Until I Find My Way Back To You: Book 1 by captainwhiteshadow

by Professor Guttenberg

If you're looking for this since it disappeared during the later half of the last decade, fear not, it's back for a comeback tour! This is perhaps one of his better-known fics, which puts a unique twist to the usual interaction between survivors and zombies in the game. It had a sequel which was never finished. Story is Wayback txt file, presented as found. Credit goes to author.

1. Chapter 1

Until I Find My Way Back To You: Book 1

by captainwhiteshadow

Category: Left 4 Dead
Genre: Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-20
Updated: 2009-06-05
Packaged: 2013-08-25 05:56:04
Rating: T
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,298
Publisher: .net
Story URL: s/5075451/1/
Author URL: u/1380240/captainwhiteshadow
Summary: Book 1: Blood Harvest. Zoey and her boyfriend, Zack, fight to escape the Infected. When Zack becomes a Hunter, can he save his beloved Zoey and the other survivors from the Infected...and even himself? COMPLETE!

1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Left 4 Dead, Valve (and probably some other gaming corporations I didn't bother to pay attention to) does.**

**A/N: This entire series, with the exception of a few parts occasionally, will be told from my OC, Zack's, P.O.V. Enjoy! And please review for the poor Arizona boy. Thank you! =P**

Until I Find My Way Back To You

_Book 1: Blood Harvest_

**Chapter 1: Running Blind**

"Zoey! They're coming! Run!" I yelled as I slammed the metal doors shut. I grabbed the pale, slender hand of the one I loved and we made a break for it. I could hear the shouts of the horde of Infected from behind us. They were trying to break through the door. They were just normal Infected though, so they couldn't possibly do it…not without help that is.

"Zack! I'm scared!" I heard Zoey shout. The fear in her voice made my heart ache. My precious angel was afraid. But I would make sure I got her out of here alive.

And then I heard it—the sound of the metal, barred door crashing to the floor. The Tank that I avoided earlier must have followed me. _Shit! How could I have been so careless? How could I have put my beloved Zoey in danger?_

The Tank drew nearer, its mad roar echoing through the dark halls of the asylum. We turned a corner and saw the bright red EXIT sign above the door. Freedom was only a couple yards away. _We're gonna make it Zoey. We're gonna make it!_

A deafening screech. And then the ceiling above us collapsed. An Infected wearing a blue, hooded sweater taped up in duct tape fell down from the hole in the ceiling. A Hunter. Zoey and I stopped in our tracks. There was a horde and a Tank behind us, and now a Hunter in front of us. I spotted an open door to the side of us and pulled Zoey in with me just as the Hunter jumped. I closed the door and boarded it up with a few chairs and a metal desk. There were a couple normal Infected in the room with us, but I quickly took them out with a pistol I had holstered at my side—Orion, my trusty, twelve-shot pistol; the one my father gave me for my sixteenth birthday, just before he died. I heard banging on the door. It wouldn't hold much longer. I looked around for a way to escape. That's when I saw it.

"Zoey, look!" I shouted, pointing to a vent near the top of the wall.

"Will we fit?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we've got to try!" I yelled as I pulled her to the vent. I gave her a boost and she crawled right in. A perfect fit.

"Zack, hurry!" she said.

I climbed up on a chair and reached for the vent. I tried to wiggle my way through, but my shoulders were too broad. And then I realized that this was the end for me. There was no other escape. But Zoey could still make it. She could get to some other survivors; get help. I grabbed my gun and a couple magazines and passed them under her legs. She looked at them quizzically.

"Zack, what are you…?"

"Zoey, I can't fit through the vent. You need to get out of here while you can. Take Orion and shoot anything that looks like an Infected. You have about twenty-nine bullets left. I'm sorry…but the rest is up to you," I said.

Zoey's eyes widened as she stared back at me. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Zack…no…No! You can't leave me!"

"I'll distract them while you escape." I looked up at her beautiful emerald eyes. It would be the last time I saw them. "I love you…Zoey."

I closed the vent and locked it, making sure no Infected could follow after her. I heard the door finally bust open, chairs and the desk I placed there flying in all different directions. A tear rolled down my face as I turned around, staring into the hungry eyes of the Infected. The Tank's massive fist slammed down, crushing most of the common Infected. He pushed passed others and ran straight for me. I rolled to the side as he brought his fist where my face used to be. I parried behind him and made a run for the door. I was then hit from behind by a chair, knocking me down. I quickly got back up as the Tank tried once more to crush me beneath him. I ran through the halls until I came to a staircase. I didn't waste time going down it properly. Instead, I leaped down it and rolled as I hit the ground. I heard the Tank behind me. I needed a place to hide. I suddenly spotted a seemingly empty cell room and entered it, closing the door behind me.

I waited in silence, listening for the Tank to pass me by. When the beating of its footsteps finally lessened, I dropped down to my knees and let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. The only thing on my mind was Zoey. Did she make it out okay? Was she hurt? Was she scared? That last question was stupid. Of course she was scared! You'd have to be insane to not be scared. Like me. But I was scared— more so for Zoey's safety than of the Infected.

_Oh Zoey…I'm so sorry_, I thought to myself in sadness._ I wanted so much more than this. I wanted to spend my life with you. I wanted to have a family with you. I wanted to wake up every day knowing that you'll be there by my side. But this is the end for me, I guess. Even if I do make it out of here alive, how long will that last? A day? Two? I can only hope that you make it out alive, and that you find someone that can make you as happy as you made me._

Suddenly, I heard a sound like crawling. It was coming from above. I looked up to meet the crimson, glowing eyes of a Hunter. I didn't have time to react. The Hunter pounced with a screech and landed on me, knocking me on my back. I struggled to break free as it tore at my chest, ripping my shirt to shreds and cutting deep gashes over my heart. I noticed a broken bottle lying next to me, and grabbed it. With one quick swipe, I brought the sharp glass up to the Hunter's neck and severed it, making it fall limp to the floor beside me. But some of its blood got in my mouth….

The foul taste of salt, metal, and bile ran down my throat. I coughed uncontrollably. I tried to spit it up, but it was no use. The blood was already in my system; the virus already starting to infect me. I sat up in pain. My chest hurt like nothing else. I was shaking, and I couldn't stop. The pain from my chest started to spread. It became a burning, torturous pain that first spread to my arms, then down to my legs, while at the same time spreading to my head. I shut my eyes tight from the pain. The shaking wouldn't stop, in fact it did just the opposite and I shook more. I felt ice cold, but at the same time burning hot. _Am I changing already? It never happened this fast before._

I felt my fingertips start to grow into sharp claws. My teeth grew razor sharp, making my gums bleed. Soon, the pain became so unbearable, I passed out, with only the thought of Zoey's face as the last thing I saw in my mind.