Chapter Five

A.N.: Sorry it took so long guys, going through a lot in my life right now. So this kinda got put on the back burner.

Disclaimer: I do not own the people of L4D. I only own my own characters such as Ma and Pa. I only own the story that comes out of my head, and the plot I put said L4D characters through.

Chapter Five

Disaster in the City

The sounds of a throat clearing came from behind Nick, who was still inches from the door. "Don't you dare pull that door open kid." Pa said, arms crossed as he chewed on his chew tobacco. "I aint gonna go save your ass again if you do." The statement caused Nick to laugh, "Fair enough old man." He looked back at Pa before stepping towards him. "Especially after what you done did to that Ellis feller." That stopped Nick in his tracks.

"What do you mean old man?"

Pa snorted before looking Nick over, "Your looks.. How he was acting last night after the whole thing. Everyone else thinks you just beat the crap out of him. I know better." Pa snorted again before spitting into a spitting tin he stood beside. "I was in prison for a good long time." He eyed Nick who began to look ashamed as he was stared down. "I aint stupid like people make me out to be."

Nick grunted before starting to walk past Pa. "I want you out of my home once them walkers are done being rattled up." Nick stopped beside Pa, looking at him. "I done want you out of here." Nick nodded slowly before walking down the hall towards the kitchen where the others were.

The dinning room was a silent tomb, everyone seemed to either have a hang over from the night before, or just not wish to speak of what had happened. Few looked up to see the con man walk in, even fewer cared that he was there. They stayed quiet focusing on their food and not the fact that the groans from outside could be heard almost as if they were in the room staring them down. Nick sat at his place beside Rochelle, looking at the sloppy mess of eggs and some sort of meat; to him, it was food. He dug in like the rest, ignoring that Rochelle had now realized he was there, and was giving him the look of death.

A few moments pasted and Pa came into the dining room with Ellis, who was still limping. Everyone's eyes moved to the skinny male watching as he walked, everyone but Nick, who stayed focused on his food. With Pa's help Ellis sat slowly into his chair before looking around. "Really guys, I'm good." Rochelle was the one who called bullshit, she stood and slammed her hands down on the table looking at Nick. "I am sick of you picking on him! You took it too far this time Nick!"

Ellis winced at the yelling, looking slowly at his plate before picking up his fork. "What'cha want me to say huh? Sorry? I already did that!" Nick looked up at Rochelle a look of disgust on his face. "Why don't you but the fuck out of it already?" Ma gasped covering Sam's ears, the young girl rolled her eyes pulling her mothers hands off her ears. "What happens between Ellis and I, happens between Ellis and I!" Nick stood now, ready to throw down with the women who only days ago he'd been fawning over. Now that he knew she had no single interest in him, he was ready to treat her like she wanted to be treated, one of the guys; or one of the walkers. Rochelle looked Nick dead in the eye, her chest puffing up as she huffed before sitting down once more. "It aint right." She muttered before looking at her plate. "Neither are you but we learn to fucking deal." Nick sat down once more leaning back in his chair a bit. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to be facing people he didn't even want to be around.

Coach patted Rochelle on the shoulder slowly before continuing to eat his own food. Phil watched the group before whispering something to his sister who giggled looking at him. The two joked back and forth, whispering all the while so that no one else could hear them. Pa cleared his throat before standing. "As we all have noticed, yesterdays firing in the city has startled the undead. Because of that Ma wants me to let yall stay here one more day." Pa put his hands on his hips looking at the group. "Possibly longer, dependin on how it goes. If this be the case, we gotta get along, and yall gotta work." Phil giggled leaning back. "So that mean I don't have to do nearly as many choirs?" He asked which Pa gave a nod to, causing both of the children to clap their hands in delight.

Pa looked at the group. "Is it a deal then?" The nodded, anything to keep from having to sleep outside in the cold another night, or worrying on wither or not they'd wake up to the undead. This was a relief they could live with, and enjoy; well most of them could. Nick looked at his hands, feeling like a small child almost as he sat at the table. The regret of what he'd done sinking in slowly, he didn't know how to fix it, hell he didn't even know why he'd really done it. He slowly looked across the table at Ellis who was focused on his food. He had to get alone with Ellis again, he had to properly say sorry to him. The feeling of eyes on him caused a slight shiver down Nick's spine. He looked at Rochelle once more, she was staring at him, unblinking. He nearly snapped at her again but let it go, he ate his own food before leaving the table. "Ellis why don't you just go rest?" Ma asked patting the skinny boy on the shoulder. Nick winced hearing that, before clenching his fists watching Ellis walk past him slowly, not limping as bad as before.

