Bill stared in horror as the Witch approached him. His eyes darted around the area. The infected stopped walking, standing only a few feet from him. She raised her hand with the bloodied nails.
The old man repeatedly blinked as the infected reached toward his aged face. He opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound came out. He watched as Francis' blood dripped off her over grown, rotten nails. They were inches from his face.
The Witch moaned when she placed her hand on Bill's cheek. He stared at her hand for a moment longer before shifting his eyes toward her face. The infected woman's glowing eyes stared back at him. She didn't mean to frighten him, but that other man had held Bill hostage, and she believed she had no other choice but to kill him.
That's what the Witch thought. Little did she know the man she had killed and his companion were the veteran's teammates, and that they did not kidnap him. Bill shut his eyes as he went into his thoughts.
God dammit! What the hell can I do? he asked himself.
The Witch began affectionately rubbing Bill's cheek and side burn. Some of the biker's blood dripped onto the shoulder of his jacket, which made him shudder.
There must be somethin' I can do to get out of here, he thought.
The infected woman, noticing his expression, frowned. Maybe rubbing her man's cheek wasn't the best way to calm him down. She stopped rubbing his cheek, then lowered her arm. Bill opened his eyes, realizing she'd stopped rubbing his face.
He noticed the Witch was reaching her arm toward his. His eyes widened. She grabbed his right hand, careful to not stab it in the process. Bill stared down at her hand for a moment before looking back at her face.
The infected took several steps backward as she held Bill's wrist, moving them away from the edge. The war veteran tried to pull out her grasp. When she let out a growl, he immediately stopped. The Witch tightened her grip on his wrist.
Her grip was, however, more than the elder anticipated. Bill cried out in pain as his wrist let out a loud SNAP! The Witch had just broken his wrist. She whirled around upon hearing his wrist break.
Her eyes widened when she noticed the pained expression on his face. Realizing what she had done, the grey female loosened her grip. Bill immediately pulled his arm out of her grasp before examining his wrist.
Son of a bitch. She broke my wrist! he thought. How the hell am I gonna shoot now?
As Bill stared at his wrist, the Witch began moaning. He shifted his eyes from his wrist to her, narrowing them. The woman had a sad expression her face as she met his gaze. She gestured toward his wrist, moaning louder.
The Witch knew she had hurt Bill again. She will have to be more careful when interacting with him, or she might injure him even further. The infected suddenly remembered something. Back in her previous life, she had seen some romance movies where a man was kissing a woman's arm.
He would start at her hand, and then end at her shoulder. The Witch decided should do that. This was how she was going to apologize to him. She quickly snatched his arm - the one with the broken wrist - then carefully grabbed his fingers.
Bill watched as she raised his hand, and then, with her chapped lips, the Witch kissed it.
What the hell is she doin'? he thought.
It took him a moment to realize what she was doing. By then, the infected female had passed his elbow and was working her way to his shoulder.
His eyes widened in surprise.
"Why the hell are you kissing my arm?" the veteran demanded.
The Witch stopped kissing him upon hearing that. She slowly lowered his arm as she looked up. Before she could gesture in response, both of them heard someone call out:
"Anyone around?"
Bill immediately recognized the voice.
"Zoey!" he cried.
The infected let out a surprised gasp, realizing she had heard the voice before. It came from the other woman. She thought that smoker had killed Zoey. It did, but she had, somehow, respawn inside of a Hero's Closet.
The Witch wanted to kill that woman. She believed she was trying to win her Bill's heart so that he would leave her. She looked around, wondering where the other woman's voice was coming from. She didn't know Zoey was in a nearby room.
Zoey tried to push the door open, but failed every time she attempted.
"Hey, is there anyone out there? Get me out of here!" she yelled.
She had no idea that a witch wanted to kill her if she could find her. Bill realized that from the moment the Witch first responded to her calls. At that same moment, the infected realized where the former college student's calls were coming from.
"Please! Can someone let me out?" she called.
Hearing Zoey's voice made the Witch began groaning. Her groans snapped the war veteran out of his thoughts. Bill's eyes widened as she got into her position to attack. He took a step back.
