I do not own Left4Dead or any of the characters.

Horded

The roar cut through the air and Zoey swore, hobbling faster. Francis stayed at her side, one hand holding Anna on as the other held his pistol. Louis and Bill had taken up the front and rear spots, but as soon as the roar rang out, Louis sprinted forward. They had reached the last city before the Safe Zone, but that simply made it more dangerous. They were barely three miles from the Safe Zone, and yet, there wasn't a safe room anywhere in the city. And with Zoey and Francis slowed as they were, Zoey by her broken ankle and Francis by carrying Anna's body, they might as well be dozens of miles away for how long it would take them to get there.

"There's a small storage building up ahead we can hide in!" Louis called out. "Shit! Bill! Behind you!"

Zoey didn't look back. She didn't have time. She was the reason they were so slow. Bill opened fire on whatever it was and Zoey simply crutched as fast as she could, throwing herself forward from crutch to foot to crutch. Francis ran along beside her, shooting off to the side a couple of times, and Louis disappeared into the building, firing several times before stepping back out and opening fire off to the opposite side as Francis. They were close. They could make it. A hand closed around Zoey's abdomen, one which reached from waist to breasts and encircled her entirely. Then, that same hand hurled her. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying to survive the landing, and she did. Granted, when she hit the side of a car's nose and dented it with her right side ribs, it didn't feel too great, but she survived. She groaned as she pushed herself up slowly, looking to the others. The tank was ignoring them, going after the easy pray, even as they carefully shot it, taking care to aim so that they didn't hit Zoey. But they had other problems. In the horde, Zoey could see four Hunters, a Jockey, two Spitters, and a Charger. Bill focused on the Charger and dropped him. Louis dropped the Jockey and Spitters. But one of the Hunters pounced Francis, the bungie cord holding on Anna snapping as the Hunter's claws raked across his chest. He shouted in pain before Bill kicked the hunter off and killed it. Bill looked over at Zoey, and she felt her breath catch. She knew that look.

"Please!" Zoey said. "No! Don't do this to me again! Please!"

"We won't!" Bill shouted back, hurling a pipe bomb, with a bottle of Boomer Bile, managing to hit several zombies.

The horde swarmed the zombies, gathering around the bomb. Then, it went off and killed almost all of them. It also got the Tank's attention. It turned, grunting and starting after Bill and the others. They opened fire, scattering, and it chased Louis, only for Francis and Bill to riddle it with bullets. Finally, long after it should have died, it finally turned, roaring deafeningly, more roars answering. Finally, Bill pulled out his grenade launcher and fired his last grenade into its face, finally killing it. Francis immediately picked up Anna while Louis ran to Zoey. Together, the three men fled away from the scene. The shed apparently wasn't good enough for another horde. They fled through the streets as the horde behind them gained on them, Bill doing what he could to slow them. Then, they saw a chance. Up ahead was a fire escape. There was a step ladder leaned against it like stairs, and the stairs of the fire escape itself were still useable. They sprinted toward them quickly, Bill going first so he could get a better angle to shoot the zombies, firing back at them all the while. However, just as Louis set his foot on the steps, the wall behind the fire escape exploded, a Tank charging out of it with an angry roar.

As the debris and mangled fire escape was launched off of the wall, a chunk of debris slammed into Louis's chest, hurling him backward, and probably breaking his ribs, and Zoey landed heavily as he dropped her, Louis bouncing back down the alleyway a few meters. Francis, having been behind Louis, was knocked over by Louis and Zoey slamming into him, but wasn't hurt. However, he was the closest to the Tank as a result. And then, there was Bill. He landed in a roll, ending up beside Zoey as the fire escape section that had been knocked off the wall crashed down between them and Louis. Bill was on his feet instantly, firing into the horde heading for them, fending them off as he moved to save Louis, firing even as he climbed over the mangled, twisted metal.

Zoey turned back to the Tank just as it backhanded Francis, who had been emptying his pistol and M16 both into its head. Francis bounced off the wall of the alleyway, then crashed into Bill, who had just picked up Louis. All three crashed down in a heap and the Tank turned to look at Anna, snarling hungrily and picking the corpse up.

"NO! ! !" Zoey shrieked, grabbing her pistol and shooting at it. "ANNA! ! ! LEAVE HER ALONE! ! !" She forced herself to her feet, but a Hunter pinned her down instantly. She screamed, struggling to fend off its claws, managing to keep most of the severe wounds down to minor, if painful, scratches by some miracle. "Help! Bill! Francis! Somebody!" She looked up past the Hunter, only for fear to flood her. The Tank stood over her, a massive chunk of concrete in its hands as its dull, beady eyes stared down at her.

The Hunter looked up and shot out of the way and the Tank grunted, raising the stone higher.

"ANNA! ! !" Zoey screamed.

An enraged shriek pierced the air just before the Tank and its concrete chunk both took flight, flying over Zoey. If not for its startled bellow, she might have believed it had jumped. She watched as it exploded into the horde, both it and its weapon bounced through the infected, crushing them rapidly. Zoey's eyes turned to the Hunter that had been beside the Tank just as its body slumped to the ground, blood flooding out of the gaping, jagged gashes reaching from its left shoulder to the right side of its abdomen. Finally, Zoey's eyes shifted to the last thing standing before her. Pale skin caked in blood. Bare feet. Smooth legs. Blood-stained panties. Four jagged, pearly white scars sideways across her flat abdomen. Bloodstained bra covering petite, B-cup breasts. Arms hanging at her sides, fingers extended into six-inch claws. A face more beautiful to Zoey than any angel. Pale, white-blonde hair. Soft pink eyes, the same shade as cherry blossoms.

"Anna," Zoey breathed, tears flooding down her face. "Anna!"

Anna's claws retracted instantly and she snatched Zoey up off the ground into a hug, spinning. "Z...Z...Zoey safe!"

"Yes!" Zoey almost sobbed. "I'm okay! But...how are you alive?"

Anna shook her head, frowning slightly. Zoey smiled, kissing Anna to make her stop frowning, Anna instantly responding in kind. After a few seconds, Zoey pulled away.

"I love you!" Zoey smiled. "I love you so much! Please, don't ever leave me again! I couldn't bear it!"

"P...Promise," Anna smiled. "L...L...Love you...too."

Zoey smiled, kissing her again before pulling back, looking to the others. Bill was on his feet, supporting Louis, and Francis was leaning against a piece of fire escape, looking like he might pass out.

"It's a miracle," Bill said breathed.

"Or it's the virus," Francis pointed out, then stopped. "Wait, does this mean that other one is..."

Zoey's eyes widened and she turned to Anna.

Anna nodded. "S...Smell...C...Cassy."

Zoey swallowed hard and nodded. "I won't let her hurt you this time. I'm not losing you again."

Anna smiled. "W...Wont let...Z...Zoey...hurt either."

Zoey smiled, nodding. "We should get moving."

Anna nodded and turned, kneeling down for Zoey. Zoey smiled, climbing onto Anna's back without question, wrapping her arms around the witch and squeezing lightly. Anna turned, walking over to the fire escape and easily cleared the others a path. Francis pushed himself to his feet, picking up his rifle and pistol as he passed them, and they all left the alleyway, Bill once again taking the lead.

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