No one seemed to mind that Nick had left, that didn't bother him a bit at this point. It meant he didn't have to do the fucking choirs, and it meant he could do as he pleased to. Alone. After all this time, getting to know the others, and trying to come to terms with what had been happening, in the end he really was and had been alone. Yeah his "friends" had been looking out for him at the start, but after they all learned what he had really been before the zombies, the looks they'd given him had changed. You'd think in an undead world that being a con man didn't matter, long as you had someones back. He had theirs, but they no longer had his. He walked down the hallway slowly, fingers sliding into his pocket to find his cigarettes. Fuck the world then, he was plenty capable of handling himself on his own in this world. He'd done it before he met up with them, and when they all were separated. He could do it again if he had to, all he had to do was try.

Nick shook his head, he had thought about going back to Ellis's room, to beg and plead for forgiveness; he realized now that, that plan was stupid. Everything he'd done until now was idiotic, and he'd been a fool. He'd fallen for a bitch, and fucked a guy who he hated. His footsteps echoed down the dark hall to his room. Moving to the bed he finally pulled out one of the cigarettes before pulling out his lighter. After a year of stress, cigarettes didn't seem like the worse thing that could kill him. The flame lit up a small part of the pitch black room, giving Nick a chance to see Ellis sitting on the bed, startling Nick enough he nearly dropped the lighter. He growled before relighting the thing, and then lighting his cigarette. "Can I fucking help you?"

His voice seemed hallow, he'd chosen not to go see Ellis yet here the kid was sitting on his fucking bed, coming to him. Ellis didn't lift his head up as Nick spoke, not even seeming to hear the tone of voice that had been directed at him. "Yeah." He muttered before scratching the back of his head. "I wanna know why." Fingers moved slowly through dark brown locks, pushing his hat off his head and into his out stretched hand. "Why me?" He looked up slowly to watch Nick stand there, smoking in a silhouette of light from the cherry of his cigarette. There was no answer to that question that Ellis would want to hear, but he needed to hear it. There was no nice way for Nick to answer, no simple explanation of 'you were the one I wanted all along', or 'my mean comments were meant to be playful banter'. Nick wouldn't lie again, Nick couldn't force himself to forgive himself, let alone ask Ellis to try once more. "I was drunk." He muttered, pulling the cigarette from his lips, lowering it slowly.

"You were there."

Ellis looked at the floor once more, staring at his hat as he turned it slowly by just the brim. "I was there." He muttered as he felt tear well up in his eyes. He could only think of how he'd become some pansy in front of Nick, and that was what led to all of this. How he showed he was weak so Nick could just take everything from him, and give nothing back. "I know... It sounds horrible." Nick whispered before taking another drag from his smoke before putting it out against the wall. He moved over to the bed and then sat down. "It was horrible. There's... there's not justification for what I did Ellis. You told me to stop, and instead I kept going... In my mind I heard the words but they didn't mean what you said..." Ellis played with his hat, before slowly slipping it onto his head once more, pulling the brim down to cover his eyes.

"I'm sorry." How many times would Nick say that? How many times would he be forced to repeat the words only to know they were falling on def ears. "I know."

The words hit Nick like a sack of bricks. He stopped, leaned back slightly, and then looked at Ellis slowly. Had that really just come from the scrawny kid sitting next to him? He watched the figure of the other male in the dark, watched as his shoulders shook from crying. His chest hurt as he watched, it felt like someone had gripped his heart and decided to give it a hard squeeze. Nick's hand twitched, before he slowly reached over and put a hand on Ellis's shoulder, hoping to not receive the same reaction from this morning. "I'm sorry Ellis. I... I really am..."

Ellis looked at Nick slowly, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I know... and... I'll move past it man." He whispered, barely loud enough for Nick to hear, yet the words rang so clear that again Nick felt that squeeze. He swallowed hard before grabbing Ellis and pulling the small male against his body. "Fuck man." He muttered as he held Ellis tight. The younger male wrapped his arms around Nick slowly, gripping at the back of his shirt.

"Just don't leave me..."