The Witch violently shook her arms as she glared at the senior.
What the hell is she about to do? Bill thought, becoming scared.
She was being aggravated, but by who? When the infected woman spun around, he knew she was about to attack his teammate.
"No, NO!" he yelled.
The Witch was about to confront the woman, but then she remembered if she leaves Bill's side for a moment, then he may vanish. She suddenly had another idea. She turned back to the veteran.
Maybe if both of them confront Zoey, then she may leave her Bill alone. The Witch decided to go with that idea. She beckoned Bill to follow. He hesitated.
Should he follow her? If he doesn't, he could try on his own to warn his friend of the dangerous infected, who appeared to be enamored with him. He then remembered his condition, which will stop him from telling her in time. Suddenly, Bill had another idea.
I could pretend to follow her, he thought. When she reaches the closet Zoey is in, I could make a break for it!
He then realized something.
If I do that, then I'll be leaving my teammate with that homicidal bitch. It's already bad enough we'd left her behind to be killed by that smoker.
As Bill thought, the Witch stared at him. She wondered if he had seen her beckoned him. She decided to try again. Just like before, he didn't move; he just thoughtfully stared back at her.
The infected repeatedly blinked. He was probably thinking about that woman in the closet, the Witch assumed. She decided not to wait for him to follow. Instead, she grabbed his broken wrist, which instantly made him cry out.
The Witch began heading toward the Hero's Closet, dragging the veteran along. Bill, meanwhile, tried not to make his attempt turn into a struggle as he pulled his arm. He ended up making his broken wrist hurt even more.
"Come on! Get me outta here!" Zoey yelled, banging on the small room's door.
The place was dark and cramp. She wondered if her teammates were out there. If so, how come they didn't free her from the closet? Did they hear her shouts? Zoey gulped as another thought appeared in her mind: Are they dead?
The brunette lowered her fists, realizing that thought may be true. She was hoping it wasn't. Someone might still be alive. Zoey sighed, raised her fists, then began to pound on the door again
Suddenly, there were loud footsteps, like someone stomping, groans, and a moan. She repeatedly blinked as she realized she was right; somebody else was alive! Feeling better, Zoey called out again.
A moment later, the Hero's Closet door flew open. The young woman had to shut her eyes from the light. It wasn't a lot of light, but her eyes still had to adjust to it in order for her to see. She decided to thank her savior.
"Thanks," she said.
The person didn't reply. Zoey decided to open her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open. All she could make out were two figures through her blurred vision. She blinked to try to clear her vision.
Only two of my teammates are still alive? she thought. What happened to the other one?
Little did she know that only one of teammates were still alive. Zoey raised both hands, then rubbed her eyes. When her vision cleared, she was able to tell who the figures were. What she saw made her gasp.
Bill and a witch stood outside of the Hero's Closet. The Witch glared at the former college student while holding the veteran's wrist. Bill, despite the pain, continued to try to pull out of her grip. Zoey's facial expression was a mixture of fear, confusion, and disbelief as she stared at them.
The Witch raised her free hand, which had blood dripping off of it. She shook her index finger at the other female, pointed at Bill, then herself. Zoey didn't reply. Instead, she just stared.
Bill had watched the Witch make gestures before turning back to Zoey. He decided he should do something, despite being held by the infected beside him.
"Zoey, get out of here!" he mouthed.
The young woman shifted her grey eyes from the infected to her teammate. Her face scrunched up as if she didn't understand what he had said. Bill tried again.
"Zoey, go!"
This time, she appeared to have understood him. There was one problem about what Bill had said, though. How could she run if he and that witch were blocking the only way out of the small room? The former college student opened her mouth to speak.
"H-how? I mean..." Zoey wanted to ask him, but fear made her choke on the words.
Her body began shaking as she stared in horror at the Witch. The Witch had let go of Bill's wrist. She raised and spread out both arms before violently shaking them. Bill grabbed his aching wrist, then turned his head back toward the duo.
