a garage.
"Screamer! Ain't creative at all but fitting!"
"Great job Keirstan, now let's get inside before something else happens." Bill said.
As the group saw, the door to the garage was luckily already open. Everyone threw themselves inside; Francis looked around as soon as he was in, eventually finding a couple of propane tanks lying next to a tool stand. He picked them up and chucked both back outside, then quickly started to pull the heavy steel door down by ropes with Beth and Zoey firing at the tanks. Both exploded almost in unison, creating sparks and black smoke that engulfed the incoming swarm.
The explosion made Francis stumble a little as he threw an arm up to cover his face, but he immediately resumed pulling down the door before the smoke faded away and whatever survived could get to them. Ian ran to and pushed it down faster, then latched it to keep it from sliding up right as they heard the Charger once more, roaring and crashing into something loudly.
Francis backed from the door, staring at the barrier as thumping shortly sounded. "You two alright?" He asked quietly, turning to face the sisters with slight anxiousness. "I'm fine." Beth held a thumb up with her answer as Kayla nodded, after finding another box to hide in and peer up at him from.
"Ok…" He breathed and shuffled behind them to find a spot on the floor for rest. Beth moved where she was to settle next to him; he wrapped an arm around her securely.
"So you think Screamer's a good name for that demon?" Zoey rested her hands on her knees looking at Keirstan, who motioned with her own hands at the question. "Sure I mean, it did scream a lot 'n it's easy to remember."
Zoey stretched her lips thoughtfully as Bill seemed to have already gone with it. He shrugged a shoulder as he pulled out a cigarette, then counted how many there were left before he tucked the packet back in his pocket. "I don't suppose why not." He said whilst lighting the nicotine. From behind them Kayla's box shook as she tried to get comfortable. Francis glanced at and scuffed it, as Jordan hurried over and kicked it even harder like he did from an earlier time.
"If there's boys, shouldn't we call them Screamers and the ones like we just saw Sirens since it looked like a girl?" Amber suggested where she laid across a hood of a large white van.
"Nah," Bill replied. "I think sticking to one name for each of these bastards would be easier for us."
A fist flew up from inside the box and connected under Jordan's jaw. Both Francis' and Beth's eyes widened a little and amused shock spread over their faces as he yelped and took a few steps away rubbing the spot. He stormed back to and heaved the box over, making Kayla spill out onto Francis' legs. Beth facepalmed as Francis stopped her from getting up by pulling a leg out from underneath and laid it on top of her, pinning her between his shin and calf. "What now little one."
She started to untie his bootlaces.
He watched unsurprised and opened his mouth whilst she pulled them through the eyelets. "Is this the right way to the river, we kinda took off in a random direction for cover." Francis pointed out.
"Hang on, let me check."
"No need for that," Ian spoke up while strolling out of an extra room. "We're here."
"How do you know?" Louis asked with all eyes on him now. Ian pointed a thumb behind himself. "I just checked outside up front. Down the road there's a sign saying 'Riverside park, next half mile.' We made it guys, we're here."
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A/N: Not entirely satisfied with this chapter. My mind was all over the place instead of letting go when I write. This one's just...meh.
I don't think I've seen a Screamer in a fanfic before. I know that is not how they act and they're boys, but since most of the specials are male how about making it as a girl for now. I have ideas to play around with too, so that'll be fun. Also clumsy Charger is clumsy. Inspired by how much I suck playing as a Charger unless the survivors are standing still most of the time.
Me: *Grabs Francis' vest and runs for the hills.*
Francis: Hey!
Me: BBYYEE!