The infected female believed the other woman didn't get her message about leaving William alone. She saw her talking to Bill. The Witch was fuming as she readied herself to attack. She tried to hold in the urge to kill.
She didn't want to frighten Bill again - but she thought she had no other choice. The Witch loudly groaned, on the verge to strike. Zoey's skin paled as her legs began wobbling. Her eyes were as big as saucers.
Bill looked around the area, wondering what he could use to distract the infected. The young woman's legs continued to wobble. She feared she was going to collapse, which will make herself an easier target for the Witch. Just as the veteran thought it couldn't get any worse, he heard shouts, shrieks, and groans filled the air.
Another horde had just arrived. He took a step back.
"God dammit!" he shouted.
His shout startled his teammate. She lost her balance, falling backward. That caused the Witch to let out an ear piercing shriek, and to attack. Just as Zoey's back touched the cold, dirty floor, the grey infected had reached her.
Bill's eyes widened in fear.
"Watch out!" he yelled.
The brunette looked up just as the Witch raised her arms, about to attack.
The war veteran knew he had to do something before the crazed infected kills his only living teammate. He removed his assault rifle from his back. He began making his way into the room when the horde arrived. The common infected began attacking him just as the Witch was shredding the other Survivor's stomach with her nails.
The old man spun around, shoved them back, and then fired his weapon, killing them. More arrived as he groaned from the pain he felt in his wrist after shooting. Despite the pain, he killed the infected, then turned in time to see more infected as they arrived. A hunter growled as it followed its brethren.
When the survivor came into view, the hooded creature eyed Bill. The hunter prepared itself, then it leapt. Bill heard its shriek, whirling around in time to see it in midair. It was too late for him to do anything.
The hunter successfully pounced the Vietnam War veteran.
"Get it off of me! Get it off of me!" he cried, trying to push the hooded infected off.
The Witch heard his cries, which caused her to stop attacking Zoey. Her attack left the other woman incapacitated. Her vision was beginning to blur as her attacker stood up, then turned back toward the doorway. The infected's eyes widened when she realized a hunter was killing the veteran.
The horde was also attacking him as he cried for help. The Witch knew Bill needed her help. She realized saving him was more important than killing a woman she accused of trying to take him away from her. She ran out of the room, outstretching her arms as she began shrieking.
Upon reaching them, the infected slashed the hunter off of Bill. For a brief second, as he rose to his feet, all the elder saw was blood dripping of the Witch's nails.
Zoey! he thought, eyes widening.
Bill turned back to the closet. Zoey laid in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes were beginning to close. He knew he had to hurry.
He rushed inside of the room. As the Witch fended off the horde, and despite his condition, Bill reached his teammate in time to save her.
"Let's go, get up! Let's go!" he commanded, reviving her.
Zoey looked around the area as she rose to her feet. Once she was standing, she turned back to her friend.
"Thanks. I owe ya," she said.
Bill turned back to the doorway.
"We don't have time for that," was his reply. "Let's go."
Zoey nodded, then followed as Bill limped out of the closet. His eyes shifted to the Witch. She was currently occupied by the horde. He turned back to Zoey.
"Okay, here's the plan," Bill began. "You run ahead and I'll follow, close behind."
"How could I if I'm injured badly?" Zoey asked.
Bill raised his weapon.
"Don't worry; I'll shoot any bastard who decides to follow us," he told her.
Zoey wasn't so sure, but decided not to argue.
Instead, she asked, "Where am I heading to, anyway?"
Her teammate blinked.
"There's a safe house nearby," he replied. "We just gotta get to it."
She nodded as she turned toward the doorway that lead out of the room. The brunette let out a sigh, then began limping forward. Bill followed, shouting, "Go, go, go!"
The Witch had just finished killing the last three zombies of the horde when she heard his shouts. A surprised expression instantly appeared on her face. When she noticed them leaving, she immediately grew angry. She shrieked as she lunged at them.
The two survivors reached the door, then turned their heads toward the shrieks. Their eyes widened in horror, watching her as she approached them. They quickly exited the room. Bill turned back to the doorway, then grabbed the door knob just as the Witch was a few feet from him.
Just before she could reach him, he slammed the door in her face. He spun around. Zoey stood in front of a big metal cage-like object.
"Don't just stand there; Move!" Bill shouted.
The younger survivor hesitated. Suddenly, a dent appeared in the door behind the veteran. He spun back around as his eyes widened.
"GO!" he yelled, terrified.
Zoey nodded, turned around, and then resumed limping. The dent grew bigger as Bill backed away from the door. He spun around, then followed his teammate. They didn't get very far when a hole appeared in the door where the dent used to be.
The Witch stuck her arm through the hole. For the moment, as the two survivors stared at her arm, they began remembering when they'd encountered their first witch. When the hole enlarged, they knew they had to move. Bill and Zoey limped as fast as they could around the incomplete wall toward another hall.
Just when they reached a doorway that lead into the other hall, the survivors heard the Witch's deafening shriek. Both of them whirled around in time to see her emerged from the room. Bill took one hand off the assault rifle, then raised it.
"Zoey, get to the safe house!" he said, motioning for her to enter the hall behind them. "I'll hold her off."
She nodded, then entered the hall. As Zoey began traveling through the corridor, her teammate placed his hand back on his weapon. The Witch continued to approach him. Bill pointed his assault rifle at her.
"Stay back or I'll shoot!" he warned.
The infected didn't slow down. She still wanted to kill Zoey. She thought the other female was trying to manipulate Bill. The Witch had to stop her before Zoey does.
Before Zoey could do that, she must first take her man away, the infected woman believed. As she neared Bill, the Witch noticed his expression. He appeared angry. Was Bill angry with her?
It was most likely, since she wanted to kill his only living teammate. The Witch suddenly realized Zoey had left Bill behind. Maybe she wasn't trying to manipulate him after all. If that was true, then why did Zoey wanted Bill in the first place?
The infected didn't know why, and didn't care, since she was now alone with him. The Witch decided to not go after Zoey; not now, at least. She immediately stopped running before she could plow into Bill. Her mood changed as she lowered one arm, while reaching the other toward the veteran.
Before the Witch could check if Bill was okay - even though he wasn't - more common infected arrived. They were followed by a smoker and a boomer. The horde! How did they forget?
Bill knew his wrist will hurt some more if he shoots, so he lowered his M16.
Maybe the Witch will take care of 'em, he thought.
He was right. The Witch spun around, then lunged at them. The veteran watched her attack them for a moment. Suddenly, he heard someone call out:
"Come on, everyone in here!"
That's when he knew Zoey had made it to the safe house. He turned back to the corridor, equipping his pistol. He looked around for any other infected. Bill didn't see any, so he went through the hall.
When Bill reached the safe house, Zoey opened the door for him. She had healed herself with a first aid kit, and had another strapped onto her back. She was equipping two pistols.
"Glad you could make it," she said, smiling.
The older survivor didn't return her smile as he limped pass her into the room.
"Close the door before the Witch realizes I'm gone," he commanded.
Zoey slammed the door shut, then turned back to him. Bill limped over to the red cabinet, which only had two first aid kits in it.
"Why didn't that witch kill you?" she blurted.
The young woman didn't mean to say it out loud, but then she wanted to know the answer. Bill was healing himself with a health pack when he'd heard her question.
"Like I'll know!" he snapped.
He immediately calmed down.
"Sorry, it's been a rough night," he sighed. "I couldn't really rest without thinking about those damn bastards roaming 'round."
Zoey blinked.
"So, the Witch was actually holding your wrist?" she asked. "'Cause it sure looked like it."
Bill walked over to a table, which had weapons and ammunition on it. It stood beside the other safe house door. He collected ammo for his M16.
"Yeah," he replied, "but it isn't important, kid. We should be more concern on getting the hell outta here."
Zoey wanted to know why the Witch was holding his wrist, though. Before she could ask, a scream interrupted her. The survivors exchanged glances before rushing over to the red steel door. Upon reaching it, Zoey and Bill peered through the barred window in the door.
They didn't see anyone, but the survivors did hear a few more screams. A moment later, the screams ceased. Bill knew right away the Witch thought he'd disappeared and had left. Was she looking for him?
It was most likely, since the Witch seemed to be obsessed with him. Even though she didn't know him that well - or for very long. The veteran told himself he should forget about that witch, and focus on him and the former college student getting to the roof. Although Bill wanted to get out of the city, he told Zoey they should rest a little before leaving the safe house.
Bill was confused from the moment Francis and Louis magically appeared in the safe house. He became a little more confused when he asked them if they remembered dying, and they just gave him a look as if they didn't understand. He got the same response from Zoey when he asked her. Bill became more confused when a horde attacked them as they made their way through a corridor outside of the safe house.
He wondered how so many infected could fit inside one of the small rooms. He became even more confused when he and his team had contacted the pilot, and they suddenly heard shouts from an oncoming horde.
Since when does talkin' on a radio creates noises loud enough for the zombies from afar to hear us? Bill thought just as the first wave of infected arrived. I thought a horde only shows up if we stayed in a spot too long, were covered in boomer bile, or had activated something that makes loud noises.
The four survivors fought off the horde, only to have encountered a tank afterwards. No, not one tank but two. They didn't attack survivors at the same time, but they had to fight another tank after defeating the second wave of the infected horde. The first tank came after the first horde attack.
The survivors immediately recognized there was a pattern. As they fought the second tank, they wondered: will the helicopter arrived after this tank dies? Despite learning the pattern, Bill was still confused about what was happening. In the process of fighting the second tank, the muscular infected managed to take Francis' life.
When the infected finally died, the three remaining survivors heard helicopter whirring. They looked up into the night sky. News Channel 5 Chopper was flying overhead, heading toward the landing pad. The sound of the 'copter's propellers attracted another horde and a tank.
The survivors hurried over to the vehicle. Louis was the first one to make it to the helicopter. He hopped inside, then turned back to the opened doorway. He beckoned to Bill and Zoey to follow.
The pilot shouted, "Come on, come on! Everyone in the chopper!"
Zoey, ahead of Bill, was several feet from the helicopter. Suddenly, the tank climbed up from the side of the landing pad, nearest to the aircraft. The survivors stopped short as the infected set foot on the landing pad. Louis, behind the Tank, immediately froze with terror.
The horde, meanwhile, were coming from the building with the radio. They were heading toward the two survivors. The two survivors looked around the area, knowing they were being surrounded. The tank reached them, then punched Zoey.
She screamed as she went flying. She crashed into the horde as if they were bowling pins and she was a bowling ball. Bill's eyes widened in horror; he had watched the whole scene. Bill immediately spun around, remembering the brawny zombie behind him.
To his surprise, it ran pass him. The tank was after the brunette female. The war veteran didn't know whether to be relieved or not that it was not after him, especially when he felt a cold hand wrapped around his. Bill turned his head to see a witch holding his hand, giving him a sad gaze.
She didn't want him to leave. He and his team had heard a witch crying when they were traveling through the corridor. At the time, Bill didn't think much of it. He knew this was the same witch from earlier, despite her having the exact same appearance as other witches.
Tears were in her eyes as the Witch held his hand. She can't believe she had lost him again earlier. She believed that woman, who was the tank's target, had something to do with his disappearance this time. She should have killed Zoey when she had the chance, she realized.
As she stared at the veteran, the Witch noticed a helicopter behind him. Was Bill about to leave? She quickly answered the question by thinking Zoey was trying to escape with her man. Who did Zoey think she was?
The Witch didn't want them on that helicopter, but she knew that tank was going to kill Bill after it was finished with Zoey.
Suddenly, the helicopter pilot shouted, "I can't hold it here much longer. Move it!"
Bill knew he had to get to the helicopter. Although he didn't want to leave Zoey to die again, he believed there was no way he could save her. The Witch didn't have a strong grip on his hand, so he was able to break free. As soon as he did, Bill quickly made his way to the helicopter.
A few feet from the vehicle, he dared a glance over his shoulder. Zoey was calling for help, incapacitated. The tank and the horde were beating her to death. Bill also saw the Witch coming after him.
She shrieked as she outstretched her arms toward him, trying to grab the old man as she chased after him. Bill knew she was faster than him, with or without good health, so he had to hurry. He was nearly to the helicopter when he felt one of her nails brushed against his back. He immediately jerked forward.
He decided to dive into the chopper. The senior could see Louis beckoning to him. Bill nodded, then dove toward the helicopter. He made into the chopper, but his legs were hanging out of the doorway.
The young man was going to help him to his feet when the Witch reached them. She wrapped her hands around Bill's black combat boot. She had poked him in the process. Bill turned toward her as his eyes widened, realizing she was trying to pull him out of the aircraft.
He began kicking his leg, trying to break free of her grasp. Louis stared with widened eyes. Tears streamed down the infected woman's face as she began pulling the veteran out of the helicopter. Bill reached out both arms, trying to find something to grab and hold onto.
She managed to pull him a few inches out of the chopper. He turned his head toward his friend, reaching a hand toward him.
"Help me!" he cried.
Louis reached down to grab Bill's hand as he looked out of the helicopter. What he saw behind the infected made him gasp. The other infected had turned their attention to him and Bill. The infected charged toward the helicopter, abandoning Zoey's corpse.
The young man saw a glimpse of her body for only a second before an infected blocked his view of her. His heart loudly throbbed in his chest, threatening to rip through his ribcage.
"Come on, come on! Everyone in the chopper!" the pilot shouted, interrupting the Junior Systems Analyst's thoughts.
Louis gazed back down at Bill. Half of his teammate's torso hung out the 'copter. He tried to grab Louis' ankle, but he was inches out of reach. He gazed up at his friend.
"A little help, please," he said.
Louis reached his hand down to not grab Bill's hand, but to remove his handgun from its holster. He held it in both hands as he pointed his weapon in the elder's direction. Bill's eyes widened like a deer's when its caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
"Just hang on for one more second," Louis said.
Bill opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he heard a gunshot. The gunshot instantly made him shut his eyes. He wondered if the younger survivor had shot him. If so, why did he?
Did the gunshot kill the senior? Bill didn't know; all he could see was darkness. Suddenly, Bill felt himself being dragged. Who was dragging him?
There was only one way to find out. Bill opened his eyes. All he saw was a dingy, white shirt, and a red tie. That's when Bill realized Louis had pulled him into the helicopter.
It took him another moment to realize Louis had shot the Witch. He explained to the veteran that he only fired her to stun her long enough for him to pull him into the helicopter. The doors had slid closed, and the helicopter was flying away from the abandoned hospital. Bill sat on one of the benches, then gazed out the window.
The rain had slow as the helicopter flew over several buildings. Louis let out a long sigh, sitting back on his bench. He had shut both eyes. Bill ignored him as turned back to the hospital where Francis and Zoey were both slayed.
Mercy Hospital disappeared into the distance as he turned away from the window. He removed the beret from his head, then wiped perspiration off his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket.
We've won that battle, Bill thought, but we didn't win the war; the war between the humans and the infected.
He placed the beret back on his head as he suddenly wondered if the Witch tried to chase after the helicopter, and fell to her doom.
The Witch had given chase, but stopped when she was inches from the edge of the hospital's roof. She had screamed, as she watched the News Channel 5 helicopter fly off into the distance. She felt like bawling, but she told herself she should go find the helicopter on foot, even if it takes days to find it. She began going back the way she'd came.
The Witch wiped her eyes as she ran through the hospital. She believed this wasn't the last time she'll see Bill.
Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to update this story. My computer was acting weird lately, and so it took me a while to get around to update. Hope you had enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and the next chapters (three or five of them, it depends) takes place in the Crash Course campaign, so, it might be a while before I update this again.
I got Left 4 Dead for the Xbox 360 if you didn't know.
